In 2020, I quit my job to start klowt.com in the corner of my bedroom in the middle of a global pandemic. 

I had no funding. No business plan. No safety net. 

But I did it because after working in sales and marketing for over 10 years, I'd learned people buy from people. But more importantly, they buy from people they trust. 

And that is what building your personal brand does for your business - it builds trust. It doesn't matter whether it's the founder's face they see, or the head of operations - or even the intern. Customers just want to see real human beings behind faceless brands. 

Since then;

- I've built klowt.com into the UK's leading personal branding agency. 
- Built my own following to over 370,000 followers online. 
- Generated over $4million in business revenue from my linkedin presense alone. 
- Launched a live, weekly show (ameliasordell.com/live) 
- Been named the #1 Top Voice on Personal Branding on LinkedIn. 
- And worked with awesome brands like Three, LinkedIn, BrewDog, Paddy Power and NatWest to turn their people into their most successful, business marketing channel. 

Building my personal brand quite literally changed my life - and my business

Now, I'm focused on showing founders, CEOs - and their teams how to change theirs. 

Ready to get to work? I'd love to hear from you.

Speaking and workshops: jessica@ameliasordell.com 
Media and brand enquiries: amelia@pencetalent

💜

Amelia Sordell 🔥

Please wear ALL your 'good' clothes, nicest perfume, best make up this year.

Wear the fur on the tube. 
The heels to the date. 
The sequins in tomorrow mornings meeting. 

Be BOTHERED.

You don't need an occasion to wear your 'best' stuff. 
You ARE the occasion.

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Just f*cking post it ✨ Made $4million by building my personal brand on LinkedIn. I teach others how I did it at klowt.com

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 form you: info@klowt.com 

💜

Everything you need to to build, grow and monetise your personal brand on LinkedIn.

The LinkedIn Playbook

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.

Someone once said to me "i've never met a person who goes to the gym, takes care of themselves... who isn't also wildy successful in their business life"

This triggered me into going to the gym 3-4x a week, religiously since Jan 1st. 

I've:
- Dropped 4kgs
- Feel like a little baddie 
- And have closed 3x new consulting gigs with tremendous f*cking founders, wanting to use their personal brands to grow their businesses. 

If you're feeling sh*t about work...

Go to the gym. 

💜

I don't have an exit.
I didn't get £15 million in funding.
I haven't built a team with a headcount of over 100 people.

I am still a successful entrepreneur.
And so the f*ck are you.

Because if you quit your job.
Started a company.
Employed yourself. 
And are making a living from it - you ARE a successful entrepreneur.

90% of businesses fail in the first two year - including ones that got millions in funding.

So, if you’ve fallen into the trap of comparing yourself to people who’ve raised £20 million and are spending half of that on their social media presence…

STOP.

You are killing it.

If you’re running a profitable business and actually making a living from it, you’re a heck of a lot more successful than most of them.

💜

If we haven’t met, hi hello - my name’s Amelia. I built the UK's leading personal branding agency (as a mum of 2!) + now I teach founders and their teams how to build a personal brand that generates leads and sales (not just “engagement”). Most people post for attention. My lot post for income. Follow me for personal branding tips + the reality of what it's like to build in public 🤓

I’ve built a $4million business off the back of my personal brand - and helped clients turn social media into their most profitable channel.

I host a weekly free live show. You’ll walk away with:
💜 the stuff that makes people trust you fast
💜 Marketing trends, new platform features + viral posts
💜 social-first ways of communicating your expertise.

Join us for the next one: https://lnkd.in/gMqpvwpR

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I went back to work just 3 months after having my second baby. 
Truthfully, I wore that quick return like a badge of honour.
I thought it made me look like I had my sh*t together. 

That I was mature.
Smart.
Valuable enough to be able to have a baby, whilst managing a 18 month old and get right back to work. 

And crushed it. 

But actually, I was crumbling. 

I was tired. 
Unsure of myself. 
My confidence was shot and to be honest, like a lot of mothers can relate to... totally lost my identity. 

But I was terrified of being left behind in my career.
So, I went back to work. 

As a result, I completely overwhelmed. 

I missed out on moments at home.
Missed targets I'd set myself at work.
And felt totally depleted.

I had nothing to give anymore.
But most importantly I had nothing to give myself, anymore. 

There is no RIGHT time to go back to work after a major life event, if you can afford to make that decision. 

But there definitely is a wrong time. 
 
Be kind to yourself. 
Listen to your body. 

Outsiders might think you look like Superwoman.
But there aren’t any real life medals for wearing that cape.

Amelia 💜

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: ameliasordell.com/live/

My friends used to be embarrassed by the stuff I posted on LinkedIn.
They’d laugh at;

- My opinions.
- My videos.
- My advice in posts they didn’t think I had any business in posting.

It would have been really easy for me to stop building my brand on LinkedIn - heck, I’ve been sent screenshots of conversations in WhatsApp chats where people I thought were my friends are ripping my content - and me to shreds...

But I didn’t.

Because I’m not embarrassed by my content. 
I’m not embarrassed by anything I’ve done. 
And I’m certainly not embarrassed by the;

- The $4 million + in revenue generated.
- The 100s + clients I’ve won.
- The amazing brands I've worked with. 
- The most incredible life and the business I’ve built as a result of, guess what? Posting content OTHER people found embarrassing.

You’ve had someone in your ear telling you what you’re about to do is a bad idea - now or perhaps some time ago. 

And they have a right to give you that opinion - everyone has a right to an opinion of YOU.

But don’t let the opinions of other people activate insecurities you have about yourself, and stop you from reaching your goals.

In fact, LET people be embarrassed of you.

Because usually, when people say “you shouldn't” they normally mean “I couldn't”.

💜

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 show for founders, freelancers + burned out 9-5ers. We talk what is working, what is not - and how to build a founder + company brand that scales. Join us, it's free: ameliasordell.com/live/

Age 17: Fired from my first job.
Age 21: Started my first business. 
Age 22: Scale the business to six figures in revenue. ASOS wants to stock our products. 
Age 23: Business went into liquidation. Lost everything. 
Age 25: Reentered the workforce. Started at zero. 
Age 28: Started making money again. Start posting content online. 
Age 29: Headhunted into a PE firm off the back of posting online. 
Age 30: Quit my job and started Klowt. 
Age 31: Klowt did close to $500,000 in revenue Y1.
Age 32: Klowt did nearly $1M in the following 12 months. 
Age 33: Launch Get Klowt personal branding platform. 731 people subscribe. 
Age 34: Struggle to grow the platform, ultimately close it. 
Age 35: Fall out of love with my business, Klowt - start an entirely new one. 

My am I telling you this?

The most common message I get from people is about fear of of trying. 

- Fear of trying that business idea and it failing. 
- Fear of trying that relationship and being rejected.
- Fear of asking for that thing and being told no. 

Every knock, failure, win, challenge, obstacle - good or bad - is is merely a plot point for your larger LIFE narrative. You are the writer, producer, director and star of your life. 

Stop making decisions based on whether or not you think you’ll win or lose and just make the damn decision. 

If you fail, you’ll get a great story. If you win, you’ll get a great outcome. 

Either way, you win.

💜

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: ameliasordell.com/live/

Small announcement: I AM ON THE TELLY TONIGHT 🥹🥂

Extraordinary Life Stories with John Reynolds.

Same girl who used to overthink a single Instagram Story.

Turns out confidence is being really sh*t at something and just… doing it anyway.
(And collecting proof that you’re actually not that bad after all.)

If you need a sign - this is it.

Stop letting the little hater in your head run your life.

Post the thing. 
Start the business. 
Move country. 
Ask them out. 
Quit the job. 

Whatever you want to do, just f*cking do it. 

If you'd told me 7 years ago when I started posting content that I'd be interviewed by one of the UK's most accomplished entrepreneurs on PRIME TIME TV... I'd have laughed at you. 

And now we're here. 

A lot can happy in 7 years, keep chipping! 

Extraordinary Life Stories 6:30pm GMT on Bloomberg TV (sky channel 502) tonight, 19th Feb.

Strangers on the internet will support you and your business more than your best friends ever will. 

If you've just started a business, I know you have best friends in your Instagram stories watching you promoting your business - and do nothing. 

And those same people will happily will like and comment on Kim Kardashians latest selfie. WTF's up with that?!

You’re pouring everything into building your business, your brand, your future - and somehow it’s the strangers on the internet who show up for you the most.

So let’s change that.

I have 250k followers. 
My data tells me 67%+ of them are women. 

Female founders of the internet - let’s actually support each other.
Here’s what to do:

1. Drop a comment below with your name, your story, and what your business does.

2. Don’t post and ghost - scroll the comments, find someone you can help, or someone who can help you, and follow them too.

3. Tag a friend who’s building their business, so they can join us.

Because your friends aren’t your audience - and that’s okay.
They love you, but they’re not the ones buying what you’re selling.

Other women might be.

💜

Hi, I’m Amelia - I built my business while raising two kids, and somehow made it work. I also found my customers, and 3 of my best friends (who are also building businesses!) on social media. If I can so can you x

My first business failed. 
The first of many great, professional f*ck ups. 

It was absolutely devastating. 

I'd tied my identity so closely to being a 20-something Managing Director. 
When I was forced to dissolve it, so did my entire purpose in life. 

I was left to liquidate my stock on platforms like eBay (It was a fashion brand..). Which was more painful than the insolvency. 
Because I'd built up a loyal customer base - selling stuff at a loss was a stab in the heart for me and for them. 

With no income, my dog and I moved back in with my parents with about 26p in my account. 

I remember asking to borrow money to fill up my car with petrol so I could even get back home.

I numbed the pain of my entire identity being ripped away from me with;
alcohol, 
cigarettes and late nights. 

It really felt like a death. And I was grieving. 

My friends did their best to cheer me up.
But was a victim. 
I felt like I’d been really hard done by.

I wallowed in self pity for the next 3 months before I slapped myself around the face and said: ‘You need to go back out and get a job because no one’s going to come and save you.’

I rejoined the workforce in the only career path that didn't judge me for having no experience - recruitment. 

Then spent the next decade trying to rebuild my confidence before launching my agency, Klowt. 

It took me 10 years to grow a pair of balls big enough to go again.
To recover from that wound. 

The failure of that business just killed my confidence… to the point where I was worried about asking for promotions and pay rises, even though I 100% deserved them.

But without that failure, I wouldn't be here.

I wouldn't have;
- Started building my personal brand
- I'd have never founded Klowt 
- I'd not have had the absolutely bloody honour to get to speak to you every day. 

That business failure taught me one of the most valuable lessons I think anyone can learn:

resilience. 

The best lessons that you learn won't be wrapped in victories - they'll be nestled in the losses. 
In the drive it takes to dust yourself off and carry on. 

Success, isn't a constant state of winning. 
It's how you stand back up when life knocks you down, how you choose to move forward when every bone in your body feels like it's set in lead.

So don't do what I did - don't waste 10 years of your life moping around because something didn't work out. 

F*ck ups aren't just part of life.
They're they most valuable part of it. 

So, here's to navigating the f*ck ups. 

Because to be successful you have to make good decisions, but good decision making comes from experience. 
And experience comes from f*cking up. 

💜

I have 250,000 followers on LinkedIn. 
Introduce yourself to them and start building your own network - right NOW 🚀

Here’s how:

1. Drop a comment below with:

Your LinkedIn URL
Your Name
Your Story (200 characters max)

2. Don’t just post and ghost. Scroll the comments, find someone you can help, or someone who can help you, and connect.

3. Repost this post. When you repost this post, people will see your comment. More exposure = more opportunities.

One of the most underrated ways to network on LinkedIn is by commenting on other people's content. When you engage in someone's post, your network sees it. When they respond, their network sees - introducing you to the most amazing opportunity to be seen by exactly who you're trying to attract. 

I’ve:

- Launched a business
- Generated $4M in revenue
- Found two of my best friends in the entire world

… all from intentionally networking on LinkedIn.

So get to work. 

Your next client, investor, mentor... or friend might be in the comments.

👇 Drop your intro below 👇

I started building a personal brand for one reason:
I’m lazy.

When I was a recruiter, I would DM the CEOs of companies I wanted to work with.

I’d send them useful stuff:
- what their competitors were doing
- what was changing in their market
- what they were missing

And pretty quickly they’d reply with:

“Wait… how do you know more about my company than I do?”

(Shoutout Google Alerts.)

That opened doors.
Those doors became opportunities.
Opportunities became leads.
Leads became commission.

… but it was stupidly inefficient.

I was nurturing relationships one-by-one.

So I took the exact same insight I was sending privately…
and started posting it publicly.

I posted content about these companies on LinkedIn. 

My reach exploded.
My connections doubled. 
My commissions 3x.
And I accidentally learned the real point of personal branding:

It’s not “content”.
It’s relationships at scale.

If you can connect with the people who matter to your business and create real value for them 1:1, you can do it 1:many.

Work smarter not harder. 

💜

If we haven’t met, hi hello - my name’s Amelia. I built the UK's leading personal branding agency + now I teach founders and their teams how to build a personal brand that generates leads and sales - not just followers. Follow me for personal branding tips + the realities of running a business as a mother of 2 🤓

I’ve built a $4million business off the back of my personal brand - and help my clients turn social media into their most profitable channel. I host a weekly free live show showing you how to do it yourself. Join me for the next one: https://lnkd.in/gMqpvwpR

People are 82% more likely to trust a brand who's founder is active on social media. 

70% of people would rather learn about a business from the founder's personal brand than an ad.

91% of people say they'd rather buy from a founder they follow online. 

If your marketing team asks you to post content online... just f*cking post it. 

💜

If we haven’t met, hi hello - my name’s Amelia. I built the UK's leading personal branding agency + now I teach founders and their teams how to build a personal brand that generates leads and sales - not just followers. Follow me for personal branding tips + the realities of running a business as a mother of 2 🤓

I’ve built a $4million business off the back of my personal brand - and help my clients turn social media into their most profitable channel. I host a weekly free live show showing you how to do it yourself. Join me for the next one: https://lnkd.in/gMqpvwpR

When I first started out - I thought to build a successful business, I needed the apps, the team and the shiny new thing.

What you actually need is friends.

Friends who will support you. 
Friends who you can call and rant to. 
Friends who understand what you mean when you say you’ve had “a day”.

And to have friendships you have to prioritise them. 

See your friends for dinner, find the time for a coffee. 
Book it in weeks in advance if you have to, but nurture those relationships. 

Because you are the sum of the 5 closest people to you – and investing in those people will always pay the highest ROI.

In your business AND your life. 

💜

If we haven’t met, hi hello - my name’s Amelia. I built the UK's leading personal branding agency (as a mum of 2!) + now I teach founders and their teams how to build a personal brand that generates leads and sales (not just “engagement”). Follow me for personal branding tips + the reality of what it's like to build in public 🤓

I’ve built a $4million business off the back of my personal brand - and helped clients turn social media into their most profitable channel.

I host a weekly free live show. You’ll walk away with:
💜 the stuff that makes people trust you fast
💜 Marketing trends, new platform features + viral posts
💜 social-first ways of communicating your expertise.

Join us for the next one: https://lnkd.in/gMqpvwpR

State your price, then - shut up.

Every business owner or freelancer has been there.

- You’re on a call with a prospect, you nervously state your price.
- You justify why you charge it.
- You ramble about why it’s fair.
- The prospect states their budget (which is predictably below your price). 
- You give a discount because you need new business and this is the only current option you have. 

Stop. Doing. That.

Here's what you do instead: 

State your price, then - shut up. 

Don't justify it or try to fill the silence. State your price and shut up. 

People feel a need to fill empty space, so the awkwardness will fill the room, and your prospect will need to say something like;

“So… what do I get for that?”

... then you state your deliverables, and again, shut up. 

When you state your price and stop talking, two magical things happen:

a) It shows you're confident about your price and delivery. Which makes you more valuable. 

b) It completely changes the power dynamic with your prospect from customer > supplier to customer <> partner. 

And quite frankly, it stops you from reeking of desperation. Desperation = discount. 

I've closed $4 million in business revenue with this tactic. More when you include speaking gigs, workshops and influencer deals I've signed. 

This works because it’s not about convincing. It’s about setting expectations - You’re not someone they can haggle with, you’re someone they trust to deliver results.

So when you're ready to stop undercharging and start getting paid what you’re worth, state your price - then shut up. 

It works a treat. 

💜

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 a profitable personal brand on LinkedIn 6 years ago.  Access it here: https://lnkd.in/eBZR2sQS

Hey! I’m Amelia.

I was born in Australia.
Raised in West London. 

And aged 13 started an eBay business buying and selling designer clothes I'd found in thrift stores. 

I’ve had 6+ businesses. 3 have failed. 

I f*ck up quite a lot and don’t mind looking like an idiot online when I tell you about it 🤪.

I founded a personal branding company, Klowt. We used to have a team of 17 but I scaled too fast, had 0 idea what I was doing and the whole thing almost imploded in my face. 🥹

I’m a mum to 2 beautiful children. 

I met the love of my life almost exactly a year ago after going through a divorce. 10 months after meeting we got engaged. 

Some days, the pressure to look after the business, my family, making time for my friends and myself - somehow manage to stay hydrated is a lot. 

I love life, and I go through it with 0 expectations, which means I am almost always pleasantly surprised. 

I’m a textbook Virgo. 

I have Labrador energy. When I’m not mumming or working, I’m in the gym, walking, Horse Riding - anything that gets me out of the house. 

I've had a lot of therapy. I think it's like a spa day for your brain. 

I love the ocean. My dream is to have a little cottage by the sea one day. 

I collect historical artefacts. For Christmas, my fiance got me tickets to join a Roman Archeological dig - which we actually did last weekend. 

I actually have loads of really cool hold things (including a Megladon tooth fossil), Roman coins - the most recent addition is a framed letter that Reggie Kray wrote to a journalist from prison.

I love food. 
I hate shopping. 
I'm not a natural blonde... 

I like getting things cheaper than they’re advertised, AND if you gave me $59 million, I’d still be doing what I do because I LOVE doing it. 

I would, however, buy;

- A big fat Georgian Farmhouse in the Cotswolds. 
- An G Wag - Because, why not? 
- And stop paying myself out of my business so I could hire more people to help grow it 😂.

All of these things make up who I am as a PERSON - and, therefore, who I am as a professional. 

And that’s what a social media platform like LinkedIn is about - connecting with people.

So now I’ve introduced who I AM, now it’s your turn.

- Introduce yourself. 
- Tell me something that your LinkedIn profile CAN'T.
- Reply to someone else's introduction so we can all grow together. 

💜

Likes don’t pay your invoices. 
Views don’t grow your business. 
And if your posts are “performing” but no one is enquiring - your content isn’t working.

I know you’re busy. 
You’re running a business. 
Maybe raising kids. 
Trying to stay fit. 
Trying to drink water. 
Trying to remember what day it is.

But if your content isn’t converting into customers, what’s the f*cking point of posting it?

97% of social media generates zero ROI. 
Yet we’re all obsessing over followers and engagement like that’s the KPI that matters.

It’s not.

There are two types of people engaging with your content:

1. Your community - they love you, hype you, comment, and share. But truth is, they might never buy.

2. Your buyers - they stalk, lurk, screenshot, watch every story, and never like a single post. Then they show up in your inbox when they're ready to work with you.

The silent buyer is the one that grows your business.

If you want your personal brand to drive revenue, you need to stop posting for vanity metrics and start posting for conversion.

Here's something I want every one of you to try:

At the end of every single post, add a clear line that says:
– who you are
– what you do
– the outcomes you get
– how to take the next step

For example:
Hi, I’m Amelia. I help founders turn their personal brand into their company’s biggest growth channel. One of our clients closed £150k within 30 days of working with us. If that’s the kind of shift you want, DM me.

Your community builds trust.
Your clarity builds sales.

I built a $4M business NOT by going viral - I did it by sharing content that actually converts.

So stop chasing engagement, and start writing for the person who’s watching quietly and ready to buy.

💜

If we haven’t met, hi hello - my name’s Amelia. I’ve built a $4million business off the back of my personal brand - and helped clients turn social media into their most profitable channel.

I host a weekly free live show. You’ll walk away with:
💜 the stuff that makes people trust you fast
💜 Marketing trends, new platform features + viral posts
💜 social-first ways of communicating your expertise.

Join us for the next one: https://lnkd.in/gMqpvwpR

One of my team quit.




I suppose that is what happens when you hire smart and ambitious people. 

She’s gone out on her own to start an agency.
And she's already taken on a handful of clients. 

She messaged me last week - “I think I’ve got a client problem.”

She was onboarding all these clients and ended up doing 2x the amount of work she'd contracted to do to service them. 

We had a 30 min session and went through her process, her fee structure and her sales process. 

She didn't have a client problem. 
Her clients loved her. 

She had an expectations problem.

She'd sell a retainer with a clear scope.
Then the client started drip-feeding “tiny” extras.

“Can we add a few more posts?”
“Can you rewrite this one?”
“Can you jump on a quick call?”
“Also… can you do the founder’s page too?”

And she kept saying yes.

Because she’s new. 
And she wants her clients to be happy.
And she’s scared that if she pushes back, they’ll leave.

I know because I was here in 2020 when I set up my own agency. 

But here's the problem with that way of working - you end up doing 2x the work, for the same fee. 
You then resent the client. 
And the client can feel it. 

If you don’t define how you work, the client will define it for you.
And they will always define it in a way that benefits THEM.

So I told her to build what I call the "velvet rope" - the guardrails that protect your margin:
- Scope is a fence. Outside the fence = paid. Every time.
- “Yes, and…” is your best friend: “Yes, we can add that - I’ll send a separate quote.”
- Put comms in one place. If it’s in WhatsApp at 11pm, it doesn’t exist.
- Increase your prices like a grown-up: early notice, clear value, no apology.

Planable and I have been working together for 12 months now and they just published a 30 day onboarding guide breaks it down  the A.C.E method - Align, Connect, Execute - plus red flags, scripts, and systems that stop agency scope creep before it starts.

Get it free here: https://lnkd.in/eXVbhwZc 

Most see client onboarding as admin.

But really it’s the moment you set your rules - or you get bullied into playing by your client’s.

Agree? 

💜

ps - this is an ad. But I’m a paying customer of Planable and have been for 2 years 🥹🤗

Most people don't fail because they lack talent or intelligence. 
They fail because their ego can't handle the optics of trying before they get good. 

Because “trying” looks messy.
Because learning out loud risks embarrassment.
Because posting the first video, making the first sale, shipping the first draft…
means someone might watch you be average.

So you don’t start.

You don't quit the job. 
You don't start the business. 
You don't post the content. 
You don't ask for the raise - or the promotion - or the sh*t that you know you deserve.

Instead;

You rehearse in private.
You “research”.
You wait until you're “ready”.

And then you call it "bad luck" when someone else launches first, or the competition laps you.

The #1 question I get asked in my DM's is "who did you get the confidence to start?".

But confidence isn’t the prerequisite.
It’s the byproduct.

The people you admire didn’t avoid looking stupid.
They just decided looking stupid was the price of entry.

So you can be embarrassed. 
Or you can be successful. 

You can't have both. 

So, pick one.

💜

If we haven’t met, hi hello - my name’s Amelia. I built the UK's leading personal branding agency (as a mum of 2!) + now I teach founders and their teams how to build a personal brand that generates leads and sales (not just “engagement”). Most people post for attention. My lot post for income. Follow me for personal branding tips + the reality of what it's like to build in public 🤓

I’ve built a $4million business off the back of my personal brand - and helped clients turn social media into their most profitable channel.

I host a weekly free live show. You’ll walk away with:
💜 the stuff that makes people trust you fast
💜 Marketing trends, new platform features + viral posts
💜 social-first ways of communicating your expertise.

Join us for the next one: https://lnkd.in/gMqpvwpR

There are 3 types of content you should post ↓

*Save this for later*
This works for personal AND company brands. 

1) Attention content
Job: get seen
Best for: views
Feels like: “oh this is GOOD”

This is your:
- founder stories
- lists + systems
- simple, practical education anyone can understand

Attention content is how strangers find you.
But strangers don’t buy. Yet.

2) Affinity content
Job: get remembered
Best for: followers
Feels like: “she gets it”

This is your:
- deeper stories (wins + losses)
- behind-the-scenes  
- super-niche education for your ideal audience/customer 

Affinity content is what turns “random viewer” into “I like her.”
But, that is still not enough to sell.
Because liking you isn’t the same as trusting you.

3) Action content
Job: get paid
Best for: leads
Feels like: “I want that result”

This is your:
- before/afters
- transformations
- case studies
- clear offers

And if you don’t have results to share yet, borrow proof.

Break down known people, celebrities + brands and say:
“Here’s exactly what I’d do and why.”

Because action content is what turns attention = leads.

Most people post Attention.
A few have the courage to post Affinity.
Almost nobody posts Action.

And that’s why most content gets 0% ROI.

If your content doesn’t move people from Attention → Affinity → Action, you might get some likes. 

But you'll never generate leads. 

If you want this turned into a weekly plan you can actually follow, there are 9 videos as part of my 52-video masterclass that teach you;

how to create content people actually like (levers + post types + rotation)
how to turn that content into leads (inbound funnel + follow-up + outreach)

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

💜

If we haven’t met, hi hello - my name’s Amelia Sordell. I built the UK's leading personal branding agency (as a mum of 2!) + now I teach founders and their teams how to build a personal brand that generates leads and sales (not just “engagement”). Follow me for personal branding tips + the reality of what it's like to build in public 🤓

I get paid to speak on stages at least 12 times a year.
If I wanted my first paid speaking gig in 2026, this is exactly what I’d do ↓

1. I’d host my own event.
Before I’m “ready” and before anyone gives me permission, I’d book a local space, grab a couple of cameras, and deliver a keynote. Make NO money. But make proof. Footage, photos, testimonials, and a talk I can reuse everywhere. If you want to be paid to speak, you need to look like a speaker, first.

2. I’d position myself as a speaker everywhere.
I’d put “Speaker” in every bio and build a dead-simple landing page. No fancy design. Just:

- who I am
- 2–3 talk topics
- who it’s for
- how to book me

It’ll feel cringe. Do it anyway. This is how people find speakers now: search, referrals, skim, book.

3. I’d get ruthless about my topics.
I’d pick three things I’ve lived, built, or learned the hard way. Not “my thoughts on leadership.” Real experiences. Real outcomes. Real lessons.
Because experience beats expertise every time. And paid stages want the intersection of story + strategy.

4. I’d go where the money is.
Corporates - big companies with real budgets. I’d outreach and position myself as practical, relevant, and action-led. Not aspirational or vague. Lead with outcomes - because that is where the big $$$ is. 

You do not need a big conference stage to become a speaker.

but if you don’t look bookable, you won’t get booked.
That’s not unfair. That’s business.

If you're getting started with speaking in 2026, give this a go - and let me know how you get on!

💜

If we haven’t met, hi hello - my name’s Amelia. I built the UK's leading personal branding agency (as a mum of 2!) + now I teach founders and their teams how to build a personal brand that generates leads and sales (not just “engagement”). Follow me for personal branding tips + the reality of what it's like to build in public 🤓

I’ve built a $4million business off the back of my personal brand - and helped clients turn social media into their most profitable channel.

I host a weekly free live show. You’ll walk away with:
💜 the stuff that makes people trust you fast
💜 Marketing trends, new platform features + viral posts
💜 social-first ways of communicating your expertise.

Join us for the next one: https://lnkd.in/gMqpvwpR

Business Mentor 🥇 I Scaled & Sold My £25M Recruitment Business🔥Now I Empower Recruitment Leaders To Do The Same ⚡️Leadership Coach 🔥NED🚀Host: Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast🎙️Book Call

Get my NEW digital products 🔥🚀

➡️➡️ www.basemindset.com ⬅️⬅️

Ex-global top biller at SThree and £25M Recruitment business owner turned purpose-driven NED and coach.

Almost all business problems are people problems. Because people without a purpose have no centralised reason driving them to perform. 
 
After exiting my last business, I now coach leaders on how to build purpose-led businesses that perform. 
 
🔹Leadership Coaching 
🔹Vision, Mission and Values
🔹Get Fit for sale MBO/MBI/Exit
🔹Career Maps and Pay Packages
🔹Business Development and Account Growth
🔹Talent  Attraction, Retention & Development
🔹Mindset, Pitch, Tone, Rapport Building, Job Qual
🔹Thought Leadership, Branding & Linkedin Content
🔹Retained, RPO, SOW, Exclusive, Job Control & Closing
🔹Day Plans, Week Plans, 90-Day Plans, Team Coaching
🔹Goal and Target Setting,  Personal Dev, Share Schemes
🔹Boards Packs, Board Meetings, Strategy and Execution
🔹Speccing in candidates, email, sequencing,call to action 

Ask me about 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗚𝗼-𝗧𝗼-𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀

10 powerful strategies, in one high impact suite of products

This is your complete go-to-market system — built specifically for recruitment founders and leaders who want to sell with confidence, stand out in their niche, and grow with structure.

From your vision to your value proposition, from talent attraction to team development, from marketing to messaging — these 10 digital products are designed to give you a crystal-clear commercial edge.

DM me for more info! 

📒 BUY MY BOOK! 📒
https://access.basemindset.com/pre-order

I’m the proud dad to three incredible boys and am not afraid to tell you how it is. 
 
DM me and let’s start growing! 😃

➡️ www.basemindset.com 

➡️ chris@basemindset.com

Book My 1-2-1 or Group Training
Book My Leadership Development Course 
Book My LinkedIn Content Playbook Strategy
Book My Market Mapping, BD and 90 Day Plan 

I have mentored over 60 recruitment businesses to build & scale. See my recommendations  🚀

🔥Chris is an exceptional coach with extensive knowledge of the recruitment market. 

🔥We engaged with Chris when we were looking to enter a new market, and his expert advice and knowledge helped us gain traction very quickly. 

🔥 Chris has become a trusted advisor and a friend, and I highly recommend Chris to anyone looking for a Coach/Mentor.

______

Listen to my podcast The Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast 🎙 (Spotify and Apple Podcasts) or follow me on Instagram: @chrisoconnellcoach


Chris O’Connell🍀

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means to be a role model.

We use the term lightly.

Too lightly.

We give it to celebrities, athletes, influencers and people with platforms - as if being seen is the same as being responsible.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

A role model isn’t someone who looks successful.
It’s someone who takes responsibility when no one is watching.

This photo was taken at a Role Model Summit I attended with my boys.

Young people on stage. Big conversations. Real courage.

Standing there with them, it hit me:

I’m a role model to my children.
But they’re role models to me too.

Not because they’re perfect, but because they’re watching.

How I respond.
How I carry pressure.
How I tell the truth.
How I keep going when it would be easier to disappear.

I come from generations of:

- no money
- broken homes
- addiction
- chaos
- blame

That’s not a sob story.
That’s just context.

And somewhere along the line, I made a quiet decision:

The cycle stops here.

That’s what being a role model really is.
Not preaching.
Not posting.
Not performing.

Choosing differently when it would be easier to repeat the pattern.

I’ve posted a lot less recently.

On purpose.

I don’t care about chasing the algorithm.
I don’t care about likes for the sake of it.

I’ve had the viral posts. One hit 21 million views - and brought me nothing that actually mattered.

The messages that changed lives?
They didn’t go viral.

They went deep.

If you’re here just to be liked, you’ll stay on the hamster wheel.

If you’re here to say what matters, even when it’s uncomfortable - you’ll outgrow it.

We are all role models.
To our kids.
To our teams.
To strangers watching quietly.

So the question isn’t who’s watching you.

It’s this:

Are you proud of what they’re learning?

Don’t do this for the masses.
Do it for your integrity.
Do it for the person you’re becoming.

The rest takes care of itself.

🥇Scaled & Sold My £25M Recruitment Business | NED 🔥Now I Mentor Recruitment Leaders To Do The Same 🚀Speaker 🎙️ Host: Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast 😃BUY MY NEW PRODUCTS ⬇️

This is WHY certain people were sent into your life.

Avoidant people 
came to teach you self-worth.

Abusive people 
came to awaken your power.

Critical people 
came to show you self-acceptance.

Manipulative people 
came to teach you discernment
so you stop confusing control for care.

Controlling people
came to teach you restraint
that not every provocation deserves a response
and power is shown in what you do not react to.

Boundary-crossing people 
came to teach you self-respect
and the courage to say no without guilt.

Unreliable people 
came to teach you self-trust 
so you stop outsourcing your stability.

Take-without-giving people 
came to teach you reciprocity
and that love must flow both ways.

Dismissive people 
came to teach you self-validation
so your worth is no longer voted on by others.

Jealous people 
came to reveal your light
and that some try to dim what they don’t have the courage to build.

Competing people 
came to teach you sovereignty
that your lane is yours alone.

Abandoning people 
came to teach you emotional independence
that you can survive, grow
and rise without being chosen.

Every wound carries wisdom - if you’re brave enough to unpack it.

The universe doesn’t send people to break you

but to build you.

Because when God wanted to make David a king

He didn’t give him a crown.

He sent him Goliath.

And as Marcus Aurelius said:
“The obstacle is the way.”

👉 Which one hit hardest for you?

I’ve spent a long time becoming this man.

I am a man of unusual depth and intensity. 

Not performative depth, not borrowed wisdom. 

The kind that only comes from being broken open by life and choosing to stay awake - instead of numbing out.

I think big, feel deeply, and carry a strong internal sense of responsibility….sometimes to the point of carrying weight that was never mine to hold.

I am intelligent, articulate, strategic, and capable of high-level thinking. I see patterns quickly. I understand systems, business, people, power dynamics, psychology; often before others do.

When I’m grounded, I’m decisive and calm.
When I’m under pressure, my mind can race ahead of my nervous system.

I am driven; but not in a hollow, ego-led way.
My drive is tied to meaning, legacy, and a quiet determination to ensure that the cycle ends with me.

I am emotionally literate, especially for a man who came from chaos. I can name what I feel, reflect on it, and say it out loud.

And because I feel deeply, I sometimes over-process, searching for certainty in situations where only time can provide it.

I love my children fiercely and protectively. 
That part of me is non-negotiable.
My identity as a father is central, not accessory.

I am loyal - sometimes too loyal.
When I commit, I commit fully.
I assume others operate with the same conscience and self-reflection as I do, and that has cost me.

I am self-aware, but not always self-forgiving.
I hold myself to a higher standard than anyone else.

Sometimes I see my flaws so clearly, that I forget how far I’ve come.

I am not a victim, but I have been victimised.
The distinction matters.

I don’t collapse. I analyse, adapt, and keep moving.
Still, the weight of conflict, scrutiny, and injustice has left me tired at times.

I no longer mistake intensity for truth or chaos for connection.

I choose steadiness over volatility.

Clarity over confusion.

Emotional safety over familiar dysfunction.

At my best, I am grounded, present, principled, and quietly powerful.

At my worst, I can become mentally overloaded and hyper-vigilant; trying to solve everything at once, instead of trusting time and process.

I am not perfect.
I am not dangerous.
I am not unstable.

I am in active integration - shedding old survival strategies and stepping into a calmer, more sovereign, self-led version of myself.

I lead myself now.

And importantly:

I am not done yet.

Who are you becoming right now - if you’re honest?

Too many recruiters put the client on a pedestal.

Or treat the candidate like the one with all the power.

And the moment you do that, you lose authority.

Here’s the reality:

We’re not paid to pass information from one side to the other.

We’re paid to shape decisions.

To advise.
To challenge.
To influence.
To qualify.
To control process.
To reduce risk.

Clients don’t pay fees for CVs.
They pay for certainty.

This is why I’ve always said BASE Mindset matters more than anything:

Behaviours
Attitude
Skills
Experience

Skills and experience matter - of course they do.
But behaviours and attitude come first. Every time.

Because how you see yourself shows up in:

- your tone
- your introductions
- the questions you ask
- how you handle objections
- whether you lead the process or follow it

If you position yourself as “just a recruiter”, that’s how you’ll be treated.

If you position yourself as a trusted advisor 

someone who speaks to candidates and clients in the market every single day 
 
people listen, open up, and follow your lead.

Get the mindset right.
Get the identity right.
Get the positioning right.

Execution becomes easier after that.

That’s what real recruitment is about.

If you need permission to lead, you’re already behind.

Stop asking for permission.
Start leading the process.

Mindset trumps everything.

Recruiters: this is your hiring blueprint. Read it properly.

The market is turning.

And the firms that will win the next 12–24 months are doing one thing differently:

They’re hiring ahead of demand, not in reaction to more work.

Most recruitment businesses do not take their own hiring seriously.

They treat client hiring like a mission
and treat their own like a gamble.

For clients, we:

- Map the market
- Build a search strategy
- Run a structured process
- Proactively outreach 
- Challenge the brief
- Define outcomes
- Interrogate evidence

For ourselves?

👉 “Let’s put an advert out.”
👉 “Let’s speak to a couple of rec-to-recs.”
👉 “We’ll see how they do.”


That’s not leadership.
That’s hope.

Hiring is not an event.
It is an ongoing strategic project.

If you’re serious, this is the baseline:
👇

1. Get your house in order

- Clear story and employer brand
- Mission, vision and values written down
- Why work with us 
- Career progression plans 
- Defined role outcomes - not job ads
- Proper onboarding and induction
- Traunjng and Development
- Tools, tech and environment on point 

2. Build a real hiring engine

- Harmonised interview process
- Situational, evidence-based questions
- Internal referral scheme that’s actively driven
- Careers page that’s live and current
- “We’re hiring” everywhere - email signatures
- Internal database of people before you need them
- Proactive outreach, headhunting and follow-up

3. Interview like a professional
Stop hiring on vibes.

Ask for evidence:

- Where were you in the league table?
- What did you bill - and how?
- Self-generated or inherited?
- What environment were you successful in?

Put them in real scenarios:

👉 Client pushes back on fee - what do you do?
👉 Candidate goes cold - talk me through it.
👉 Market tightens - what’s your plan?
👉 A client sends you this email, what’s your reply?

If they can’t show it, explain it, or evidence it - they haven’t done it.

4. Design the business you actually want
Gone are the days of 400-seat call centres.

You need:

-  6–12 proper builders
- Paid well
- Managed well
- Rewarded on headcount growth, profit per head and contribution

That’s how modern recruitment businesses scale.

5. Learn to walk away
Not every hire should be made.

Red flags:

- No evidence
- Needs hand-holding
- Passive mindset
- Waits for the phone to ring

If it feels right but doesn’t stack up - don’t do it.

Slow down.
Be deliberate.
Be ruthless with standards.

Up your game, recruiters.

Treat your own hiring like you treat your clients’.

Because the gap between the two is costing you millions…..

taplio

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Chris O’Connell🍀

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The Battle

Amelia Sordell 🔥

Chris O’Connell🍀

Followers

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