Darren Gibb

I teach coaches how to win more clients using Strategic Content that Converts | Ask about my CLOSE Framework

How many times have you tried to make LinkedIn ‘work’ for you? 🤦‍♂️

If it's not working, you're focusing on the wrong things. Here's why 👇

Because most LinkedIn advice focuses on fluffy nonsense
→ Hooks
→ Formatting
→ How to grow your account (whilst making no money).

(spoiler alert: I am unashamedly about helping you make $$$, not get likes).

It’s easy to look popular.
To fain popularity.
And to get people liking your content.

But what coaches truly suffer from is creating the right type of strategic content.

The type of content which attracts the right people
And repels the wrong.

The type of content which turns you into your prospects’ number 1 expert.

The type of content which strategically positions you as the ONLY solution to their problems.

And the type of content which - best of all - converts those followers of yours into happy, paying clients.

You’ve likely tried the free courses.
Paid some money to unlock the ‘secrets’ from the gurus…
Yet still don’t have a predictable amount of leads coming your way every month.

Or perhaps you feel that you’ve cracked LinkedIn and are ready for that next step:
Webinars, Masterclasses and Challenges (ask me about how I helped one of my clients, Andy, turn a $150 webinar into almost $50k 👀) 

LinkedIn and social selling isn’t difficult - and I make it easier with my CLOSE Framework:

→  𝗖ontent That Attracts & Repels
→  𝗟everage LinkedIn Intelligently
→  𝗢ptimized DM Strategy
→  𝗦trong Sales Strategies
→  𝗘nhance Expert Influence

It really is as simple as that.

And that’s what I’m known for (check out my testimonials for evidence).

If you want to CLOSE and make money.
Shoot over a DM saying 'CLOSE' to find out more.

But - I only work with hard-working coaches who are serious about 

→ improving their LinkedIn strategies
→ Serving more of their ideal clients
→ Know that everything takes work.

If this sounds like you, I look forward to chatting.

If not, I hope you still learn something from my content.

And if you’ve read down to here, drop a DM just to say hello. 

DM the word ‘STARBURSTER’ and I’ll send you over something I usually sell...

For free 🌟 

Also check out my website in my Featured Section to get some free gifts and also sign up to my newsletter.

Storytelling on LinkedIn Coach

Combining my knowledge and passion for storytelling with my knowledge for LinkedIn, I help coaches and solopreneurs use storytelling and proven strategies to improve their content and convert more followers into paying clients.

It's not DMs you're avoiding.

It's rejection (or damn scripts).

DMs feel sleazy. 

Spammy. 
Cringe. 
Desperate.

But here's why you find them morally repugnant 👇

What you believe about them - based on what you've experienced personally, or been taught - doesn't align with you.

Your values.

You know you need to do them...

But you'd rather be dignified than wealthy.

It feels like you're almost tricking them.

I remember my client Sam telling me he felt he was "bothering them."
Rachel felt they could "smell it coming."

And it was always because they were using scripts they had been told to use.
Verbatim.

So you shy away from doing it.

✅ You write another post.
✅ Hope for more congratulatory comments and likes (mostly from your peers)
✅ And 'double down' on 'content' instead

But running your own business is full of rejection. 

Which is why you run from DMs and don't book calls.

Because if you can avoid those two and only focus on fluffy content, at least the ego doesn't get bruised.

I know this because every one of the 120+ people I've coached came to me at the same point.

And I used to do the same.

It was when I learned that I was the prize.
I was there to be won.

That everything changed.

The energy. 
The confidence. 
The close rates.

After a week of applying it, Craig said:
"FLAME and TORCH are SOOOOO WORKING. I am having some incredible success... I've even been able to flip so I am now in the power frame."

He felt the switch immediately.
Frameworks remove the cringe.

(I'm showing you this framework on Jan 26th. No charge. dmstocalls.darrengibb.com)

If what you're saying feels cringy, then it is.
So cut it.

Experts diagnose in DMs.

Amateurs pitchslap - or teach and explain, becoming the "valued friend."

Others preach "provide value!" and "the right people will find you!"

That's bullshit.

Waiting to be found isn't a strategy. 
It's a lottery ticket.



🗣️ Let me know in the comments 
👉 Where do you feel the cringe most - the first message or the follow-up?



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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

A big reason your DMs don't book calls?

You get trapped in the friend zone. Every time. 

Most service experts are passionate.

Which means they love talking about it -
This is their place of expertise and comes naturally.

But here's what people miss every time:

Experts in DMs don't explain.
They don't justify.

They diagnose.

And when they allow a prospect to diagnose themselves?

A call follows almost every time.

You've shown them that gap that they're missing
(whilst allowing them to FEEL as if they've discovered it themselves).

Steve recently told me he felt as if he was "a library to be browsed, not a store to be bought from".

And it stuck with me.

Coaches are the worst for this
(through not fault of their own).

They naturally go into coaching mode in the DMs
(and then if they get sales calls, there too).

You coach them where they believe "Ok, now I know what to do, I don't need their (expensive) help any more."

You've heard it a hundred times:

"Give value, value, value - give it ALL away" 
(Yep, Hormozi can afford to do this - because YOU likely aren't his ICP).

And I tried it many moons again - it only makes it worse.

You become a free resource rather than a prized asset worth paying for,

Whilst you're "nuturing", they're finding someone who can directly solve their problem.

You become the friend, rather than their expert.

When you give too much value and they'll never pay.
Stop scratching the itch for free.

SO, what do you do instead?

Well, thanks for asking.

I'm hosting a 60 minute workshop on exactly this where I'll show you the exact system I use to book 5+ qualified calls every week - without the scripts, bs or ick.

Find out more here: dmstocalls.darrengibb.com


🗣️ Let me know in the comments
👉 Have you ever found yourself stranded in the comments?

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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

undefined undefined

Hey [first], I just wanted to quickly thank you for taking the time to comment on today's post, I appreciate it! How's everything going with you?

ChatGPT Webinar

In-depth comment

Another tool to be using is ChatGPT... And it just so happens I'm going to be running a free, LIVE 2-hour webinar showing you how we can be using it to help us to optimize our LinkedIn profile and create better content.

Seats will be limited.

Reserve yours, before it is full, at http://www.darrengibb.com/chatgpt 💥

Every guru teaches content strategies...

Yet never TEACH you how to convert clients.

Within 3 days of a bootcamp I ran last year, Harry booked -  and closed - his first client in his new business.
 
No engagement pods. 
No "get more confidence!" fluff. 
No magic.
 
Just a system for turning DM conversations into booked calls.
 
Here's what the gurus won't tell you:
 
Every January, they roll out the same promises: 

"Get more authority!" 
"Get more inbound leads than you can handle!" 
"Build confidence!"
 
Same empty words. 
Same AI-sounding copy. 
Same results: none.
 
The vast majority of people I work with have been through those courses and memberships.
 
✅ They understand what to post 
✅ They feel more "confident" 
✅ They have likes and "great post!" comments from engagement pods
 
But they come to me:
 
❌ Still broke at the end of the month 
❌ Inbound leads rarely come 
❌ No idea how to take a DM to a booked call
 ❌ Still losing sales calls
 
Content → DMs → Calls → Clients.
 
Most are teaching part 1 of that equation.
 
That's why Harry closed in 3 days whilst others are still playing about with the colours on their banners and writing cute posts for the wrong people.

He had followed all the 'rules'.
Been on the courses.
And was 'being consistent'.

Yet struggled to speak to the right people and close them with ease.

With my proven system he achieved this within 10 messages.
(and over $3m in client sales shows it doesn't only work for him).

Content → DMs → Calls → Clients.
 
The adults are focused on all four - with DMs as the bridge.
 
Because DMs and sales calls aren't that different. 
Master one, you've mastered the other.
 
🔥 If your content's working but your DMs aren't converting, comment below or DM me a "IT'S WORKING, BUT..."  and I'll send you over exactly what Harry used.

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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

Your 'vulnerable' content is costing you clients.
 
(this is gonna piss some people off 💅)
 
And it's killing more than your pipeline.
 
Over the past 3 years, it's been peddled by the gurus:
 
Show up.
 
"Be vulnerable." 
(Anyone remember the Crying CEO? 😅😭)
 
"Be consistent."
 
The gurus who peddled it built their 'personal brands' on this.
 
Did it give them followers? Yes. 
Likes and comments? Yes. 
A profitable business growing year on year?
 
Nope.
 
They're called vanity metrics for a reason. 
And they're engineered by fluffy, 'vulnerable' content.
 
So creators take this as a green light to create just that.
 
Sharing every worry. 
Every imposter moment. 
Every urge to quit.
 
Followed the next week by a 'success' story.

Followers know it doesn't add up.
 
Which is why you get emotionally invested fans.
But inconsistent paying buyers.
 
Your prospects need to see you as their expert. 
Having your shit together. 
Sharing authentic stories of your success. 
Understanding THEIR problems. 
And showing how you solve them.
 
Yes, vulnerability can be beautiful. 
Yes, it humanises you.
 
But not when your followers see a constant shitshow in your content.
 
It comforts them: 
"This person is like me!"
 
But it rarely pushes them towards transformative action.
 
How can they trust you to solve their problem when you're still drowning in yours?
 
Use vulnerability like this:
 
Talk about the situation you were in. 
The moment you didn't know how to break through. 
The realisation that shifted everything. 
The action thatyou then took. 
The bumps along the way. 
And the transformation.
 
Vulnerability is beautiful. 

But show you USED to be the person they ARE right now.
 
That's what builds trust. 
Confidence. 
And belief.
 
That's what turns "I love your content" into "How do I work with you?"
 
Buyers don't want pity parties. 
They want to be seen and emotionally led.


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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

$10k is sitting in your inbox right now*.
 
Not new leads. Old conversations...

The ones that "went nowhere."
 
Monday 26th January | 6pm CET | 12pm EST - I'm showing you where every leak happens and the exact fixes.
 
Register here: dmstocalls.darrengibb.com
 
You see, most people think they have a lead problem. 
They don't.

They have a leak problem.
 
Here are 4 places your deals are dying:
 
Lead Speed 
→ 23 hours to respond. 
↳ Your competitor already closed them.
 
Follow-Up Fear 
→ You follow up twice and call it dead. 
↳ 80% of sales happen after the 5th touch. Some up to 11.
↳ You're not "bothering them" - you're disappearing.
 
Proposal Purgatory 
→ Most coaches and consultants do NOT need to send proposals before a deal is done
↳ If you feel you MUST send one, your deal is too complex.
 
Pipeline Bullshit 
→ "I think I have some warm leads." 
↳ You can't improve what you don't measure.
 
"More content = More visibility = LOADS of inbound leads!!" is what they want you to believe.
 
Converting the leads you already have is what actually works.
 
 
P.S.
 
* That $10k in your inbox?
 
Find the conversations where symptoms or pain surfaced. Don't "check in". Ask how they're getting on with that specific thing.
 
A lot changes in 3 months.


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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

95% of you are paralysed in the DMs.
 
The "Nice Chat!" Fallacy kills your DMs and Sales.
 
People I work with, like Ryan whose close rate went from 20% to 80%, don't suddenly just get "good at sales". 

Because he stopped teaching in DMs and started diagnosing.

(I'm breaking this down live on the 26th: dmstocalls.darrengibb.com)
 
Those who struggle in the DMs typically struggle with sales.
 
This is what I call the "Nice Chat!" Fallacy.
 
In the DMs, it sounds like "Thanks so much, I'll reach out when ready!"
 
On calls, it's "Let me think about it and I'll get back to you."
 
Same pattern. Same result.
 
You've satisfied them. You've taught them by accident. And they're happy enough to 'work it out themselves' with the nuggets you've offered.
 
The pattern that kills your calls starts in your DMs.
 
Because if you manage to get them onto a call, you've already conditioned them to expect even MORE teaching.
 
Which, invariably, you give them.
 
It's when you say things like "I'd love to help!" or "Let me know if you're interested!" that leak this frame.
 
You sound over-enthusiastic. Needy.
 
And your prospect knows it.
 
When they ask to be taught, redirect with a question.
 
If you're an executive coach and they ask: "How do I lead my team better without becoming a micromanager?"
 
You should never answer directly.
 
Let them diagnose themselves.
 
Instead, ask: "What's the part you keep stepping back into… even though you know you shouldn't?"
 
This forces them to identify the gap they have. The gap they need your help to solve.
 
"Building rapport" is great until you become a free resource.
 
Rapport without urgency is just friendship in a suit.
 
 ____

The pattern that kills your calls starts in your DMs.
 
Fix the DMs first.
 
I'm covering the complete framework on January 26th. 60 minutes. How to turn DM conversations into booked calls — without the cringe.
 
6pm CET / 12pm EST
 
find out more and register here: dmstocalls.darrengibb.com

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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

How many of the following non-buyers...

Are you STILL wasting your time with? 

They feel like progress. 
You tell yourself "at least I'm getting calls booked!"
 
But underneath, you sense - even before getting on a call - that this person is never going to convert.
 
Because they never do.
 
The problem isn't that they exist.
It's that you keep feeding them your time.
 
Here are the Infamous Four:
 
🧠 THE BRAIN-PICKER → Sees you as a peer. Never the expert. 
↳ "Could we get a quick chat so I can pick your brain about something?"
 
🪟 THE WINDOW SHOPPER → Likes everything. Your biggest fan. Never responds to DMs. 
↳ Browsing, not buying.
 
🦵 THE TYRE KICKER → Books calls. Asks questions. Loves "working together." Never ready to.
 ↳ Wants to feel productive without committing.
 
🙍‍♂️ THE LONELY FOUNDER → Long calls. Tells you everything. Deep shares. Deeper pain. No budget.
↳ They'll send you a Christmas card. Never a payment.
 
I guarantee you've had them all.
(I went through a dark period where I attracted all four like a magnet.)
 
And here's where it stings: It's your fault.
 
Not theirs.
 
You haven't filtered them through your DMs. 
You got excited and let them book a call without real qualification.
 
That's 3-5 hours a week on calls that were never going to close. 

At only $600/hour, that's $120,000+ a year in wasted opportunity cost.

Yep. Read that back again.
 
Here's a quick filter you can use today: 

When someone says "Can we hop on a quick call?" - reply with: 
"What specifically are you trying to solve?"
 
If they can't name it, they can't pay for it. 

The Infamous Four can't answer that question clearly. 
Ever.
 
This will help you out until next week.

On Monday 26th January, I'm showing you the full framework that filters these four before they hit your calendar.
 
It's called FLAME:
 
• Find the issue
• Learn their attempts
• Aha Moment (break their false belief)
• Map the choice they can make
• Engage the call
 
Five DM messages. 

No more wasted discovery calls on someone who was never going to buy.
Only ones with those who can.
 
Monday 26th January. 6pm CET | 12pm EST. 
register here: dmstocalls.darrengibb.com
 
Let others rub their tummies. 

You've got deals to close.


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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

How Laura closed $560k on LinkedIn
 
(spoiler: it wasn't "POST MORE CONTENT!")
 
Laura is an experienced Executive Coach.
 
A glance at her content showed: 

→ Decent likes 
(sometimes from her ICP) 

→ Comments 
(mostly from fellow coaches) 

→ 'Thought leadership' topics 
(saying the same as everyone else)
 
But behind the content: 

→ Ghosted DMs 
→ "I'll get back to you later" 
→ "Can I just pick your brain..." 
→ Stalled conversations that felt warm but went nowhere.
 
Her target for the year was $500k.
 
So we installed my DM Framework.

(The same I'll unveil in 3 days (Jan 26th, 6pm CET | 12pm EST), 
No replay. 13 spots left.
Register here: dmstocalls.darrengibb.com)
 
We went back through those ghosted DMs. 
Through the proposals that got ignored.
 
One conversation she'd written off 4 months ago? 
Reopened with three messages. 
Closed at $280k.
 
Same expertise. 
Same market. 
Same positioning.
 
Different system.
 
Two weeks later, she messaged me:
 
"Darren, we need to revise the target."
 
My stomach dropped.
 
"That's now two closed deals totalling $560k. New target is $1M this year. Double that next year."
 
Her audience was already there. 
Her skills were already there. 

The system was what was missing.
 
The gap between her and you?
 
It's not talent. 
It's the layer you haven't installed.
 
 
PS
 
The question I'd ask yourself:
 
How many conversations in your inbox "went nowhere" that actually just needed a different approach?
 
That's what Monday is about.


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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

Everyone defines 'success' on LinkedIn differently.
 
Conversion to new business is a vital metric.
 
Your content gets saved and shared.
 
And your pipeline?
 
Flat.
 
The truth:
 
Visibility doesn't pay bills. 
Cheerleaders don't hire you. 
Likes don't book calls.
 
I see it constantly with coaches and consultants over 40 who've done the work:
 
Content thriving - pipeline empty.
Bookmarked and recommended - but never bought from.
Too proud to DM - still waiting for inbound to save them.
 
(Swipe through the carousel. Those who are ready will count how many describe you.)
 
Each sign comes with the fix.
 
Not theory. 
Not "try posting more."
 
The actual shift that turns attention into action.
 
If you recognise more than two?
 
That's not a content problem - it's a conversion problem.
 
I built a framework to fix exactly this.
 
Live session. 
January 26th. 
6pm CET | 12pm EST.
 
1 hour. 
My DM Framework. T
he exact sequence to turn conversations into calls.
 
18 spots remaining.
 
Sign up here: dmstocalls.darrengibb.com



PS
Want a more in-depth explanation of how to solve these signs?

DM or Comment below "GIMME DEPTH!" and I'll send over a guide I've just finished putting together to help you fix this faster 🙌


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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

5 signs you look successful on LinkedIn

Here's why DM scripts and automations fail:
 
They book bad calls with the wrong people.
 
Chances are you use them because you don't know what to say. 
(That's ok - it's an art, seriously.)
 
But following a mundane script attracts mundane people:
 
The Tire Kickers. 
The Freebie Collectors. 
The "Can I Just Pick Your Brain"-ers.
 
And because scripts don't book many calls, you get desperate. 
You accept anyone because it feels 'productive'.
 
I know this because I was there.
 
Spamming 100+ people per day. 
Offering bullshit lead magnets no-one asked for. 
Overexplaining everything, hoping to look like an expert.
 
It doesn't work.
 
So I built something different.
 
Not scripts. 
Not automation. 
A system that lets you sell with dignity.
 
On 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝟲𝗽𝗺 𝗖𝗘𝗧 (12pm EST), I'm opening up to my network a 60-minute session where I'll walk you through:
 
→ The 7-8 message path from stranger to booked call 
→ How to qualify in DMs so you stop wasting time 
→ Why "nice chats" don't convert (and what to do instead) 
→ The phrases killing your deals
→ How to get calls booked.
 
This is for coaches, consultants, and fractional service providers who:
 
✓ Post consistently but aren't booking enough calls 
✓ Know they should be DMing but find it... uncomfortable 
✓ Want a system, not a script
 
Looking for copy-paste templates and automation hacks?
 
Walk on. 
They're not here.
 
I'm teaching skills, not painting by numbers.
 
𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟲𝘁𝗵. 
𝟲𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀. 
𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲.
 
Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eFRg8P6K 

🗣️ Let me know in the comments:
👉 What's your LEAST favourite type of DM to receive which makes you 🤢🤮


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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

New Year's Resolutions...

How many of us have already broken them?

I personally don't set them.

They feel like a 'nice to have' rather than anything else.

I don't even really set myself goals either.

(yep, cue the productivity 'experts' coming for me).

Shit just kinda gets done and happens.

Perhaps I've always felt that I might fail them.. So what's the point in making them
(which is completely against my competitive personality).

But this year, I've decided to go against my own beliefs.

And make some big ones.

A few non-negotiable business ones.

One HUGE one I want to make happen.

And a few 'nice to have' personal ones.

5 in total
(see comments for one or two).

And since I have literally just made them, 
I haven't broken ANY of them (yet 😈).

Oh, and I'm back after Christmas, New Year's and a few extra days.

Hi. 👋

Some of you reading this will be feeling guilty for taking time off LinkedIn.

You know, actually living your lives rather than grinding against a seemingly unforgiving algorithm.
(shame on you).

Don't.

You needed it.

If you're like me, you worked your arse off last year - you deserved time to recouperate, rejuvenate and prepare for the year ahead.

(and anyone who tells you "there are only 51 weeks left in the year!!!!!!!!" also need a break).

But now the work starts.
The passion.
The grind.
Hard work.

Cos we've had that break, right?

Now, let's get to it. 💪

🗣️ Let me know in the comments:
👉 Did you take a break or grind it out?
👉 Have you made any resolutions you're going to keep? 😜

"I got 212 leads from one post!"
 
"I booked 87 calls this month!" [COMMENT!]
 
Yeah. 
Those posts are flooding your feed.
 
Here's what they're actually doing:
 
Manufacturing FOMO.
 
They KNOW you're struggling to book even 1 call a week. 

So they slap "AI" and "Agents" onto the front of it, 
And compound your fear that you just don't know what you're doing.
 
It's bullshit. 
And no-one's calling it out.
 
So let me ask you:
 
Out of 212 "leads" - how many are your ICP? 
How many are qualified? 
How many have a problem you can fix? 
How many have the budget to do so?
 
And those 87 calls... 
How are you fitting them into your calendar? 
How many are tire-kickers?
How many ACTUALLY convert?

Those as the numbers you never see.
 
After reviewing 15,000+ DM conversations with clients and working with over 150 of them 1:1, 
I don't need 87 calls a month.
 
I need 3-5 with the right people.
 
And I get to choose who those people are.
 
So the next time you see a hype post with massive claims, zero proof, from someone who doesn't even serve people like you...
 
Just remember:
 
Even if those numbers were real - and they're not - you'd still be sifting through a mountain of garbage to find one person worth talking to.
 
That's not leverage. 
That's desperation dressed up as automation.
 
Let the kids chase manufactured volume. 
The adults are working on conversion.

🗣️ Tell me in the comments
👉 What are YOUR first thoughts when you see those posts? 🤦‍♂️


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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

Every 'just circling back' I sent?
 
Another dead deal in the DMs.

"Just checking in!"
"Did you see this message?"
"Just making sure you saw this..."

Or, the most needy, most cringe.

"Just bumping this up!"

We've all done it
(more times than we care to admit).

I used to tell myself, "at least I'm following up!"

But in actual fact, I was killing a deal dead in the water.

Before it even had a chance to happen.

The moment you use phrases like this, you surrender your frame.

You are no longer the prize to be won.

Your energy becomes needy.
Insecure.
Desperate.

And they can smell it a mile away.

This energy puts them in control - and you lucky to receive a response.

Here are two plays I use to counteract being ghosted.

1️⃣ Find a recent post of theirs, comment on it, wait for a response and then re-open the conversation.
↳ No need reference what they ghosted you about - come back to that later by reframing it.

2️⃣ For one last throw of the dice, call it out directly and be prepared to exit gracefully.
↳ "Hey [name], I appreciate things get busy - no worries. Is this conversation worth continuing, or shall we leave it?

Either way, your frame stays intact.
 
I've had ghosts come back weeks later and book calls - simply because I didn't chase.
 
And the ones who don't? 
They were never going to buy anyway.
 
Let the gurus keep bumping. 
The adults offer one chance - and move on.


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I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

LinkedIn Gurus still preach the same broken playbook.

This is why you're getting likes, but no clients 👇

So many follow the 'content playbook' on LinkedIn:
"Just post"
"Tell stories!"
"Be consistent!"

Over time, they begin to get some engagement.

Justin knew this - "I was getting profile views and engagement on my content, but struggling to convert them into clients".

We changed this within a couple of weeks and got them converted.

You see, engagement feels good.
You feel seen.
You feel people see you as an expert.

But when you dive into that engagement, it's usually:
Industry peers hoping you'll also support their content.
Lots of fluffy comments, boiling down to "great post!"
AI bots and comments 🤦‍♂️

A consultant I was recently on a call with told me honestly:
"I'm crushing it on the outside... But crumbling on the inside".

I hear this every week on calls. 
Same story. 
Same frustration. 
Same confusion.

I recognise it because I lived it early on.

Content thriving.
Business dying.

Yes, content does the heavy lifting.

But without strategy
(the Oprah quotes don't work)

Without direction
(not talking about toxic bosses every day)

And without a conversion process
(honestly, no-one cares about your billboards)...

Then it's nothing more than performative theatre.

And every week you spend performing is another week funding an expensive hobby.

This content 'process' is your bottleneck

Posting for your peers rather than prospects makes for unpredictable months.

And not knowing how to read the right signals from the right people keeps your calendar empty.

The gap isn't your content. 
It's what happens after.

If you're here just to "network" and "build a community", please, follow this 'process' 👆

But those who are selling their services need to convert.

The Guru says: "Trust the process, keep posting"
Adults know: "Engagement without conversion is an expensive hobby".

Who you choose to follow will determine your success here in 2026.


___________________
Click here to follow --> Darren Gibb 

💾 Save to come back to later
♻️ Repost to help someone in your network

Bonus points if you ring the bell 😉

I post about all things LinkedIn, AI and Digital Marketing.

You're now 26 days into Q1.
 
Pipeline full? Great. Stop reading.
 
Still here?
 
Then let's talk about why your content is working, 
but your revenue isn't.
 
You're posting. 
Getting likes. 
Maybe even starting DM conversations.
 
But the calls aren't coming.

Every conversation that ghosts. 
Every thread that goes cold. 
Every "let me think about it" that never comes back.
 
That's not bad luck. 

That's a system failure.
 
Here's what I've seen fix that:
 
→ Steve: 40% → 80% connection rate. 4 new clients. Constant pipeline. 
→ Nathan: 10+ clients from LinkedIn in one year. Zero before. 
→ Maartje: 8 clients in 10 weeks. After years of inconsistency. 
→ Andy: $20k in month 1. $70k+ by month 3.
 
Same platform. 
Same effort.
 
Different approach in the DMs.
 
Today at 6pm CET | 12pm EST I'm breaking down exactly where deals die in the DMs - and the moves that bring them back.
 
No replay. 
No recording.
 
Also picking 10 people for a live DM Audit this week. 
Your conversations. 
Shared screen. 
Line by line.

Only available to those on the call.
 
Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eFRg8P6K
𝟰 spots left.
 
One hour. 
Might fix your Q1.

What have you got to lose?

Jenny Gonzalez, Nikki Richmond FCA CTA and 4 other attendees

The Art and Tech of sending LinkedIn DMs [link in comments]

I talk a lot about DMs.

Come along and hear me talk more.

Also, take a look at the tech I've been using for my LinkedIn DMs which means I never miss a thread (cos we all know the native LinkedIn inbox sucks...).

No nonsense, no bs - and a great introuction to my webinar on Monday where I show you my DM framework (dmstocalls.darrengibb.com if you've not already signed up for that).

View company: Thought Leadership Branding Club

The Art and Tech of sending LinkedIn DMs

If you’ve ever stared at the LinkedIn “Message” box thinking…

“I don’t want to sound salesy… but I do need to start conversations.”

You’re not alone.

Most DMs fail for one reason:
They feel like a transaction, not a relationship.

That’s why we’re doing this livestream:
“The Art and Tech of sending LinkedIn DMs”
with Bobby Umar, Mitchell Tan, and Darren Gibb

Friday, January 16, 2026 — 11:30am ET

What you’ll walk away with:
✅Practical guidance you can apply immediately
✅Real examples (not theory-heavy frameworks)
✅Clear language you can adapt to your own voice
✅A balanced view of both the art (human nuance) and the tech (systems, structure, efficiency)

Bring one DM you’re about to send. We’ll give you better words and a better structure.

#LinkedIn #SalesLeadership #MarketingStrategy #Recruiting #BusinessDevelopment

Christopher Carew, Jake Erickson, MBA and 36 other attendees

LeeAnna Stock-Luoma  RD, LD, CD, CDCES 🇺🇸

Leonard Rodman, M.Sc.

IT System Administrator | AI Implementation Analyst | Agile Project Manager | 40k followers & 11M views/14mo | ChatGPT, Midjourney, Runway and more!

I’m an AI Consultant and Technical SaaS Deployment Manager with 20+ years of experience helping organizations transform the way they work through AI, automation, and agile delivery.
I specialize in testing, comparing, and implementing AI systems at both enterprise and SMB levels, making advanced technology practical, scalable, and impactful. From API automation and IT systems administration to cloud SaaS deployment and Agile project leadership, I’ve delivered solutions that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and unlock measurable ROI.
Beyond my consulting work, I serve as a mentor at 1871’s AI Innovation Lab and contribute to the OpenAI Forum, where I collaborate with global experts on AI adoption and governance. I’m passionate about bridging technical expertise with real-world business outcomes, ensuring AI is deployed not just as a tool, but as a strategic advantage.
🔹 Core Specialties:
• AI Strategy & Deployment (LLMs, ChatGPT, enterprise SaaS AI tools)
• API Automation & Systems Integration
• SaaS Deployment & IT Systems Administration
• Agile Project & Change Management (PMP®, CSM®, CSPO®)
• Learning Experience Platforms & EdTech Solutions

My mission is to help organizations cut through the hype and harness AI responsibly, so teams spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time creating value.

LMS Lead Administrator

I will be launching a new Docebo LMS for Impact Networking this year. I'm so excited to join an amazing team!
Assisting with finalizing a LMS vendor agreement
Strategizing about LMS rollout
Developing UAT strategies with the L&D team
Coordinating with UXUI and Graphic Design to develop a branded look and feel
Coordinating with Managed IT Ops to develop a SAML-based SSO for MS Azure
Analytics with Microsoft PowerBI
Investigating Microsoft Power Virtual Agents for e-Learning and KB access

Leonard Rodman, M.Sc. PMP® CSM® CSPO®

2026 doesn’t need a huge glow-up.

It needs tiny, boring habits that compound so hard you can’t ignore them.

That’s the Atomic Habits cheat code:

Stop obsessing over goals.
Build an environment where the right behavior is the default.
Make it obvious.
Make it easy.
Make it satisfying.
Make it part of who you are.

Here are a few happiness habits for 2026 that actually stick.

Start with identity, not motivation.
Not “I’m going to work out.”
“I’m the kind of person who moves every day.”
“I’m the kind of person who protects my peace.”
“I’m the kind of person who finishes what I start.”

Then prove it with laughably small wins.

Two-minute morning win.
Before you touch your phone:

Drink water.
Open a window.
10 deep breaths.
Write one sentence: “Today would feel like a win if…”

That’s it.

It’s not productivity.

It’s control.

Design your space like you’re not a superhero.
Put the good stuff in your face.

Fruit on the counter.
Book on the pillow.
Shoes by the door.
Journal on the desk.
Notifications off by default.

If the environment is trash, your habits will be trash.

Make the habit easier than the alternative.
Want to read more?

Put a book where you usually doomscroll.
Want to walk more?

Make it a “phone call walk.”
Want to be calmer?

Create a 60-second shutdown ritual at night:
charger across the room, lights dim, one stretch, bed.

Stack habits so you don’t “find time.”
After I make coffee, I write 3 lines.
After I brush my teeth, I do 10 squats.
After I sit in my car, I take 5 slow breaths.

No new schedule.

Just better defaults.

Track the right thing: consistency.
Happiness doesn’t come from intensity.

It comes from showing up.

Don’t break the chain.
And if you do, never miss twice.

Finally, reward the behavior immediately.
Not later. Now.

Check a box.
Text a friend “Day 6 done.”
Put a dollar in a fun jar.
Make the brain associate the habit with a tiny hit of satisfaction.

Because your brain doesn’t care about 12 months from now.

It cares about tonight.

If you want a happier 2026, don’t chase “more.”

Chase better systems.

Boring routines.
Cleaner inputs.
More movement.
More sunlight.
More real conversations.
Less sludge.

That’s the whole game.

Repost, like, and follow if you want more posts like this.

Leonard Rodman, M.Sc. PMP® LSSBB® CSM® CSPO®

AI Consultant and Influencer | API Automation Developer/Engineer | DM me for promotions

ai is only replacing people who are bad at their jobs
so if you're bad at what you do, find something you're good at stat

Hot take?
Not really.

AI isn't walking into your company like a Terminator.
It's walking in like an intern that never sleeps.
It takes the repetitive stuff.
The sloppy stuff.
The "good enough" stuff.

If your job is:
Copying and pasting
Formatting slides
Summarizing meetings
Writing generic emails
Answering the same tickets
Making reports nobody reads

Yeah.
That layer is getting shaved off.

But here's the part nobody wants to admit:
Most people aren't being replaced by AI.
They're being replaced by someone who uses AI.

Because the new baseline isn't "I can do the task."
It's "I can do the task faster, cleaner, with better judgment, and with fewer mistakes."

So what's the move?

Stop trying to out-type the machine.
Start building the stuff the machine can't fake:

Taste
Prioritization
Strategy
Context
Relationships
Decision-making under uncertainty
Knowing what not to do

And if you're sitting there thinking,
"Okay but I'm not great at my current role..."

Good.
That's clarity.

Pick a lane where you're naturally dangerous.
Lean into it.
Use AI as your multiplier, not your replacement.

Because the people who get cooked in 2026 aren't the ones with "no AI skills."
It's the ones with no edge.

Repost if someone on your team needs to hear this.
Like if you're done pretending busy work is job security.
Follow for more.

AI Consultant and Influencer | API Automation Developer/Engineer | DM or email promotions@rodman.ai for collabs

ai art will never replace real art.
not because it is bad.

not because it is fake.

not because it lacks talent.
but because art is not the output.
art is the residue of being human.
it is obsession.

taste.

failure.

context.

history.

the quiet decade it took to figure out what you actually like.
ai can generate infinite images.

but it cannot care which one matters.
it does not have a childhood.

or a cultural wound.

or a reason it keeps coming back to the same idea over and over.
it does not get bored and pivot.

it does not rebel against its influences.

it does not wake up embarrassed by yesterday’s work.
artists do.
ai is incredible at execution.

artists are incredible at intention.
one scales.

the other means something.
ai will flood the world with visuals.

real art will still be the rare thing that stops you.
the difference has never been tools.

it has always been taste.
and taste is earned.

AI agents are becoming a commodity.
The differentiator is the OS that ships them.

Because “we built an agent” is not the hard part anymore.

The hard part is:

Getting to production fast
Not in 6 months
In weeks

Making it safe to scale
With monitoring
Observability
Billing controls
Security and compliance

And turning agents into revenue
Not just “cost savings” in a deck

That’s why Vida caught my attention.

Vida is an AI Agent Operating System built for ROAI and speed-to-market.

Crawl-walk-run deployments
A framework that plugs into your stack
And gets real agents live quickly

Plus white-label and reseller options.

So if you’re a SaaS business trying to add a new product line
Or an MSP, BPO, or call center looking for a new margin engine
Vida is built to be a money maker, not just a cost saver.

Also - omnichannel is not an add-on here.

Inbound and outbound via:
Phone
Text
Email
Webchat

At real scale too - tens of thousands of calls and texts daily, and hundreds of millions of AI agent interactions supported.

If your “agent strategy” currently ends at a demo…

Maybe it’s time to start thinking like an operator.
Check it out today at [https://lnkd.in/gQYcBHUc)

RAM is getting expensive again.

And no, it’s not “because gamers are buying too many RGB sticks.”

It’s because RAM is now competing with AI for the same factory attention.

Memory makers are prioritizing higher-margin server DRAM and HBM (the fancy memory feeding AI accelerators).

That squeezes the “regular” stuff your PC uses.

So your build budget quietly flips.

GPU used to be the villain.

Now it’s RAM.

Here’s the part people miss:

A lot of the scary forecasts are about contract pricing (the big OEM deals).

Retail follows later.

Sometimes fast.

Sometimes with whiplash.

So will it stabilize?

Yes.

But “stabilize” does not mean “go back to 2024 prices.”

My read:

Near term (Q1–first half 2026): still ugly
Capacity is tight, and pricing power is with suppliers
Late 2026: more likely to flatten than crash
2027+: real relief needs new capacity, and that takes time to come online

Translation for normal humans:

If you’re building in the next 30 to 90 days, don’t assume RAM will be cheaper next month.

If you can wait, you’re betting on supply catching up and demand not spiking again.

And if you’re a business buying laptops or servers, this is why “just add more memory” suddenly became a budget meeting.

Repost if you’re building a PC in 2026.
Like and follow if you want more takes that save you money.

L&D is getting squeezed.
Hard.

Not by “lack of content”.

By the question every exec is asking now:

What changed in the business because you trained people?

That’s why this 2026 L&D Trend Report from Powtoon hits different.

It isn’t another survey that tells you what people say they’ll do.
Powtoon analyzed 3,000+ public LinkedIn conversations (Oct to Dec 2025).

Real threads.
Real frustration.
Real breakthroughs.

Then they used AI-assisted analysis + expert review + human curation to synthesize it into 6 data-backed trends shaping 2026.

The stuff I keep seeing across enterprise AI work is all in here:

AI shifting from “faster content” to “measurable impact”

ROI pressure turning L&D into a performance function

Hyper-human learning design because generic training is officially dead

If you lead learning, enablement, HR, or internal comms, this is signal.

If you don’t, but you care about how knowledge moves inside big orgs, this is still a must-read.

Download the report here: [https://lnkd.in/gqdjKer8)
#L&D #LearningAndDevelopment #InternalComms #AIForLearning #Enablement #HR #WorkplaceLearning
In partnership with Powtoon

Making friends as an adult is weirdly brutal.

Not because you forgot how to be friendly.

Because adult life is designed to delete friendship by default.

Work eats your weekdays.
Partners and kids eat your weekends.
Moves break your routines.
And everyone’s calendar becomes a polite way of saying “no.”

Then you look up and realize:

You’re not lonely.

You’re under-booked on real connection.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth.

You don’t “meet friends.”
You build them.
On purpose.
With reps.

Friendship is proximity + repetition + shared vulnerability.

So if you want more new friends this year, stop treating it like a magical accident.

Treat it like a system.

Pick one “third place” and show up every week.
Same day. Same time.
Run club. Pickup basketball. Yoga. Trivia. Volunteering. Book club. Coworking spot. Church. Whatever.

Not because it’s your passion.

Because it’s your pipeline.

Then do the part most adults avoid:

Make the first move.

Not “we should hang sometime.”

Actual specifics.

“Want to grab coffee after next week’s class?”
“I’m trying a new spot Saturday at 10 - want in?”
“I’m headed to that meetup Thursday - come with?”

Yes, it’s awkward.

So is being 42 with zero people you can call on a Tuesday.

Also, stop waiting for instant chemistry.

Adult friendship is slow-cooked.

You don’t need a soulmate friend.
You need a bench.

3-5 people you see regularly.
Who know your name.
Who’d notice if you disappeared.

One more thing:

If you’re always “too busy,” you’re not busy.

You’re over-optimized.

This year, trade a little efficiency for a lot more life.

Repost, like, and follow if you want more posts like this.

AI is already shaping buying decisions.
And most brands are flying blind inside it.

[https://lnkd.in/gyyzu7ZA]

Not “SEO is dead.”

More like:

SEO is only half the map now.

Because your buyers are not just Googling.
They’re asking ChatGPT.
Gemini.
Perplexity.
And they’re getting answers that quietly decide who makes the shortlist.

Zen Media put together a free AI visibility report that shows:
The real prompts your ICP is asking (think 1,000 of them)
Where your brand shows up
Where you disappear
And the themes you need to own before your competitors do

This is the new reputation layer.
And it’s happening whether you’re watching it or not.

If you don’t know how your brand shows up in AI answers, you’re already behind. Use the link to get the free AI visibility report and see what buyers are actually seeing.

If my AI starts showing ads…

…it stops being my assistant.

And becomes a talking billboard.

That’s the part people are missing.

AI isn’t like a website with a banner on the side.

AI is the place you go when you’re uncertain.

When you’re vulnerable.

When you’re deciding.

What laptop to buy.

How to handle a messy work situation.

What to say in a hard conversation.

Sometimes, what to do with your life.

Now imagine that same moment…

…but with a revenue model attached.

Because the second ads enter the chat, incentives change.

Not because the team is evil.

Because physics.

The “best answer” and the “best monetization” are not the same KPI.

Even if ads are “clearly labeled.”

Even if they’re “separated from the response.”

Even if they “don’t influence the answer.”

The pressure always moves in one direction:

More inventory.

More targeting.

More testing.

More subtle placement.

More “helpful suggestions” that just happen to have a sponsor.

And the darkest part?

Conversational context is the highest-intent data ever created.

Search tells you what you want.

Chat tells you why you want it.

So yeah.

I hate this timeline.

Because I want AI to be the first tool in history that gets better without turning you into the product.

If you agree, repost this.

Hit like.

Follow for more takes you’re not supposed to say out loud.

Most compliance companies whisper.
Delve is drop-kicking features into the timeline.

they have been showing up everywhere lately.

often mentioned next to companies like Vanta and Drata.

not because they are louder.

but because they are moving faster.

that made me curious.

so i dug in.

they are in the middle of launching five new features.
not quietly.
not buried in changelogs.

intentionally.

i booked a demo to understand what was actually driving it.

what stood out was the strategy.

frequent product launches.
paired with a content engine that explains why each feature exists.

not marketing for the sake of noise.
but momentum built through repetition and clarity.

feature.
story.
distribution.
again.

it feels less like hype.
and more like a system that compounds. 
https://delve.co

People hear “charity” and think “checkbook.”

But some of the most powerful charity costs exactly $0.

In 2026, money isn’t the bottleneck.

Attention is.
Time is.
Follow-through is.
Basic human decency is.

Here are ways to be genuinely charitable this year without spending a dime.

Give your presence.
Put your phone down.
Look someone in the eye.
Ask a real question.
Stay long enough to hear the answer.

That’s rare now.
Which makes it valuable.

Give your skills.
You don’t need cash to help a nonprofit.

Write one email template for a volunteer coordinator.
Fix a resume for someone job hunting.
Teach someone how to use spreadsheets.
Proofread a grant paragraph.
Help a small org set up a calendar, a signup form, a simple CRM.

Most organizations are drowning in “we could do more if we had systems.”

You can be the system.

Give your network.
Introduce two people who should know each other.

Not the fake “let’s connect sometime” thing.

An actual intro.

“Hey, you two should talk.
One of you needs X.
The other does X.”

That single message can change someone’s year.

Give public praise.
If someone did good work, say it where it counts.

Shout them out to their manager.
Leave a thoughtful LinkedIn comment.
Write a short note of appreciation.

Recognition is fuel.
A lot of people are running on fumes.

Give your reliability.
Want to be rare?

Be the person who shows up when you say you will.
Answers the text.
Follows through.
Doesn’t ghost.

Consistency is charity in adult life.

Give your listening.
A lot of people don’t need advice.

They need someone who can sit in discomfort without trying to fix them.

No solutions.
No one-upping.
No “at least.”

Just: “That sounds heavy. I’m here.”

Give your time in ways that actually help.
Volunteer locally, even a couple hours.

Food bank sorting.
Park cleanup.
Animal shelter support.
Community hotline training.
Mutual aid groups.

Not glamorous.

But real.

Give your attention to the overlooked.
The new person at work.
The quiet neighbor.
The older relative.
The friend who fell off the map.

Most people aren’t asking for help because they don’t want to be a burden.

Be the one who notices.

And here’s the spicy part:

Being charitable isn’t about being “nice.”

It’s about using what you already have.

Your time.
Your competence.
Your steadiness.
Your voice.
Your care.

In 2026, you can make a meaningful dent in someone’s life…

Without spending a cent.

Repost, like, and follow if you want more posts like this.

ChatGPT was my main tool.

But not anymore! Because I found this All-in-one AI tool

Earlier,
By the time I finished one task, I had 6–7 tabs open.
Then someone introduced me to ChatLLM by Abacus AI, and my whole workflow moved into one place.

👉 [http://chatllm.abacus.ai](http://chatllm.abacus.ai/)

Here’s what made the switch stick:
1. One single place for all the AI tools
ChatLLM lets me switch between GPT-5.2, Claude 4.5, Gemini 3 Pro, Grok 4.1 Fast, DeepSeek, LLaMA, and more without breaking flow.
2. Images & videos, without jumping tools
No more opening separate platforms.
Nano Banana Pro, FLUX, Seedream 4.5, Ideogram for images.
Sora 2, VEO 3.1, Kling AI v2.6, Runway, Luma for videos.
3. Full-stack apps, websites & SaaS
I type what I want and actually see it live.
From layout to colors to text, I just edit it normally.
4. Professional presentations, instantly
Simple ideas turn into clean decks with researched content, graphs, and charts.
5. A personal AI assistant that works in the background
Searches and tasks keep running even when I’m offline - you come back to progress.
6. Talking to PDFs instead of reading them
Upload a file, ask questions, get clean notes and summaries.
7. Making AI writing sound normal
Write → click “Humanize” → choose a tone.
8. Real-time web search
Answers come with sources, images, and videos - more research, less guessing.
9. Abacus AI Deep Agent for bigger builds
Mobile apps, Web apps, technical reports, dashboards, micro-SaaS, full AI workflows, and websites built from simple prompts.
10. An AI code editor that actually helps
Write, run, debug, and improve code inside Abacus AI Desktop, with proper vibe coding without the chaos.

It stopped feeling like “using AI tools.”
And started feeling like working inside one AI workspace.

If you’re paying for multiple AI subscriptions right now,

This might clean up your whole setup.

👉 [http://chatllm.abacus.ai](http://chatllm.abacus.ai/)

Nobody told me freelancing came with a side quest:
Becoming a part-time debt collector.

You land the client.
You crush the project.
You send the invoice.

And then… silence.

Now you are writing those soul-sucking emails:
“Just circling back on this invoice.”
“Hey, not sure if this hit your inbox.”
“Mind taking a look when you get a chance?”

You are not mad enough to go nuclear.
You are not chill enough to ignore it.
So you sit in that awkward middle.

Refreshing your banking app.
Rewriting the same “polite nudge” 4 times.
Feeling weird about asking for money you already earned.

And it is not just the money.
It is the emotional load.
The tiny hit to your confidence every time you chase.

“Did they hate the work?”
“Am I being annoying?”
“Are they ghosting me?”

Meanwhile your accountant is saying
“We never saw that invoice in Outlook.”

Cool.
Guess who has to resend it.
Again.

This is why I like what Mintry is doing.

Mintry is an AI assistant that takes over late-invoice follow ups for you.

It sends polite, on-time reminders.
It keeps the tone professional, not pushy.
It follows up consistently, even when you are buried in real work.

So you are not the one chasing.
You are not the “hey just checking in” guy anymore.
You just set your rules, and Mintry handles the nudges.

Result:
Less awkward inbox energy.
More predictable cashflow.
More time spent building the business instead of babysitting invoices.

If you hate chasing clients as much as you hate scope creep,
Mintry is worth a look.

🔗 Try Mintry here! https://lnkd.in/e9gdafC5

In partnership with Mintry #ad

If you’re spending $50k to $100k a year on cloud with a giant like Microsoft…

Here’s a question nobody wants to say out loud.

Would you still buy…
…if 75% of your meetings were with an AI?

Not a human.
Not “your” account team.
Not a solutions architect who’s seen your environment.
An AI.

Because let’s be honest about what those meetings usually are:
Quarterly “value reviews” that are really pipeline checks.

Licensing conversations that feel like a maze on purpose.

“Strategic roadmap” slides that could’ve been an email.

Escalations that bounce between 5 people and still don’t move.
So an AI showing up might actually be an upgrade.
Faster answers.

Better documentation.

No calendar ping pong.

No “let me circle back internally.”
But there’s a line.
If I’m paying that much, I want at least one human who:

Owns the outcome.

Can make exceptions when the contract doesn’t fit reality.

Can pull the right engineers into a room when production is on fire.

Can look me in the eye and say, “Yeah, we messed up, here’s what we’re doing.”

AI can’t be accountable.
It can only be helpful.
And those are not the same thing.
So here’s my take:
AI can run 75% of the meetings.

But the 25% that stay human better be the meetings that matter:
Escalations.

Architecture decisions.

Renewals and pricing.

Security and compliance moments.

Anything with real risk.
If the “humans” only show up to upsell…
And the AI shows up when things break…

That’s not efficiency.
That’s abandonment.
Would you buy?

And if yes, what’s the minimum human coverage you’d require at $50k, $100k, $250k a year?

Repost, like, and follow if you want more takes like this.

Icon came.
Blew up the internet.
Then died.

Omneky raised a ton.
Then became a rounding error.

Not because “AI ads” is fake.
Because ads are not a tool problem.

Ads are a system.
And the missing piece was always the same:
a real human feedback loop from people who have actually spent serious money.

That’s why Airpost is interesting.

Airpost is a hybrid AI ads machine built for performance advertisers.
Platform + service.

AI does the heavy lifting.
Experienced creative strategists do the part AI keeps hallucinating:
taste, context, iteration, and ruthless prioritization of what actually wins.

The core idea is simple (and kind of unfair):
a taxonomy for how ads work.
Strategic pattern → narrative angle → execution.
So you can find what’s working, then scale it into dozens of new swings per week.

Airpost is built by the ReadySet team.
The “we shipped an AI wrapper” crowd can’t fake that.
They’ve deployed $100M+ in ads, and it shows in the positioning.

And the proof points are spicy:
DoorDash reportedly saw Airpost ads beat internal ads by ~40% better CAC.
Cloaked ran $1M+ in spend through Airpost ads.

If you’re spending $250k+/mo on paid social, this is the real pitch:
Stop asking your team to be a content studio.
Give them an ad factory that learns.

Launching Jan 20, 2026.

#partner [https://lnkd.in/g_rr36jp)

Houseplants are the cheapest life upgrade you can make.

And they quietly fix a bunch of things you didn’t realize were broken.

They make your home feel “lived in”
without feeling cluttered.

They force you to slow down for 30 seconds a day
and that tiny pause adds up.

They give you a low-stakes responsibility
that actually feels good to keep.

They make your desk setup look 20% more intentional
even if your to-do list is on fire.

They teach you patience.

Because plants don’t care about your timeline.
They care about consistency.

You miss a watering
they sag.

You overwater
they sulk.

You move them 3 feet
they throw a tantrum.

It’s annoying.
And it’s kind of the point.

Houseplants are like a daily reminder that “optimization” isn’t the same as “health.”

Plus, they change how a room sounds.
Feels.
Looks on camera.

Your background instantly says:
this person has a pulse.

If you want one plant that gives you the most reward for the least drama:

Pothos
Snake plant
ZZ plant
Spider plant

Start with one.

Put it where you’ll see it every day.

Then let the tiny wins do their thing.

Repost if you’re team houseplant.
Like if you’ve ever accidentally loved one to death.
Follow for more small upgrades that actually stick.

Your resume is competing against AI now.

Not just other candidates.

AI.

Because the average resume in 2026 reads like it was written by the same prompt.

Polished.
Generic.
Soulless.
And instantly forgettable.

Here’s how to tune yours up so it survives the bots
and wins the humans.

Start with the uncomfortable truth:
Hiring is filtering.

AI screens.
ATS parses.
Recruiters skim.

So your resume needs two things at once:

Machine clarity.
Human conviction.

Make it pass the machine test

Single column.
Normal headings.
No text boxes.
No fancy graphics.
Simple fonts.

If a scanner can’t reliably pull your titles, dates, skills, and results, you are invisible.

Now the part that actually makes you stand out in a sea of AI

Stop describing your job.
Start proving your impact.

Every bullet should answer:

What did you change?

Not “responsible for…”
Not “worked on…”
Not “helped with…”

Changed.

Use this bullet formula:

Problem - Action - Result - Proof

Problem: what was broken or missing
Action: what you actually did
Result: the measurable outcome
Proof: a link or artifact if possible

Metrics beat adjectives.
Every time.

“Improved customer retention” is fluff.
“Cut churn from 5.2% to 3.9% in 90 days by rebuilding onboarding emails” is a receipt.

Add receipts.

A one-page “proof strip” near the top:

Portfolio
GitHub
Case study
Demo video
Writing sample
Before and after

Skills-based hiring keeps accelerating, and proof travels farther than pedigree.

Kill the AI voice

If your summary sounds like it could belong to anyone, it will.

Replace it with a clear point of view:

“I build X for Y by doing Z.”
“I’m strongest when the problem is messy and the stakes are real.”
“My edge is turning ambiguity into shipping.”

AI can write words.
It can’t write your judgment.

Customize without rewriting your life

Do not make 50 versions.

Make 1 strong base resume.
Then for each job:

Mirror 10 to 15 keywords from the posting.
Reorder bullets so the most relevant wins are first.
Swap in 2 to 3 bullets that match the role exactly.

You’re not gaming the system.
You’re communicating in the language the system is scanning for.

Finally, show you’re more than a tool-user

In 2026, “I know the tools” is table stakes.

Hiring managers want to see how you think, collaborate, and drive outcomes, especially as AI automates more of the easy work.
Business Insider

So highlight:

Cross-functional wins
Decision-making under constraints
Tradeoffs you owned
Projects you drove from zero to shipped

That’s the difference between “AI-assisted candidate”
and “person who gets things done.”

Repost, like, and follow if you want more 2026 job-search playbooks.

Your streaming queue is already a second job.
Too many apps.

Too many “Top 10” lists.

Too many shows that start strong… then quietly die on episode 3.
So here’s the cheat code for 2026:
Stop hunting “the best show.”

Start matching a show to your mood.
If you want a smart thriller you can finish fast

HIS & HERS (Netflix)

Six episodes. Estranged spouses. Murder. Everyone’s lying.
If you want cold-weather, slow-burn mystery

Land of Sin (Netflix)

Nordic crime vibes, family feuds, and a missing teen.
If you want a binge with momentum

The Following (Netflix)

Serial killer. Cultish followers. Kevin Bacon hunting chaos.
If you want prestige you can brag about later

Adolescence (Netflix)

The kind of limited series critics won’t shut up about for a reason.
If you want pure blockbuster comfort

Stranger Things Season 5 (Netflix)

It’s the “group chat watch party” show again.
If you want fantasy that actually delivers

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 (Disney+ and Hulu)
If you want post-apocalyptic dopamine

Fallout Season 2 (Prime Video)
If you want a new Western that looks expensive

The Abandons (Netflix)
If you want drama with a twisty premise

Paradise (Hulu)
If you want an “I watched a whole season in two days” medical ride

The Pitt (HBO Max)
If you want a comedy that loves Hollywood and hates it too

The Studio (Apple TV+)
Your move for a happier streaming year:
Pick one show for weekdays.

Pick one show for weekends.

Delete the rest from your brain until you finish.
What’s your first click of 2026?

AI isn’t confusing because it’s “too advanced.”

It’s confusing because everyone keeps using the same words
to mean completely different things.

I was chatting with my friend Ashley Gross recently about this

Here are the most common AI confusions I see every week:

AI vs automation
Automation follows rules.
AI guesses the next best move from patterns.

If you can fully explain the logic in a flowchart
it’s probably automation.

If it surprises you sometimes
it’s probably AI.

Model vs product
ChatGPT is a product.
GPT is a model.

One is the engine.
One is the car.

Training vs prompting
Training changes the model’s weights.
Prompting changes the model’s instructions.

If you’re not spending weeks, GPUs, and a dataset budget
you’re not “training.”

Hallucinations vs lying
Hallucinations are confident errors.
Not deception.

It’s not trying to trick you.
It’s trying to complete the pattern.

“Knows” vs predicts
AI doesn’t understand like a human.

It’s a prediction machine
that can still be insanely useful.

Memory vs context
Context is what you paste in the chat.
Memory is what it retains over time.

If you didn’t give it the info
don’t be shocked when it makes something up.

Agents vs chatbots
A chatbot talks.
An agent takes actions.

Big difference in risk.

Accuracy vs usefulness
A calculator must be right.
A brainstorm tool must be helpful.

Treat AI like an intern with infinite energy
not a database with perfect truth.

Private vs secure
“Not used for training” doesn’t automatically mean
“safe for your secrets.”

You still need policies, access control, and logging.

AGI vs good marketing
A demo can look magical
and still fail in production.

Most “breakthroughs” are
better packaging
and smarter workflows.

If you want to use AI without getting burned:

Define the job.
Decide the acceptable error rate.
Add guardrails.
Measure outcomes.

AI isn’t a miracle.

It’s a messy power tool.

Repost, like, and follow if you’re tired of AI hype
and want the stuff that actually works.

There’s a moment every January where “Happy New Year!” stops being festive…

…and starts being a cry for help.

Like:

January 1–2
Totally normal.
We’re all still metabolizing champagne.

January 3
According to Larry David… this is the line.
After this, you’re not spreading joy.
You’re forcing small talk.

January 4–7
Now it’s weird.
Not illegal.
Just weird.

January 8–15
At this point you’re basically wishing me “Happy New Year” as a personality trait.

January 16–31
No.
Now it’s not a greeting.
It’s a hostage negotiation.

If you missed the window, just say:
“Hope your year’s off to a good start.”

Clean.
Adult.
No one gets hurt.

So what’s the actual cutoff for you?

January 3?
First Monday back?
Or are you out here saying it in February like a menace?

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Darren Gibb

Leonard Rodman, M.Sc. PMP® CSM® CSPO®

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The Battle

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Leonard Rodman, M.Sc. PMP® CSM® CSPO®

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