How to Build a Client Mafia That Sends You Work Forever 🕵️♂️
Perfect for 2026. Implement this zero-algorithm growth system.
I don’t cold email or DM people for new projects.
Not because I’m special. Not because I have a massive following. And definitely not because I’m posting LinkedIn carousels every day.
I stopped hunting for clients because I built a mafia.
Not the illegal kind!
The kind where 12 people quietly send work my way without asking.
The kind where I never have to cold email again because someone’s always saying…
“You need to talk to Sam for copywriting.”
Every client you’ve worked with knows 10-50 people who need what you offer. But they won’t be because you’re not visible.
Let me show you how to fix that 👇
🧬 Why Past Clients Are Your Best Distribution Channel
Patrick Campbell built ProfitWell (acquired for $200M by Paddle) almost entirely through word of mouth. His strategy? He obsessively stayed in touch with everyone who used his product.
He called past clients “a network of evangelists”… people who naturally recommended ProfitWell because he never let them forget he existed.
When someone pays you, they mentally file you under “people I know who do X.”
But that file gets dusty.
Three months after a project ends, you’re a vague memory.
Six months later, when their friend asks “do you know a good XYZ?” they’ll say “uh… I can’t remember their name.”
The Client Mafia fixes this.
🎯 Step 1: Rank Your Clients by Influence (Not Invoice Size)
Your $50K client might be a dead end. Your $2K client might know everyone.
New York Times Best Seller Ramit Sethi discovered this early on.
His smallest clients became his biggest source of referrals because they were well-connected startup founders. Corporate clients paid more but referred nobody.
I want you to open a spreadsheet and list every client from the past 1-3 years.
Now rank them by distribution power:
High-Influence: Well-connected founders, VPs, agency owners active in your target communities.
Medium-Influence: Solid professionals who could introduce you to 3-5 people.
Low-Influence: Great clients but not well-networked (might be in a junior role)
Identify your top 10-15 high-influence clients. These are your mafia.
✅ Copy this: Check LinkedIn. Who has 2,000+ connections and gets engagement from decision-makers? Target them.
🔥 Step 2: The Monthly Experiment Email
Brian Dean (founder of Backlinko) used this strategy. Every month, he’d email past clients and partners with a specific SEO tactic he was testing.
Those emails kept him top-of-mind. When those people needed SEO help or knew someone who did, Brian was the first name they mentioned.
So, once a month, I want you to send a short email to your top 10-15 clients. Here’s your template.
Subject: “Quick update: what I’m testing this month”
Body:
Hey [Name],
Quick note — I’m experimenting with [new tactic] for clients right now. Early results: [one interesting finding].
Thought you’d find it useful given your work on [their business].
How’s [specific thing] going?
— [Your Name]Why this works:
You’re giving value (not asking for anything)
You’re proving you’re still sharp
You’re personalising it (shows you remember them)
✅ Copy this: Set a monthly calendar reminder. It takes 20 minutes to send 15 personalised emails.
💬 Step 3: The Specific Intro Ask
Don’t make this mistake: “Hey, if you know anyone who needs [service], send them my way!”
That’s lazy. It puts ALL the work on them.
Stripe’s early growth came from the founders, Patrick and John, asking Y Combinator batchmates for specific intros: “We’re looking to talk to anyone building marketplace platforms. Do you know anyone?
Your version:
Hey [Name],
I’m looking to work with more [specific type of company] in [specific industry]. I know you’ve worked with folks in that space.
Is there anyone in your network I should know? Happy to send a quick intro blurb you can forward if it helps.Why this works:
Specific = they know exactly who to think of
You’re doing the work (intro blurb = no effort for them)
Not asking for a favour (just exploring their network)
✅ Copy this: Only ask high-influence clients. Provide a forwardable intro blurb.
🕵️♂️ Step 4: Run Your Mafia Like an Insider Club
Superhuman (the email app) did this brilliantly.
Before they launched publicly, they built a waitlist of 180,000 people. But existing users could skip the line by referring friends.
Those users felt like insiders. They talked about Superhuman everywhere because being “in” was a status symbol.
I want you to give your mafia perks that strangers don’t get:
Early access: New service? Offer it to past clients first
Exclusive rates: “You worked with me before, so you get a special rate”
Priority booking: “I have one slot opening - wanted to check with you first”
Behind-the-scenes: Share your business experiments and lessons
✅ Copy this: Create a “past clients only” email list. Send them stuff before anyone else so they feel special, talk about you, and are incentivised to refer.
🚀 Step 5: Public Recognition Creates More Intros
When Morning Brew was starting out, cofounder Alex Lieberman used a simple tactic to explode their referral flywheel.
Every time someone helped them (shared the newsletter, hosted them on a podcast, plugged them in a thread), Alex publicly thanked that person on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Every. Single. Time.
This strategy helped Morning Brew grow past 4 million subscribers.
Your version:
Just wrapped a project that increased [Client X]’s conversion rate by 40%.
Shoutout to @Sarah @Mike @Tom who introduced me to this team. This wouldn’t have happened without you.✅ Copy this: Tag people who helped you. They’ll share it. New intros happen.
💡 Your Friday takeaway
You don’t need 10,000 followers.
You need 10 people who remember your name when someone asks “who should I hire?”
10 clients × 50 connections each = 500 warm leads
1 intro per quarter = 40 leads/year
Close 25% = 10 clients without cold outreach
That’s your mafia.
TL;DR: Past clients are your best distribution channel. Rank them by influence. Stay top-of-mind by sharing what you’re testing. Ask for specific intros. Give your top 10-15 insider access and perks. Publicly thank people who help you. Turn those relationships into a client mafia that works forever.
See you next week 🚀
Sam
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