Jake Huber

Scaled 3 unicorns🦄 & teams from 0→250+ | 125+ founders read my newsletter to scale their teams smarter 📈🧠

At Uber, I scaled my team from 0→50 people <1yr.

Now I help Seed & Series A+ startup founders scale their teams. Here's how ↓

I learned how to scale teams the hard way.

At Uber, I grew our team from 0→50 in under a year. 

At Industrious, we launched 10 locations and I built a 30-person team. 

At Veho, we 4×’d headcount (70→285) and increased weekly inbound applicants +495% in 6 months. 

Those wins all had one thing in common: a great recruiter embedded with the team—and simple, repeatable systems.

Before that, my first startup failed. I didn’t know how to hire, train, or manage yet. If I could go back, I’d tell “Past Jake” to stop duct-taping recruiting and bring in real help—without signing up for agency commissions or a full-time hire too early.

That’s why I built Venture Scaler.

🚀 Venture Scaler = A Startup-Friendly Way to Hire

We place an expert, senior recruiter (ex-Uber/Dropbox/Spotify, etc.) directly on your team—fractionally. Hourly. Month-to-month. No commissions. No long-term contracts. We run the full search like your in-house recruiter so you can stay focused on building product and talking to customers.

How It Works (It’s simple on purpose):

1. Perfect-Fit Profile Guarantee: We align on 5–10 candidate profiles before outreach so we don’t waste cycles.

2. End-to-End Execution: Sourcing, screening, coordination, and candidate experience handled.

3. Tight Comms: Weekly check-ins + async updates so you always know pipeline, blockers, and next steps.

4. Flex Up/Down: Add hours when you’re sprinting; pause when you’re not hiring.

Why founders pick us:

4× Faster to Hire: UpSmith’s first sales hire closed in 5 weeks after a 5-month stall.

~90% Cost Savings vs Agencies: Honey Homes saved ~$230k in two months of hiring.

Scale at Speed: At Veho we 4×’d the team and built an engine for inbound talent.

If you’re Seed or Series A, need to make a few critical hires, and don’t want to overbuild headcount or pay 25% fees, this model was built for you.

💬 Hiring right now? DM me here or visit venturescaler.com. I’m happy to share my hiring playbooks (the same ones we used at Uber/Veho) or dig into your roles and recommend a plan.

Learn more: https://venturescaler.com

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P.S. Outside of work and scaling startups:
👯‍♀️ I’m a girl dad x2
🏕 A backpacker/camper
🎭 Trained at UCB in improv comedy
💍 Secretly proposed to my wife using Uber: https://youtu.be/uRi_B5CxWZ8

Startup Mentor

“Jake is an incredible sounding board that provides tactical tips, resources and introductions to help navigate crisis’ and challenges. He has an innate ability to level with you on any subject. During my three months with Jake I looked forward to every call as we hashed through 5-10 topics at a time spanning from affiliate & growth strategies to recruiting and mindset.”

~April Dominguez, CEO & Founder of Handsome

First Round Fast Track by First Round Capital matches seasoned startup leaders with early-stage founders and team members within a unique mentorship community. First Round Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm focused on building a community of technology entrepreneurs and companies.

I wasted 3 weeks interviewing a candidate only to have them reject my offer over salary 🤦

And it wasn’t even a small amount. We were worlds apart.

I never made that mistake again.

Here's how you can avoid it:

Have the compensation conversation EARLY.

I'm talking first call with the recruiter or hiring manager. Get it out of the way upfront.

Why this works:

- Saves everyone's time if there's a huge mismatch
- Shows candidates you value transparency
- Allows you to gauge interest/excitement level
- Gives you time to get creative on comp if needed

My go-to script:

"I like to have an open conversation about compensation expectations early on. What I'd hate is to go through this whole process only to realize we're worlds apart on comp. So what are your expectations in terms of base salary?"

Then be prepared to share your budgeted range as well.

Pro tip: Frame it as "aligning expectations" rather than "negotiating." You're just making sure you're in the same ballpark.

What's your take - should comp be discussed early or saved for the offer stage?

Drop a comment with your view. Curious to hear different perspectives on this!

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🤝 Need hiring help? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

Scaled teams from 0→250+ at 3 unicorns🦄 | Early Uber | Startup Founder & Operator

Recruiting agencies are bleeding startups dry.

Most charge 25% of first-year salary as commission.

Hire 4 people at $100K each? That’s $100K in fees.

Congrats—you just gave away Employee #5's salary to an agency.

Founders at Seed and Series A can’t afford that kind of burn. And you also don’t need a full-time recruiter yet.

That’s where a fractional recruiter comes in to save your runway.

Here’s why our model at 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 works better for early-stage teams:

1. A-player recruiters hire A-players
↳ Our team comes from Uber, Dropbox, Spotify. You’re not just renting offshore juniors, you’re renting experts with playbooks.

2. Keep your runway
↳ We helped our client (Honey Homes) hire 13 people in 2 months and saved them $230K vs agencies. That’s basically 2-3 hires “for free.”

3. Flex with your needs
↳ Ramp up during a hiring sprint, scale down when roles are filled. Our model is month-to-month and low risk.

4. Pay for time, not commissions
↳ Hourly recruiting means you only pay for the hours worked. No hidden fees.

Pro tip: Every dollar you don’t spend on recruiter commissions is a dollar you can reinvest into growth.

At your current stage, does paying 25% per hire actually make sense?

👉 DM me if you want to explore the “anti-agency” way of hiring.

“We kept losing our top candidates right before the finish line.”

That’s how a founder started our first call.

They were running a 6-round interview process.

Each candidate met seven different people across three weeks. By the end, the team was exhausted, and the best candidates had already accepted other offers.

Classic startup trap: thinking more interviews = better hiring decisions.

It’s actually the opposite.

Our fractional recruiter stepped in and ran a quick audit.

We realized every stage overlapped and half the interviews asked the same questions.

Here’s what we changed:

1. Consolidated six rounds into three, each with a clear focus area.

2. Built an interview scorecard so decisions were based on evidence, not “gut feel.”

3. Trained the team on closing tactics—how to sell the opportunity throughout the process, not just at the end.

The next three offers? All accepted.
Same team. Same talent market. Completely different results.

The founder told me afterward:

“I can’t believe we made hiring feel like a second full-time job—for the candidates.”

That’s the difference structure makes. A fractional recruiter turns chaos into momentum.

How long is your interview process right now?

DM me and I’ll tell you exactly where most startups lose candidates before they even realize it.

“Our People team is literally just me... and I’m drowning.”

That’s what a Series A Head of People told us on our intro call.

She was managing everything: recruiting, onboarding, payroll, benefits... everything.

Oh, and she still had five open roles to fill across engineering, ops, and GTM.

Her calendar looked like a Tetris game that never ended.

Every founder’s dream—“we’ll hire HR early”—had turned into one person juggling 12 jobs.

So we plugged in a fractional recruiter to take the hiring load off her plate.

Here’s what happened next:

Week 1: We built a sourcing plan for all five roles, complete with target company lists and outreach templates.

Week 2: We handled all outbound sourcing, first-round screens, and scheduling—freeing her to focus on onboarding and culture work.

Week 3: We delivered qualified candidate slates for every role and prepped hiring managers for final interviews.

By the end of the first month, two offers were out, one already accepted, and (most importantly) she finally got her calendar back.

When we wrapped, she told me:

“I finally got to do the strategic part of my job instead of living in my inbox.”

That’s the power of a fractional recruiting team—you don’t need to scale your HR headcount to scale your hiring.

If your People team is wearing every hat right now, you don’t need another HR generalist.

You need backup.

DM me and I’ll show you how we give teams like yours their time (and sanity) back in week one.

Recruiting agencies are terrible for startups.

🤩 What startups want:
→ Interviews with high-fit talent
→ Flexible month-to-month plans
→ Transparent, affordable pricing
→ Expert recruiters with startup exp.

😿 What startups get:
→ Most candidates are poor fit
→ Exclusivity, binding contracts
→ Expensive commissions per head
→ Offshore recruiters with low exp.

That's why we created Venture Scaler—the exact recruiting service that we, as founders, would actually want to work with.

Our recruiters worked at high-growth startups like Uber, Dropbox, Lime & Spotify

We've hired hundreds of people for dozens of clients.

Our recruiting team all has a median 7+ years of experience.

Whether you're hiring for the first time or trying to scale your team—we can help.
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👉 Need help with hiring? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

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Is it just me, or does hiring feels like a second job when you already have a FT job, lol?

If you’re a department leader, you know the loop:

- You’re trying to hit goals.
- Unblock your team.
- Ship product.
- Close deals.

And now you’re also expected to be a recruiter, coordinator, and full time inbox monitor.

I’ve been there.

Earlier in my career, I owned hiring while running a team and it was exhausting.

Not because I didn’t care.

Because recruiting expands to fill every empty crack in your day.

Here’s what the “hiring manager black hole” looks like from the inside:

- You finally get a slate of candidates.
- Then your calendar explodes.
- You tell yourself you’ll send feedback tonight.
- Tonight turns into tomorrow.
- Tomorrow turns into “can we push to next week?”

Meanwhile the candidate thinks you’re not interested, or the company is disorganized.

...And they move on.

The painful part: you didn’t lose them because you’re a bad leader.

You lost them because nobody owned the process end to end.

A simple fix that respects your time:

1. Set a 24 hour feedback rule: Not because it’s fun, because it keeps momentum.

2. Batch interviews into 2-3 days a week, or a specific block each day: No constant context switching.

3. Schedule debriefs in advance and assign an owner: Decision time should not be a scavenger hunt.

4. Give one person full ownership of scheduling, follow ups, and pipeline hygiene: So you can focus on evaluating and closing.

This is exactly where a fractional recruiter helps.

At Venture Scaler, we run the machine so hiring managers can stay in their lane: leading their team and making great decisions, not chasing calendars.

If you’re a hiring manager, what part feels most like the second job: scheduling, feedback, or selling the role?

DM me if you want to take this recruiting work off your team's plate.

We helped Veho scale their team 4X from 70→285 people & increase their applicant pipeline by 500% in 6 months.

When we started working with Ita, they were already at 70 people and didn’t have any internal recruiters. Not even a HR/People Ops person.

(Honestly, they should have had one like 40 people ago)

We placed two of our expert recruiters to work with his team to hire across multiple depts including Ops, Eng & Product.

One of our recruiters worked directly with their Head of Driver team, and the other worked directly with their CTO.

It was like they were part of their team, acting like the in-house recruiters they needed so badly.

And the Veho team loved it.

This is the origin story of the “rent-a-recruiter” model we use today.

But the thing I’m most proud of is this:

We were able to help Veho “replace” us. 

We hired their VP of People Ops and multiple full-time internal recruiters.

I’m so proud that we got to be a small part of their growth story during those early years.

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👉 Need help with hiring? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

Does your growing startup need a r̶e̶c̶r̶u̶i̶t̶e̶r̶ Erin?

The founders who work with us—they get it.

They get how we’re different and a better fit for them:

- Startup-friendly flexible terms
- Expert recruiters (like Erin)
- Zero commissions

Our client results speak for themselves:

- 6x more applicants
- 90% cost savings
- 4x faster hires

And not only that, they talk about us with their founder friends.

Fun fact: Marisa came from a referral from another one of our clients!

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👉 Need help with hiring? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

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Have you felt this pain before? Needing somebody in the seat so badly, but not finding the right hire after months of searching.

Maybe you're in a similar situation as Wyatt?

He was getting good intros from his investors and network.

But Wyatt was still struggling to find the right person for his first sales hire.

He wasn’t getting the right fit.

And he had a small team without an internal recruiter to support him.

And that's where Venture Scaler came in...

We matched Wyatt up with an expert recruiter and got tight on exactly the right profile for the person he needed in the role.

We started scouting and outbound sourcing immediately (which they weren’t able to do much of before) and started setting up interviews within the week.

We helped Wyatt find his “dream hire” in less than 6 weeks.

👉 Struggling to find the right candidates? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

“I’m doing payroll at night... and recruiting during lunch.”

That’s what a Series A People lead told me on a call recently.

She was the People team of one.

Hiring. Onboarding. Benefits. Payroll changes. Manager questions. Policy stuff.
Plus six open roles that the business needed yesterday.

And the scary part wasn't the open reqs.

It was the slow creep toward burnout.

Because when your only People leader is spread that thin, two things happen:

1. Hiring becomes reactive.
2. And retention becomes an afterthought.

So we plugged in one of our fractional recruiters to take sourcing and screening completely off her plate.

Here’s what we did in the first two weeks:

1️⃣ Built role scorecards with each hiring manager so everyone agreed on the persona up front.

2️⃣ Created targeted sourcing lists per role, not “spray and pray.”

3️⃣ Ran all outbound outreach, first-round screens, and candidate comms.

4️⃣ Delivered weekly shortlists with clear signal, not resume piles.

Suddenly she wasn’t living in her inbox trying to keep candidates warm.

She was back doing the work that actually protects the company:
Onboarding, manager coaching, culture, and keeping great people from leaving.

Her message after Week 2:

“I forgot what it felt like to close my laptop at 5.”

That’s the point of fractional recruiting.

You don’t need to hire a full-time recruiter to get full-time recruiting coverage.
You just need the right support at the right moment.

If your People leader is drowning right now, what’s it costing you?

DM me and I’ll show you how we plug in fast without adding long-term headcount.

I've wasted $300k on bad hires. Here are 5 red flags I now look for:

1. Frequent job changes without growth 

Occasional moves are fine (esp with all the layoffs the last 2yrs), but a pattern of short stints is concerning. It often signals performance issues or missing quotas in sales roles.

2. Misalignment with company stage

Someone who's only worked at large enterprises may struggle in an early-stage startup environment. Look for relevant experience.

3. Lack of preparation

Did they research your company? Do they have thoughtful questions? Preparation shows genuine interest and initiative.

4. Rudeness or poor communication

How candidates treat everyone in the process, from recruiters to interviewers, is telling. Rudeness is a major red flag.

5. Misalignment with mission/values

Can they articulate why they want to join your company specifically? Passionate, aligned candidates will stand out.

What other red flags do you look for when hiring? Share your thoughts in the comments!

🤝 Need hiring help? DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

Forget signing bonuses - here's how we got 95% of candidates to say "Yes"

Simple: We celebrated the job offer (don't sleep on this).

It's the final push that cements a candidate's decision to join your startup.

3 ways to do it right:

1. Personal emails from the interview team

Have everyone who interviewed the candidate send a quick note saying how excited they are. Shows the candidate is already part of the team.

2. Virtual meet & greet

Set up a casual video call for the candidate to meet more of the team. Builds excitement and connection before day 1.

3. Personalized welcome package

Send company swag, a handwritten note, or small gift to their home. Makes them feel valued from the start.

The goal? Create so much excitement that backing out becomes unthinkable.

Remember: Your job isn't done when they accept the offer. Keep the momentum going until their first day.

What creative ways have you celebrated new hires? Share yours below!
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👉 Need help with hiring? Let's chat! DM me or check out 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥 in my bio to learn more.

Well, hello friend. 

Thanks for visiting! Here's all you need to know:

👉 MY EXPERIENCE: For over Sixteen years I've helped companies, nonprofits, political organizations, and individual brands achieve success through digital marketing. 

My main area of expertise is marketing consulting. I have extensive B2C and B2B experience. Here are some highlights:

💯 Planned and executed $2 million+ campaigns for Fortune 500 companies like Sherwin Williams, electrolux (Frigidaire) and Sunbelt Rentals
💯 Increased the email list at Townhall Media by over 1 million addresses through both paid and organic methods.
💯 Acquired over 60,000 emails in one day (60% organic).
💯 Reduced the cost per acquisition of emails at Media Research Center by over 90%. 
💯 Built email lists for political campaigns ranging from city council races to U.S. Senate. 
💯 Acquired emails for Grabien as low as $0.06 per email.
💯 I have managed and planned over $150 million in advertising on PPC, SMM and SEM campaigns.
💯 I've acquired over 10,000,000 emails for clients.

👉 CORE BUSINESS SKILLS:

💯 Media Strategy
💯 Media Planning
💯 Lead Generation
💯 Digital strategy
💯 Facebook advertising
💯 Google advertising
💯 Email acquisition
💯 B2C & B2B
💯 Persona building

👉 WHO I WORK WITH: It has been my pleasure to work with people from all over the spectrum. From a local merchant selling kettle corn to multi-billion dollar companies, and everything in between. 

👉 A BIT ABOUT ME: To say I've been at the forefront of digital advertising for over fifteen years is an understatement. 

I was optimizing ads on Facebook before they even had conversion tracking. I started working with Google Search and Google Display back when the platform was completely unrecognizable from today's version.

Digital strategy is not a job for me, it's a passion.

But, admittedly, it's not my biggest passion. I'm blessed with a loving wife and two amazing children. Everything I do in my career is to build a better life for them. We live in South Carolina in a lovely home with an adorable Newf. 

I mention this only to give some idea of my drive. My work is not about checking boxes until it's time to clock out. When I'm working hard for clients, I'm working hard for my family.

I'm also a published author! Check out my novel here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B29FGWHD/ 

💬 PM me today with questions! 💬 I respond quickly!

Alan Moore

Marketing in 2026 Is No Longer About Guessing

Most marketing teams are still reacting.
The best ones are predicting.

In 2026, marketing is shifting away from gut instinct and moving toward predictive decision-making powered by AI, data signals, and behavioral modeling. This isn’t about replacing marketers. It’s about upgrading how decisions are made before trends become obvious to everyone else.

Predictive marketing allows brands to identify which audiences are warming up, which messages are starting to fatigue, and which channels are about to outperform. Instead of waiting for performance to drop, modern marketers adjust strategy in advance. Campaigns evolve in real time based on intent signals, engagement velocity, and historical behavior.

The brands winning today are not running more campaigns. They are running smarter ones. They align creative, data, and strategy so every action compounds instead of resets. This is why marketing leaders are focusing less on volume and more on intelligence.

If your strategy still depends on reacting to last month’s metrics, you’re already behind. The future belongs to marketers who build systems that think ahead.

Learn how to build predictive, performance-driven marketing systems at
https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

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The Turnaround Paid Ads Specialist | I Fix Underperforming Ad Accounts for B2B & eCommerce Brands

Why Growth Feels Harder Than It Should Be

Most entrepreneurs don’t struggle because they lack ideas.
They struggle because they lack systems.

Growth becomes exhausting when everything depends on you—your energy, your presence, your constant decision-making. That’s not a scalability problem. It’s a structure problem.

Here’s what sustainable entrepreneurs do differently:

- They design the business to function without constant intervention.

Processes, automation, and clear messaging allow the business to operate even when the founder steps back.

- They stop chasing every opportunity and focus on one core engine.

Growth isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right thing repeatedly. One strong acquisition channel beats five inconsistent ones.

- They invest early in positioning.

When your value is clearly defined, marketing becomes simpler, sales conversations shorten, and customers self-qualify.

- They think long-term, even when short-term pressure is high.

Quick wins feel good. Sustainable growth builds freedom. The most successful founders optimize for durability, not urgency.

Entrepreneurship isn’t about working harder.
It’s about building smarter so effort compounds instead of resets.

If you’re ready to turn momentum into a system—not just another busy month—visit https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

Consistency Is Being Replaced by Cohesion

Posting consistently is no longer enough to grow.

Many brands post frequently but fail to build momentum because their content lacks cohesion. Every post talks about something different, leaving the audience confused about what the brand actually stands for.

Cohesive content means repeating the same core idea in multiple ways. For example, a marketing agency might focus entirely on helping founders fix their lead generation. One post explains the mindset shift, another breaks down a funnel issue, another shares a client example. Different formats, same theme.

This repetition builds recognition and authority. Over time, the audience associates the brand with one specific solution.

Growth comes from being known for something, not everything.

Create a cohesive content strategy at https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

Founder & Marketing Consultant specializing in revenue growth through digital strategies

Entrepreneurs Are Shifting From Hustle to Systems

The hustle narrative is losing credibility.

More entrepreneurs are realizing that long-term growth comes from systems, not constant effort. Instead of doing more, they are doing less but better.

A clear example is lead generation. Rather than manually chasing leads every day, founders are investing in automated content, evergreen ads, and simple funnels that work in the background. This frees up time and creates predictable results.

Systems reduce decision fatigue and allow businesses to scale without burning out the founder. The goal is not to work harder. The goal is to make growth repeatable.

Entrepreneurship is becoming more strategic and less chaotic.

Build systems that scale at https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

Creator Marketing Works When It’s Built on Trust

Influencer marketing didn’t stop working.
Transactional partnerships did.

In 2026, the most effective creator partnerships are built on alignment, not reach. Audiences trust creators who are selective, honest, and consistent. That trust cannot be rented through one-off campaigns.

Brands that treat creators as long-term partners see stronger engagement, better conversion rates, and more authentic storytelling. This means involving creators early, respecting their voice, and focusing on shared goals instead of rigid scripts.

The strongest campaigns feel natural because they are. They blend into the creator’s existing content and provide real value to their audience. When creators believe in the brand, the audience does too.

If your brand is still chasing follower counts instead of credibility, it’s time to rethink how you approach creator marketing.

Discover smarter partnership strategies at
https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

AI isn’t magic—it’s a skill you master step by step. 

From basic automation to predictive marketing, these 5 levels show how to truly level up your AI game.

Swipe through and see where you are... and where you should be next.

#AIMarketing #MarketingStrategy #DigitalMarketing #AIForBusiness #MarketingGrowth

5 Levels of AI Marketing Mastery

The Shift Most Brands Are Unprepared For

The next evolution of marketing is not about new platforms or faster content production.

It is about trust density.

As audiences become more selective, brands that rely on constant promotion will struggle to hold attention. The brands that win will be the ones that educate, guide, and simplify decision-making. Marketing will look less like persuasion and more like leadership.

This shift rewards brands that invest in owned channels, long-form value, and consistent messaging across touchpoints. It favors those who understand their audience well enough to speak with precision instead of volume.

The future of marketing belongs to businesses that build relationships before transactions and authority before reach.

If you want to future-proof your marketing strategy, learn how at https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

Why Most Social Media Strategies Fail and How to Fix Yours

Everyone talks about consistency in social media, but consistency without purpose is just noise. The reason most social media strategies fail is not because they post too little or too much—it’s because they post without a strategic narrative. Social media platforms reward clarity of identity, not volume.

Start your content strategy with one big idea that defines your presence. Are you educating, inspiring, solving a niche problem, or provoking thoughtful discussion in your industry? Once you define your core narrative, then choose channels and formats that support it. LinkedIn is where thought leadership thrives. TikTok and Instagram Reels amplify raw creativity. YouTube rewards depth and storytelling.

Use tools like Notion to plan your editorial themes, Trello to schedule posts, and Later to preview your visual grid. Social listening tools like Brandwatch and Sprout Social help you tap into real conversations happening around your brand or niche. If you rely solely on posting schedules without listening to feedback or adapting to engagement patterns, your strategy will stagnate.

Every post should align to your core narrative, answer a real question, or move someone closer to your solution. When your audience feels seen and understood, engagement becomes a byproduct of relevance, not an objective you chase.

For frameworks and tools that help you build a focused social media strategy that drives real business outcomes, explore our services at https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

Authenticity Is No Longer Optional in Marketing

Polished marketing doesn’t win anymore.
Honest marketing does.

Audiences are tired of perfection. They want transparency, clarity, and real stories. In 2026, authenticity isn’t a trend. It’s the foundation of trust and long-term growth.

Brands that show the process, share lessons, and communicate openly create deeper connections. User-generated content, behind-the-scenes insights, and real customer experiences outperform highly produced ads because they feel human.

Engagement today is about relevance, not reach. Comments, saves, and meaningful conversations matter more than inflated numbers. People don’t want to be sold to. They want to understand, relate, and believe.

If your brand voice still sounds like a pitch, it’s time to evolve. Authentic storytelling is how modern brands stand out and stay remembered.

Learn how to build authentic marketing systems at
https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

5 Levels of AI Marketing Mastery

Most marketers say they’re “using AI.”
Very few are using it well.

AI isn’t about tools. It’s about how you think, decide, and execute with them.

From basic automation to AI-led strategy, each level changes how fast you move, how clearly you see opportunities, and how much leverage you create.

Swipe through the 5 levels and see where you really stand.
The goal isn’t to use more AI.
It’s to use it smarter.

Entrepreneurs who treat social media as a branding tool outperform those who treat it as a promotion channel. Your online presence is often the first interaction someone has with your business, and first impressions compound.

What you share publicly shapes how people perceive your thinking, your leadership, and your credibility. Consistently sharing lessons, insights, and honest observations builds authority far more effectively than constant self-promotion.

Audiences connect with clarity and consistency. When your message aligns with your actions and your offers, trust accelerates. Social platforms reward those who contribute meaningfully to conversations, not those who only show up to sell.

The most effective entrepreneurial content is not polished perfection. It’s thoughtful reflection. Sharing what you’re learning, what you’re testing, and how your perspective is evolving invites people into your journey and builds long-term loyalty.

Social media doesn’t just grow reach. When used intentionally, it grows relationships, reputation, and opportunity.

Strengthen your digital presence as an entrepreneur at https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

Alan C. Moore

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Why Personal Brands Are Outperforming Companies

Here is a trend most businesses are ignoring.

People follow people. Not logos.

In 2026, founder-led marketing is outperforming traditional brand pages across almost every platform. LinkedIn, Instagram, even YouTube Shorts. Audiences want connection. They want perspective. They want a voice.

Corporate messaging feels safe. Founder messaging feels real.

When a CEO shares lessons from failure, it builds credibility. When a marketer shares real campaign numbers, it builds trust. When an entrepreneur talks about mistakes, it builds loyalty.

Meanwhile, many company pages still sound like press releases.

The shift is simple. Authority is becoming human.

The brands that win are encouraging leadership teams to show up. To speak. To write. To share opinions. To tell stories behind the scenes. That transparency creates emotional equity with the audience.

If your brand page is not growing, the solution may not be better graphics or more hashtags. It may be activating the faces behind the company.

Social media is no longer a broadcasting tool. It is a relationship-building platform.

The question is not whether your business should be on social media. The question is whether your leadership is visible enough to lead the conversation.

If you want help building a personal brand strategy that aligns with business growth, visit https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

Entrepreneurs Who Win Build Audiences Before They Scale

The smartest entrepreneurs aren’t just building companies.
They’re building platforms.

In today’s market, attention is leverage. Entrepreneurs who invest early in content, community, and thought leadership create assets that compound over time. An audience becomes a distribution channel you own, control, and grow without relying entirely on ads.

This shift changes everything. When you educate consistently, share real insights, and document your journey, trust builds naturally. Customers don’t just buy from you. They follow you, recommend you, and grow with you.

Businesses that rely only on paid traffic are fragile. Businesses that build media alongside their products are resilient. Content becomes a long-term growth engine, attracting opportunities long after it’s published.

If you’re an entrepreneur focused only on selling and not on building visibility, you’re limiting your future growth.

Learn how to turn your brand into a growth platform at
https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

3 Projects to Land a Digital Marketing Job! 🚀

#DigitalMarketing #MarketingProjects #MarketingPortfolio #EntryLevelMarketing

The New Age of Paid Ads—From Targeting to Human-Centered Messaging

Paid ads are no longer just about the right bid or the right audience. The next evolution of paid advertising is about human-centered messaging. People are tired of generic funnels and cookie-cutter creatives. What drives performance in today’s landscape is relevance at the emotional level.

This means crafting ad copy and visuals that reflect not only what people are searching for but how they feel when they search. You must tap into context, urgency, desire, and the real problems your audience is trying to solve. Tools like Phrasee use AI to create emotionally resonant language at scale. Creative automation platforms like Bannerbear help you tailor visuals without reinventing the wheel for every ad set.

More importantly, your testing framework must evolve. Stop testing only headlines and images. Start testing narrative arcs, contextual triggers, and value articulation. Use systems like Google Ads Experiments and Facebook’s A/B test suite, but pair them with qualitative feedback from polls, comments, and on-site surveys.

Paid ads shouldn’t interrupt—they should converse. When your ad speaks directly to a user’s mindset in that moment, conversion isn’t just more likely—it becomes intuitive.

If you want help writing better messaging and building paid strategies that convert more reliably, visit https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY
 and see how we elevate ad performance with smarter thinking.

The Unspoken Skill You Must Master

You can learn sales, operations, and finance, but there is one skill that separates successful entrepreneurs from the rest: resilience. Not just perseverance, but adaptive resilience—the ability to pivot strategy in the face of feedback without losing sight of your mission.

Resilience isn’t just endurance. It’s pattern recognition and emotional calibration. An entrepreneur who fails fast without learning evolves. One who learns without patience stagnates. You need both. The best founders combine curiosity, humility, and ruthless prioritization.

Use cognitive tools like Reflectly or Day One to journal breakthrough moments and emotional responses. Use strategic frameworks like OKRs to align your team’s progress with outcomes instead of outputs. When setbacks happen—and they will—your ability to extract learning instead of resentment determines how quickly you recover and thrive.

Resilience is also about community. Surround yourself with peers who challenge your assumptions and mentors who have walked the path before you. No entrepreneur builds success in isolation.

For insights, frameworks, and coaching designed to strengthen your entrepreneurial mindset and accelerate your growth, explore how we support founders at https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

Why Strategy Is Becoming More Valuable Than Tools

Everyone is talking about tools. New platforms, new AI features, new automation stacks. But the uncomfortable truth most marketers are ignoring is this: tools are no longer the competitive advantage. Strategy is.

In today’s marketing landscape, everyone has access to the same software, the same dashboards, and the same AI capabilities. What separates brands that grow from those that stall is not what they use, but how they think. Strategy determines positioning. Strategy defines messaging. Strategy decides what not to do.

We’re seeing a shift where execution is faster than ever, but clarity is rarer than ever. Campaigns launch quickly, content is published daily, ads run nonstop, yet many brands still struggle to explain what makes them different in one sentence. That gap is costly. Without a clear strategy, marketing becomes noise instead of leverage.

Modern marketing winners are slowing down at the thinking stage so they can move faster everywhere else. They invest in audience understanding, market timing, and narrative clarity before they touch a tool. When strategy leads, tools amplify results. When tools lead, strategy gets buried.

If your marketing feels busy but not effective, the problem usually isn’t effort. It’s direction.

Learn how strategic marketing foundations drive long-term growth at
https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

Small brands are no longer playing catch-up. They’re using smarter strategies, faster decisions, and deeper audience understanding to compete with industry giants and actually win in today’s digital landscape. If you’re building a brand, this shift is something you can’t afford to ignore.

#SmallBusinessMarketing #DigitalMarketingStrategy #BrandGrowth #MarketingTrends

Paid Advertising Is No Longer About Persuasion. It’s About Alignment.

Most ads fail not because they’re poorly designed, but because they’re misaligned.

Misaligned with the audience’s awareness level. Misaligned with their timing. Misaligned with their real problem. Modern buyers don’t need to be convinced that they want a solution. They need help choosing the right one.

That’s why high-performing ads feel obvious instead of aggressive. They articulate what the audience is already thinking but hasn’t clearly expressed. They meet people where they are, not where the brand wants them to be.

As platforms automate targeting and bidding, messaging becomes the main differentiator. When your ads align perfectly with audience intent, performance improves naturally. Clicks cost less. Conversions rise. Friction disappears.

The future of paid ads isn’t louder persuasion. It’s sharper alignment.

If your ad spend isn’t producing predictable results, explore smarter strategies at
https://lnkd.in/epjmgbsY

Why You NEED a Portfolio to Land a Media Job

#MediaCareers #DigitalPortfolio #ContentCreator

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The Battle

Jake Huber

Alan Moore

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taplio

The Battle

Jake Huber

Alan Moore

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);}Jake Huber's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAlan Moore's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJake Huber's LinkedIn Performance