Last week, I attended my first #hopsandchops meet here in Seattle – “Weekly Happy Hour for Seattle’s Startup-Obsessed” . That was where I met Dave Schappell – founder/CEO of Teachstreet. Too bad I did not corner him there and pick his brain, or he just introduced his a new business model (aka consulting rates 
Okay, I am kidding here, but Dave, in his post, is trying to draw attention to the fact that he is a busy person and really cannot find time for coffee with a gazillion people like me, who would want his help. And since he has a hard time saying NO, he figured he would write this post as to why (…which was a GREAT idea btw!)
I want to give my perspective of this and hopefully some tips that will help you if you are an entrepreneur seeking help from the Dave Schappells … like I am . And how exactly did I learn the tips I am going to give you, you ask?? Oh, well, as a parent, I was forced to learn these lessons. While I might not be as important in the startup scene, I continue to (thankfully) be immensely important on our homebase (yeah, 2 little girls). And every time I hire a babysitter and trade my own time to meet someone, my coffee and lunch is costing me hell of a lot more than it actually seems like it is. So, like Dave Schappell, I am forced to do the math
So without further ado, here is what you should do if you want to land some great meetings -
1.NO COLD CALLING - That cold email to people never works. So NEVER EVER send out an email to someone who you have never met or who has NO idea who you are. Seems like common sense right? So I will move on ….
2. REACH OUT TO LESS IMPORTANT PEOPLE - Go to networking events. Go to #hopsandchops. Reach out to less important people and people who are in the same startup stage as yourself. They will be good brainstorming buddies. And please reach out to your CUSTOMERS – they often can teach you more than a lot of important people can – AND it will be VERY relevant to your startup -guaranteed !
3. WARM UP – Does NOT matter who you know. All that matters is who knows you. So, find the best situations for yourself – situations that make you look bright and smart and motivated – and inject yourself there. If you are really smart, you will make sure that the Dave Schappell’s are there while you do that. Simple ways of doing that? Participate in mailing lists, write blog posts, offer help to others, add value.
4. DO YOUR HOMEWORK - Learn enough about that important person you want to meet and figure out WHY you want to meet them. What value can they add? Make it easy for them to add value – give them a choice. Too busy to meet? Send them a slide deck, send them numbers, give them access to your site. A lot of these people WANT to help – so make it easy for them!
5. BRING BACK HOMEWORK – Know how every second person will give you feedback and advice with regards to your start up? What do you do with those? If you made a to do list based on the feedback you get from everyone and tackle it before reaching out to your next set of people, you’d be asking for a lot fewer meetings, I guarantee you.
6. NETWORKING IS REALLY IMPORTANT BUT WILL AND SHOULD ALWAYS BE SECONDARY TO OUR WORK -If I am not making progress with my work – idea, implementation, customers …. I really have no idea what to talk about. Tell yourself that every morning – maybe a few times a day.When we focus on our work, the networking gets easier Somehow (LOL!) these people are smart like that – they really can somehow figure out if you have made progress.
7. GIVE SERENDIPITY A CHANCE - You know, just focus on what you are passionate about and keep engaging. More good comes out of the strangest of places and great relationships. So just go out there, be yourself and meet people and have fun. You are under enough stress to sell, already
I am a part of the Founder Institute this quarter. I have reached out to a number of the mentors through the program. I met Todd Hooper, Dan Shapiro, Will Hodgeman, Jordan Weisman, Adeo Ressi, Hillel Cooperman and more. I have had email exchanges will several of them after meeting them. Honestly, I will be thrilled if I find answers for all the questions they asked me …for that will mean I can bug them all over again. But for now, I am sitting happy, focusing on my work. And while I am grateful for their time, I am equally grateful to my peers at the Founder Institute – people like Richard Luck, Roy Leban have offered great feedback too. Yeah, I missed Dave Schappell at #hopsandchops but had a great conversation with @daryn (who I really was looking forward to meeting) !
And then, on the other hand, I have sent emails to friends and have had no response too. It all happens, it is a busy world but I am more than grateful for the help that I have had. So, before I go away to get work done, I will tell you this – let the important people know that it is okay for them to say NO – because they are human and more importantly because we are entrepreneurs – and we will find ways to get our work done and keep chugging along – cause that is what entrepreneurs do !