The best deals in Austin get decided before most people have opened their laptop, over coffee, before the day has a chance to fill up with excuses. An early meeting is a filter on its own, anyone willing to show up before nine is already telling you something about how serious they are. Larry’s PQRST doesn’t get skipped just because it’s early, preview what you’re walking into, question the fuzzy points, read what they sent, summarize your ask, test it before you say it out loud.
Order before your guest arrives if you can, standing in line when they walk in wastes the calm you’re supposed to be bringing to the table. Mornings are when Larry’s idea of forcing a monetary response actually works best, ask for the paid next step directly instead of a vague follow up over coffee. Keep the phone away from the table the same way you would in any other meeting, an early coffee is not a lower stakes room just because it’s informal.
A short meeting before nine has a built in exit, both of you have somewhere to be, which takes the pressure off dragging a conversation past its natural end. Coffee is cheap enough that buying for both of you is an easy karma move, a small thing that gets remembered longer than it should.
Pick a spot with actual seating and not just a counter, you need somewhere to set a notebook down and take notes the way Larry’s pen and paper habit calls for. If the place is loud with a morning rush, get there early enough to grab a table in a corner where you can actually hear each other.
An early meeting also respects house money thinking, you’re not burning a whole afternoon on one conversation, you’re testing it cheaply before you commit more time. Treat the first coffee meeting as the test, not the close, and let the real ask wait for the second sit down once you know it’s worth pursuing.
Details: Watch Larry’s morning prep
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