Jamie Stewart is the founder and CEO of Circle Networks (R), an international business community helping entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals across every sector to thrive. Built on the belief that Friendship Fuels Business (R), Circle Networks (R) has generated millions of pounds in new business through referrals and collaboration. Jamie is also the bestselling author of Be More Buffalo and a leading authority on relationship-led growth.
Description
Contents Introduction: What Could Better Relationships Change For You? - 1 The Transaction Trap - 2 Trusted Relationships Are Assets - 3 The Right Room Changes Everything - 4 Choose Your People - 5 Build Real Trust - 6 Become Valuable 7 Create Opportunity 8 Grow Together - 9 Make Relationships Your Growth Strategy - 10 The Human Advantage Final Word: Go Back And Build Them - Acknowledgements - The Author
'Jamie Stewart has built a thriving empire using the exact principles and methodology he so generously shares in Friendship Fuels Business. If you're an entrepreneur or sales professional who desires a business that is both deeply fulfilling and highly lucrative, this book will take you step-by-step through the process. My strongest recommendation is simple: embrace this wisdom immediately and apply it consistently. I rank it among the most powerful guides I've ever read on how to build a genuine, high-value network - one that accelerates your results while genuinely enriching the lives of everyone you serve. Talk about the ultimate win/win...this book delivers it!' -Bob Burg, co-author of the International Bestseller, The Go-Giver 'I've watched Jamie build the kind of relationships that most people talk about but very few people intentionally create. The book is straightforward, practical and full of questions that will encourage readers to stop, think and take action. I have no doubt it will prove invaluable to business owners who want to build lasting success.' -Paul McGee, bestselling author of SUMO (Shut Up, Move On) 'I've built a huge part of my business through relationships, partnerships and community, so the message of Friendship Fuels Business really resonated with me. Jamie does a great job of putting structure around something that is the foundation of every successful entrepreneur: trust compounds. This book will help you become intentional with the people around you, creating genuine value, staying connected and building enough trust that opportunities naturally begin to flow both ways instead of just collecting business cards. He has created a practical book that will make you look differently at your network and, more importantly, at how you show up in your relationships. Highly recommended for anyone building a business for the long term.' -Simone Vincenzi, Co-Founder of GTeX & The Speaker Summit & Awards 'Jamie Stewart doesn't just talk about building great rooms. He builds them. Week after week. When I first met Jamie, I saw someone who had built an incredible network. As I've had the privilege of working alongside him, I've realised he wasn't building a network at all. He was building relationships. I've seen him choose his people carefully. Build trust long before he ever needed to call upon it, create value with no expectation of return, open doors for others before considering his own and celebrate the success of those around him, as though it were his own. Through his coaching and guidance, this has fundamentally shaped the way I continue to build my own business, lead my community and invest in the people around me. "Mature people in business build trust before they need it." That isn't just a memorable line. It's a discipline. One that has changed the way I approach every introduction, every follow-up, every conversation and every relationship in which I invest my time. Jamie's greatest achievement isn't the business he's built, it's the people he's helped build along the way. It's the friendships he's nurtured and the example he continues to set for those fortunate enough to learn from him. If you embrace these principles as I have, I believe you'll discover something far more valuable than better business. You'll build a reputation people trust, relationships that endure and a business that grows because of the people around it. Friendship Fuels Business isn't just the title of this book. It's a belief. And thanks to Jamie, it's one I now strive to live by every day. I'm proud to call Jamie a mentor, a leader and a friend.' -Martyn Hanley, Founder, Elite Estate Group 'Jamie Stewart taught me this: business isn't built on transactions or collecting contacts, but on building trusted relationships over time. A few months after joining his network, I told Jamie I was committing to Circle Networks for the next ten years. I've recently revised that statement. As long as I'm in business, I can't imagine not being part of his community. Jamie has shaped the way I think about generosity, trust, consistency and playing the long game of business growth. The relationships I've built through Circle Networks have become one of the greatest assets in my business and my life. In Friendship Fuels Business, Jamie doesn't just explain why relationships matter, he provides the reader with a practical framework for building their relationships with purpose and intention. If you embrace these principles, spend less time chasing opportunities and more time creating the kind of trust from which opportunities naturally arise, you'll discover that your business not only becomes more successful, but more enjoyable too.' -Ailsa Stinson, CEO, B is for Brand 'A master class in relationships. In a world of AI, this book hones in on human connection and what that's worth to business. It's full of actionable steps to help you work your network, and help others while you're at it. A reminder that in a referral-led industry, trust is the only thing that can compound faster than effort.' -Stefanie Gayle, Founder of Indie Interiors 'I thought I already understood Jamie's philosophy because I've seen Friendship Fuels Business in action through our networking. But this book made me look much more closely at the relationships I build, the rooms I choose and where I invest my time and attention. There are plenty of books about networking, and some of the ideas here may sound obvious at first. But there is nothing obvious about the way Jamie connects trust, generosity, consistency and opportunity. He shows how these things quietly compound over time, and how many business opportunities begin long before the opportunity itself appears. It's deep enough to change how you think, practical enough to change how you show up and short enough to crack open before your next networking event.' -Ewa Ledeboer, Founder, Speak with Confidence | Voice & Delivery Coach | Master NLP Coach 'What a fabulous read! This isn't just another networking book, it's a masterclass in building genuine, high-trust relationships that naturally drives business growth. Jamie nails it with the concept of Relationship Capital, showing how the real connections we cultivate become our single greatest asset. Looking back at every major success in my own business journey, relationships have always been at the centre of it! If you're tired of transactional hustle and want to build a business that lasts, you need to read this. It's remarkably refreshing, packed with practical strategies and offers insights I guarantee you've never heard before!' -Pete Rea, Founder, Holistic Business Edge 'As someone who has been successfully networking for 14 years, I learnt at the beginning that there was most certainly a correct way to be successful at it. Learn from the best, learn from people who have a proven track record. This amazing book is exactly what I have been practising for 14 years. Please use this as your guide to a successful business and make networking an easy way to grow not only your business but your friends that will fuel your business.' -Keith Hadaway, Partner with Utility Warehouse 'In the world I work in, with businesses serving affluent, private and high-net-worth clients, people can become slightly obsessed with access: the right room, the right introduction, the right names in their phone. But access without trust means very little. At the top end of the market, people are putting their own reputation on the line when they recommend you. They need to know you, trust you and, crucially, understand your value well enough to explain it when you're not there. Jamie understands that relationships aren't the fluffy bit around business. Built properly, they are part of the commercial strategy. Friendship Fuels Business is a very good reminder that the strongest opportunities rarely start with a pitch. They start with people.' -Nadine de Zoeten, Founder of Maison Z & FRYA International and author of Selling to Millionaires. 'Friendship Fuels Business is one of those books that makes you look differently at something you thought you already understood. Jamie takes relationships beyond networking and shows how the right people, the right rooms, trust built over time and consistently creating value can become a genuine part of how you build a business. What struck me while reading it was how much of Jamie's thinking I've already picked up and put into practice. I'm far more deliberate now about the rooms I spend time in, the relationships I invest in and creating value before I ever need to ask for anything in return. I've seen the difference that makes. This is practical, very human and immediately usable. You'll read parts of it, recognise where you've been getting relationships wrong and start doing something differently.' -Dave Christie, Founder, Flourish Foundry 'Thoroughly enjoyed reading Friendship Fuels Business. I thought I knew what Trust was, however, Jamie brings it alive in good old banking terms: "Every ask we make of someone is a bit like making a withdrawal from a bank account. If we haven't built up any savings, we're trying to spend what doesn't yet exist." I also liked "You can't draw from a well you haven't dug". This book will make you look and choose relationships differently by choosing People Like You and to ensure you end up in the right rooms.' -Caroline Pullich, Group Head of Private Clients, T L Dallas & Co Ltd