I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
How to meet important people
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Hey Reader, Years ago, I was walking along the Seattle waterfront feeling confused and sad. I'd just attended a design conference. The content was great, but I hadn't met anyone. I was too shy to introduce myself beyond small talk with whoever sat next to me. Ahead, I noticed some of the speakers walking together. People I looked up to. They looked like a group of close friends, laughing and joking. That was the circle I wanted to be part of. I picked up my pace so I could catch up. I got within ten feet but then lost my confidence and stopped. I followed awkwardly behind them all the way back to the hotel and then went to my room alone. I didn't know it then, but there's a tactic that would have changed everything. When you want to meet someone important (a speaker, a founder, or someone you admire), you don't have to linger hoping for more time or wait in line to have a conversation. You can simply cut the line, interrupt for 30 seconds, and be the first one to leave. This sounds rude at first but it's not. Let me explain. — Most people will approach someone who is well-known as a fan. They wait for the right moment, hope the conversation keeps going, and try to extend their time. The other person can totally feel it, and they're thinking about how to politely exit. You've positioned yourself as someone who's going to take their time. Instead, interrupt briefly and end it yourself. Walk up and say: "Hey, I'm [name]. I loved your talk on [topic]. I know you're busy—just wanted to say hi. Hope we can connect at the closing party." Then leave. This shows respect for their time. You're not asking for anything. You're planting the seed that you'll both be around later—whether that's at the speaker dinner, after-party, or next year's event. And you're implying you belong in those spaces. It's a great way to meet people who are important, especially if they're at a level above you. I've done this many times over the years—including recently in Dubai because there were important people everywhere. Many of those 30-second conversations later turned into meaningful conections. The key is leaving energy, not lingering energy. You're showing up as a peer who has other places to be. However, if you really want the best way to meet important people… Build relationships with them before they reach that level. Meet them when you're both starting out and grow together. By the time they're the ones everyone else wants to meet, you're already in their circle. — Years after that Seattle walk along the waterfront, I was at a poker table in Las Vegas with Ryan, Patrick, Jessica, and Brennan. Someone asked if we all worked for the same company. We didn't. We were just close friends, all in town for a conference. But I looked around at that moment and realized these were all top people in our industry now. I didn't meet them by using the 30-second tactic. I met them years earlier when we were all figuring it out together. We grew alongside each other, and now they were the kind of people others use that tactic on. You need both kinds of relationships. The ones above you that create opportunities, and the ones beside you that help you take advantage of them. So this begs the question: how do you find peers at your level? The people doing great things but who aren’t well-known… yet? This is exactly why we built the Creator Network inside of Kit. It lets you filter by location to find other creators in your city. You can browse by niche and reach out to coordinate coffee instead of waiting for the next conference to bump into someone. This is the feature I wish I had 10 years ago. Some of my own friends didn’t even know Creator Network could do this. Check it out and see who you can connect with. You can enter your own city or enter a city you plan to visit to make the most of your next trip. Try it out and let me know what you think. PODCASTThe New Way To Grow a Podcast in 2026Chris Hutchins spent years optimizing products in Silicon Valley. Now he applies that same obsessive mindset to growing his podcast—a show called All the Hacks, which has millions of downloads. In this episode, we break down new ways to grow your podcast in 2026, and cover:
Watch or listen to episode » WORKSHOP6 Creator Economy Shifts to Prepare for in 2026Daniel Priestley and I are doing a live conversation about what's shifting in the creator economy heading into 2026. We're covering six changes we're each seeing from running platforms that serve thousands of creators—three from my side at Kit and three from Daniel's perspective at ScoreApp. Topics include how AI is reshaping content creation, the growing value of trusted personal brands, and what's changing about how creators make money. This is a founder-to-founder conversation about what we're observing and how creators should adapt. Similar to a podcast. BOOKUnhinged HabitsMy friend Jonathan Goodman just released a new book today with a different take on productivity. Instead of adding more habits and systems to your life, Unhinged Habits makes the case for strategic subtraction. The idea is you can have more by doing less: time, energy, relationships, health, purpose. Even if you've read all the habit books, this one offers a fresh angle. Jon shares a number of frameworks like the Work-Worth-Doing Test to help you figure out what's actually worth your time before you commit to it. I've known Jonathan for over a decade. He's someone who practices what he preaches and deeply friendship, health, and family. Have a great week! —Nathan |
Nathan Barry
I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
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