Eric Melillo

Over the last two decades, I’ve led partnerships with 250+ brands, driven $100M+ in revenue, and built systems that scale businesses.Then in 2021, I hit a breaking point.So I walked away from the agency I built —forced to start over from nothing.And I had a revelation.Financial freedom isn’t just for the lucky few.With the right systems, founders and coaches can turn their knowledge into income —without wasting years figuring it out.So I built the frameworks I wish I had.And it changed everything.That’s when I went all in —proving that building predictable client income isn’t just a dream, but a system founders and coaches can follow.Now I help founders and coaches build predictable client income and profitable, system-driven businesses—without wasting years guessing.My Results:→ $100M+ revenue across 250+ brand partnerships→ 20+ years building revenue systems for Fortune 500s→ 1,000+ systems, 2,000+ automations, 5,000+ AI prompts deployed→ Helped founders and coaches build predictable income from their expertiseAI Creator Accelerator is launching soon — join the waitlist:→ www.ericmelillo.com/courses/entrepreneur-osThe Modern Creator (newsletter):Every Saturday, I share 1 exclusive growth system, automation, or AI prompt you won’t find anywhere else:→ www.ericmelillo.com/newsletterhello@ericmelillo.comX: @EricMelillo_

Founder & CEO

ProScale OS helps scale your business smarter with proven automation systems & 10x productivity.

If you’re easily offended, sales ain’t for you.

The distinction is simple:

Sales asks: “Will this solve their problem and are they willing to pay?”

Politeness asks: “Did I offend anyone?”

Sales defines results.
Politeness defines comfort.

Most people confuse being “nice” with being effective:

Hesitate to ask for the sale

Avoid tough conversations

Sugarcoat objections

Give away advice or solutions for free

Ask them for money? Crickets.
Push back when they resist? Awkward silence.

That’s not sales. That’s wishful thinking.

Real sales example:
“I can help you save 10 hours a week with this system. If it’s not a fit, no worries—but if it is, we can start this week.”

Direct. Clear. Honest.

That’s how you close without being pushy.

The process supports it:

Identify the problem your customer actually wants solved

Lead with value, not features

Ask for the sale early and often

Listen, adjust, repeat

When you master this:
✓ Deals close faster
✓ Customers respect you
✓ You grow predictably
✓ You stop leaving money on the table

Ignore it, and you’ll stay small:
❌ Avoid tough conversations
❌ Wait for the “perfect moment”
❌ Give away your time and expertise for free
❌ Wonder why growth is slow

The uncomfortable truth:
The people willing to sell will always win.
The people too polite to ask, fall behind.

Stop overthinking niceness.
Start mastering sales.

Sales chooses your growth.
Courage wins it.

---

Doing the work but nothing’s changing yet?
I made a free 2026 LinkedIn Growth Guide.

You’ll learn:
- 6-figure frameworks
- How to turn skills into income
- How to automate growth with systems

It’s free when you join the newsletter.

Get it here → ericmelillo.com/newsletter

One-person business builder | Helping experts turn their knowledge into income | Powered by systems, automation, and AI

The real flex isn’t grinding 16-hour days.

It’s setting up systems that keep your work moving
even when you’re drained.

Most solopreneurs rely on luck.

Memory.
Willpower.
“Maybe I’ll do it later.”

That breaks fast.

Here’s what actually works for solo founders:

• One place for everything. Not Slack. Not notes. Not DMs.
• Tasks written as actions (send, review, publish, reply).
• Daily work capped at 3–5 tasks. Everything else scheduled.
• Repeating tasks automated or templated.
• Follow-ups auto-reminded so nothing lives in your head.
• A “done → next step” rule for every task.

Before this, my days as a solo founder were chaotic.

After this:

• No wondering what to start first.
• No switching between 5 apps every hour.
• No end-of-day panic over what slipped through.

If your system relies on motivation, it’s not a system.
Good systems run on autopilot, low energy, or chaos.

Less friction.
More output.
Zero burnout.

For solopreneurs, that’s how you win without burning out.
And here’s the truth: your freedom is only as strong as the system you build.

That’s the real flex.

You don’t need a team to make real progress.

I’ve learned this the hard way. 

Early on, I tried doing everything with a “team mindset” by myself—thinking I needed perfect systems, perfect tools, perfect timing. 

It was slow. Exhausting. Frustrating.

Then I realized: one person with clear systems can outpace a team with no direction.

For me, that meant:
• A simple task list I actually follow
• A repeatable way to ship work
• Clear priorities, not endless to-dos

Suddenly, progress felt different. I was moving faster than before, even without anyone else involved.

Start where you are. Build brick by brick.

Write down what works.
Repeat it.
Cut what slows you down.
Automate what repeats itself.

Don’t wait for the perfect team, the perfect tools, or the perfect moment.
Clarity + action beats headcount every time.

Solo doesn’t mean small.
It means focused.
And focus, over time, compounds into momentum you can’t buy.

So today, pick one thing that matters. 

Ship it. 

Document it. 

Then do it again tomorrow. 

That’s how I keep making progress, and it works every time.

I help founders and coaches turn LinkedIn into a client machine | Powered by AI and systems | Ex Fortune 500 systems builder

3 audience growth myths that keep driven professionals overlooked online.

You post consistently.
You engage daily.
You follow all the "rules."

Still invisible.

Here's what I learned after building three different audiences:

Stop chasing numbers.
Start tracking signals.

Same content.
Completely different reach.

With vanity metrics? You're guessing.

Follower counts mean nothing.
Likes don't convert.
You're building in the dark.

With real signals? You're intentional.

One quality connection matters.
Engagement compounds.
Growth without gimmicks.

I spent two years posting into the void.

Then I tracked three simple metrics that actually predict growth.

The result?

Smaller audience.
3x the opportunities.
Zero algorithm anxiety.

Here's what to track instead:

1. Reply rate, not reach

Stop obsessing over impressions.

Track who responds.
Who starts conversations.
Who remembers your name.

That's your real audience.

2. Save rate over like count

Saves signal value.

Someone wants to return.
Reference your work.
Share it privately.

Likes are passive.
Saves are intentional.

3. DM quality, not quantity

One thoughtful message beats a hundred emojis.

Are people asking real questions?
Sharing their challenges?
Requesting your help?

That's traction.

Your audience isn't too small.

Your measurement is.

Track signals that predict real opportunities, not vanity metrics that feed your ego.

You'll grow slower but land faster.



If this helped:

Track one new signal this week. 🤙

 Myth

The truth about building in public:

Most people won’t understand your process.
They won’t see the point of sharing your work.
They won’t relate to the risks you’re taking.

And that’s normal.

The people who do get it?
They’re building too.
They’re experimenting, failing, adjusting.
They recognize the effort behind the progress.

Everyone else is just watching.
Reacting from the outside.
Waiting for a final result before forming an opinion.

You don’t need their approval.
You don’t need to explain yourself.

Your only job:

Keep building.
Keep showing the work.
Keep moving forward.

Because when it finally clicks,
they’ll call it “overnight” —
and you’ll know how long it really took.

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Helping Enterprise Companies Scale & Crush Competitors with HubSpot

I ignored LinkedIn for 10 years.

Quietly disrespected the platform.
Built audiences everywhere else.
Thought I was too smart for "professional" content.

Then I checked my booking data.

Every single prospect was coming from LinkedIn.
Not Twitter. Not Instagram. Not my newsletter.
LinkedIn.

6 months ago I went all-in.
0 to approaching 10,000 followers.
3x my inbound.

Here's what actually worked while building in public:

🎯 Post in-progress work, not polished lessons
People don't want your finished results.
They want the messy middle.
The thinking behind the decisions.

🎯 Write like a human, not a brand
Simple sentences beat smart-sounding ones.
If it feels boring to write, it's probably clear to read.

🎯 Solve one problem per post
Most content feels busy but audiences don't grow.
Because you're teaching everything at once.
Pick one thing. Go deep.

🎯 Reuse ideas that already work
Your best content isn't your newest content.
It's your clearest content.
Say the same thing better, not different.

🎯 Spend more time in comments than Canva
Engagement beats aesthetics.
Every single time.

The truth most people ignore:

Audience growth isn't about posting more.
It's about being useful.
Being visible.
Being consistent.

Same room. Every day.

No hacks.
No viral tricks.
Just clear thinking + daily reps.

Full breakdown in the carousel.
Pick one. Apply it today. 👇

___

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LinkedIn Audience Growth

The best productivity method is the one that works for you.

Not the one your favorite creator swears by.
Not the one that looks good in Notion screenshots.
Not the one that worked for you during a completely different phase of life.

Your energy isn’t the same every day.
Your focus isn’t either.

Some days you can deep work for hours.
Other days, getting the basics done is the win.

That’s normal.

Listen to your body.
Notice when you’re sharp.
Notice when you’re drained.

Then test.

Short sprints. Longer breaks. Morning work. Late-night focus.

Keep what helps. 
Drop what doesn’t.

Over time, you’ll stop chasing “perfect productivity”
and start building a system that actually fits your life.

And that’s when work feels lighter.

I said yes to work that consumed an entire weekend.

Missed my son's soccer game where he scored his first goal.

Still think about it.

Most businesses struggle the same way…

Not because the product is bad.
Not because the team isn't skilled.
Not because customers are impossible.

I'm talking about businesses that:

• Agree with every client request
• Avoid saying no, even when it hurts the team
• Hide behind "the customer is always right"

They think "pleasing everyone" is a business strategy.

It's not.

It's a burnout strategy.

Because the strongest businesses aren't the ones that say yes, they're the ones that guide, challenge, and set boundaries.

They'll:

• Give advice instead of blind agreement
• Set clear expectations without fear of conflict
• Focus on results instead of endless "yes"

And they win.

Here's the truth most people ignore:

• Every extra revision adds stress, not value
• Every "yes" that doesn't make sense costs time and money
• Every unclear boundary leads to missed deadlines

I learned this the hard way.

Said yes to 5 change requests from one client.
Worked nights. Worked weekends. 

Their feedback? "We didn't feel like you worked hard enough."

That's when it hit me:

No amount of accommodation will satisfy some people.
But it will drain you completely.

The market doesn't reward "always right."
It rewards clarity, guidance, and results.

So I made two changes:

𝗡𝗼 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸
𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗰 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 (𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆)

The result?

Better clients who respect my time.
Clearer projects with fewer surprises.
Stronger relationships built on mutual respect.

And I haven't missed another soccer game.

Your competition isn't smarter.
They're just better at managing expectations.

What's one boundary you need to set this week?

Building your personal brand doesn’t need to be hard.

It’s actually quite simple.

And it comes down to one word.

You.

🎯 Write from what you already do
If you worked today, you have content.

A decision you made

A mistake you noticed

A shortcut you learned

A conversation that changed your thinking

Turn that into one post. No backstory. Just the lesson.

🎯 Share one opinion per post
Don’t explain everything.

Pick one belief and stand by it.

Example:
“I don’t think consistency builds a brand. Clarity does.”

That’s enough to start a conversation.

🎯 Use your real words
If you wouldn’t say it out loud, don’t type it.

Simple sentences > smart-sounding ones.

If it feels boring to write, it’s probably clear to read.

🎯 Repeat the same ideas
This is where most people mess up.

You don’t need new ideas.
You need the same 3–5 ideas explained from different angles.

Repetition builds recognition.

🎯 Post, then engage
Posting is only half the job.

Spend 15 minutes:

Replying to comments

Leaving thoughtful comments on others’ posts

That’s how your brand actually spreads.

No hacks.
No aesthetics.
No pressure to be “unique.”

Just show your thinking.
Again and again.

That’s the whole system.

Hiring is one of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship.

Not because talent doesn’t exist.
But because expectations are broken.

Everyone wants:
Big salaries.
Senior titles.
“Work-life balance.”

Few want:
Ownership.
Consistency.
Learning before earning.

Early on, I thought the problem was me.

Maybe I wasn’t a good leader.
Maybe I needed better systems.
Maybe I needed to “motivate” people more.

Then I noticed a pattern.

People who cared about the work?
They didn’t need chasing.
They didn’t need micromanagement.
They didn’t disappear after payday.

People who only cared about the paycheck?
No process ever fixed that.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

You can’t manage motivation into someone.
You can’t train hunger.
You can’t systemize responsibility.

Skills can be taught.
Experience can be built.
Work ethic? That’s already there - or it’s not.

Now I hire differently.

I look for:
✔️ People who show up before being asked
✔️ People who ask better questions than they give excuses
✔️ People who treat the work like theirs, not “the company’s”

Here’s how I actually test this:

I don’t start with long interviews.
I start with small responsibility.

A paid trial.
A clear outcome.
No hand-holding.

If they need reminders, they’re not ready.
If they over-communicate, they usually care.
If they improve without being told, that’s the signal.

Titles don’t impress me anymore.
Resumes don’t predict execution.

Behavior does.

The fastest way to spot the right people?
Watch what they do when no one is watching.

That’s who you build with.

Most of the work you’re doing every day shouldn’t exist.

I know because I was doing it too.

Most people think automation is complicated.
But that’s not why they avoid it.

They’re too buried in daily tasks
to notice which ones are quietly stealing their time.

Not the lack of tools.
Not technical skill.
Not budget.

The real problem is manually doing work that doesn’t require thinking.

I set one rule:
If I did the same task twice in a week, it got documented and automated.

That changed everything.

I see business owners stuck in things like:
- Chasing invoices and payment reminders
- Sending the same emails over and over
- Copying data between tools

So they stay busy.
They feel productive.
They burn out.

Meanwhile, others grow faster with less effort.

Not because they work harder.
Because they automated repetition first.

Here are 3 workflows that freed up hours in my week:

Client onboarding  
New client signs → contract sent → invoice generated → welcome email delivered.  
I built this after slow onboarding caused a few clients to second-guess their decision.

Content repurposing  
Newsletter published → auto-posted to LinkedIn → saved to a content library.  
No tabs. No copying.

Payment follow-ups  
Invoice overdue → reminder sent → escalation sequence triggered.  
No awkward chasing.

Each workflow took about 30 minutes to set up.
Each saves me 2–3 hours every week.

That time now goes to strategy, content, and growth.

Automation isn’t about replacing yourself.
It’s about removing friction so you can focus on what actually moves the business.

---

Still manually doing work that should run itself?
I'll show you how to fix it inside my free newsletter.

You’ll learn:
- 6-figure frameworks
- How to turn skills into income
- How to automate growth with systems

It’s free when you join the newsletter.

Get it here → ericmelillo.com/newsletter

You're not stuck because you're afraid to fail.

You're stuck because you're addicted to certainty.

I spent 3 years knowing I wanted to leave my agency.
3 years scrolling LinkedIn during lunch.
3 years telling myself "next year."

The issue wasn't capability.
It wasn't even fear of failing.

It was the comfort of knowing.

Knowing what every Tuesday looked like.
Knowing when the paycheck hit.
Knowing what level of miserable I'd be by Thursday afternoon.

It was predictable.
Predictable feels safe.

Even when it's slowly draining you.

Your brain is wired to avoid uncertainty more than it avoids pain.

That's why people stay in jobs they hate.
That's why "someday" never comes.
That's why you'll plan for years but never start.

The shift happened when I realized something:

I wasn't choosing between success and failure.
I was choosing between two types of risk.

The risk of trying and not knowing what happens.
Or the risk of not trying and knowing exactly what happens.

Both are risky.
One just feels safer.

I didn't leave because I had it figured out.
I left because I couldn't stomach another year of predictable misery.

Here's what I wish I knew:

You'll never feel ready.
The certainty you're waiting for doesn't exist.
It shows up after you start, not before.

The people who escape aren't fearless.
They just decided uncertain possibility beats predictable misery.

I break down how to actually make the transition in my free newsletter.

Real systems. Real frameworks. Not just mindset.

Get it here: ericmelillo.com/newsletter

___

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uncertainty carousel

People make purchasing decisions in a split second.

They land on your page.
They scroll for a few seconds.
And in that tiny window, one thought decides everything:

“Can I trust this?”

If the answer isn’t yes — they’re gone.

Not because your offer is bad.
Not because your price is wrong.
But because trust didn’t land fast enough.

That’s why social proof matters so much.

• testimonials
• client results
• case studies
• screenshots
• before → after stories
• real conversations

These aren’t “nice to have.”

They speed up trust.

They tell your audience:

“People like you took the leap — and it worked.”

And suddenly…

warm traffic turns into real leads.
Interest turns into action.
Curiosity turns into confidence.

Not because you shouted louder.

But because you proved it.

So if you want more conversions?

Don’t just explain your offer.
Show the receipts.

People don’t buy the promise.
They buy the proof.

Most entrepreneurs think success comes from learning.

It comes from pressure.

I used to believe the "right course" would unlock everything.

Spent over $20,000+ on programs.
Read every business book on my shelf.
Studied frameworks until I could teach them myself.

Then I launched my first business.

And something odd happened:

None of it prepared me for the real thing.

When cash flow dried up.
When a client threatened to leave.
When I had to choose between paying myself or my team.

Meanwhile, I kept watching entrepreneurs who seemed to have no advantages.

No connections.
No safety net.
No backup plan.

Yet they were building 6-figure businesses.

Working flexible hours.
Actually sleeping at night.

What did they know that I didn't?

They understood that entrepreneurship doesn't teach you comfort.

It teaches you who you are under pressure.

They weren't chasing perfect plans.
They were taking messy action.

They weren't waiting for confidence.
They were building it through reps.

They weren't avoiding failure.
They were using it as feedback.

Every hard conversation.
Every moment of doubt.
Every time they chose to stay.

It all built character that no course could teach.

I stopped waiting for perfect.
Started embracing pressure.
Learned more in 6 months than 6 years of programs.

And built a business that didn't just make money, but made me into someone who could handle anything.

Now I teach others to do the same.

Because entrepreneurship isn't learned.

It's lived.

___

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One of the big side effects of being a solopreneur is sacrificing your mental health and family time. 
 
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and forget what really matters. 
 
Burnout is real. 
Working nonstop can wear you down. Isolation can creep in, and you might start feeling lonely. 
 Skipping family dinners or missing events can hurt your relationships. 
 
I remember focusing so much on my work that I missed quality time with my family. 
It hit me hard. 
Those moments with family are irreplaceable. 
 Since then, I’ve made it a point to prioritize family time. 
 
 It has helped my happiness and productivity. 
 
Your mental health and family are your greatest assets. 
 
Make sure to take care of them.

90% of solo operators confuse activity with progress.
The other 10% build systems and move calmly ahead.

Which one are you?

The difference is simple:

Productivity asks: “Why does this work exist?”
Tasks ask: “What should I do next?”

Productivity creates leverage.
Tasks create busyness.

Productivity stays stable.
Tasks change daily.

I’ve seen too many solo founders drowning in:

To-do lists
Daily planners
Time-blocking calendars
Productivity apps

But ask them how work flows?

Silence.

Or worse:
“I just try to stay disciplined.”

That’s not productivity.
That’s willpower with a deadline.

Here’s a real productivity system example:

“Every task enters one inbox, gets prioritized once, executed with templates, and reviewed weekly.”

That’s clarity.
That’s repeatability.
That’s saying no to chaos.

Then the execution supports it:

Daily: Capture → Decide → Do
Weekly: Review → Improve
Monthly: Simplify → Automate

See the difference?

Systems are your theory of how work gets done.
Tasks are just today’s actions.

When you build systems first:
✓ Less decision fatigue
✓ Faster execution
✓ Fewer dropped balls
✓ More mental space

When you skip systems and chase hacks:
❌ Constant overwhelm
❌ Fake productivity
❌ Burnout cycles
❌ Busy days, slow progress

Hard truth:

Solo operators with systems are outpacing you quietly.

While you optimize to-do lists,
they’re compounding output.

Stop managing tasks.
Start designing systems.

Systems choose how you work.
Tasks simply follow.

That’s how solo ops scales.

I use this system to drive a 1,900% increase in impressions.
It works when you treat it like a system, not content.
Consistency and sequence do the rest.

I help you (actually) use AI for content.

When I started on LinkedIn, I was lost.

My posts used to die at 400 impressions.

I didn't know how to write hooks.
I didn't know how to structure content.
I didn't know AI could do 80% of the heavy lifting.

I just kept posting and hoping.

Now I scroll LinkedIn every day.

And I see the same pattern everywhere:

- People with valuable insights.
- People with real expertise.
- People with brilliant ideas.

Stuck at 500 impressions.

Not because their content is bad.

Because of fixable mistakes:
↳ Weak hooks that don't stop the scroll
↳ No structure, so readers bounce
↳ No systems, so they burn out

A few tweaks and they'd be flying.

That's why I built The AI Creators Club.

What members have done in 30 days:

☑︎ 100k impressions in 28 days
☑︎ 5k followers in four weeks
☑︎ Three new clients closed

What's inside:

✦ Templates behind 40M+ views
✦ ~10 hours of pre-recorded training
✦ AI systems and prompts I use daily
✦ Daily feedback on your actual content
✦ Weekly live coaching with me and Fatima
✦ Private community + quarterly London meetups

To put it in perspective:

60 minutes with me costs £500.
3 months inside the Club costs £495.

Doors are officially closed.

Join waitlist: https://lnkd.in/eXtBeCA4

The AI Creators Club - Doors Close Tomorrow

Hi there! 👋 I’m Stephany, and I live and breathe marketing, storytelling, and data-driven problem-solving.

As the founder of UPBEAT, a boutique digital growth studio, I partner with ambitious brands to build end-to-end marketing systems that cut through the digital noise and help them scale smarter.

Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of helping grow dozens of brands, from founder-led startups to established enterprises. In 2022, I further honed my craft by earning an M.S. in Digital Marketing & Media from the Katz School of Science & Health.

Beyond marketing, I’m passionate about lifelong learning and exploring different cultures. 🌍
I spent much of my 20s living abroad - including two years teaching English in Hanoi, Vietnam - and traveling extensively throughout Europe and Asia. Along the way, I shared my journey on my travel blog, theupbeatpath.com, which led to collaborations with travel and hospitality brands that aligned with my love for creativity and global connection.

Those experiences were invaluable in giving me a global perspective and a deep appreciation for the power of storytelling, curiosity, and stepping outside your comfort zone...in life and in business.

⸻

→ If you’re building something great but struggling to get traction, feeling overwhelmed by your marketing, or just craving clarity, let’s connect. I’d love to help you grow with confidence.

→ If you’re a business owner or fellow marketer, give me a follow! You’ll find tips, insights, and real talk on all things growth, content, and strategy.

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