Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Vasquez.
Hi Nicole, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Trust and credibility take time, and I could not run our business without them. Top executives trust us to manage and grow their networks, and they trust the technology we use is best-in-class and takes privacy seriously. This is my fourth business. I have built three successful businesses at the intersection of technology and community, which has required me to earn trust again and again. I have started and grown relationships in person and online, built and scaled communities with other business owners around a shared vision, earned investors’ trust, and connected hundreds of people each year. I do this because I believe the biggest opportunities in life and in a career often come from the people you know. That has been true for me, and I have helped open doors for others, too. While growth hacking and savvy sales techniques can work well, the biggest drivers of my past businesses have been relationships. With strategy and intentionality, you can create more opportunities through networking rather than hoping for a good outcome from events and random coffee meetings.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a connection architecture firm with a proprietary system to manage and grow an executive’s network, we are the only company in the world doing what we do. Sure there are technology companies trying to solve for this with software alone, but none have our model or our talent. Getting here was a tough journey because we had to create a product that didn’t exist and a service people did not know to look for. That meant I had to do a lot of testing and “trying it on for size” (my phrase for going for it, learning, and revising or pivoting accordingly). During that testing and formation stage, you deal with a range of emotions and experiences, from people not understanding your unique value offering to feeling uncertain and frustrated when the path is not yet clear. But I knew this was not only a superpower, but also timely and necessary in the market. Everyone in business wants to network and see results, but hardly anyone has a system for it, let alone a flywheel framework paired with the best technology!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about MBD Partners?
The biggest drivers of business are relationships, and yet most executives keep their network in their head, or in a spreadsheet that their EA manages.
As a connection architecture firm, we architect custom systems for executives to manage and grow their network, based on our proprietary framework that creates a networking flywheel for an executive, meaning over time they have opportunities coming to them because of the consistent actions they’re taking and how they’re providing unique value to their contacts.
What most people get wrong about networking is thinking they need “more networking” so they overwhelm their schedule with random events, and accept invites for coffee, lunch, or any social event that comes their way.
Within a week of working together, our executives gain clarity on how their relationships will help them reach their business goals and confidence in their custom networking system. They know what to say yes or no to, their contacts are organized in a way that matches how they think, and the best part is that all this frees up their time because they’re more efficient with their networking and contact management. Plus, they have our world-class connection architects guiding them through every conversation, event, and other professional interaction to ensure their system runs smoothly.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I say it every day “I live in paradise!” I’ve lived in Miami full-time for 6 years now, but have been coming here for 20 years because of the vibrancy, culture, and yes the beautiful weather! Miami is going through rapid growth right now, and with that comes growing pains. I am keenly aware of how many people have to drive 30-60 minutes to go to work, because of rapidly rising cost of living. For Miami to stay this beautiful, luxury destination we must ensure all our residents have the ability to create a decent life here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mbd-partners.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolervasquez/
