The goal of a partnership is to build through mutual benefits while focusing on what the partner doesn’t have and you do which is something they need.

Let me give an example.

So, in April of 2016, I started a podcast to build that “Relationship Capital” with entrepreneurs I admired and respected. My weekly goal was to produce regularly scheduled programs where I got the opportunity to interview these entrepreneurs and how they went about their business.

When I published each episode, I sent it to connections on Facebook inviting them to watch to build a massive group of members … that idea later turned into over 200,000 group members and staying around 192,500 today. Distributing it through Facebook and YouTube.

I knew that many people online wanted to feel like they were in the room with my guests since a lot of daily active social media users are into that sort of thing. And I wanted to bring value to them.

It gave me the chance to build rapport, gain intelligence and develop relationships with big influencers that had achieved great success.

Providing me the opportunity to do business with them in a way and elevate my authority online.

I had to make sure my communications were up to par with the way each did business. It was like getting hired at a job and getting the opportunity of a lifetime and be mentored by major influencers.

And this happened every week with a new guest.

See how I took myself out of obscurity and onto a level in business I didn’t have the chance to work at?

Getting jobs the traditional way has too many barriers and competition for someone who was not at the top of their game.

I must admit searching for a new job would get me pumped and full of energy and still does to this day. It was taking work and making it fun and exciting to do every single day.

While I didn’t know it at the time I was creating customers out of work I was doing for free for my podcast guests.

Increasing authority has many benefits to growing any business. You must find ways to brand yourself and separate your business from market competition.

Many friendships grew with the people I interviewed. One in particular interview was with Greg Walker, a successful franchise owner who at the time was building an authority-based business speaking at events, authoring books, and coaching up-and-coming speakers.

Inside of that podcast episode, I dove deep into the weeds with Greg, to keep the value high for my listeners working hard to extract useful information my audience could use right now.

I wanted to have the fastest impact for them so they would come back jazzed about what they got from my podcast episode and share it with their network.

When I asked people to watch and listen I’d get valuable feedback as to what they were paying attention to during my podcast. And more engagement meant more views, who will, in turn, click on to learn more about my business.

And in turn, my guests would grow their audience through my audience helping them like any marketing agency would. And those episodes? They lead to more introductions, which lead to more clients…and around and around it went.

Because I played my cards right, I would get new introductions, about 2-3 per week of high-profile influencers. And every time they ended up asking to be on my podcast or asking my help to connect them with somebody to help them grow their own businesses.

This simple strategy continues to help others like to grow their audience faster and more important establish authority.

Which is something you want in business, especially when you need to hire a marketing or PR agency to help with reputation management.

There are certain services that really only the successful people in business need to have, and that’s a good business to be in.

Being strategic in this area will help you gain the respect of people who can change your business drastically.

Work hard to impress those who inspire you.

You don’t need what you think you do to start raising your authority.