What Good DMs Have in Common

SHORT, CASUAL, HUMAN

Read it out loud. Does it sound like something you’d actually say to a

friend?

PERSONALIZED IN THE FIRST SENTENCE

Call out something specific to them:

A post

Their role / company

A recent event (funding, launch, hiring, etc.)

A fun detail (tattoo, location, quote, etc.)

CLEAR WHY-THEM + WHY-NOW

Don’t make them wonder “Why did I get this?”

LOW-FRICTION, CLEAR NEXT STEP

Usually something like:

A specific, easy question

Or an offer to share something genuinely useful (resource,

snapshot, idea)

DIRECT BUT NOT THIRSTY

It’s okay to state what you do and how you can help, just don’t be

weird, needy, or over-eager

Rules of LinkedIn DMs

NO PITCH-SLAPPING

Don’t open with “here’s what we do + 30-minute call?” right away.

That includes copying your cold email (with the subject line!) into a

DM.

DON’T REUSE COLD EMAILS AS DMS

Especially not with “Subject:” still in there. It screams lazy +

automated.

NO BAIT-AND-SWITCH

No “hey, how are you?” with a hidden agenda.If they can feel you’re

hiding a pitch, they’ll ignore you. Be upfront about why you’re there

without being pushy.

DON’T SEND ESSAYS

Long, dense DMs get skimmed or skipped. You have a tiny attention

window, respect it.

DON’T ASK FOR A MEETING IN THE CONNECTION NOTE

“Any 20 minutes in the coming days to connect?” on first touch is too

much, too soon, especially inside the connection request.

AVOID NEEDY / VAGUE LINES:

“Please accept my connection request.”

“I’d love to have you in my network.”

“Let me know if I can ever be of service.”

These sound desperate or generic and don’t say why connecting

helps them

Don’t avoid regrets.

 

There are four common types of regrets:

1️⃣ Foundation: “If only I'd done the work.” Small early-life decisions can add up to negative consequences later on.

2️⃣ Boldness: “I wish I took the chance.” Overwhelmingly, people regret playing it safe and not taking risks when they could. It’s especially true in careers.

3️⃣ Moral: “I wish I did the right thing.” Most people want to do the right thing and regret taking the low road.

4️⃣ Connection: “If only I’d reached out.” When relationships drift apart, it can feel awkward to reach out, but regrets often follow inaction.

💡The lesson: Don’t avoid regrets. Your persistent regrets are a “knock at the door” about what truly matters to you. Audit them to find values, and use that data as an engine for change. There is evidence that it can help us become better problem solvers, negotiators, strategists and find more meaning in life.

A ‘Secret’ Nobody Likes

 

Do you need another strategy?!?

Most business owners are not stuck because they lack knowledge.

They are stuck because they stopped too early.

They try something once. Maybe twice. Then they pivot.

New idea. New tactic. New distraction.

Meanwhile, the person who wins is not chasing better information.

They are building volume.

Repetition creates skill. Skill creates confidence. Confidence creates results.

You can still scream “GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAL” next time you close the books - BusinessRefund.com

 

$51K wake-up call

A business owner came to us after five years with the same CPA. Returns filed on time every year. Zero strategies recommended. She’d overpaid $42,518.

Her CPA did the job — just not all of it

The returns were accurate. But accuracy isn't optimization. Filing correctly and paying the least amount possible are two different things.

Five years of missed opportunities

Retirement strategies, specialized tax deductions she qualified for — all sitting untouched. No one told her they existed.

Stryde found it in minutes with their free online calculator.

You might be overpaying right now and not even know it. Stryde shows you what your CPA isn’t telling you — in minutes, not months.

Now her CPA can file some amended returns!!

Cold email checklist

Most cold emails miss for one reason: too much in one message.

 

This gives you a simple checklist to tighten every

email before you send it:

 

- Hook: a first line that gets read

- Proof: a reason they should trust you

- CTA: a low-friction ask that gets replies