Mastering Relationship Capital: John Hope Bryant on How to Build Powerful Institutional Connections

0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.

0:31Such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, a.k.a. neurolinguistic programming. Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A new year doesn't ask us to become someone new. It invites us back home to ourselves. I'm Mike Della Rocha, host of Sacred Lessons, a space for men to pause, reflect, and heal.

1:11This year, we're talking honestly about mental health, relationships, and the patterns we're ready to release. If you're looking for clarity, connection, and healthier ways to show up in your life, Sacred Lessons is here for you. Listen to Sacred Lessons with Mike Della Rocha on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:57podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello. Hello. All my people. What's up? It's Questlove. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with the one and only ASAP Rocky. He reflects on his journey from Harlem roots to global icon status and discovering the hip hop origin of his name. The ledge was on the TV. Rakim had the bucket hat can go join on. I'm possibly like, that's Rakim. That's who you named after. I just, damn. I swear. Listen to the Questlove show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This episode is brought to you by PNC Bank. A lot of people think podcasts about work are boring.

2:42And sure, they definitely can be. But understanding a professional's routine shows us how they achieve their success little by little, day after day. It's like banking with PNC Bank. It might seem boring to save, plan, and make calculated decisions with your bank, but keeping your money boring is what helps you live a more happily fulfilled life. PNC Bank, brilliantly boring since 1865. Brilliantly boring since 1865 is a service mark of the PNC Financial Service Group, Inc. PNC Bank, National Association, member FDIC. About how to build these institutional relationships if they don't have them.

3:22The first thing you got to do is get your credit score up to 700. Otherwise, you can't even. It's like somebody going to lunch with you and saying they want to do a$5 million deal, but they can't pay for the$50 lunch. I can't tell you how many times I've had people, broke people come to me talking about they have a$5 million or$5 million line of credit from, excuse me, China or Russia or someplace that you get from China. I'm like, come on, knock that stuff off. I said, if you had a$5 billion or$500 million line of credit, do you really think that you'd be talking to me at lunch? Don't you think that J.B.

3:52Morgan Chase would have that? Don't you think that Wells Fargo would have that? KKR would have that? Some investment banker would get that deal. Why are you so special? It's because it's a scam, right? And it unravels. So first of all, get your credit score up so you actually can walk the talk. If you can't do a$50 ,000 deal, don't be trying to talk about a$5 million deal. Knock it off. So get your credit score up to 700. The average credit score for black folks is 620 across the country. I've done that through our HOPE Financial Wellness Index. You put your zip code in, I'll tell you your credit score wherever you live.

4:24Get your credit score up. Get your vibration up. Don't go to the local bank branch. Find a regional credit officer for the bank. Don't go to a money center bank. Go to a regional bank or a community bank that has a billion, two billion in assets, five billion in assets, but you can still get to the chief credit officer. You can still get to the chief lending officer. If you didn't get a no, why would you want to get a no from the branch manager? No disrespect intended from the branch manager. If I'm going to get a no, I want a no from a boss. So I'm going to go find – we're great at storytelling.

5:00Go find who the chief lending officer, chief credit officer is, these people who make credit decisions at a midsize bank. Midsize is something with a B on top of it, billion in assets. It's not very big for a bank. But you can still access these people. Their email is on their website in most cases. Send them an email. Don't be crazy. Send an email. Hey, I'd like to buy a business in town. I've read your resume, your background. You seem like a very interesting person. I'd love to meet you. Here's a little bit about me. We're a great storyteller. Most people will give you 15 minutes. So either do it virtually or do it in person.

5:35Build a report. Don't go in there and ask for a transaction. Don't go in there bragging about yourself. Don't go in there with your hand. Go there and find something personal about that person. look at their look at the photos behind their desk ask them about their wife their husband about them no one asked them about them build a personal rapport a warmth and believe that before the end of that meeting that person will say hey by the way thank you this has been a great meeting what were you here for run a business and not thinking about podcasting think again more americans listen to podcasts than ad-supported streaming music from spotify and pandora and as the number one podcaster iheart's twice as large as the next two combined so whatever your customers listen to, they'll hear your message.

6:15Plus, only iHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio. Think podcasting can help your business? Think iHeart. Streaming, radio, and podcasting. Let us show you at iHeartAdvertising.com. That's iHeartAdvertising.com. Every January, we're encouraged to start over. But what if this year is about slowing down and learning how to understand ourselves more deeply? What if this year is about giving ourselves permission to feel what we've been holding and knowing that it's okay to ask for help. I'm Mike De La Rocha, host of Sacred Lessons. This is a podcast for men navigating stress, emotional health, fatherhood, identity, and the unspoken pressures we're taught to carry alone.

7:00We talk honestly about mental health, about healing generational wounds, and about learning how to show up with more presence and care. If you want a healthier relationship with yourself and the people you love, then Sacred Lessons is the podcast for you. Listen to Sacred Lessons with Mike DeLaRocha on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow Sacred Lessons with Mike DeLaRocha and start listening on the free iHeart radio app today. New year, new goals, and in this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt. And I'm Joel. We are from the How to Money podcast.

7:39And every week we help you to spend smarter, save more, and make sense of what's going on out there. If you want 2026 to be the year you finally feel in control of your money, we're here to give you the tools and advice to help you make it happen. Listen to How to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This season on Dear Chelsea with me, Chelsea Handler, we've got some incredible guests like Kumail Nanjiani. Let's start with your cat. How is she? She is not with us anymore. Okay, great, great, great way to start. So this is a great beginning and hopefully you'll be able to, I don't know, maybe you will cry.

8:15Amanda Seyfried. Life is so short. If you feel something like that, you have that fire in you for this experience. It's not for a guy. It's for the experience of being in love and like it's bigger than a guy. Elizabeth Olsen. I love swimming naked so much. And I know you love taking pictures of yourself naked. I love to be naked. I just want to be in my brown underwear all the time. Ross Matthews. You know what kids always say to me? Are you a boy or a girl? Oh my God. All the time. That's so funny. I know. So I'm always like, hi. I try to butch it up for kids, you know, so they're not confused.

8:48Yeah, but you're butching it up is basically like Doris Day. Right? No, I turn into Bea Arthur. Listen to these episodes of Dear Chelsea on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up, y 'all? This is Questlove. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with A$AP Rocky ahead of his album release, Don't Be Dumb. He reflects on his journey from his Harlem roots to global icon status, discovering the hip-hop origin of his name. The ledge was on the TV. Rakim had the bucket hat Kangol during the pause. I was like, that's Rakim. That's who you named after.

9:25I just was like, damn, that f***er got swag. Rocky offers a window into not only a boundary-breaking artist, but as a man committed to fusing creative ideas, community, and remaining unapologetically himself. Have you ever gotten roasted for any of your outfits? For sure. Some people don't be getting the vision. Look, they can roast me, they can cook me, they can deep-fry me, they can saute whatever they want. It's nobody who can f*** with my fashion sense and my taste is impeccable. I'm just like, I impress myself a lot. It's an amazing conversation, one you definitely don't want to miss. So listen to the Questlove show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

10:10What do you need? What do you need? Now, the door is open. And you say, well, actually, thanks for asking. I really enjoyed meeting you. Well, you got to be authentic about this. Can't be a game. I really enjoyed meeting you. Yes, in addition to that, I'm trying to buy the dentist's office or whatever. Okay, well, let's get you with somebody. Now, that's changed everything. Because this person's job is to say yes. The person in the branch manager, the person in middle underwriting, middle management at a corporation or a bank or a lender, their job is to say no. Why? They don't get fired by saying no.

10:50They get fired by saying yes to the wrong thing, so the answer is no. You need to go to somebody whose business it is to say yes. That's a C-suite executive. I'm just doing this quick because we don't have a lot of time. So you go to, because, again, I want to get a no. I get a no from the top. So relationship capital is everything. Why does somebody go to Harvard? Because Harvard's going to make you three times more smart as a state university? No. It's because the class of 2025 at Harvard is going to hook each other up for the next 50 years. That's why you go to Harvard. Country clubs, fraternities, sororities, universities, it's a club.

11:32I can't mention where I was last week, but that's a club. You guys probably know what I'm talking about. Who's an Idaho?

11:42Milken Conference, it's a club. Clinton Global Initiative, it's a club. You want to be part of that club. You want relationship capital because they're going to hook up their friends. If you see a board of directors with all white 65-year-old men, don't assume that's racism. It might be discrimination. Discrimination is I'm discriminating against you to do something else. But if I grew up with these guys and went to college with them, we chased girls together, and we lied together or whatever in school, and I need to hire somebody who's a treasurer. I'm the chief financial law officer. I need a treasurer.

12:22And I got three applications on my desk. One's black, eminently experienced. One's a white woman, eminently qualified. And then the third one's a white dude I went to college with who chased women. And he didn't tell me when I cheated on a test. Which one gets hired? This is a white male now. The third one. That's discrimination. It's not racism. By the way, that's the way the world works. You have a barbecue, you invite black people to your barbecue. Are you racist? No. Are you discriminating? A little bit. I mean, it's your friends. So you're doing what's comfortable with you. We've got to break up the comfort and insert us.

13:02That's why I loved you guys going to China and Africa. I've been to 100 countries. You don't go, you can't know. So this AI thing and this capital markets thing and the financial literacy thing, which I believe is a civil rights issue of this generation, Financial literacy and AI literacy is everything, 100%. These pieces plus relationship capital can transform Black America in five years. This is the third reconstruction we're in right now, in my opinion. So, okay. So with that being said, okay, well, let me ask you this, because I never really asked you about real estate. You, like you said, do you still own those properties?

13:46So you said that you offloaded them? So I was 100 % owner. Okay. I built it from zero to$150 million. I was 100 % owner. I paid off$88 million of debt and equity Christmas Eve 2021. I owned 38 % of the new joint venture. I was the largest shareholder. So I sold it for less than it was worth. It was worth$150 ,000. Sold it for$121 ,000. I was a 38 % owner of the new joint venture, but I realized very quickly that I'm a control freak. I didn't have control of the new entity. And so I was chairman or whatever. I resigned as chairman and graciously. And I decided to let them do their thing because that's just not the way a camel is a horse designed by committee.

14:35And I don't do committees very well. And I have a very distinct view of how I want to do something. So God bless them and wish them well. and I have an interest in their success, right, if they succeed. But I no longer control the enterprise. Ernest, what's up? You ever walk into a small business and everything just works? Like the checkout is fast, the receipts are digital, tipping is a breeze, and you're out the door before the line even builds. Odds are they're using Square. We love supporting businesses that run on Square because it just feels seamless, whether it's a local coffee shop, a vendor at a pop-up market, or even one of our merch partners.

15:13Square makes it easy for them to take payments, manage inventory, and run their business with confidence, all from one simple system. One of the things we love most is seeing neighborhood businesses level up. There's this West Indian spot right in our community that started with a small takeout counter. Now with Square, they've been able to expand into a full sit-down restaurant and even started catering events across the city. That's the kind of growth that inspires us, and it's powered by Square. Square is built for all types of businesses, from the corner bagel shop that turned into a local chain, to the specialty market with thousands of unique items, to the stylist who's been holding you down for years.

15:53If you're a business owner or even just thinking about launching something soon, Square is hands down one of the best tools out there to help you start, run, and grow. It's not just about payments. It's about giving you time back so you can focus on what matters most. Ready to see how Square can transform your business? Visit square.com backslash go backslash E-Y-L to learn more. That's square.com backslash go backslash E-Y-L. Don't wait. Don't hesitate. Let Square handle the back end so you can keep pushing your vision forward. What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?

16:32Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, a.k.a. neurolinguistic programming. Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

17:31Listen to Sacred Lessons with Mike Delaroach on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Joel. And Matt. From HowToMoney. If your New Year's resolution is to finally get your finances in shape, we've got your back. Prices, they're still high, and the economy is all over the place. But 2026 is the year for you to get intentional and make real progress. That's right. Yeah, each week we break down what's happening with your money, the most important issues to focus on, and the small moves that make a big difference. Kick off the year with confidence. Listen to How to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

18:08This season on Dear Chelsea with me, Chelsea Handler, we've got some incredible guests like Kumail Nanjiani. Let's start with your cat. How is she? She is not with us anymore. Okay, great, great, great way to start. Maybe you will cry. Ross Matthews. You know what kids always say to me? Are you a boy or a girl? Oh my God. All the time. That's so funny. I know. So I try to butch it up for kids. So they're not confused. Yeah, but you're butching it up. It's basically like Doris Day. No, I turn into Bea Arthur. Listen to these episodes of Dear Chelsea on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

18:44Hello, hello, all my people. What's up? It's Questlove. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with the one and only ASAP Rocky. He reflects on his journey from Harlem roots to global icon status and discovering the hip-hop origin of his name. The ledge was on the TV. Rakim had the Buckethead Kangol join on. I'm possibly like, that's Rakim. That's who you named after. I just was like, damn the f***ing f***ing swag. Listen to the Questlove show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.