I am so proud of my friend, Megumi, who did the seemingly impossible – completely from the outside, without a degree in fashion or connections in the industry, she designed and began manufacturing her own line of sunglasses, specifically to fit Asian faces. She’s been phenomenally successful, and the other day, posted on Facebook that one of her clients is a star of the show K-Town.
By coincidence, I’m also friends with a producer of the show K-Town, so I put them in touch with one another. Megumi (smartly) immediately reached out to him and he immediately replied, saying that he had two more Asian-American shows in the works and they should meet.
I don’t know what will come of this, but I am literally bursting with happiness that it could be something awesome and I somehow made that happen. Or maybe I just accelerated the inevitable (he probably would have learned about her sunglasses soon enough on his own). Either way, being the facilitator for a happy outcome is so amazingly gratifying, and that’s where my role in this ends. They are free to make it work or not as they see fit, and I will never bring it up again. My work is done.
Look around. Who in your circle should meet each other, either for career advancement or mentorship or even dating? If handled properly, it doesn’t take anything away from your success to advance theirs, and it should feel really good. Some simple guidelines:
- Don’t do it if you want acknowledgement or thanks or praise — this isn’t about you;
- Don’t risk good connections on people you don’t trust or know very well;
- Don’t send a million people to the same rock star — you’ll wear out your friendship;
- Don’t represent a closer relationship than you have with either party; and
- Please don’t ever make anyone feel they owe you – this is simply about creating connections that will make the world a better place.
- Just do it. It feels great!
