Jasmin Alić

Trained 56,289 people how to use LinkedIn for business

Are you struggling to find your voice on LinkedIn? To position yourself as the "go-to" authority in your industry?

Better yet...

Struggling to get "seen" or "heard" by your ideal customers? Same ones you KNOW you can actually help?

If you've been nodding along until here, congrats!

Looks like we might be the perfect fit!

Hi, my name is Jasmin.

Most people here know me as Jay from Hey Jay.

So far, I've worked 1-1 with 200+ amazing individuals who've skyrocketed their content, profile growth, and business on LinkedIn in record time.

🔥 "$15K USD 24 hours after my 1st session with Jay. Before that, I was close to losing hope and shutting down my business" - Nada Buhendi, F500 Career Coach

In the last 3 years on LinkedIn...

I've built the fastest-growing coaching business for solopreneurs and C-Suite individuals. 

Before that...

I spent 15 years writing online and branding companies and individuals. From Fortune 500 elite like Microsoft, Digicel, and Marriot Bonvoy to founders and C-Suites from almost every industry imaginable.

🔥 "Everyone needs a Jasmin Alić on their team. We've achieved 20% incremental revenue growth in the first 7 days of working together!" - Jack Bourke, Digicel

My offer to you?

We “put in the work”. Together. I will respect your time and your business, and I expect the same in return. 

My calls aren't "magical" because I do everything for you. No. 

They're magical because I will show you exactly what needs to be done. Every little tip, click and "algo hack" - yours for the taking.

I've spent 1,000+ days here.
I've written 5,000+ posts here.
I've coached 200+ individuals 1-1.
I've trained over 50,000+ online here.

I've put in the work, so you don't have to.

To put it bluntly...

I'm putting all of my 15 years of experience on the line for you and combining it with my deep understanding of this amazing platform. 

I don't need your money. I need you to win.

🔥 "This was the first call with a LinkedIn guru that I got on where there was actual value and alignment in delivery at the end of the call. It was strategy, action and reflection. Absolute value! No fluff all impact!" - Archita Fritz

3 ways we can work together:

1. Power Hour - 1 hour, ask me anything
2. Brand Blueprint Program - 8-week 1-1 coaching
3. My Link Up Community - my private coaching group
4. My free content - learn for $0 on LinkedIn, IG or YouTube

Interested?

My pricing and availability are available here:

https://calendly.com/jasmin-alic

For everything else, I'm one DM away.

Thanks for reading up until here. You are amazing!

❤️

Copywriter and Brand Strategist

“How do I share my story?”
“What if nobody reads it?”
“What if nobody likes it?”

These are legitimate concerns for any brand.

Whether you're a company or personal brand...

How you show up in your content is everything.

- You want to be clear in your writing
- You want to be strong in your execution
- You want to be remembered for your service

To do so, you need good copy and a great strategy.

I help brands like Dash, Digicel, Marriott Bonvoy, and Microsoft "sweeten" their brand messaging and content strategy. 

Fortune 500 companies.
Fastest-growing companies.
Personal brands with high net worth.

They trust me with their candy. Will you?

Need a great website? 
Need to grow on LinkedIn? 
Need to (re)position your brand?

Say "Hey Jay" in a message and let's chat.

Or just hop into my Calendly and let me know you're serious: https://calendly.com/jasmin-alic/coaching

Apparently, LinkedIn can't figure out I'm real. 💔

1. I was restricted 5 times this year. Logged out of my profile due to "suspicion of automated activity".

(There was NO automated activity)

2. A recent post got locked because I had a 52% engagement rate in the first 15 minutes. Bro, how can I even control people reacting to a post?!

3. I must be triggering all the "false positives" in the algorithm, as Jeremy from Favikon told me. It's just "unheard of" to get this level of engagement.

Sorry, but...

LinkedIn and Ryan Roslansky, what in the world do you want me to do?

Serious question.

I don't use automations.
I don't have virtual assistants.
I write all of my content manually.
I write every single comment myself.
I send all my DMs and connects manually.
I'm the only person with access to my profile.
I have precisely 0 tools connected to my profile.
I have precisely 0 extensions installed for LinkedIn.

So tell me...

How much more REAL do you need me to be?

I will NOT stay silent anymore!!!

My 2 cents:

(And my offer to fix this at the end of this post)

1. This issue is showing your incompetence. 1000s of users are going through this; not just me.

Please explain your restriction policies transparently.

2. You ask ME for information about my restriction. How would I know? Each of the 5 times, I wasn't even online!

YOU should be the one giving ME the information. 🤦‍♂️

3. You have access to everyone's data and activity. And you can easily see which tools are connected. So why pretend like you don't? Which brings me to:

If you see someone uses ZERO automation tools, how can you even restrict them for automation?

4. Your Support ticket system doesn't work. Period.

To top it all off, you told me I "reached the maximum number of verification attempts". What even is that?!

5. You are putting people's livelihoods at risk. Because you've pushed users for years to buy Premium, use LinkedIn for business, and then... what, shut 'em down?

Here's my offer:

Dear LinkedIn team,

As one of the more prominent creators on your platform, I feel obligated to address this. Book me a meeting with your team (in charge of this issue) and I will book a flight to either your New York or Sunnyvale headquarters in the next 48 hours. I will spend as much (unpaid) time as needed to help you figure this out. I will use my own money to fund this. I want to do more for your users than you are doing right now. Get me that meeting. I'm looking at flights right now. I MEAN THIS 1000%.

I've looked at legal counsel on this matter too.

I'm happy to involve lawyers in our conversations moving forward. By all means.

This... NEEDS to be fixed once and for all.

Not just for me. For everyone.

Enough is enough.

Thank you.

Signed:

Frustrated long-time user, LinkedIn Learning Instructor, LinkedIn-featured creator, top-ranked global creator, we-ve-also-met-in-person, you-literally-pay-me-a-salary-every-month, your Jasmin Alić

(Asking my network to repost this ♻️)

Award-winning LinkedIn™ coach | 59,000+ trained | Founder of Link Up Community, where you’ll build a trusted brand & profitable business, within any niche

Jasmin Jay Alic writes an open letter to LinkedIn, addressing the recent restrictions of LinkedIn profiles, with thousands of users unfairly losing access to LinkedIn while receiving zero clarification from the LinkedIn team. Jasmin references his five restrictions in just January of 2026 and shares his experience of the process, which is not showing any good signs of LinkedIn handling this issue well. In this post, Jasmin offers to help with the issue directly and asks the LinkedIn CEO for a meeting. The image shows Jasmin speaking directly into the camera while recording a video in a studio. The image also includes screenshots of Jasmin’s recent restriction warnings received from LinkedIn.

I just received a diplomatic passport! Wow.

Bosnia & Herzegovina, this is for you. ❤️

Over the years, sooo many of you have told me:

1. I've never heard of Bosnia til I followed you
2. You've made me book a ticket to Bosnia
3. They better make you an ambassador

Well, they did!

Now I'm an official ambassador of the most beautiful country in the world. Proudly so! 🇧🇦

A very special thank you goes to our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elmedin Konaković, who used his discretionary right to grant me diplomatic status.

As well as the Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dino Selimović, who got the ball rolling on this topic all the way til last year when we first met.

And to my LinkedIn community...

I have no words for you anymore. 
You've changed my life for the bestest.
You've changed the trajectory of my career.

So here's a suggestion:

My next Link Up meetup in Sarajevo is in April. 

I hereby invite you all to spend a few days with me and my community in person. At my home.

See you there?

Cheers!

P.S. Repost because this is mega news! ♻️

Award-winning LinkedIn coach | 57,000+ trained | Founder of Link Up Community, where you’ll build a trusted brand & profitable business

Jasmin Jay Alic receives the diplomatic passport of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is now officially recognized as a prominent ambassador of his country by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia & Herzegovina. In this LinkedIn post, Jasmin thanks the Bosnian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elmedin Konaković, who used his discretionary right to grant him diplomatic status, as well as the Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dino Selimović. He also thanks his LinkedIn community for their support. In the photo, Jasmin is seen smiling during a photoshoot, with the flag of Bosnia & Herzegovina waving in the background.

Welcome back to LinkedIn in 2026.

Here's your program for the next 300 days:

(this is not a motivational post, it's actual work)

 1. Publish 3-5 posts per week
 2. Write every day (for practice)
 3. Main goal: better profile views
 4. Daily commitment: 30-120mins 
 5. Publish 1 text-only post per week
 6. Publish 1 mid-length post per week
 7. Every day, check your profile visitors
 8. Every day, DM 1 visitor who's your ICP 
 9. Every day, comment on 10 new people
10. Every day, leave minimum 20 comments
11. Every day, try to support "small" creators
12. Every day, send 1-10 DMs looking for calls
13. Every quarter, host 1-3 LinkedIn Live events
14. Push limited-time offers only in those events
15. Try to re-optimize your profile every 3 months

All of the above with:

No automation. No AI. No shortcuts. No complaints. No "nobody has time for this". I've heard it all... ✌️

I've trained 57,000+ people how to use LinkedIn properly, whether 1:1 or in my Link Up community.

Do everything I told you = No way it doesn't work.

I'll see you on Thanksgiving when we celebrate your results together. Good luck!

- Coach J ❤️

(Repost to "push" others ♻️)

P.S. Which one (1-15) made you go "a-ha"? Let's chat.

Jasmin Jay Alic shares his 300-day LinkedIn program for anyone looking to build a personal brand in 2026. This post includes a carefully-formatted listicle with 15 must-have activities to grow your LinkedIn. The photo shows Jasmin sitting in a TV studio in the anchor’s seat. Jasmin is smiling into the camera and wearing a tailored beige suit vest and brown tie. The photo was taken at the N1 Televizija studios in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, an official CNN partner.

If I was CEO of LinkedIn, here's what I'd fix:

1. Add names to Impressions and Saves. Same thing they do with Profile Views. I want to see profile names. Otherwise, it's all "vanity metrics".

2. Be transparent about algorithm changes. Instagram CEO does this well. He literally live-streams and engages with millions of their users. Speaking of...

3. Have monthly LinkedIn Lives where I answer curated questions from every person in the world. Top Voice or not. Show me that you care about EVERY user.

4. Bring back "pinned comments". 

5. Add a payment and invoicing function to the Services feature. New revenue for the company, but less hassle for all LinkedIn users and their clients.
   
6. Host an annual "LinkedIn Summit" conference.

7. Add a "Super Like" reaction. Glowing animation! It means a "top creator" has engaged with a post. Only give access to selected 500 creators globally.

Bonus:

Be more honest about restrictions and bugs (when they happen). I got "restricted" 4 times last week. Literally got logged out, logged back in. Makes 0 sense.

Anyhow... 

Do I have any hopes of getting the job? 😀

P.S. Like my choices? Anything you'd do as CEO? ♻️

Jasmin Jay Alic shares his ideas for LinkedIn improvement if he was LinkedIn CEO. This post lists seven of his ideas that would bring value to all LinkedIn users, as well as generate new revenue for the company. In the photo, Jasmin is seen smiling and posing next to the LinkedIn logo at their New York headquarters, in the Empire State Building.

I never thought I'd write this on LinkedIn but...

I wish we'd stop westernizing our names.

It's why I proudly keep the "ć" in mine. My surname is "Alić", a true Bosnian surname. ❤️

Not "Alic", "Al" or "Alice".

It signifies where I come from. Proudly.
It symbolizes all my struggles. Boldly.
It represents my family. My legacy.

It's why I love seeing Ubaid Ur Rehman's pictures from his village in Pakistan. The tractors. The farm. He has my utmost respect for how proud he is of his roots.

My message today:

This "westernization" for the purpose of finding a job, getting an interview, or being seen as "more" because you feel less than... I wish we'd stop doing it.

People put fake locations on LinkedIn.
Non-US folks "americanize" their names.
Or they leave out certain details. Like the "ć".

Stop.

Never sacrifice "you" because others can't handle it.

Stay YOU-nique.

(Share with your network ♻️)

P.S. Where are you from? Let's represent our homes in the comments. Hello from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the most beautiful country in the world! 🙌

Jasmin Jay Alic shares a powerful post about westernization in the industry, where people put fake locations on their LinkedIn, change their names or certain details of their background to appease potential employers or clients. He proudly boasts his Bosnian background, and references Ubaid ur Rehman and his Pakistani roots as a great example of authenticity on LinkedIn. In the photo, Jasmin and Ubaid are seen smiling and hugging. The photo was taken at the third Link Up global meetup in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Most LinkedIn DMs are pushy. Or salesy.

Let's fix that. (Full outreach masterclass)

This read is 2 minutes long. So either keep reading, or save it for later. Either way, you're in for a treat!

I will explain my tried-and-tested "warm outreach" approach. Using Linkbound, Kondo and Sales Nav.

(neither is a must, but each one ties into the other)

1. Familiar faces first

Most people reach out to complete strangers. This is why "selling" feels odd. There's no trust. Instead, focus on those you've already interacted with on LinkedIn.

2. Linkbound for engagement filtering

Analyze your engagement (or from your competitors if you don't get much engagement) with Linkbound. It will give you a complete list of "warm leads".

3. Filter leads to match your ICP (ideal client profile)

Linkbound has a brand-new feature which tailor-matches your ICP criteria to your offer. It means every name is both "familiar" + "qualified".

4. Feed into your LinkedIn CRM (Sales Nav)

Follow their LinkedIn activity closely. In other words:

5. Become "top of mind"

The easiest way to send that first DM is to spark engagement elsewhere. In a comment. In a reply. On their post. On someone else's post. Doesn't matter.

6. Attract profile views

Every profile view you receive is a "warm" signal. You can now easily send the first DM saying "Hey, so happy you visited my profile! What brought you here?"

7. Send DMs daily

Make "reaching out to ICPs" a daily habit. No excuses. It will feel angsty at first. The more you do it, the easier and more enjoyable it gets. I promise you this!

8. Never pitch in the first message. Please.

9. Always follow the PBS psychology

Permission-Based Selling means you never outright send something (pitch deck, offer, link) "assuming" they need it. Always ask first. And get a Yes first.

10. Separate DMs into folders, with Kondo

Depending on who you message, you might have different conversations. Kondo (made by Mitchell Tan) lets you have multiple LinkedIn inboxes. Brilliant!

11. Set follow-ups in Kondo

I recommend setting alerts in Kondo for "no-replies". You're not necessarily being ghosted when someone doesn't reply. You just have to remind them.

12. Track progress in Linkbound

The more you talk to each person, readying the "sale", simply drag and drop your conversations further. You'll see your leads qualified in real time to a Yes or No.

13. Feed back into Sales Nav

A lead that says No now is not a "forever No". Keep up with their LinkedIn updates. Their network might be packed with new opportunities for you. Repeat 1-12.

TL;DR:

• Establish familiarity first by engaging
• Use Linkbound to qualify before outreach
• Use Kondo for streamlined DM management
• Use Sales Nav to source network opportunities
• Never pitchslap :)

Familiarity → Filtering → Permission → Trust → 💰

Really hope you find this useful. Cheers!

- Coach J

P.S. I'll reward 2 reposters. One with a year of Link Up membership. One with 6 months of Linkbound! ♻️

Jasmin Jay Alic shares his complete LinkedIn DM outreach masterclass. This is a long-form post breaking down his entire warm outreach approach, using tools like Linkbound, Kondo and Sales Navigator. Jasmin is also the co-founder of Linkbound. In the photo, Jasmin is seen proudly smiling while delivering a LinkedIn-related keynote on stage, while wearing a tailored brown suit vest and orange tie. The photo also includes a caption that says: LinkedIn DMs Masterclass

You want to show up as an "expert" on LinkedIn?

But you never show your "human" side?

You're missing out.

A LOT of what I do on LinkedIn is cracking burger jokes in the comments, having fun with other CEOs, business owners, founders, millionaires..

And guess the first thing we do when we finally meet in person? Or when we get on a call?

We get burgers together! Or we continue joking!

At the end of the day, we're all humans.

Humans who love to laugh.
Humans longing for connection.
Humans who are tired of work 24/7.

Please...

Enough talk about synergies, circling back, and low-hanging fruit (whatever the hegg that means).

And more focus on GENUINE human connections.

This is what builds your brand...

AND your business! 😊

(both are important)

Now, bon appétit! 

P.S. Photo is from Cyprus. ❤️ This year, I'm already planning trips to the UK, India, Malta, Singapore, Australia, Slovakia, USA... Burgers, anyone?

Jasmin Jay Alic encourages LinkedIn users to show more of their human side, not just their expert side. He shares his experience of engaging with other CEOs and business founders, and how most of it is just having fun in the comments and talking about burgers. In the photo, Jasmin is seen smiling and having a burger with Alex Aristidis from i-Con (Island Conference) in Cyprus.

Today, I turn 34. Here's 34 lessons th... No.

This post here is a thank you. ❤️

1. To every single one of you who've shown up for me over the years. (I owe a lot of my success to you)

2. To my amazing Link Up community, who made me cry last night with a video message. (yes, I cried)

3. To every client, brand, and app founder who sent gifts to my doorstep. (post office was working overtime)

4. To everyone in my inner circle who called my phone and sang happy birthday. (you know who you are)

5. To everyone who abandoned me last year.

I always say "Givers get".

But today... everyone is "giving" me something. I'm so blessed to have a built a career where the simplest interactions turn into relationships. Grateful.

I hope this type of career finds YOU too.

Good luck, friends!

- Coach J 🎂

P.S. LinkedIn reached out to me too. News soon.

Jasmin Jay Alic shares a heartfelt LinkedIn post for his 34th birthday. In this post, he directly thanks all the people who've shown up for him over the years, his Link Up community, the different brands who've sent him gifts, the inner circle friends who've called him directly, as well as those who abandoned him last year. The image shows Jasmin proudly smiling while working on his laptop. The image was taken at a cafe at Kite Beach in Dubai.

Look, I get it. There's always bigger fish to fry.

But don't delay your LinkedIn, please...

This is year 17 for me in the online business world. Just on LinkedIn, I've trained 57,000+ people, whether in workshops, keynotes or 1-1.

So believe me when I tell you:

Most people use LinkedIn only when they "need" LinkedIn. To find a new job. They fish here for a few weeks. Apply apply apply... Until they "need" it again.

It's a cycle with no end.

These waters aren't made for a quick dip.
They're for those willing to go on a journey.
And the ship most definitely has NOT sailed.

There's still time to start (and enjoy) your journey.

Are you onboard? 😊
 
Monday Motivation, over. (Repost for others ♻️)

- Coach J ❤️

P.S. I did not eat this alone. (before you ask)

Award-winning LinkedIn coach | Founder of Link Up Community, where you’ll build a trusted brand and profitable business

Jasmin Jay Alic shares a motivational post with his LinkedIn followers about using LinkedIn more consistently to find jobs, clients, and career opportunities. In this post, Jasmin is using the analogy of always having bigger fish to fry versus hopping aboard and enjoying the journey in the LinkedIn waters. In the attached photo, Jasmin is seen smiling and holding a giant sea fish served on a mega platter for multiple people. The picture was taken at the Split riviera in Croatia.

I coached some of the world's biggest creators.

With millions of followers. Or dollars. But...

Every single one of them had a "slump" period where they didn't know the answer to the question: 

"What next?"

Every single one. Zero exceptions.

Be it what's going to be my next post?
Be it what's the correct move for my offer?
Be it what's next for me in my career journey?

The answer? No 2 people are the same.

To Lara Acosta, I said "stay in your lane". 
To Angela Marie, I said "it's time for a pivot".
To my Link Up members... 100 ways = 100 people.

The point I'm trying to make here?

1. It's ok to feel lost. It's all part of the journey.
2. There's no one-size-fits-formula. For anyone.
3. It's ok to ask for help. Pro tip: Ask your followers.

So let me ask you:

What's ONE topic you'd like to learn more about this year? Share your interests below. 

Then...

Revisit this post 12 hours later and 1) Find new experts, or 2) Find potential clients. Thank me later. 😉

(Repost for your network ♻️)

Jasmin Jay Alic shares a motivational lesson about not knowing what's next in your career. He lists some of his coaching clients like Lara Acosta and Angela Marie d'Antonio as examples, and shares the exact advice he once gave them when they asked this question. The image shows Jasmin smiling directly into the camera, with holiday lights and decorations behind him. The image also includes a caption that reads: What's next? 

I leave 1,000+ comments per week on LinkedIn.

I know. Your first thought is "but how?!"

"How much time do you spend on here?"
"Where do you find so many posts?"
"What tools do you use for this?"

Quick answers first, then a long one:

1. I spend 2 hours engaging daily (workdays only)
2. I optimize my feed so I don't see any "fluff"
3. I use zero tools for this, just my fingers

Number 2 is where most of you are stuck. So...

Here are 4 actions to optimize your feed:

1. Engage with relevant posts (get similar suggestions)
2. Engage with new people daily (more reach / variety)

(I cannot stress the 2 above enough)

3. Hit the 3 dots and "Unfollow" (super-strong signal)
4. Hit the 3 dots and "Save" (the strongest signal 🚨)

Better feed = more enjoyable engagement.

And you'll save yourself SO MUCH time.

Thank me later. Happy commenting!

(Repost for others ♻️)

P.S. 90% of my comments are "replies" on my posts, since I have the strongest engagement. So replying a few hundred times per day is easy work for me.

P.P.S. 20 comments per day is a must. 😉

Jasmin Jay Alic explains how he writes over 1,000 comments per week on LinkedIn. His secret is having an optimized feed, and in this post, he shares 4 actions you can take immediately to optimize your LinkedIn feed for more enjoyable engagement. In the photo, Jasmin is seen typing on his laptop at a restaurant, relaxed and smiling, with an orange juice served on his table.

When I say I run a "global" business, I mean it.

Link Up has officially crossed 60 countries!

I am genuinely at a loss for words right now, so I'll keep this post short. You have two choices today:

1. Take "writing on LinkedIn" seriously and go all in for the next 6 months (realistic timeline to see change). Long term, build the business and life of your dreams.

2. Don't.

Good luck! I'm here for you. 

----

The rest of this post includes every country my community members are from - find yours. ❤️

 1. Italy
 2. USA
 3. India
 4. Malta
 5. Spain
 6. Egypt
 7. Kenya
 8. Japan
 9. Serbia
10. Russia
11. Ireland
12. Poland
13. France
14. Austria
15. Croatia
16. Cyprus
17. Mexico
18. Türkiye
19. Greece
20. Finland
21. Estonia
22. Canada
23. Ukraine
24. Norway
25. Rwanda
26. Belgium
27. Sweden
28. Bulgaria
29. Armenia
30. Slovakia
31. Portugal
32. Slovenia
33. Pakistan
34. Uruguay
35. Hungary
36. Moldova
37. Romania
38. Malaysia
39. Australia
40. Scotland
41. Denmark
42. Palestine
43. Germany
44. Colombia
45. Indonesia
46. Singapore
47. Cameroon
48. Philippines
49. Hong Kong
50. Switzerland
51. Bangladesh
52. South Korea
53. Netherlands
54. South Africa
55. Saudi Arabia
56. Czech Republic
57. United Kingdom
58. North Macedonia
59. United Arab Emirates
60. Bosnia & Herzegovina

Is your country on the list? Let me know. ♻️

Jasmin Jay Alic celebrates his Link Up Community and the milestone of having members from 60 countries. In this LinkedIn post, he motivates his followers to take writing on LinkedIn seriously for the next 6 months to build the business and life of their dreams. In this post, Jasmin lists 60 countries his community members are from in a carefully formatted, visually-pleasing list. In the photo, Jasmin is seen smiling and taking a photo with Irene Bonjeh Azong-Wara, his community member who traveled from Cameroon to Bosnia & Herzegovina to meet him in person at the third global Link Up meetup in Sarajevo.

Niall Cleaver

Documenting the journey of crafting a timeless coffee cup brand | CEO & Founder of Cupsly

My story isn’t about a polished entrepreneur. My journey hasn’t been traditional. I left school without an English qualification, uncertain of what the future held. 

That failure shaped me, it forced me to think differently, fall into business, and ultimately embrace creativity, resilience, and the belief that change is possible, even when doubted. Fast forward to today, I’m growing and scaling businesses while sharing the real lessons that come from it.

Founder

Are you struggling to grow an engaging community for your business or personal brand.

Stop right there, I think I have you covered ⬇️

This is me (Niall), I'm a 22-year-old who is fascinated by growing communities in the online space. Actual communities that have meaning and purpose. 

The services we provide at Social Library 

➡️ Personal Branding (LinkedIn)

➡️ Guidance & support consulting


Drop me a message to discuss your social media strategy, review how well your current socials/posts are doing, and research how we can build your community and gain you more followers and leads.

or you can email us @

hello@sociallibrary.co.uk

For years... I thought starting small wasn’t even an option.

This year, I want to start small. You need to read this.

Everyone is so scared to start small and I was one of those people. I used to overthink about creating something big instead of worrying about starting small.

Turns out, starting small is how you build big.

It’s how you take the first step forward.
It’s how you stop overanalysing.
It’s how you actually start.

It almost feels wrong when you say it out loud.

But every successful founder and business you see today didn’t get where they are by massive moves. They got there by starting small and then scaling.

So if you’re starting a business, building a hobby, or whatever it may be… stop worrying about “scaling big” and focus on the small step that gets you going.

Growing @thistlescientific and sharing the lessons while I do

Building vs scaling a business. What's the difference?

A few years ago, I learned one of the most valuable lesson in business. I left school with qualifications that made it hard for me to get any sort of job.

Luckily, my family ran a business. I jumped in and started learning. And here’s what I learned: There’s a huge difference between building and scaling.

Building a business:

Proving the idea
Short-term survival
Doing everything yourself
Energy, speed & scrappiness

Scaling a business:

Letting go of control
Long-term decisions
Patience, systems & people
Making sure it works without you.
Alignment throughout the whole company.

Building feels exciting. Scaling feels uncomfortable. Both are essential. I didn’t realise how different they both were until I lived them.

But the one thing that never changes between both? 
The hard work that comes with it.

I just spent 2 hours yesterday in one of the best meetings of my life!!!

What about? How do we build further on our foundation?

Yesterday was a special day, do you know where you get the team together and you leave feeling excited for what's to come? That's what happened.

It's been a pretty wild couple of months for Thistle, but it always comes back to the same thing. How can we deepen the connection we can have with researchers?

The personal touch.
The real support they deserve.
The professionalism and trust they have in us.

This year, we’re looking at how we double down on that.

We’ve set some big objectives, and the whole team is ready for them. If yesterday was anything to go by, this next phase is going to be an exciting one.

We can't wait to share more on this very soon.

We’re excited to announce our new collaboration.

I'm genuinely proud of the impact we're creating in research at Thistle Scientific. It started with one clear objective to make research the best it can be, not only to impact our lives, but also to impact the lives of generations to come.

Last week was a big reminder of this as we announced our collaboration with arcorisbio AG, which will help accelerate the industrialisation and commercialisation of their breakthrough MUSE® platform.

A collaboration that will help keep the world safe.

One of the best mistakes I learned pretty quickly in business.

Thinking strategy comes first in business. But it doesn’t… 

Understanding who you’re building for is.

I’m nowhere near successful yet. But I’ve been lucky to spend time around people who definitely are. And one topic comes up over and over again: 

Strategy.

How did you come up with your strategy?
Why has your strategy been effective?
When do you adapt your strategy?

The answer usually sounds complicated.
But, it keeps coming back to one word: audience.

Before you can plan anything, you have to understand them. What do they care about? When do they need to hear from you? How do they feel when they see you show up?

This is where a lot of founders go wrong. No strategy is 100% correct. It’s custom‑made based on how well you understand the information your audience is giving you.

So copying what works in another company or industry rarely works. You’re playing a different game, with different people, at a different stage.

Strategy is an understanding game.

I used to panic hearing the word strategy in business.

It sounded complicated... but it wasn’t.

I would hear the word and be like that sounds proper technical. I'd just nod like I understood exactly what it meant, when I didn't but now I get it and it's simple.

It's just a plan.

What are the objectives?
What action will you take to hit them?
Which data tells you it's working or it isn't?

We love to make words sound more complicated than they are. 

It's easy to overcomplicate things when you hear all of the advice online but it's simpler than you think. If something isn't working don't wait, go and find the reason why.

Try something. Learn. Adapt. Evolve. Repeat.
Just enjoy the process of figuring out.

That's what business is!

When I was younger, I hesitated on the idea of working for my family business.

Today, I’m 3 years in, working alongside nearly 50 incredible people.

It’s crazy how life works. Some days you’re completely against something before you’ve even tried it…then you try it and realise it was exactly what you were meant to do.

I always had this doubt in the back of my head:
That I had to prove myself somewhere else first.

That’s why:

- I started posting on LinkedIn.
- I kept looking for “my own thing”.
- I started learning more about business.

Now it feels like all of that happened so I could come back better and help continue to grow a business I genuinely care about. But this growth has hardly been me. It’s been the team I get to work with every single day.

A few things this has taught me:

- Don’t write something off until you’ve actually tried it.
- You can prove yourself elsewhere, but always bring the knowledge back

So don't resist an opportunity just because it didn't fit your picture in that specific moment of your life. It might be worth taking a closer look.

Stop listening to too much advice.

Read that again... throughout my journey, I've fallen for many distractions. Stuff that didn't feel right personally, and so many of us are going through this.

There's advice here, there and everywhere.

And it's very hard to know which is the right or wrong advice, and you know what you'll never really know. The only way to find out is to...

Listen to your gut and try.

In a world full of advice after advice, trust yourself first. 
There's no right or wrong way to do anything.

If it works, it works!

P.S. Have a little day in the life vid

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Jasmin Alić

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The Battle

Jasmin Alić

Niall Cleaver

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jasmin Alić's LinkedIn Performance

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