Handwritten Note Marketing: Rick Elmore’s $10M Secret

What if the marketing strategy that would transform your business had nothing to do with social media algorithms, paid ads, or the latest AI tool — and everything to do with something as timeless as a handwritten note? Introducing handwritten note marketing.

That’s the question at the heart of this week’s episode of Mommas Who Lead, and the answer might surprise you.

I sat down with Rick Elmore — former NFL defensive end, zero engineering background, zero outside investors — who took a $10,000 credit card and built Simply Noted into a multi-seven-figure company with 9 patents, 220 custom handwriting robots, and $10M+ in bootstrapped revenue.

His product? A platform that automates handwritten notes — real pen, real stamps, real ink indentations — at any scale. And the results his clients are seeing are hard to ignore.

In this post, I’m breaking down everything we covered: Rick’s origin story, what Simply Noted actually is and how it works, exactly how mom entrepreneurs can use it to grow their businesses, and the mindset lessons every woman building something needs to hear.

Why this matters for you:

If you’re a coach, network marketer, real estate agent, or any service-based mama who has clients — this episode introduces a tool that can help you stand out, retain clients longer, and generate more referrals. Stick with me.

From the NFL to a $10,000 Credit Card: Rick Elmore’s Origin Story

Rick Elmore didn’t set out to build a tech company. He set out to catch footballs.

After an all-Pac-10 college career as a defensive end, Rick was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. Three years later, at 25 years old, the calls stopped coming — and he found himself in the middle of what he describes as a full identity crisis.

“For 15 years, I was Rick Elmore the football player. I woke up every day being Rick Elmore the football player. And at 25 years old — that was gone.”

Like many athletes in transition, Rick leaned on his transferable skills — discipline, grit, relentless work ethic — and entered medical sales. He became a top 1–5% sales rep at his company, not because of natural talent, but because he simply outworked everyone around him.

Four years in, he knew corporate wasn’t his path. He enrolled in an MBA program, determined to learn business from the ground up. And it was in a late-night marketing class that everything changed.

His professor closed a long lecture with a line that Rick calls life-changing:

“You know what works better now, if not better than ever? A good old-fashioned handwritten note. Mailboxes are empty. People don’t get them anymore. People appreciate them. And they get opened 99% of the time.”

Rick went home, Googled “handwritten note business,” and found almost nothing. No one was serving the B2B market. He bought a pen plotter from China, spent weeks learning Python and Inkscape plugins from scratch, and sent 500 handwritten notes to the doctors on his medical sales territory.

The result? In six weeks, he sold nearly $300,000 in product. His quota had been $50,000.

That was his entrepreneurial seizure — his words. And Simply Noted was born.

What Is Simply Noted? (And Why It Gets a 99% Open Rate)

Simply Noted is a handwritten note automation platform that makes sending real, personalized, pen-written correspondence as easy — and as scalable — as sending an email.

Here’s how the platform works, step by step:

1. You write your message or choose from a template in the Simply Noted dashboard.

2. A real robot — one of Simply Noted’s 220 custom-engineered writing machines — writes your note in real ballpoint pen, including authentic ink pressure and variation.

3. The note is inserted into a real 5×7 envelope, hand-addressed, and sent with a real Forever stamp.

4. You track delivery, add QR codes for click tracking, and integrate the whole workflow into your existing CRM.

No logos. No printed fonts. No giveaways. To the recipient, it looks and feels exactly like someone sat down and wrote to them personally.

And the data backs up why this matters:

99% Open Rate: Handwritten notes are opened 99% of the time — compared to email’s average of 20–25%. When was the last time you left a piece of physical mail unopened?

27x Response Rate: Re-engagement campaigns using handwritten mail see 27 times the response rate compared to equivalent email campaigns. This is not a small difference.

25% Less Churn: Businesses using physical mail touch points for client retention have reduced customer churn by 25% in Simply Noted’s nonprofit and real estate case studies.

$10K Starting Budget: Rick built Simply Noted — 9 patents, 220 robots, $10M+ in revenue — starting with a single $10,000 zero-interest credit card. Your constraint is your catalyst.

Rick told me about walking into his CPA’s office for a tax appointment and spotting a Simply Noted card sitting on the desk — sent by one of his own clients to their accountant. The CPA had kept it. That, Rick said, is the entire point.

How Mom Entrepreneurs Can Use Simply Noted to Grow Their Business

This is where I want to speak directly to you, mama — because this tool was built for businesses that run on relationships. And that is exactly what you’re building.

Whether you’re a business coach, a network marketer, a real estate agent, a service provider, or an MLM leader — your business lives and dies on how your clients feel about you. Simply Noted is how you make them feel unforgettable.

Here are five specific moments in your business where a handwritten note from Simply Noted can change everything:

1. New Client Welcome — Set the Tone From Day One

When a new client joins your program, buys your course, or signs on for your services, a handwritten welcome note signals something that no automated email can: you see them. You’re honored they chose you. And they made the right decision.

This is especially powerful in coaching and high-ticket offers, where the relationship is the product.

2. Post-Purchase Follow-Up — Turn a Transaction Into a Relationship

Most businesses send a confirmation email and move on. You can send a handwritten thank-you note that arrives in their mailbox a few days after their purchase — right when excitement is highest and buyer’s remorse can creep in.

It reinforces their decision, deepens loyalty, and dramatically increases the likelihood of a referral.

3. Cold Lead Re-Engagement — The Follow-Up That Actually Gets Read

We’ve all got a list of leads who went cold. They showed interest, then disappeared. Another email won’t move them — they’ve already filtered you out.

A handwritten note in a real envelope is categorically different. It gets opened. It gets read. And with a 27x response rate advantage over email, it’s the highest-ROI follow-up tool in your arsenal.

4. Client Milestone Recognition — Build the Loyalty Money Can’t Buy

Did your client hit a goal? Make their first sale? Celebrate a business anniversary? Recognize it in ink. When someone has worked hard for a result and their coach or mentor takes the time to acknowledge it in a physical, permanent way — that’s the kind of moment they tell other people about.

5. Gratitude and Appreciation — No Reason Needed

You don’t need a milestone to send a note. A simple “I’m thinking of you and grateful you’re in my community” sent to your top clients, referral partners, or VIP customers is one of the highest-leverage relationship investments you can make.

Simply Noted Pro Tip for Network Marketers:

Rick mentioned that in network marketing and direct sales, one of the biggest challenges is recognizing your team and customers at scale. Simply Noted lets you upload a list and send personalized, handwritten recognition notes to every single person — automatically. For leaders with large organizations, this is a complete game changer.

To request your free sample kit and see the product for yourself, visit SimplyNoted.com. The sample kit includes case studies, handwriting style options, and sample notes so you can experience exactly what your clients will receive.

The Business Lessons Every Mom Entrepreneur Needs to Hear

Rick’s story isn’t just about handwritten notes. It’s about what’s possible when you refuse to let your background limit your future.

Here are the lessons I keep coming back to from our conversation:

Constraints breed creativity

Rick built Simply Noted on a $10,000 zero-interest credit card. He had no engineering background, so he spent three years — every Thursday from 2pm to 10pm — in an engineering firm’s office, watching his custom robots come to life.

No budget forced him to invest in evergreen content instead of ads. Blog posts. Podcast appearances. YouTube videos. Content that kept working long after he created it.

“I can spend $50 on a blog post and that blog is going to rank on Google and constantly drive traffic — and have the potential to convert clients for years.”

Sound familiar? You’re reading this blog post right now because this strategy works. And you can apply the exact same thinking to your business.

You grow through what you go through

Rick’s mantra: you can’t shortcut the learning curve. Learn your CRM. Learn email automation. Learn your systems. Understand everything about your business before you delegate it.

Because the entrepreneur who understands their business from the inside out can spot problems, build better systems, and lead their team more effectively than the one who outsourced everything before they understood it.

The human touch will always win

In a world racing toward AI and automation — where AI is generating more content, more emails, and more noise than ever before — the businesses that feel the most human will have the greatest competitive advantage.

Rick said it better than I could:

“Humans want to do business with humans. Not robots. Not automation. When you’re investing a serious amount of money in a product or service, there’s always going to be a human in the loop.”

The automation Rick built doesn’t replace the human touch — it scales it. That’s the distinction that matters.

There is no finish line

When I asked Rick what his younger NFL self would say looking back, he got quiet for a moment. Then he said:

“Don’t worry. Everything’s gonna be okay. By you focusing on your journey, you’re going to help so many people around you. And the longer you’re in this, the more you become so hyper-focused on your own path — and that’s when it compounds.”

Eight years in, Rick is past the 90% who never started and the 90% who quit. He’s in the compounding phase. And if you keep going, so will you.

Your Homework: One Personal Touch That Changes Everything

Here’s the challenge Rick and I left you with at the end of this episode — and I’m doubling down on it here:

Pick ONE area of your business right now where you’re blending in. Just one. And ask yourself: how can I add a personal touch that nobody else is doing?

• A voice note instead of a text message to a new client

• A video DM welcoming someone who just joined your email list

• A handwritten thank-you note via Simply Noted to a client who just invested in you

• Taking 10 minutes to research a lead before you reach out — so your message actually lands

The personal touch is your superpower as a woman in business. And in a world that’s increasingly automated and impersonal, it’s only becoming more valuable.

Ready to try Simply Noted?

Visit SimplyNoted.com to request your free sample kit. You’ll receive a physical sample of the product, handwriting style options, and case study data — everything you need to decide if this is right for your business. Rick’s team will reach out by phone, text, and email (yes, he practices what he preaches on multi-channel follow-up!), so just know they’re a real, responsive team.

Resources & Links From This Episode

• Simply Noted — Request your free sample kit: SimplyNoted.com

• Rick Elmore’s Podcast: rick-elmore-podcast.lovable.app

• Connect with Rick Elmore on LinkedIn: Search “Rick Elmore” or “Simply Noted”

• Mommas Who Lead Podcast — Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

• HER to CEO — Laura’s coaching program for purpose-driven women: lauracaroffino.com/resources

• From HER to CEO — Step-by-step business clarity program

Keep Going, Mama

Rick Elmore didn’t have the right background. He didn’t have the right connections. He didn’t have a roadmap.

He had a problem worth solving, a willingness to stay in the room longer than anyone else, and the patience to let eight years of consistent work compound into something extraordinary.

You have all of that too.

“Get started. Keep going. And never give up. Don’t count the days — make the days count.”

Rick Elmore

If this episode moved you, I’d love for you to share it. Tag me on Instagram @MommasWhoLead or @lauracaroffino, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or share this post with a momma in your life who needs to hear it today.

And if you’re ready to go deeper in building a business that’s aligned with your values, your faith, and your family — I’d love to have you inside HER to CEO. Visit lauracaroffino.com/resources to learn more.

Until next time — keep leading, keep growing, and keep believing in what’s possible.

With love,

Laura Caroffino , Mommas Who Lead

Connect with Rick Elmore:

Website: SimplyNoted.com — request your free sample kit directly from the homepage
LinkedIn (Personal): linkedin.com/in/rick-elmore
LinkedIn (Company): linkedin.com/company/simplynoted
Rick’s Podcast: rick-elmore-podcast.lovable.app
Simply Noted on YouTube: Search “Simply Noted” on YouTube

Rick’s titles for reference: CEO & Founder, Simply Noted | 40 Under 40 Award Winner | Retired NFL Athlete | Speaker | 5x Top 1% Corporate Sales Rep | Startup Consultant | Based in Phoenix, Arizona