A free script if you’re awkward with intros

Issue 19: A LinkedIn roasting service and a free script for awkward networkers

by Sophia Amoruso and Melanie Ehrenkranz

Business Class is a weekly newsletter for people who work for themselves. Have a scoop? Wanna partner? Email us at [email protected]

Notes from a Messy Desk

If you’ve been following, you know I'm in the midst of a major life change - moving from a house into an apartment 1/3 of the size. In most moves, it seems like people either make a lateral move into a space of the same size or upgrade, and things magically find a new home… because there is space for those things. That’s not the case here – this downsize has forced me to weed through every single thing I own, partially because I’m too cheap to pay for a storage unit.

It was a lot of work – so I did something I’ve never considered myself good at: I delegated.

Enter the humble 3M Post-It note. Between my post-it notes and a part-time assistant, I was able to delegate in the most primitive way possible. Everything in the house got a colored sticker, some with codewords and acronyms, others with specific instructions.

This allowed me to tear through the house at breakneck speed, surprisingly decisive. In the end, everything had a label - to take to my new place (N), to donate (D), to leave for the new tenants (T), to sell at my big wardrobe sale (S), or to sell on Facebook Marketplace (FB).

But the challenge hasn’t ended there. I didn’t mean to start another business, but I guess I did. I'm already swamped with a full calendar, fuller inbox, and a house full of poodles. And now, on top of it all, I’m a landlord – everyone’s favorite person.

To keep up with maintenance requests, rent payments, expenses, and general upkeep, I know I’ll need help. The tenants just moved in and we’re already evicting gophers, repairing the outdoor grill, and figuring out how to renew street parking permits that are set to expire in a week.

For this job, I have to delegate – I have no choice, I’m about to spend months on end across the world (which was kind of the whole point of moving into this pied a terre – sounds fancy, right?)

To do that, I’ve found support through a company called Athena that places remote, full-time executive assistants with businesses. I’d heard about them from several of my friends in the venture and startup world, who had glowing reviews.

So far, so good. Our reader survey said that 90% of you trust our recommendations, so don't think I'm trying to shill some service on you. The whole point of this newsletter is to help you. So if you need help, here’s a hand.

Check out Athena and mention I sent you for your first 2 months half off.

– Sophia

In today’s issue:

• A free LinkedIn roasting service
• How much you should spend on a domain name
• A free script for awkward networkers
• And more…

Links to make you smarter and sound interesting

? Surprisingly, now might be the best time to launch your startup

? If your Instagram aesthetic is important to you, the grid is changing

? Someone did the startup god’s work and created a guide on how to apply to Y Combinator

? The TikTok trend brands are drooling over right now

?ChatGPT superusers are horny or hate homework

? A tactical and helpful guide to actually hear back from influencers for your next campaign

? If your brand isn’t on Pinterest, you might be missing out on an entire generation

? Side hustle idea: charge $700 to name someone’s baby

? Phrase of the day: ‘money dysphoria ’

A free LinkedIn roasting service

This is absolutely savage.

And speaks to a growing trend: using AI to roast your digital presence. This week, there’s a ChatGPT prompt going around to make fun of your Instagram account. I’ve already seen a few friends post the results to their stories.

Why do we want to be roasted? Probably because we’re desperate for feedback, even if it’s self-deprecating.

Get roasted here .

How to tell your team to stop cc:ing you on everything

As a founder, your inbox is wild. So the last thing you want is to get added on a thread for work that can be handled by someone else.

Here’s a real-life example: we are in the process of enrolling for an Apple Developer account, which involves some tedious paperwork. My virtual assistant (mentioned above) and our Director of Content Melanie are both capable of handling this without my intervention.

And so, when I got cc:ed in a thread from an automated Apple email with them both, I wrote back: “Please keep me off copy unless you need me on this one going forward, and thank you!”

That’s one way, and the most straightforward one, to be added to less email threads. Just tell your team that you don’t need to be looped in if they have all the things they need to move things forward. And say thank you!

If you want to be able to view updates but your inbox is chaos, make sure your team adds them to your task management systems so that you can view at your convenience. We really like Todoist .

You should be able to be direct with your team, and if you can’t, that’s a communication issue, not a cc: issue.

How much should you spend on a domain?

The company behind Friend, a new wearable AI companion, spent $1.8 million on its domain – friend.com .

Domain names are major when it comes to branding. (It’s why this guy is squatting on them. ) Think about it: if someone reached out to tell you about their cool new video conferencing startup, would you be more likely to engage with Zoom.com or ZoomVideo.com ? One is giving innovative, intrigue. The other… I would probably write off as just another stale pitch and move on. (Zoom acquired Zoom.com for $2m in 2018.)

Before we dive into the appropriate dollar amount, let’s look at what entrepreneurs should consider when coming up with a domain name:

.com is king: There are a bunch of domain extensions (like .co and .ai) but if you can snag the dot com version of your dream domain, that’s the cream of the crop in the extension universe.

Keep it short and sweet: A Wharton study found that domain names with seven characters or less (minus the dot com) performed the best. The shorter the better. And keep it to one word (or two, if your business has more than one name.) If you can get an exact brand match, that is ideal.

Adding in other words that characterize your business can also limit your scope in the long run. If you add in a qualifier and then expand your business offerings, your domain name is immediately rendered outdated. For instance, say you start out as a nutrition coaching business and include ‘nutrition’ in your domain. That’s not thinking ahead – what if you then start offering fitness coaching?

Don’t wait to get your domain name: On that note, be quick. If you have a few ideas for your company name and domain and they’re all currently available at a price you can afford, get them all. It’s better to pay for a few affordable ones now than drop six to seven figures down the line because you waited too long.

Okay, so how much should you spend? There’s not a universal number to aim for, but you should be prepared to spend a couple thousand dollars on the right one. It’s worth investing a few thousand into a domain name that’s a brand match, a dot com, and/or captures your brand in one word versus a cheaper domain name that isn’t memorable and looks spammy.

Plus, a good looking domain name is a way to stand out with investors – just like your target audience and press, a venture capitalist is more likely to open up your deck with a solid domain name vs. a junk one.

At what point, though, should you spend six figures or more? You’re very likely spending investor money at that point (unless you are self-funded and a millionaire, in which case, go off). Since your domain name can raise brand awareness and make (or break) your credibility, it’s worth a consideration, but only if it’s a fraction of capital raised and you’re confident in its efficacy.

Do you have an interesting domain name story or tip?? Hit reply.

A script you can use if you feel awkward about introductions

Misbah Uraizee , the founder of Nectar AI , made it effortless for me to connect her with potential customers. In brief, here’s why I did it:

1. She emailed me so it wouldn’t get buried over text
2. She asked for something specific, for a specific reason, along with exactly who she wanted introductions to
3. She articulated the value of her product and why it would be helpful to the potential customer
4. She sent me a well-written script to shoot off (which I delegated to my assistant, by the way!)

See her ask, and my intro template here

Influencers went berserk over Google's new policy

Tip: free shit doesn’t earn lies

Google sent out invites to their influencer program that included a clause that they couldn’t show preference to competing devices or they would “cease the relationship.”

Of course you don’t want an influencer to shit on your product as inferior, but making them agree to not even liking a competing product in order to talk about why they like yours is an extreme condition. Because of the confusion this caused, Google has since removed that language, but a lesson can be learned: don’t threaten the people you want promoting you.

You can read more about the drama here.

Stuff we're into

The softest chicest WFH → business meeting pants

Payroll, benefits and government bullshit for startups

This stainless steel business card case you can engrave your company name on

A podcast series on how to elevate your pre-launch marketing strategy

Exclusive deals from the Trust Fund portfolio

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Business Class gets a lesson on communities

This week, creative director Arielle Egozi and Future of Sex podcast host Bryony Cole are co-hosting a special live workshop for Business Class members on Thursday on how to build a brand community.

Members will walk away with:

• A clear understanding of 1-2 communities you can start connecting with immediately
• Action steps for you to commit to immediately
• Thought starters to get you moving towards integrating community focus into your brand, messaging, and product development
• Frameworks you can apply to amplify your message, create organic community, and focus your brand's purpose and goals

You can join Business Class here.

Want more?

Host a workshop for our community of 3k+ entrepreneurs ! We’re looking for domain experts to share their genius. Email [email protected]

Promote your business to over 130,000 subscribers! Email [email protected]

Check out the Business Class Flight Planner – an undated annual planner that’ll set you straight and ready for take off.

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