Opportunity Briefing #6

Quick update!

We just placed a TopSDR at the opportunity I posted about last week, which means that as of this second, I don’t have any open opps!

I expect this to change in the next 24 hours as we have several LOIs out and another few intro calls already set up (I’ll send those around as soon as they come up).

A Lesson from an NYC Investment Bank

I spent the first two and a half years of my career working on a trading floor at a bulge bracket bank in Manhattan. It was an amazing experience. I met great people, learned a lot about how business works, and discovered a lot about myself in the process.

However, amidst all of the hustle and bustle, there was one lesson I learned that stands out among the rest: Everybody talks their book.

If you have never worked in finance you may be saying to yourself “what the heck does that mean?”

Allow me to explain.

In trading, a book is simply a list of positions that a trader holds. So for example you could have a book that looks something like this:

• 1,000 shares of Disney stock

• 2,000 shares of Tesla stock

• 4,000 shares of Apple stock

In reality, books are much larger and more complex than this, but we’ll run with it for the sake of example.

Now, when we say “everybody talks their book” all we are saying is that people talk in a way that promotes their book. So if you’re having a conversation with the person who owns the above book, they might be telling you how great the new iPhone 16 is, how incredible the new autonomous Tesla vehicles are going to be, and how optimistic they are about the CEO succession plan over at Disney.

I’m not saying we call BS on them and ignore what they’re saying, BUT I think it’s important that we recognize the fact that there may be more to the story than this one person is telling us.

After all, they have a VERY vested interest in things turning out well for the companies in their book so of course they’re going to paint a rosy picture. Again, I’m not saying we discount what they’re telling us, I’m simply saying we make ourselves aware of the fact that there is likely a bit more to the story than this one person is telling us.

So what does any of this have to do with being an SDR?

Well, I think it’s important for anyone early on in their career to realize that the people they are speaking with are going to be painting a vision of the future that aligns with their personal book.

If you’re talking to a founder or a VP of Sales who is trying to recruit you they are going to make their business sound like the next great thing. And guess what? It very well may BE the next great thing, but remember that behind all those comments from them are loads of stock options that are only worth something if the company grows.

Again, I’m not saying this is bad or that you shouldn’t trust people who are optimistic about their businesses, but you should be aware of the fact that people will always talk about things in a way that benefits their position.

So do your own research. Ask hard-hitting questions. Don’t just take people’s word for it.