I often write and talk about networking - it is one of my favourite activities after all! 

And one of the key things I believe is that a vast and varied network leads to incredible opportunities and a richer life.

Having those people around you brings you happiness, even if they don’t lead to profitable exchanges.

But, there are also some people in our networks and lives who do the opposite. They sap the life out of you. They bring pure misery. 

Even if sometimes you may make money with them, it isn’t worth it for the headaches they bring you.

Their values don’t align with yours. You cringe or break into hot sweats when you see their name come up on your phone.

They take you further away from your goals in life.

It could be business associates. It could be ‘friends’. It could even be family. These people may once have been a great addition to your network, but over time, circumstances and values have changed, and now they are the opposite.

How you got to where you are doesn’t matter. You can’t live in the past by excusing their current behaviour and distractions from your life based on some positives from 1, 5, 10, or even 20 years ago.

I am not promoting disloyalty. Favours need repaying, and I am in the business of giving second chances. But when someone has become a cancer in your life, rotting your business, your goals, your values, and your life, they need cutting out.

And as usual, this is a case of do as I say, not as I do! I have been making the mistake of not cutting soon enough, so I can teach you first-hand why you shouldn’t either!

The last six months have been about consolidation for me. Cutting back on businesses and opportunities to focus on the core things that can make me money and that I enjoy.

But one of the greatest things I enjoy is not having to discuss things with people. The ability to just make a decision and get on with it.

I am not saying that is a universally correct answer for everyone, but it absolutely is for me.

I love to go to mentors to get advice, but I want to make my own decisions, and that is final.

It could be business partners, it could be suppliers, and it could be funders. Sometimes you just don’t want to talk to people or have to explain yourself.

I have always found it particularly difficult because I naturally want to make people happy. So when someone calls me demanding something, no matter how unreasonable, I always default to trying to accommodate them.

It could be an unreasonable request for information. A demand that comes in at unsociable hours. Someone trying to change a deal just because what they previously agreed to doesn’t suit them anymore.

Having to deal with these people is just a drain on your life. Maybe you make money from it, so you decide to accept it. Maybe you think you have no other choice.

But the more money you get, usually, the less significant in real terms any potential profits may be, and that helps you to see things with more clarity and be prepared to make cuts.

I had a business partner once that I used to use to fund deals with me. He was totally unbearable. Just being in business with him made him think he had the right to monopolise your life 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

He would change deals. He would fail to deliver on his end of the bargain. He would lie. He would make utterly unreasonable demands on you and threaten things if you didn’t comply.

At the time I used to accept it, I didn’t really have other options. So I had to take it up the bum just to get ahead, even though my sanity was taking a pummelling every day.

As I became more successful, I cut the working relationship. He never understood why I was walking away from deals where there was clear money to be made. Explaining that my happiness and sanity were more important to me was humorous to him!

Some of you reading this may be thinking that dealing with people you don’t like is simply part of business and life. And you would be right, to a degree. I am the first to say that you need to be prepared to eat shit to get ahead. But, you always want to build your perfect life around dealing with the people that make you happy and bring out the best in you. Because without happiness, and unless you are living the life you want, you are not successful, no matter how much money you have.

Over the last few years, there have been a handful of relationships in my life that I have needed to get out of. For various reasons, I didn’t deal with the issues as early or as soon as I could have or should have. 

Maybe that’s because there were genuinely other issues in the way that needed resolving first. But more often than not, it is probably because I was making excuses to not have to deal with an uncomfortable situation soon enough.

I was avoiding short-term pain but creating immense amounts of long-term pain that would be ultimately harder to get away from.

But now I am clearing the decks.

If you are a long-term reader of this newsletter, you will know that last year I fired a lot of people who had been lingering around in the businesses for too long. And that with most of those departures, I haven’t noticed the slightest bit of increased workload on the remaining staff or a decrease in turnover in the businesses.

There are simply fewer headaches and more profits.

So now it’s time to separate from my larger and more complicated relationships that aren’t working.

It may bring more profitability, or it may not.

But it will absolutely bring me more control, fewer headaches, more time to concentrate on the things I want to concentrate on, and it will put me one step closer to creating the life I want.

And that is the goal.

Some of these separations are going to cost me a lot of money. Sometime I will be paying more than I ‘need’ to.

By that, I mean that maybe there are legal ways for me to extricate myself for no money to the person involved. But that would also cost legal fees, headspace, and more damage to productivity.

Any money paid will be small fry in the grand scheme of things, and I will make it back in no time with a smile on my face once I no longer have to deal with these people. And it might be time for you to start looking at some of your relationships and taking a hard look at who you want out of your life.

That partner, that investor, that funder. You will know who it is that is relevant to your situation. If you aren’t a business owner yet, this can still apply to you.

You may have ‘friends’ from the past who keep getting you into trouble. Family members who are trying to convince you that you can’t strive for the life you want just because seeing you succeed will remind them what a loser they are.

I had an utterly toxic person around our organisation until recently. How did I get rid of them? I lent them money because I knew they would have no intention of repaying it! One of the highest ROI loans I have ever made!!

So, put your hand in your pocket if you need to, claim back your life and your sanity.

Obviously, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and looking back, there are many relationships and partnerships I should and could have avoided in the first place. And that is what we will cover next week.

The criteria for picking the perfect business partner and as a sneak peek, rule number 1 is…..

YOU MUST HAVE AN ALIGNMENT OF GOALS AND VALUES.

If I look at all my partnerships that have gone wrong or are going wrong, this is the key issue. We want different things, and we believe in different things. Maybe they changed over time. Maybe I changed over time. But more often than not, I made excuses in the beginning to ignore any misalignment, simply in the quest to make money.

But it rarely works out that way.

Now, let's talk networking – you should know by now that it wouldn't be my newsletter without my favourite topic!

As I mentioned last week, I had the privilege of being a guest speaker at an exciting mastermind event in Dubai. And they wanted me to talk about my style of networking. From yacht dinners to five-star luxuries, and even organising team-building games, I've done it all in the world of networking.

During my talk, I discussed my secret behind building a 7-figure network, sharing insights and strategies gained from years of experience. So without further ado, are you ready to learn how to network like a millionaire? Whether you're tired of the same old traditional tactics or simply not seeing the results you want, it's time to shake things up with the NEW Matt Haycox-style networking!

Click below to discover the keys to networking success; you can thank me later 😉

On Wednesday, it was Breakup Day. You're probably thinking, so what? Well, the general premise, to put it bluntly, is a day for people to break up or to reflect on their past relationships and appreciate the growth that has come from them. Whether you’re single, taken, or someone is just bring bad vibes to your life this is the perfect time to find new ways of looking at relationships.

It seems to have landed pretty perfectly with the timing of this week’s column (maybe I have a sixth sense) but much like in my column this week, I talk about breaking free from bad relationships, the people that drag you down, bringing bad energy, prematurely aging you!

So, to basically summarise this whole newsletter: ending a relationship or distancing yourself from someone toxic isn't about harbouring hatred towards them; rather, it's an act of self-preservation and self-respect. Sometimes, it's necessary to cut ties with people who bring negativity into your life in order to prioritise your own happiness and mental health. And if you are struggling, as I said above, book a call with me; I'm a pro at it now!

Dive deep into the world of brain training & self-mastery with Noona Nafousi, CEO of NEO NOOR, on this week's episode of The Matt Haycox Show. Get ready to unlock your potential with powerful NLP techniques, build unshakeable confidence, and revolutionise your personal & professional life!

Listen here now!

P.S…… I know some of you are big fans of this newsletter because you email me and tell me about it. But you still aren’t sharing it with your friends! So use the link below to spread the word and you’ll qualify for some goodies soon!