Opportunity Briefing #7

Today at a glance:

• A crazy coffee shop conversation ☕️ 

• One new opportunity we have in our pipeline 😁 

The power of random conversations:

Last night I got dinner in New York City with a new friend of mine who works at a top VC fund investing billions of dollars into growing software businesses. We talked a lot about sales, fundraising, and how to actually build a business. At the end of the evening, we promised to stay in touch and send opportunities to one another that could help the other out.

What’s unique about this whole engagement is how I met this person. It wasn’t through mutual friends or a customer referral. Instead, it was through complete and utter happenstance.

Two months ago I was sitting in a coffee shop on 7th Avenue typing away at my computer just as I am doing now. To my left, I overheard two people discussing Apollo.io. At first, I thought I must have misheard. No way someone was actually sitting next to me discussing the merits of one sales tool over the other? Regardless, my curiosity had been piqued. I paused the music in my headphones and decided to listen for a few more seconds just to make sure I wasn’t hearing things. Sure enough, these guys were talking tech stacks.

When a pause in the conversation came I decided to shoot my shot. I leaned over the table, and gestured with my hand to get their attention “excuse me, not to totally eavesdrop, but were you guys just talking about Apollo.io?” For a moment the two guys were totally silent, they looked at me, at each other, and then back at me, “uh yes are you in sales?” one of them asked. “Kind of”, I said “I run a company that pairs top SDRs with growing startups. Are you guys in sales?”

From there the conversation flowed. As it turned out, both of them worked in venture. One had just moved firms while the other had just made a big move to a new city. We talked for 10-15 minutes longer before exchanging information and agreeing to stay in touch.

Since that day I’ve met up with both guys in-person including most recently seeing one of them last night. Of course, I have no idea exactly what types of opportunities we’ll be able to help each other find in the future, but regardless there is an important lesson in all of this: opportunity exists all around you. Every single day you probably walk past someone who could change your career and/or your life forever. Whether it’s at work, on the subway, or at a bar on Saturday night people who can make you better (and who you can make better in turn) are all around. BUT also remember that opportunities do not show up on silver platters. If I had sat around at that table waiting for one of those guys to talk to me then the three of us would have left that coffee shop never to cross paths again. So, next time you’re getting lunch and you overhear something interesting get involved in the conversation. After all, you know what the outcome will be if you don’t get involved, so you may as well see what happens when you do.

One new opportunity in the pipeline today:

Company Overview

• Female-founded business based in NYC, empowering non-profits to build relationships with grantees and efficiently distribute and track funds.

Role Details

• Position: Senior Business Development Representative

• Compensation: $90-100k OTE

• Location: NYC (~3 days per week in-office)

Team & Growth

• Current Team: 2 Account Executives and 1 SDR

• Path to AE: Realistic opportunity to move into an Account Executive role within the next 6 months