Network News: What's Keeping You Up at Night?

A trusted network is something no entrepreneur should be without

Sep 03, 2025

Above: “What’s Keeping You Up at Night?” by Katie Lewis & Matthew Stafford

Great founders ask great questions

When we first published ‘Find your 9others’ in July 2023 it marked ten years of bringing founders together around dinner tables around the world. We wrote it to thank the people who had joined us, shared openly, and helped each other through the real, raw challenges of building a business.

But something happened that we didn’t expect.

The book spread. People started reading it who had never heard of 9others. It found its way to founders in the U.S., Southeast Asia, across Europe, and beyond. They recognised themselves in the stories. They told us they wished they’d found this kind of community sooner. We realised then that the message was bigger than the network. It was a message every entrepreneur needed to hear—wherever they were in the world.

So we decided to retitle the book for this second edition

We chose What’s Keeping You Up at Night? because that’s the question we ask at every 9others meal. It’s the invitation that kicks things off. It opens the door to honesty, to vulnerability, and to insight. Around that question, thousands of founders have shared their biggest challenges—and found support, perspective, and often, a way forward.

This book is about that moment

It’s about the power of asking better questions—of yourself, and of others. It’s about realising that success in entrepreneurship doesn’t come from pretending you’ve got it all figured out. It comes from seeking help, giving help, and surrounding yourself with people who are on a similar journey.

Though the content of the book hasn’t changed much, our intent has. The first edition was written for those already in the room. This one is for anyone building something ambitious who needs a trusted space to ask the hard questions.

To be successful you’re going to need some help

We believe now, more than ever, that your success will require the aid of others—and that the best way to get that help is to start by being helpful. This book offers stories, lessons, and the kinds of questions that have sparked breakthroughs for thousands of founders at 9others tables around the world.

Whether you buy a copy for the first time, or for a second read, we hope this book prompts reflection, encourages action, and reminds you: you don’t have to go it alone.

We’ll leave you with the same question we always begin with.

What’s keeping you up at night?

Above: Meals with 9others around the world

Praise for “What’s Keeping You Up at Night?”

“Matthew Stafford and I have parallel lives. While he and Katie Lewis were building 9others, I was building VALUEx – my investment conference.
“We all arrived at the same insight: Skip the big-stage conferences and go straight to small circles with strict confidentiality and blunt honesty. That’s how businesses grow, lives change, and real work gets done.
“In "What's Keeping You Up at Night?" Matthew and Katie strip all the fuss out of networking. What's left? Nine others, some hard questions, and real answers. If you, like us, think that social capital is worth more than any balance sheet, you need to read this book – and start your own table of 9others”.
— Guy Spier, Founder of the Aquamarine Fund & VALUEx

“This is the most practical business book I’ve read in a long time 🤯
“Just finished reading “What’s keeping you up at night?” – highly recommended if you’re entrepreneurial.
“What Matthew Stafford and Katie Lewis have done is take insights from their 9others dinners with some of the smartest entrepreneurs in the UK and the world and share it in a direct do-this-then-do-that way.
“Most how-to business books are very wishy-washy or just could have been a blog post… this isn’t one of them.
“10/10 book.
“Get it. Thank me later”.
— Timothy Armoo, Entrepreneur & Author

“The meals with 9others were a great way to test feedback to what3words in the early days. More than that, using the 9others network I was able to source talent and recruit early team members”.
— Chris Sheldrick, Co-founder & CEO, what3words

“I think the book is an INCREDIBLE resource for founders.
“An invaluable book to help you grow your business from people who have founded, networked and invested in this space for many years.
“Matthew and Katie have a lot of experience from years in their careers and hosting 9others meals with founders all over the world and they have distilled these lessons, as well as important questions for you to ask yourself as you start and scale up your business.
“Highly recommended!”
— Danielle Newnham, Founder, author & podcast host

“‘What’s Keeping You Up at Night?’ captures the magic of shared challenges and mutual support in the startup world. It’s a must-read for any founder who’s ever felt alone in the trenches—this book shows you how to find your people, ask for help, and build something extraordinary together”.
— Laura Harnett, Founder & CEO of The Seep Company

“Wonderful… The ultimate Personal Archive exercise for entrepreneurs - ten essential questions that invite reflection and will shape how you build, scale, and sustain your business”.
— Matt Zeigler, founder of Cultish Creative

“‘What’s Keeping You Up at Night?’ doesn’t try to romanticize the founder journey — it meets you where you are: in the uncertainty, the trade-offs, the 2 a.m. questions. It’s a rare book that understands building a company isn’t just about hustle — it’s about reflection, resilience, and finding the right people to think alongside you. The right questions, asked in the right rooms, can change everything”.
— Catherine Liao, Health tech builder and operator at Cardiex, Cisco, WHO, and University of Cambridge