I started building my personal brand on LinkedIn in a corner of my bedroom in 2018. 

Since then I've;

- Quit an underpaying job.
- Built a following of over 300,000 people online. 
- Generated $ 4 mil in inbound revenue from my LinkedIn presence alone. 
- Worked with founders and CEOs from brands like Three, SkyBet, Paddy Power and Markel. 
- Published a best-selling book, The Personal Branding Playbook. 
- Been paid to do a dozen speaking gigs, globally. 
- Partnered with brands like Planable, Tide Bank and LinkedIn. 
- Regularly meet my friends for mid-week lunches. 
- Get to pick my kids up at 3.30pm and take them swimming every Friday. 
- Get paid to do something I LOVE. 

Building my personal brand  quite literally changed my life. 

If I can do it, why not you? So many people hold themselves back from building their personal brand through fear of judgement, or not knowing what to say? 

But what if you lost out on an amazing job because your profile wasn't up to scratch? Or had to spend your entire week chasing cold leads because people didn't see a clear difference between you and a competitor? What if you lost actual opportunities to someone with half your talent, just because they had a more impressive profile online?

Building your personal brand solves all of those problems - and will change your life. Just like it's changed mine. 

So what are you waiting for?

Just f*cking post it... ;) 

Ready to get to work? I'd love to hear from you: amelia@pencetalent.com 

💜

Amelia Sordell 🔥

Five years ago, I was tricked into a “coffee meeting.”
Turned out it was actually a pitch to the entire board.

I walked in with nothing but a notebook.
My competitor walked in with a deck, a demo, and the contract.

I lost the deal - a £50,000 contract - right at the beginning of my business - when I really, really needed the money.

I was humiliated.

Not because I didn’t win, but because I didn’t even know I was playing a game. 

Turns out, my competitor had been briefed properly.
He knew it was a pitch.
He was told who’d be in the room.

I know because he told me himself.

I felt set up.

I was a young, naive woman in brand new industry with a brand new business. 

I spent the next 3 days spiralling.
Rereading every email.
Beating myself up for not asking better questions.
Blaming everyone - including myself for the deal that I felt was "taken" from me. 

Then I called a friend, another founder, to trauma-dump, and to be honest to get someone else to feel sorry for me. And I still remember that call today. He said;

"Feel sorry for yourself, or figure out how to win next time. You don’t have time for both."

That moment changed everything.

Because he was right.

Winners don’t waste time regretting what they didn’t do, they just make damn sure they do it next time.

And I did.

Now I never walk into a room without knowing exactly who’s in it, what they want, and how I’m going to win.

Even if it's "just a coffee". 

Hard lesson.
Expensive mistake.
But now I know this game isn't about win or lose. 
It's only win or LEARN.

I built a $4M business off the back of my personal brand. Now, I teach founders and their teams, how to do the same 🕺 Speaker. Consultant. Best-selling Author.

No alternative text description for this image

I have never met a woman more successful than me hating on me trying.
I've never met someone in a beautiful, secure relationship, gossiping about mine. 

Women, and men at the top do not compete against each other - they collaborate. 

Because surprise, surprise - there is enough business and success to go around for all of us! 

So;

- Share your spotlight.
- Shout your friends.
- Praise your colleagues in public. 

And give your internet besties all the hype they deserve and connect people  together without expecting anything in return. 

Please cheer others on when they win. 

Successful women don’t put others down - they lift people up. 

Because when YOU lift other people, you also lift yourself. 

💜

built a whole business off the back of my personal brand - now, sharing how I did it at ameliasordell.com

When my first business went bust, I remember calling my mum telling her I and my dog, Peanut were moving back home. 

I also remember selling my car because I had no money to live or pay to run it. 

My entire identity had been tied to running this business and when it didn’t work out it felt like a death. I spent the next 3 months wallowing in self pity.

It felt like this event had happened to ME. I was the victim. 

It wasn’t until I realise no one was coming to save me from the mess of my own life did I actually begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

That didn’t come easily. 

That came as a very real slap across the face of; I was broke, living with my parents and if I didn’t get my sh*t together no one else was going to do it for me. 

Life has a funny way of teaching you lessons.

Why am I telling you this? 

Well, I’ve been through some of the toughest things someone can experience over the last 10 years. 

- Failed businesses.
- Divorce.
- Lawsuits - at the same time as the above….

Each thing takes a piece of you. 

But there is NOTHING that can’t be figured out. 

- Dead end job. 
- Unhappy relationships. 
- Toxic environments. 
- Unhealed hearts. 
- Debt. 
- Bad credit scores.  
- Voids you think cannot be filled.

... And holes you think you cannot climb out of. 

No matter what dark cloud you’re moving through right now, don’t forget that EVERYTHING is figureoutable. 

Everything. 

And even on the toughest, most overwhelming days, just remember there is nothing you’re going through right now that someone else hasn’t already gone through and made it out the other side.

And I promise, no matter how tough it feels right now - those people are often a better, happier person for it. 

💜

If we haven't met before, hi - my name's Amelia. I built a $4million revenue business off the back of my personal brand, now I post content about how you can do it, too.

I run a weekly live - The Branded Show - where we go through tools, tactics and strategies small businesses can use to stand out, get more leads and make more money. Save your spot here: https://lnkd.in/eRVP9dh3

JSESSIONID

li_at

If I was a man, starting a business in 2026 - here is what is exactly what I'd do ↓

1. I’d pitch before I was ready.
I wouldn’t wait for the perfect deck or airtight strategy. I’d start talking about the idea, asking for feedback, getting in the room - because clarity comes through action, not perfection.

2. I’d launch a waitlist before I built the product.
I wouldn’t waste months building something no one asked for. I’d write the landing page, collect emails, test messaging - and build based on what people actually want.

3. I’d say my prices with my chest.
Not a nervous shrug. Not “let me know if that works.”
I’d say it, shut up, and let them say yes. Then I’d raise them every year - because I believe in what I deliver.

4. I’d post about my wins.
Big ones, small ones, messy ones. I wouldn’t wait until I had the “perfect result.”
I’d bring people with me on the journey - that’s how trust is built.

5. I’d show up as me.
Not just as “the founder of X.” Not hiding behind a logo or brand voice.
But as a real person people connect with - because that’s what makes you unforgettable.

6. I’d build in public.
I’d share what’s working, what’s failing, what I’m figuring out.
Because transparency builds trust. 

7. I’d network with people doing better than me. 
Because if you only stay in rooms where you feel safe, you’ll never grow beyond your current level. I’d ask the bold questions. I’d follow up. I’d play bigger.

8. I’d ask for help.
Without shame. Without feeling like I need to “prove” myself first.
Because asking for help isn’t weakness - it’s strategy.

9. I’d take up space.
On Zoom calls. In pitches. On panels. Online. I wouldn’t shrink myself to be digestible. I’d speak clearly, confidently - and trust my voice was worth hearing.

10. And I’d do it all without apologising.
No over-explaining. No softening the message. Just full belief that I belong in this space. Even before anyone else believes it.

BTW this isn't actually about men or women, it's about unlearning the conditioning that told us ALL to wait, shrink, or play nice.

So, have the AUDACITY of a confident guy building a business in 2026. 

Because 2026 is the year you stop asking for permission.
And start backing yourself like an average f*cking CEO... 😉

I can’t believe I’m FINALLY sharing this...

5 years ago, I quit my “safe” marketing job to go all-in on myself.

And all I heard was:
“It’s too risky.”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“Do you have a plan B?”

When I told my parents I was starting a business in the middle of a global pandemic…
they looked at me like I’d just announced I was moving to Mars. 😅

Back then I had:
- A tiny social following
- No agency experience
- No clue what the hell I was doing

But I took the leap and did it anyway.

Fast-forward to now:
- 300K+ followers
- Millions in inbound revenue
- A book deal 
- Unbelievable opportunities
- A business that literally sells itself through my content 

And now I’m teaching you exactly how I did it.

I’m literally launching my course, How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn, RIGHT NOW.

This isn’t a surface-level “tips and tricks” course.
I’ve spent months building it.

And now I’m giving away the exact system that changed my career, my income, and my options, so you can do it too.

If you're still overthinking what to post...
Still worried about judgement...
Still invisible when you should be in demand...
This is your fork in the road.

Your personal brand is the lever that changes everything.
Human-led marketing is the future.
People buy from people, and the ones who master it, win.

Stop waiting for the life you want to magically appear in your lap - and go out and make it f*cking happen!

If I could do it as a single mum of 2 small children with no real income, so can you.

Get access to my course now: https://lnkd.in/e5NGMENn

I have 240k followers and 300M+ organic views on LinkedIn. 
If you’re going to spend your money on anything in Black Friday, spend it on these 3 tools ↓

1. Planable. 

Scheduling tool. I schedule all of my content from here - you can set specific times, create custom templates, and drag a drop using their calendar feature to fill gaps. I love this app so much - I have it on my phone and do the big scheduling on their desktop version. 

The templates are actually so helpful. I go back 1x per month over the last 3 months of content and review what has done the best and find patterns. I then create templates from those posts like this, while enables me to double down on hooks and formats that work. 

2. SE Ranking

This shows you what keywords are working for your website (and what aren’t), runs competitor website analysis and helps find keywords that actually drive traffic form search engines and AI search. 

It’s not the “sexy” part of building a brand, if you’re relying on your website to generate leads and you aren’t optimising for getting them via search… 2026 will not be your year babe. 

3. SE Visible 

My current OBSESSION. Monitor your name and your businesses’ name in ChatGPT to tell you whether or not you’re being recommended in searches related to your expertise or services/products. 

Possibly the most slept on branding tool of 2025. 

There are a lot of brand sentiment tools out there - almost all are astronomically expensive (and a total waste of money if you’re a small business owner or someone building your personal brand). 

All three are on sale for Black Friday. 

Which I normally think is a bunch of marketing BS - but these are actually things I have personally spent my money on. 

See how you rank here: https://lnkd.in/evrj4nyf

Give them a go - let me know how you get on!

💜

PS. Is this an ad? Yes. Have I been a paying customer of these tools for over 18 months? Hell yes 🕺

Posting content when you have no followers is embarrassing.
But you know what’s more embarrassing?

Never trying at all.

Embarrassment is the cost of entry to success. 

Pay it. It’s always worth it.

Agree?

💜

If we haven't met - hi my name's Amelia! 6 years ago, I quit my job, started a business, generated $4million in revenue... all off the back of my personal brand on LinkedIn (while juggling 2 kids with no childcare). 

I just launched £79 course teaching you everything I wish I'd known about how to build my personal brand on LinkedIn 6 years ago. Because I didn't have £6k to spend on cohorts and coaches, and probably neither do you. 

So if you've ever thought "how the f*ck do I build a personal brand?" - join us: https://lnkd.in/eBZR2sQS

If a guy can make a career reviewing baked beans on TikTok - you can post on social media.	

If influencers can get paid to fake private jet photos for content - you can post on social media.

If entire couples can monetise their breakups online - you can definitely post on social media.

Because the people winning online aren’t the smartest.
Or the most qualified.
Or the most worthy.

They’re just the ones who actually showed up.
Embarrassing, awkward, cringe. 

So post the thing!
Talk about your business. 
Tell your story. 
Build your brand. 

Because in 2026, visibility will beat perfection. 

Every. Single. Time.

💜 

If we haven't met, hi my name's Amelia! I built a $4mil agency off the back of my personal brand.

I run a weekly live - where we go through brand and marketing tools, tactics and strategies small businesses can use to stand out, get more leads and make more money. Save your spot here: ameliasordell.com/live/

If you think it’s too late to start over… think again.

Trinny Woodall is living proof.

She hosted What Not To Wear with Susannah back in the early 2000's and was a TV star, style icon, and confidence-giver. She made women feel amazing in their own skin.

Then the cameras stopped. And so did her career.

Most people would’ve taken that as a signal to slow down. But not Trinny.
At 52, she started again. 

She built Trinny London, a makeup brand for women the beauty industry ignores: women over 35, spending money, but never in an ad.

- She ignored trends. 
- Ignored rules. 
- Focused on her audience. 

And the results speak for themselves.  

Millions of loyal customers. £70M+ in annual revenue. An army of women calling themselves The Trinny Tribe.

And here’s the thing: it’s not glossy campaigns or perfect tutorials that made it work. 

It’s Trinny being real. 

Smudged mascara. 
Mismatched outfits. 
Tutorials filmed in taxis. 
Every single day, showing up as herself.

Her brand doesn’t sell makeup. It sells confidence. Just like she always did.

So if you’re sitting there thinking: “I’m too old. Too late. Too behind…” STOP.

Timelines don’t exist. Rules are optional. Permission isn’t required.
You don’t need perfect. 

You just need the audacity to begin.

Don't you think? 

💜 

If we haven't met before, hi - my name's Amelia. I built a $4million revenue business off the back of my personal brand, now I post content about how you can do it, too.

I run a weekly live - where we go through brand and marketing tools, tactics and strategies small businesses can use to stand out, get more leads and make more money. Save your spot here: 
https://lnkd.in/eUx5UwhW

If you've ever felt unqualified, just remember that the password for the security cameras at The Louvre Museum was... "Louvre".

If Elon Musk can blow up 3 rockets in public and still build SpaceX - you can start before you’re ready.

If Sara Blakely can cut the feet off a $12 pair of tights and turn it into a billion-dollar brand- you can start before you’re ready.

If Oprah can get fired from her first TV job for being ‘unfit for television’ and still build one of the most successful media empires on earth- you can start before you’re ready.

If Victoria Beckham can take a fashion line that nearly went bankrupt and turn it into one of the most respected luxury brands in the world - you can start before you’re ready.

Because nobody starts with the perfect plan.
They start with an average idea and a ridiculous amount of conviction.

So start the business.
Post the content.
Launch the product.

Even if it’s messy.

You don’t need permission, credentials, or timing to be successful - you just need the audacity to start.

You will be 99x more successful than anyone else the minute you realise embarrassment isn't a side effect of failure, it's the entry fee to success. 

Agree?

💜

A few years ago I’d spend hours perfecting just one post because I was so scared of other people’s opinions. 

Negative comments or people taking the piss out of my content (this still happens - a lot) would send me into such an anxious place. 

You know, that stomach churning, head spinning tornado that only comes with thinking that everyone hates you?

I had that feeling regularly. 

So I get it - I understand the unwillingness to really stand for what you believe in, particularly online.

Opinions online just feel so... permanent, you know?

But I look back at some of the content that I posted during that time, and if I’m honest, it was so inauthentic. My voice was so far removed from who I really am because I was SO desperate to be liked. 

I’ve come a long way since then. And so has my personal brand. 

Because I’ve realised, there is real power in being disliked. 

- There is confidence. 
- There is self-esteem. 
- There is self worth. 

I guess what I’m trying to say is that the success of YOUR personal brand and probably your life, depends on your willingness to be disliked. 

Because a successful personal brand must come from an authentic place. 

And if you’re doing what’s best for other people, you’re never going to do and say what’s best for YOU. 

And I personally didn’t create the kind of opportunities I’ve had - my business, the inbound revenue, the speaking engagements … life-changing stuff, until I realised I had to create a divide somewhere. 

Because everything is subjective. 

Including your opinions and personality. 

Heck, I could say factually that the sky is blue, and for someone else, it’s raining. 

So please, I implore you - STOP watering yourself down to fit in online and off. 

Be 100% ok with the consequences of being yourself. 

Because if you’re not willing to be hated by the people who don’t matter, you’ll never be loved by the ones that do. 

Don't you think?

💜

If we haven't met, Hi! My name's Amelia. I generated $4million for my business off the back of my personal brand.

I just launched £79 course teaching you everything I wish I'd known about how to build my personal brand on LinkedIn 6 years ago. Because when I first started my business, I didn't have £1000s to spend on cohorts and coaches, and probably neither do you. 

Get access here: https://lnkd.in/eBZR2sQS

I launched my first course yesterday.
We sold 400 in the first few hours.

Here are the things we did that go against every marketing rulebook I’ve ever read.

1. We launched it at a 75% discount.

Yesterday, I live launched the course for just £19 on my weekly live show. Every marketer will tell you that devalues your offer - but I wanted to hit the highest number of purchases in the first 24 hours, to then get those people to complete the course and give us a testimonial as quickly as possible. We’ll turn them into ads + landing page social proof.

2. We ran ads for other products - not the course.

Most founders would chuck a bunch of money behind their launch, because it makes the most sense right? Well, we have a new ad account, and need to get them warmed up to me and my products. So we're running ads on my free stuff, and other digital products before putting money behind the course in Jan 2026.

3. We discounted for loyal, not new customers.

Brands give all "new" subscribers discounts on first purchases, we did the opposite. Only people who were signed up to my newsletter or attended my weekly show this week got the launch price of £19. The internet tells you to reward strangers - I wanted to thank the people who’ve supported me from day one.

And guess what? Almost everyone who joined the live bought the course. That weekly live has created real connection and energy you can’t replicate with pre-recorded content. It proved how powerful it is when your audience feels seen, involved, and part of something.

4. We priced it low.

My main competitors charge $200, $699, $6500. When I first started out, I didn't have that kind of cash. In fact, I didn't have any. I want to help as many people as possible build a profitable, personal brand - so we landed on £79. I priced for me, 6 years ago.

5. We emailed people every single day.

General rule of thumb is send a newsletter 1-3 times per week. We emailed every day. And every time we sent an email, we made a sale.

6. I vlogged the breakdowns.

I recorded this course 3 times. The first time it was scripted and in a studio and I hated it. Second time, I self-filmed at home, and it was out of focus. Third time, we only just completed the edits this week! I vlogged it all - and posted in real time. That authenticity won us trust and sales on launch day.

There is a tonne of stuff I would do differently next time - I’m already scripting the next one - but this launch proved something:

You don’t have to do things the “right” way for it to work.

If you want to learn exactly how I built my personal brand from scratch - the same strategy behind this launch, the course is live now.
It’s called How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn.

It’s £79.

And it’ll walk you through everything I’ve learned from going from 0 - 240k followers and $0 - $4mil revenue off the back of my LinkedIn profile.

I'm SO proud of it 🥹

You can access it here: https://lnkd.in/eBZR2sQS

Amelia x

How I used to define success:

- A big house. 
- A fancy car. 
- An expensive handbag. 
- Designer clothes. 

How I define success now: 

- Pick my kids up from school. 
- Have time to pursue my hobbies. 
- Take time off to travel. 
- Enjoy my work - and life, every day. 

Most people misunderstand 'success' because our entire lives we've been told that the route to achieving it is through grinding out 80 hour weeks in a job we don't love working for people who don't care. 

As a reformed grinder, trust me it's a fast track ticket to burn-out and depression. 

The happiest and most fulfilled people I know are the people who are people who've build, grown and monetised a business that:

Gives them a consistent income
Allows them to work from anywhere
Gives them the freedom to live a life they love 

THAT is the new definition of success. It's the new 'Rich'. 

I've managed to build a business that generates leads on autopilot, can be delivered from anywhere and allows me to pick my kids up at 3.30pm on a Friday. 

If you want to build a business that gives you an amazing life (not the other way around), access my course on how to build a profitable personal brand on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eBZR2sQS 

Because I no longer care about looking successful. 

I care about feeling it. 

Don't you?

💜

If you're wondering why your LinkedIn reach is down..
... it's because LinkedIn now want you to PAY to boost your posts. 

It's a pretty textbook algorithm cash-grab. 

Build free user base. 
Get users to create content. 
Give content lots of reach. 
More users then create content. 
Then reduce reach. 
Everyone cries. 
Charge them to increase it. 

Meta did it. 
TikTok did it. 
Now LinkedIn is doing it. 

Pretty smart actually. 

But this is why you need to stop listening to people telling you to "hack the algorithms" -  and just say stuff you believe in. 

Focus on your customer. 
Give your knowledge away for free. 

And for the love of God, please have dreams bigger than 100k followers. 

If you're a business owner, you should be posting content to find customers. 
Not to find popularity. 

Focus on that, and you'll be 10x more successful than 99% of the "creators" you follow on this platform.

Amelia 

💜

If you want to dip your toe into LinkedIn (and make money from it) I recorded a 52 short videos detailing how you can turn your LinkedIn profile into your biggest marketing tool. Get them here: https://lnkd.in/ek7REgzU

Your employee's personal brand's are an opportunity, not a threat. 

Agree?

💜

If we haven't met before, hi - my name's Amelia. I built a $4million revenue business off the back of my personal brand, now I post content about how you can do it, too.

I've just dropped 52 videos detailing everything I did to get from 0 - 250k followers and $0- $4mil in revenue off LinkedIn alone. You can grab them here: https://lnkd.in/eBZR2sQS

77% of ChatGPT users treat it as a search engine. 
And if your customers can't find you - you don't have a business. 

And social media platforms, like LinkedIn are training the bots that are shaping how people find you online.	
SE Ranking did a study recently and found that social media sites show up in over 33% of Google’s AI search results.

Which basically means, if you as an individual - or your business are not visible on social media, you're invisible in search results, too. 

So how do you fix that?
You AI who HELL you are.

And you do that by surprise surprise, owning your niche. 
Post about your expertise - consistently - until your name is synonymous with the topic.

I know, shocking advice. 

But what you might not know is that there are little hacks you can use like;
- Your captions. 
- Your keywords.
- Titling your files (like this video) with "YOUR NAME - YOUR EXPERTISE" help Google AI and ChatGPT associate you with your topic.

Because that is what Google is indexing.

So when you Google or search for personal branding, my name comes up. 

I've been using Planable and SE Visible - the new tool from SE Ranking for the last few weeks to optimise my content for AI search.

It helps me;
- Track my brand's presence across AI tools like ChatGPT.
- Work out the topics, trends, and questions AIs associate with my brand (and my competitors... 👀)

And also if you're currently staring and your computer screen for the 18th time this month, thinking "what the fck am I going to post?" Planable and the SE Visible dashboard helps you plan content that’s timely, relevant, and discoverable.

Stunning. 

Like I said, 77% of ChatGPT users treat it as a search engine. 

And your social media content impacts how your business and your brand appears in AI results. 

And if you're a founder, freelancer - or social media team not doing anything about it, 2026 is not going to be your year. 

See how you rank (for free) here: https://lnkd.in/eaN5H7Wr 

Was this helpful? 

Amelia 💜

Planable

SE Ranking

An ex-employer once asked me, "why do you want to work?"

I was 24 years old.
Just re-entered the workforce after liquidating my business. 
I had a high profile partner - who he wrongly presumed paid for my lifestyle.

I asked him why he'd asked me that question. 
Listened.
Nodded.
Sipped my drink.

Then I said: “Ok, fair enough.”
And walked away.

Not because he was right to ask such a ridiculous question.
Not because I didn’t have a thousand facts, examples and data to fire back with.

But because he wasn’t worth the energy.

When you feel like you're personally being attacked, the default defensive position we tend to talk is attack back. 

Like staying quiet means losing. 
Especially online. 

I see so many people screen grabbing inappropriate messages, calling people out in the comments. 

I've been in a tonne of these situations in boardrooms, on social media - with groups of friends, but let me tell you something; 

Defending how you personally feel about something, doesn't make the other person feel the same way.

Me replying to this ridiculous question wasn't going to make this guy not a sexist. Or any less stupid. 

And spending your precious energy trying to prove your point, or change theirs - is a waste of your time. 

You don’t owe anyone an explanation.
Not for your opinions.
Not for your ambition.
Not for your right to take up space.

People like saying things for effect. Especially online. 
They want the argument.
They want the reaction.
Because that gives them power.

So don't give it to them.

Sometimes the most powerful move you can make is to look someone dead in the eye and say:

“Okay. Fair enough.”
Then get on with your day. 

You're a smart. 

And smart people don’t waste time trying to win stupid arguments. 

💜

If we haven't met, hi my name's Amelia! I built a $4mil agency off the back of my personal brand.

I just launched a course teaching you how to promote yourself - and your business online (and make money from it). 819 people have already downloaded it, and are changing their lives, join them: https://lnkd.in/eBZR2sQS

My FIRST EVER personal branding course is LIVE TODAY!
No, literally. I am so emotional. 

Because I built this course for ME. 
For the me who couldn't afford $6k cohorts, or ghostwriters to build my brand for me.
Who was just starting her business, and who had no idea what she was doing. 
Who didn't want to build an inauthentic brand with ChatGPT.
And who didn't want to buy impressions and followers with bots and engagement pods. 

I build my personal brand and business through strategy, consistency and a clear system. 

And throughout 52 video lessons, I take you through;
- the mindset
- the confidence boosters
- and the actual system I've used to go from 0 - 240k followers and $0-$4mil in revenue... all off the back of my personal brand. 

If you're posting and getting know where, or want to and don't know where to start...  

I built this for you, too. 

13 modules. 
Hours of lessons on video, copywriting, viral hooks - and how and when to use AI... 

This is my proudest product launch to date. 

But you can't access it unless you join my LIVE launch today at 12pm GMT.

Save your free spot here: ameliasordell.com/live/

Yours sincerely, 
A very proud, scared, but also excited.. 

Amelia x

The Runway Ventures

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beehiiv

beehiiv empowers you to create, monetize, and grow your newsletter with an all-in-one publishing suite.

(right team, great product, crazy execution)

Angel Investor

Fathom - AI Meeting Assistant

Fathom records, transcribes, highlights, and summarizes your meetings so you can focus on the conversation.

(proud user of Fathom)

X10 Media

X10 Media, a regional influencer agency established over 7 years ago before Influencer Marketing became part of the mainstay, holds a network of over 3,000 Influencers with a combined 30 million network reach in Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia.

The agency has served over 1,000 brands including Pepsi, Singtel, Capitaland, LVMH, Warner Music, Owndays, Casetify among others.

With its proprietary Leadgram technology and data-driven insights, X10 Media empowers brands to achieve exceptional results through influencer campaigns.

X10 media currently owns 3 business units — Faves, X10 Ventures & TheSpokenTribe, that span regionally across 3 countries in Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia.

🌏 Faves (micro-influencer marketing arm) runs a combined network of 10 million reach in Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia.

🌏 X10 Ventures (technology arm) empowers brands with our proprietary technology.

• Leadgram was launched as a first-of-its-kind software in Asia to deepen social media campaign ROI & sales/traffic conversions for brands & companies.
• We retarget consumers that engages on influencers/brand content to create conversations leading to higher call to actions.

🌏 The Spoken Tribe (LinkedIn marketing arm) brings professional voices to endorse companies and brands through the word-of-mouth recommendations.

👉🏻 With a commitment to excellence and innovation, X10 Media continues to drive impactful influencer marketing solutions for brands. Visit www.x10.media to learn more.

CTO (Acquired by TSL Media Group)

Admond Lee

On a mission to make data science accessible to everyone through consulting & corporate training.

Data science consulting and analytics services for startups, SMEs, and marketing agencies.

✅ Previous projects include:

• AI & marketing consulting
• Web analytics & data visualisation
• Web scraping & marketing analytics
• Crypto price prediction model using deep learning with millions of sentiment data points


✅ Corporate & Institutional Training (Data Science / Analytics):

• SPH, DBS, MINDEF, Singtel, NTU, NUS, UTAR, Decoded


▶️ Learn more at www.admondlee.com

Consulting Data Scientist | Corporate Trainer

chatted.ai

Get AI insights from data in seconds and make informed decisions 10x faster.

1. Upload your data
2. Ask questions
3. Get actionable insights

That's it.

❌ No more formulas
❌ No more pivot table
❌ No more learning how to code
❌ No more waiting for your reports

✅ Just ask.

Sign up for free here 👉🏻 chatted.ai

... and start chatting today 🧠

YouTube

Making videos focusing on data science, programming, and tech stuff in general.

👉🏻 Link to channel: youtube.com/@admond1994

Content Creator

Staq

At Staq, we are building the universal API to help fintech companies securely access financial data from SMEs in a quick and easy way across Southeast Asia.

We are reimagining the technical infrastructure to drive financial inclusion for businesses in Southeast Asia.

Our mission is to empower you to build amazing financial products for businesses with more visibility and informed decisions. 

With Staq:
• You can easily and securely access financial data from businesses for SME lending, user identity verification, compliance and KYC etc. 
• Businesses can instantly share their data instead of sifting through tedious UX from multiple banks to extract bank statements. 

Headquartered in Singapore, Staq is backed by Entrepreneur First, the leading startup incubator in the world.

Co-Founder / CTO

Entrepreneur First

Entrepreneur First is the place where the ambitious come together to build globally important technology companies.

Founder in Residence (EFSG10)

Medium

Contributing Writer | Towards Data Science

Co-Founder & CTO @ Staq | Data Scientist

I’m a physicist turned data scientist, now a founder building The Runway Ventures — a weekly newsletter to help people learn from startup failures to become the top 1% founders.

I spent the first 3 years of my career helping companies solve business problems as a data scientist. Meantime, I was also a corporate trainer, speaker, and writer in data science. Then, I spent the next 3 years building startups. 1 failed, 1 acquired.

🧗🏻 This is how I got here:

• Got my degree in Physics from Nanyang Technological University.

• Started as a data scientist at SME (Titansoft), then MNC (Micron) before joining a startup (Hackwagon).

• Quit my job during COVID (wild timing), joined an incubator, found a co-founder, and built my 1st startup (Staq). Spent 1.5 years building Staq but we failed. Despite our mistakes, we learned a lot.

• Was very lost after my 1st startup’s failure. Spent the next 2 months doing self-reflection and exploring my curiosity.

• Started my 2nd startup building Leadgram at an influencer marketing agency (X10 Media). 8 months later, we got acquired by The Smart Local (TSL) Media Group.

***

After 3 years of building startups, I'm convinced that mistakes are the best teachers to become a better founder. For any startup, there are many ways to succeed, but only a few ways to die.

That’s why I started The Runway Ventures. 

Every Sunday, I analyse and share 1 failed startup story, 2 mistakes made, and 3 lessons learned with actionable tips to help you learn from startup failures.

Real life case studies, with key takeaways you can apply in your business.

No theories or BS.

99% of startups failed because founders made mistakes.

You’ll learn why and how startups failed to become the top 1% founder.

🤝🏻 Join us here (it’s free!): www.therunway.ventures

🔗 FB: @admond1994
🔗 Twitter: @admond1994
🔗 Instagram: @admond1994

Admond Lee Kin Lim

💍 She said YES!!!

After being together for more than 5 years, today, I proposed to her.

I still remember when I started my first startup. I was working as a food delivery rider part-time. I was broke af. I had nothing, literally nothing — except fire in my belly to make something people want.

It was the darkest period in my life. Yet, she supported me wholeheartedly throughout the time. She loved me unconditionally.

During that period, I told myself, “I want to marry her. I better don’t fxck this up.”

5 years later, here we are.

I’m sharing this with you because I really want to share the joy and happiness with you. 

You’ve been reading failed startup stories from me, and most startups failed because the founders made the wrong decisions.

Well, guess what?

💟 The most important decision of your life is to decide who you marry — your life partner. 

I’m glad I’ve found mine.

Helping you become the top 1% founder by learning from startup failures | 2x founder | 1 exit | Founder @ The Runway Ventures 🚀

$1.4B unicorn faked 4.8x revenue. $40B wiped in 3 days. CEO diverted funds to personal accounts.

Southeast Asia's fraud epidemic just hit critical mass — and 99% of founders are still blind to it.

I've written 90+ failed startup stories. But these 5 fraud cases shocked Southeast Asia:

eFishery (Indonesia's agritech unicorn):
• Claimed $752M revenue → Actually $157M
• Showed $16M profit → Actually $35M loss
• 6 years of dual-book accounting before whistleblower exposed it

LUNA/UST (Terraform Labs):
• $119 peak → $0 in 72 hours
• $40B market cap evaporated
• Millions lost life savings globally

Investree (P2P lending):
• CEO allegedly diverted company funds to personal account
• NPL hit 16% (reg limit: 5%)
• License revoked October 2024

The pattern is brutal: Fake metrics → Fake growth → Dead startup.

Singapore just dropped from #1 to #10 in global fraud resilience. Malaysia fell 52 places. Indonesia ranks dead last in Southeast Asia.

Your dashboards are lying to you. That 30% MoM growth? Could be bots. Those 10,000 signups? Might be fraud farms. Your growth might be fiction.

Nov 19-20, I'm at What the Fraud Summit (hosted by Sumsub) in Singapore. Because knowing these patterns before they hit you is worth more than your next funding round.

2 days learning defense beats 1 fraud scandal destroying everything.

Register here → https://lnkd.in/gN_TXqju
Use code ADMOND15 for 15% off.

P.S. If you think fraud only hits "other" startups, you're already a target.

Sumsub

$60M run rate. 5M+ downloads. #2 in Indonesia. Dead overnight.

Perfect metrics couldn't save Sorabel when they only had 6 months of runway.

Picture this: Indonesian husband-wife duo starts selling clothes from their garage in 2014. By 2019, they're sitting on 800 employees, 58% gross margins, and investors lining up for Series C.

But here's what should've terrified everyone:

They NEVER had more than 6 months runway. Even after raising $27M from Gobi Partners and Alpha JWC.

Every month was a race to raise more cash before the music stopped.

They even cracked the trust problem that kills most e-commerce in Southeast Asia. "Try First, Pay Later" — couriers wait 15 minutes while customers try on clothes at home. Only pay for what you keep.

Like a fitting room at your doorstep. Genius, right?

The numbers backed it up — $5M monthly revenue, 2.4x growth after rebrand, and they'd captured 9% of Indonesia's women's fashion e-commerce market.

CEO Jeffrey Yuwono was talking about becoming the Zara of Southeast Asia. Everything looked unstoppable.

March 2020: COVID hits. Investors can't fly to Jakarta. Term sheets pulled overnight. Fashion demand drops 50-70%. Their middle-class customers — the ones buying trendy clothes — all getting laid off.

July 2020: Game over. 800 jobs gone. Dreams dead.

Did COVID kill them, or were they already dying?

Tonight at 8pm, I'm publishing the full Sorabel autopsy. The 2 critical mistakes. The warning signs. Every lesson you need to know.

Subscribe now to get it when it drops → https://lnkd.in/gdDrhgtq

P.S. Innovation without unit economics is just expensive suicide.

400 HSBC employees lost their jobs. $150.5 million burned.

All because HSBC tried to out-fintech the fintechs.

Zing launched in January 2024 with massive firepower:
• 20+ currencies with fees as low as $0.20
• Partnership with Visa for global debit cards
• Plans to conquer Europe

They even hit 30,000 users in 6 months. Management was celebrating.

Meanwhile, Revolut gained 1.1 million users. That's 37x more. With 100x less resources.

The brutal math nobody at HSBC wanted to see:

Wise spent 14 years perfecting cross-border infrastructure. HSBC spent 2 years copying it. Then wondered why they couldn't compete.

When the new CEO took over in September, he took one look at the numbers. 400 jobs gone. Customers pushed back to traditional banking. Game over.

HSBC built a "me-too" product in a market that didn't need another player.

They thought their banking infrastructure would be their advantage. Instead, it was their anchor. Too slow. Too heavy. Too late.

Corporate ventures fail when they copy startups instead of playing to their actual strengths.

Zing tried to out-Revolut Revolut. They never stood a chance.

The full Zing autopsy reveals the 2 deadly mistakes every corporate innovator needs to avoid (before burning $150M like HSBC did) → https://lnkd.in/g7aNmWuu

P.S. If your corporate innovation lab is building "the Uber of X" or "the Netflix of Y" — you're already dead. You just don't know it yet.

I spent 1.5 years building a startup nobody wanted. Burned through our runway copying a UK unicorn. Died with 2 months left.

My first startup failure taught me the most expensive lesson of my life.

2022: We launched Staq at Entrepreneur First. Universal API for SME financial data. Digital lenders loved the demo. Big names in our pilot tests. Everything looked perfect on paper.

Reality check: Zero paid contracts.

We fell in love with Codat's model. Their solution. Their success. We wanted to be "the Codat of Southeast Asia."

Fatal mistake.

Here's what actually killed us:

We had zero domain expertise in lending. Never felt the problem ourselves. Never worked in fintech. Just two guys who thought we could copy-paste a UK success story to SEA.

The brutal truth? Our customers didn't need an API. They needed simple automation. But we were too busy building our "comprehensive developer-friendly solution" to notice.

By early 2023, we had 2 months of runway left. Desperate acquire-hire talks. Deal fell through in April 2023.

Game over.

The lessons that cost me everything:
• No founder-market fit = slow death
• Falling in love with solutions = ignoring real problems
• Copying successful models = missing local context

If you're building something you've never experienced, struggling to get paid contracts while everyone "loves" your product — you might be building the wrong thing.

Here's how my first startup failed after 1.5 years (full story) → https://lnkd.in/gsfAAkcg

P.S. The hardest part? Admitting we spent 1.5 years solving a problem that didn't exist. Don't wait that long.

Codat

3 million cupcakes sold in year one. $2.5M acquisition. Then 80 employees lost their jobs overnight.

Twelve Cupcakes sold millions. Then underpaid workers for years. Now they're dead.

Celebrity founders Daniel Ong (radio DJ) and Jaime Teo (Miss Singapore Universe) turned a home baking hobby into an empire. 17 outlets in Singapore. 40+ stores across Asia. Lines out the door every morning.

Behind the counter? Chaos.

While customers queued for Red Velvet cupcakes, staff were getting underpaid.

The shocking timeline:
• 2016: Founders divorced, sold to India's Dhunseri Group for $2.5M
• 2021: Both founders fined $65,000 each for underpaying foreign workers
• 2023: Company lost $463K (ballooned to $1.1M loss in 2024)
• Oct 29, 2025: All outlets shut. Staff informed via WhatsApp at 8pm

One employee posted: "We never received payment for our last month of labor. How to feed our families without receiving a salary?"

Get this: Workers promised S$2,200-2,600 on paper. Actually paid S$200-1,200 less.

For years. While the cupcakes kept selling.

From 3 million cupcakes to provisional liquidation. From celebrity founders to labour law violations. From sweet success to bitter collapse.

Tonight at 8pm, I'm publishing the full autopsy. The 2 critical mistakes that killed them. Every red flag the founders ignored.

Subscribe before it hits → https://lnkd.in/gdDrhgtq

P.S. They sold 3 million cupcakes but couldn't pay 80 salaries. Do the math.

PPS - 80 affected employees are still actively looking for new job opportunities. Please reach out to Geraldine Eroles and other employees if you have suitable roles for them 🙏🏻

Please reach me at grldn.eroles@gmail.com

16 sushi restaurants. $21M in debt. $15.3M in fines.

Australia's biggest worker exploitation scandal just exposed how a "successful" chain was actually a house of cards.

Sushi Bay looked unstoppable. Korean immigrant Rebecca Shin built a conveyor-belt empire across NSW, Canberra, and Darwin. Customers loved the fresh, fast sushi. Investors saw steady expansion.

Behind the scenes? 163 migrant workers getting robbed.

The Federal Court just dropped the hammer:
• $653,129 stolen from staff wages
• Falsified records to hide the theft
• Workers forced to "pay back" their own wages
• Record $15.3M penalty (biggest in Australian history)

Here's the math: They saved maybe $600K by underpaying staff. The penalty? 25x that amount.

Everything collapsed when 2 former workers lodged complaints to the Fair Work Ombudsman about underpayment.

March 2022: Fair Work Ombudsman strikes.
February 2023: Court-ordered liquidations begin.
April 2023: 15 outlets dead.

The collapse was brutal:
• Multiple stores liquidated for unpaid taxes
• $21M total debt left behind
• Only 1 ghost store remains

Tonight at 8pm, I'm revealing the full Sushi Bay autopsy. Why nobody saw it coming. The 2 fatal mistakes that killed a 20-year empire.

The graveyard is full of "successful" chains built on exploitation.

Don't let yours be next.

Subscribe now to get the complete breakdown → https://lnkd.in/gdDrhgtq

P.S. Bad actors get caught. It just sometimes takes 20 years.

80 employees. 8pm WhatsApp: "You're fired. No final paycheck."

Twelve Cupcakes just collapsed overnight.

Celebrity founders Daniel Ong (radio DJ) and Jaime Teo (Miss Singapore Universe) built 40+ stores across Asia. Sold for $2.5M.

October 29, 2025. All staff got the same message:

"Employment terminated immediately. No payment until liquidation. Maybe 6 months."

One worker posted: "How to feed our families without receiving a salary?"

The ugly truth? Workers were being underpaid since 2013. Staff were promised S$2,200-2,600 but paid S$200-1,200 less.

Founders got fined $65,000 each for labor violations.
The company? Another $119,500.

From 3 million cupcakes sold to 80 families without paychecks overnight.

I just published the full Twelve Cupcakes autopsy — how Singapore's sweetest success story became its most bitter collapse.

Full breakdown → https://lnkd.in/gx_VpNes

PS - Video credit to The Business Times and Chloe Lim.

PPS - 80 affected employees are still actively looking for new job opportunities. Please reach out to Geraldine Eroles and other employees if you have suitable roles for them 🙏🏻

December 2022. 2 months of runway left. My fintech startup Staq was dying.

The shame was suffocating. The fear paralysing. Every morning I'd wake up thinking maybe I'm just not cut out for this founder thing.

We built a universal API for SME financial data. Had pilots with digital lenders. VC conversations happening.

But we were already dead.

Wrong team. Fell in love with the solution, not the problem. Didn't validate fast enough. Skipped the most basic step — actually talking to users who desperately needed what we were building.

By April 2023, Staq was officially gone.

I could've avoided ALL of it if I'd just learned from other founders' mistakes first. But nobody was talking about them.

That's exactly why Startup Fxckups exists.

On 27 Nov at 7pm, hosted by SUNRATE, I'm bringing founders who aren't afraid to show you their scars:

Willis Wee built Tech in Asia into Southeast Asia's most influential tech media. Got acquired by SPH for 8 figures. 

Joel Wong scaled Social Jet Singapore - Influencer Marketing Agency to 7-figure revenue with 250+ campaigns and 1,500 creators. 

No polished stories. No fake wisdom.

Just real founders sharing:
• The wrong hires that cost them months
• The pivots that burned through runway
• The "obvious" signals they completely missed
• The expensive lessons they paid for in blood

50 seats only.

Use code "TRV20" for 20% off → https://luma.com/0774rm7j

P.S. The degree to which you're willing to be vulnerable is the degree to which you can grow. Come learn from founders who already paid the price so you don't have to.

P.P.S. Willis seldom speaks publicly nowadays. This is one of the few chances you'll get to learn from him directly.

SUNRATE

Make something people want.

Tech in Asia

Helping Brands Scale With A Full-Funnel Influencer Strategy | Ex E-Commerce Brand Builder

Social Jet Singapore - Influencer Marketing Agency

Just read ALL LinkedIn influencer's predictions for 2026, so you don't have to:

OpenAI is dead.

AGI is dead. 

Em-dash? Em-dead

Economy? dead (tomorrow)

Employees? Automated

9 to 5 - somehow also dead?

996? Kills you 

Remote work is dead.

The office is however also dead.

SEO...dead, again. 

AIO start-ups... dead upon arrival

AI Wrappers in general ... oof dead

Seat-based pricing? dead

Pricing in general. Dead - Free is the new MOAT

ARR. Dead

Sales? Replaced by AI SDRs (who are also dead)

The EU? Dead (consent collected) 

Germany? Dead even before the EU 

Stay positive 🫶

Willis Wee sold Tech in Asia for 8 figures. Now he's spilling his biggest media startup fxckups.

November 27. Our FINAL Startup Fxckups event in 2025. And we're going out with a bang.

Willis built Tech in Asia from a university project into Southeast Asia's most influential tech media platform.

Joel Wong? Scaled from dropshipping streetwear to running 250+ influencer campaigns. Generated 7-figure revenue. 

The media/agency space is brutal. One wrong hire, one bad client, one misread metric — you're dead.

These founders survived. Most don't.

Forget polished panels. This is founders telling you exactly how they fxcked up so you don't have to.

Free dinner. Free drinks. Unfiltered truth about building in media.

26 founders are joining. Only 4 spots left. When they're gone, they're gone.

This is it. Our last one. Don't miss it.

Register now → https://luma.com/0774rm7j

P.S. If you're building anything content-related or in media space, you need to hear these stories. The graveyard is full of media startups that looked unstoppable.

P.P.S Oh, and don't forget to use "TRV20" for 20% off

The day I realised my startup's success depended on me being broken – working 100-hour weeks, sacrificing everything – was the day I understood why most founders struggle with mental health.

Willis Wee sold Tech in Asia for 8 figures. Joel Wong scaled to 7 figures, then built 250+ influencer campaigns. And they're about to spill their biggest media startup fxckups.

These aren't just any founders. They're the ones who actually survived the media bloodbath.

27 November. SUNRATE Singapore. We're hosting Startup Fxckups: Media Edition — where successful founders share the disasters that almost killed them.

This isn't your polished TED talk. No scripted success stories. Just raw, unfiltered truth about what it really takes to survive in media.

Willis built Tech in Asia from a university project into Southeast Asia's most influential tech media platform. Then sold it to SPH Media for an 8-figure exit.

Joel dropped out to build a streetwear brand. Scaled to 7 figures. Then started Social Jet Singapore - Influencer Marketing Agency — now running campaigns for the region's biggest brands with 1,500+ creators.

The media/agency space is brutal if you get it wrong. One bad pivot, one wrong hire, one missed trend — game over.

And right now, with AI eating content jobs and ad costs through the roof, the margin for error is zero.

That's why we're bringing them together. To share the expensive mistakes they made so you don't have to.

What you'll get:
• Their biggest fxckups + learnings
• The exact pivots that saved their companies
• The hiring disasters that almost ended everything
• How they scaled from $0 to 7-figure revenue (and finally got acquired)

Plus open mic session — share your own fxckups and learn from others in the trenches.

Dinner and drinks included. Capped at 50 people — serious operators only.

Use code TRV20 for 20% off → https://luma.com/0774rm7j

P.S. The last Startup Fxckups sold out in 3 days. 50 seats only. Once it's gone, it's gone.

$15.3 million in fines. 163 migrant workers exploited. The biggest worker penalty in Australian history.

Sushi Bay went from a single Sydney outlet to 16 locations across 3 states. National brand. Packed restaurants.

Then the Federal Court found what was really happening.

$653,129 in unpaid wages. Falsified records. Workers forced to pay back part of their wages.

Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth:

"If you deliberately underpay migrant workers and try to cover it up with false or misleading records you will be found out and will pay a heavy price."

The price? Record-breaking penalties. $21 million in debt. Every outlet liquidated except one.

The full story reveals how cutting labor costs became a death sentence.

Read the Sushi Bay collapse → https://lnkd.in/g7V-t6F6

Every week I dissect startup failures so you don't repeat them.

Nowadays when a lawyer viewed my profile, probably the next thing would be receiving a lawyer letter from them.

Just another day of building The Runway Ventures 🤦🏻‍♂️

Which T-shirt would you wear? Design A or Design B.

I need your help.

After 2 years of building The Runway Ventures, we're finally making merch for our community. The designs are ready. But I'm stuck.

Both tested well internally. Both cost the same to produce. Both represent what we stand for — learning from mistakes to become better founders.

But I can only pick ONE.

You've been with me through ~100 startup failures. You get to decide what we wear.

Here's the deal:

Comment "A" or "B" below. Most votes wins. Takes 2 seconds. Seriously.

✌🏻

$27M raised. $5M monthly revenue. 58% gross margins.

Then Sorabel just... died.

Indonesia's #2 fashion e-commerce site. 5 million app downloads. 800 employees. Series C almost closed.

March 2020: COVID hits Jakarta.

Investors couldn't fly in for due diligence. All talks stopped overnight. Fashion demand crashed 70%.

But COVID didn't kill Sorabel.

This did: Since 2016, they never had more than 6 months of runway. Ever.

$60M GMV run rate. Warehouses in multiple cities. Philippines expansion. "Try First, Pay Later" service that customers loved.

All while living paycheck to paycheck.

When the music stopped, they had no chair.

I just published the full Sorabel autopsy. The exact moment they could've saved themselves. Why their rebrand to shed the "cheap" image actually accelerated their death.

Read what really killed Indonesia's fashion unicorn → https://lnkd.in/gMxzsWM3

P.S. They grew revenue 2.4x after rebranding. Still died 18 months later. Sometimes growth is the problem.

1️⃣ BYJU'S: $22 billion
2️⃣ eFishery: $1.4 billion
3️⃣ Builder AI: $1.5 billion
4️⃣ Terraform Labs: $60 billion
5️⃣ FashionValet.: $104.5 million
6️⃣ GoMechanic: $285 million
7️⃣ Investree: $254.5 million
8️⃣ BluSmart: $335 milion

What do these all have in common?

18,000 listings. $34M raised. Founder jailed for a month.

StayZilla was crushing it as the Airbnb of India — until they weren't.

Picture this: 2005, three passionate travellers bootstrap a homestay platform. By 2016, they're hitting 500 bookings daily across 1,200 Indian cities. Matrix Partners and Nexus Ventures write big checks.

February 2017: Operations shut down overnight.
March 2017: CEO arrested, put in jail for a month, bailed out for INR 14 lakhs.

From GodZilla to DeadZilla in 12 months.

The founder himself admitted what killed them:

"I started treasuring GMV, room-nights, and other 'vanity' metrics instead of the fundamentals of cash flow and working capital."

They burned cash educating Tier II and III cities about the internet. They launched discount campaigns that hoteliers gamed through fake bookings. They hemorrhaged money on both supply and demand.

The kicker? 60% of their "growth" during discount periods was hotels booking themselves to pocket the spread.

When they tried raising another $20M with 5 months runway left, investors walked away.

Want the full autopsy of how India's homestay pioneer became its most dramatic startup failure?

Read the complete StayZilla story → https://lnkd.in/g2KNBXVi

P.S. Their balance sheet was so bad, they laid off 210 employees and closed all branches trying to survive. Still died.

Everyone thinks The Runway Ventures is a newsletter.

Wrong. It's your gateway to founders across Asia — an ecosystem that touches founders where they actually live.

The brutal reality about reaching founders in Asia:

They don't hang out in one place. They're scattered across platforms, cities, countries. You need multiple doors into their world.

Most brands waste money on:
• Generic startup newsletters with 5% open rates
• LinkedIn ads nobody clicks
• Events with zero follow-up
• One-off sponsorships that disappear

Meanwhile, I'm building the ecosystem that actually connects you to founders.

Not just eyeballs. 

Real relationships. 
Real conversations.
Real leads & customers.

Q4 sponsorship gets you:
• Newsletter placement to ~20k engaged founders
• LinkedIn visibility to 58,000+ business owners
• Custom advertorial that lives forever
• Event presence with actual founders

Only 2 slots left for Q4.

DM me "Q4" for the sponsorship deck.

✌🏻

taplio

The Battle

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Admond Lee Kin Lim

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taplio

The Battle

Amelia Sordell 🔥

Admond Lee Kin Lim

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Posts

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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);}Amelia Sordell 🔥's LinkedIn Performance

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