On this page
From Joe
We hit the six-month mark this week.
Looking back, our offering has changed quite a lot since April. We spent those months investing time into the service, getting our outreach out there, and understanding each client.
Crossing half a year made me pause and pull together the five biggest lessons from starting out: what kept us moving, the balance we had to find, and what I'd tell anyone thinking of taking the leap.
The lesson
01Give yourself runway, then be patient
We knew we needed three or four months, and both had savings to cover us. We cut subscriptions, went out less and each put just £200 a month into the business. In the first six to eight weeks we were nervous, but we focused on keeping it in the day. What I'd do differently is have far more patience. If you get desperate, it impacts the outcome.
02Talk to people from week one
From the start, book meetings that aren't sales calls. I kept asking for feedback and offering support without an agenda, and it gave us the confidence there was a real market. On LinkedIn, conversation beats pitching: we've booked 20-plus meetings from DMs without ever pitching. Our first retained clients came from cold connection requests.
03Treat free work like paid work
Do some free work early on. I helped friends and early contacts take something from ground zero to level one. The breakthrough came when I caught myself treating a friend like a mate rather than a customer. Treating him as a client led straight to the playbooks and proposals we now use with every client. You learn more doing the work.
04Partner with someone who thinks differently
There's a feeling of being alone doing this, so having Chris has been a blessing. We're yin and yang: I lead more on sales and building, Chris on delivery and finance, and it's very 50-50. Before launch, I started building a whole software platform. Chris was clear: we were never going to be a SaaS app. We raise concerns, talk them through and move on.
05Show up publicly and make mistakes
Inaction comes from fear. Ego tells you you're not good enough, but you only find what works by getting it wrong in public. Most of my posts flop: one photo got about 20 impressions. Showing up anyway has brought us genuine conversations, partnerships and clients. Put yourself out there. If it's rubbish, nobody sees it anyway.
Steal this
Four first lines to start conversations
[New role] "Congratulations on the new role, [first name]. What's top of the list for your first quarter?" [Hiring in sales] "Hi [first name], saw [company] is hiring in sales. How is the search going?" [Growing fast] "Hi [first name], [company] has grown fast lately. Is new business keeping up?" [No live trigger] "Hi [first name], are you still the one bringing in new business at [company]?"
Why it works
- Built on a fact you can see, so it never feels generic.
- One plain question, not a pitch.
Use it whenyou can see a reason to talk now. Pick the line that fits and keep it under 25 words.
On the house
I'm a firm believer in giving value. Tell us who you sell to, and we find 10 people who fit, with the ones who have a reason to talk now at the top. Each comes with a why-now and a first line. Every email is checked, UK mobiles are screened against TPS and CTPS, and a person checks every list. Free, no card, no call.
Get your 10 free leads: jumplead.io/free-leads (opens in a new tab)
For the next six months, our aim is simple: keep delivering for the clients we have, win a load more, and be writing to you in six months with those same clients still on board.
Thinking about starting a business? Hit reply and tell me.
Joe StoneCo-founder, JumpLead
I Love Sales
Get the next one on Thursday.
One email a week from Chris and Joe. Sign-up bonus: The Outbound Playbook, straight away.