With running two businesses, we are big on multi-tasking. Not so much because we enjoy it (I don’t), but because it has quickly become a necessity to get anything done around here. This and coffee of course. And maybe a few dance breaks.

Part of this multi-tasking also involves listening to audio books while we work. Though we would love to curl up by the fire and read an actual book, often times that is just not an option. We have listened to many audio books, some even a couple times to gather things we missed, but one that has stood out to us significantly more than any other we have read..er listened to, is Keith Ferrazzi’s, Never Eat Alone.

At times we tend to be recluses, withdrawing from the world and concentrating solely on our work and each other. We are the greatest friends aside from being husband and wife, and we have such a great time working together that this tends to make it much easier to take on hermit-like characteristics. A huge workload doesn’t help either. Though we lean towards this lifestyle, I more so than David, we are continually prodded by daily reminders that we need to get out there and contribute to communities, teams, social networks, helping others build their businesses and learn.

This past weekend David spent a couple days traveling and happened to have a whole evening to himself. While wandering through Barnes and Noble, he picked up the book, “Never Eat Alone”. He had heard about it before, but was reminded of it through a photographers blog we read, Sarah Rhodes. He finished the whole book that night and immedialety called telling me to download it off iTunes pronto. I did, and we have listened to it twice already.

It isn’t a new concept that success is bred through relationships, but I often think that individuals skew that relationship as being one with themselves. It is easy to become self-absorbed and isolate yourself because you’re busy or don’t have a desire to “waste” time talking/meeting/working with others. In fact, that could very well be my mantra, but the point is that this mindset can at times be more destructive than you realize.

A key point that Keith touches on in his book, is becoming indispensable by helping others. Sharing our wealth of knowledge, resources, and advice, in hopes that it will directly benefit others. This creates an indispensable relationship between you and others, establishing a demand as well as respect. Us creative types tend to hoard our resources, ideas and work in the effort to appear more knowledgeable or noted than those that don’t have what we have or know what we know. We also tend to do this with our social and business relationships. Building them with only those that are on our level or that we feel deserve our respect, letting those not-so-special simply watch from afar. I do this all the time and I’ve deluded myself into thinking that this somehow helps myself and our business. Aside from giving myself a pat on the back and feeling cool, this has no purpose. Fame, whether it be big or small, fades. Your value to those who follow you, doesn’t have to.

By creating these simple relationships and helping others & their businesses through different means available to us, we are ultimately guaranteeing our success and demand both as individuals and as a business.

This topic of choice was again brought to my attention via a dialogue I witnessed today on Twitter and only further cemented the necessity to “branch” out more. I don’t like it, in fact I would say I maybe even hate it, but as the old saying goes, “what doesn’t hurt you, only makes you stronger”…and this is precisely what I mean.

Build success through building relationships. Nothing new here folks. Just a little reminder to you all.