In mid-2024 I had four euros left in my account, after five years of trying to build an online business.
My first attempt to fix it was sending a thousand LinkedIn messages built around a strong credential. One reply. From someone telling me off.
The fix wasn't more confidence. It was a single technical insight: Loom allows screen sharing. Which meant I could open each person's LinkedIn profile and record it behind me as I spoke. The animated GIF preview that arrived in their inbox showed them their own face, their own profile, their own name. Before they'd clicked a thing. That was the reason they opened it.
I'll be honest: what followed was largely by accident. No real strategy. I simply sent as many videos as possible, to people already in my network, and made an immediate offer for a conversation.
Over one calendar month I sent 408 of them. 13.6 hours of work in total, including research. Roughly 50% open rate. 9 calls booked. 2 deals closed. USD 27,600 generated, with one client's payments continuing well into 2025.