How I landed an internship at a tech startup at 16

THE CURSOR BLINKED at the bottom of my email.

I had rewritten it at least a dozen times, tweaking every word. It had to be sharp but not desperate. Confident but not arrogant.

The subject line read: Big Fan of beehiiv.

Inside was a detailed pitch deck for a course idea I had put together—one that I believed could help beehiiv’s users get more out of the platform. There was no job posting. No open internship position. Just me, a 16-year-old high school kid, taking a shot at working with my favorite company.

I stared at the screen, my finger hovering over the send button.

What if he ignored it? Worse—what if he thought I was a joke?

I had no credentials. Little experience. And frankly, no reason to be taken seriously. But I knew one thing: waiting never gets you anywhere.

I took a breath. Screw it. I hit send.

The next morning, I woke up and checked my inbox… One new email.

Tyler Denk – Re: Big Fan of beehiiv.

My chest tightened as I clicked.

He liked my idea! He wanted to hop on a call.

Two weeks later, I was working directly with Tyler, beehiiv’s co-founder and CEO, and the marketing team. I had landed an internship at a high-growth startup.

I was inside the walls. And I had gotten there without a degree, without a résumé, without anyone’s permission. That one email—one shot in the dark—completely changed how I saw the world.

It made me realize how many opportunities are just sitting there, waiting to be taken. How often do we hold back—not because we aren’t capable, but because we assume we aren’t ready?

Most traditional paths aren’t designed for speed.

They promise stability but deliver stagnation. They ask you to wait your turn in a system built for slow, linear progress while the most meaningful opportunities are taken by those willing to step outside the lines.

You Can Just Do Things is for any professional ready to accelerate their career, aspiring entrepreneur determined to build their own path, or anyone stuck in a 9-to-5 grind who knows they’re meant for more.

If that’s you, I’d be honored if you check it out.

https://amzn.to/4jxZLsL 

Rooting for you,

Jay

Ps. When I hit send on that email to beehiiv, I had no idea what would happen.

But looking back… it was the first domino.

Sometimes all it takes is one bet on yourself to change your entire trajectory.

This book is for anyone ready to make that bet.