DMs from an airport floor, hip hop in LA, and why I'm taking this show in person (again)

Remember how I thought I'd nailed simplification? One email, three features, one survey link?

Yeah, still too much.

So I pared things down even further, to a DM. Literally just a DM that says:

"We're looking for insight/feedback from a few Oregon business owners to help shape an app we've got in the works for inOregon. Would you mind filling out our survey? It takes ~4 minutes and makes a real impact on what we're building. [link] If you'd like to learn more about the app, we're happy to share—just ask."

Short. Direct. Low barrier to entry.

And guess how many responses I've gotten?

Still five. In total. Out of more than forty businesses.

While frustrating, I know I just need to pivot again. Because here's what I'm realizing: everyone says yes to helping when there's no immediate ask. But the minute you send them a link to click, a survey to fill out, a thing to do later? Crickets.

"Oh, everyone's so busy," I kept telling myself. And yeah, everyone is fucking busy. But you know what? Just fill out the damn form.

Here's what I'm thinking for my next pivot: Portland. In person. Shop to shop with the app demo loaded on my phone. A 30-second explainer while I show real business owners the actual thing. Then ask them to fill out the survey ON THE SPOT.

Because going in person thus far, while energetically great, has yielded nothing in regards to data collection. It’s hard to get people to follow up. So asking them to follow up in real-time, right then and there, feels like the logical next best step.

To help keep me honest, here’s the new goal, written out: get real-time verbal feedback and actual human reactions instead of polite "I'll get to it" DMs that go nowhere.

Seeds planted from the iconic PDX carpet

I went to LA for four days last week to visit a friend and dance. I took a hip hop class every single day I was there and it was phenomenal—the teachers, the skill level, the energy, the choreo, all of it. That feeling of being in a room full of people moving together to music, learning new combinations, sweating and hyping one another up and forgetting about apps and surveys and validation metrics for 90 minutes at a time is pure fucking gold.

But of course, even on a little vacay the entrepreneurial brain doesn't turn off.

On the way there, Alaska Airlines had a nation-wide IT outage which resulted in a five-hour delay (privileged problems, I know). So I made the most of the downtime and spent the first hour DM’ing 20+ businesses with that simplified message and survey link. While passengers were frantically rebooking flights, I stayed the 5-hour course and got a little outreach done along the way.

Right after I hit send on this, I’ll follow up with all of them. Just a little nudge and another attempt to move shit forward.

Why this app needs to exist (a reminder from the land of sprawl)

While in LA, I was reminded (yet again) why I'm building this thing.

I needed coffee. I needed food. I wanted to explore neighborhoods and find the good spots, not the algorithmic suggestions or the first thing that pops up on Google Maps.

The friends I was visiting took me to Abbott Kinney and Melrose, but like... searching for the actually good coffee shops and restaurants when you’re on your own in a new city takes SO much time. Time you'd rather spend going out and exploring.

Each area of LA—because it's fucking massive—would benefit from an app like the one I'm building. Something that just tells you: here are the bomb spots, here's what they're known for, go forth and enjoy. It would save you from bad coffee, equally bad food, and wasted time scrolling through Yelp reviews trying to decode which places are worth a damn.

This is the problem. This is why it matters. And this is why I'm not giving up on getting real validation, even if it means showing up in person with my phone and a 30-second pitch.

Less is more is hard

Simplification is a process, not a destination. I thought I'd simplified. Then I simplified again. Then again. And I'll probably need to simplify even more. That's just how it goes.

Remote validation has limits. People are genuinely busy. But also, asking someone to do something later—even if it's just four minutes—creates friction. In-person removes that friction. You're right there. They can see your face. It's harder to say "I'll get to it."

You need non-building time. Dance is a life force, is a balm, is joy unfiltered. Whatever the non-building time looks like, I do think it needs to involve moving, sweating, laughing, being in your body instead of your head. How else do you make the work itself sustainable?

Plant seeds everywhere. DMs during flight delays. Follow-ups the next week. In-person visits. You never know which one will sprout into some really cool flower you never expected, so you just keep planting. Cheesy, but v true.

Links your algo won't surface:

You Are a Locus of Control — Sahil Bloom on why channeling yourself as the locus of control (and persistence) beats talent. Relevant when you're on business response number five out of dozens.

This is Your Brain on Dance — Harvard Medical School on why dancing is uniquely powerful for the brain. It's not just exercise—it's neurological magic.

1MILLION Dance Studio — The Seoul-based studio that posts their choreo online. If you need a reminder that movement is art, start here. Also just incredible to watch. P.S. I’m currently teaching myself this JJ choreo to UP and it’s going really slowly. Locus of control, persistence, let’s go.

André Maya OMG — This is one of the choreographers I got to experience in LA. His class was one of the best I’ve ever been to. Period. Same goes for Mary Mason’s class, where we DMX’ed it up this past Sunday evening.

PS: Subscribe now if you're into this messy build-in-public energy. Miss the last issue? It’s right here. Also literally none of this is ever advice. I’m sharing what I learn through Babe, and perhaps you’ll learn from my mistakes. Hopefully, maybe, who knows, ily. Also if you’re not already, come hang with Babe on insta, Farcaster, and TBA 🟦.