Max already said yes to the meeting. He's curious. Don't over-prepare. This is a conversation between two people who know each other well — not a pitch to a stranger. Your job is to get him excited and then get out of the way and listen. He'll have better ideas about how his audience would react to this than you will. Let him have them.
Keep it brief. Something like: "You know I've been building Bunk in PropTech for years. I've been doing a lot of thinking about where I want to go next — and I kept coming back to this idea. I want to walk you through it because I think you're genuinely the right person to make it work. And I think you'll love it."
Notes
Don't show a deck. Tell it as a story. Three points, in this order:
The problem with sponsorship
"Every time you recommend something to your audience, you're using the most valuable thing you have — their trust. And right now, all of that value flows to someone else's brand. You make them money. You make them credible. And you get a flat fee and move on."
The idea
"What if that brand was yours? We source the best specialty coffee in the world — from a region in Congo that nobody in the UK has properly touched yet. We handle everything: the beans, the roasting, the packaging, the subscriptions, the customer service. You get your own brand, your own story, and a revenue share every month. It compounds. It's yours."
Why it works for a food creator
"You talk about food every day. Coffee is the one drink that every one of your followers probably has an opinion on. And the DRC story — the farming cooperatives, the B Corp angle — is the kind of thing your audience actually wants to share. This isn't a sponsored post. It's your product."
Notes
These are the questions that matter. Each one is designed to get him thinking like a co-founder, not a respondent. Don't rush through them — one good conversation on question 2 is worth more than five surface answers.
"When you put your name on something — really behind it — what needs to be true about it? What's the line you wouldn't cross?"
Gets him to articulate his authenticity bar. Whatever he says tells you exactly how to frame the B Corp angle and what the brand needs to stand for.
"What do you think your audience would actually do if you launched a coffee brand tomorrow? Like — genuinely — what would the comments look like?"
He knows his audience better than any model does. His answer to this is the most valuable market research you'll get. Take notes.
"What would make your coffee feel genuinely different — not just a logo on a bag, but something that's actually yours?"
Opens up the product differentiation conversation naturally. He might suggest a roast profile, a recipe, a format (ground vs whole bean vs pods). Every answer makes the brand stronger.
"Is there anyone else you know who would be perfect for this? Someone whose audience would go mad for their own coffee brand?"
Even if he's not fully in yet, this question starts him thinking as a distribution partner. The answer might be the second and third brands right there in the room.
"What would make you hesitate? What's the thing that would stop you saying yes?"
The most important question. Ask it directly and don't fill the silence. His hesitations are either solvable (in which case solve them now) or genuine signals about fit.
Notes from the conversation
If the conversation is flowing, raise the bigger picture. "One thing I've been thinking about — coffee is the pilot. But the model works for anything high-margin and story-driven. Your brand could be a hot sauce. A spice blend. Whatever your audience actually wants from you. The infrastructure is the same."
Don't spend too long here. It's a seed, not a slide. The goal is for him to leave thinking bigger than just coffee.
Notes
Don't leave without asking directly. Something like:
"I'd love for you to be the first brand we build. But more than that — I think you're the right person to help shape what this becomes. So I want to ask you directly: is this something you'd want to get involved in? And if so, what does that look like for you — are you thinking pilot brand, active partner, something else?"
Capacity options (for reference — don't present as a menu)
Option A
Pilot brand partner
First brand launched on the platform. Low commitment. He promotes, we build and ship.
Gets: 25% rev share on his brand
Option B
Brand partner + connector
Pilot brand plus actively introduces 2–3 creators from his network.
Gets: Rev share + small equity (3–5%) + distribution bonus
Option C
Creative co-founder
Shapes the brand experience, content strategy, and product feel. Active building role.
Gets: 5% advisory equity (2yr vest) + rev share
Option D
Not right now
He's interested but not ready to commit. Keep the door open. Ask if you can share the deck and revisit in 2 weeks.
Gets: First right of refusal on his category
How did he answer? What did he say he wanted?
Send a follow-up within 2 hours
Short, warm, personal. Reference something specific he said. Include a link to the financial model if he asked about numbers. No pressure, just momentum.
Update the workspace hub with what you learned
His insights about his audience, product differentiation instincts, and any creator names he mentioned are more valuable than anything in the model. Capture them while they're fresh.