Mike MichalowiczBusiness Author & Keynote Speaker Empowering Entrepreneurs

How to 10x Your Network Instantly

19 Oct 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:14

In this segment of Mike Michalowicz’s video, he and a co‑speaker discuss how mastermind groups can dramatically expand a professional network by providing shared resources, introductions to partners, clients, and funding sources. They then explain Dunbar’s Rule, which posits that a person can maintain about 150 meaningful relationships, with inner circles of roughly 30 acquaintances and 7 close confidants. The conversation highlights the mental limits of managing such a network and suggests artificial support tools like a CRM to keep track of contacts beyond the natural capacity, noting the awkwardness of treating new connections as data entries.

There's another benefit. It's access to resources. Mastermind members often share contacts, resources, or tools that have been successful for them. This includes introductions to potential business partners, clients, and even funding sources.
A network.
Yeah.
A massive network. So I think it's Dunbar's Rule. There is this concept that any individual human can maintain about 150 relationships at a competent level. I recognize you. I know a little bit about your family and stuff.
150. Sheesh.
That's at max. Then it reduces down to an outer circle, I think about 30 people where I'll recognize you for your birthday. I'll actually come to your birthday. And then there's a 7 close confidants. Like, that's called the Dunbar Rule, I think. There's 150 max. If I want to expand that network, it's outside my mental capability to maintain that relationship without some kind of artificial support mechanism, a CRM or something like that. But then it's artificial. Now, when I'm coming to that meeting to person 151, I gotta pull up the CRM. I'm like, who the hell is this person?
Like, and it's artificial. Right.
But if I'm in a mastermind of, say, 10 people for round numbers, 150 times 10, that's 1,500 people if I ran the math correctly in my head here. 1,500 people. You've expanded your network tremendously and they're all close confidants. Now 1 degree of separation.