Building your network matters not just for career success but because the friendships you form along the way shape your overall sense of happiness, connection, and meaning. But how many of us actually slow down to assess our friendships and reflect on how to deepen them?

On this bonus episode to conclude Season One of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben (longtime friends themselves) dig into the many nuances of friendship: the different meanings of “I love you,” why the idea of having a single Best Friend is shortsighted, and how to explicitly talk with friends about the state of the relationship and how to improve it.

We end by including the 20-minute commencement speech on the importance of friendship that Reid delivered to the Vanderbilt University Class of 2022.

Follow Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

Follow Ben Casnocha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencasnocha/

Check out the Startup of You Website: https://www.startupofyou.com

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Remote work, the creator economy, and peer-to-peer gig services have given rise to the modern “portfolio career.” This approach is exciting: by diversifying your income stream, the types of work that you do, and the people you work with, you can forge a unique and versatile career path. But you must be very strategic.

On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben explain what a portfolio career looks like in action, why and when Reid has run a portfolio career vs. a focused career, and why letting too much optionality into your life at the wrong time can be a liability.

They also answer listener questions about navigating generational divides, work-life balance, and how to find a mentor.

Follow Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

Follow Ben Casnocha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencasnocha/

Check out the Startup of You Website: https://www.startupofyou.com

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Thanks for listening.

Status – it’s a fact of working life that’s uncomfortable to talk about yet can have a tangible impact on your career. Hierarchies of power, prestige, and rank exist in every professional context we enter, and learning to navigate these dynamics is crucial. But what are the common status hazards, and how can you gracefully step around them?

On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben get honest about the role of status in careers. They explain how to show you value a higher-status person’s time; they discuss why interactions with peers require a different kind of finesse than interactions with superiors; and they tell the story of how The 48 Laws of Power author Robert Greene lost a power battle early in his career, and what we can learn from him.

Follow Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

Follow Ben Casnocha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencasnocha/

Check out the Startup of You Website: https://www.startupofyou.com

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There’s a common misconception that world-class careers are the result of slow and steady progress – a gradual climb of many small successes accruing over time. In fact, remarkable careers often benefit from “breakout opportunities,” singular moments that radically transform your professional trajectory. But how do you recognize them, and how do you increase the chances of creating game-changing opportunities for yourself?

On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben explain the concept of “growth loops,” reveal features of breakout opportunities (hint: risk is usually involved), and share lessons from when George Clooney landed his breakout role on the show ER. They also answer a question from a listener.

Follow Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

Follow Ben Casnocha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencasnocha/

Check out the Startup of You Website: https://www.startupofyou.com

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How do your friends and colleagues describe you? What would *they* say your top strengths and weaknesses are? The answers to these and other questions define your professional reputation—your own individual brand. But you shouldn’t leave things up to chance. You should be authentic and thoughtful about shaping how you are perceived.

On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben discuss how to construct your personal career brand and leverage it to fulfill your aspirations: choosing the right LinkedIn profile headline (Reid shares that he recently updated his!), asserting your value without bragging or distorting the truth, and supporting the brands of your allies.

Follow Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

Follow Ben Casnocha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencasnocha/

Check out the Startup of You Website: https://www.startupofyou.com

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Thanks for listening.

If you aren't pained by the risk involved in a potential career move, it's probably not a breakout opportunity. In fact, one of the riskiest things you can do in your career is try to eliminate risk altogether. Risk is omnipresent. You need to know how to evaluate it, and to build resilience against risks you can't anticipate.

On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben share tips and frameworks for taking smart risks in your career, including how to: overcome your natural bias to avoid risks, know whether you’re walking through a “one-way door” or a “two-way door” when making a crucial decision at work, and look for hidden opportunities in environments where others feel fear and uncertainty.

Follow Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

Follow Ben Casnocha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencasnocha/

Check out the Startup of You Website: https://www.startupofyou.com

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Thanks for listening. 

How do you make better life decisions? By becoming world class at tapping the brains of the people in your network. Your network is a source of constant, customized information that helps you make wise decisions, both large and small.

On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben get into the skills and techniques needed to harness the “network intelligence” that already surrounds you: asking the right questions, identifying different types of expertise in other people, and developing the finesse required for reference checks.

Follow Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

Follow Ben Casnocha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencasnocha/

Check out the Startup of You Website: https://www.startupofyou.com

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Thanks for listening.

In Reid’s first startup, he was told “No” by almost every VC he pitched. How do you get beyond that? How do you become relentlessly resourceful in your career? How can you master the art of the hustle without being perceived as a “hustler”?

On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben share lessons from Airbnb, Chris Sacca, and other companies and careers to show how to be stubbornly persistent, how to get creative when necessary, and how to cultivate serendipity.

Follow Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

Follow Ben Casnocha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencasnocha/

Check out the Startup of You Website: https://www.startupofyou.com

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Thanks for listening. 

Exceptional careers happen when someone conceives a brilliant plan and executes it flawlessly, right? Wrong. Every career is an ongoing process of experimentation. You learn by doing and recalibrate as you gain new experiences and knowledge. But this doesn’t mean you don’t need a plan – you need plans, plural, that you continually update.

On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben unpack the ins and outs of their “ABZ Planning” framework: How to approach your Plan A, how to conceptualize your Plan B(s) and when to pivot, and why having a backup Plan Z is a must.

Follow Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

Follow Ben Casnocha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencasnocha/

Check out the Startup of You Website: https://www.startupofyou.com

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An all too common piece of career advice is to “follow your passion.” But when it comes to crafting a great career, that’s not the whole picture. You must also take into account the skills that will differentiate you, and where they fit into the marketplace.

On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben explain the “three gears” that underlie every world-class career: Assets, Aspirations, and Market Realities. When these three elements click together and turn in unison, you will unlock success.

Follow Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/

Follow Ben Casnocha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencasnocha/ 

Check out the Startup of You Website: https://www.startupofyou.com

Please rate/review us on your favorite app – and be sure to follow or subscribe.

Thanks for listening.