Building your network matters not just for career success but because the friendships you form along the way shape your overall sense of happiness, connection, and meaning. But how many of us actually slow down to assess our friendships and reflect on how to deepen them? On this bonus episode to conclude Season One of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben (longtime friends themselves) dig into the many nuances of friendship: the different meanings of “I love you,” why the idea of having a...

Remote work, the creator economy, and peer-to-peer gig services have given rise to the modern “portfolio career.” This approach is exciting: by diversifying your income stream, the types of work that you do, and the people you work with, you can forge a unique and versatile career path. But you must be very strategic.   On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben explain what a portfolio career looks like in action, why and when Reid has run a portfolio career vs. a focused...

Status – it’s a fact of working life that’s uncomfortable to talk about yet can have a tangible impact on your career. Hierarchies of power, prestige, and rank exist in every professional context we enter, and learning to navigate these dynamics is crucial. But what are the common status hazards, and how can you gracefully step around them?   On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben get honest about the role of status in careers. They explain how to show you value a...

There’s a common misconception that world-class careers are the result of slow and steady progress – a gradual climb of many small successes accruing over time. In fact, remarkable careers often benefit from “breakout opportunities,” singular moments that radically transform your professional trajectory. But how do you recognize them, and how do you increase the chances of creating game-changing opportunities for yourself?   On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben explain...

How do your friends and colleagues describe you? What would *they* say your top strengths and weaknesses are? The answers to these and other questions define your professional reputation—your own individual brand. But you shouldn’t leave things up to chance. You should be authentic and thoughtful about shaping how you are perceived.   On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben discuss how to construct your personal career brand and leverage it to fulfill your aspirations:...

If you aren't pained by the risk involved in a potential career move, it's probably not a breakout opportunity. In fact, one of the riskiest things you can do in your career is try to eliminate risk altogether. Risk is omnipresent. You need to know how to evaluate it, and to build resilience against risks you can't anticipate.   On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben share tips and frameworks for taking smart risks in your career, including how to: overcome your natural...

How do you make better life decisions? By becoming world class at tapping the brains of the people in your network. Your network is a source of constant, customized information that helps you make wise decisions, both large and small.   On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben get into the skills and techniques needed to harness the “network intelligence” that already surrounds you: asking the right questions, identifying different types of expertise in other people, and...

In Reid’s first startup, he was told “No” by almost every VC he pitched. How do you get beyond that? How do you become relentlessly resourceful in your career? How can you master the art of the hustle without being perceived as a “hustler”?   On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben share lessons from Airbnb, Chris Sacca, and other companies and careers to show how to be stubbornly persistent, how to get creative when necessary, and how to cultivate serendipity.   Follow...

Exceptional careers happen when someone conceives a brilliant plan and executes it flawlessly, right? Wrong. Every career is an ongoing process of experimentation. You learn by doing and recalibrate as you gain new experiences and knowledge. But this doesn’t mean you don’t need a plan – you need plans, plural, that you continually update. On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben unpack the ins and outs of their “ABZ Planning” framework: How to approach your Plan A, how to...

An all too common piece of career advice is to “follow your passion.” But when it comes to crafting a great career, that’s not the whole picture. You must also take into account the skills that will differentiate you, and where they fit into the marketplace. On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben explain the “three gears” that underlie every world-class career: Assets, Aspirations, and Market Realities. When these three elements click together and turn in unison, you...

Many professionals are turned off by the idea of “networking.” They think it’s about slimey glad-handing and using others to get ahead. But when pursued with an eye toward leveraging your skills and experiences to help other people succeed, building a professional network becomes something else entirely – a chance at authentic human connection that can fuel enriching relationships and create opportunities over decades. On this episode of the Startup of You Podcast, Reid and Ben break down...

The Startup of You career strategy podcast, co-hosted by LinkedIn's founder Reid Hoffman and author Ben Casnocha, isn’t about cover letters or resumes. Instead, you will learn how to apply the best practices of Silicon Valley start-ups to your own life. Because whether you work for a giant multinational corporation, stitch together multiple gigs in a portfolio career, or are launching your own venture, you need to know how to: Adapt your career plans as pandemics rage and technologies upend...