Years after sending a cold email to FedEx founder Fred Smith, I finally met him in person. Fred looked at me, pointed, and said:
“You’re the email guy.”
It was a small moment. But it said everything.
As a founder, there’s nothing quite like the moment you have the big idea.
It’s a mix of adrenaline, conviction, and a little bit of craziness. And if you work hard enough — and get exceptionally lucky — you may get the chance to spend the next couple of decades trying to bring that vision to life.
In 2018, I sent Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx, an early PowerPoint deck and asked two things: would he consider investing, and would he be willing to introduce him to someone on his team to discuss the potential for a commercial relationship?
I didn’t expect a response, but I got one.
What started as a cold outreach turned into something far more meaningful: an open thread.
Over the years, email exchanges continued on and off. There was no immediate deal, no formal partnership — just a founder building with conviction, and another founder, who had already done it at the highest level, willing to engage.
And that mattered.
Because in the earliest days of building something from nothing, belief is everything. Fred didn’t have to respond. He didn’t have to make an introduction. And he certainly didn’t have to stay engaged over time.
But he did.
That validation — from a founder who built one of the most important logistics companies in the world — helped reinforce that the idea behind OneRail wasn’t just ambitious. It was possible.
Years later, that thread came full circle.
In October 2024, Bill was invited to the Goldman Sachs Builders & Innovators Summit in California, a gathering of some of the world’s most influential founders and business leaders. The keynote speaker that year was Fred Smith.
After years of emails, Bill finally had the opportunity to meet him in person.
And in a moment only a founder could fully appreciate, Fred pointed at him and said:
“You’re the email guy.”
Out of the thousands of pitches, conversations, and ideas that cross a founder’s desk, he remembered.
Not just the idea — but the persistence behind it.
Less than a year later, Fred Smith passed away on June 21, 2025.
Today, nearly eight years after that original outreach, FedEx has announced FedEx SameDay® Local — a new service that brings time-definite and same-day delivery to merchants, with OneRail powering the offering.
What started as a bold idea — and one email that probably shouldn’t have gotten a response — became something real.
A reminder to founders everywhere:
Sometimes, it’s worth pressing send.
