5 ruthless business lessons from one week in NYC

July 8, 2026

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Imagine standing in a bustling NYC conference room, and suddenly, a sharp realization hits — you need proximity to succeed. According to My First Million, the biggest business lesson from a week in NYC isn’t just about networking; it’s about being close enough to influence and learn from the right people. Shaan Puri shares that in New York, proximity isn’t just physical — it's about embedding yourself where the decisions happen. And here’s where it gets interesting — trust and city brands are intertwined. As My First Million points out, city reputation attracts the best talent and investors, giving you a leverage edge. Marketing, too, takes on a different dimension when you’re immersed in the scene — ideas spread faster, relationships deepen. So what does this actually mean for you? It’s about getting closer, not just physically but emotionally and strategically, to the core of your industry. That shift is subtle now, but it’s exactly the kind of signal that usually defines the next big cycle.

*Sam's guide to run your life like a $100M business:* https://clickhubspot.com/cr05

Episode 839: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about everything Shaan learned from his NYC trip.

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Show Notes:
(0:00) Lesson: Proximity
(9:11) Lesson: What does it really mean?
(23:04) Lesson: Trust
(18:53) Lesson: City Brands
(33:39) Lesson: Marketing

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Links:
• Ben Wilson’s GoFundMe - https://t.co/kJN7pArRIO

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Check Out Sam's Stuff:
• Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm

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Check Out Shaan's Stuff:
• Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com
• Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents.
• Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury for banking across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/
Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC

• I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out:
beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge

My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

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