The Genius Guide To Keeping In Touch (Without Burning Out)

Heyyyy y’alllll!

Alex here. I’m out this week visiting family. When deciding to do with this weeks newsletter, I had an idea! Why not bring in some of the smartest friends of mine to occasionally takeover the newsletter?

So, this weeks Guest Genius is my co-founder, Brian Schopfel.

Brian is the power behind everything I do. He’s the reason I get anything done. In his pre-working with me life, he’s hosted thousands of events, built a couple multi-million dollar companies and even produced a little show some of y’all might of heard of — Magic Mike Live 😏 (if you don’t know, go ask your wife)

Brian has a superpower. He’s the BEST connector I’ve ever met. We cant go anywhere together without Brian running into someone he knows and who LOVES him. He’s phenomenal at keeping in touch with people and keeping people feeling not like connections, but close friends. This skill of his has been imperative as we launched a new business together (and helped bring in our first paying clients).

Better yet… he’s mastered a way to connect and keep in touch so that it doesn’t overwhelm him or burn him out. So I asked him to talk to us a little bit about it this week…

Hope y’all enjoy.

A quick hey, hi, hellooooo!

I'm Alex's co-founder, Brian 🤓👋

This week Alex asked me, “what's one thing you feel like you really nailed over the years?”.

As an entrepreneur, a freelancer, a sober dude, a friend, a son, a life partner, a (new) dad, etc., I kept coming back to my practice of keeping in touch with people I care about.

Below are the main takeaways that came from the 15+ minute ramble I did with myself (s/o to all the ramblers out there) on how to do this without it being overwhelming or without it seeming forced.

Genius Hotline: Brian Schopfel, how a genius keeps in touch.

1. Make a list.

You can’t keep in touch with everyone. And trying to will just leave you overwhelmed.

So, make a list. 30–50 people max. My list includes:

• My immediate family (partner & parents)

• People in your personal growth orbit (like recovery / support communities)

• Close friends you want to stay close to

• Colleagues you want to build with or are inspired by

• People you're intentionally investing in (even if you barely know them… yet)

This is your real network. Keep it close. Refine it when necessary.

2. Eliminate decision fatigue.

The worst time to figure out who to text is when you finally have a free moment between running a business, being a parent, exercising, sleeping, side hustling, etc.

You want your energy going into the message—not the decision. Pre-decide. Use the list. Save yourself the emotional & mental tax.

3. Don't keep score.

Keeping in touch isn’t a transaction.

Texting someone shouldn’t hinge on whether they replied last time. Some messages are gifts. One-way is okay.

A short “Thought of you today. That memory made me laugh. Hope you’re good.” goes further than you think.

4. Ask better questions.

Ask to understand, not to respond.

Avoid question-as-prompt traps like “What’s lighting you up lately?” if you’re just waiting to talk about your own stuff. Ask because you’re genuinely curious about their answer.

5. Make it a ritual, not a routine.

Keeping in touch is a mental health practice.

Loneliness kills more dreams than failure. And the people you think are “too busy” to hear from you? They’re often hoping someone checks in.

It doesn’t need to be deep. It just needs to be consistent.

🧠 Genius Tips

• Preload your list. Save their birthdays, notes, and touchpoints. Set reminders.

• Batch your outreach. Schedule 20 minutes a week to send 3–5 “thinking of you” notes.

• Don’t wait for a reason. “I saw a squirrel and thought of that time we…” is plenty.

• Use read receipts. Make sure people you care about know when you’ve taken the time to engage with them. Don’t leave them guessing. Make it an intentional action.

🚀 Genius Takeaways

• Connection isn’t automatic—it’s a discipline.

• A 10-second message can shift someone’s whole day.

• You can’t stay in touch with everyone. Stay in touch with the right ones.

• Your network doesn’t grow by chance. It grows by care.

A personal note from Brian

Tbh when I first started keeping in touch with people, I did it out of fear: fear of losing touch, fear of being alone, fear they wouldn’t want to hire me, fear of being forgotten, etc., and I burnt myself out trying to be everything to everyone. No priorities. Quantity vs. quality.

That changed over the years, but only because I changed over the years.

Time (and how you spend it) is really the only thing that matters.

Be intentional. Make the list. Be the friend or the colleague who checks in. That small act might be the highlight of someone’s entire week.

Think about who you should be keeping in better touch with today. Text them.

If you don’t know what to say, just ask, “what’s one good thing about your day?”.

And let me know how it goes!

— Brian (@brianmschopfel)

P.S. If you are looking for part-time roles while you build your thing, subscribe to our sister newsletter FounderGigs!

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