What's Your Perfect Day? - Jayson Gaignard (Founder & Talent Scout of Mastermind Talks)

Jayson Gaignard, Founder of Mastermind Talks,  is a man who keeps his eye on the things that have value beyond the material. In his open and authentic Paper Napkin Wisdom, Jayson shares his story of near financial ruin and how it led him to start something he was passionate about. He says: Your network is your net worth. It’s a lesson made clear to him through near disaster. In August of 2012, Jayson lost everything financially. He went from running a business that was doing an average of 6-7 million dollars a year to finding himself with a quarter million of debt. He found that when you’ve lost everything financially, you’re left with two resources: Your word and your network. After being given a ticket to go see Seth Godin, Jayson found himself contemplating how disconnected entrepreneurs could be as a group. He became a catalyst for entrepreneurs to connect by hosting Mastermind dinners, dinners of 6-8 entrepreneurs. He funded the dinners through what little credit he had to his name and his network, feeling that though he might lose material assets, he would always have his network and it was something he could properly invest into. Now, a year and a half later, Jayson is almost out of debt and he says that he couldn’t have done it without his network. In leveraging his network, he actually leveraged his net worth, and the payoff has been substantial. His previous business caused stress, medical issues due to stress, and it wasn’t something he really enjoyed doing. Jayson loves what he does, he’s passionate about it, and it’s presented him with a myriad of opportunities. Through his Mastermind work, Jayson shares the things he’s learned and helps entrepreneurs make strong connections and hold themselves accountable for the things they want to achieve. It’s a fascinating story and one that reminds us the importance of keeping strong connections and not taking our network for granted. Listen to the conversation with Jayson here: