Word-of-mouth leads in Portland - 8 weeks in

Two small Portland employers told me they are hiring but have not posted yet. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. They prefer people who can start within a couple of weeks. What do you write in a cold email?

Visiting in person worked for a trades job. For office jobs, email was better.

Keep a list of who you contacted and when. It makes follow-ups easy.