If you’re a founder, you’ve probably posted before…
and immediately wondered if any of it actually mattered.

I see this all the time: smart people with real insight, sharing good ideas 
(but nothing quite connects, and none of it really compounds).

That’s the gap I work in.

I run Magic Media, where we help founders turn the way they already think and talk into a content ecosystem that actually supports the business — not just another thing to keep up with.

Our clients aren’t short on ideas.
They’re short on systems and structure.

They want their content to:

👉 sound like them
👉 reflect how they actually think
👉 and lead to real conversations, not just engagement

So we simplify.

• One focused conversation becomes a month of content.
• Strong opinions get sharpened into clear positioning.
• And instead of “posting more,” founders end up with content that compounds and drives inbound.

We help with:
• Founder-led thought leadership
• Content systems (not one-off posts)
• Social selling that feels human, not pushy
• Turning long ideas into clean, honest content

If you want your ideas to travel further without yelling,
your brand to feel more like a signal than noise,
and your content to actually do some work for you —

You’ll probably like it here.

Follow along if you care about:
• Content strategy that respects your intelligence
• Founder-led branding in the AI era
• Turning clarity into leverage

And if you want help turning your thinking into something more coherent, you can DM me. 
No hard pitch — we’ll just see if it’s a fit.

Ido Lechner

This made me emotional.

I don’t personally know this guy Ben West, so I’m finding it difficult to find him on here in order to tag him (if anyone can I’d greatly appreciate it).

BUT…

This video is a testament to finding something bigger than yourself to contribute to. It doesn’t have to be as big as a ‘higher calling’ or purpose in life, but it should be something you do as an act of love.

It’s also a testament to the idea of using your struggles for good. A tai-chi-esque way to redirect negative energy toward positive outcomes.

You can clearly see the pain this guy went through, and likely still harbors, losing his brother. And you can also clearly see how it motivated him to make this world a better place. 

This life is full of hardship, but it’s also full of beauty. 

At risk of sounding corny or cliché, I’d like to reiterate Ghandi’s saying, “Be the change you wish to see in this world.”

In a world full of hate, brain rot, AI slop, rage bait, war, and tragedy… be a Ben West.

Thanks for this reminder man.

Your idea can change the world, it just has to get heard first | Founder @MagicMedia

Happy Valentine’s Day to all our warm leads ♥️ 


And my wife!

“Holy sh*t, these people are 2.5x my age, but even they still get nervous on camera.”
 
The awkward body language. The visible self-doubt. That one drop of sweat rolling down his temple.
 
The guy didn’t just know his stuff, he was leading a global innovation department at a Fortune 500 company… But he was still camera shy.
 
This was the moment 20 year old me realized a few things:
 
A) Everyone’s human, 
B) Even thought leaders need help expressing themselves… 
C) I could build a business around this!
 
So I coached him through the nerves. I suggested we take a beat, and just talk through the elements we were discussing that excited him the most. Then, we channeled his alter-ego, the ‘Super Him’ to see it through.
 
Wow, what a difference that made.
 
The guy came to life. He went from slumped over and nervous, to confident and animated.
 
And witnessing it all happen live, right before my eyes, was the very first inkling of Magic Media. That feeling that, “hey, I can make this a thing.”
 
I was already getting paid a pretty penny for this work (especially as a 20 year old), and I thought to myself, “what if I could score more thought leaders of his caliber, and do this type of work at scale?”
 
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t actually start the business for years later. But that was the moment the story began.
 
Without naming names, that guy went on to lead some of the most exciting brands in the world across many different departments, and has made a serious dent in the world with his impact.

I don't pretend it was all thanks to me - it wasn't, his success is his own - but if anything, I'm immensely grateful for that experience. It was the catalyst of hundreds of conversations with real change makers for years to come.
 
And I can wholeheartedly say I’m as proud of him as he is of me.

Brand doesn’t match where you’re going → I help founders see it clearly | Brand & Content Strategist | Co-Founder @ Nine Thread Studio

Before I started Nine Thread Studio, I worked on the other side of brand - social media marketing, content creation, ghostwriting.

And I kept seeing the same pattern:

Brilliant people with real solutions but they couldn't get clients. They struggled to create content. They couldn't talk about their business in a way that made people excited. They felt stuck at crossroads. 

When I'd ask them what they did, I'd get a confusing answer. When I'd ask who it was for, they'd say "everyone." When I'd ask what made them different, they'd pause.

And because they didn't have clarity on these three things - who they're for, what problem they solve, and what makes them different, they fell into traps:

→ Lowering their prices (because they couldn't articulate their value)
→ Constantly changing direction (because they had no filter for decisions)
→ Feeling lost in their own business

I've been there too. It's hard when you're too close to it.

That's why my co-founder, Nicole and I started Nine Thread.

We're both mission-driven. And one of my biggest beliefs is this: when you help people succeed, it has a ripple effect. They win, I win, their clients win.

Here's what I believe:

→ Brand isn't just design. It's knowing exactly who you're for, what problem you solve, and what makes you different.
→ When those three pillars are clear, everything else gets easier and acts as a filter for content, pricing, client conversations, and decisions.
→ Most founders are too close to their business to see it clearly. They need an outside perspective.
→ Understanding market patterns (where culture is going, not just where it's been) helps you position for longevity, not just trends.

What I do:
I help founders get clarity on their brand from positioning, messaging, voice, visuals, and content so they finally have a strategic and actionable plan to move them forward. 

What I've done:
→ Helped a biotech startup translate complex science into clear positioning for investors
→ Helped a speaker get signed with a major agency through positioning
→ Built a 70+ member community within six months 
→ Repositioned an interior designer to finally give her clarity on her brand 

If you're building something real but struggling to talk about it clearly, let's talk.

Niamh Mannion

Founders who build in public aren't just getting followers. They're getting opportunities.

But here's where wires get crossed. 

Most think building a founder brand means posting selfies with motivational quotes.

Or sharing "I almost quit but didn't" stories.

Or copying what other founders post.

However, it's just noise and burns you out more quickly. I've spoken to so many founders who hate the sight of social media because they don't want to play the visibility game. 

The way I see a real founder brand is: 

Clarity on what you bring to the table that others don't.
Consistency in talking about YOUR one thing.
Building associations so when people think of your topic, they think of you.

This is why the company brand and founder brand do different things.

One gets you customers.

The other gets you:
⤷ Partnerships
⤷ Speaking opportunities
⤷ Investor intros
⤷ Inbound leads
⤷ The we should talk DMs

Your brain is wired to connect with people, not logos. When you scroll, you stop for familiar faces. You remember the person who taught you something, not the company they work for.

This is why founders who just post about their product get ignored.

But founders who show up as themselves sharing their expertise, their patterns, what they've learned, get opportunities.

Company brand gets you customers.
Founder brand opens doors.

Most founders only have one.

Are you building both?

(Currently beta testing a new service for Nine Thread for founders. If you want to learn more, the link is in the comments. 👀 )

Building Brands for Founders who make People STOP, Stare, and actually care so you close deals and attract opportunities | Brand Strategist | Co-Founder @ Nine Thread Studio

If you sit in front of a blank screen wondering what to post, I got you.

I used to spend hours writing 3 posts, searching for inspiration online (which doesn’t work for the majority of us by the way).

The reason it didn't work for me was that: 

You fall into a comparison loop - 'mine won't be as good as theirs'
The idea doesn't feel natural, so you get more stuck
You feel like you're copying, so it ends up in drafts

I wanted to create a system that made my life easier and actually came from my own experience, not Google.

I’ve called it the Keep Your Receipts system.

It's teaching me to be a lot more intentional in conversations, listening to what people ask and what piques their interest. 

At the end of the week, I ask myself these five questions:

1. What did I notice this week in my work?
2. What worked? What didn't work?
3. What insight did I have?
4. What question am I currently exploring?
5. What pattern showed up with clients/in my industry?

After four weeks, you have thousands of ideas with different angles that come from your real-life experience. 

And the biggest payoff? Because you're talking about one specific thing over and over, people remember you for it.

Not just 'oh I know them' but 'oh they're the brand person.' When someone needs what you do, you come to mind.

All the good content lives in your head, not online. 

P.S. Mine currently lives on a Google Doc... for now

I messed up when I started my business. 

I had just gone self-employed and was so excited about all the amazing opportunities that I could now do. 

The issue? Over time, people started referring me in different ways. 

"Oh she does social media management"
"She can help with funnels" 
"She designs brands" 

None of them ACTUALLY tells you how I solve problems. 

In August of last year, I took a step back and had to evaluate what the hell do I actually help people with. And that's what has brought me up to this point. 

Think about how you learned words as a kid. You didn't learn "dog" from one exposure. 

You heard "dog" over and over, attached to the same image, until your brain made the connection. Same with your brand. If people hear you talk about ONE specific thing consistently, their brain builds that association. 

But if you post about 4 different things each week and say you can do everything? Their brain can't make the connection. You're just noise.

So how do you fix it?

The BUILD-IRL approach. 

1. Talk about your one thing over and over
2. Build one real-life proof point (workshop, framework, beta)
3. Document what you learned, the patterns, the results

Over time, when people have a problem you solve, you're the first person they think of.

This is what I'm building with the Uninfluencers Method. 

 Not viral hacks, but how to build through association and psychology.

I'm beta testing with 3-4 founders. 2 spots secured, 1-2 left. 

If you're tired of posting about everything and want to become known for ONE thing, learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dwnYG-Z3

We built a methodology called 'Double Dip.' The Double D.
No, not what you think. 👀 

It’s the process we bring our clients through for two hours, combining both strategy and design in one session. 

Design without strategy holds no meaning.
Strategy without design doesn’t evolve.

Separate them, and you lose the thread.(Nine Thread Studio… get it??)

Before I started Nine Thread, I did ghostwriting, content creation, social media management, all the execution parts, but what I realised was that people were missing their thread. 

Their story, vision and how they wanted their brand to be was sitting nicely in their head, but didn't reflect it on paper. 

And it's why I'm proud of what we created (if I do say so myself 👀) because it gives people the space and open mind to get creative, think outside of the box and actually bring the vision into reality. 

Have you found your thread yet? 🧵

Are chicken and eggs weird to use for a visual identity for a brand?

Some people love it. You might think it’s insane. 👀 

But it works. 

"Every time I see purple, I think of you." 
"I look at my eggs and think Nine Thread." 
"The hero of your website, it hooked me in. I had to book a call."

For people to remember you and for association to happen, the best way is, you guessed it, to do something different. 

Surprise, shock, excitement. There's a reason why people always talk about making your audience feel something.

When you trigger surprise, you get remembered. When you get remembered, you get conversations. When you get conversations, you get clients.

The only hesitation we've had? Are you going to make our brand like yours. 

Unless you work in the egg or chicken industry, it's a strong no.
But we chose our visual identity because we're a studio that helps brands stand out so we practise what we preach. 

Your bold brand should look nothing like ours. That's the entire point.

What bold actually means:

⤷ Having a clear POV when your competitors sound identical 
⤷ Using colour strategically instead of playing it safe 
⤷ Saying something true instead of something templated 
⤷ Making decisions that reflect your business, not best practices

If you think of the startups that got to where they are now, do you think they played it safe? No, they pushed the boundaries, thought outside the box and did bold things. 

Bold isn't a style. It's strategic differentiation that people actually remember.

What's the boldest brand decision you've seen that actually worked?

Every founder I speak to is told the same thing.

Build your personal brand. Post every day. Do email marketing. Run ads. Create a lead magnet. Engage in communities.

And they try. And it feels exhausting and scattered, and nothing seems to work.
But here's what I know after going through it myself.

It's not a marketing problem. It's a clarity problem.
The irony is, the more advice you take on, the more invisible you become.

Most founders are trying to build visibility before they've answered two fundamental questions:
What do I want to be known for? And who do I want to be known by?

When you have answers to those two questions, your content has a direction. Conversations have a point. Opportunities start making sense because you know which ones are actually for you.

This is the hypothesis I'm building the Uninfluencers Method around. Not another framework for doing more. A way to strip it back to what actually matters first.

Starting with my first beta clients next week, and I have space for two more who want to stop feeling stuck in their business and have direction on what they want to be known for. 

Apply here 🤞 - https://lnkd.in/dXATpNpc

"I tried creating a logo with AI but something just felt... off."

Don't get me wrong. AI is incredible for generating concepts fast.
I brainstorm with Claude all the time.

But we started working with a client and she had spent weeks prompting AI. Got close a few times. But something was always wrong. 

Lopsided, missing the story, the colours felt flat.

The issue wasn't the AI's output. It was the iteration process.

Branding isn't linear. It's:

Create something
Sit with it
Realise it doesn't capture the feeling
Articulate why it's off (even if you can't explain it clearly)
Adjust
Repeat

With AI, you're refining prompts. Guessing what words will get you closer.
With a human designer? You're having a conversation.

The clients we've worked with all had a feeling they wanted to represent with their logo. It tells a story, and it only becomes a symbol for your brand when you give it meaning.

Half the time we can't describe how we want it to feel but we'll know when we see it. 

Nicole Mychajluk can interpret vague feedback (although the more context you can give the better, not let's make it pop lol). 

She can feel when something's off and know how to fix it.
Is AI getting better at this? Sure but right now, I still believe the human collaboration piece is irreplaceable.

Branding isn't just what it looks like. It's how it makes you feel. 

And that requires someone who gets you, not just someone who executes prompts.

If you hear "We don't really understand what you do" and your response is to add more features, that's the problem.

I fell into this exact trap when I was building NM Content Lab.

People would ask what I did and I struuuggled. I fell into the trap of explaining the how. 

"My process is psychology-backed, I create 12 posts per month for a minimum of 3 months to start seeing results" 

Sounds like it could be anyone, right? There's nothing that jumps out at you and says she gets it. I just gave them more information and not enough positioning. 

You need to get clear on these three questions: 

⤷ What is the specific weight you are taking off my shoulders?
⤷ Why are you the only one who can carry it?
⤷ Why does this need to happen today, not next quarter?

If you're building a product and people aren't getting it, don't fall into the I need to add more features trap. Features don't make someone invest in your product. 

Think about the tools you love:

You don't love Notion for its 50+ features, you love it because it replaced 5 tools and made your workflow smoother.

Slack didn't capture a huge market because of its integrations. It did it because it removed email chaos and made communication easier.

You love them for the one clear shift they created in your life. We obsess over getting the messaging perfect, but if the positioning is unclear, no amount of explaining will fix it.

Get those questions right and then build more features.... with caution. 👀 
What question do you feel most stuck on?

Is company branding dead in 2026?
No. But if you're only building company branding, you're missing the bigger picture.

The future isn't:

Company brand OR founder brand
Personal branding OR company branding

It's all three working together: 

Founder brand (trust) → Company brand (scale) → IP (competitive advantage)

If you think of big names that have strong personal brands, like Steve Jobs, Grace Beverly, or Seth Godin, they didn't have the personal brand they have today.

They started with a strong mission, impact and built their expertise by doing, and through that, their personal brand grew. 

When we say "invest in your personal brand," what we should really be saying is: Invest in your founder brand. 

Your personal brand builds as a byproduct of it.

Personal brand = Your expertise and story (portable, exists anywhere)
Founder brand = Your expertise woven into why you built this company
Company brand = Systems and processes that scale beyond you

If you’re posting content that's just inspirational, you'll get followers. But not customers.

That's where The Uninfluencer Method comes in.
It's not about creating content.
It's about extracting what's already in your brain.

I wrote the full breakdown on Substack on how to find your thread, extract your IP, and build a founder brand that complements your company brand. 

Get the breakdown here: https://lnkd.in/d23NAZrg

P.S. After such amazing feedback from my workshop inside The Content Club™, I'm looking for 2-3 beta clients who are tired of the same generic advice and want to build something real in 2026. 

Ready to stop playing it safe? Shoot me a message and let’s see if we’re a match. 🙏

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