Two founders reached out to me last week.

First one says "I need a designer." Generic ask. I've got maybe fifty designers in my network. Where do I even start?

Second one says "I need a designer who can ship without babysitting. Someone who's worked at early-stage startups and knows how to make decisions when the CEO is buried in sales calls."

And yet. Guess which one got an intro within the hour?

The specific ask cuts through everything. It tells me exactly who to think of. It makes my job easy. It gets results.

But most people think being specific limits their options. They cast wide nets hoping to catch more fish. They say "open to anything" thinking it sounds flexible.

Wrong approach entirely.

Ask any connector, any investor, any advisor. We want to help. But vague requests get lost in our mental filing cabinets. Specific requests stick. They trigger immediate connections.

"I need funding" versus "I need a $2M Series A from someone who understands marketplaces and has portfolio companies that could be strategic partners."

"I need customers" versus "I need healthcare CFOs who are frustrated with their current budgeting software and have teams of 10-50 people."

Watch what happens when you get specific. The right people start appearing. The perfect opportunities surface. The universe seems to conspire in your favor.

Here's to those who know exactly what they need. Smart enough to ask for it with the precision that gets results.

Be specific!

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Clarity