The WTF Intro Strategy

How to make a more memorable first impression in 3 easy steps

1/ Start with a STORY when someone asks about you. Bad: "Hi, I'm Sarah, a marketer from Chicago." Better: "I once accidentally emailed 10,000 customers a cat meme. Now I teach companies how to avoid my mistakes."

2/ Add a "WTF" detail that stands out. Bad: "I love hiking." Better: "I climbed a mountain in flip-flops to prove my mom wrong."

Quirky details are more likely to be remembered because they engage our emotions and curiosity, enhancing memory retention.

3/ Make it about THEM. Bad: "Nice to meet you!" Better: "What's the weirdest hobby you've tried?"

Questions force their brain to engage and they associate you with curiosity.

Distribution always beats innovation.

The winners aren't those with the best product - they're those who reach customers FASTEST and most EFFICIENTLY.

Amazon wasn't the first online store. Facebook wasn't the first social network. Tesla wasn't the first electric car company. What set them apart? SUPERIOR DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS.

The smartest founders I know REVERSE the process. Before writing a single line of code, they answer: "How will people hear about this? How much will it cost to acquire customers?”

Your early focus should be DISTRIBUTION-MARKET FIT, not just product-market fit. Can you reach your target customers repeatedly and affordably? If not, even the perfect product will fail.

The problem with many founders isn't that they don't work hard enough. It's that they get so caught in the day-to-day grind that they lose sight of what actually makes their companies successful.

They're buried in the weeds—optimising workflows, tweaking features, responding to emails, firefighting every issue—and forget their REAL job: leading.

Leading means more than executing tasks. It means ensuring your team is ALIGNED. That employees have the tools they need. That customers feel HEARD. That investors stay INFORMED.

When overwhelmed, you retreat into what feels productive: answering emails, writing code, polishing pitch decks. But leadership isn't about how many things you accomplish. It's about how you steer the ship.

Mistake to be aware of - The AGENCY TRAP

Most agencies are built for companies with product-market fit, healthy margins, and clear targets.

As an early-stage founder, you're not their ideal client—but they'll happily take your money anyway.

Don't outsource what you don't understand.

If you can't articulate exactly what you need and what success looks like in a single sentence, you're not ready to hire for it.

Agency expertise can't replace your own strategic clarity.

When you reframe selling as "solving problems for people who need what you offer," everything shifts.

You listen more than you talk. You ask questions rather than making statements.

This mindset shift transforms selling from something you DO TO someone into something you do FOR and WITH them.

“The happiest people are not the ones with the most options, but the ones who stop questioning their choices.” Mark Manson

Build with fire, not with fear,
Each setback whispers, "You're still near."
The world won’t move until you do—
So carve your path and see it through.

Best,

Maxi | The Warrior’s Newsletter