Serial Entrepreneur (2 exits) & Growth Advisor • Founded AllPaws (Sold to PetSmart) • Co-Founded Saturday App & Snap Interactive (100m users & $100m revenue)

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝗠 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 & $𝟭𝟬𝟬𝗠 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 • 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿 𝘄/ 𝟮 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘀 • 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Serial tech entrepreneur, business operator, and strategic advisor with deep experience starting and growing consumer-digital businesses. 

As a growth and product-driven startup founder, I have a proven track record of building and growing innovative products used by millions. I have achieved successful exits while overseeing multiple C-Level executive roles for publicly traded, growth stage, and venture-backed startups. I have a bias for action and a passion for solving big problems. Proven ability to innovate and deliver rapid revenue and user growth. 

At the intersection of my passion for pets and online dating expertise, I co-founded AllPaws. This innovative, online dating-style pet adoption platform quickly gained millions of users and was acquired by the pet industry leader, PetSmart. 

Before that, as co-founder I helped build and lead publicly traded SNAP Interactive from inception to rank as the 36th fastest growing technology company in North America with 4,400% revenue growth over 5 years, $20 million+ in annual revenue, and over 100 million users of our online dating apps and social products. 

Today, I advise businesses and startups on optimizing their digital and product growth strategies. Additionally, I coach entrepreneurs and business leaders on building high-income personal brands, and advise top influencers, models, and creators on growing and monetizing their audiences.

I continue to work on new projects, explore new opportunities, and advise. 

Been featured in ABC News, Bloomberg, Good Morning America, TechCrunch, Fox 5 News,  Huffington Post, Mashable, Forbes, Fast Company, Business Insider, and many other top tier publications. 

SPECIALTIES: Growth, Optimization, Digital Strategy, Product Strategy, Personal Branding 

Start-ups | Digital Strategy | General Management | Product Strategy and Development |  Rapid Revenue Growth | Strategic Vision | User Growth & User Acquisition | Marketplaces | Business Strategy | Business Operator | Problem-Solving | Business Operations (CEO, COO, GM) | Product Management | Conversion Optimization | A/B Testing | Web and Mobile Analytics | Mobile Applications | Mobile Growth | iTunes App Store Optimization | e-Commerce | Social Media Marketing & Strategy | M&A Process | Pet Industry | Online Dating Apps

Darrell Lerner

Back to when Syndicate 11 first began.

We've come so far. And still have so much further to go.

2x Exited Founder & Growth Advisor • Built AllPaws (Acquired by PetSmart) • Co-Founded SNAP Interactive (100m users & $100m revenue)

Syndicate11 | Top Creator Network for High-End Brand Experiences & Activations | 600+ Creators • 600M+ Reach | Seen in: TEDx, NY Post, Rolling Stone, People, New Beauty | NYC

When the room is right, everything compounds.

Syndicate 11 kicked off with a private menu launch at Short Stories in partnership with Limantour, ranked among the World’s 50 Best Bars, bringing together top creators, models, and artists for an intimate dinner.

The evening was fully reserved for members and partners. Limantour crafted bespoke cocktails created specifically for the night, alongside a guided tequila tasting in partnership with Cierto Tequila woven throughout the experience. Family-style dishes rolled out course by course, designed for conversation and shared energy around the table.

Wax-sealed branded menus. Custom cocktails. Hand-filled glass bottles inspired by Limantour’s world-famous recipes in gift bags tied into the Mexican theme. Elevated branding that felt intentional rather than loud. 

High intention. High trust. Carefully curated rooms where real connection happen.

Syndicate11 is now a 600+ creator network representing 600M+ in combined reach, built around unique monetization opportunities and one-of-a-kind experiences where top talent grows, owns, and monetizes their audience.

If you are a brand looking to partner on a curated, invite-only experience send me a message.

Big thank you to Darrell Lerner for bringing us all together

At A Better Jones, I help startups, small businesses, and solopreneurs accelerate their growth. 

A Better Jones

If I could only give one piece of advice to entrepreneurs struggling to grow…

It would be this:
 
Less. But better.
 
That’s the shift that changed everything for me.
 
Last year, after 6 years of trying to do everything...
 
→ I hit multiple 6-figures
→ I started scaling toward 7
→ I felt more joy, more momentum, and more clarity than ever before
→ And I finally started building a business that felt like mine
 
But let me be clear:
 
That didn’t happen because I added more.
 
It happened because I cut.
 
I spent my first 6 years doing all the things:
 
• Showing up on every platform
• Offering 5 different services
• Starting new projects every few months
• Trying to scale before I had a strong foundation
• Always feeling behind, scattered, and overwhelmed
 
Sound familiar?
 
Here’s what changed:
 
→ One Ideal Client
→ One Offer Ecosystem
→ One Core Platform
→ One Clear Message
 
That’s it.
 
And it worked.
 
Because growth doesn’t come from volume.
 
It comes from alignment and focus.
 
Less. But better.
 
💬 DM me ‘MILLION’ if you’re ready to get clear, cut the noise, and finally scale with a business that feels as good as it grows.

Kasey Jones 🏔

I help consultants end referral reliance and reach systematic, predictable $30k+ months via differentiated positioning & leverage, instead of headcount & time | 31k+ News Subs | Mix of Jocko Willink & Mr. Rogers

I used to scope projects based on what the client told me.
 
30 days in, I'd realize they had no idea what was actually wrong.
 
They weren't lying. They're symptom aware, not problem aware.
 
And I'd end up in a lose-lose-lose situation every time.
 
Until I stopped trusting their self-diagnosis and started leading with discovery.
 
👉 Swipe through to see the 3 traps—and how to avoid them

Carousel - 3 mistakes I made when I started working with c

I used to find sales calls really draining.
 
Even once I got clear on my offer, the calls were still harder than they needed to be.
 
Because even when YOU'RE clear, if your prospect isn't — you're doing double the work.
 
So I built 7 emails that go out between...
 
"Call booked" and "Call happens."
 
Now my prospects show up already knowing:
 
→ Who I am
→ How I think
→ And Why I'm different.
 
The call becomes the easy part.

I broke down the entire Booked-to-Bought Sequence in a recent newsletter — every email, what to include, and why it works. Link is in the comments.

XOXO,
Kasey

[Carousel] What I wish I knew before I started taking sale

You don’t need to be louder.
 
You need to be less filtered.
 
Because here’s the truth:
 
Your content isn’t falling flat because you’re bad at writing. It’s falling flat because you’re trying to be liked.
 
And here’s how that shows up:
 
1️⃣ You edit the bold thing you actually wanted to say.
 
You write the spicy thing first.
 
Then you water it down to sound “professional.”
 
And suddenly, your truth becomes just another “value post.”
 
→ Magnetic brands don’t soften the edge.
 
They own it.
 
2️⃣ You post what you think you should say—not what you need to say.
 
You sound smart.
 
You’re “on brand.”
 
But it’s missing the part that actually moves people.
 
→ Likability blends in.
 
Magnetism stands out.
 
3️⃣ You keep trying to resonate with everyone.
 
So you play it safe.
 
You shrink your voice.
 
You become forgettable.
 
→ If no one’s pushing back, no one’s leaning in either.
 
The shift is simple (but uncomfortable):
 
Stop posting for approval. Start speaking from self-trust.
 
👉 DM me Toast and I’ll send you access to the Toast & Roast Library — real audits of real brands, showing what’s working, what’s not, and how to shift from “likable” to magnetic as hell.

Here's what those 6 months looked like:
 
• Great engagement on LinkedIn. 
• Thoughtful comments. 
• People telling me they loved my work.
 
BUT zero clients.
 
I was trying to appeal to everyone. Being "professional."
 
Making sure I didn't sound too niche or alienate anyone.
 
Then I wrote ONE post that was different.
 
It was about a 9-figure CEO who reached out because everyone else's websites looked the same—super polished, perfectly branded, saying all the right things.
 
"I don't want that," he said. "I don't want to look like everybody else."
 
So I wrote a post that leaned into everything that made me different.
 
→ My unconventional background. 
→ My opinionated approach. 
→ The stuff I'd been hiding to look "professional."
 
That single post brought in three qualified leads and $15,000 within two weeks.
 
One of those leads? Six figures over the next two years.
 
The difference? POSITIONING.
 
In my newsletter, I break down:
 
→ Why referrals dry up when you're positioned broadly (and the trap that keeps you there) 
→ The upmarket fear that's actually keeping you stuck at lower rates 
→ The 4-question Positioning Precision Framework 
→ Why narrow positioning creates MORE opportunities, not fewer
 
The consultant known for ONE thing gets hired by dream clients at premium prices.
 
The consultant known for everything competes for on price for whatever they can get.
 
Stop hiding what makes you different. It's exactly what premium clients are looking for.

XOXO,
Kasey

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I used to bend over backwards to be likable.
 
→ Say the “right” thing. 
→ Keep it polished. 
→ Be agreeable.
 
Don’t ruffle feathers.
 
And guess what?
 
• I was liked. 
• I was safe. 
• I was forgettable.
 
Because likability isn’t the same as magnetism.
 
Magnetism doesn’t ask to be liked. It asks to be true.
 
Magnetism has an edge.
 
It’s specific.
 
It tells the truth even when it’s inconvenient.
 
It repels the wrong people—so it can attract the right ones deeply.
 
And that’s the difference:
 
🖤 Likability is about fitting in.
🖤 Magnetism is about standing the fck out.*
 
The moment I stopped trying to be liked?
 
→ My voice got stronger.
→ My brand got bolder.
→ My people got louder.
 
So if you’re stuck in the loop of “sounding right”…
 
Maybe it’s time to sound real.
 
✨ What would shift if you stopped chasing likability and started trusting your magnetism?

I used to work so hard to be likable.
 
→ Say the right thing. 
→ Sound smart but not “too much.” 
→ Keep it polished. 
→ Keep it safe.
 
And guess what?
 
It worked. But only sort of.
 
People kind of liked me.
 
Thought I was “easy to work with.”
 
Didn’t mind being around me.
 
But it wasn’t the real me.
 
And wearing the mask, day in and day out, was EXHAUSTING.
 
And lonely.
 
But here’s the truth no one says out loud:
 
Likability will build you a brand. But it won’t be
 
Here’s what I wish someone told me:
 
1️⃣ Likable people blend in. Magnetic people stand out.
 
Being likable makes you agreeable.
 
Being magnetic makes you unforgettable.
 
2️⃣ The more magnetic you become, the more you’ll repel.
 
That’s not failure—it’s filtering.
 
You’re not here for everyone.
 
You’re here for the right ones.
 
3️⃣ Likability is often self-abandonment in disguise.
 
It’s not your voice.
 
It’s your voice, edited for approval.
 
4️⃣ People will call you “too much.”
 
And that’s the version of you they actually remember.
 
The version that moves people.
 
5️⃣ Magnetism isn’t a marketing tactic. It’s self-trust.
 
It’s the clarity that comes when you stop performing
 
and start owning your truth—fully.
 
So if your brand feels muted…
 
If your content feels safe but stale…
 
If your voice feels “off” even though the strategy is “right”...
 
Here’s the real diagnosis:
 
You’re not too quiet. You’re too likable.
 
👉 Want to know if your brand is magnetic—or just… likable?
 
Comment “Toast” and I’ll send you access to the Toast & Roast Library — a collection of brand tools to help you audit what’s working, what’s falling flat, and how to build authority that actually pulls people in.

Common mistakes consultants make with scoping—and why it leads to burnout, resentment, or awkward money conversations.
 
Every consultant learns this eventually:
 
You scope the project based on what the client tells you. 

30 days in, you realize they had no idea what was actually wrong.
 
They weren't lying. They're symptom aware, not problem aware.
 
They know something hurts. They don't know why.
 
Here's what I learned:
 
1. Their diagnosis is almost always incomplete. They tell you about the symptom. You scope a solution for that symptom. But the symptom isn't the problem.
   
2. You'll end up in a lose-lose-lose situation. Either you do extra work for free and burn out. Or you accept mediocre results and damage your reputation. Or you ask for more money and create an awkward conversation that often kills the relationship.
   
3. The fix isn't working harder—it's diagnosing before you deliver. When you do the discovery work, you control the scope. No more surprises. No more resentment.
 
The consultants who avoid this trap aren't smarter. 
They just stopped trusting the client's self-diagnosis.

I grew up believing I was always doing something wrong.
 
That no matter how hard I tried, I was falling short.
 
For years, that belief drove me.
 
Made me push harder, work longer, never stop.
 
But it also made me sabotage everything I built.
 
→ I'd hit a goal and immediately discount it. 
→ I'd get close to a breakthrough and pull back. 
→ I'd set a target and procrastinate — because if I never really tried, I couldn't really fail.
 
The only reason anything changed is because I stopped trying to out-hustle the problem and started doing the work of actually changing who I was operating as.
 
That's not a one-time fix. It's a practice. 

And I still catch old patterns sneaking back in when I'm stressed, tired, or scared.
 
Does any part of this story sound familiar to you?

The worst advice I ever received about keeping clients:
 
"Just deliver great work."
 
I followed that advice for years.
 
And I kept losing clients anyway.
 
Here's what nobody tells you:
 
Great work is table stakes. Your clients expect it. That's why they hired you.
 
I used to deliver the project, then sit and wait.
 
→ Maybe they'd come back. 
→ Maybe they'd ghost. 
→ Maybe they'd refer me somewhere else.
 
But I was always reactive. Always waiting for them to decide what happened next.
 
That's not running a business. 
That's being an employee with extra paperwork.
 
The consultants who keep clients for months (or years) aren't necessarily doing better work.
 
They're designing the journey before the first deliverable lands.
 
The shift that changed everything:
 
Stop waiting to be told what's next. 

Start mapping the entire path forward—so you're the obvious choice for all of it.
 
You didn't start your business to be reactive. 
You started it to be in control.

Polished brands don’t build trust. Aligned ones do.
 
If you’re doing all the right things…
 
→ Posting consistently 
→ Saying “the right” words 
→ Following the strategy
 
But people still aren’t buying?
 
You’ve got a trust leak.
 
Not in your character.
 
In your clarity.
 
Here’s how to know:
 
1️⃣ You keep rewriting your messaging
 
It always sounds good—but never quite right. You’re chasing resonance and rewriting for dopamine.
 
2️⃣ Your content gets engagement—but no leads
 
Likes. Comments. Crickets in the DMs. That’s a brand problem, not an algorithm one.
 
3️⃣ You’re attracting interest—but not from the right people
 
You’re being seen—but not understood. Your signal’s fuzzy, so the wrong people are saying yes.
 
4️⃣ You’ve built a voice that sounds smart… but not like you
 
You’re filtering your power. Watering it down to be more “professional.” It’s costing you your magnetism.
 
5️⃣ You’re calling it a visibility problem—but it’s not
 
Visibility without clarity is just noise. You don’t need to be seen more—you need to be seen truly.
 
6️⃣ You’re hiding behind what’s worked before
 
Old positioning. Old messaging. Old strategies. And wondering why they don’t feel good anymore.
 
If any of this hit?
 
You don’t need a full rebrand.

You don’t need a prettier logo.
 
You need to run a f*cking audit.

XOXO,

Kasey

I'd get close to something I wanted — then find a way to blow it up. 

Every. Single. Time. 

Until I realized what was actually happening.
 
I grew up believing I was always doing something wrong.
 
That no matter how hard I tried, I was falling short.
 
In some ways, it drove me. Made me relentless.
 
But in a lot more ways?
 
It created a level of perfectionism that led to constant self-sabotage.
 
→ I'd get close to something I wanted and find a way to undermine it. 
→ I'd achieve something meaningful and immediately discount it. 
→ I'd set a goal and procrastinate — because if I never really tried, I couldn't really fail.
 
The only reason I've gotten to where I am is because I've done the work of actually reprogramming my operating system.
 
Not just setting goals. 
Not just making plans.
 
And here's the thing — the work is never done.
 
→ I still catch myself listening to my inner critic instead of my inner coach. 
→ I still find old patterns sneaking back when I'm stressed or scared.
 
This isn't a destination. 
It's a practice.
 
I wrote about this in a recent newsletter — including an exercise I do with every client that's one of the most powerful tools I've found for rewriting your programming.

💡 If any of these 5 signs hit close to home, that newsletter will help. 

Link is in the comments.

Some of you are running a business that’s burning you out without you even realizing it.
 
• You're functioning. 
• You're delivering.
• You're "Doing fine."
 
But underneath?
 
You're anxious, exhausted, and lowkey resentful.
 
And you don’t know why.
 
Here’s your burnout gut check:
 
→ You’re booked out, but underpaid
→ You dread sales calls because you don’t know what you’re selling
→ You secretly hope prospects don’t say yes
→ You’re changing your offer every other week
→ You haven’t had a real weekend off in 2 months
 
Sound familiar?
 
Here’s the truth:
 
A misaligned business model will quietly destroy your energy, your confidence, and your ability to grow.
 
It’s not about working fewer hours.
 
It’s about building smarter foundations:
 
→ 1 High-Converting Offer
→ 1 Repeatable Sales Process
→ 1 Aligned Lead Source
 
That’s what we build inside The Essentialist CEO Collective.
 
Not just a business that pays the bills.
 
A business that pays you back.
 
What’s one thing in your business you’re tolerating right now that’s costing you more than it’s worth?

I spent years setting goals and making plans that didn’t work.
 
• New Year's resolutions 
• Vision boards 
• Detailed strategies
 
And every single time, I'd end up right back where I started.
 
For the longest time, I thought it was a discipline problem.
 
→ That I just needed to try harder. 
→ Wake up earlier. 
→ Want it MORE.
 
But here's what I finally realized:
 
My subconscious was running on beliefs that were formed when I was 7 years old.
 
Beliefs that said I wasn't good enough.
 
That I was always doing something wrong. That no matter how hard I tried, I was falling short.
 
Those old beliefs don't care about your goals.
 
They run in the background—quietly sabotaging everything you're trying to build.
 
→ Getting close to what you want, then finding a way to undermine it 
→ Achieving something meaningful, then immediately discounting it 
→ Procrastinating on big goals so you can't really fail
 
You can't outwork your old beliefs.
 
You have to rewrite them. One by one.
 
That's the real work.

Drop 'HELL YES' in the comments if you're ready to rewrite your old beliefs this year.

I tried 10+ lead gen strategies UNTIL I figured out I only needed 3.
 
(Spoiler: None of them are lead magnets…)
 
I was doing it ALL:
 
• LinkedIn 5x a day
• Lead magnets
• Networking events
• Podcasts
• Cold outreach
 
You name it, I’ve tried it.
 
I was everywhere. And getting NOWHERE.
 
Then I figured out that I only needed 3 lead sources:
 
• One owned platform (where my clients actually are)
• Strategic partnerships (people who serve my clients before/after me)
• Targeted networking (where my CLIENTS hang out)
 
That's freaking it.
 
→ No lead magnets.
→ No being everywhere.
→ No scattered energy.
 
Master these 3. Let them compound.
 
Everything else is just noise.

Why helping yourself is harder than helping others (even when you do this for a living)
 
I can coach my clients through their limiting beliefs like it's obvious.
 
I can spot their patterns from a mile away.
 
But when it comes to my own stuff? Blind spots everywhere.
 
→ I can see exactly why they're self-sabotaging 
→ I can pinpoint the old beliefs holding them back 
→ I can map out exactly what they need to do differently
 
And yet...
 
I still catch myself doing the same things.
 
Listening to my inner critic instead of my inner coach. 
Letting old patterns sneak back in when I'm stressed or tired or scared.
 
Here's what I've learned:
 
That's not a character flaw. That's being human.
 
The people who are best at helping others are often the worst at doing it for themselves.
 
Which means you have to be intentional about this work in a way most people aren't.
 
You can't just know better. You have to build the systems, the practices, the habits that rewire your brain—even when you can't see your own blind spots.
 
Drop a 🙃 if you're great at helping others but struggle to help yourself.

I followed every bit of ‘discipline’ advice.
 
I woke up earlier. Made more lists. Set bigger goals.
 
I tried:
 
• Stricter routines 
• More accountability 
• Harder deadlines
 
And every single time, I ended up right back where I started.
 
Because here's what I didn't understand:
 
My conscious mind was setting goals.
 
But my subconscious—the part running the show 95% of the time—was operating from beliefs formed decades ago.
 
Beliefs that said I wasn't good enough. That success wasn't for people like me. That I'd probably mess it up anyway.
 
You can't out-discipline a belief problem.
 
→ Your willpower runs out 
→ Your motivation fades 
→ Your old patterns pull you back
 
The only thing that actually worked?
 
Rewriting the beliefs themselves.
 
Not just setting new goals. 
Actually becoming someone new.
 
That's the work most people skip. 
And it's the only work that matters.
 
Drop a 🌟 if you've ever blamed your discipline when the real problem was deeper.

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