
Hi, I’m Elf.

I’m a Community Builder, a contrarian thinker, and an aspiring leader obsessed with one thing:

Helping brands become felt, not just seen.

Because attention is cheap now.
Everyone can buy reach.
Everyone can go viral.

But trust?
That’s the real currency.

And trust only comes from one place:

community.

⸻

I’m the Co-Founder and CEO of Butterfly Effect — the growth engine brands call when they want to build real community and true cultural relevance.

Not hype.
Not noise.
Not campaigns that look good for a week then disappear.

I’m interested in infrastructure — the stuff that compounds.
The systems behind brands that feel inevitable.

⸻

Before Butterfly Effect, I was the Global Head of Social Content at Gymshark.

I got to help scale the community from 1.5M to 20M+, during the run that pushed the brand towards a £1.4B valuation.

That chapter taught me something I’ll stand on forever:

Community isn’t a marketing channel.
It’s the strongest growth advantage on Earth…
if you treat people like people.

Simple.

⸻

Since then, Butterfly Effect has partnered with Formula E, Square, Netflix, Bumble, McDonald’s, WeTransfer, Meta, XPeng, YuLife, Honest Greens and more.

Not because we have magic ideas.

But because we build what most brands don’t:

flywheels that earn trust.

Content that earns attention.
Community that earns belief.
Belief that earns momentum.
Momentum that earns growth.

Over and over again.

⸻

Now I’m documenting the next chapter.

No guru energy.
No fake certainty.

Just me building in real-time — sharing the lessons, the tools, the frameworks, and the mistakes that come with trying to build something meaningful.

If you’re a founder, a CMO, or a creative who wants to build brands people actually care about…

You’ll probably feel at home here.

My goal is simple:

To become the most useful account on LinkedIn for creative leaders. 

Elfried Samba

All day.
Every day.
And twice on Sunday.


Hiring kind people with a positive attitude over negative people with experience?


I’ll take that trade every single time.


And I say that as a first-time founder
who spent years working inside other companies first.


When you’re an employee, culture is something you feel.
When you’re a founder, culture is something you create.


That shift changes everything.


Earlier in my career, I admired experience.
Big CVs. Big brands. Big reputations.


Now? I look for energy.


Because as a founder, you don’t just hire for output.
You hire for atmosphere.


You hire for how Monday morning feels.
You hire for how pressure moments are handled.


You hire for how people talk about each other when they’re not in the room.


Experience can accelerate you.
But the wrong attitude can slow you down in ways you don’t see immediately.


I’ve learned that:

• One negative voice can quietly lower standards.
• One ego can distort decision-making.
• One “that’s not my job” can fracture ownership.


But one kind, driven, accountable person?


They raise the temperature of the whole room.


As a first-time founder, you realise something quickly:

You don’t need the smartest person in the room.
You need the person who makes the room better.


Kind doesn’t mean soft.
Positive doesn’t mean naive.


It means resilient.
It means solutions over problems.
It means ambition without ego.


When I worked in other companies, I experienced the difference.


Now building one, I feel the responsibility.


Culture isn’t a slide in a deck.
It’s who you tolerate.
It’s who you promote.
It’s who you hire.


Experience is valuable.
But character scales.


All day.
Every day.
And twice on Sunday.

Credit: Sibel Terhaar 🔥

CEO & Co-founder @ Butterfly Effect | Ex-Gymshark Head of Social (Global)

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

Early in my career, I walked into rooms where you could feel the hierarchy before anyone spoke.


You knew who went to which school.
Who worked at which firm.
Who was “important.”
Who should stay quiet.


No one said it.


But it was understood.


Respect the title.
Trust the pedigree.
Assume competence based on status.


That’s how corporate bureaucracy sustains itself.


It confuses credentials with character.


It rewards those who navigate hierarchy - not necessarily those who build, think, or lead with courage.


And if you’re not careful, you start playing the same game.


Optimising for optics.
For proximity to power.
For the right rooms.



Instead of asking:


Am I actually someone worth trusting?


Because intelligence is common.
Education is widespread.
Money is scalable.
Status is transferable.


Character is rare.

Bureaucracy hides behind process.
Meetings instead of decisions.
Titles instead of accountability.
Hierarchy instead of respect.


It’s safer that way.


You can defer responsibility.
Blame the system.
Protect your position.


But integrity doesn’t hide.


It shows up in how you treat people with no leverage.


In whether you share credit when you don’t have to.


In whether you challenge nonsense - even when it costs you.


Power doesn’t create virtue.

It reveals it.


You can build something large inside a rigid system and still be small in spirit.


Or you can build something steady, principled, and trusted.


One impresses rooms.


The other builds legacy.


No matter how educated, talented, rich, or well-connected you are…

How you treat people tells all.

Integrity isn’t anti-ambition.

It’s anti-pretence.

If your title disappeared tomorrow,

What would actually be left?


Credit: Leonardo Freixas

No alternative text description for this image

I’ve been in rooms where I had power.

And I’ve been in rooms where I had none.

Those two experiences teach you more about people than any leadership book ever will.

Because power changes the room.

And it reveals the room.



When you walk in with status, people lean forward.

When you walk in without it, they check their phones.

That difference tells you everything.

You learn quickly who respects hierarchy.

And who respects humans.



Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

A lot of people don’t respect you.

They respect what you control.

Your budget.
Your title.
Your network.
Your influence.

Remove those, and their tone changes.

Slightly.

But enough.



Real character shows up when there’s nothing to gain.

How you treat:

- The intern who can’t accelerate your career.
- The operator who isn’t flashy.
- The assistant who manages the calendar.
- The junior engineer who hasn’t proven themselves yet.

That’s culture.

Not the all-hands speech.

Not the values deck.

The margins.



If you only respect people above you, you’re not principled.

You’re optimizing.

And optimization without integrity is short-term thinking.

It works - until it doesn’t.

Because people are always watching.

Especially the ones with no power.

They notice who gets eye contact.
Who gets interrupted.
Who gets patience.
Who gets dismissed.

And they adjust accordingly.



Here’s what founders and executives forget:

Trust is not built in the spotlight.

It’s built in small, forgettable interactions.

The way you respond to a basic question.
The way you handle a mistake from someone junior.
The way you speak to support staff when nobody important is listening.

If your respect is conditional, people will perform - but they won’t commit.

And performance without commitment collapses under pressure.



Consistency is the hardest discipline in leadership.

It’s easy to be generous upward.

It’s easy to be polished in front of investors.

It’s harder to be steady across levels.

But that’s the standard.

Because once people believe your respect fluctuates with status, they stop trusting your values.

And when trust evaporates, culture becomes politics.

And politics kills companies slowly.



So treat everyone with the same baseline dignity.

Not because it looks good.

Not because it’s moral theater.

Because if you can’t be consistent in small rooms, you won’t be trusted in big ones.

And in the long run, trust compounds.

Status doesn’t.


Credit: Yousif Hussain

That’s not a motivational quote.

That’s a leadership scar.

Because ambition exposes alignment.

And nothing clarifies a relationship faster than success.



Early on, everyone says they support you.

They like the idea of you winning.

They like the dream.

They like proximity to potential.

But success changes the temperature.

It forces people to confront their own ceilings.

And not everyone wants to watch you outgrow them.



Here’s the hard lesson:

Not everyone who starts with you is meant to scale with you.

Some people love you at your level.

They struggle with you above it.

And that’s not always evil.

Sometimes it’s insecurity.
Sometimes it’s comparison.
Sometimes it’s a reminder of what they didn’t pursue.

But regardless of the reason, misalignment at altitude is expensive.



In startups, this happens all the time.

The early employee who was perfect at 5 people struggles at 50.

The friend who believed in the idea resents the structure.

The supporter who cheered the grind can’t handle the spotlight.

You can’t drag people up a mountain they don’t want to climb.

And trying to will exhaust you.



The dangerous part isn’t that they don’t want you to win.

It’s that you keep investing energy trying to convince them.

Explaining yourself.
Downplaying your ambition.
Shrinking your success to keep the peace.


That’s how leaders slow themselves down.

Because guilt is heavy.

And so is loyalty when it’s misplaced.



There’s a difference between building with people and carrying people.

Building is mutual commitment.

Carrying is emotional charity.

One scales.

The other drains.



The mature move isn’t anger.

It’s clarity.

You don’t need everyone to clap.

You need the right people to climb.

People who are secure enough to celebrate your growth.

People ambitious enough to grow with you.

People honest enough to tell you when you’re wrong and strong enough not to resent you when you’re right.



If someone doesn’t want to see you at the top, believe them.

And keep climbing anyway.

Because the view only matters if you earned it.

And you can’t earn it while dragging resistance uphill.

Be the person everyone wants to work with.
Let me tell you something I learned the hard way…
I used to think people got picked because they were the most talented.
The smartest.

The most connected.
But then I watched what actually happens behind the scenes.
The people who win long-term?


They’re not always the best in the room.
They’re the easiest to build with.
They make everything feel lighter.
Cleaner.
Faster.
Less stressful.
And that’s rare.

Because talent is everywhere.
But someone who shows up with good energy, high standards, and zero ego?


That’s top 1%.
So here’s the game:
Be the person who makes people feel safe to do great work.
Not fake nice.
Not “yes” to everything.
Not a people pleaser.
Just solid.

Be the person who brings solutions, not stress.
Be the person who can take feedback without getting emotional.
Be the person who stays calm when the project is on fire.
Be the person who tells the truth early, so problems don’t grow teeth.

Because in real life…
Everyone is fighting invisible wars.
Deadlines.
Pressure.
Family stuff.
Self-doubt.
Money.
Expectations.

So if your presence adds peace…
You become unforgettable.
And people will choose you again and again and again.
Not just because you’re good…
But because working with you feels like progress.


That’s the cheat code.
Be reliable.
Be direct.
Be coachable.
Be consistent.
Be someone people don’t have to chase.


Because the biggest flex isn’t being the most talented.
It’s being the person everyone trusts to build with.
Be that person.
And watch how fast doors open.

That sounds obvious.

It’s not.

Because when someone challenges your thinking in a meeting, it doesn’t feel like leadership development.

It feels like disobedience.

It feels like loss of control.

It feels like risk.



Here’s the thing nobody tells you:

When you become the boss, the truth gets quieter.

Not because people are stupid.
Because they’re smart.

They know you control compensation.
They know you control promotions.
They know you control access.

So they edit themselves.

And if you’re not careful, you wake up one day surrounded by agreement and headed toward a cliff.



Yes-people don’t look dangerous.

They look loyal.

They nod.
They move fast.
They execute without friction.

But they don’t protect the company.

They protect your comfort.

And comfort is expensive.


The most dangerous moment in leadership isn’t when people argue with you.

It’s when they stop.

Silence in a room full of smart people is not alignment.

It’s fear.


Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

If nobody challenges you, one of three things is happening:
	1.	You hired people weaker than you.
	2.	You punish disagreement.
	3.	You’ve created learned helplessness.

None of those scale.


Great leaders don’t just tolerate challenge.

They design for it.

They ask:

- “What am I missing?”
- “If this fails, why will it fail?”
- “Who disagrees?”

And when someone pushes back, they don’t crush them to win the room.

They reward the courage.

Because long term, the company doesn’t need your ego protected.

It needs blind spots exposed.



This is especially true in hard times.

When revenue drops.
When product slips.
When investors are watching.

Insecure leaders double down on control.

Great leaders widen the circle.

They bring in stronger operators.
They invite dissent.
They create tension on purpose.

Because tension sharpens thinking.


Here’s the paradox:

The stronger you are, the less you need to dominate.

The weaker you are, the more you need agreement.

So if you want to know whether you’re building something real, look at your meetings.

Are people careful around you?

Or are they honest?

The future of your company depends on the answer.

Because fans protect ego.

Challengers protect outcomes.


And so is loyalty when it’s misplaced.



Credit: Eric Partaker

ALL DAY 🔥

Not performatively. Not strategically. Genuinely. 

Because someone is always ahead of you.
They’ve raised more. Built faster. Shipped better.   Got the recognition you thought might be yours.
That’s the game. 

If you can’t handle watching other people win, you won’t last long enough to win yourself.
Clapping is maturity.  
It’s saying: “I see what you built. Respect.” 
Without adding: “Why not me?”  
There’s a quiet confidence in celebrating others.
 It signals that you’re not panicking about your own timeline.

And timelines are where most people lose their minds.  
They compare chapters. They rush decisions. They chase optics instead of substance.  
Meanwhile, the steady ones just keep building.

Another person’s success doesn’t reduce your surface area.  It expands what’s possible.
It shows the market responds.  It shows the craft pays off. It shows the path exists.
That’s useful information. 
You don’t have to shrink when someone else shines.
You can clap. Take notes. And go back to work. 

Your turn isn’t a slot in a queue.
It’s the outcome of who you become while waiting. 

So until then:
Clap loudly. Build quietly. Stay grounded. 

The goal isn’t to shine first. 

It’s to be undeniable when it’s finally your time and stable enough to handle it.


Credit: Justin Wright

I help entry-level, non-technical professionals get their first data analyst role | Data Analyst @RBC | Data Career Coach

I help immigrants and career-switchers land analyst roles—without burning out on certificates.

By day I build decision-grade analytics (currently at Autodesk). By night I run Data Career Compass, where we treat your job search like a product launch:
Market → Positioning → Portfolio → Distribution → Interviews.

My POV:
Most candidates try to add more tools. Winners learn to package their value. Your portfolio isn’t a gallery; it’s a sales page for your judgment.

Receipts:

→ Professionals land interviews by aligning projects to business outcomes (not toy datasets).

→ My frameworks have been used across finance, tech, and education to translate experience into results.

→ Built data products and controls in regulated environments (RBC Capital Markets) that leaders rely on daily.


What you’ll get here:

→ Weekly breakdowns of real projects (SQL, Python, dbt, DuckDB, Looker/Tableau/Power BI).

→ Storytelling patterns that turn insights into action.

→ Templates that remove friction: portfolio briefs, stakeholder one-pagers, interview scorecards.

Coming April:

I’m launching a coaching program designed for mid-level and senior professionals ready to transition into analytics.

This isn’t an entry-level bootcamp—it’s a career accelerator that helps you reposition your existing experience, communicate business value, and step confidently into data-driven roles.

Work with me:

↳ Cohorts + 1:1 coaching → DM “HIRED”

↳ January program for mid/senior professionals → DM “APRIL” for early access

↳ Guest workshops for teams and communities → DM “WORKSHOP”


I build analysts who think like product managers and communicate like consultants.

Peter Ndiforchu

Every data analyst has lived through this meeting.

Dashboard says: $1.2M
Finance says: $1.1M

Meeting topic for the next 45 minutes:

“Where did the $100K go?”

First theory:
Maybe a filtering issue.

Second theory:
Currency conversion.

Third theory:
Time zone mismatch.

Fourth theory:
Someone forgot to refresh the data.

Meanwhile the analyst is quietly thinking:

“Please don’t be a duplicated join. Please don’t be a duplicated join. Please don’t be a duplicated join.”

45 minutes later…

Root cause:

Someone exported the numbers to Excel
…and manually deleted a row “that looked wrong.”

New meeting scheduled:

“Aligning reporting methodology across teams.”

Welcome to data analytics.

Where 90% of the job is not finding insights…

It’s explaining why two numbers that should match… don’t.

If you’ve ever spent an hour chasing a mysterious variance in a meeting, you’re officially part of the club. 📊😅

Helping Non-Technical Professionals Build Data-Driven Careers That Travel Globally | Data Career Strategist | Senior Data Analyst @ Autodesk

That sign changed my life.

Not because it was gold.

Not because it was famous.

But because it represented a decision.

Thompson Rivers University wasn’t just where I studied.

It was where I rebuilt.

New country.
Limited network.
Uncertainty louder than confidence.

I remember walking past that sign thinking:

“I don’t just need a degree.
I need leverage.”

While others focused only on passing courses, I was quietly studying something else:

• How to communicate clearly
• How to work across cultures
• How to build relationships intentionally
• How to position myself beyond my GPA

Because I knew something early:

A diploma opens a door.
But differentiation keeps you inside the room.

TRU gave me more than education.

It gave me exposure.

Group projects that forced leadership.
Presentations that sharpened persuasion.
Part-time jobs that built resilience.
Moments of doubt that built faith.

Looking back, the biggest transformation wasn’t academic.

It was identity.

I stopped seeing myself as “a student trying to survive.”

I started seeing myself as “a professional in training.”

That shift changed everything.

Your alma mater isn’t just a place.

It’s a launchpad.

But only if you treat it like one.

The question isn’t: “Did you attend a good school?”

It’s: “Did you use it strategically?”

Every campus has two types of students:

Those who collect credits.

And those who build capacity.

Which one were you?

Most people think senior analysts are better because they know more SQL.

That’s not the real difference.

The biggest gap shows up in stakeholder conversations.

Junior analysts often ask: 

“Which metric should I pull?” 
“What do you want to see?” 
“Is this okay?”

Senior analysts ask very different questions: 

“What decision are we trying to make?” 
“What happens if this number moves?” 
“Who’s accountable for acting on this?”

They don’t start with data. 
They start with consequences.

They also don’t rush to answer. 
Silence is a tool. 

Clarifying the real problem matters more than being fast.

Another subtle shift: 

Senior analysts challenge gently—but firmly.

They’ll say: 

“Here’s the trade-off we’re accepting.”
“If we optimize for that, we might break this.” “This metric looks right, but it tells the wrong story.” 

No ego. 
No theatrics. 
Just calm confidence grounded in context.

And perhaps the biggest difference: 

Senior analysts leave stakeholders clearer than they found them.

Clear on the risk.
Clear on the decision.  
Clear on the next move.

That’s what influence looks like in data.

Not louder dashboards. 
Better conversations.

What was the moment you realized data wasn’t the hard part anymore?

Most data professionals get stuck here.

They become excellent dashboard builders.

Clean visuals.
Accurate metrics.
Beautiful filters.

And then they wonder…

“Why am I not in strategic conversations?”

Because building dashboards is execution.

Becoming a decision partner is influence.

There’s a difference.

Here’s the framework I’ve seen separate the two:

1️⃣ From Reporting → Framing

Dashboard Builder:
“What metrics do you want?”

Decision Partner:
“What decision are we trying to make?”

The shift is subtle.
But it changes everything.

When you frame the decision first, metrics become tools — not the outcome.


2️⃣ From Accuracy → Context

Dashboard Builder:
“This number is correct.”

Decision Partner:
“This number is trending down because X. If it continues, expect Y.”

Leaders don’t need numbers.
They need interpretation, trade-offs, and implications.

Context is leverage.


3️⃣ From Reactive → Proactive

Dashboard Builder:
“Let me know if you need anything.”

Decision Partner:
“I noticed churn increased in Segment B. Here are three options we can test.”

Proactivity earns trust.

Trust earns influence.


4️⃣ From Data Owner → Business Owner

Dashboard Builder:
“I manage the dashboard.”

Decision Partner:
“I’m accountable for helping us improve this metric.”

When you attach yourself to outcomes, not artifacts, your career changes trajectory.


Here’s the hard truth:

Senior influence in data has less to do with SQL and more to do with judgment.

The dashboards get you in the room.
Your thinking keeps you there.

If you're early in your career, start practicing this now.
If you're mid-career and feeling plateaued, this is likely the shift you need.

Where do you think most analysts get stuck — framing, context, proactivity, or ownership?

Dashboard Builder vs. Decision Partner

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking to students at Saint Mary's University through the TD Ignition Program on a topic that’s deeply personal to me:

Landing Your Dream Job.

And here’s the truth I shared with them:

Your dream job is rarely your first job.
It’s usually the result of a series of strategic moves.

I walked them through my journey — from school…
to multiple blue-collar jobs…
to location jumps…
to one strategic role that changed everything…
to eventually stepping into work that truly aligned with my strengths and vision.

We talked about:

• The hard truths about today’s job market
• Why applying online is not a strategy
• How to position yourself beyond your resume
• The power of clarity before opportunity
• How to build leverage early in your career

What impressed me most wasn’t just their questions.

It was their ambition.

Their willingness to think differently about their careers.

Their openness to hearing that standing out requires intention, not luck.

I’ve attached a short video snippet from the session — a small moment from a powerful conversation.

Huge shout-out to the TD Ignition Program and the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre (Vaishali Sachdeva) for the invitation and for creating spaces where students are challenged to think bigger about their futures.

When institutions invest in mindset early, trajectories change.

To every student who attended:

Play the long game.
Make strategic moves.
Build skills that compound.
Seek rooms that stretch you.

Your dream job is built — not found.

If you attended the session, what was one insight that stuck with you?

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The Battle

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