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

Roman Pikalenko 🇺🇦🦩

Turning Impact Leaders into Authority Figures Through Powerful Stories | Ghostwriting LinkedIn & Educational Email Courses ✍️📚

Climate tech founders are building world-changing solutions.But most of them are invisible online.Meanwhile, fossil fuel lobbyists have near-infinite marketing budgets. Greenwashers dominate the conversation. Climate deniers spread misinformation to millions.The people actually solving the problem? They're too busy building to talk about it.That's where I come in.As a climate tech ghostwriter, I build LinkedIn thought leadership for Series A+ climate tech CEOs and founders — helping them take control of the narrative and build visibility that compounds.Here's how it works:→ 6-12 month projects built on weekly or bi-weekly interviews→ I extract your expertise and turn it into content that sounds like you→ Full strategy, content planning, and profile optimization included→ Continuous improvement baked in (that's what Kaizen means)I'm not an agency with 47 writers and a sales team. I'm a solo operator with a limited client roster, which means you work directly with me — every interview, every post, every edit.Results my clients have seen:→ Inbound leads and investor connection requests→ Podcast invitations and speaking opportunities→ Top talent reaching out directly→ Measurable traffic to demos, books, and qualification surveysI've worked with 20+ climate leaders across 4 continents, including 3 LinkedIn Top Voices and a Forbes 30 Under 30 founder. Collectively, my clients have raised $200M+.I've ghostwritten 1,000+ posts and have been running Kaizen for almost 3 years.If you're looking to take control of your narrative and start building your visibility, DM me "climate" and I'm happy to talk more.

Growth Marketer

~ Running company social media marketing operations
~ Running paid ad campaigns on social and Google Ads
~ Inbound and content marketing

Sooo I got featured in SUCCESS Magazine last week 👀

Proper 'pinch me' moment. First-ever feature in a magazine for me.

3 years ago, I was struggling to find a single ghostwriting client.

Now I'm being quoted as a LinkedIn expert alongside career writers who've been featured in Forbes, HubSpot, and the BBC.

The article is about LinkedIn coffee chats — something I've done 100+ of since the pandemic.

A lot of it has helped me gain confidence, build great connections, and meet amazing people. Some ended up as clients.

And it's crazy, it's led me to this.

Link to the full article: https://lnkd.in/dC_MXy2j

And a huge thanks to Kayla Ihrig 🌴 for interviewing me!

Roman Pikalenko 🇺🇦🍉

I turn $10M+ Series A climate tech founders & execs into LinkedIn thought leaders to attract capital & talent | Helped 3x LinkedIn Top Voices & 10+ climate tech founders | Obsessed with solar right now ☀️

Just signed my 7th client. 3 months upfront. 

Solar software founder. First call was with their marketing manager — who became the internal champion (as they usually do). 

The only real challenge? Helping them decide between posting in German or English. I've had clients wrestle with this before, so I put on my consultant hat and broke down the trade-offs. 

The close happened on the 2nd call. 

This is my 3rd solar client now. And what I've noticed is that the more specialized you get, the faster the sales calls go. 

You've already solved their problems for someone else. You already speak their language. 

It's one of those times when I pat my past self on the back and say: "Great job niching down on climate tech, dude." 

February is off to a great start. 
Onwards.

Most solar companies grow by expanding into new territories.

These three grew by going deeper — block by block — in Brooklyn.

Meet T.R. Ludwig, Gaelen McKee, and Mark Cunningham — CEO, President, and CTO of Brooklyn SolarWorks.

Before founding BSW, all three were building careers in solar. T.R. and Gaelen were at Sunrun, driving out to New Jersey and Long Island to install panels on suburban homes.

But they all lived in Brooklyn. And every day, they were driving past a massive untapped opportunity.

The problem? NYC's rooftops aren't like the suburbs.

Flat roofs. Fire code restrictions. Limited space. HVAC equipment everywhere. One of the most complex building codes in the US.

NYC desperately needed solar. But traditional racking systems couldn't work here.

So in 2015, they decided to build solar where they lived — and invented a way to make it possible.

Their idea: the Brooklyn Solar Canopy.

A patented system that elevates panels above rooftop obstacles — creating usable living space underneath.

Mark leads design and engineering, ensuring every system works within NYC's notoriously complex code. 

Gaelen runs operations and product development — turning their hyperlocal insights into a scalable national product. 

T.R. drives business growth and industry advocacy.

Instead of expanding outward like every other solar company, they went hyperlocal.

90% of their 2,500+ projects sit within just 15 zip codes, all reachable from their Gowanus headquarters by car, bike, or even foot.

That local focus gave them deep expertise with NYC's zoning, permitting, and code — and a level of accountability to the communities they serve that's hard to replicate.

→ 2,500+ residential and commercial installations across all five NYC boroughs 
→ Over 40,000 tons of CO2 emissions avoided 
→ Launched Brooklyn Solar Canopy Co to sell their system nationwide 
→ Named a Top Solar Contractor by Solar Power World 
→ T.R. named "Trailblazer in Clean Energy" by City & State New York 
→ T.R. helped pass NYC's City of Yes Carbon Neutrality amendment, unlocking rooftop space for solar across the city

They even donated a full canopy system to CHiPS, a Park Slope nonprofit running a soup kitchen and housing program — right down the street from their office.

I'm convinced every European capital could replicate their success (or partner up with them).

—

Do you think urban solar should be the norm?

—

I share stories of exceptional climate leaders every Monday for #ClimateFounderMondays

Follow me by clicking the bell icon on my profile to be the first notified next week.

Small life update: I'm thinking of going back to study.

It sounds a bit overwhelming.

I'm running a full-time business. Working 6 days a week. And building a new vertical.

But I now have the resources and opportunity to pursue one of my oldest dreams—give it a go at STEM.

Here's the thing:

I sucked at science in middle and high school.

Just completely terrible at it.

But at 27, I'm genuinely curious about it for the first time.

I know how to learn now. And I actually want to understand the science behind the climate work I've been writing about for years.

Helsinki has two great unis for it:

→ University of Helsinki
→ Aalto University

The problem is:

My current degree is a BBA in International Business, so I'd need a new Bachelor's.

And I'm not 100% on the direction yet, but I want it to be climate-focused eventually.

Likely will start with Open University to figure out which path makes sense.

What I'm curious about:

Is there anyone who's done full-time work and full-time studying?

What advice would you give yourself before starting this?

I'd love to hear what worked, what didn't, and what you wish you'd known going in.

—

PS. Working in STEM will also make me a better ghostwriter for climate founders. Understanding the science side of things can only help, right?

He grew up in Oman surrounded by pristine beaches, corals, and desert.

Then he discovered a dead zone the size of Florida sitting right off his country's coast.

Meet Talal Hasan, Founder and CEO of 44.01.

Talal was born into a family of environmentalists in Oman. But he didn't take the obvious path into climate.

He studied French and Business Management in London. Became a corporate lawyer. Spent 10+ years working on energy transactions in the Gulf.

Then he helped launch IDO Investments, a $130M VC fund for the Omani government, investing globally in technology.

The turning point came while working at the sovereign fund.

He read that Oman's coast had the largest ocean "dead zone" in the world — a lifeless stretch of water caused by CO2 emissions being absorbed by the sea.

As someone raised by environmentalists, he couldn't look away.

When he investigated, he found something remarkable:

The problem and the solution were literally right next to each other.

Oman's Al Hajar mountains contain the world's largest surface deposits of peridotite — a rock that naturally turns CO2 into stone.

This process happens in nature. But it takes decades.

Talal's question: what if we could speed it up?

In 2020, he founded 44.01 (named after the molecular weight of CO2).

Here's how the technology works:

→ They capture CO2 from the atmosphere or from industrial processes
→ Dissolve it in water (essentially fizzy water — no toxic chemicals)
→ Inject it into peridotite formations underground
→ The rock mineralizes the CO2 in under 12 months
→ It becomes part of the mineral crystal lattice.

If something did leak? It's a puff of CO2 like opening a soda bottle.

The results have been extraordinary:

→ $47M raised ($42M Series A led by Equinor Ventures)
→ Backed by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures
→ Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, Siemens, Air Liquide, and Sumitomo also invested
→ Won Prince William's Earthshot Prize in 2022 ("Fix Our Climate" category)
→ Won $1M XPRIZE Carbon Removal Award against 1,300+ teams from 80 countries
→ Won another $1M XFACTOR Award in April 2025
→ Partnered with ADNOC to scale in the UAE
→ Partnered with Climeworks (world's leading direct air capture company)
→ 50+ employees across Oman, UAE, and London

And peridotite isn't only in Oman. It's found on every continent.

The US, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia — all have deposits.

Which means 44.01's technology could scale globally.

Their goal: mineralize 1B tonnes of CO2 by 2040.

For context, the IPCC says we need to remove 1 gigaton per year by 2030. 
That's equivalent to all global air travel emissions.

—

Did you know about Talal and 44.01's work?

PS. I share more stories of exceptional climate leaders every Monday for #ClimateFounderMondays

Follow me by clicking the bell icon on my profile to be notified next week 🔔

I'm speaking at Climate Drift on February 9.

And I'm starting with the thing most people get dead wrong:

Metrics.

Someone tells you to "post consistently" and "build thought leadership."

You start posting.

You check likes. You check impressions. You check follower count.

But none of that tells you if it's actually working.

The thing most coaches, courses, and gurus won't tell you:

→ Follower count means nothing if no one's buying
→ Likes don't pay your bills
→ Impressions are out of your control

The metric that matters most? Revenue.

Full stop.

Then you work backwards:

What's your actual goal in the next 6 months? Speaking gigs? Partnerships? Investor intros?

That becomes your North Star metric.

Not likes. Not engagement rate. Your goal.

Then—and only then—do you reverse engineer which social metrics actually correlate to that goal.

On LinkedIn specifically:

→ Likes correlate to topic quality
→ Comments show if people care enough to engage
→ Reposts signal shareability
→ Profile views show if you're attracting the right people

You can't optimize for all of them. You have to pick one.

—

This is what I'll be covering in the first week of Climate Drift's Thought Leadership for Humans program.

It's a 60-minute Q&A on February 9 where I'll walk the cohort through:

• How to tie your content to revenue (or your real goal)
• The hierarchy of social metrics that actually matter
• Platform-specific metrics worth tracking
• How to pick ONE metric and optimize around it

I'll be building a live Notion guide during the session that participants can use after.

If you're in climate and you've been stuck posting without a real strategy—or avoiding posting altogether because you don't know what success looks like—this might be for you.

Katie Gilbert is running an incredible 6-week program to help climate leaders finally build a sustainable thought leadership practice.

And I'm honored to kick it off on Day 1.

Applications close today.

Apply here: https://tally.so/r/68eJDJ 

Tag someone in climate who needs to hear this.

—

PS. Big thanks to Katie Gilbert, Marco Morawec, and Climate Drift for having me. Can't wait to meet the participants.

"The ignorance of how important and efficient LinkedIn is pissing me off."

— Cornelius Schmahl, who helped climate techs raise over $1bn in funding.

This came from a comment exchange last week.

Cornelius works with exits and fundraising at the highest level.

And he's frustrated.

Because founders keep making the same mistake:

They post AFTER fundraising.

Or worse. They ignore LinkedIn entirely until they're desperate for investor intros.

That's backwards.

When you wait, you're stuck with the "normal" rejection rate. 200 asks. 1 yes. And everyone tells you that's just how it is.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Two of my clients right now:

→ One in sustainable materials
→ One in deep tech

Both are getting investor inbounds every single month.

All because we’ve been building their visibility for the past 2 years (largely before they needed money).

If you scramble last-minute for intros = desperation.
If you build visibility proactively = credibility.

Investors can smell the difference.

If you're fundraising in the next 6-12 months:

1/ Pick a posting frequency that feels comfortable (once/week or every two weeks)

2/ Pick 3 content styles to rotate:

→ Founder journey
→ Industry commentary
→ Problem-solving content

3/ Publish and stay present.

Everything else is optimization.

You don't need a perfect strategy.
You need to start before you're desperate.

Tag a founder who needs to see this.

Last Friday, I spoke at Climate Drift's Thought Leadership for Humans program.

The Q&A after was fire. Here are 6 questions I got from people in climate (and my honest answers):

Q1: Will AI replace ghostwriters?

Think of AI like Photoshop was for graphic designers. It's a tool, not a replacement. My job isn't writing posts — it's building your presence, course-correcting when things go sideways, and extracting stories you didn't know you had. AI can't do that. If anything, AI raised my client cap from 5 to 7.

Q2: LinkedIn reach is dropping. Should I even bother?

The reach is declining because LinkedIn is going the Facebook route — incentivizing people to pay for distribution that used to be free. But you don't need 50,000 impressions per post. You need the right 50 people to see your post and start a conversation. Focus on profile views, # of conversations started, or revenue as the right metrics.

Q3: Should I start with LinkedIn or an email newsletter?

LinkedIn is your distribution channel. Email is your middle channel. If you start a newsletter without an audience, you'll need to drive traffic from somewhere anyway. Start on LinkedIn. Build the list from there. Then email becomes your insurance policy when the algorithm gets worse.

Q4: I have multiple goals — speaking, advising, growing my business. How do I choose?

You can't pursue them all at once. Something always has to give. For example, if you want to speak and advise? Podcasts are a stepping stone — you build credibility for advising while getting reps as a speaker, without traveling.

Q5: Should I expand to Twitter or Bluesky?

Only if you've maxed out your current platform. Take your 20-50 best-performing posts from LinkedIn and use them as your starter library on the new platform. If you don't have that library yet, you haven't finished building your foundation.

Q6: How do I build an audience in a niche I'm new to?

Borrowed credibility. Highlight people already in the space. I do this every Monday — I pick a lesser-known climate tech founder and tell their story. Tag them. Connect beforehand. 2 out of 3 times, their network engages and a chunk of them follow you. You're borrowing their audience by giving them recognition.

—

These questions came from a variety of people:

Small business owners
Heads of startup incubator programs
Jobseekers
Climate scientists

If you're in climate and want to start building your LinkedIn presence but don't know where to begin, follow me. I share stuff like this regularly.

What question would you add to this list?

PS. Huge thanks to Katie Gilbert and Marco Morawec, for inviting me as a speaker once again 🙏

≈30% of climate tech prospects tell me the same thing:

"We want to try ghostwriting in-house before outsourcing."

Easier said than done.

Their exec or founder needs to be on LinkedIn.

But has zero time to write.

Hiring a ghostwriter feels expensive ($5-10k/month) or culturally off.

So marketing gets told: "figure it out."

The problem?

Marketing teams at Series A climate startups (usually 1-3 people) don't have ghostwriting training.

They can write blog posts. Press releases. Website copy.

But exec LinkedIn? That's a completely different skill.

You need to:

→ Sound like the founder (not like marketing)

→ Extract ideas without making it a homework for the CEO/exec

→ Write posts that drive business outcomes, not likes

Most marketing teams are left guessing.

So I'm thinking of running a workshop to teach climate marketing teams how to do this in-house.

One high-quality post per week so your exec/CEO/founder has a consistent presence.

Something you can execute with the existing internal resources.

Before I build this, I want to understand if it's actually useful.

Two questions for climate marketing teams:

1 - Have you ever considered building in-house ghostwriting expertise?

2 - If yes—what's your BIGGEST blocker right now?

Drop a comment or DM me.

I want to know what would make this a no-brainer vs. just another workshop nobody rewatches.

I've ghostwritten for the same climate tech CEO for 20+ months. Last week, he told me my questions had become useless.

He was right.

For the first 12-14 months, every weekly call produced gold. I'd ask about customer stories, product updates, market reactions — and he'd give me frameworks, contrarian takes, and insights I couldn't find anywhere else.

350+ posts later, I noticed a change.

His answers started getting shorter. Fewer details. I'd ask about a new customer and he'd say "it's the same story, you can make it up.”

I kept pushing. Better questions. Different angles.

It didn't help.

Then last week, he said it directly: "Your questions don't uncover more depth. They feel repetitive."

And he was right. I’ve hit the ceiling with my question bank and was going out of my way to be ‘creative’ and uncover ‘novel’ angles.

That wasn’t working.

So now we're rebuilding the system:

→ I double down on research. Industry data, policy shifts, market examples.

→ I draft the angles and bring them as finished concepts instead of questions.

→ His role shifts from answering questions to correcting my framing.

→ The calls go from weekly to bi-weekly. Shorter. More focused.

I'm betting his corrections and disagreements will produce better content than my questions in the last 1-2 months did.

We're testing it now. I don't know if it'll work yet.

But it got me thinking:

The best ghostwriting relationships aren't static. The system that works at month 3 might break at month 15.

If it does, it’s a signal that your content partner has absorbed enough context to operate differently.

And that’s ok.

—

PS. If you're talking to a ghostwriter, ask them for examples of how their process has evolved when working with clients for over a year. This will give you a good idea whether they are someone who can adapt to you or if they are too rigid.

Had a wild conversation with a client this week.

He used to run a solar company. Built the team. Set up the processes. Hired good people.

And one day he's sitting in his office thinking: "I have nothing to do."

Not in a good way. He felt useless.

What messed with his head the most:

Someone on the warehouse floor asked him a simple question. Something like "hey, we forgot to do this on a job — should we go back?"

His gut said: "Yeah, go back."

But that one answer? That was him making a decision his manager should've made. Without context. Without the full picture. Without anyone else knowing.

And every time he did that, he was quietly undermining the people he hired to run things.

So he had to unlearn the one thing every founder is wired to do — solve problems on the spot.

Instead, his answer became: "Talk to your manager. Follow the process. They'll figure it out."

Brutal for a problem-solver. But necessary.

Once he stopped being the answer machine, he had all this mental bandwidth. 

So he started tinkering with a recurring problem he kept seeing across the industry.

That problem became a product. That product became its own company. He eventually exited the first business entirely.

The "useless" phase wasn't a dead end. It was a signal that he'd outgrown the role — and was ready to grow as a CEO. Or, in his case, to also build the next thing.

This is the kind of stuff that comes up in my weekly calls with founders. I frequently get feedback like:

"I didn't expect this to come up today."
"Idk how you pulled these out of me."
"Came completely unprepared. Yet we covered so much."

This is my bread and butter.

The tiny details.

The stuff that no AI will ever be able to replicate.

—

Have you ever felt useless in your own company?

Curious if other founders can relate.

Earlier on Monday, I woke up tired. Again.

After some self-reflection, I realised I'm a workaholic. And it's kicking my ass.

It's cut into my personal life, my health, and my future goals.

→ I've become more irritable (because I'm always working)
→ I've become obsessed with sleep optimization (because I wake up tired)
→ I've become afraid of actually committing to big goals like studying (because I'm overworked)

Not exactly peak decision-making state.

My coaches, Loz & Baz, helped me figure it out.

So I'm doing something that might sound trivial to most, yet kinda crazy to me:

→ I want to start working only 5d/week. At least for a couple of months.

I'm fast approaching a 3-year anniversary of my business, and for as long as I can remember, I've worked 6-7 days per week.

It's caught up with me.

No bueno.

My plan:

→ Keep all calls to Mon & Fri only
→ Have strict lunch & dinner breaks
→ Work on writing efficiency for clients

And learn how to do nothing for 1 day a week 🫠

Anyone else working 6-7 days a week and pretending it's fine?

PS. A friend of mine once told me I need to get out and touch grass more. Guess it's time lol

PPS. Photo of me in Japan when I wasn't a workaholic (felt good).

Aaron Nichols has generated 1.5M+ LinkedIn impressions in the solar industry using 4 storytelling rules. 

I took his framework and made it 10x easier to apply (with AI's help): 

Quick context: 

Aaron is a marketer at Exact Solar who built his entire audience by doing what most companies refuse to do... 

Leading with story instead of stats. 

His 4 rules are designed to help you: 

- Open posts with stories people actually feel (not data dumps) 
- Speak to what your audience already cares about 
- Simplify your message so a 14-year-old could get it 
- Sound like a real human, not a corporate press release 

His framework was great. 

But there was one problem: 

Aaron shared the "what" but not a system to apply it consistently. 

So I took his rules and built: 

- A pre-publish checklist to audit any post against all 4 rules 
- And a copy-paste AI prompt that scores your draft and tells you exactly what to fix 

Want to give it a try? 

Like this post 
Comment "story" 

I'll send it to your DMs. 

PS - The AI prompt alone is worth grabbing. Paste any draft in and it returns a scored audit with specific rewrite suggestions. Takes 30 seconds.

Aaron Nichols' 4 Rules of Storytelling Framework

I spent 3 years building a 4-level batching system so I could take a 2.5 week vacation with 6 clients.

Here's how each level forced the next (and why I'm now scaling to 7 without adding hours):

The forcing function was Japan.

I planned a 2.5 week trip and realized my system would collapse if I stepped away. So I spent 2 months building a month's worth of content buffer for all 6 clients.

Just to buy myself a real vacation.

That constraint became the catalyst for Level 4.

At first, I was batching one week at a time.

Ideation → hooks → outlines → drafts → edits → visuals → submission.

All in one go.

Worked fine for 2-3 clients. Broke immediately at 4.

So I increased batching to 2-3 weeks per client.

Longer calendar blocks. Smoother process.

Better. Still felt like racing the clock.

Then I split the process.

Day 1: Ideation, hooks, outlines, v1 drafts.
Day 2: Finishing drafts, visuals, editing, submitting.

Got me to 6 clients. Where most people stop.

But here's where it gets interesting.

I noticed every client has daily themes. My sustainable materials founder:

→ 2 posts/week on denim insulation
→ 1 post/week repurposing from 300+ archive
→ 1 post/week on Australian manufacturing
→ 1 post/week on company updates

Instead of batching by "weeks," I started batching by topics.

Pick "denim insulation." Create 4-6 weeks of content on that single theme.

Then "Australian manufacturing." Same thing.

But here's the key—and this is what most people miss:

I combined this with a buffer.

Weeks 1-2: Create the standard 2-week batch.
Weeks 3-4: With everything ahead, I have breathing room to focus on topic-based batching.

By week 3, I have almost a month's worth prepared. 80-90% done.

By weeks 4-6: The compounding is so efficient I can plan and draft content for the next 1-2 months.

This is the system that lets me manage 6 clients without working weekends.

And it's the same system I'm now using to scale to 7 — without adding hours.

—

Most climate tech founders I work with have the opposite problem.

They're not batching 6 clients' content. They're struggling to post consistently for themselves.

They know LinkedIn matters for fundraising, hiring, and partnerships.

But they don't have time to figure out the system.

So every Monday, I send out the exact strategies I've built ghostwriting for climate tech leaders who've raised $10M+ — broken down so you can use them yourself in 10 minutes per week.

430+ climate founders already get it.

Join them here (free): https://lnkd.in/ezCxpYcH

This former SpaceX intern and MythBusters contestant just raised $35M to sell sunlight at night.

Meet Ben Nowack, Founder & CEO of Reflect Orbital, and his team.

Ben, 29, from Cape Cod, spent his childhood obsessed with energy.

He explored damming oceans. Flattening mountains with gravity batteries. Latching onto the moon with a cable.

Every idea too big. Too impossible.

Until he found one that wasn't.

Ben started documenting his DIY engineering projects on YouTube at 17.

Built underwater robots. Launched weather balloons. Tested rocket engines.

His channel "BenNBuilds" became his portfolio.

That's how co-founder Tristan found him. High schooler watching YouTube videos of a guy building space experiments in his garage.

At 21, Ben interned at SpaceX. Twice. Production engineering, then propulsion on Crew Dragon.

Then competed on MythBusters: The Search on Science Channel.

All before turning 25.

In 2021, he founded Reflect Orbital to solve one ambitious challenge:

"Solar is unstoppable. Everyone's installing panels everywhere. But sunlight turns off. It's called nighttime."

His solution? Place mirrors in orbit to reflect sunlight onto Earth after dark.

The technology:

Constellation of satellites with 18m x 18m reflective surfaces. Each can project a 5km-wide spot of light anywhere in the world after sunset.

Target customers: Solar farms needing 24/7 generation. Construction sites. Industrial facilities. Disaster zones.

They use lightweight polyester film instead of heavy materials.

Cost dropped to 1/90th of conventional orbital reflector models.

Making space-based sunlight economically viable for the first time.

The traction so far:

→ $35.2M raised (Sequoia's first space investment since SpaceX in 2020)

→ 260,000+ organizations requesting collaboration

→ $1.25M US Air Force contract (May 2025)

→ First satellite EARENDEL-1 launching April 2026

→ Vision: 4,000 mirror satellites by 2030

Ben's not building this because it's clever.

He's building it because solar has one fatal flaw. It stops working half the day.

"Sunlight is Earth's most universal resource. My mission is to let it transcend night, and shine wherever it's needed most."

—

What "impossible" climate ideas are you following?

#ClimateFounderMondays

"Our proprietary bio-based polymer formulation provides a functionally equivalent alternative to petroleum-based packaging substrates." 
Vs. 
"We make packaging from farm waste instead of oil. It's just as strong." 

Same company. Same technology. Same facts. 

But only one version gets read on LinkedIn. 

If you're a climate tech founder posting technical content that gets 12 likes from your team and zero engagement from investors, customers, or talent... 

The problem isn't your ideas. It's your language. 

I built a free guide that teaches you how to simplify any LinkedIn draft using 5 Hemingway rules specifically adapted for climate tech writing. 

It includes:

→ 5 rules with climate-specific examples (kill adverbs, active voice, short sentences, plain language, one idea per sentence). 

→ 5 full before & after rewrites across solar, water tech, sustainable packaging, energy efficiency, and alt proteins. 

→ A jargon-to-plain-language swap table you can reference anytime. 

→ A copy-paste AI prompt that takes your draft and returns a simplified version with a change log for every edit. 

The AI prompt is the real gem. It scores your draft on complexity, flags the exact sentences dragging it down, rewrites the whole thing, and explains every change. 

Want it? 
Like this post 
Comment "hemingway" 

Send me a connection request so I can DM you

I'll send the link ASAP. 

PS - Unlike the free Hemingway app, the AI prompt inside actually suggests edits and ranks your drafts in a more iterative way so you don't have to pay for Hemingway AI Pro.

My solar client said something the other day that stuck with me.

We were talking about solar installation and maintenance.

He said: "Anyone can install a panel. But are you gonna be there when something breaks?"

He made a point about offering ongoing O&M services as a source of revenue.

And you know what?

It's the exact same thing I have to explain with AI and content.

Anyone can open ChatGPT and write a LinkedIn post.

Cool. You got a post. Maybe it's even good.

But what happens when:

→ Your engagement drops for 3 weeks straight?
→ A post accidentally misrepresents your tech?
→ Your messaging needs to pivot mid-fundraise?
→ Your content attracts the wrong audience?
→ You run out of things to say by week 4?

ChatGPT won't diagnose that. It won't jump on a call with you. It won't adjust your strategy based on what the data is telling us.

That's what a premium ghostwriter is for.

The true value of a ghostwriter isn't the writing.

It's the maintenance and ongoing consulting.

The weekly calls. The pattern recognition. The "hey, this angle isn't landing — let's try this instead."

It's someone who knows your voice, your audience, and your goals well enough to course-correct before things go sideways.

AI will only amplify the mistakes you make along the way.

—

If your LinkedIn content feels like it's collecting dust, send me a DM.

I offer free 45-min LinkedIn funnel audits for anyone in the climate space.

Your competitors' founders are posting 3x a week.
Yours hasn't posted in 3 months.

I've watched this play out with dozens of Series A marketing teams.

The CEO says "I don't see the ROI."

And you're trying to convince them otherwise.

When talking to the CEO, remind them of these 3 risks:

Risk 1: Your sales cycles stay at 12-18 months when they could be 6-12.

Founder visibility builds trust before the first call. When prospects already follow your CEO, they walk in saying "we've been watching you for months."

Risk 2: Competitors own the narrative while you stay invisible.

When buyers search for solutions in your space, they'll find your competitor's CEO. They'll see their takes, their frameworks, their POV.

Risk 3: You waste 90% of your organic reach by relying on the company page.

Personal profiles get 10x the visibility of company pages. Every post your CEO doesn't write is reach you're leaving on the table.

So what do you actually say to a CEO who "doesn't see the ROI"?

Stop positioning LinkedIn as social media. Reframe it as:

→ Series B prep (you need 12-18 months to build momentum)
→ Talent magnet (top candidates look at founders before applying)
→ PR strategy (journalists scan LinkedIn to decide who to cover)
→ Sales enablement (gives buyers the proof they need to convince their boss)
→ AI search optimization (the better your content is, the more likely it shows on AI searches)

And it's especially true if you're in climate tech.

—

What are some other risks you see from NOT building your visibility online?

I haven't talked to one of my clients in over a year. And she's one of the best-performing accounts I manage.

Her exec syncs with me monthly. She reviews content in 10-15min per batch. 
And her posts consistently attract investors, partners, and customers in her space.

How?

We spent months building the foundation — her voice, her positioning, her themes. Once that was locked in, the system runs without her needing to be in every conversation.

But that's not how most of my client relationships work.

Here's the full breakdown across my 7 clients right now:

- 4 clients are on a weekly cadence. 45-50min calls where we go deep on what's happening in their business, industry, and head. I ask questions. They talk. I turn it into content.

I like weekly because it keeps the context fresh. New deals, new conversations, new opinions — that stuff has a short shelf life. If I wait too long, the moment's gone. These are also founders that are involved in the daily business activities so they have rich context to share.

- 2 clients are on a bi-weekly cadence. Heavier travel schedules, board-heavy months, more visionary people. We batch more per call, and I lean harder on async — voice notes, Slack messages, articles they've shared.

- And then the monthly setup I mentioned above.

There's no single "right" cadence. The best setup is the one that matches:

How a founder actually works
Their communication style
And their schedule

Some founders think best out loud on calls. Others drop fire voice notes at 11pm. One client sends me regular articles he reads with his thoughts on it.

I even had a CEO who'd jump on random WhatsApp calls for 10-15min in the moment of inspiration.

My job is to meet them where they are.

—

If you've been putting off LinkedIn because you think it means another weekly meeting on your calendar — it doesn't have to.

What's your best format for sharing your thoughts? On calls? Via text? Voice notes?

Would love to know.

"The country that's first to fusion powers the global economy for generations."

— Bob Mumgaard, CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

As I explore STEM opportunities, I couldn't stop researching fusion energy and Bob's work.

Here's why this matters (and how it's connected to the climate crisis):

Bob Mumgaard wasn't always a fusion CEO.

He was a Nebraska kid who met his future COO on day one of Math 106 at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

They became roommates.

Years later, Bob went to MIT for his PhD in plasma physics. His buddy Steve Renter got an MBA at Harvard and worked as a drilling engineer at BP.

For years, they had a standing meeting:

Every Thursday night at the Muddy Charles pub in Boston.

Bob talked fusion. Steve talked startups.

By 2018, those beer meetings became Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS).

By 2026, they've raised almost $3 billion.

Their core idea:

Traditional fusion reactors are massive and take decades to build.

Bob's team at MIT figured out how to make them dramatically smaller using high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets.

In 2021, they built and tested the most powerful fusion magnet ever created on Earth.

10 tons. 8 feet tall. 165 miles of superconducting tape.

That magnet proved the physics works.

Now they're building SPARC — a compact tokamak in Massachusetts designed to produce net fusion energy by 2027.

If SPARC works, it’ll change the entire industry.

—

Why this matters for climate:

Solar and wind are great. But they're intermittent.

The world needs clean, 24/7 baseload power that doesn't depend on whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing.

Fusion is that solution:

→ Unlimited fuel (hydrogen from seawater)
→ Zero carbon emissions
→ No radioactive waste
→ 24/7 power, rain or shine

Google signed a 200 MW power purchase agreement with CFS. The largest corporate fusion energy deal in history.

Eni signed a $1B+ deal.

And if SPARC hits its target in 2027, Virginia gets the world's first commercial fusion power plant (ARC) in the early 2030s.

400 MW. Enough for 150,000 homes.

And they’re not the only ones.

China has invested $6.5B+ in fusion since 2023.

The race is on. And it's closer than most people think.

What makes Bob's story stand out to me:

He didn't wait for governments or universities to move slowly.

He took decades of MIT fusion research, commercialized it, and convinced Google, Bill Gates, and NVIDIA to bet billions on his vision.

From Thursday night pub meetings to building the sun on Earth.

That's the kind of audacious climate tech thinking we need more of.

—

What "impossible" climate ideas are you following?

And whose work shall I feature next Monday?

#ClimateFounderMondays

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