Ellis Bennett ACCA

Have you given up on managing accountancy & taxes for your business?

Setting up a business is no walk in the park, let alone managing the financial aspect of it.

It requires intense efforts to make sure you’re on the right track.

Miss one tax deadline, and you might end up paying double in penalty.

I know it’s overwhelming as a founder.

Now imagine you have an expert who takes care of all your accountancy and tax situation.

You don’t have to worry about taxes.
You don’t have to panic while planning your budget.
You know where you stand in terms of profits and losses.
You have someone you can rely on to manage the financials.

Amazing, isn’t it?

That’s what getting an expert feels like.

I’m Ellis, an ACCA Chartered Accountant, Director at EA Accountancy, and Author of The Solopreneur Start-Up Bible.

I help, advise, and guide start-ups, businesses, and young entrepreneurs through the whirlwind of accountancy and taxes.

I’ve served over 300+ satisfied clients, and I’m all in to help you!

Now, I’m not the accountant who speaks to you once a year in a robotic tone.

I’m more like your business partner.

I help you every step of the way (even acting like a therapist if you need one).

My services include:

• VAT
• Accounts
• Payroll
• Pensions
• Tax Advice
• Tax Planning
• Personal Tax
• Bookkeeping
• Accounting Software
• Company Incorporations
• Registered Office Address
• Capital Gains Tax Disclosures
• Business Planning And Advice

I also offer consultation for new business owners or people looking to hire an accountant so you have clarity for your next steps.

If you think I can help you with any of the above or would like to connect over a Discovery Call, feel free to drop me a DM.

Chartered Accountant

If your accountant is a family friend…

You probably don’t have an accountant.

You have a favour.

One of the biggest red flags on a sales call:

“Yeah, he’s just a family friend. It’s easier.”

Easier.

So is skipping leg day.

Doesn’t build anything worth having.

Here’s what “family friend accountant” usually means for a £200k–£1m agency:

– You speak once a year
– No proper monthly numbers
– No margin analysis
– No forecasting
– No tax planning before year end
– No one challenging what you’re taking out

It’s comfortable.

And comfort is expensive.

When you’re trying to scale:

– 3 staff to 8
– £300k to £1m
– Chaos to structure

You don’t need “easy”.

You need:

– Weekly bookkeeping
– Monthly reports
– Cash flow forecasts
– Proper tax planning
– Someone who’ll say, “Why are your margins that low?”
– Someone who isn’t scared to challenge your drawings

Most family friends won’t challenge you.

Because they don’t want to make Christmas awkward.

But business isn’t Christmas dinner.

It’s war.

If your accountant feels “safe” and “easy”…

Ask yourself whether they’re helping you grow.

Or just helping you file.

Big difference.

Ellis Bennett FCCA

Simplifying Accountancy and maximising Tax Efficiency for Business Owners | Director - EA Accountancy 👨🏼‍💻 💸

Expert

The word gets thrown around like confetti.

Same way everyone who runs a half marathon and lifts a few weights suddenly calls themselves a hybrid athlete.

I’ve just completed another two HYROX events.
I’m training for a sub-3 marathon.
I can bench 120kg (1rep😂)
And I still wouldn’t call myself a hybrid athlete.

Put some respect on the word athlete.
I’m miles off it.

Because I understand how high the bar actually is.
That’s the difference.

Standards.

Business is no different.

Agency owners are constantly sold by “experts” who:
• Scaled one client
• Had one big quarter
• Went viral a few times
• Filed a handful of tax returns

That’s not expertise.
That’s exposure.

Expertise is repetition.
Pressure.
Edge cases.

Fixing things when they’re messy, not when they’re trending.
In my world that looks like:
• £200k agencies making nothing and not knowing why
• £500k agencies with “record months” but no cash
• £1m agencies drifting into VAT disasters
• Directors overdrawn by £100k
• Businesses growing themselves into the ground

That’s where depth is built.

In uncomfortable conversations.
In messy clean-ups.
In fixing pricing, margins and systems before they snap.
Same in training.

Anyone can complete one tough event.

Very few:
Track the numbers.
Fix weaknesses.
Respect the process.
Turn up again.
And again.
And again.

That’s the gap between participation and mastery.

Agencies don’t need hype.
They need operators who’ve seen what breaks at £300k, £500k and £1m and know how to fix it before it happens.

Standards matter.

If you want to be taken seriously,
Raise yours.

Shoaib Ahmed

Founder: Yello Hippo | Host: REBELS Podcast 🎙️ | Building Profitable Personal Brands for Founders & CEOs | 185M+ Organic Views | Winner: Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 | Advisor: Limelight

Hi 👋🏽 I'm the personal brand manager behind top 1% LinkedIn accounts. I've delivered:

300M+ organic impressions → VIRAL content marketing 
2.1M profile views → MILLIONS of eyes on offers
£11.2 revenue → TANGIBLE business growth

Thanks to my:

• 5 years experience (built 195+ Founder-led brands)
• First-party data (I've produced 18,750 LI posts)
• PROVEN LinkedIn growth strategies & models

I work with Founders, Coaches, C-Suite teams, Business Execs, Creatives & Freelancers like you to:

a) Scale your LinkedIn growth & presence
b) Carve out a HIGH-VALUE personal brand
c) Win trust, seriously grow pipeline & make ££

So you can:

Stop wasting ££ on bad lead-gen tactics
Build + scale the business of your dreams
Earn life freedom + attract new opportunities

HOW I HELP:

1:1 & Company LinkedIn Coaching:

- Dominate the algorithm & create viral posts
- Scale your following, traffic & engagement
- Turn LinkedIn into an inbound lead channel

LinkedIn Content Ghostwriting:

- Get 'done for you' LinkedIn posts 
- Turn expertise into monetisable assets
- Earn trust as a thought leader & drive leads

CLIENT RESULTS ↓

✅️ Julius got inbound PR invites (Insider, WebSummit, Harvard)
✅️ Maria landed speaking gigs, earning multi-6-figure revenue
✅️ Alex and Katie sold out 96% of their coaching (400% ROI)
✅️ M and A got 55,700 new followers and 200+ quality leads
✅️ David signed brands 625+ tech brand clients in 9 months
✅️ Drew featured in Washington Post & Wall Street Journal
✅️ Harry hit 6.3 million views & got a 733% ROI in 60 days
✅️ Ryan got 14.3 million views and a 6-figure BBC deal.
✅️ Lauren gained 12.7 million views and an £80K client

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ↓

"I got more value, clarity and practical strategy from a 1-to-1 hour with Shoaib than all 4 of the LinkedIn courses I've purchased elsewhere" - Joey

"Shoaib is a genius at crisp content and a true strategist who always has our KPIs in mind to maximise impact." - Katie

"Shoaib is definitely the go-to person for anything related LinkedIn content. I've paid for coaching sessions with other creators and none have been as insightful as this one." - Mat 

"Working with Shoaib was one of the best investments I’ve ever made." - James

"Shoaib grew my LinkedIn 0-100, securing me global media gigs and attracting a ton of business." - Julius

WORK WITH ME ↓

Book my 1:1 LinkedIn coaching (for individuals)
Book my Company LinkedIn Training (for teams)
Book my Ghostwriting Services (for individuals)

Available for media bookings, keynote speaking and brand partnerships.

DM me :)

Founder & Podcast Host

A brand new podcast where you get to hear from rebellious industry disruptors.

In season one, Shoaib is joined by a curated selection of groundbreaking entrepreneurs, creators and business leaders as he delves into their 'against the grain' stories of success. 

This is a podcast where no topic is off-limits. Each episode is packed with raw, emotional and inspiring stories with guests including Lea Turner, Sophie Miller and Lara Acosta.

Watch & listen to S1 now on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Proudly sponsored by Fabric Academy.

For S2 bookings & sponsorship enquiries visit: www.rebelsbyshoaibahmed.co.uk

Fun announcement 🎉
I'm the Head of Content at Limelight.

I've been advising David Walsh on all things personal branding, content & LinkedIn since he launched his company.

Over two years ago.

We make an excellent team.

Dave gave me full autonomy from the start and we've scaled his brand hard.

______

FYI: I'm still FULLY running my own company. It just means I go deeper (1-2 days a week) with one of my favourite founder partnerships.
______

What started as LinkedIn coaching for Dave quickly became:

→ Brand strategy
→ Lead magnets
→ Social selling funnels
→ Content engines
→ Founder positioning
→ Big-picture growth stuff

And that led to this:

25M+ organic impressions.
Tons of viral LinkedIn posts.
40K+ new LinkedIn followers.
Landing 30 speaking/podcast gigs.
Writing foreword to Amazon bestseller.
Features in major media publications.
Named "Top 50 CEO to watch" 2025.

So when he said: "Shoaib, you're practically my Head of Content"

I replied: "yeah, I kinda am."

So we made it official.

Head of Content (part-time).

I'll be doing more of the same, but on a bigger scale.

When you hear me say things like:

"Instead of chasing new clients all the time, do great work for your existing ones."

This is why!!

From a small freelancer contract in Feb 2024.
To being the fractional Head of Content.

Pretty darn cool.

The LinkedIn Growth Expert with receipts 📝 | Grown 205+ personal brands for founders, coaches & creators | Brain behind 300M organic impressions + £11.2M revenue | Multi-award winning LinkedIn coach, strategist, speaker

I kinda ate February up ngl!!! 🥥🌊
Here's what I got upto...

🎂 Celebrated my 27th birthday with my bunch of school pals in Leeds. Had a Thai curry followed by cheesecake. In bed by 9:30pm. Perfect night.

🫡 Became Limelight’s Head of Content (to extend my current partnership with David). I’ll be leading strategy across personal branding, content marketing and LinkedIn. (The nerdy, data-backed, revenue-generating kind.)

✈️ Flew across the world for 30 days in Indonesia - to island hop, chase sunsets and go into “monk mode” in a few business areas. Escaped the dark, depressing 7am UK mornings. Sorry Britain. I love you. But respectfully, no.

🏆 Won the Lone Wolf Consultancy of the Year Award at the Business Awards UK - the judges recognised “exceptional client results” as the winning factor.

🏋️ Ate 17 smoothie bowls (so far!). Drank 14 protein shakes. Spent 40+ hours lifting weights in the gym and read 3 books (all of them were so good, so I'll pop them in the comments!)

🧠 Ran my 2nd LinkedIn masterclass of the year: “How to write viral LinkedIn posts”. 300+ people signed up to learn my proven, data-driven tactics to amplify the visibility of their content.

🤝 Signed a 3-month creator partnership deal with a brand (co-owned by Steven Bartlett). It’s one of the first AI tools I’ve seen that supports real copywriters without turning everyone into beige, robotic LinkedIn clones.

📈 Two clients upgraded their LinkedIn personal branding package size with me to amplify the scale and output of the work I’ve been doing. Always a good sign when clients say “Let’s do more together!”

🎙️ Took a daytrip to London to appear on James Lamb’s new podcast. Honoured to be his 2nd guest. I spoke all things freedom-building, lifestyle businesses, self-belief, unconventional careers and of course, LinkedIn.

😅 Jumped on my first and very chaotic LinkedIn live (+ overshared, iykyk) with my pals Hannah del Herrera, Karla McNeilage and Louis Butterfield.

📧 Grew my email subs by 200+ founders, marketers and business leaders. Welcome!! I’m really focused on adding insane value. So if you want all my best LinkedIn personal branding insights & breakdowns, subscribe: https://lnkd.in/eVKs-RrT


Negatives:

- I got caught in a 3-day flood in Lombok (an island near Bali) and had to wade through muddy floodwater barefoot to get to the gym / cafes / coworking spots. (By day 3, it was just part of the daily routine 😂)

- I got 2 invites for speaking gigs this summer at big marketing events and BOTH were on the same day. Had to decline one. What are the chances?!?

- I had to end a potential client call because a founder (who wanted me to build his brand) said, "even though you're in Bali, I'd expect you to fully work on a UK timezone to accommodate my diary." Dude... you HAVING A LAUGH?? Bye.


PS. What’ve you been upto? Win of the month?

LMK and let’s celebrate 🎉

I won at the Business Awards UK! 🎉 

This definitely beats the "Star of the Week" accolade I got in year 4 for "helping tidy up Mrs Drury's classroom."

Pretty dope.

Read my interview here: https://lnkd.in/ePwTbv3E

Thanks for the write-up Dan Marsh.

I passed my driving test 9 years ago but I've never owned a car in my life.

But if I did buy a car...

I'd get a little used one for < £500.

Ideally, a tiny 2 seater.

So I never have to worry about:

1. Parking (I'm terrible!)
2. Someone stealing it
3. Someone crashing into it
4. Reversing into a lampost (likely!)
5. Having to give lifts to people 😂

A crappy old banger will do. 

The only thing that matters is that it gets me from A to B.

But right now, I choose not to have one.

I work from home.
I live in the city centre.
I travel abroad 10-12x a year.

I could buy a car. It's the thing to do. Right?

But the money I would spend on a fancy car, fuel, maintenance, parking, insurance, etc.

I'd rather put into:

- Flights abroad
- Health investments
- Spoiling my friends
- Bucket list experiences
- Investing in my business

Cars are weird.

If you're into cars as a hobby, go you!
(Seriously, no judgment).

I personally am not.

But I find 3 things bizarre:

1. How OFTEN I get asked about what car I'd buy

2. How OFTEN I get asked why I don't own a car (usually they say stuff like "but your business is doing well!!!")

3. The look of HORROR on people's faces when I tell them what my dream car actually is (+ how much it would cost)

It's a metal box on wheels.

I grew up in a community where cars were the ultimate sign of wealth.

Well then, consider me poor AF 😂

For some people cars are a necessity.

But for many people they can be a status purchase DISGUISED as a necessity.

I’ve watched so many people:

- Hit their first decent revenue month
- Immediately finance a “nice” car
- Lock themselves into 3–5 years of payments

These same people say:

"We can't go on a holiday this year."
"We need to stop getting takeaways."
"Don't put the heating on. Put on a jumper."

Meanwhile...

They've got a Range Rover and an Audi parked on their drive.

Make it make sense.

Nobody is driving past you thinking: “Wow. What an extraordinary human. Look at that Audi.”

They're thinking:

"Look at that Audi."

They're romanticising the car. 

Not you.

Buy stuff that makes you feel good by all means.

But don't buy stuff because you think it will make you "look" good in the eyes of other people.

Focus on pleasing your inner self.

Not your neighbour.

I wish I hadn’t binged 3 years of self-help content. 

If you’re Au-ADHD (like me), the “personal development” industry can be dangerous.

In 2022, the self-help industry was worth $38 billion. 

By 2032? Estimated to be $90 billion.

There’s a lot of money in convincing you you’re not enough 🙃



I read 30+ “self-help” books, poured over every page, highlighting bits, taking notes.

Before long, it consumed ALL my spare time.

At the gym, I’d play self-help podcasts.
On the train, I’d watch self-help videos.
In bed, I’d listen to self-help audiobooks.

Silence felt unproductive.

I considered “free time” a bad thing.

Don’t get me wrong, the learnings I took away DID improve my life (to an extent).

I made more money. 
My business grew. 
I made like-minded friends.
I improved my health.
I built better discipline.

But ADHD + optimisation culture is a volatile mix.

ADHD comes with ‘hyperfixation”.

This is when you get complete obsessive or absorbed into something.

When this goes on for a prolonged period of time, it can lead you to:

- Feel disoriented by your surroundings
- Neglect/sacrifice everything else
- Lose track of time and ‘balance’

When it runs unchecked, everything else shrinks.

And that’s what happened to me.

I tried to optimise my mornings. My sleep. My diet. My routines. My friendships. My output.

Nothing was allowed to just exist.

This led to unhealthy standards, addictive behaviours and intense irritation when things were beyond my control.

It affected my daily mood (not in a good way!)

And so a word of warning:

Self-help isn’t evil. But it’s addictive.

Especially if you already struggle with dopamine regulation.


I’d advise consuming it in small doses and then taking time to implement one thing at a time, slowly and whilst being kind to yourself.

It’s also okay to reject some ideas.

I think these things are just as important for “personal development” (but RARELY get mentioned in self-help material)...

→ Community & deep connection
→ Investing in your mental health
→ Rest and recovery on your terms
→ Sitting in boredom
→ Spending time in nature 
→ Doing nothing guilt-free
→ Hobbies with no intent to monetise
→ Indulging in fictional content
→ Experience you can’t ‘measure’

You don’t need to optimise every inch of your existence.

I guess it comes back to that word.

Balance.

You are not a startup.

You don’t need to scale yourself every quarter.

You can reach a point and think:

“I am enough.”

💛

"LinkedIn is a professional platform"

Well shucks.

This photo is from Halloween.

I'm Yoshi. My mates are other Mario Kart charactes.

In this picture, you have senior (& very talented!!!) people who work in architecture, teaching, green transport, regulatory affairs, flood risk management, emergency training, branding, etc.

When I posted this 5 months ago...

It went viral on LinkedIn.

I also signed 3 clients from it - would you believe???

In newsfeeds full of:

AI slop
Corporate buzzwords
Sleazy sales content
"Delighed to announce" posts
Company promotions

I think it's refreshing to see:

- Real humans
- Fun / humour 
- Transparency
- Personality
- Unfilteredness

Because you can be professional and have a personality.

The two things are not mutually exclusive.

If someone sees this post and thinks:

"I wouldn't want to work with *him* in business."

I say:

"Lucky escape for me!"

No boring people here, please and thank you 🤣 

PS. Life is short. Care less what people think.

I've cut out people who "talk" non-stop about their goals BUT never take action to achieve them.

I don't judge them.

I just refuse to sit in their delusion 😅

I'm tired of:

The same conversations
The same advice they'd ask for
The same excuses they'd make

I'm au-ADHD, so this also might come into it.

I'm a literal person.

If I say I'm going to create a digital product in 5 days.

By day 3 I'll have the product, the email funnel, the launch material, the graphics, the copy, the social media posts ... all done!

Day 4: I launch it
Day 5: I move to the next thing

I've trained a bias for action.

Otherwise, you get stuck in the "talking stage"

When we talk about doing something, the brain releases dopamine, just as it would if we'd actually done the thing.

So it "rewards" you for doing nothing.

Which is toxic af. Brain, do better 😂


Here are 4 things I do to PREVENT this:


1. I make an upfront investment.

Money creates commitment and the pain of losing it is a great motivator.

Invest in whatever you need ASAP.
(Even better if there's a time limit)

E.g. I paid for 6 passes for a yoga class. But the passes had to be used within 4 weeks.

I booked them all and went.

See?? It works.


2. I bake accountability into it.

Hire a PT if you wanna get built
Hire a biz coach if you want ££
Go to the gym with a friend.

The pain of letting people down is often worse than the pain of doing the thing you said you would.

Which is great for taking action.

This is especially helpful on days when you're feeling lazy.

Or whipping up excuses to not do it.


3. I single-task (not multi task).

Long to-do lists are the enemy of progress.

Subtraction is the secret weapon.

So I cull everything from my to-do list and pick 1-2 priorities.

I clear my diary for that thing.
Assign a limited amount of time for it.
Then go all in until it's done.

Only then do I move on to the next thing.

Multi-tasking = multi-failing.


4. I schedule it into the diary.

If it's not in your diary, you'll allow it to be swallowed up.

Don't lie to yourself.

You'll never make time for it.

So choose a date, time and location to start. (Knocking down the first domino is the hardest part).

Put it in your calendar. Time-block.

Anything else you want to do has to fit around it.

It's basic priority-setting.


All these are pretty basic things that helped me.

Maybe they might help you.

And you can FINALLY get *that thing* done you keep talking about.


P.S. What helps you TAKE ACTION?

Share any tips below and let's not gatekeep.

We can all win together!

2022: Worked every weekend 8am-8pm (said “no” to social invites, locked myself in a box room and went into monk mode). 

2026: Spending weekends hopping between tiny islands in the Indian Ocean with swimming shorts, a book and a water bottle.

In those 4 years, I built a multi 6-figure business from scratch.

And no…

I’m not a trust fund kid.
I don’t have a business degree.
Nobody in my family is an entrepreneur to learn from.

In the first 2-3 years, 90 hour weeks were normal.

I love the idea of “work-life balance.”

But practically, it doesn't work. 

(Especially early on).

To get something off the ground, you have to sacrifice in ways most people simply won’t.

You must be obsessive.

It takes time, graft and commitment to:

Hone your craft (until you’re very good)
Test offers that flop + create good ones
Find your ICP and what niche to target
Set up contracts/ invoicing/ decks
Figure out how to market yourself
Learn how to conduct sales calls
Build standard operating procedures
Make mistakes (hopefully only once!)
Learn the fundamentals of business

These photos are real.

But they’re the reward, not the starting point.

And ALSO a reward that I have to maintain.

I work incredibly hard when I'm in 'business season' so I can indulge in this time off, guilt-free. (And I do it all solo - my marketing, my sales, my newsletter, my content, my client delivery, my operations).

Early self-employed life is stressful, lonely, confusing and financially inconsistent.

Fullstop.

And for context:

I don’t have kids or dependents.
I don’t have a debilitating disability.
I don’t have a pet tying me to one place.

That makes digital nomad life easier.

(There are elements of privilege here for sure!!!)

But it doesn’t remove the work.

You can't shortcut that.

So if you’re seeing posts with pictures like these, but without the context I've given in this post and thinking:

“How do I get there???”

The answer is simple:

Mute the people selling you a false dream.

And focus on the work.

Put in the hours.
Cut out your distractions.
Invest in real experts to help.
Work on needle-moving tasks.
Start building your personal brand.

Do the boring stuff.

Now, 4 years in, I don’t chase “balance.”

I practice work-life integration.

I work in seasons.

Some months I go all in - by choice.

Other months I slow down. Travel more. Live life fully.

Freedom isn’t constant relaxation.

It’s optional intensity.

And this freedom is only obtained once you’ve set up the foundations.

Most people chase this freedom with no foundations.

They never make it.

Build and strengthen your foundations first.

Me: *Explains my routine to my therapist*
Therapist: "Shoaib, you're autistic & ADHD."
Me: "Huh? You what, mate?" 🙃

8 1:1 sessions later...

I now realise that the 'weird' little things I *thought* everyone did or went through in life are common traits in au-ADHD people.

I just didn't know it.

Anyone relate to this stuff? 👇🏽


1. Walking out of cafes if everything isn't quite ✨ right ✨ I'm talking the level of natural light, texture of the seat (hard wood vs fabric vs leather vs metal), angle of the chair's backrest, height of the table against my elbows, texture of table, the speed of service, etc. And also - I have to sit in the same seat every time I work from a cafe. If that seat is taken, I go elsewhere.

2. Eating the same food on repeat for months (and then I never eat it for another 12 months). Yes, I will eat Quaker's peanut butter protein porridge for breakfast at 9am every single day for 143 days on the trot. The texture is the best out of all the porridges I've tried. But then one day it'll suddenly change to Fage 0% fat protein yoghurt with blueberries (but it has to be the big ones - Tesco's sweet & juicy blueberries only). And yes... when something isn't in stock nearby, I will travel far and wide to get it.

3. Finding one thing by chance and making it your entire personality (for the 2 weeks that it interests you). Then doing that thing non-stop until you can't do it anymore and you've exhausted it. Like buying £150 binoculars to bird watch (literally everywhere I go!!) after seeing a toucan in Colombia once. But all I see now are pigeons and crows. Ffs. It's not quite the same when you're not in a tropical rainforest!

4. Being able to work incredibly fast on some things e.g. paint your entire house in 3 days and get B&Q obsessed after watching all 6 series of Alan Carr's Interior Design Masters in 2 weeks. But then, spending 9 months procrastinating on very minor tasks you find boring - like putting up blinds in my bedroom after they fell off in the middle of the night 7 months ago. My solution was not to fix the blinds. It was to buy an eyemask from Amazon. 

5. Needing to plan your entire day (hour by hour) the night before so you can mentally prepare for things like travel, socialising, eating times, etc. I do this to avoid having ANY 'empty space' in my day because then I know I'll be super restless and annoying to everyone around me. It's frustrating when trying to make plans (because I am not a spontaneous person - I need prep time).


Please say I'm not alone!! Does anyone else do any of the above??

Being self-employed is cool, until it isn't.

Here's how I manage the bad stuff:


1. It's very hard to fully "switch off"

Even on "holiday", you either:

a) think about work
b) end up doing work

When your clients need you, you feel "obliged" to be available. As a solopreneur, you are the 'do-er' of all things.

When you love your job, want to do the best work for clients and have a brain full of ideas...

Switching off feels wasteful!

(Though this is also the result of being conditioned to be 'productive 24/7).

How to manage it?

Set boundaries, be strict with working hours, say "no" more often, accept you can't help everyone (it's not your job to), and schedule time off in your diary.

Going away? Work ahead of time. 

If you know you have a quieter period, get ahead with admin / bigger projects. 

This will relieve stress in busy seasons!

Pre-qualify your clients. 
Save time with good systems & ops. 
Delegate admin work if you can. 
Prioritise important tasks, not easy ones.

If you do great work for current clients, you won't need to spend so much time and money trying to get new ones. 

Just saying.


2. It's emotionally battering

In year one, I lost 3 clients in one day, cutting our revenue by 1/3 almost overnight. 

2 days later, I signed 2 HUGE clients.

Both are still clients now - 3 years later - and also pay 3x what they did before.

When you start, things are unpredictable.

Setbacks feel soul-destroying.

But if you do great work and have happy clients, you will always be in demand.  So don't get sloppy with delivery. 

Happy clients = stability = happy you

If you react emotionally to everything that doesn't go your way, you won't survive. 

Your revenue isn't 100% 'predictable'. 

No matter how great the results you deliver for clients, things outside of your control can and do happen.

Tips? 

Set long-term contracts with notice periods to protect yourself against revenue fluctuations. Ask for testimonials and social proof. Build your personal brand and don't stop growing it.


3. Your 'to-do' list never ends

If you're not innovating, you kinda fall behind. 

This is a dog-eat-dog world so 'coasting' isn't an option. 

Keep your standards high.

Learn what's important vs what isn't. And then do what you need to adapt, to grow, to add more 'value' to your service.

Pick your lane and niche.

Don't try to do everything (multi-tasking = multi-failing).

Pick 1-2 priorities and work on them each week! 

For big projects like websites, launches and events - work on them at least 15 min EVERY day.

This keeps up the momentum to reach the finish line.


I love being self-employed.

I wouldn't change it for the world!!!

The freedom, the unlimited earning potential, the choice it gives you, the doors it opens...

All 100% worth it.

But also, not easy by any means.

I think it's important I share both sides.

Reminder: You have got this! 🔥

I think I just hired the best virtual assistant in my business.

And it’s not a real person 😂

Until recently, I was spending 3-4 hours a week doing the most boring admin imaginable:

– Client onboarding
– Sending links and folders
– Chasing forms / invoices
– Drafting the same emails
– Scheduling follow-ups

Now it takes me 15 minutes.

I stopped forcing clients into my internal tools and built one simple, client-facing portal instead.

Everything lives in one place:

Contracts + invoices
Onboarding docs
Forms + files + context
Automatic reminders
Clear next steps (for them and me)

And I’m no longer hunting through Slack, email, Drive, Notion and WhatsApp like a gremlin.

This is the kind of AI-enhanced software I love.

The “get this off my plate so I can do my actual job” type of AI.

I’m a one-man band.

So I quickly fall in love with any tool that:

a) saves me time
b) doesn't sacrifice quality
c) makes clients' lives easier

If you want to see what I’m using, comment "PORTAL" and I’ll send it over.

Brand partnership • The LinkedIn Growth Expert with receipts 📝 | Grown 205+ personal brands for founders, coaches & creators | Brain behind 300M organic impressions + £11.2M revenue | Multi-award winning LinkedIn coach, strategist, speaker

I'm not against having a sugar daddy.

Or selling feet pics on the internet 🦶 

Nor am I against a rich family member dying in suspicious circumstances and leaving me a fat inheritance.

🫢 

But sadly, I have none of those.

(I know. Annoying af.)

So I had to do the work myself.

I've built a 6-figure branding business with zero mentors, no funding and no connections.

Just me, tippy-tappying away on my MacBook.
Deciding I don’t wanna die in 9-5 corporate hell.
And drinking my bodyweight in double espressos.

For context:

5 years ago, I was sitting in lecture halls learning about genetically modified jellyfish.

No, I'm not joking.

And now?

I've been asked to become an OFFICIAL PARTNER with Stan - the company backed by Steven Bartlett, Gary Vee and 100s of the world's top entrepreneurs.

Kinda mad 🤯

Why did Stan choose me?

Because I DIY-ed my entrepreneur journey.

I built it all in public. 

Since Jan 1st 2022 (my day 1)

I’ve helped build 200+ personal brands on LinkedIn. For 7 and 8-figure founders. Even won awards for it.

I get pitched AI writing tools every week.

Most are crap. 

Built by some SaaS bro who saw "personal branding" trending and thought: "I could cash in on this."

With no understanding of what creators actually need.

Stan is refreshingly different.

It's the first AI tool I'd genuinely recommend to the business owners I coach.

And that's saying something.

Grab a 7-day free trial.

👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/eBMJswYK)

Stanley AI learns your unique writing voice and suggests content ideas based on your goals.

It's also LinkedIn-specific. 

So the recommendations are spot on.

(I would know 😉)

Have you tried it?

My client just fired me.

And left me this 3 minute voicenote.

I really have no other words.

I told a friend I had my most successful month in business ever!!

He said:

“Nice. How much did you make?”

Ermmm 😅

I wasn’t talking about money.

So I replied: “I had only 4 meetings.”

He looked confused.

Let me explain 👇🏽

There are 744 hours in January.

My meetings took 3.

That’s 0.4% of the month.

99.6% of my time was mine.

And it was still a 5-figure profit month.


That’s success to me → OWNERSHIP of my time.


Because it indicates 3 things:

1/ I’ve built long-term trust with my clients.

All of my retainers have been with me 2+ years. We don’t need weekly “alignment calls.” They trust the strategy and have seen the results I help them achieve. I deliver. We move.

2/ My personal brand does the selling. 

Clients come through my DMs already educated about what I do. They’ve seen the proof in my posts, cases studies and website testimonials and know how I think from my LinkedIn posts! By the time we DM, they’re ready to go.

3/ I stopped mistaking “busy” for “important.”

I used to say yes to every call. “Quick chat?” “Can we jump on Zoom?” “Let’s discuss.” Now? If it can be an email, it’s an email. My diary is protected. I never mistake ‘talking about doing work’ for actually doing the work.


Somewhere along the way, we decided:

Busy = successful.

A calendar blocked 9–5 = important.

Back-to-back Zoom calls = "productive"

I reject that.

Success, to me, is designing your work around your dream lifestyle, energy and body clock.

No performative busyness.

Who’s with me?

Most people: advice you to send 50 cold DMs a day on LinkedIn, create a 17-step AI workflow and automate + outsource everything, including visiting your 87 year old gran. #efficiency 

Me: teach you how to write viral LinkedIn posts that boost visibility, get business results and all in less time - by using proven marketing psychology and LinkedIn growth techniques I've used with REAL PEOPLE. 


I think my method is better.

Why?

1. You learn key writing principles you can apply everywhere (landing pages, emails, ads, offers etc.)

2. You spend less time creating mediocre, bland posts that anyone could say.

3. You master how to tell great stories and build a standout, impactful and memorable personal brand.


⏰ In 4 hours, I'm hosting a live FREE webinar.

"How to Write Viral LinkedIn Posts"

Register + get the link: https://lnkd.in/eGvesmwM

It's open to anyone.

It'll be packed with ACTUALLY helpful advice.
Stuff that I use daily. (For me and clients).

See you there!

Can we just cut the bull?? 
Most people don’t want a mansion.
Or a £10M exit. Or a CEO job title.

They want:

• To feel peace, own a home, pay for the small comforts/conveniences in life and not deny themselves little joys like extra legroom on a flight.

• To say “yes” when their friends plan a spontaneous weekend trip - without checking their bank app first or calculating annual leave days.

• To build something meaningful without sacrificing sleep, relationships, or their health to do it. And to enjoy the process of learning.

It's kinda depressing.

Most people will never reach this point.

We get conditioned to play a game we don't even want to win.

- Chasing money goals they never set
- Build businesses they feel chained to
- Pushing back bucket list goals to "later"

So what happens?

We work 14-hour days.

Some people do this in a 9-5pm job!! 

Because we've normalised unpaid overtime as just expected.

Apparently, this is "hard work."

I know... because I was a victim of it all too.

Although I had my own biz - and because of that, I earned more than I ever did.

In fact, I hit £100k revenue by month 9 of being a freelancer, at the age of 22 and fresh out of uni.

But over the next few years?

I grew so obsessed with stacking revenue and growing this 'business' that I burned out, was in and out of hospital and had pretty much f*cked up my body, mental health and relationships.

I did that for 3 years.

And then I shook myself and said:

"Shoaib, wtf are you doing with your life?"

My next move?

I spent 5 weeks totally redesigning my life - burning all my boats, pulling the plug on everything I'd internalised and rebuilding my biz from scratch.

I handed over some clients to other people and rewrote my services / contracts!

Why? Because...

More money means nothing 
→ if you’re too exhausted to enjoy it.

More clients mean nothing 
→ if you never see your friends / family.

More growth means nothing 
→ if it doesn't give you more choices.

(FYI: I don't underestimate the power of money to get yourself out of a crappy situation and open doors - but also, there's so much more to life).


Now I have a successful business AND a happy life.

Spending 45 days in Bali rn, working hard in the AM and chasing sunsets in the PM.


It's hard to get here.

But at the end of the day, until you take a risk, take drastic action or make a statement to reject society's version of 'success' ... 

Nothing changes.

You have to CHANGE your reality to change your reality.

And that starts with the day-to-day.

A morning routine.
Your negative self talk.
How you set boundaries.
The contracts you give clients.
Your microbehaviours.
How you spend an average week.

These things tot up.

Make one tiny change in one area of your life, and the net positive effects will seep into another.

Do this for 6 months.

It will change your life.

Just don't stay stuck in inaction, thinking "this is it, I'm helpless".

You're not.

You can do and you deserve, better!

Someone asked me: “How do you do it all?”

My answer: "I regularly give up" 😂

I just do what matters and IGNORE everything else.

(I give it up guilt-free).

YOLO ✌🏽


My work goals?

- Get solid client results
- Grow my personal brand
- Diversify how I deliver value

My personal goals?

- Build time, location & financial freedom
- Spend more time with loved ones
- Live a more 'adventurous' life

So I've designed my routine for all that.

First step? Accept that:

- Your to-do list will never end.
- There's always 'more' you *could* do.
- More money won't solve your problems.

Then? 


1. Focus on priority tasks.

Most people try to fit as much as possible into their week.

Then fill their to-do lists with crap like:

"Send email to X"
"Create document for Y"
"Go to meeting about Z"

Half this stuff takes 2 mins but people still add it to a to-do list to give them a false sense of achievement.

It's dopamine chasing.

And doesn't actually help you progress at all.

Ask yourself: What are the 3 highest ROI activities I need to protect this week?

Then:

→ Block 3x 2-hr deep work slots to do that stuff
→ Batch all your meetings to stop context-switching
 → Use a “one-tab only mode” when working

My framework is: “CREATE, COACH, CLOSE”

If a task doesn’t fall into those 3 buckets.
I seriously question if I need to do it.

(Delegate, automate and outsource too).


2. Schedule your social and hobby time.

I force myself to "switch off" every day.

Tips:

- Book activities in advance, pay upfront
- Put social stuff into your work diary
- Don't rely on things just 'happening'

Be intentional with your 'out of work' time.

Things I've done this year?

Rollerblading. Games nights. Cinema trips. 
Brunches. Dinners out. Parties. Baking days.
Concerts. Beach evenings. Spa & sauna nights.
Weekend hikes. Wild swimming. City breaks.

My next 7 weekends are fully booked. 

This forward planning is awesome.

It forces me to do all my work Mon-Fri. 
(I don't let it slip into evenings/weekends)

And I'm seeing my friends way more than before!


3. Ruthlessly edit your goals

Just because:

You set a goal
Put something on a vision board
Told a friend you would do X thing

It doesn't mean you *have* to.

If it no longer serves you, discard it.

I review my to-do list weekly.

To simplify & delete.

→ Paused offers I was selling out, but hated delivering
→ Stopped launching new things just because I could
→ Killed goals that were ego-driven (& energy-sucking)

Ask yourself:

- Is this goal aligned with what I want now?
- Would I say yes if I wasn’t already doing it?
- Is this task giving me peace, profit or purpose?

If not? Let it goooooo...

LET IT GOOOOOO 🎶🎶🎶


I used to say:

“I’ll take a break when”
“I’ll relax after”
“I’ll enjoy myself once”

Now?

I book fun in first. And build the week around it.

It's your life at the end of the day.

Start living it how 10 year old you imagined you would.

It's more fun that way!

I’m running a FREE LinkedIn sales masterclass.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gkHq4PaW


In 30 mins, I’ll teach you:

🤑 How to optimise your LI profile
(to position yourself for high-quality leads)

🤑 Which copywriting tactics to use
(to drive higher conversions in posts)

🤑 How to use warm DMs to convert
(and what a good message looks like)

🤑 The ultimate 3-post system
(to build a top-tier LinkedIn sales funnel)

🤑 How to use lead magnets to sell
(with step-by-step creation tips)


I’ve run two webinars this year.
Over 600 people signed up!! 🤯 

This one will be the most VALUE-PACKED.

Expect lots of practical tips, actionable frameworks and advice you don’t hear from everyone else…

All founded in:

🕺🏽 Marketing & sales psychology
🕺🏽 Data-led LinkedIn case studies
🕺🏽 Real-life conversion examples


Thurs 26th March, 10am-10:30am UK time.

It’ll be on Zoom + it’s totally free.

See ya theeerrreee 👋🏽


P.S. Drop your fave emoji if you’re joining!

I've spent £183 on smoothie bowls in 4 weeks.

The one this morning cost £14.

It had edible flowers on it.

That sold it tbh. Instantly.

I'm 27 and I don't know what I'm doing with my life.

But I do know how to sell on LinkedIn.

I've built 200+ profitable personal brands for founders, coaches & creators. 

And with WW3 incoming, what we all need right now is a dude in flip flops living his delulu life in Bali testing out the entire island's smoothie bowls...

And then?

Jumping on here to talk about LinkedIn sales systems.

That's just what we need, innit?

On that note...

I'm running a FREE LinkedIn sales masterclass.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gkHq4PaW

In 30 mins, I'll teach you:

🤑 How to optimise your profile for high-quality leads
🤑 Copywriting tactics that drive conversions
🤑 Warm DMs that actually convert (with templates)
🤑 The 3-post system for a LinkedIn sales funnel
🤑 How to use lead magnets to build ownable audience

If you're active on LinkedIn with a B2B offer and want to monetise your efforts - secure clients, boost sales, increase signups, etc.

You don't want to miss this.

Don't forget to register for the link.

It's free and open to everyone.

P.S. Which smoothie bowl looks best?? 👇🏾

In < 48 hours, I'm going "live" 🎤

To over 250 wonderful people!!

I'm teaching business owners, coaches & creators...

"How to Write Viral LinkedIn Posts" 📈📈

In 30 minutes, they'll learn:

✔ 8 top copywriting principles
✔ What visuals/formats to use
✔ The anatomy of a viral post
✔ How to master post hooks

It's 100% free. 
Open to everyone.

It will be jam-packed with value.

You're welcome to join.

Register here + get the link: https://lnkd.in/eGvesmwM

📅 FREE WEBINAR: How to write viral LinkedIn Posts | Register now | Grown 195+ personal brands for founders, coaches & creators | Brain behind 300M+ impressions | LinkedIn coach, strategist, speaker

taplio

The Battle

Ellis Bennett ACCA

Shoaib Ahmed

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Performance ScoreEllis Bennett ACCA's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreShoaib Ahmed's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Ellis Bennett ACCA

Shoaib Ahmed

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ellis Bennett ACCA's LinkedIn Performance

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Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreEllis Bennett ACCA's LinkedIn Performance