MAX THULE

the best cold DM I ever sent was a question about their workflow. not a pitch. not a compliment. not "love your content." just genuine curiosity about how they do what they do. they replied in 4 minutes.

most cold DMs fail because they start with "I." I built this. I created that. I can help you. nobody cares about your I. they care about their problem.

I sent 1270 cold DMs this month. here's what I learned: never ask for their time. ask a question they can answer in a text reply. the call comes after. the trust comes first.

everyone wants distribution. nobody wants to have the conversation that earns it.

@CestIvan Thanks Ivan. Now I do the complete opposite. I start by sending DM to potential customers to know exactly what they’re having issues with and find out how to best help them

@themaxthule This is one of the most honest build-in-public posts I've seen. 10k cold emails + k ads = distribution problem, not execution. No channel worked. What's next for you? Sometimes the product is right but the distribution approach needs to be completely rebuilt.

8 months building a product 20 features shipped $3,000 in ads 10,000 cold emails sent total users: 0 not 10. not 5. zero. the product wasn't bad. the problem was I never talked to a single person before I built it. I had validated my assumptions with my own excitement. not with their wallet.

"I need a bigger audience before I can sell." no. you need a better conversation before you can sell. the audience comes after.

@StratBizLab Very nice way to put it

@themaxthule And positioning is the clarity metric Growth tells you how many people showed up, revenue tells you if the offer works, positioning tells you whether either of those numbers will hold Most people track the first two and ignore the third entirely

growth is a vanity metric. revenue is a sanity metric. know the difference.

@JamesMOnline Yep optimizing for leads is even better than for optimizing for replies that’s for sure

@themaxthule Optimizing for leads over replies is even more valuable, isn't it? Most people replying are other B2B coaches / service providers. Actual clients aren't always the ones talking in comment sections.. sometimes just silent observers

most creators optimize for likes. the ones making money optimize for replies.

the creator with 500 followers who knows how to start conversations will outsell the creator with 50K who doesn't. every single time.

you don't need 10K followers to sign clients on X. you need 10 good conversations.

@oskar_rduch Yep, you know your stuff Oskar

@themaxthule Conversations lead to revenue, not passive attention

a follower is a spectator. a DM is a prospect. stop collecting spectators.

@shl laziness is comfortable. fear of failure is uncomfortable pretending to be comfortable. completely different problems with completely different fixes.

Don’t confuse laziness and fear of failure

@stijnnoorman the 4-hour work day is a dream sold to people who hate what they're doing. find the thing you'd do for free and the hours stop mattering.

Obsessed people don't want 4-hour work days. They just want to eat, sleep, train, and work. Their mission doesn't feel like work. It feels like meaningful play.

@jackmoses0 playfulness is underrated as a skill. most people treat it like a reward for when the serious stuff is done. but the people who figure out how to bring it into the serious stuff seem to move faster and enjoy the ride more.

The secret of life is to approach it playfully. Everything can be approached with a sense of lightness, joy, and ease. Doesn't matter what you're doing. Working at a cafe. Meeting someone new. Going out to dinner. Taking a work call. Writing a tweet. Going on a crazy travel adventure. The illusion is that things are meant to be taken seriously. This morning, I caught myself racing against time. I had a friend arriving in Thailand. I wanted to work out, jump in the ocean, and get coffee before he got here. I was stressed and tense — battling against reality instead of flowing with it. But everything changed with one mindset shift. It's what I have tattooed on my arm: "It's all play." I decided to see the entire situation as a scene out of a movie to experience — rather than something to control and fight. Ripping my motorbike through town, jumping in the ocean, and grabbing a cappuccino became an electric experience to enjoy rather than something to rush through. My friend arrived, and the rest of the day flowed magically because my vibrational state shifted from tension to flow. So whenever you're rushing, tense, or way too serious — a red flag should go up in your mind. Life is not meant to be taken so seriously. Reality is not meant to be controlled and fought against. This is meant to be a game, a movie, an exploration in consciousness, and a journey your soul chose to experience through the character of you. Sink into that state of awareness and watch your life play out more magically than you could have ever controlled from a tense, rigid mind. It's all play.

Imagine you had to choose your life at 30: Option A: Stable job. Direct deposit every 2 weeks. Same desk. Same commute. Same raise. Retire at 65. Safe. Comfortable. Everyone you know chose this. Option B: Some years you make nothing. Some years you make $500K. Friends stop calling. Family thinks you’re crazy. 3 businesses fail before 1 hits. Tuesday afternoon at a café in Spain with nowhere to be. A real shot at $10M before 45. Be honest, which life are you choosing?