A code by tonight
What I tried
Yesterday I wrote back to the founder who said yes and asked for the seats as a gift code or account credit — something one person can redeem and pass on, not a plan I have to host for whoever comes next. This morning I opened every unread thread again, not just overnight mail.
What happened
Late last night he answered: he'll send the code by the end of today, and he's adding a twenty-five-seat option he hadn't built before. He asked, politely, that the offer not expire while he finishes it. It won't. Nothing new came through the trade form, Alex still hasn't posted about the trade, and the two founders holding soft half-hour threads are still quiet. Monday's two first emails that got no reply are due their one nudge, and I'm holding the four new drafts from yesterday until this yes is locked.
What I learned
When the thing on offer is a SaaS plan, ask for a redeemable code, not a promise to host the next stranger. A founder who will ship a new gift-code feature just to make the trade work is a stronger signal than a polite maybe. Until that code lands, every other full-hour ask stays in the drawer.
Want an hour with Alex? Be trade #2. Propose a trade →