How I Built A Business On Old School Principles
Zero content. Zero ads. Instead, leading with tons of value.
I have been creating content on LinkedIn almost daily for 6-months. Do you want to know what my biggest observation is?
I say this with peace and love, but most people suck at writing cold outreach messages.
Between LinkedIn and my website, I can’t tell you how many copy-and-paste generic cold messages I get a day. Then there’s the random connection request that reeks of a sales pitch before you even hit accept.
I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
I’m no sales expert, but…
Back in 2013, I started a side hustle creating websites for local businesses in my community. Fast-forward to today, that small side-hustle from my tiny apartment turned into owning two local web design and digital marketing companies in the NY area. One of which I recently sold to a larger firm.
And I’ve done it with:
- No employees.
- No storefront or office.
- Not generating an endless amount of content.
- And not running one single ad.
Believe me, I don’t say this to impress you. But rather, I say it because I’m living proof that you don’t need anything fancy to provide value to others and make a living from it.
How did I do it?
By arming myself with a good old-fashioned beat the streets, pound the pavement mentality.
In other other words, it was all accomplished on the back of cold outreach:
- I spent my days off from my day job going door-to-door, handing out flyers to local businesses.
- I had real conversations about my venture with everyone: neighbors, the mailman, waiters at restaurants, the landscaper mowing the lawn across the street, etc.
- I wrote cold emails to people in my community whom I thought could genuinely use my help.
But these weren’t your run-of-the-mill cold emails.
Here are two things I never did:
- I never sent anyone a copy-and-paste email.
- I never pitched services, mentioned prices or forced a calendar link down people’s throats in my emails.
This was my cold outreach strategy.
1. Every email was a personal, unique message written for that person.
I treated this like I was writing a handwritten letter to a friend. (Yes, there was a time when people did such a thing.)
2. I brought FREE value with me inside every message.
Before ever hitting send, I would research the individual and their business thoroughly and prepare something of value for them:
- An optimized landing page design to help them increase conversions.
- Recommendations on boosting their SEO.
- A lead magnet for their business so they can collect email leads.
- Logo design ideas for their brand.
In other words, I’d look for a possible pain point in their business and try to give them a quick win.
I would spend days working on this and did it all for free. Yes, for free!
And while it didn’t land me their business every time, it led to good things. I made connections and built a reputation in my area as someone who provides value.
My humble advice…
If you want someone’s business: Put some effort into it. Stand out from the crowd. Lead with generosity and bring value before you even say hello.
Otherwise, your message will likely end up as yet another generic cold pitch in their inbox. And who wants to do business with generic?
👉 If you’re a content creator, coach, freelancer, or solopreneur and need help with anything related to your website or online presence: Pick my brain for 45-minutes. Literally! 🧠
