Marcos Ruiz

At The Birdhouse, we craft viral & brand-building content for CEOs, founders, influencers, and education companies, helping grow both brand AND sales.

We focus on crafting narratives that align with each client’s brand and business goals, specializing in monetizing X (Twitter) & LinkedIn accounts.

We've helped clients generate over 500,000 followers, $5 Million in info-product sales, and over 3,000 booked calls.

Scaling the business to $65,000 per month within the first year required relentless outreach, sending 100 to 200 direct messages daily, leveraging social proof, and delivering consistent results.

Our goal is to help catalyze the growth of the best education companies that the internet has to offer.

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Coaches, Course-Creators, Educators - We’ll Build You a Profitable, Viral Personal Brand on 𝕏 and LinkedIn.

Partner with us to implement our proven content system, sales process , and branding strategy to scale your education company while building a long-lasting, loyal audience.

Alternatively you can subscribe to The Birdhouse Daily Newsletter at - www.thebirdhouse.email

Chief Executive Officer

X.COM’s Premier Marketing & Advertising agency.

We partner with education companies to help them scale on 𝕏.

76% of NVIDIA employees are now millionaires.

1 in 3 has over $20 million.

Here's why that matters for your business:


1. The obvious takeaway

When you give people a piece of the pie, they work like owners.

Not like employees.

NVIDIA didn't create millionaires by accident. 

They structured compensation so everyone wins when the company wins.

• Stock options. 
• Equity. 
• Real ownership.

When your te,am gets rich if the company succeeds, they're incentivized to make the company succeed.


2. Why most businesses get this wrong

Most businesses only pay a salary or an hourly rate
.
Employee shows up, does the work, and goes home.

No skin in the game. No upside if things go well.

So they don't think like owners. 

They think like employees.

"Not my problem" becomes the default mindset.


3. How to apply this

You don't need to make everyone a millionaire.

But you need to give them upside when things go well.

• Revenue share on clients they manage
• Bonuses tied to company performance
• Equity if they're early employees.

Something that makes them care about the outcome, not just the hours worked.


4. What this creates

When people have equity, they think differently.

They care about client retention because it affects their payout.
They find efficiencies because waste hurts their bottom line.
They recruit better talent because they want the company to grow.

You stop being the only one who cares.


5. The shift

I started doing this at my company too.

Team members get:

• Revenue share deals
• Bonuses
• Quarterly competitions with rewards

As a result, my team started treating clients like their own business.

• Churn dropped.
• Quality went up.
• I stopped being the only one thinking long-term.


6. The real lesson

NVIDIA didn't create the best AI chips because they had the smartest people.

They created them because the smartest people were financially invested in the outcome.

Compensation isn't just about paying people.

It's about aligning incentives so everyone pulls in the same direction.

Stop paying for time. Start paying for results.

Give your team a reason to care as much as you do.


Curious to know how you incentivize your team?

Let me know below.

CEO at The Birdhouse - We build viral, profitable Personal Brands on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Threads.

Pick wrong and waste 6 months. 

Here's how to choose...

Here's what most people miss about monetizing X: There are 5 proven ways to generate revenue on this platform. But pick the wrong one for your followe

Open article: 5 ways to make $$$ on X (Twitter) by Marcos Ruiz • 4 min read

Last Month, one of our clients collected $141,366 on LinkedIn. This Month, we’re tracking to do even more. One script. One strategy. Zero automation. 

Open article: Most people blow it in the first message. Here's what actually works... by Marcos Ruiz • 4 min read

Most people blow it in the first message. Here's what actually works...

My biggest fear was never being broke…

It was waking up at 45 for a job I hate.

Here's the blueprint I followed to make sure that never happens:

1. I gave myself a deadline

I signed a 6-year Army contract knowing it was a ticking clock.

By year 5, I had 1 year left to figure it out or get a real job.

That pressure forced me to stop treating business like a hobby.

2. I used my safety net to take risks

Every Army paycheck went straight into the next business idea.

NFTs, day trading, dropshipping, Amazon automation.

All of them failed. But I kept swinging because I had runway to experiment.

3. I stopped chasing shiny objects

For years I jumped from opportunity to opportunity thinking "this one will be different."

The truth? They all work. I just quit too early every time.

The moment I committed to one thing, everything changed.

4. I leaned into what I already knew

I'd been on Twitter 6-8 hours a day since 2011.

Instead of learning something new, I finally monetized what I'd already mastered.

Your unfair advantage is usually hiding in plain sight.

5. I picked freedom over comfort

A corporate job would've been the safe choice.

Steady paycheck. Clear path. Zero risk.

But I knew if I took that route, I'd spend the rest of my life wondering "what if."

6. I built something that doesn't need me

Solopreneurship sounds sexy until you realize you've just built yourself a job.

I wanted a business that runs without me. That meant building a team and real systems.

Now I have both freedom and income.

7. I committed to 1% better every day

No home runs. No overnight success.

Just small improvements compounding over years.

That mindset took me from $0 to a 7-figure agency with a team of 10.

The goal was never to get rich.

It was to never be trapped.

If you have any questions, let me know below.

+ If you want to learn how to build a viral, profitable Personal Brand

Shoot me a follow.

I’m 28.

I run a 7-figure ghostwriting agency.

But 5 years ago, I was:

• Broke in a NYC studio apartment
• Burning every Army paycheck on failed businesses
• Watching my bank account hit $0 over and over

Here are the 7 mindset shifts that changed my life:


1. Treat business like a video game

I grew up gaming 12 hours a day. Skyrim, Call of Duty, FIFA.

When I finally applied that same mindset to business, everything changed.


Money became how I kept score. Growth became my main quest. Building a team became my new guild.

You can't level up every skill at once. Pick one thing and grind it to level 100.


2. You only fail when you quit

I failed at NFTs, day trading, dropshipping, affiliate marketing, Amazon PPC, and two other agencies before The Birdhouse worked.

Most people quit after 2-3 failures.

I was on attempt 8+.

The only difference between me and everyone who gave up? I kept showing up.


3. Play to your natural strengths

I'm an INFP. My strengths are writing and creative work.

I spent years forcing myself into business models that didn't match my abilities.

The moment I started a content agency, everything clicked.

Take a personality test. Figure out what you're naturally good at. Then double down on it.


4. Discipline = Freedom

Jocko's book changed how I think about everything.

Most failed entrepreneurs get shiny object syndrome. They see the next opportunity and think their current thing is broken.

But the truth is everything works if you stick with it long enough.

The right inputs over a long time horizon will always get you the outcome you're looking for.


5. Leverage what you already know

I spent 6-8 hours daily on Twitter since 2011.

Instead of learning another business model from scratch, I finally asked myself: "What if I just did this for other people?"

Your "wasted time" might be your biggest asset.

Stop chasing new models. Start monetizing what you already understand better than most.


6. Surround yourself with people ahead of you

I've spent $200K+ on masterminds, coaching, and consulting.

I can't point to a single actionable change from the last few months, yet we've nearly doubled revenue.

It's like you absorb success by proximity.

When you're level zero, you can't provide value. So go negative. 

Pay people. Become their star student. Get shown off as a case study.


7. Focus on impact over everything

The real shift happened when I stopped chasing revenue and started obsessing over client results.

When you make someone's business measurably better, everything else takes care of itself.

Word spreads. Referrals come in. Growth becomes inevitable.

80% of our business now comes from referrals. That only happens when you actually deliver.


These 7 mindset shifts took me from $0 to 7-figures in 3 years.

Not because I'm smarter or more talented than anyone else.

I just didn't give myself permission to quit.

I’ve been on X since 2011.

If I were starting my personal brand from scratch in 2026…

Here are the 10 things I’d do differently to hit $100K/month:


1. Start with a high-ticket offer from day one

I wasted years chasing low-ticket digital products.

The math just doesn't work.

Instead: 

Start with $5K+ coaching or consulting. You only need 20 clients per year at that price to hit $100K.


2. Pick ONE niche and go all in

I bounced between NFTs, day trading, dropshipping, and a dozen other things.

Every pivot reset my progress to zero.

The creators hitting $100K/month picked one thing and stuck with it for 2-3 years minimum.


3. DM every single new follower

This sounds basic, but most people skip it.

When someone follows you, they're requesting more information.

Don't hide what you sell. Your audience will respect you more for being upfront.


4. Use the PESTO framework for content

Most creators only post expertise content and wonder why they're boring.

Mix it up:

• Personal (builds connection)
• Expertise (shows authority)
• Social Proof (builds trust)
• Trending (gets reach)
• Opinions (creates engagement)

Balance is everything.


5. Track the numbers that actually matter

Forget vanity metrics.

The only numbers that matter:

• Follower-to-call ratio (aim for 40:1)
• Show rate (aim for 80%+)
• Close rate (aim for 25%+)

1,000 new followers should = $20,000 minimum.

If your math doesn't work, fix your funnel.


6. Build on multiple platforms from the start

I was X-only for too long.

The brands that survive algorithm changes post across X, LinkedIn, and Threads consistently.

Same content. Different algorithms. 3x the shots on goal.


7. Create your own frameworks

Don't just teach other people's methods.

We created:

• PESTO content pillars
• Personal Brand Math
• Follower-to-revenue ratios

This is what separates you from everyone else regurgitating the same advice.


8. Invest in networking aggressively

Every time I join a mastermind or fly out to an event, I get clients.

80% of our business now comes from referrals.

That only happens when people in your industry actually know who you are.


9. Post your real numbers even when they're small

I used to be embarrassed about early wins.

"Just signed client #5" felt insignificant.

But those followers watched the entire climb to $2M/year.

When I say we've generated $10M+ for clients now, they believe it because they watched it happen.


10. Treat content like a skill, not a lottery ticket

Content creation is a skill issue.

Everyone looks terrible when they first start.

The solution isn't to wait until you're "ready." 

It's to get more reps in.

These 10 things took me 5+ years and dozens of failed businesses to figure out.

Could've gotten here in half the time if I knew what to do from the start.

Hope this saves you some of the lessons I had to learn the hard way.

& Follow me for more tips like this.

Dear 23-year-old me,

You're about to lose money on NFTs, day trading, and Amazon automation

Don't panic

That "stable job" path you're considering? Say no

The ghostwriting thing you saw on Twitter? Do it

In 4 years you'll have a 7-figure agency

You'll travel the world

You'll build a team you actually enjoy working with

The scary decision is the right one

Trust yourself

– 27-year-old you

The math that changed my business:

• 1,000 new followers per month
• 40:1 follower-to-call ratio
• 25 calls booked
• 80% show rate = 20 live calls
• 25% close rate = 5 new clients
• $5K average ticket = $25,000/month

But here's where it gets better:

• DM every new follower (warm outreach)
• Builds relationship before the call
• Shows up pre-sold on you
• Reduces objections on calls
• Referrals start compounding

Outcome:

• Closing easier deals
• Getting referrals monthly
• Building real relationships
• Revenue compounds over time

12 months from now: completely different business.

No ads. No cold outreach. No begging for attention.

Timothée Chalamet just broke A24's all-time box office record.

Then receieved 3 Oscar nominations.

The youngest actor to do that since 1954.

Not with ads.
Not with trailers.

Here's exactly how he did it (+ why it's the future of advertising):


Some context.

Marty Supreme is an indie film about ping pong in 1950s New York.

No franchise. No superhero. No sequel.

On paper, this movie shouldn't work.

It's already crossed $72M+ at the box office.


A24 didn't market the movie.

They marketed Timothée Chalamet.

The campaign wasn't "come see this film."
It was "come see what Timmy does next."

His personal brand became the product.


He committed to 128 appearances in 96 hours.

Not boring press junkets.

Viral moments designed to spread.

Most actors do the bare minimum and disappear.

He went all in.


The tactics were insane:

• Flew an orange blimp over LA
• Put his face on Wheaties boxes
• Created a $250 windbreaker that sold out instantly
• Stood on top of The Sphere in Vegas
• Posted a fake "leaked" marketing meeting that went viral

Every touchpoint was shareable content.


The real genius?

He made an 18-minute video mocking his own marketing campaign.

Pitched ideas like "paint the Statue of Liberty orange."

Then A24 actually did some of the ideas.

He turned promotion into entertainment.


The results:

• Best per-theater average since La La Land (2016)
• Fastest-selling presale in A24 history
• $875K opening weekend from just 6 screens
• Critics Choice Award for Best Actor

The personal brand drove the product. Not the other way around.


This is the playbook for the next decade.

Audiences don't want more ads.

They want moments.

They want to feel like something is happening, not like they're being sold to.

Chalamet understood this better than any marketing team could.


The lesson for your business:

You ARE your marketing.

Your content is your advertising.

Your personality is your differentiation.

Your audience is your distribution.

Stop separating "marketing" from "showing up."

They're the same thing now.


A MrBeast video sponsorship gets the same eyeballs as a Super Bowl ad.

Personal brands are the new advertising.

Whether you're selling movies, courses, or consulting, the game is the same.

Build the brand, and the product sells itself.


What are your thoughts on this?

Let me know below. 

+ Follow me for more.

POV: your personal brand just crossed $100K/month because you finally mastered these 7 things:

1. The math

You stopped guessing and started tracking.

Every 1,000 followers = 20 sales calls at a 50:1 ratio.

80% show rate. 25% close rate. $5-10K offer.

The math became so reliable you could predict revenue within 10% accuracy.

2. The PESTO framework

You stopped posting random content and started being strategic.

• Personal (your story builds connection)
• Expertise (your knowledge builds authority)
• Social Proof (your results build trust)
• Trending (current events build reach)
• Opinions (your takes build engagement)

All 5 working together. Not just one or two.

3. The DM system

You realized followers mean nothing without a conversion system.

Every new follower gets a welcome DM.

Not a pitch. A conversation.

You stopped hiding what you sell and your audience respected you more for it.

4. The funnel

You understood that every piece of content is part of a system:

Viral content → Profile visits → Followers → DMs → Sales calls → Revenue

Most people skip steps and wonder why nothing converts.

You didn't.

5. The consistency

You stopped chasing viral moments and focused on showing up daily.

The flywheel effect kicked in around month 3-4.

Content → Followers → Clients → Case Studies → More Content

Most people quit before then. You didn't.

6. The personal in personal brand

You stopped hiding behind pure expertise content.

You shared your story, your failures, your behind-the-scenes.

People don't just buy your product. They buy you.

That's what separated you from every other account in your niche.

7. The team

You accepted that 99% of 7-figure personal brands have a team behind it.

You couldn't do it alone at scale. And you stopped trying.

More capacity. More expertise. More output.

That's when everything compounded.

This is the exact system we've used to help clients generate $10M+.

If you want to implement it yourself, follow me @itsmarcosruiz for more tips like this.

Here's how we've helped clients generate $10M+ using only X and LinkedIn (step-by-step):


Step 1. The Foundation

This entire system operates under one assumption:

You have an offer that actually gets results.

If you don't, none of this matters.

But if you do, what I'm about to show you will change everything.


Step 2. The Personal Brand Math

Here's the formula we use for every client:

1,000 new followers ÷ 40 follower-to-call ratio = 25 calls booked 
× 80% show rate = 20 live calls 
× 20% close rate = 4 new clients 
× $5,000 ticket = $20,000

The math is so reliable, we can predict revenue within 10% accuracy.


Step 3. The Content System (PESTO Framework)

5 content pillars that drive results:

• Personal - your story, behind-the-scenes
• Expertise - frameworks, how-tos
• Social Proof - case studies, wins
• Trending - current events with your spin
• Opinions - polarizing takes

Mix all 5 and you'll never run out of ideas.


Step 4. The Posting Cadence

X: 3-4 posts daily + 3-5 threads per week

LinkedIn: 1 post daily + 25-50 comments

Most people post randomly and wonder why nothing works.

Consistency compounds. Volume wins.


Step 5. The DM Funnel

Every new follower gets a welcome DM.

No, this isn't spam.

When someone follows you, they're requesting more information.

The DM flow:

• "Hey, saw you followed..."
• Ask about their situation
• See if they're a fit
• Book the call

Be human. Lead with value. Only reach out to people you can actually help.


Step 6. The Setter Model

Once you're gaining 1,000+ followers/month, hire a setter.

They handle:

• New follower DMs
• Warm outreach to engagers
• Inbound inquiries

Your job becomes showing up on calls and closing.

This is how you scale past $50K/month without burning out.


Step 7. The Compound Effect

Here's where it gets fun:

Content → Followers → DMs → Calls → Clients → Case Studies → More Content

The flywheel kicks in around month 3-4.

Most people quit before they ever see it.

One client went from $10K/month to $800K+ cash collected in 12 months using this system.


The Real Numbers:

What we've seen across clients over 3+ years:

• 2M+ followers generated
• $10M+ in client revenue
• 15,000+ sales calls booked
• 80% of our business now comes from referrals

This system works because it's predictable, measurable, and repeatable.

Most people think personal branding is about vanity metrics.

We've proven it's about revenue metrics.


Have any questions?

Let me know below.

& If you found this valuable, give me a follow for more.

The 5 levels of personal branding:

Level 1: Posting randomly with no strategy

• You post when you feel like it
• No tracking, no metrics, no system
• Wonder why nothing is working

Level 2: Posting consistently but still no real system

• You're showing up every day
• But there's no strategy behind the content
• Growth is slow and frustrating

Level 3: Using content frameworks and tracking metrics

• You have a system (like PESTO)
• You know your follower-to-call ratio
• Revenue starts becoming predictable

Level 4: Building a team to scale content and DMs

• You're no longer doing everything yourself
• Writers, setters, and systems working together
• $50K-$100K months become possible

Level 5: Your brand generates referrals faster than you can take calls

• 80% of your business comes inbound
• You're turning down more clients than you accept
• The flywheel is spinning on its own

Most people are stuck between levels 1 and 2

Level 3 is where the sales starts flowing

Level 4-5 is where you scale

Full guide: how to create your own luck...

A few people have called me lucky over the years, and it always repulsed me.

Not because they’re necessarily wrong. 

If you’re reading this with access to technology, you’re already lucky compared to many.

But 90% of people think luck is why others succeed when that’s just not the case.

“Luck” is putting yourself in positions where opportunity can find you (and being ready when it does).

If you feel like opportunity eludes you, this is for you.

1. Understand What Luck Actually Is

Luck isn’t random. It’s perseverance meeting innovation.

When I started my business in 2022 I:
• DM’d hundreds daily
• Posted 2–3x per day
• Built underground communities
• Showed up consistently

Then opportunity hit:
• Elon acquired Twitter
• A founder replied to a bad DM
• A tweet went viral

That’s positioning, not luck.

2. Break Invisible Rules

Most rules don’t exist:
• “You can’t DM strangers.”
• “You need 10K followers to charge premium.”
• “Personal brands take years.”

The winners don’t follow best practices... they create them. Playing safe doesn’t lead to innovation.

3. Experiment Relentlessly

One success can pay for 1,000 failures.

Each week ask:

• What’s trending in my industry?
• What can I borrow from other industries?
• What haven’t I seen being done?

Test the “impossible.” Fail fast. The wins become systems.

4. Question Everything

The belief in luck makes people passive.

Question assumptions and you stop waiting.

5. Never Quit

My only real advantage? I didn’t quit for 6–7 years.

I failed at NFTs, day trading, dropshipping, affiliate marketing, and more. The breakthrough came when I leveraged what I already knew instead of chasing shiny objects.

You only truly fail if you quit.

6. Put Yourself in the Room

A $50/month community taught me the ghostwriting offer that became a 7-figure agency. Best ROI of my life.

Surround yourself with people 5–10x ahead of you. Proximity accelerates growth.

Bottom Line:

I don’t believe in luck.

I believe in perseverance and innovation.

Most people wait for things to happen.

You have to make them happen.

Put in the right inputs long enough, and the outcomes follow.

Go create your own luck.

- Marcos

7 lessons from 6 years in the Army National Guard that I use in business:

1. Trust but verify

• Have faith that your team will do what they say
• But always confirm the work got done
• As a leader, the task is YOUR responsibility

2. Semper Gumby (Always flexible)

• Software breaks, bugs pop up, clients leave
• The plan never survives first contact
• Adaptability is a superpower

3. Attention to detail

• A single typo or missed deadline can cost you a client
• In the military, it could cost you your life
• Small details matter more than people think

4. Chain of command

• You need operators AND leaders as you grow
• Clear structure gives you bandwidth to move forward
• Train both or you'll be stuck doing everything

5. Layer 1 troubleshooting

• When something breaks, check the basics first
• Forgot to press send? Forgot to plug something in?
• 50% of problems are solved at the most basic level

6. Physical standards

• You can't lead if you're falling apart
• Working behind a computer all day requires a physical outlet
• This is why I train jiu-jitsu

7. The mission comes first

• Personal feelings don't override the objective
• Successful teams put the goal above individual egos
• This is how you build something bigger than yourself

The military didn't teach me how to make money

But it taught me how to build discipline, lead teams, and stay calm when things fall apart

Those skills transfer to everything

Last week, one of our clients gained 200 followers from a single tweet. The insight? Already existed in a YouTube vlog he posted 3 days earlier. We di

Open article: One video = 10+ viral posts
Stop creating content from scratch. Here's the system... by Marcos Ruiz • 3 min read

One video = 10+ viral posts
Stop creating content from scratch. Here's the system...

If I was stuck at $10K/month and had 6 months to hit $100K...

Here's exactly what I'd do:

• Stop posting random content
• Stop hiding from selling in DMs
• Stop trying to appeal to everyone
• Stop copying what worked 2 years ago
• Stop running the business solo
• Study viral content frameworks
• Post 3-4x daily minimum
• DM every single new follower
• Document every client win
• Build a repeatable content system
• Hire a setter
• Track follower-to-call ratio
• Create a signature framework
• Film case study videos
• Comment on 25+ big accounts daily
• Repurpose across all platforms
• Build a testimonial bank
• Optimize your profile
• Raise your prices
• Say no to bad-fit clients

This system will transform even the most burnt-out coach into a $100K/month business owner with a full calendar.

How to build a personal brand that actually makes money:

Most people have it backwards. They chase followers, impressions, and viral moments. Then wonder why their bank account doesn't reflect their "growth."

Here's what actually works:

1. Understand the math first

Figure out your follower to sales call ratio

for example: Every 1,000 followers should equal roughly 20 sales calls. If you're not hitting that ratio, you don't have an audience problem. You have a conversion problem.

2. Your content needs a job

Each post should do one of five things:

• Build trust (social proof)
• Show expertise (how-tos)
• Create connection (personal stories)
• Expand reach (trends)
• Spark conversation (opinions)

Random posting gets random results.

3. DMs are where money is made

Do not rely on link clicks.

It’s a fools errand.

Every new follower is an invitation to start a conversation. You're not being "salesy" by reaching out. You're being helpful to people who already raised their hand.

Pro tip: Make offers on the timeline that prompt people to DM you first.

4. Stop hiding what you sell

Your audience will respect you more for being upfront about monetization. The sneaky sell is what actually hurts your brand. Transparency builds trust.

5. Build a system, not a content habit

Viral content → Profile visits → Followers → DMs → Sales calls → Revenue

Most people skip steps and wonder why their offers don't convert. The system is the strategy.

6. Revenue is the only metric that matters

Followers don't pay bills. Impressions don't pay bills. 

A personal brand that generates consistent sales calls and closes them?

That's the game.

If you have any questions, let me know below.

+ If you want to learn how to build a viral, profitable Personal Brand

Shoot me a follow.

Kyle Thomas

Went from cubicle data entry to Uber Employee 250 & Startup Exec | Helping you land your career-accelerating role in less than 90 days | Founder & CEO of UpEmployment Accelerator

When it comes to startup job seeking everyone wants to be an early employee at a unicorn 🦄 & earn millions 💸.

But what's the secret to landing those opportunities? 

Here's a hint...

They don't come from the "traditional job search".

When I was job seeking I had no idea what I was doing, but with experience and research, I found ways to stack the deck in your favor.

That's what led me to land a job as Uber's 250th employee. 

After Uber, it's what led me to a VP role with a $100k salary increase at a Y-Combinator startup.

That's why I built Early.

Do you have amazing experience & want to take the next step to accelerate your career in a startup, but not sure where to start?

I wished that someone had a playbook for how to do that. 

It didn't exist, so I created it.

The Early Accelerator gives highly talented job seekers a complete playbook for how to land your next dream role plus accountability & a community to guide you along the way.

The program is designed to allow you to:
- 10x your job hunt efficiency
- Know where you want to go
- Build your personal brand
- Know the salary and equity you command
- Create a system to generate connections & opportunities
- Generate 100x more warm network connections
- Leverage repeatable frameworks
- Get in a peak performance state
- Create unwavering confidence
- Get to your dream role

Despite the challenging job market, we have seen incredible results.
↳ Average job searches lasting ~3 months (90 days vs US avg of 5 months).
↳ >$200k in salary increases.
↳ >$800k in equity increases.
↳ Total compensation increases of over $1M.
↳ Advancements from Manager to Department Head.
↳ Major career jumps from VP to the C-Suite.

I formalized the proven system into an easy-to-execute framework that anyone can use to land their dream job.

My mission is to help millions live extraordinary lives by accessing opportunities that change their careers forever.

You deserve to work in a job that lights you up, pays you what you are worth, and accelerates you toward your vision of your dream future.

Let's go get you that job!

So, D.M 📩 me here or email me at kyle@BeEarly.com today so we can accelerate your startup career the right way.

Stop wasting time applying to every company where you meet the minimum qualifications and learn our proven way to land your dream job!

P.S. If you're a startup job seeker looking to cut your job search in half, outperform over 95% of other candidates, and land a top startup job, click the link in my Featured Section and apply today!

Founder

I take groups of people from A to Z in their job search so they can land their dream job without applying online.

These methods took me from cubicle data entry to a job as Uber employee 250 and from unemployed to startup executive. I'm not special, I can teach you to do the same!

More than 80 startups became unicorns in 2025.

Here are 20 that are hiring 👇

1) Reflection AI 
• Stage: Series B
• Recent Raise: $2B
• Recent Valuation: $8B
• Employees: 60
• Hiring In: SF, NYC, DC, LDN

2) Lila Sciences
• Stage: Series A
• Recent Raise: $235M
• Recent Valuation: $1.26B
• Employees: 195
• Hiring In: CAM, SF, LDN

3) Tempo 
• Stage: Series A
• Recent Raise: $500M
• Recent Valuation: $5B
• Employees: 50
• Hiring In: SF, NYC, Remote

4) NewLimit 
• Stage: Series B+
• Recent Raise: $45M
• Recent Valuation: $1.6B
• Employees: 43
• Hiring In: SF

5) LangChain
• Stage: Series B
• Recent Raise: $125M
• Recent Valuation: $1.25B
• Employees: 136
• Hiring In: SF, NYC, BOS, DAL, MSP, CHI, LDN, Remote

6) ShopMy
• Stage: Series B
• Recent Raise: $70M
• Recent Valuation: $1.5B
• Employees: 140
• Hiring In: NYC, LA, AUS, Remote

7) Substrate
• Stage: Seed
• Recent Raise: $100M
• Recent Valuation: $1B
• Employees: 50
• Hiring In: SF

8) Fireworks AI 
• Stage: Series C
• Recent Raise: $250M
• Recent Valuation: $4B
• Employees: 148
• Hiring In: NYC, SM

9) Modal 
• Stage: Series B
• Recent Raise: $87M
• Recent Valuation: $1.1B
• Employees: 14
• Hiring In: NYC, SF, Remote

10) Gamma 
• Stage: Series B
• Recent Raise: $68M
• Recent Valuation: $2B
• Employees: 52
• Hiring In: SF, LA, Remote

11) MainFunc
• Stage: Series B
• Recent Raise: $275M
• Recent Valuation: $1.25B
• Employees: 40
• Hiring In: PAO

12) Luma AI 
• Stage: Series C
• Recent Raise: $900M
• Recent Valuation: $4B
• Employees: 24
• Hiring In: PAO, LA, NYC, LDN, Remote

13) Harmonic 
• Stage: Series C
• Recent Raise: $120M
• Recent Valuation: $1.45B
• Employees: 37
• Hiring In: PAO

14) Curative
• Stage: Series B
• Recent Raise: $152.55M
• Recent Valuation: $1.3B
• Employees: 2800
• Hiring In: AUS, DAL, FL, Remote

15) Heven AeroTech
• Stage: Series B
• Recent Raise: $100M
• Recent Valuation: $1B
• Employees: 67
• Hiring In: WA, VA

16) Kalshi 
• Stage: Series E
• Recent Raise: $1B
• Recent Valuation: $11B
• Employees: 75
• Hiring In: NYC, Remote

17) Unconventional AI
• Stage: Seed
• Recent Raise: $475M
• Recent Valuation: $4.5B
• Employees: 15
• Hiring In: PAO

18) Serval
• Stage: Series B
• Recent Raise: $74.82M
• Recent Valuation: $1B
• Employees: 50
• Hiring In: SF

19) Lovable
• Stage: Series B
• Recent Raise: $425.01M
• Recent Valuation: $6.6B
• Employees: 120
• Hiring In: STO, BOS, SF, LDN, Remote

20) K2 Space Corporation 
• Stage: Series C
• Recent Raise: $250M
• Recent Valuation: $3B
• Employees: 200
• Hiring In: LA, Remote

I dropped the final 5 in the comments below.

📆 Come back next Monday for another list of top startups looking for their next great hires.

Give me a follow, (Kyle Thomas) so you don’t miss it.

Go get that job and build something awesome 💪

♻️ Share this to help startup job seekers find a new role.

I Teach Ambitious Startup Job Seekers How To Land Career-Accelerating Roles at World-Changing Startups | “De-Risk” the Search w/ Proven Methods & Investor-Grade Data | Apply to our Startup Job Search Accelerator Below

If you’re job-searching in 2026, start here: 

These are my top 7 most useful posts of the year, distilled into one list.

1. Interviews are won in advance

The separation is in the preparation.

Use AI to simulate interviews, identify doubts, and rehearse answers out loud.

The people who practice the most win the most.

Post: https://dub.sh/2syNUyQ

2. Top candidates don’t just apply, they make the team feel something

They research deeply, understand the product, the priorities, and the people.

They walk into the interview already feeling like part of the team.

Post: https://dub.sh/Ldadro6

3. Scrolling job boards is fake work

Build an AI-driven newsfeed that surfaces roles, angles, insights, and outreach opportunities every morning. 

Replace doomscrolling with daily momentum.

Post: https://bit.ly/K2sVVEX

4. Measure your outreach

Most people underestimate the numbers.

If your response rate is ~10%, you may need 300–800 messages to land 1 offer.

Don’t look at the numbers as discouraging. Use them to drive commitment to action.

Once you see the math, you can stop taking rejection personally.

Post: https://dub.sh/PkyI6K2

5. If your job search has stalled, you haven’t failed - you’ve stopped experimenting

Most people repeat the same 3 tactics and expect new results.

Try 50 micro-experiments instead.

Track what works, adapt, iterate.

Post: https://dub.sh/2YXxqoT

6. Creativity wins, sloppiness loses

Creative applications stand out, but a lack of attention to detail kills your chances instantly.

One Early member got an offer after spending $11 on a bus ticket to record a personalized video for a startup.

Post: https://dub.sh/soykHKH

7. Momentum > motivation

Job searches get overwhelming.

Build micro-habits: move your body, send the message, ask for help, revisit your “why.”

Progress compounds.

Post: https://dub.sh/NmDNmpP

Yes, these were my top posts of the year.

But they were also the lessons that actually moved people into new roles, new industries, and new opportunities.

If you found this helpful, follow me, Kyle Thomas.

2026 is going to be packed with even more value-dense, practical, and brutally honest job search frameworks to help you land the role you want.

📌 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? DM me to learn how Early can support you.

AI should make your job search faster - not soulless.

I was chatting with a hiring manager of a rapidly growing Series C startup about a position she was looking to fill.

This company has: 

- $78M raised to date
- A>$450M valuation
- Multi-time founders with successful exits
- Top VC investors

“We generally look for a cover letter of someone really saying why they’re interested in [COMPANY]. I reject people who have AI-written cover letters. It’s an initial screener of whether or not this person cares enough to be here.”

This quote is word-for-word from the conversation.

AI is one of the most powerful tools in your job search, but only if you use it properly.

Used Well: It helps you find roles faster, prepare smarter, research deeper, and articulate your strengths clearly.

Used Poorly: It makes you look generic, lazy, and un-hirable.

Here are the dos and don’ts of using AI in your job search so you get the speed without losing the human connection.

𝗔𝗜 𝗗𝗼’𝘀:

- Use AI to scrape job boards to find roles and score them against your ideal job
- Use AI to research companies, founders, product roadmaps, and competitors
- Let AI help you structure your stories, case studies, and portfolio work
- Let AI help you draft thinking (think bullets), not your final messaging
- Use AI to simulate interview scenarios and rehearse answers
- Ask AI to identify interviewer doubts based on your résumé

𝗔𝗜 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁𝘀:

- Don’t publish raw AI output without editing it heavily in your voice
- Don’t submit AI-written cover letters or outreach messages
- Don’t think AI auto-apply bots will land you a great role
- Don’t outsource your thinking, only your processing
- Don’t use generic prompts with no context
- Don’t rely on AI as your personality

AI is an amazing co-pilot. 

But it is far from being your replacement.

Used well, it helps you be more efficient and speeds up mundane tasks.

But used poorly, it’ll ruin your search and remove you from opportunities or relationships that could have dramatically accelerated your career.

Don’t let laziness be your downfall.

Use it to remove the mundane, think sharper, prepare smarter, and move faster than other candidates - not to copy-paste your way through the process.

📌 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? DM me to learn how Early can support you.

Burnout isn’t caused by work.

It’s caused by the 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 work.

Most people think they’re exhausted because they’re overworked.

But the truth is far simpler:

When your job drains you, 4 hours feels like 14.

When your job energizes you, long days feel light.

During my career, I’ve lived both versions.

I started out working in a cubicle data-entry job.

Clocked in at 9 am. Clocked out at 5 pm.

And I was dead tired before, during, and after work.

Not because it was “hard.”

But because it gave me nothing back.

Then I joined Uber in the early days.

I’d get in at 8 am and leave at 11 pm some nights -

and I had 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 energy than I’d ever had in my life.

Same body. Same brain. Different work.

Here’s what nobody tells you:

Good work gives energy, but bad work steals it.

And your body knows the difference long before you admit it.

If you wake up every day needing caffeine just to feel human…

it’s not a coffee problem.

It’s a career problem.

You deserve work that fills your cup, not empties it.

When did you realize an old role was draining you? 
Drop it below 👇🏻 Lets talk about it.

📌 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? DM me to learn how Early can support you.

If I had to start from scratch, I wouldn’t touch my résumé.

This is what I’d do instead 👇🏻

After coaching hundreds of startup candidates, the fastest path into a great startup role always follows the same shape:

Less résumé polishing.

More relationship building, clarity, and conversations.

Here’s exactly how I’d structure my job search, week-by-week, if I was starting today:

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭 - I’d prep for rejection & get clear on what I want

→ Reset my mindset and limiting beliefs
→ Expect rejection (it’s part of the game)
→ Define what I want & the exact role characteristics I’m targeting

Clarity comes before momentum.

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟮 - I’d build confidence

→ Benchmark comp (what I could earn)
→ Refine my “About me” story (my hero’s journey)
→ Review my highlight reel of accomplishments
→ Refresh LinkedIn & résumé, so they speak directly to those roles
→ Build my target startup list

Confidence is the second step in a strong job search foundation.

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟯 - I’d create opportunities instead of waiting for them

→ Start with my warm network
→ Then cold outreach to people in target companies
→ Ask real questions, share interests, and engage publicly on LinkedIn
→ Show up where they hang out (online & in person)
→ Look for ways to deliver even small amounts of value

Early connection is more powerful than applications.

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟰 - I’d apply & prep before interviews get booked

→ Apply to companies that match my ideal job description
→ Never “just apply”, pair it with outreach & value
→ Do deep research on the company (yes, using AI)
→ Practice stories out loud, identify gaps, prep examples

Interview prep is 10x easier when you do it before you’re stressed.

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟱 - I’d follow up like a top candidate

I’d send value deliverables:

→ Insights
→ 30-60-90 ideas
→ Product thoughts
→ Short frameworks
→ Connections to my network

Be politely persistent.

Show excitement, agency, & what you’re capable of.

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟲 - I’d convert the momentum

→ By now, I should be in conversations.
→ I’d prepare for each one like it’s my last.
→ I’d demonstrate excitement + impact with examples, case studies, past wins, and mini-deliverables.

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟳 - I’d evaluate & refine

→ Track what worked.
→ Track what didn’t.
→ Update messaging.
→ Repeat what performed well.

Consistency compounds.

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟴 - I’d keep going

Applications + outreach + value delivery.

This is the system that lands outsized opportunities.

If you follow this 8-week plan, your job search becomes a system, not chaos.

This is the exact roadmap I’ve seen help hundreds of candidates land roles at companies they once thought were out of reach.

Commit to it. Stay consistent. Track it. Improve faster than 90% of job seekers.

📌 Save this post - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 Follow me, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ Want clarity on your job search? DM me to learn how Early can support you.

For the love of all that is good, stop clicking “Easy Apply”.

I get it, it makes you feel productive.

You’re tired, you’re stressed, and hitting one button gives you that tiny dopamine hit that says, “At least I did something today.”

But here’s the truth that no one wants to hear:

The Easy Apply button is a trap.

It feels like progress, but it puts you in the same pile as 1,200 other candidates, most of whom also didn’t read the job description.

And with AI tools now submitting 50+ applications per minute, you’re competing in a volume game you simply cannot win.

If you want to work in startups, spamming the Easy Apply button is the worst strategy you can choose.

Startups don’t hire people who blend in.

They hire people who stand out.

The ones who are excited, passionate, sharp, opinionated, action-oriented, and creative.

And you can only show those qualities by being intentional.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

↳ Instead of 40 easy applies → pick 5 roles you genuinely want.

↳ Instead of spraying resumes → deeply research the company, product, and team.

↳ Instead of hoping the algorithm boosts your application → message the hiring manager, founder, and anywhere from 5-20 people on the team.

↳ Instead of generic cover letters → send a short, sharp note about why you’re excited and exactly how you’ll add value, and include a link to a Loom video of you speaking about why you’re a good fit.

↳ Instead of waiting → build one thing that proves you can do the role.

In a world where applying takes three seconds or less, effort and “human-ness” are the differentiators.

When you apply intentionally, people notice.

When you reach out like a human, people respond.

When you make it clear you understand the role and the company, people take you seriously.

Easy Apply helps you feel busy, but it’s intentionality that gets you hired.

If you can replace 60 minutes of scrolling with 60 minutes of targeted outreach, research, and personalized messages, you will outrun 99% of candidates in this market.

Trust me when I say - your next role 𝘞𝘖𝘕’𝘛 come from a button.

It’ll come from clarity, effort, and showing up like someone a founder or executive would actually want to hire.

📌 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? DM me to learn how Early can support you.

Most job searches fall apart because everything happens at once:

Applications, outreach, interviews, self-doubt, urgency

Landing a start-up role isn’t about having the best-looking résumé.

It’s about running a 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝘂𝗽 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Often members join Early with no system… just scattered effort.

The people who succeed in landing great startup roles don’t necessarily work harder. 

They follow a 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻, broken into stages.

They know when to get clear on the role they want. When to build momentum through outreach and conversations. And when to convert trust into offers.

That’s exactly what the 𝟯𝟬–𝟲𝟬–𝟵𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 is designed to do.

It turns your job search from:

 • scattered → focused
 • reactive → intentional
 • emotional → manageable

Once you have a system, you stop asking:

“Am I doing enough in my job search?”

And start asking:

“Am I doing the right thing 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦?”

That shift is what helps candidates land startup roles faster without burning out or second-guessing every move.

📌 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? DM me to learn how Early can support you.

30 60 90 Day Plan

Comp can gets the offer signed.
Culture decides whether they sprint or quietly plan their exit.

Here’s the truth most founders and startup hiring managers learn the hard way:

You can’t buy anyone’s commitment.

You can’t bonus your way into long-term loyalty.

And you definitely can’t “culture-deck” your way out of a bad environment.

At early-stage Uber, none of us were printing money.

We had equity we hoped would be worth something, but… it wasn’t worth anything at the time. Nor did we have any guarantee the whole thing would work out.

And we definitely weren’t sitting on giant salaries.

I made $65k in my first role at Uber in 2013. That was an 85% increase over my prior role and ~$95k in today’s dollars (I thought I was RICH!).

There were people with degrees from Harvard and Stanford and masters degrees from top programs who were earning similar amounts.

But despite all that, we were willing to run through walls for the company.

Why?

Because we believed in the mission, the founder, and the product.

People don’t sprint because the comp is great, they sprint because the environment makes them want to show up with everything they’ve got.

𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬:

→ Whether the people around them are high caliber A players
→ Whether people are safe to speak honestly and critically
→ Whether there is transparency with data and progress
→ Whether the people like to see each other every day
→ Whether effort and impact are seen and recognized
→ Whether people are given autonomy to do their job
→ Whether the mission actually means something
→ Whether the team feels trusted
→ Whether credit is shared

Compensation gets all the attention.

But CULTURE gets outsized performance.

And if someone leaves because of a bad culture, guess what?

They’re gone for good.

There’s no counter-offer that fixes “I don’t want to be here anymore.”

In fact, I’ve heard SO many times, “You couldn’t pay me enough to go back there.”

But if they leave for money, and the culture was strong?

They’ll think about coming back.

I’ve seen quite a few of my early Uber colleagues leave after 4+ years at the company, only to return because they loved the culture.

People always remember where they did their best work.

📌 Save this post - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 Follow me, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ Want clarity on your job search? DM me to learn how Early can support you.

What to join a startup with a good chance of success?

Join a founder with a prior successful exit.

The founders of these 20 Series B startups have already had a successful exit. 

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘄!

This week I pulled a list of startups that:
• Are backed by top investors
• Raised a Series B 4-12 months ago
• Have a founder with a previous exit
• Are growing headcount faster than any other Series B

If you're looking to join a Series B startup that's rapidly hiring, check the careers pages for these startups below.

𝘒𝘦𝘺: 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺: 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 90-𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴, # 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴

 1. XBOW: 53 new hires, 38 openings roles
 2.  Fay Nutrition: 46 new hires, 5 open roles
 3.  Together AI: 38 new hires, 42 open roles
 4.  Levelpath: 32 new hires, 30 open roles
 5.  Monarch: 31 new hires, 7 open roles
 6. Sprinter Health: 27 new hires, 24 open roles
 7.  Savvy Wealth: 27 new hires, 16 open roles
 8.  Endor Labs: 22 new hires, 16 open roles
 9.  WorkWhile: 17 new hires, 19 open roles
10.  Tessell: 17 new hires, 15 open roles
11.  Tabs: 17 new hires, 23 open roles
12.  NetBox Labs: 16 new hires, 14 open roles
13.  Sentra: 14 new hires, 7 open roles
14.  Arena: 13 new hires, 7 open roles
15.  The Bot Company: 12 new hires, 14 open roles
16.  Archive: 11 new hires, 4 open roles
17.  GreenLite: 11 new hires, 11 open roles
18.  Aalo Atomics: 11 new hires, 22 open roles
19.  Mojo Vision: 10 new hires, 1 open role
20.  Omni: 9 new hires, 18 open roles

Go get that job and build something awesome 💪
____________

📆 Come back next Monday for another list of top startups looking for their next great hires.

Give me a follow, (Kyle Thomas) so you don’t miss it.

♻️ Share this to help startup job seekers find a new role.

Oh... and 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲, 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗗𝗠. 

We just had someone join our program and land a job at a top Series B startup in 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟳 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀.

You’re treating LinkedIn like a social media profile.

It’s not.

Your LinkedIn page is a sales landing page and LinkedIn is the search engine.

Here’s how to rank higher in the job search in just 1 hour.

1. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝟴𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

If it’s vague, generic, or stuffed with buzzwords, you won’t appear in relevant searches. 

And if you do, they won’t know what the heck you do or how you fit in their org.

In 3 seconds, they should be able to tell:

 • Who you are
 • What you do
 • The results you drive
 • Who you drive them for

If that’s not the case with your headline today, change it.

Think: “Senior Startup Operations Leader | Scaling Systems, People & Processes Leveraging AI | Led the operational launch of multiple marketplaces from $0 - $500M ARR.”

2. 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁, 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Lead with who you are today and your mission, then back it up with proof.

Use keywords and case studies that founders and recruiters already search for: operations, product, GTM, strategy, growth, project management, AI, SaaS - whatever applies to the work you want.

(Hint: These are found in the JD, so create a long list of JDs and extract the keywords and case studies using an LLM)

Also, inject something personal. Show that you’re an actual human with real interests.

Being “passionate about process optimization“ is not a personality.

3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗼 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲, 𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳.

Search engines love clarity.

Recruiters love impact.

Your job is to give both.

Attach links to documents, PR releases, anything that shows you actually did what you say you did.

4. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀.

Not 60 random ones.

The top 60 that map directly to the job you want.

Some recruiters use these in their search filters, but most candidates ignore them entirely.

(Hint: Remember where I told you to find these skills? In the JDs)

5. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹.

Pin a post that proves your thinking, showcases a win, or highlights a perspective that matters in your niche.

You could start a newsletter, a podcast, or share a badass proof of work example.

It’s the fastest way to turn a profile view into an outreach message.

Most people treat LinkedIn like a digital resume without realizing that founders, recruiters, and operators treat it like Google.

They search for skills, functions and people who signal credibility in the first 3 seconds.

LinkedIn itself has changed its search functionality to be more conversational and function like a search engine instead of a database with filters.

The people who win on LinkedIn aren’t the loudest, they’re the most discoverable.

👋 Follow me, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

“Do I actually want this role?”

That’s the question you need to answer honestly if you resent the pre-job assignment.

I’m talking about the case studies, presentations, and work samples as a part of the hiring process.

The hiring team didn’t create a pre-job assignment as a thoughtless hoop to jump through just to make the process harder.

It’s a trailer for the movie.

And if you hate the trailer… you’re going to hate the movie.

Assignments are the best way for the team to get an idea of what it would actually feel like to work with you.

They’re also a great way for you to stand out in the process.

They’re also a great gut check of how much you want to work there.

They show you:

 • How the team thinks
 • What problems you’ll work on
 • Whether the work energizes or drains you
 • Whether you’d enjoy doing this every day, not just once

And yes - some people argue candidates “shouldn’t have to do pre-work before speaking to a hiring manager.”

I disagree 100%.

If you want the job, you’ll do the work.

If you resent the work, you don’t want the job.

Simple.

It may sound harsh, but it shouldn’t.

Take for example Caleb Ralston. 

He has helped build the personal brands for some of the largest founder-led brands out there. 

He was recently hiring for YouTube editors, and do you know what the process looked like?

YouTube editor TRYOUTS over the course of 4 days.

Candidates needed to sign up, were sent the raw video/audio files, and had four days to edit and submit their final video edit.

No interviews before the exercise, just “show me what you got”.

Hundreds of people signed up and did the free work for the opportunity to work with one of the best out there.

And that’s the thing, if you’re not willing to do it, in this market (and in any market at most top companies), there will be people who are more than willing to do the free work.

If you find yourself procrastinating, irritated, or indifferent, that’s your signal not to push harder… but to walk away.

But if you find yourself getting curious, going deeper, losing track of time…

That’s a signal that you should lean in.

That the role might actually be right for you.

That this is work you'll enjoy, not just endure.

The pre-job assignment is a preview of the next chapter of your career.

If you hate the trailer, don’t buy the movie ticket.

If you love it, that’s your green light to go hard.

A quick aside: I know people abuse these exercises but that’s not the norm. I spoke with a new grad last week who worked 80 hours a week for two weeks for a founder on an “exercise” to build them a product. The founder even asked her to work on Christmas day. After the two weeks they shared the salary and equity and it was far lower than market rate.

So do people abuse exercises, yes. But in my experience they’re few and far between. The best companies will run you through thoughtful exercises and the exercises and “free work” are an incredible way to stand out.

Most people sabotage their startup job search by misreading silence.

Early in my career, I was wary of being annoying.

If I had a good conversation with someone and they said, “Happy to help” or “Let me look into that”, I’d leave it there.

Then a week would pass. Then two.

And then... I’d start to spiral.

 • 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘱?
 • 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵?
 • 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦?

So most of the time… I didn’t. I told myself the silence meant something about me.

Everything changed once I became the “busy” person on the other side.

I loved being helpful, so I started having back-to-back calls.

 • Offering intros.
 • Promising reviews.
 • Making mental notes.

And then life happened.

Deadlines. Kids. Travel.

I forgot to follow up, this time from the other side.

My lack of action wasn’t because I didn’t care but because startups (and life) are all-consuming.

Every now and then, someone would politely follow up.

And instead of being annoyed... I loved it!

I'd take the necessary action then and there and fire a message back to the person.

That’s when it clicked.

So many people sabotage their job search because they create these elaborate stories in their head to explain the silence.

The truth is almost always, "Oops, I got super busy and forgot. Thanks for reminding me. I'll fire that off right away."

Follow up isn’t about being pushy or loud. It’s about not taking silence personally.

It’s about understanding that “no response” usually means “not right now,” not “not you.”

Some of the biggest breaks in my career came from messages I almost didn’t send.

So if you’re trying to land your next startup role, remember this:

 • Following up isn’t rude.
 • Persistence isn’t annoying.
 • Being organized is a signal of seriousness.

The people who make it aren’t the ones who never hear “no.” 

They're the ones who don't vanish just because they didn't hear back.

𝗔 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗹: If someone offered to help and hasn't responded in 5-7 business days, I follow up once via our last method of communication (email, LinkedIn, text). I'm polite, clear, and non-apologetic. I'll do this two more times and if I don't get a response after the three messages I move on.

The moral of the story is this...

Follow up. Ask again. Stay politely persistent. 

And don't take silence personally.

📌 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 for the next time you’re debating whether to send that message.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies.

Everyone wants Olympic-level results. Most train like it’s a weekend jog.

From the outside, the people who land incredible roles look effortless.

“𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.”

“𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘵’𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.”

“𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺.”

But here’s what you don’t see:

The hours of preparation.

The rejections.

The setbacks.

The learnings.

The adjustments.

The quiet consistency.

When I tell my story of joining early-stage Uber, I usually give the highlight reel:

 • Quit my job in Seattle
 • Moved to New York with no network
 • Had 90 days of savings
 • Landed a role at Uber just before money ran out

But the real story looked a lot more like Olympic training:

 • Waking up at 6 am to job search (treating it like a job)
 • Getting no response from message after message
 • Long stretches where it felt like nothing moved
 • Trying to figure out the value I could provide
 • No applause, no certainty, no shortcuts
 • Dozens of awkward networking calls
 • Rejection after rejection

The truth is, the job search is an endurance sport.

In the same way, Olympians don’t control the medal; they only control their training.

You don’t get to control the output; you only control your inputs:

Your clarity, prep, networking and consistency.

And just like elite athletes, most of the progress happens long before anyone sees the result.

The people who win in this market aren’t necessarily the smartest or most connected. They’re the ones willing to put in the work when no one’s watching.

Stop chasing the podium moment and start building the systems that get you there.

If you want to land a role that changes your career, ask yourself honestly:

Are you training like an Olympian… or jogging like it’s Sunday?

What stage of your job search are you in? Comment below with a single emoji:

📖 Learning
💼 Networking
🎯 Applying
🏆 Interviewing

📌 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? DM me to learn how Early can support you.

I’ve helped 100+ job-seekers land roles in startups.
These are the 8 steps every successful search has in common.

You may think, “Those people are lucky.”
Right place, right time. Right connection, right company.

But after coaching hundreds of candidates, the pattern is painfully clear:
People who land great roles don’t rely on luck. 
They create luck their own luck by following a clear system.

A system that gets them unstuck when momentum dips, keeps them focused when the market feels chaotic, and helps them stand out when everyone else blends together.

Here are the 8 steps I see in every single successful search:
1. They get their mind right.

The job search is a sales process.

And in sales, there’s lots of rejection.

You have to steel yourself for the rejection to come. 

They create a plan for what it takes to get themselves into a peak state as often as humanly possible.

2. They get clarity before applying.

They define the exact role they want, why they want it, and what makes them a fit. 

“I’m open to anything” won’t cut it.

Clarity turns a chaotic search into a targeted one.

It makes every following step in the process easier and more effective.

3. They build a target company list.

Not 300 random companies, but 20-40 that match their skills, interests, and stage preferences.

This creates direction and eliminates distraction.

Batching this company/role searching also prevents random action.

4. Their LinkedIn and résumé signal credibility immediately.

They treat their LinkedIn/resume like a sales landing page crafted to stand out.

They make it clear to the reader who they are, what they do, the results they drive, and who they drive them for.

Every line is crafted to make hiring managers think: “I want to talk to this person.”

5. They track their progress

Applications, networking messages, calls, interviews, the works.

They understand what actions they’re taking.

The numbers tell them what’s working and what’s not working, and they adjust accordingly.

6. They send intentional outreach consistently.

Not mass messages.

No copy-paste templates.

Not “ChatGPT, what message should I send this person?”

High-quality messages that create genuine connection.

This is where most opportunities come from.

7. They prepare like a top candidate.

They run mock interviews, identify interviewer doubts, rehearse their stories, and study the company’s product deeply.

Most interviews are won in the prep.

8. They follow up and show real ownership.

Case studies. Value deliverables. Thoughtful notes.

They do the “free work” to show they’re operating like part of the team.

This is where offers are secured.

When you follow these steps, everything changes:

Your search stops feeling like hope.
Your outreach stops feeling random.
Your interviews stop feeling unpredictable.
And opportunities start showing up faster than you expect.

This will look like magic to those on the outside.
But you’ll know it’s a system.
And anyone can run it.

I've Helped 100+ People Land Start Up Roles

If it feels messy, you’re not doing it wrong. 

The job search is often the first real taste of start-up life. 

People think the chaos starts 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 you land the role, but the interview process is just a warm-up. 

You’ll get ghosted. You’ll get rejected for reasons that don’t make sense.

A role you were excited about disappears overnight because priorities changed.

A hiring manager goes quiet because they’re juggling ten fires at once.

It’s frustrating and knocks your confidence. And it can make you start questioning yourself.

But it’s not personal, and it’s not a reflection of your ability.

It’s just how startups operate.

They move fast. They change direction. They make decisions with imperfect information.

And once you’re inside a startup, that doesn’t suddenly stop.

 • Priorities shift week to week.
 • Teams are small, so your impact (+ your mistakes) are visible.
 • Everything is an experiment.
 • You’re constantly adjusting in real time.

That’s also why the people who love startups 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 love them.

They’re comfortable with ambiguity. They enjoy figuring things out as they go.

They don’t need everything to be perfectly defined to move forward.

So if you’re in the thick of the job search right now, feeling behind, dealing with setbacks, wondering if you’re doing something wrong… pause for a moment.

 Think of this process not as a punishment but as preparation.

You’re learning how to stay steady when things feel uncertain.

How to stay energized and excited while working hard.

How to keep showing up when plans change.

How to continuously experiment, measure results, and iterate. How to stay energized and excited while working hard.

How to separate noise from signal.

And guess what?

That’s exactly what you’ll need on the inside.

So keep going.

Even if “going” today just means sending one message.

Just take that first next step in the right direction.

The people who make it through the search are usually the ones built for the work.

📌 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? DM me to learn how Early can support you.

How long has your startup job search taken so far?

There’s no “normal” timeline - everyone’s path looks different.

But understanding the range helps you see you’re not behind… you’re human.

How long has your startup job search taken so far?

What does it actually take to break into an AI startup as a TPM?

In this case: 287 cold messages, 1 strategy, and 3 frameworks anyone can copy.

This is Amr’s story, and it’s a perfect example of what happens when someone stops treating a job search like guesswork and starts approaching it like a system.

Five months ago, Amr joined Early with one clear goal: get a Technical Program Manager role.

Not “see what comes up” or “apply generally.” He chose the role deliberately, built toward it, and committed to doing the work most people avoid.

Along the way, he used three frameworks that completely changed his results - and anyone reading this can copy them.

1. Treat outreach like a game and track your numbers.

Most people rely on feelings when they job search. 

“It feels like no one is replying.” 

“It feels like my messages aren’t working.”

Feelings are unreliable. Data isn’t.

Amr sent 287 cold messages. His response rate was 14%. His call rate was 26%.

By tracking the numbers, he could see exactly what was working, which messages landed, and where to double down.

The lesson: you can’t improve what you don’t measure. Treat it like a continuous game.

2. Personalize your outreach using your real interests.

Personalization isn’t forced flattery or dropping someone’s name into a template. It’s creating a REAL human connection.

Earlier in the year Amr visited the Rocky Mountains for the first time and absolutely loved it.

Whenever he reached out to someone based in Colorado, he mentioned that trip.

This wasn't some sort of trick or tactic. He genuinely wanted to share how much he loved the area. 

Guess what? 

That human touch dramatically increased replies.

Most people send messages that read like AI wrote them. Amr made sure he sounded like a real person.

3. Reach out to multiple people at the same company.

This is the most uncomfortable step, but also the most effective.

For the TPM role, Amr didn’t message one person - he messaged nine.

Four replied. Three had conversations with him. One referred him internally.

When you rely on a single point of contact, your chances are low.

When you create multiple internal touchpoints, you drastically increase your referral chances.

This is how applications get resurrected, moved forward, or re-reviewed even after initial rejection.

Amr didn’t get lucky. He built a repeatable system that made success inevitable.

TL;DR: Track your outreach so you know what’s actually happening. Personalize your messages so people want to reply.

Send multiple messages to people at the companies so you’re not depending on one person’s kindness.

You don’t need dozens of people to say yes, you need one. And these three frameworks dramatically increase your odds of getting it.

📌 Save this post - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 Follow me, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

In 2026, being qualified isn’t enough.

Hundreds of qualified applications are being submitted for every role even at startups most people have never heard of.

I was speaking with a VC Head of Talent and she said several of their portfolio companies (we’re talking tiny, early-stage, low-visibility startups) now get hundreds of applicants per role.

Not because the roles are special, and not because the comp is outrageous.

But because the volume of people applying has exploded and the use of AI tools and bots has made it even worse.

Being qualified gets you into the pile, but it won’t get you into the room.

Only visibility can do that.

I saw this again with a candidate I coached. 

Brilliant background. 
Great skills. 
Perfect match on paper.

He’d applied to ~60 roles with almost no traction.

Except one.

For that one role, he reached out directly.

He wrote a personal note, sent it to the founder, a recruiter, and a few people on the team. 
He showed them why he cared.
He made himself visible.

And instantly, he moved forward.

Here’s why visibility wins:

𝟭. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Everyone is qualified, but very few take the time to write personal messages, share context, or reach out to internal stakeholders.

When you do, you’re no longer competing with the full pile. 

You’re competing with the handful who bothered to do a little bit more work.

𝟮. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁.

If you send a thoughtful note to the hiring manager, you’re no longer “one of 300 applicants.”

You’re a real human who cares about their mission and what they’re building and wants to help.

Founders, recruiters and teams notice it.

Trust me, I have the receipts. 

Dozens of messages from recruiters and hiring managers saying, “Wow, this is a really unique way you reached out. It really made you stand out.”

𝟯. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁.

Referrals.
Internal conversations.
Warm intros.

The thing that moves you forward is you making yourself known to the people who matter.

So in 2026, the question isn’t:

“Am I qualified?”

It’s:

“Have I made myself visible to the people making the hiring decision?”

If not, the most talented version of you will stay buried under 300 other clicks on “Apply.”

The candidates who win this year will be the ones willing to reach out, write personal notes, send value, and make themselves impossible to ignore.

📌 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? DM me to learn how Early can support you

You think you’re being judged on your answers.

Founders are actually judging your signals.

Interviews, especially in startups, aren’t exams, they’re calibration exercises.

Most candidates show up obsessing over “saying the right thing.”

Meanwhile, founders are watching for something completely different:
Your signals.

And if you learn how to control the signals you send, your interviews instantly feel easier, clearer, and more predictable.

Here are 5 signals founders are judging, and how to nail each one:

1. How you react to friction.

There is no "standard startup interview process".

Hiring in startups can be messy, so expect more friction than a normal interview process.

More rounds. Trial tasks. Follow-ups. Unclear next steps.

If you expect this level of friction instead of being surprised by it, you stay composed while everyone else spirals.

Signal: resilience, realism, emotional steadiness.

2. Prepare like an interviewer

Founders want someone who understands and is excited about the product, the market, and - ideally - them.

Research the company like you’re the one hiring.

It may sound crazy, but people who share excitement about their product and the team are rare.

Signal: high-agency thinking, ownership, genuine interest.

3. Confidently show your strengths

Interview answers matter, but founders are tuning into:

– How you think
– What results you’ve produced
– What problems you can take off their plate

Be able to not only share what you've done, but how that experience tracks directly to what they need.

Signal: clarity, competence, self-awareness.

4. Understand that roles evolve

It is not abnormal for the original job description to change.

Funding, market dynamics, team changes, and strong candidates change quickly and can change what the company needs.

If you can articulate what additional value you bring, you’ll stand out instantly.

Signal: adaptability, initiative, strategic thinking.

5. Fix your mindset

The best interviewers aren’t rigid.

They’re calm, flexible, curious, and collaborative.

Going in with “I hope they like me” energy kills your performance.

Signal: confidence without ego.

The more you master these signals, the easier interviews become - not because you’ve memorized better answers, but because you’re playing the same game the founder is.

As someone who’s been on the hiring side:

Founders aren’t looking for perfection, they’re looking for patterns.

Do you think clearly?

Can you handle ambiguity?

Will you take ownership without needing permission?

Do you bring something the team doesn’t currently have?

Can you grow as fast as the company grows?

These signals tell founders far more than any polished answer ever will, and once you understand that, interviews become less about performing…

and more about demonstrating how you operate.

👋 Follow me, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

Your job search feels harder when your mind is scattered. Here’s how to steady yourself without hacks.

Drowning in options? → Get quiet and write down your top 3 priorities.

Low energy? → Read something that inspires you - a founder story, a memoir, a lesson learned the hard way.

Afraid of rejection? → Send the message anyway. Fear fades after action.

Feeling stuck? → Step away from the screen and go outside. Change your environment.

Mentally foggy? → Sleep. Nothing beats rest for clarity.

Unsure what to do next? → Ask someone who’s one step ahead. Borrow their perspective.

Frustrated? → Move your body. Motion creates momentum.

Burning out? → Stop. Take a full day off. Recovery is a strategy.

Losing patience? → Look at how far you’ve come since day one.

Struggling to stay motivated? → Reconnect with your why. The job is the outcome, your reason is the fuel.

The job search isn’t won by intensity.

It’s won by consistency.

What’s one tiny habit that helps you stay focused, in the job search or in life?

Share it below so someone else can use it tomorrow.

📌 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - you’ll want it when your next interview loop starts.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

✉️ 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? DM me to learn how Early can support you.

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The Battle

Marcos Ruiz

Kyle Thomas

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taplio

The Battle

Marcos Ruiz

Kyle Thomas

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);}Marcos Ruiz's LinkedIn Performance

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Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreMarcos Ruiz's LinkedIn Performance