Founder & Partner @ Kanvas | Foster Innovation, Develop Business Strategy, Drive Growth

Katie Nowak

Getting ghosted by partners and investors?? 🤯 
Here’s how to upgrade your outreach -

…but first, some context.

We’ve been working with several first-time business owners.

Each has an amazing product, impressive early traction with customers, but couldn't seem to convert as many investor/partner leads as they’d hoped.

After auditing their pitch deck, financial model, and every other data room item we could think of, I finally made a new request….

…I asked to see their emails! (gasp)

And voila, the problem was identified.

It was the emails!!! The whole time!! 

After 1 week of helping these business owners re-write their emails/LinkedIn requests/Instagram messages, they got immediate responses from potential investors and partners.

Here's the outreach framework we used -

✨ Anchor in their world.

When you’re writing outreach, remember... there’s a real person on the other side!

That person has their own goals, motivations, and context.

So start your message with something specific to them.

It could be a recent win, a piece of content they shared, a portfolio move, or a shared context (event, intro, community).

✨  Make one clear, business-specific ask.

We forbid things like “just reaching out” and “let's connect."

Instead, spell out the concrete outcome you want them to consider.

Complete this sentence to find your target ask:

“If this outreach works, the next concrete business step is ______.”

Then ask for that outcome in one crisp sentence.

✨ Share a credibility snapshot.

This is my favorite secret.

For email - show you’re the real deal with a few concise bullets around your users, revenue, notable customers, or outcomes. Tailor these based on who you're reaching out to.

For LinkedIn - weave one key metric you’re proud of into a connection request. (Let’s be honest, almost no one is reading full InMails.)

You’re not sending the deck in paragraph form…

...you’re simply proving that a reply is worth their time.

✨  Set expectations for a follow-up.

I love offering to follow up at a later date so I don’t feel like I’m hounding anyone.

Plus, it’s a built-in chance to demonstrate follow-through.

Just make sure it doesn’t sound stiff... keep it human and specific (“I’ll bump this in a couple weeks once X is live - we'd love to give you a demo.”).

-

Ta-da! With this framework, your outreach is ready to go.

If you’re looking for a full example email, check out the comments. I drafted a fictional one for you. 😉

What secret tricks do you have for outreach?

If you’re feeling generous, share one in the comments - I'd love to learn from you, too.

See you there 😎

—
I'm Katie Nowak, an investor, innovation leader, and new venture designer sharing examples & lessons weekly. Follow me + hit 🔔 to stay tuned.

Innovation Leader, New Venture Designer, Speaker @ Kanvas || Investor @ Altra Venture Partners

"Entrepreneurship is the most honest mirror you’ll ever look into." 🤯 
Here are 3 places that mirror shows up most clearly -

✨ Your numbers.

Terrified of opening your financial forecast?
...maybe money has always felt stressful and confusing.

Discounting heavily with clients?
…maybe you’re questioning the value you bring to the table.

Numbers don’t just describe your business; they often show where decisions are coming from (fear, habit, or conviction).

Something you can do this week -
+ Notice one place your spending/pricing feels misaligned.
+ Ask - what belief might be driving this decision? 
+ What is one step you could take to challenge that belief?

✨ Your business relationships.

Saying yes to projects you've outgrown?
...maybe you're in scarcity mindset.

Not delegating because it feels easier to do yourself?
...maybe, once upon a time, you had to shoulder a lot of life solo.

These decisions are signals about what safety, value, and control look like to you today… and they directly shape the deals you make and the culture you build.

Something you can do this week -
+ Think of one recent interaction that didn’t feel great.
+ Ask yourself “What might the braver, more grounded version of me done?”
+ Write down one small way you can move closer to that next time.

✨ Your self-care.

Resting only when you're exhasuted?
...maybe you secretly think rest = laziness.

Stressed about investing in coaching or learning?
...maybe you think the money is best spent elsewhere.

When you start seeing your nervous system as a core business asset (not a side project!) it's easier to set a growth pace that is sustainable for all.

That shift alone can change the trajectory of both you and the company.

Something you can do this week - 
+ Scan your calendar.
+ Block one hour for a nap, run, or to rewatch Bad Bunny’s halftime show 5 times. (Just making sure you’re still with me!)

-

If this hits home, pick one of these three areas this week - numbers, relationships, or self-care - and ask:

“What is my business mirroring back to me right now?”

Then, decide one small behavior you’re willing to upgrade.

If you’re brave, share in the comments for accountability. :)

—
I'm Katie Nowak, an investor, innovation leader, and new venture designer sharing examples & lessons weekly. Follow me + hit 🔔 to stay tuned.

Most B2B brands don’t have a visibility problem. They have a clarity problem.

They’ve grown through referrals. They do good work. People trust them once they’re in the room.
But outside that room?

- Their messaging blends in.
- Sales conversations feel harder than they should.
- Marketing efforts feel disconnected.
- The website sounds “fine” but doesn’t land
- And growth starts to stall.

That’s the gap I help close.

I’m a positioning and messaging strategist, copywriter, and keynote speaker who helps growing B2B brands clarify what to say, who to say it to, and where it actually matters—so trust doesn’t break the moment referrals run out.

My work is based on real buyer insights, not assumptions:

- Customer interviews
- Discovery call and sales conversation mining
- Competitor and category analysis
- Pattern recognition across what buyers say, hesitate over, and actually respond to

Because knowing who your audience is isn’t enough. You need to understand why they buy, what makes them pause, and what finally tips a decision.

That clarity becomes the foundation for everything else:

🧭 Positioning that holds up as you grow
💬 Messaging your sales team can actually use
✏️ Website and sales page copy that sounds like you and converts the right people
🌟 Content that builds credibility instead of blending in

I don’t hand you a strategy deck and disappear.

I work from strategy through execution, supporting:

Positioning and messaging strategy
Copywriting for websites, sales pages, and key brand assets
Strategy sessions and copy audits for teams who need sharp, objective feedback
Ongoing messaging support as your business evolves

Clients have told me:

✔️ “Sales conversations got easier almost immediately.”
✔️ “We finally stopped rewriting everything.”
✔️ “It sounds like us, but clearer.”
✔️ “This helped us get out of the comparison pool.”

If you’re a B2B brand that’s tired of competing on sameness and ready to be remembered for the right reasons, you’re in the right place.

🎤 And if you’re looking for a keynote speaker who can challenge how founders and teams think about messaging, trust, and buyer psychology, I do that too.

If you’re not sure what’s breaking down in your messaging but you know something is, let’s talk.

www.stacyeleczko.com • hello@stacyeleczko.com • send a DM

When I’m not working: I’m reading, getting outside, eating ginger molasses cookies, parenting a teenage son, and dreaming of where I’ll travel next.

Stacy Eleczko🔅

I'd rather be on a stage in front of 300 B2B service providers than make small talk with 3 people at a networking event.

Introvert confession: networking drains me, speaking energizes me.

Because on stage, I'm not managing social dynamics; I'm challenging assumptions.

Most B2B service businesses think their problem is visibility or lead generation. Or that they need another tactic layered on top of the ones they're already juggling.

What they're usually missing? One message that actually lands.

That's what I help audiences discover: the specific language that makes their ideal clients stop scrolling and start buying.

When that shift happens in a room, you see it immediately. Their posture changes, pens move faster, and conversations after the session sound different.

After the Own Your Spotlight Summit, Larry Long Jr 🎤 shared this:

"Her program masterfully educated and captivated the audience… delivering clear, practical insights people could immediately put into action."

But this was the line that meant the most:

"When attendees were asked their top takeaway, numerous quoted Stacy's presentation."

That's the standard.

The kind of clarity people actually act on, and frameworks they end up carrying into their sales calls, their content, and their strategy the very next week.

I'm now booking keynotes, panels, and summits for March 2026 and beyond.

If your audience needs a session that delivers clarity that resonates over inspiration that fades–and gives them messaging they'll actually use, let's talk.

Stacy Eleczko

Be the brand they remember, not the one they scroll past. I help B2B brands turn buyer insight into bold, human messaging that builds trust & helps the right people choose you. 🎤Keynote speaker + messaging strategist🎤

I could tell you what it’s like to work with me. But why should you believe me?

When I position my clients so their buyers instantly understand what sets them apart, I don’t rely on assumptions.

I dig.

- customer interviews
- sales call transcripts
- competitor messaging
- market patterns
- what people say when they think no one’s listening 

Because the gold is in the nuance.

It had been a minute since I’d analyzed my own testimonials that way, so I turned that same lens on myself.

If you want to know what it’s actually like to work with someone, you don’t ask them. You ask the people who’ve already been in the room.

So I went back to the source.

Here’s what kept coming up:

→ “It felt like a true partnership.”
→ “She asked the hard questions.”
→ “Clear, actionable steps.”
→ “Not generic. Not AI.”
→ “Worth the investment.”
→ “Precision.”
→ “Durable foundation.”

And this one made me laugh: 

“Get out your wallet and get off the fence.”

Investing in a strategist you’ve never worked with is a gamble.

One client put it this way:

“It truly felt like a collaborative partnership—an open, thoughtful back-and-forth that resulted in an exceptional final product. Efficient now has a strong, durable foundation for messaging that will allow us to consistently and effectively unify our voice across a wide range of creative channels and press efforts.”
— Adam Kaufman, Director of Product Marketing 

My clients don’t describe the experience as flashy. 

They describe it as strategic. Clear. Collaborative. Transformative.

Which is exactly how I want it to feel.

But don’t take my word for it. The receipts are above.

If you’re done guessing and ready for messaging that holds up in a competitive market, let’s talk. I've got space for 1 client in Q1.

An 8th grader in a gang who reeked of pot every morning taught me more about marketing and copywriting than any course ever could.

She was in my intervention class.

First period. During Covid. Online.

Most people had already written her off.

She skipped classes regularly when school was in person, rarely turned in assignments, and had no problem telling other teachers to screw off.

And yet, she showed up to my class.

Sometimes early and occasionally even with the camera on. And she did the work.

By the end of the year, she—and several other students who had been years behind in reading—were on grade level for the first time ever.

It wasn’t because I made things “fun”.

It was because I cared enough to figure out what mattered to them.

I listened and paid attention. I stopped asking them to care about school the way I cared about school.

For the first time, someone was asking them what they wanted for their future, instead of assuming it was already written for them.

Teaching is about more than lesson plans. It’s about connection.

And caring alone isn’t enough. You have to be strategic and intentional in every move you make. 

You start with the outcome: 

What do they need to understand? What needs to change to make that happen? 

Then you design everything else to support that.

Marketing works the same way.

Once the big picture is clear, every lesson either supports it, or distracts from it.

Copywriting is just like that. 

Too often, assets like websites are treated as artifacts instead of decision-making tools.

If you want your reader to do something, they need to know what choice they’re being asked to make and why it matters to them.

You have to write to earn attention, keep it, and compel people to act.

The truth of it is:

Both audiences would rather be anywhere else.

They’re distracted, skeptical, and actively trying to tune you out.

Being louder is not how you win.

You win by being relevant to people who don’t owe you their attention.

Those students didn’t show up because I was more entertaining. They showed up because they felt seen.

That experience is why I approach marketing the way I do.

You don’t take attention; you earn it.

And relevance is always where it starts.

Engagement comes from understanding the person making the decision, not targeting the person reading the page.

Your clients love you.
That might be the problem.

They’re happy to tell you why they chose you.

You might even hear the same thing over and over, confirming what makes you different.

And that might be exactly why others don’t choose you.

Here’s the hidden problem:

Post-purchase praise is not the same thing as a pre-purchase trigger.

These conversations usually happen after they’ve started working with you.

They have a chance to experience the value you provide, so they articulate the results, not the decision-making moment.

But that’s not why they hired you in the first place. It’s why they love working with you now and why they may even refer you in the future.

The real reason they hired you?

Something triggered that decision. The problem finally became painful enough to act.

You happened to be there with the exact right message at the exact right time, whether you realized it or not.

That’s serendipitous. It’s not scalable.

That’s why I go deep into research so they understand your value before they ever talk to you.

My favorite, and the most effective way to do that?

Collecting insights from the right people.

I talk to your best-fit clients and ask strategic questions to uncover why they actually said yes.

These aren’t casual conversations. 

They’re structured to uncover the push, pull, friction, and belief shifts behind the decision.

- what exactly was happening in their lives at the time
- the moment they realized they needed to do something different
- what they were afraid would happen if nothing changed
- what alternatives they were considering
- what they needed to believe before they said yes

Most founders and teams assume they already know why clients hire them.

But when you’re the one asking, people tell you what they think you want to hear.

I’ve done these interviews long enough to know patterns emerge fast if you know what you’re listening for.

By the end, we know what had to shift before they said yes.

When I pair those insights with market research and a deep understanding of your brand, I craft messaging that shows everyone else why they should choose you.

Because when you understand the decision trigger, you stop guessing in your messaging and start engineering it.

If you want messaging that moves people to act, you don’t start with copy.

You start with the decision.

That’s the difference between hoping it resonates and knowing it will.

⸻

👋🏻 Hi, I’m Stacy. I interview your best clients, decode why they said yes, and turn that insight into positioning and messaging that converts.

Curious what your clients’ real decision triggers are? Send a DM and let’s talk.

You’re not losing sales at the sales call. You’re losing them weeks earlier.

When buyers are lurking and reading your posts, scanning your site, comparing you to three other “similar” options, and deciding whether you feel credible enough to keep researching.

And most of that happens without you ever knowing.

If your funnel looks fine but conversions feel unpredictable, it’s probably not a traffic issue or a tactic issue.

It’s that buyers are evaluating you long before you’re trying to convert them—and your marketing isn’t built for that phase.

By the time they book the call, you’re not persuading; you’re confirming.

That’s what Lisa Klein and I are breaking down in The Middle Matters.

Join us?

P.S. If you have specific questions, drop them below, and we'll make sure we get to them during the conversation.

View event: The middle matters: what today's buyers need before they're ready to buy

The middle matters: what today's buyers need before they're ready to buy

Support is a currency. And someone spent it on you.

They amplified your work, vouched for you publicly, helped more people see what you were building.

You know how powerful that is.

So this #SpotlightSeries is me paying that forward (and asking you too, also).

A couple of years ago, Brian Ondrako and I grabbed coffee because we both lived nearby and were trying to meet more smart humans outside of awkward networking events.

That’s turned into regular meetups, a referral partnership, and actual friendship.

(Although we can’t ever remember to grab photo evidence.)

And now he just left a highly successful sales career to go all in on his business full-time. 👏🏻

That’s no small move.

He’s been strategically building this “on the side”:

➡️ Sales call coaching for founders and teams
➡️ Sales call roasts
➡️ His newsletter, Sales Skills for Founders
➡️ His podcast, Just Get Started (He just dropped a new episode with Justin Welsh.)

Brian’s incredibly good at breaking down sales calls into skills you can actually develop. How to:

✔️ Listen for what’s really being said instead of reacting to surface-level objections
✔️ Ask better questions that guide the conversation without being pushy
✔️ Articulate your value clearly without over-explaining or over-selling

He gives no-BS feedback and manages to be straightforward and supportive at the same time.

Which, if you’ve ever received hard feedback, you know is a skill.

(And selfishly? It’s pretty great having someone this sharp just a text away.)

His goal is simple: get you so good at sales that you don’t need him anymore.

That tells you everything. 👆🏻

Today’s post isn’t about me.

It’s about supporting someone who just made a bold move.

If you’ve ever started something from scratch, you know how much it means when people help spread the word about what you’re building.

So here’s the ask:

Like this so more people see it. 👍🏻
Tag someone who should know about him. 🏷️
Save it. Repost it. Share it. ♻️

And if you’re not already following Brian? 
Go ring that bell. 🔔 

Already connected? Tell us what you appreciate most about him in the comments.

It’s time to bury the myth that LinkedIn builds awareness and your website closes the deal.

Expecting potential clients to read a couple posts and go straight to booking a call is not a marketing strategy. 

It’s not a predictable way to generate revenue, either.

There’s a lot that happens between awareness and conversation.

And it’s messy.

Sorry (not sorry)… but if your message depends on a funnel stage to land? You’re not selling to people. You’re selling to a chart.

The clients you want to attract don’t glide from “awareness” to “interest” to “decision.”

- They skim your About page
- See a LinkedIn post
- Lurk for 6 weeks
- Vanish
- Hear you on a podcast 
- Binge your case studies
- DM “out of nowhere” ready to buy

There are no tidy stages or neat handoffs from content to copy.

That’s not a funnel. That’s chaos. 🌪️

And if your message can’t hold up in the chaos, it loses people before they ever see your offer.

Your marketing has one job: earn trust or lose the lead. There’s no middle ground.

Want to know what actually builds trust, shortens the gap to revenue, and moves people toward action in the tornado that’s today’s buyer journey?

That’s what Lisa Klein and I are unpacking live on February 25th.

If you’re done guessing what stage your buyer is in and want messaging that works wherever they enter, come join us. 👇🏻

https://lnkd.in/e-ZAQCFp

Real buyers don’t move in stages.

They move when they trust you.

If you’re a productivity coach or expertly optimize every second of your day…you’re probably going to want to skip this post.

Well, it happened again.

I went to Pinterest to find one mildly clever, marketing-adjacent meme.

As you can see, that was a bust.

So maybe this is my new Sunday thing: aggressively unproductive but deeply relatable memes? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Your assignment: Add a favorite in the comments, tag a friend who could use some levity, or drop me an eye roll. 

Let’s build the least strategic thread on LinkedIn.

Go.

No alternative text description for this image

taplio

The Battle

Katie Nowak

Stacy Eleczko🔅

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreKatie Nowak's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreStacy Eleczko🔅's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Katie Nowak

Stacy Eleczko🔅

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Katie Nowak's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreStacy Eleczko🔅's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreKatie Nowak's LinkedIn Performance