★
Premium · The Playbooks

The game
nobody told you.

Specific. Tactical. Field-by-field. The networking moves we wish someone had handed us on day one.

Each playbook is built for one industry. How to work the conferences that matter, land meetings with execs who don't look like you, carry yourself when the room is older & whiter, and turn a handshake into a deal. Real plays from people who've already made them.

Browse the playbooks Become a Premium member
In every playbook

Nine fundamentals.
Tailored to your field.

Every package starts from the same nine fundamentals — then re-cuts them for your industry, your conferences, and the rooms you're actually trying to walk into.

01

The First Impression Playbook

What to say in the first 30 seconds. How to walk up. How to leave them wanting another conversation.

02

Reading The Room

Hierarchy. Politics. Who actually has decision power. How to spot it before you say a word.

03

The Follow-Up Game

What to send, when to send it, and how to turn "let's stay in touch" into a real next step.

04

Code-Switching Strategically

Not erasing yourself. Knowing which register works in which room — and never apologizing for either one.

05

Dressing For The Room

Industry-specific. Region-specific. Power-specific. How to show up looking like the person they're going to bet on.

06

Office Politics — Real Talk

The unwritten rules. What gets people promoted vs. praised. How to be in the room when decisions get made.

07

Sponsorship vs. Mentorship

You don't need more advice. You need people who'll spend their political capital on you. How to get them.

08

The Cold DM & Email Templates

Word-for-word scripts that get reply rates above 35%. From cold intro to first meeting in three messages.

09

Negotiation Without Apology

Comp. Title. Equity. The number to ask for, the silence after asking, and the move when they say "let me check."

By field

Pick your playbook.

Six live · three forming
LEVERAGE BLK · TECH·001 · v1
T
Premium
Tech Collective

The Code Switch Playbook

5 plays inside
  • 01
    Working AfroTech, Render & Strange LoopThe booths, the after-parties, the conversations that turn into roles
  • 02
    From IC to Staff: the visibility movesHow to get the projects that actually unlock promotion
  • 03
    The VP-of-Eng 1:1 cheat sheetWhat to say in 30 minutes with the person who controls your level
  • 04
    Decoding stack-rank & calibrationHow decisions about your performance actually get made
  • 05
    Holding the room of senior engineersCredibility plays for when you're the youngest, newest, or only
14 lessons
~2h 40m
LEVERAGE BLK · FIN·002 · v1
F
Premium
Capital Circle

The Wealth Room Protocol

5 plays inside
  • 01
    Working Black Enterprise Summit, SALT & MilkenWhere capital concentrates — and how to actually enter the room
  • 02
    Landing a meeting with a Managing DirectorWithout a warm intro. The exact 4-step outreach sequence
  • 03
    The charity ball vs. trading floorReading two completely different rooms — both run on money
  • 04
    Owning the room when you're the only onePosture, position, presence — and what never to do
  • 05
    "Let's stay in touch" → first transactionThe follow-up cadence that turns a card into a closing
16 lessons
~3h 10m
LEVERAGE BLK · LAW·003 · v1
L
Premium
The Bar

The Robing Room

5 plays inside
  • 01
    Working ABA, NBA & regional bar eventsThe conventions worth flying to — and the ones to skip
  • 02
    Getting a partner to invest in your careerSponsorship vs. mentorship at a firm — and how to earn it
  • 03
    The partner office drop-byThe 90-second hallway conversation that changes your reviews
  • 04
    Court · deposition · closingHow to walk in, sit down, and hold the room in three different settings
  • 05
    Building reputation across firmsThe cross-firm network that protects you when you lateral
12 lessons
~2h 20m
LEVERAGE BLK · MED·004 · v1
M
Premium
White Coats

The White Coat Network

5 plays inside
  • 01
    Working NMA, SNMA & specialty conferencesThe events that actually move your residency, fellowship, or practice
  • 02
    Meetings with chief residents & program directorsThe script that gets you on their radar — and keeps you there
  • 03
    The OR & the hospital floorPolitics, hierarchy, presence — without ever raising your voice
  • 04
    Match Day plays months in advanceHow to position yourself a year out — not a month out
  • 05
    Building a referral network by specialtyBlack physicians, every region, every specialty — your private rolodex
13 lessons
~2h 30m
LEVERAGE BLK · CRE·005 · v1
C
Premium
Creative Class

The Greenlight Room

5 plays inside
  • 01
    Working Essence Fest, ABFF, Cannes & SXSWFestival math — where to be, when, and who to find
  • 02
    Meetings with showrunners, EPs & brand CMOsThe three different pitches for the three different rooms
  • 03
    Reading the setCreatives move different than execs. Execs move different than money. Code-switch fluently
  • 04
    The pitch room — walk in, own itOpening, hook, ask. The shape of a pitch that gets a "yes, send it over"
  • 05
    Panel handshake → paid projectThe 30-day follow-up that turns a "love your work" into a check
15 lessons
~3h 0m
LEVERAGE BLK · VC·006 · v1
E
Premium
Founders' Table

The Cap Table

5 plays inside
  • 01
    Working Black Tech Week, Slush & AfroTech founder trackThe founder-investor matching is real. Be there with intention
  • 02
    Landing a tier-1 VC meetingWarm intro plays AND the cold playbook when you don't have one
  • 03
    The art of the LP introTurning your network's network into capital — without being weird about it
  • 04
    Pitching to a skeptical roomHow to read a "we love what you're building" vs. an actual yes
  • 05
    The follow-up cadence that closes the roundDay 1, day 7, day 21 — what to send to keep a check moving
18 lessons
~3h 40m
LEVERAGE BLK · EDU·007 · v1
A
Premium
The Academy

The Faculty Lounge

5 plays inside
  • 01
    Working AERA, NABSE & HBCU faculty mixersWhere tenure-track relationships get made
  • 02
    Tenure: getting your name in the right mouthsThe political work behind the paperwork
  • 03
    Reading the departmentChairs, deans, and the unspoken hierarchy
  • 04
    From K-12 to district leadershipThe career ladder nobody hands you a map for
  • 05
    Publishing & visibilityCite-able, conference-eligible, promotable
Releasing
Summer 2026
LEVERAGE BLK · RE·008 · v1
R
Premium
Brick & Mortar

The Acquisition

5 plays inside
  • 01
    Working ICSC, MIPIM & regional CRE showsWhere deals get scribbled on the back of napkins
  • 02
    Getting a lender or LP on the phoneThe pitch that gets you on the term sheet
  • 03
    Walking a property like an ownerWhat to spot, what to ignore, what to never say out loud
  • 04
    Negotiating with brokers & sellersTactics for when you're the smartest person in the room
  • 05
    Building a private buyer networkThe phone tree that brings you off-market deals
Releasing
Fall 2026
LEVERAGE BLK · CON·009 · v1
S
Premium
The Strategy Room

The Partner Track

5 plays inside
  • 01
    Working MBB recruit events & alumni mixersThe events that quietly run consulting hiring
  • 02
    Landing time with a partnerCase study or coffee — both have a playbook
  • 03
    Reading client engagementsThe senior client side of the table — and how to land there
  • 04
    Up-or-out, decodedThe actual review criteria, not the ones in the deck
  • 05
    Building a portable book of businessReputation that travels when you go in-house or hang a shingle
Releasing
Fall 2026

The follow-up cadence alone is worth the membership. I closed three intros in 30 days using the day-1 / day-7 / day-21 script.

J
Jordan M.
VP, Capital Circle

I knew what to wear to court. I didn't know what to wear to partner drinks. The Robing Room finally said the quiet part out loud.

C
Camille T.
Senior Associate · The Bar

Walked into AfroTech with a plan for the first time in three years. Came home with two job offers and one co-founder.

A
Aaliyah C.
VP Product · Tech Collective
★
Premium membership

One membership.
Every playbook.

Every playbook on this page — plus the nine that drop after launch. Built for members who want the game, not the highlights.

$29 / month $49
Reserve founding rate See communities

Founding rate locked for life · Cancel anytime

What's included

  • ✓
    All 9 industry playbooksTech · Finance · Law · Medicine · Creative · Founders + 3 more
  • ✓
    Live monthly office hoursWith founding members of each circle
  • ✓
    Cold email & DM template vaultWord-for-word, by industry, updated quarterly
  • ✓
    Priority RSVP to Leverage Talk eventsIncluding in-person dinners in your city
  • ✓
    Premium profile & verified badgeHigher visibility inside every circle