Have we lost the art of the deal?
I used to grimace watching my teenagers trying to resolve conflicts through text messages.
The nuance disappears.
Emotions get misconstrued.
Resolution is nearly impossible.
It hit me recently: we’re doing the exact same thing in business.
That breakthrough partnership you’re chasing.
That game-changing supplier relationship.
That investor who could transform everything.
They’re not happening through email or on a Zoom call.
Throughout my entrepreneurial journey building CPG brands, I’ve noticed a pattern hiding in plain sight…
Every needle-moving deal in my career happened FACE-TO-FACE.
→ The time we signed that celebrity athlete everyone wanted.
It wasn’t our pitch deck that closed it. It was the four-hour dinner where we shared our genuine passion for changing the industry.
→ Those international distributors who chose us over established competitors.
They decided after we flew 14 hours to meet them in person, touring their facilities and breaking bread together.
But here’s the story that drives it home:
→ When launching iSatori, we were nobodies with big dreams (well maybe just me, Shawn was accomplished).
Two executives from HUMANETICS—John Dykstra and Dr. John Zenk—took a meeting with me and my partner Shawn.
The result? They granted us exclusive rights to license 7-Keto, the breakthrough patented ingredient that launched Lean System 7,
and gave our startup a three-year competitive advantage in the marketplace.
We later co-invested in clinical trials together, and two decades later, we remain friends who’ve supported each other through multiple ventures.
The uncomfortable truth here might be that while you’re busy crafting the perfect email, your competitor is booking a flight.
Technology has its place, but relationships—the kind that withstand market volatility and create genuine opportunities—require looking someone in the eye.
Of all the business practices, I’d have to say that’s been most transformative for me…
Never letting convenience trump connection.
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What relationship in your business deserves more than digital communication right now… And what’s stopping you from making that trip?