Meeting Steve Schwarzman
How I met the Blackstone Chairman after a cold email...
Good morning, everyone.
This week’s newsletter includes: my personal story of cold emailing and then somehow meeting the Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO of Blackstone.
The Cold Email That Led Me To Steve Schwarzman
I wasn’t trying to get a meeting - but a €30 baseball cap, a cold email, and a gamble led me straight to Steve Schwarzman’s office…
One Friday afternoon, I posted a photo on LinkedIn showing BlackRock’s 1990s spinout from Blackstone - complete with office party hats worn by early staff.
In the pic, some execs were wearing a now-forgotten cap: a startup-style BlackRock baseball hat.
As a memorabilia fan, I ran a Google Lens search on the cap.
One result came back…
A €30 listing on the German version of Craigslist:
“Old baseball cap. Made in USA. Some wear.”
The seller clearly had no idea what it was.
I bought it instantly.
Weeks later, the cap was gathering dust on my shelf - but I couldn’t stop thinking about its significance.
So I cold-emailed Steve Schwarzman, co-founder of Blackstone, and offered to “drop it off” when I was next in New York.
One hour later, he replied: “A great idea.”
I panicked.
What exactly was a ‘drop off’?
Was I meeting an assistant? Handing it over at reception? Or - possibly - getting a real meeting?
I over-prepared for all three scenarios by watching 20 hours of interviews, reading his book, ‘What It Takes’, and creating notes on his career, media, and philanthropic efforts.
Finally, the day arrived...
A reminder popped up on my Outlook so strange I doubt it’ll ever be topped:
“Drop off baseball cap to Steve Schwarzman”.
I had a light lunch at The Plaza and made my way over to 345 Park Avenue to see one of the most powerful and influential people in global finance.
This all felt very far away from my first job working the till at McDonalds.
The elevator doors opened: “Joseph Cass to see Mr. Schwarzman? Right this way…”
One of Steve’s team led me to an impressive meeting room. Crucially, I was advised:
“Steve usually likes to sit here, so maybe go for the seat opposite”.
Less than a minute later - Steve arrived.
Softly spoken, he smiled, and gave a zinger of a first line:
“So, what have you got for me?!”
He invited me to sit down, and took a seat in his usual spot.
Steve asked how I got hold of the cap, what I was doing in New York and my career aspirations.
He spoke about his life, building Blackstone and his broader experiences of working and living in the UK.
No phones on the table. No laptops out. No distractions.
Just me and him talking, with no real agenda.
30 minutes passed, and he got a nod from his assistant.
I asked for a quick photo, he obliged and - as is tradition - remarked on how tall I am.
Steve then walked through a seemingly secret door from the meeting room to his office, literally cap in hand. I headed back to the elevators, stunned by how genuine, polite and generous he was with his time.
Steve said it best in the early days of Blackstone, when he was trying to hustle support, raise funds and build connections:
“People in power are more open to meeting than you might think. If you ask, you often get.”
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Joseph Cass