Getting busy people to help you
Most people tend to be very willing to help startup founders. You’re David vs. Goliath, and people love helping the underdog. This is true for anyone—even “important” people—so long as you approach them in the right way.
The right way starts off with a well-drafted email. One that’s short and succinct, with a clear request, like this email that I received last week:
“Hey, I just read your post on angel investing. I’m building [Company name here], which is basically solving the problem you described. Can I get 10 minutes of your time for some quick feedback on the idea?”
Here’s what I liked:
The message was humble and sincere.
The email was very clearly intended for me specifically, not spam sent to lots of people.
The sender wasn’t trying to sell me anything (or secretly trying to get me to invest in their company).
The request was clear: a short call to get some advice.
When I get emails like this, I think back on all the people that helped me while I was getting started (and who responded to my cold emails), and I’m naturally predisposed to do the same. So I did, and the founder and I had a short phone call later that week.
In any email, don’t be open-ended and vague. It should be clear to both parties why we’re having the conversation, and who stands to benefit. Are you helping me, or am I helping you? Either option is fine, but if there isn’t a clear point to the email, you’re almost certainly not going to get a response.
As an example, I recently got an email from someone who wanted to “chat about trends in fintech.” To be blunt: I don’t particularly want to discuss trends in fintech with someone I don’t know. (Frankly, I’m not sure I want to discuss trends in fintech with someone I do know.) Without a clear “why are we doing this,” it was hard for me to believe that it was going to be a productive use of time for either of us—so I didn’t respond.
A good email shows that you’ve done your research, that your request is relevant to the person you are writing to, and is explicit about what you want out of the conversation.