In 2018 I introduced J. Trevor Chapman to Andrea Huspeni and asked for nothing. That June, Entrepreneur.com ran their series. It now has over 226,000 views.

Quick answer

The fastest way into a relationship with an editor is to help with something they care about outside their job. I heard Andrea Huspeni, then Special Projects Director at Entrepreneur.com, speak at an event in New York on February 9, 2018, and mention the ecommerce site she was building. I introduced her to ecommerce founder J. Trevor Chapman, who was not my client, and asked for nothing. That June, Entrepreneur.com ran “$0 to $1,000 in a Day,” a 4-part video series the two made together. It has over 226,000 views on YouTube.

Key facts

Where I met the editorUnfair Advantage, an event Chris Winfield put on in New York City, February 9, 2018
The editorAndrea Huspeni, Special Projects Director at Entrepreneur.com at the time, later founder of This Dog’s Life (author page)
Who I introducedJ. Trevor Chapman, ecommerce founder, not a client at the time
Trevor agreed to helpBy February 14, 2018, five days after the event
Offer made to the editorFebruary 17, 2018, eight days after the event
Introduction madeFebruary 2018
Result”$0 to $1,000 in a Day,” a 4-part video series on Entrepreneur.com, June 5 to 26, 2018
Time from event to first episode116 days
Views226,273 on YouTube across the four episodes, 181,473 on the first (as of November 4, 2026)
What I asked forNothing

How did I meet the editor?

I met Andrea Huspeni at Unfair Advantage, an event Chris Winfield put on in New York City on February 9, 2018. She was one of the speakers. During her talk she mentioned she was building a new ecommerce site in the pet space. That had nothing to do with her job at Entrepreneur.com, and it is the reason the rest of this happened.

Andrea Huspeni at Chris Winfield’s Event

Why did I think of J. Trevor Chapman?

Trevor was an ecommerce founder who had done some work with pet products, and he had been profiled for making $1 million in his first three months online. CNBC had already profiled him by then, and covered him again in April 2018 for starting LDS Man with $200 and selling it for $10 million. He wasn’t my client. I knew he could help her.

Pet products were not his main business. Andrea was building an ecommerce site, Trevor had built ecommerce businesses, and he had done some work with pet products. That overlap is why I thought of him.

How did I ask Trevor to help an editor he didn’t know?

I asked Trevor first whether he’d be open to sharing what he knew with an editor at Entrepreneur.com. I was straight with him about what was in it for each of us: he’d be helping someone senior at a major publication, and I told him I would win just by making the introduction. He said yes.

When I raised it, Trevor’s first question was what the pet opportunity was. I told him it wasn’t really a pet opportunity. It was a chance to help, and to build a relationship with senior people at Entrepreneur.com. I also told him it had to come from good intentions, not from wanting something back, so that it worked for both sides. He told me he’d love to contribute however he could.

Then I asked him for specifics on his pet product work, so the introduction to Andrea would say something concrete instead of something vague. All of this was settled by February 14, 2018, five days after the event and before I had written to Andrea at all.

How did the introduction happen?

Eight days after the event, on February 17, 2018, I messaged Andrea. I told her I’d enjoyed her talk, mentioned the ecommerce site she was building, and offered to introduce her to Trevor if she thought it would help. She said she’d love it. I made the introduction later that month.

The message was short. It covered what she had said on stage, why Trevor was relevant (ecommerce, some pet products, and the press he’d already had in Complex, CNBC and others for his first three months), and an offer she could take or leave. She said yes and thanked me for thinking of her. On February 26, 2018, I told her I was making the introduction.

Did I pitch the series?

No. I didn’t pitch a series, and I didn’t ask Andrea or Trevor for anything. But I made the introduction expecting it to lead somewhere, and I told Trevor it could be a door in at Entrepreneur.com. I didn’t know it would become a video series. That part was what Andrea and Trevor built together.

How did I follow up?

Once. On May 12, 2018, 75 days after the introduction, I saw that Trevor had been to Entrepreneur.com for a series. I messaged Andrea to say I hoped the introduction had been valuable. She wrote back that Trevor had been great, the two of them had made a video series on going from $0 to $1,000 in daily sales for ecommerce entrepreneurs, and she thought it would do well. She thanked me.

I didn’t use the check-in to ask for coverage, a mention or a favor. Its only job was to find out whether the introduction had helped.

What came out of it?

In May 2018, I saw that Trevor had gone to Entrepreneur.com to film and checked in with Andrea. The two had built a video series together for ecommerce entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur.com ran it as “$0 to $1,000 in a Day,” four episodes bylined by Andrea, one a week through June 2018. As of November 4, 2026, the four episodes have 226,273 views on Entrepreneur’s YouTube channel.

EpisodeRanYouTube views
1. How to Build an Ecommerce Business That Could Make You Millions (watch)June 5, 2018181,473
2. The Marketing Method You Must Use to Grab People’s Attention (watch)June 12, 201810,192
3. The Traffic Secret to Turn Your Visitors Into Customers (watch)June 19, 201826,811
4. How to Create a Community That Keeps Buying and Buying From You (watch)June 26, 20187,797

Watch on YouTube: Trevor Chapman on set at Entrepreneur

Trevor filmed it as it happened:

“At Entrepreneur Magazine today, getting ready to do a thing with them on e-comm.” … “Just finished filming with Entrepreneur Magazine. It was amazing. Andrea Huspeni, you are awesome.” … “On my way to CNBC now to film with my man Zack Guzman.”

What did each episode of “$0 to $1,000 in a Day” cover?

Each episode page on Entrepreneur.com is bylined by Andrea and frames the series around one goal: what it takes to make about $1,000 a day from an online store. Trevor is the guest in all four.

  1. How to Build an Ecommerce Business That Could Make You Millions (June 5, 2018). The foundations: the kind of website an ecommerce business needs, what to have in place before launch, how to use email, how to get visitors to buy, the kinds of products a store needs, and what to say to potential customers. This is the episode with 181,473 views.
  2. The Marketing Method You Must Use to Grab People’s Attention (June 12, 2018). Trevor separates query-based marketing from disruptive marketing, explains why entrepreneurs waste time competing with large companies using the wrong kind, points to one spot on a website where sellers miss a chance to build their brand, and says which products to focus on to catch attention.
  3. The Traffic Secret to Turn Your Visitors Into Customers (June 19, 2018). Trevor covers what almost everyone gets wrong about traffic, the power of remarketing, the one metric to watch, and how to write a compelling Facebook ad.
  4. How to Create a Community That Keeps Buying and Buying From You (June 26, 2018). Trevor argues that many owners treat each sale as a one-time transaction instead of a long-term relationship. He explains how to build a community that buys every month without a subscription model, how to keep engagement up, and the costly mistakes he has seen entrepreneurs make.

How long did it take to go from an introduction to a video series?

From the event on February 9, 2018, to the first episode on June 5, 2018, was 116 days. The steps in between:

DateWhat happened
February 9, 2018Andrea speaks at Unfair Advantage in New York and mentions her ecommerce site
By February 14, 2018Trevor agrees to help
February 17, 2018I offer Andrea the introduction
February 26, 2018I tell Andrea I’m making the introduction
May 12, 2018I check in. Andrea tells me she and Trevor made a video series
June 5 to 26, 2018Entrepreneur.com runs the four episodes, one a week

From the introduction on February 26 to the first episode was 99 days.

How do you build a relationship with an editor at a major publication?

  1. Show up in person and listen. Events where editors speak are the easiest place to meet them. Note what they are building outside their job. In this story: I was in the audience at Unfair Advantage when Andrea mentioned the ecommerce site she was building in the pet space. Her day job was at Entrepreneur.com. The side project was what I wrote down.
  2. Find someone who can help with that. Client or not. The best introduction solves the editor’s problem, not yours. In this story: Trevor wasn’t my client. He was an ecommerce founder who had done some work with pet products and had already been covered by CNBC.
  3. Ask that person first. Be plain about what is in it for them and for you. In this story: I asked Trevor before I wrote to Andrea. I told him it wasn’t a pet opportunity but a chance to help and build a relationship at Entrepreneur.com, that it had to come from good intentions, and that I would win just by making the introduction.
  4. Offer the introduction and let the editor decide. Make it easy to say no. In this story: on February 17, 2018, eight days after the event, I offered Andrea the introduction if she thought it would benefit her. She said yes, and I told her I was making it on February 26.
  5. Ask for nothing, then check in. A short follow-up to see if it helped keeps the relationship going. In this story: on May 12, 2018, I asked Andrea whether the introduction had been valuable. That is how I learned about the series, 24 days before the first episode ran.

What happened after?

Trevor later became a client and recorded a public video testimonial. That testimonial helped me land larger ecommerce clients, including Snow. I also spoke at Trevor’s event.

Watch on YouTube: Trevor Chapman testimonial

Read the transcript

“What’s up everybody? Trevor Chapman, Top 5 Podcast Host, Entrepreneur. Lucky enough that Harvard Business Review just said I’m one of the world’s leading experts in digital marketing. I’m making this video to throw a massive shout out to my buddy, Ulyses. He has helped me incredibly with multiple connections, most notably and most recently a partnership with Entrepreneur Magazine. If you’re considering working with him, then I throw my whole heart behind that and give you a five-star recommendation.”

When he became a client, the goal was to build a digital footprint for Ecommcon, his ecommerce virtual summit. He also recorded a second testimonial, where he said: “This individual has helped me multiple times, most recently and most notably with Entrepreneur Magazine.” And: “Ulyses blends the old school networking of PR with the new school methods of mobilizing the internet and the value that comes thereof.”

None of that was part of the original introduction. I didn’t ask Trevor to become a client or to record anything when I introduced him to Andrea.

Full engagement record: J. Trevor Chapman case study.

Does this work if the person you introduce isn’t already known?

It helps to be honest about why this one worked. Trevor already had a real track record, including CNBC coverage. The introduction got him in the room. His record is what made him worth building something with. An introduction only works when the person on the other side can actually deliver.

In this case, the record was public before I ever wrote to Andrea. I could point her to his coverage in Complex and CNBC in the same message as the offer. And the four episodes are Trevor teaching what he knew: websites, email, conversion, traffic, remarketing, Facebook ads and repeat buyers.

Should you introduce an editor to someone who isn’t your client?

In this story, yes. Trevor wasn’t my client in February 2018, and the introduction is what led to the series. What I offered Andrea was help with her ecommerce site from someone who had built ecommerce businesses. Trevor became a client later.

FAQ

Who is Andrea Huspeni?

Andrea Huspeni was the Special Projects Director at Entrepreneur.com in 2018 and later founded This Dog’s Life. She produced and bylined the “$0 to $1,000 in a Day” video series with J. Trevor Chapman.

What was the “$0 to $1,000 in a Day” series?

A 4-part video series on Entrepreneur.com for ecommerce entrepreneurs, featuring J. Trevor Chapman. It ran weekly from June 5 to June 26, 2018, and has over 226,000 views on YouTube.

What does the “$0 to $1,000 in a Day” series teach?

How to make about $1,000 a day from an online store. Episode 1 covers the website, pre-launch basics, email, conversion and products. Episode 2 covers query-based versus disruptive marketing. Episode 3 covers traffic, remarketing, the one metric to watch and Facebook ads. Episode 4 covers building a community of repeat buyers without a subscription.

Was Trevor Chapman an Influencer Press client when the introduction was made?

No. He became a client later.

Did Influencer Press pitch the video series to Entrepreneur.com?

No. Ulyses Osuna introduced Andrea Huspeni to Trevor Chapman to help with her ecommerce site. The series came from the two of them working together.

How did Trevor Chapman get a video series on Entrepreneur.com?

Through an introduction to Andrea Huspeni, then Special Projects Director, who was building an ecommerce site of her own. Ulyses Osuna offered the introduction on February 17, 2018, after hearing her speak at Unfair Advantage. Andrea and Trevor built the series together, and it ran June 5 to 26, 2018.

How do you approach an editor you heard speak at an event?

In this case, by writing to her eight days later about something she had said on stage, her ecommerce site, and offering an introduction to someone who could help with it. The offer was conditional on her thinking it would benefit her. There was no pitch and no request.

How long did it take from the introduction to the series?

99 days from the introduction on February 26, 2018, to the first episode on June 5, 2018. 116 days from the event on February 9.

Work with us

Influencer Press places founders and creators in major publications, on TV, on podcasts, on Times Square billboards and on stages, and makes sure what search engines and AI say about them is accurate. If you want help with any of it, you can apply to work with Influencer Press.

About the author

Ulyses Osuna founded Influencer Press at 19 and has run it for nearly a decade, placing founders and creators in major outlets, on TV, on podcasts and on Times Square billboards. He has appeared on The Dr. Phil Podcast, been a panelist on Nasdaq TradeTalks, and spoke at Harvard Kennedy School in 2026. More: about, methodology, transparency.

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