Hey hey.

So, the past few days, we’ve been in-person with the TFC team coming up with new ways to innovate, scale, and generally trim the fat of the business.

Screen time went from 8 hours daily down to 1 during this time—constant idea flow + conversations for 12 hours per day will do that sort of thing. Safe to say that the TFC team is completely locked in for Q3 + Q4.

Speaking of which…

75+ events on the horizon, vision alignment, goals set, and most importantly, got to watch my Knicks knock off the Celtics twice on the road.

Life could be worse.

If you’re running a high-powered virtual team, I highly encourage a team offsite with your core group every so-often. Killer teams can be productive anywhere, but under one roof, there’s another level of achievement/collaboration that occurs. So cool.

Beyond grateful for what we’ve done already, stoked for you to see everything that we have coming up.

Now, a quick story before we get into it:

A while back, I got a cold DM from someone asking to “collaborate.”

No context. No info. No clear ask. Just:

“Hey man, let’s collab sometime.”

On what? Collab on what? When? Why? What value are you bringing to the table? What am I even responding to?

And listen–I’m not trying to be a jerk. But I’ve built a company, scaled it to 8-figures with a team that I love, and now run a high-level founder community. I’ve got limited hours in the day. Most of us do.

If you’re trying to build relationships with other founders, you’ve got to understand one thing:

We don’t have time to figure out what you meant.

Let’s talk about it.

The Worst Way to Communicate With Founders

I call it “spray and pray.”

You fire off a bunch of vague, generic messages–hoping someone bites.

These usually fall into one of three buckets:

• The Empty Compliment: “Love what you’re building man!” (…cool. And?)

• The Non-Specific Ask: “We should chat sometime!” (About what?)

• The Zero-Context Pitch: “Hey, want to hop on a call?” (Why would I?)
  

These types of messages kill trust before it even has a chance to build. Not because you’re a bad person. But because it makes the other founder feel like their time doesn’t matter.

And if there's one thing high-level entrepreneurs value more than anything–it's their time. Let’s be real: most of us have inboxes that look like war zones. 

The best way to stand out isn’t being louder–it’s being clearer.

What Founders Respect More Than Anything

I’ve had the privilege of talking to some of the best in the game–people who’ve scaled to 9 figures, taken companies public, or bootstrapped something amazing from scratch. You know what every single one of them appreciates?

Clarity. Precision. Respect.

If you’re trying to build a relationship with another founder–whether it’s a potential partner, mentor, investor, or community member–you need to start with value.

What are you bringing to the table?

What makes this conversation worth their time?

Why YOU and why NOW?

I’m not saying you have to send a 10-paragraph pitch deck in your first message.

But the best outreach always has 3 things:

Context: How you found them or why you’re reaching out
Credibility: What you do or who you’ve worked with
Clarity: What you’re asking for or offering

Most people send messages that do the exact opposite. And then wonder why no one responds.

Building Relationships > Collecting Contacts

You don’t need more people in your network. You need the right people in your corner. But relationships don’t happen from one message. They happen from showing up consistently, providing value without expectation, and actually caring about what the other person is building.

Here’s what’s worked for me (and for dozens of founders in The Founders Club):

Engage with intention: Leave a real comment, reference something specific, or ask a question you actually want the answer to.
Give without taking: Share a resource, intro, or insight without asking for anything in return.
Be human: No cold call scripts. Just honest communication.

It’s crazy how far authenticity will take you in a world full of pitch slingers.

Some People I Know, Some People I Love

Let me pause here for a second, because I know what you’re thinking:

“This whole thing sounds kinda like an ad for The Founders Club.”

You’re not wrong.

I mean, it is. But also, it isn’t.

This isn’t some “click here for 10% off” kind of pitch. There’s no promo code, countdown timer, or hypey funnel.

Because The Founders Club doesn’t need gimmicks.

We’ve got no affiliates. And we turn down over 90% of applicants.

Why? Because we’re not trying to build the biggest community. We’re building the best.

So yeah, if you’re reading this and nodding along, if your business is past the noisy beginner stage, and you’re tired of sorting through cold DMs, LinkedIn pitch decks, and Slack channels full of startup theater,

This is the part where I do tell you to apply.

And no, you won’t get a reply from some SDR in a WeWork. You’ll hear from me or Aaron. Because we still treat this like what it is: A private, curated network for the real ones.

Alright. Back to the regularly scheduled programming.

The Right Way to Reach Out

Let me rewrite that original “yo bro, let’s collab” message to show you how easy this can be:

“Hey Chris, saw your tweet about launching that new retreat in Costa Rica–looks amazing. I run ops for a logistics company that’s handled travel coordination for retreats like that before (Nomad Capitalist, Mindvalley, etc). If you’re ever looking for support with flights, bookings, or on-the-ground logistics, happy to shoot over a few ideas. No pressure–just a fan of what you’re building.”

That? That’s clean.

I know exactly why you’re messaging me. I know who you are. I know what you’re offering. And even if I don’t need it right now–I’ll probably remember you when I do.

People think relationship-building is this massive mystery. It’s not. It’s just doing your homework and showing up with something real.

Partnership Isn’t The Same as Pitching

Here’s another one that gets missed a lot: Not every relationship needs to be a partnership.

In fact, most shouldn’t be–at least not right away.

Founders want to build relationships, not run into a brick wall of “Yo let’s do a deal.” If you wouldn’t walk into a bar and propose to someone you’ve never met, don’t do it in business either.

Instead:

• Start small.

• Share what you're building.

• Ask smart questions.

• Show up again and again.
  

That’s the slow burn that builds trust. That’s the foundation that turns into equity deals, JVs, speaking gigs, and lifelong friendships. You’ve got time. Do it right.

Final Thought

Founders don’t need more noise. We need clarity. So if you’re trying to connect with other builders, stop being vague.

Do the research. Lead with value. Show up like a pro. Because the truth is–every founder wants to meet great people. They just don’t want to waste their time figuring out if you are one.

To the clear ones,
Chris