I think access, as in having contacts of influential individuals or a good distribution network, is upstream of any other component with regards to building wealth and/or driving impactful change.
Who you know matters more than what you do, the former acts as a multiplier for the latter.
A classic bootstrapping technique is leveraging one strong relationship to open doors to ten others, then using those ten to reach a hundred and so forth.
I think having a network amplifies one's capabilities to fundamentally change what's possible for one to attempt in the first place.
But here's a catch.
Why you do what you do can be the best magnet for attracting those who matter and mind what you do, which props up the same access you're seeking through a different route.
No Material To Work On
Going right into accumulating who you know doesn't bode well without a strong or sticky enough why you do what you do. You can't go far without a compelling reason that resonates.
Despite the superficial muddy atmosphere we're flooded in, people tend to gravitate towards authentic purpose because it's seemingly rare and infectious.
Influential people want to be part of that story when you're genuinely driven by something meaningful, partly because they'll earn more influential points of course. The other more important part however is they're inspired by your vision and want to contribute to its success.
I think both can co-exist within the reality of how influence works in practice.
"Who you know" - building genuine relationships with people who can open doors, provide resources, or amplify your message.
"What you do" - your craft, skills, tangible output. All of these are critical but without the right connections, even exceptional work can go unnoticed.
"Why you do it" - your driving force, mission, the story that makes people want to join your cause rather than just transact with you.
These elements create a virtuous cycle whereby your purpose attracts the right people, those relationships amplify your work's impact, and that increased impact draws even more influential connections.
Expanding Downstream Ideas
It's downstream thinking, in that understanding that the ideas, opportunities, and resources you need often flow from the relationships you've built upstream.
I've noticed that this framework is mostly skewed towards ambitious creators and entrepreneurs, but in some ways it does also applies anywhere you're trying to build something meaningful rather than just executing someone else's vision.
Even in traditionally hierarchical fields like academia or medicine, the principle holds. Your network becomes your platform for influence, regardless of your formal title.
The doctors who end up driving change in hospital protocols are the ones who've earned trust across departments and can rally support for new approaches.
Well-funded researchers have a knack for building relationships with journal editors, conference organizers, and funding committee members besides just producing groundbreaking works.
The difference between a frustrated individual and an effective change agent comes down to their ability to build the right network around their mission.
Bringing it closer to home, whether I'm a Bitcoin maxi(definitely not) or altcoin enthusiast, my network determines how much of alpha I can access before it becomes mainstream knowledge.
Seems fair enough when I'm more focused on long-term adoption as opposed to getting fixated on short-term price movements.
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