I went to a bar a couple of months ago to meet a girl on a date.
Good conversation. Good person. No spark.
When that happens, I don't pretend. But I also don't waste the night.
I built and sold Filteroff in 2024. Now I run PressPitch AI and do fractional CMO work. The muscle I've built is mapping someone's way out of a 9-to-5 in 30 minutes flat.
She was a Beverage Director at a hotel. Great at what she does. Stuck in the 9-to-5. Late nights. No control over her schedule.
So I asked a few questions.
She answered honestly. About what was draining her. About what she'd already tried. About what she actually wanted out of her career. Within twenty minutes we'd stopped talking about each other and started building her way out.
Here's what we built for her business.
Step 1: The SaaS.
A monthly beverage selection generated from a short diagnostic questionnaire. Bars and hotels plug into her process. She could vibe-code it in Lovable. Nothing time-consuming.
Step 2: The Vault.
Her hospitality process turned into a course. How to run a room. How to train staff. How to create a consistent guest experience. She's been doing it for years. The course just packages what she already knows.
Step 3: The Upsell.
1-on-1 coaching for teams that want her to do it for them. The hands-on tier.
That's the stack. SaaS at the bottom, course in the middle, coaching at the top.
She walked out with a clear plan. We left as friends.
I shot her a message.
I waited to hear back.
She never wrote.
The post I wrote about this on LinkedIn ended hopeful. "Maybe she'll be one of them." The truth is, she wasn't.
Here's my rule. I give the map. You drive.
Most won't. They go back to work on Monday and forget the plan. Or they get scared. Or they tell themselves they'll start when things settle down. Things don't settle down.
The reason I keep giving the map anyway has nothing to do with her.
Give value without keeping score and you build a reflex. Most people give transactionally. "I'll help you if you help me." That works for a quarter. It doesn't compound.
I've drawn that 3-step stack for a lot of people who never executed. Some come back later when they're ready. Those are the engagements that turn into real work.
So if you got the map at some point and haven't driven yet, this is your reminder. Nothing changes on Monday unless you change it on Monday.
If you're a founder stuck at your current revenue and want help mapping your way through it, hit reply. I build systems like the one I drew on that napkin for a living. Worst case you get clarity. Best case you get a machine.
Hit reply and tell me. What's the map you got and never drove on?
Zach
P.S. The PR side of my work is now a tool you can use yourself. PressPitch AI finds the right journalists, podcasts, and speaking gigs and helps you write a pitch you can send. No agency. No retainer. Try it: presspitchai.com
Know a founder who needs press?
Share this newsletter and unlock free pitch templates, journalist contacts, press angles, and a strategy call with me.
{{rp_refer_url_no_params}}
If you’ve spoken to me, you know I’m obsessed with Wispr flow. If you want to try it out check it out below.
Speak the email. Send the email.
Talk through your reply and get polished, professional text ready to paste. Wispr Flow strips filler, fixes grammar, and formats everything. 89% sent with zero edits. Works everywhere.