knock on doors (especially your own)

I saw a local business post a salaried job opening. The pay was pennies and the description was... expansive. Like, wildly expansive. High-level digital marketing strategist (that's me) plus shop bitch who can run tours, make copies, and answer the phone (no, thanks).

So I did what any reasonable person would do: I cold emailed them.

In as tactful a way as possible, because nobody likes being told what they should do, I proposed splitting the job description in two. Give me the strategic marketing piece—the thing I'm really good at—and hire someone else hourly for the administrative shop work. I framed it as saving them money (which it would) and giving them what they actually need (which it would): a collaborative creative partner versus an employee to mentor.

And they emailed me back.

Then we met for coffee yesterday afternoon.

Accidental pitch practice

During the 30-minute meeting, I had to make my case. Essentially pitch them on why chucking their traditional job description and going with me and my plan was the smarter move. I had to be confident but not pushy. Clear but not arrogant. Show them I understood their needs better than they'd articulated them.

And halfway through, I realized: this is exactly what pitching investors is going to feel like.

Going from cold outreach to a meeting to actually having to sell your vision—it's all the same muscle. Whether you're pitching yourself for a job or pitching your startup for funding, you're doing the same thing: convincing someone to bet on you and your plan instead of the safer, more traditional route.

The meeting ended up being a lovely chat with a lovely woman. I have no idea wtf will come of it. Maybe she'll go with my proposal. Maybe she'll hire someone traditionally. Maybe she'll ghost me like the 44 other businesses I've reached out to for app validation.

Either way, it's like running intervals so you’re ready when race day comes—it’s preparing me.

I could feel it. The confidence of walking into a room and saying “here’s what you should do, and here’s why” without sounding like a pompous dick. The clarity of breaking down a complex problem into a simple solution. The ability to read someone's hesitations and address them in real-time. I’m not saying I nailed everything—or that the woman didn’t already know what I was telling her, because she was smart and she totally did.

I am saying that it’s all training. For the app. For pitching. For life and whatever comes next.

Rick Ross it, babe

Right after that coffee meeting, I met with my dear friend Naime. Told her about the conversation, the proposal, the whole shebang

She looked at me with that supportive but also damn-girl kind of energy and said something like: "As long as I've known you, you've been hustling. For everything. Aren't you tired?"

Not yet, babe. Not yet. I mean, sometimes 1000% fucking yes—but mostly no, not yet.

Because for real: I am both energized by this kind of build your own shit kinda shit and I still need income. I still have my own business to run while I'm building app things in lala land. The validation is ongoing (we’re now at seven survey responses—still pivoting my approach, still planting seeds). I can't just sit around waiting for things to happen.

So yeah, I'm hustling. Cold emailing. Pitching myself. Knocking on doors. Creating opportunities instead of waiting for them to materialize. Basically: what I’ve always done, but this time with the full confidence of a mediocre white man.

Exhausting? Sometimes. But it's also the only path forward that makes sense.

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 🟦.