One reason I’m having lunch with 500 strangers is because I want to make new friends. Another reason is that I want to learn.

I got to tick both boxes when I had lunch with James Killick, the 24th person I’ve met on my #500lunches journey.

One thing that struck me about James was his generosity. Once he discovered that I’d recently started a business, he kept offering, throughout the lunch, to connect me to people he thought might be likely customers or valuable suppliers. Who wouldn’t want a friend like that?

I was also impressed by James’ business brain. He’s the co-founder of Devwiz, an agency that specialises in software and app development. James shared a lot of clever ideas, including how I could create a new revenue stream for my business.

I’ve got a lot of knowledge about writing, communications and marketing – and, at the moment, because I enjoy helping people, I’m giving away all this knowledge to anyone who asks. James suggested creating an online consulting service with a monthly subscription fee: that way, the service is scalable and it generates a recurring revenue stream. Genius!

I’m planning to implement James’ clever idea in 2020. Thanks, mate.