How to use reminders When you ask for help from other founder | 🦄 Unicorn Mafia Startup

How to use reminders

When you ask for help from other founders/connectors and when you follow up after ward intros to investors, frequently people don't respond. This isn't a sign of rejection. Everyone is super busy, traveling, balancing family and work, and could have potentially read your message right before losing connection, jumping on a plane, or doing some other task. The frequency of "dropping the ball" in fundraising is very high.

To counteract, you need to send everyone lots of reminders. I got my previous job (Entrepreneur in Residence at Entangled Group) after a warm intro and *four reminders* before getting a reply. Make your ask super simple, typically, just ask for an indication of interest and readiness to continue the conversation.

Here's a typical sequence of reminders you can use. Space them by 2-3 business days.

*Reminder 1 — Single line, ending in yes/no question*
Hi X — following up to the intro from Y. Would you have time to learn more about our round?

*Reminder 2 — New positive news, brief summary, yes/no question*
Hi X — this is Z from company A again. We do _company description_. Since Y has intro-ed us, we made serious progress on traction metrics N, M, P. The round is still open — would you have time to talk in the next few days?

*Reminder 3 — Last chance, yes/no question*
Hi X — Life is busy! This is my last email on company A after an intro from Y. Is there still a chance you might be interested to consider us for investment?

Generally speaking, once you have a warm intro, an initial indication of interest, or a promise of help, you can do 3-4 reminders until getting the next response.