By Kurtis Bell

Chance the Rapper has been named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2017, and it seems he also reads my networking articles. Now you might be wondering how I came to such a wild conclusion; here’s how…

Chance is a huge name in music and has sold exactly 0 albums. Yeah, you read that correctly: 0, Zero, not 1, but none. He has always given his work away and never asked for a dime. You can find his music on the major streaming services, but good luck trying to find it in a store or for sale online.

Why would you give away your work for free though? By giving away his mixtapes, Chance has curated a fanbase that is among the most loyal in the business. Consumers soak up his music for free online, and then live shows often sell out within minutes.

If you thought giving away music for free was a crazy business move, you might want to stop reading now. In 2016, Chance bought nearly 2,000 tickets to his own concerts from scalpers at whatever high price they were asking just to sell them back to the fans at the normal price. If you weren’t a fan of this guy before, you should be now.

When I thought about it I instantly began to see the connection between how Chance does business, and how I like to network. I am one to give, rather than ask in networking. I enjoy helping others and being a connector for my network connections. I have a loyal network because they know I am always someone they can call on whether it is to write a recommendation or provide a referral.

By not worrying about the money, and focusing on what he loves, Chance has vaulted himself to the forefront of the music industry as well as laid out a perfect template for us to follow in networking.

Whether hip hop is your thing or not, check out Chance. Read up on him and what he’s done. Even if you don’t come out as the newest fan, you can surely appreciate the man and all that he has done.