Derik Vasquez

Founder | Entrepreneur & sales enthusiast | Lifelong learner exploring what makes businesses thrive | Sports junkie | Shoutout Dude Wipes

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

1M+ extra views a month.
3 minutes of posting a day.
10–20 extra paying customers a month.

People are sleeping on Lemon8.
Low competition. High visibility.
It’s quietly pushing my app up the charts.

Free traffic is free traffic.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Reddit marketing is just human psychology.

There are levels to this shit.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Tried Reddit marketing for my app.

Surprisingly effective and honestly the best method if you’re on a low budget.

I warmed up one aged account and made two fresh ones without getting flagged.

Then I joined a bunch of communities and started posting with my app subtly plugged at the bottom.

Already pulled in 12 sales and $195.

Takes just 15 minutes a day.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

I’m Hispanic and I don’t even know who Bad Bunny is.

Why the hell is he doing the Super Bowl?

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Looking for affiliates.

If your content touches dating, confidence, masculinity, self-improvement, relationships, mindset, or lifestyle, reach out about partnering.

High affiliate rates and long-term partnerships available for the right fit.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

No shit Sherlock.

Stevie Wonder could’ve seen this one coming.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

It’s 10x easier for me to have a quick back and forth with Gary Vaynerchuk on X than it is on LinkedIn because he knows LinkedIn is filled with bullshit.

I spent the past week trying to use LinkedIn the way it’s “supposed” to work.

Connect, then ask a genuine question I’m curious about.

Out of 64 new connections, I got 3 responses.

Meanwhile on X, people in the trenches building with their own money and grinding every day respond fast, offer real help, and share expertise without ego.

On LinkedIn you’ve got title chasers. Shiny job roles from people who think they’re doing more than they actually are. Corporate ad budgets. Self-proclaimed thought leaders who’ve never built anything end to end.

On X, the people who actually bleed for their businesses and the same ones making tens of millions a year still respond. They have less ego, less time, and provide way more value.

LinkedIn wanted to be the platform for real connections. Instead, it’s an echo chamber of cookie-cutter bullshit.

X is where the sauce is and where the builders are.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Those of you that spend all day on Reddit are some sick mother fuckers.

I logged in for my usual hour to market my app and scrolled past memes of the shooting and that poor girl who was murdered.

Sickening. Shame on you.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Truly disturbing video of the Charlie Kirk shooting today.

Praying for him and his family.

Anyone celebrating this is a vile person.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Just because you have love for the game doesn’t mean the game has to love you back.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

I love you Schefter.

Welcome home.

[Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter]

ESPN Sources: Cowboys are trading three-time All-Pro LB Micah Packers to the Green Bay Packers.

Parsons and the Packers already have reached agreement on a four-year, $188 million contract. @DavidMulugheta of @Athletesfirst had a hand in the trade and ultimately negotiating the record-breaking contract that includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and makes Parsons the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Workout so hard the sweat dripping off your face hits send on a client message that wasn’t even 30% done.

Safe to say I ain’t landing that client.

[SPIL @SPILAPP]

What’s happening to young men is concerning.

Men 30 and under have a consistent theme when you talk to them: they don’t have the social skills to talk to women. So what happens? They escape into outlets like online communication. The result is brittle, fragile emotional and social relationships because they’re not dating the way people used to.

A lot of guys are caught up in being perceived as “creepy” or “untoward,” so many just opt out completely. Instead, they drift toward parasocial relationships.

The data on porn usage is out of control. Studies show a majority of 12-year-old boys are watching porn regularly, and that cycle just continues. As a society, we have to move away from this type of shit. Instant gratification sticks with them as they grow up and compounds. Now they have no “game” (the ability to just talk and carry on a conversation). So what happens? They stay stuck behind a screen, scrolling dating sites that are designed to keep people hooked, not help them find a real relationship. The compounding effect keeps men trapped.

The gamification and dynamics of those systems are now where lonely young men go to find connection. But that leads to an even bigger issue: lonely young men create lonely young women. Now you’ve got a small group of highly eligible men and women that everyone fights over, while the rest bury themselves behind screens, left on the sidelines.

Over 15–20 years of this, people aren’t coupling up, they aren’t building long-term relationships, and they aren’t combining incomes. That makes it even harder to afford things like a home. Today, you need to earn an enormous amount of money as a single person just to buy one.

In America, we’ve got a problem: we’re not making men anymore—we’re making boys. Most people spend 7+ hours a day on their phones, reinforcing isolation. You fall deeper into rabbit holes, never correcting the behavior of being lonely. It becomes magnetized, worse over time, because you’re constantly reminded of what you don’t have.

Men need to be talking to women. They need to be approaching women. They need to break out of this cycle, or we’re heading for a shitty future.

So whose fault is it? Is it men? Is it women? Or is it society and social media as a whole? I stand on the fact that men need to stop being nice guys and start working towards being good men.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

I woke up in the middle of the night last night in a panic because of a dream.

I couldn’t decide between two marketing hooks in my dream.

Wrote them down real quick and went back to sleep. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Made it into the top 50.

Appreciate all the support so far.

Let’s keep pushing.

https://t.co/2qcRCunKqv

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Just dropped something I wish existed when I was younger.

Most guys weren’t taught how to communicate with women. We either wing it, avoid it, or overthink it.

That’s why I built SPIL. A no BS app to help men get better at dating, connecting, and leading.

Real tools. Daily reps. Structure that actually works.

We’re live on Product Hunt today. Would mean a lot if you checked it out and left your thoughts on the product page:

https://t.co/Y3PqBAj2Sp

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Let me help you out: if you want an ‘insane response rate’ on LinkedIn DMs, here’s the key:

Be authentic. Be real. Stop using automation. Send voice notes. Send videos. Stop sending robotic pitches asking for meetings. Stop saying, ‘I’m not selling anything.’

Do what no one else is doing. Make an impact on people.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

We’re a few weeks into December, and I’ve been closing around 40%—grinding with my head down. Solid results for the month, but the show-up rate has been a brutal 26%.

The offer I’m selling on is focused on ways to increase show-up rates. I’ve shared suggestions, but the team wants a full system revamp.

Business owners:

Would you start changing everything now before the new year, test small tweaks in January, or analyze the top of the funnel for unrecognized bottlenecks hurting show-ups? Curious to hear your approach.

[Derik Vasquez @DerikVCC]

Being Too Polite is Killing Your Sales

I was raised to be polite. Smiling at gifts I didn’t like, praising meals that missed the mark. But in sales, politeness can hold you back.

Focus on real talk, not scripts. Create a space where prospects feel safe to share, and don’t be afraid to dig into hard truths. Honesty builds trust and drives real results. Prioritize connection over comfort.