This is my application for Associate Dean. I built it instead of writing a cover letter.
Associate Dean Candidate · Alpha Schools
Alpha needs 25 families to say yes before a campus opens. That's not an admissions problem. That's a conversion problem.
The Proof
A systemic gap hiding across two products, two orgs, one company.
Intuit / MailchimpHighest-value customers were churning. Built the first white-glove onboarding to stop it.
Mailchimp HVCNo budget. No connections. Just figured out what makes people show up and come back.
Bucket List Boys CreativeWhat broken onboarding feels like
When the experience breaks, people don't complain. They just leave.
Parents don't wait for the fix.
The Method
Remove friction at the exact moment of decision.
Seamless · PLG GrowthLead with the outcome. Shrink the risk. Let the experience sell itself.
Mailchimp · HVC OnboardingReferral isn't a loyalty problem. It's a timing problem.
Bucket List Boys CreativeDifferent industry. Same problem. Every time.
The Plan
Call every parent who said no. Not to pitch. To understand.
Find the three places families stall. Fix those first.
Build the experience that makes one parent text another "you have to look at this school."
Pro athlete gets traded? Their family needs a school. That's 25 high-net-worth families a year, actively searching.
The Person
November 2016. Zero connections. A brand new YouTube channel. One email.
Hey Logan,
My name is Elisha Shannon and I have a new YouTube Channel called "Bucket List Boys." Your channel was one of the main things that helped us decide to create ours.
Our channel is all about us (3 broke guys from Ohio) completing our bucket list items and helping others do the same. We're releasing a new project of us helping well known YouTubers complete things on their list.
You let us know a few things on your bucket list and we take care of making it happen.
We would love the opportunity to work with one of our biggest inspirations — but regardless keep making great content.
Elisha Shannon
Co-Creator, Bucket List Boys
Yo wuddup G!
Thanks for reaching out my man. I watched all the videos from the links you sent and I gotta say I definitely enjoyed watching your stuff man. Pretty entertaining! NEEDS MORE MOTHAFUCKIN VIEWS!!! Maybe that's where I come in?
So I could definitely see a collab going down in one of my Vlogs...
A couple of questions:
1.) Where are y'all based?
2.) How do you fund your content?
3.) How big can we go?
Let me know G. Look forwarding to chatting.
Logs
One cold email. Everything that came after.
Every year, thousands of families start researching schools. They visit websites. They book tours. They fill out inquiry forms. They imagine a better future for their kid. And then — somewhere between interest and commitment — they disappear. Quietly. Without telling you why.
That's drop-off. I find where it happens and I fix it.