These Are the Skills I Use to Make Millions

PART ONE: CRAFTING THE PERFECT EMAIL

Yes, I made a lot of money from a newsletter company, but I'm not talking about that kind of email - I’m talking about the 1:1 kind—the cold emails. The “I hope this finds you well” kind (which, let’s be honest, it rarely does). I credit 99.9999% of my success to becoming my own best salesperson - meaning whether it was in an email, in a meeting, or in front of Diane von Furstenberg at 23 years old (who is now my most precious friend) - I was selling what I had to offer: me.

So what does that run-on sentence have to do with your inbox? Everything.

Because every cold email is an opportunity. And you should treat it like a beautifully wrapped gift—one that took time, care, and intention to craft.

Whether you’re:

• Pitching a potential investor

• Landing your first customer

• Trying to recruit top-tier talent

You’re always selling. And if you’re not? You’ll land in the spam folder of their brain.

Let’s talk about what’s actually happening on the receiving end of your email:

1. They’re busy. Like, really busy.

2. They’re silently (or loudly) asking: “What’s in it for me?”

So how do you actually get someone to open, read, and respond to your email?

Let's wrap this present.

Step 1: Craft a FOMO subject line.

The person on the other end of your inbox is likely checking their messages in a rush: on the train to work, during a meeting they are supposed to be paying attention to, or in between calls. Which means that it's crucial for the subject line to be captivating. Here are my three rules for a must-read subject line:

Keep it clear & concise:

Remember the 2 realities I told you above? People are busy and they want value - so give them a short and to-the-point subject line.

Create curiosity:

Just like a trailer makes you want to watch a movie (or not watch it), the same is true for the subject line. You need to tease the content so that people want more.

Spotlight value:

Put yourself in the person you are emailing's shoes. What do they want? A great new investment opportunity? A product that will 10x their productivity? The perfect subject line includes a solution that makes the recipient think "this is worth clicking on."

Step 2: Use my 2-paragraph formula.

Okay, you got them to click and learn more... now you have one more job: getting them to finish reading it. In my ten years of building companies I've found that the way an email looks determines if someone's going to read the whole thing or finish that quiz on which Starbucks drink they are based on their "sign." Here's the absolute MOST you should ever write in a cold email... I know you have a lot to say, but your message won't reach its intended mark unless you keep it "short n' sweet."

Stick to two short paragraphs and a quick ending request.

Two short paragraphs before the request are key to ensuring your message doesn't come off as the first page of a memoir they didn't ask for and forces you to choose every single word with thought and care. When I was starting out, I'd spend over 20 minutes perfecting an important email. And if this is an email that could change your life, 20 minutes is the least you can do - so edit it to perfection. And when in doubt, take a sentence out.

Yes, I said request because every cold email should ask for something. Ex: A meeting, advice, money for your company, etc. So don't be afraid to make the ask at the end of any email to ensure your carefully-crafted gift leaves the reader with one job: answering the question.

Don’t sign off like you’re pen-pals in 1942—ask for what you want (with charm, not desperate Debby vibes).

Crafting the perfect email has led me to: closing multi-million dollar deals, meeting people who changed my life, and hiring top-tier talent. Now it's your turn.

Next time you sit down to send a cold email, think of it as a moment to sell yourself—with clarity, intention, and respect for their time.

You've got this.

Now go hit send.