How many times have you heard a friend say, "I know a guy [or gal] who can..." or something similar? Whether you know it or not, you have a Guy Network, just as each of us does. Obviously, the first step is realizing you already have one, and that you can constantly add to it. The second step is to understand why it's important. Finally, you have to put it to work for you, which often means going to work yourself. So, permit me to be The Guy Who Explains.

The Guy Network is micro-networking at it's finest, allowing access to numerous experts in various fields through the doors of personal relationship. As I've often noted, people like doing business with friends. And friends of friends still qualify. Certainly this access can be of real value to you in both your business and personal life. But the best way of all to make this work for you, especially in business, is to not only know a lot of Guys, but to be The Guy that people tells others about.

Side Note Before Proceeding: My use of the term guy refers to both men and women. In fact, many of my Most Important Guys are female. I'm not being sexist; I'm following a standard writing convention that makes it easier to communicate. Please remember the history includes herstory, as well.

I actually have two lists of Guys, including what each of them can do. On my local list of Guys, one is a great backyard mechanic, performing all levels of auto repair for friends and personal referrals. Another can get tickets to important U of I games at the last minute, albeit for a price. Another knows lots of civil-service contacts in local government. I have dozens more.

At the national level, and especially in the various aspects of the music industry, I know hundreds upon hundreds of Guys. More important, however, is the fact that, for thousands of people, I'm The Guy Who Can... and you can fill in the blank in many ways.

For me, one important part of being The Guy is knowing a lot of other Guys, and I've got a Blackberry full of them. Many of my friends refer to me as a Guy Who Knows Guys. Give me ten minutes and I can get to almost anyone you need in an emergency. Give me another ten and I'll get you three more. That means I get a lot of calls and text messages at weird hours.

For touring bass players (and other musicians), I can offer advice on gear choices, interpret Geek Speak to English, assist with backline (rental) needs, open doors for endorsement relationships (and not just with the companies I endorse), and connect them with other musicians, studios, tour managers, and much, much more. For those on the local level, from beginners to semi-pros, I can help find a teacher, determine equipment needs then assist with budget planning, offer advice on building audience, marketing, recording and all the other things a budding pro needs to learn.

If you need something done in some aspect of the music or music manufacturing industries, chances are I know someone who can help, or at least know somewho can - and get them on the phone. I can also help people in all fields to create teams of advisory professionals, from web gurus and ad kings to accountants and lawyers with direct experience in certain areas.

Knowing an army of Guys Who Can, and being one to some extent, is micro-networking at its best. Many of the people who call me in search of a Guy, are themselves Guys that I call, either for myself, or for someone else. Today, being/knowing the Guy can work on an international level, growing your business in ways you might not imagine. It took me a while to do it, but I now have a network of Guys in Europe, and am building networks in Canada, Asia and Australia.

Today there are many new networking technologies to use in building your List if Guys. Facebook and Link'dIn are nothing but networks of people many millions strong. Twitter not only allows for instant communication, it's a great way to find - and be - the Guy. It's up to you how you use these technologies; used wisely they can help you do more, and better, business with many more people, both potential customers and potential allies.

For me, the really great thing about all of this is that while I've grown my business, I've helped thousands of people solve their problems. I've made tens of thousands of mutually beneficial connections between friends. At the end of almost every working day, I can look back and see that I've helped numerous people do better business. Isn't that what servant-leadership is all about?

Being The Guy Who Can is simply an extension of my primary goal in business - helping people to do more, and better, business - and is founded in my core philosophy of servant-leadership. By facilitating thousands of connections every year, and helping so many people succeed, I have built an exciting, fulfilling career by serving others. Again, I ask you: isn't that what servant-leadership is all about?

The next time you wonder how you can expand your business, or help more people, remember that you can do both at the same time. All you have to do is Be the Guy.

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