Marcos Ruiz

The Birdhouse

We build profitable, viral personal brands on X, LinkedIn, and Threads.

Founder and CEO

MA Army National Guard

Served at the 59th Presidential Inauguration.

Advanced and accelerated training in Computer Networks & Systems. Tasked with the configuration, management, and troubleshooting of Local Area Networks, while simultaneously adhering to proper security measures as defined by the Army.

Responsibilities include:
• Configuring & troubleshooting Cisco Routers and Switches
• VLANs, SVIs, Layer 2 and 3 security, etc.
• Producing end-user capability via PC, laptop, and Cisco VOIP
• Encryption Devices & Palo Alto Networks
• Active Directory and Exchange
• Use of Basic Network Protocols (i.e. TCP/IP, DHCP & DNS)
• Routing Protocols (OSPFv3, OSPF)

I.T Specialist - Team Leader

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

Or check out our full DIY self-paced course suite at - www.whop.com/twitter

Chief Executive Officer

X.COM’s Premier Marketing & Advertising agency.

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

Mark Zuckerberg pulled off the greatest personal brand transformation in history.

Here's the RACE framework that turned him from "robotic nerd" to one of Silicon Valley’s coolest CEOs:


1. Reach - Redefine Your Audience

After Cambridge Analytica harvested 87 million profiles, Zuck was tech's biggest villain.

His solution? 

Stop trying to appeal to everyone.

He emailed Peter Thiel with a mission:

Rebrand me as the "voice of millennials."

Smart move - you can't be everyone's hero, but you can dominate one demographic.


2. Act - Make Real Changes

The Facebook to Meta rebrand distanced them from scandals & signaled focus on the future.

The biggest part of his transformation was arguably visual though:

• Got jacked, improved style & grew out his hair
• Cattle ranching and sharing his genuine interests
• Training MMA with UFC stars like Israel Adesanya 

That hydrofoiling-in-a-tuxedo video wasn't just random fun - it was strategic PR move.


3. Convert - Turn Critics Into Believers

Delivered on promises through:

• Better privacy controls 
• Innovative products (Quest 3 Pro) 
• Unscripted, heartfelt Senate apology to families 
• Sharing vulnerable moments like commissioning art for his wife

Actions speak louder than words.


4. Engage - Keep People Talking

Leaned into internet culture instead of fighting it: 

• Embracing memes about his "drip" 
• Recreating childhood bedroom for birthday posts 
• Asking Instagram's fashion director to critique his chains

He joined the conversation instead of staying above it.


The results: 27% trust → 68% trust in 6 years.

The impact on his business:

• Rebuilt trust after scandals
• Made Meta's vision more believable
• Positioned as innovator, not data harvester


Key lesson:

Personal branding is evolution, not perfection.

What's one way you're evolving your personal brand this year?

Let me know below.

& if you enjoyed this…

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

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I moved to Bali 2+ years ago thinking I'd cracked the digital nomad code.

My business was doing $20-30K/month from a 600 sq ft Brooklyn apartment. 

Got tired of the gray NYC lifestyle.

Same routine, expensive everything, depressed people in suits smoking cigarettes on Wall Street.

So we moved to a 3BR villa in Canggu for the geoarbitrage dream.

Here's what actually happened:


Phase 1: Reality Check

Time zones destroyed my schedule. 

Taking US business calls at 5 AM and 9 PM in Bali just to keep things running. 

Had to work during the day too, so it became this endless grind.

Bugs everywhere - spiders, crickets, ants in the bed. 

Had to get these wall plugins that probably give you cancer just to sleep.

Learning to drive a scooter was a nightmare. 

Rented an electric one thinking I was being smart - thing was so flimsy we couldn't get anywhere with two people.

The pollution is insane. 

Coming home every day wiping black soot off our faces from all the exhaust. 

Nobody tells you about that part.

Had 3 helmets stolen in the first week.

Both got Bali belly immediately - sick for days from the water and food.


Phase 2: The Honeymoon

Eventually figured it out. 

• Got the schedule dialed
• Started ordering all our meals
• Hit the beaches
• Learned to surf
• Massages twice a week.

This is when you post all the Instagram content. 

Making gains in the gym, hanging with monkeys, drinking coconuts. 

Living the dream.


Phase 3: The Dark Side

Then isolation hits.

No matter how beautiful it is, you never truly feel like you belong. 

It's an amazing vacation spot, but it's not home.

My assistant from Ukraine said something that stuck with me: 

She was living in Italy, everything was great, but "even with all the tough times back home, there's still no place like home."

That's when it clicked.

Always felt like something was missing - friends, family, the environment you grew up with. 

There's always that piece that's not there.


What I Learned:

1) The locals here are happier with way less than what we think we need. 

Really changed my perspective on what success actually looks like.

2) The food in America is actually poisonous. 

Never felt cleaner or more energetic than eating there.

3) Slowing down was incredible after the NYC hustle mentality.


The Verdict:

Would I recommend it? 

100%.

Life is a video game and Earth is just a big open world with endless possibilities. 

You should explore it.

But I went back to America.

Turns out the laptop lifestyle works best when you have a stable place to put the laptop down.

Actual freedom isn't working from anywhere - it's building something solid enough that you can choose where you want to be.

What are your thoughts on being a digital nomad?

Let me know below.

David Goggins built one of the strongest personal brands on the internet without following a single "branding" rule.

He went from a 300-pound exterminator to 6.2M followers by doing everything backwards…

Here's the blueprint he followed:


1. Stop Trying to Look Perfect

Goggins posts:

• Sweaty selfies
• Profanity-filled rants
• Stories about getting his ass kicked as a kid

Most people try to hide their messy past.

He made his the foundation of his brand.

People trust authentic struggle over polished success stories.


2. Your Pain is Your Product

"Can't Hurt Me" sold 5M+ copies because everyone has a story of not being enough.

• Survived Hell Week three times
• Lost 100 pounds in 3 months
• Set a pull-up world record.

But here's the key - he connected every story to a principle people could use.

His struggles became other people's solutions.


3. Admit Your Weaknesses First

Goggins calls his younger self "fat, lazy, and a liar" before anyone else can.

This is great for personal branding.

When you own your flaws, nobody can use them against you.

Plus it makes everything else you say more believable.


4. Impact First, Money Second

With 8.4M followers, he could easily make $60K+ per sponsored post.

Instead, he focuses on changing lives.

This builds way more loyalty than chasing every dollar.

Long-term brand value beats short-term cash grabs.


5. Actually Live What You Preach

He still runs 7 miles daily while still working.

Doesn't just talk about toughness from his couch.

This is what separates real personal brands from fake ones.


The takeaway for business:

Your struggles aren't something to hide - they're your competitive advantage.

People don't buy from perfect experts.

They buy from people who've been in their shoes and found a way out.

The ones who share their real journey - failures included - always outperform the ones trying to look flawless.

Your authentic story is your best marketing asset.


What's the biggest struggle you've turned into your strength?

Let me know below.

& if you enjoyed this…

Follow me for more content like this.

Most people think building a personal brand is free.

It's not.

The people making real money are investing time and money into three things that actually matter.


1. Quality Content Creation

You have two options.

Option A: Learn to do it yourself:

• Study frameworks
• Write every day
• Figure out what hooks work

Invest 10-15 hours a week until you can consistently create content that converts.

Option B: Hire someone who actually knows what they're doing. 

Not a $500/month VA or a cheap copywriter who copy-pastes ChatGPT generated content.

A real team that lives and breathes content, and understands how content drives revenue.

The investment is either your time or your money.

Pick one.


2. Living a Life Worth Posting About

If you're sitting at home doing nothing, you have nothing to talk about.

Your personal brand needs personal stories.

That means investing in experiences.

• Grow your business
• Get client results
• Go to masterminds
• Take your team somewhere.
• Try new hobbies

These experiences give you ammo to create more content with unique angles.

You don’t need to fake having a perfect life…

You just need to actually live an interesting one.

More experiences = more authentic stories = more followers who actually connect with what you're saying.


3. Building Your Own IP

This is the one nobody talks about.

Invest time into developing

Your own frameworks
Your own terminology
Your own systems

That's your own intellectual property.

And that's what makes you different from everyone else saying the same stuff all the time.

Your branding matters too.

Figure out what you're known for.

Build content pillars that make sense for your business.

This takes time.

But once you have it, it becomes your competitive advantage.

People can copy your content. 

They can't copy your frameworks and your voice.

Your personal brand is either a business or a hobby.

If it's a business, treat it like one.

I turned down 30 clients last month.

People think I'm crazy. 

"That's like $200K you could've made."

But here's what happened instead: 


We signed 2 perfect-fit clients at higher rates, got 3 referrals, and our retention jumped to 100%.

Most agency owners fail because they're counting clients instead of building a brand that attracts the right ones.

The Birdhouse will do about $2M this year doing the OPPOSITE of conventional wisdom.

Here's what actually matters:


1. Take care of your team like they're partners

Every quarter, I sit down with each person and ask: 

"What are your goals? Are we helping you hit them?"

When your team is growing personally and financially, they'll run through walls for clients.


2. Invest in networking without calculating ROI

I spent $30K flying to events my first year. 

No immediate return. 

Just to have conversations and build relationships.

A year later, those "random" conversations turned into $200K in referrals.


3. Build a brand people want to be part of

We have

Custom jackets
Bird-themed Slack emojis
Vintage cartoon aesthetics
Pokemon cards at my desk (bird-types only)

Sounds extra? Maybe. 

But the brand isn't just marketing. 

It's retention, recruitment, and referrals wrapped into one.


4. Be "the guy" in your niche

We're not the best marketers in the world. 

But we are THE BEST at what we do for Twitter, LinkedIn, and Threads.

When someone asks "Who should I talk to about growing on X?" they mention The Birdhouse. 

That positioning is worth more than any ad spend.

But here's the most counterintuitive part:


5. I refer out more people than I sign. 

Dozens of leads every month, but we only take 1-2 clients.

Why? 

Because I'd rather have 10 perfect clients getting incredible results than 50 mediocre ones churning every quarter.

When someone isn't a fit, I send them to another agency I trust. 

That person becomes a fan. The agency sends business back. My reputation stays intact.

One more thing: 

Do the unscalable stuff as long as you can.

I still do every client onboarding call. 

I still build their profile setup. 

I still send resources that aren't part of our service.

We're at $2M/year. 

I could delegate it.

But clients pay a premium because I'm in the trenches with them.

If you're under $10M, white glove service isn't a luxury.

It's your competitive advantage.


The bottom line:

Your agency isn't a numbers game. 

It's a reputation game.

• Turn down the wrong clients.
• Invest in your team.
• Build a brand people want to be associated with. 
• Be the obvious choice in your category.
 
The money follows when you stop chasing it.

I Studied 1,000 Twitter/X Hooks, Here’s How to ACTUALLY Go Viral

Your personal brand is the ultimate status symbol.

Status used to be more simple.

The car you drove.
The watch you wore.
The address on your business card.

But things have changed:

Anyone can rent a Lambo for the weekend.
Anyone can buy fake designer. 
Anyone can lease office space and take lobby photos.

Material wealth isn't the signal it used to be because it's too easy to fake.

This is why a personal brand is the ultimate status symbol.

You can fake a watch.
You can't fake 2 million followers who engage with your content. 

You can rent a Ferrari. 
You can't rent authority in your space.

When someone Googles you and sees you've built something real, generated actual results, and have people who care what you say - that's status you can't buy.

We've generated $10M+ for clients through personal branding. 

The ones who win understand this: 

This should not just be a side project.

It’s one of the most valuable assets you can build.

A strong personal brand gets you in rooms you couldn't access before. 

Makes people want to work with you before you pitch. 

Turns cold prospects into warm leads because they've been watching you for months.

Status used to come from what you could afford.

Now it comes from who pays attention when you speak.

Your personal brand compounds. 

Every piece of content. 
Every client result. 
Every framework. 

Builds on itself.

80% of our business is referrals now. 

Not because we're great at sales. 

Because our brand precedes us. 

People know what we do and the results we get before they book a call.

Your personal brand is your reputation at scale.

You can lose your money. 
You can lose your business. 
You can lose material possessions.

But you can't lose your reputation if it's built on real value and real results.

The smartest operators I know invest more in their personal brands than their cars or office spaces.

Because in 2025, your personal brand isn't just a status symbol.

It's the ultimate form of leverage.

Money opens doors. A personal brand builds the entire building.

Unapologetically invest in your brand.

It's one of the highest ROI decisions you can make.

What we've done at The Birdhouse:


• Custom hats for every team member when they join. 
• Custom jackets with patches for the founding team. 
• Birdhouse screen savers. 
• Vintage cartoon aesthetic across our website and newsletter. 
• Custom credit card with Blue Eyes White Dragon. 
• Birdhouse Arsenal jersey my team got me. 
• Pokemon cards - all bird-type Pokemon.
• Bird Slack emojis that our clients have come to love. 

I live the brand and always try to think of ways to market it.

And you need to build something people want to be part of.

This will help you:


1. Attract talent:

People see a culture worth being part of, not just another remote gig. 

When candidates look at The Birdhouse, they think "this is something I want to build with someone." 

The brand attracts people who work for the vision, not just a paycheck. 

That's how you build a team that actually cares.


2. Retain clients: 

A strong brand makes clients feel like they're part of something bigger than just a service based relationship. 

They're not working with just another freelancer.

They're working with The Birdhouse. 

That shift builds trust, increases retention, and makes them proud to refer others.


3. Acquire clients: 

The brand eventually surpasses you as the founder

Every way you invest into it compounds

Eventually, the brand does more marketing than you ever could as an individual


4. Build authority: 

A strong brand makes you look established even when you're small. 


5. Hire better: 

A strong brand makes you look established even when you're small. 

We're only a team of 10 people, but our brand makes us look like we could be a team of 30+. 

Prospects see the cohesive identity and think "this is a real company.”

That perception unlocks bigger clients and higher prices.


Bottom line:

Building your agency brand compounds.

Even if you don’t notice it immediately.

Everything reinforces who you are.

People want to buy from people and brands they believe in.

Invest in yours.


What are some ways you reinvest into your own brand?

Let me know below.

Gary Vaynerchuk is one of the most recognizable entrepreneurs alive.

• $200M+ agency
• Bestselling author
• 2M+ YouTube subscribers

But most people have no idea how he actually built his personal brand.

So here's exactly how he did it:


Most entrepreneurs try to be perfect online.

Gary did the opposite.

He built his personal brand on raw authenticity and relentless hustle.

Here's his playbook:


1. Early Platform Adoption

Gary started:

• Email marketing in 1997.
• Google AdWords in 2000.
• YouTube in 2006.
• Twitter in 2007.

His Wine Library TV videos grew his family's liquor store from $3M to $60M in revenue.

He jumped on platforms before they became mainstream.


2. The "Reverse Pyramid" Content Model

Gary creates one piece of pillar content (vlogs, podcasts).

Then repurposes it into 30+ micro-content pieces.

One keynote turned into 30+ posts that got 35M+ views.

Maximum reach from minimum effort.


3. Unfiltered Authenticity

Gary's curse-heavy style and unpolished delivery built trust.

He admits "dickface" is his favorite swear word.

Documents his journey instead of curating perfection.

People connect with real, not rehearsed.



4. "Jabs and Right Hooks" Strategy

Jabs = valuable, non-salesy content (tips, insights, education).
Right hooks = sales pitches.

His AskGaryVee show has 2.78M+ subscribers.

He gives value first, sells second.


5. Platform-Specific Content

LinkedIn posts are professional.
Instagram Reels are casual and trend-driven.
TikTok content is native to the platform.

He doesn't copy-paste the same content everywhere.


6. Active Engagement

Gary responds to comments personally.

Sent a Chicago Bears jersey to a customer.

Result: $6,000 order.

He researches his audience's interests to create meaningful connections.


7. Consistent Visual Identity

Black, white, and green color scheme.

Signature logo across all platforms.

Same narrative of gratitude, hard work, and innovation.

Brand recognition at a glance.


The Gary Vee Formula:

Early adoption + authentic content + relentless engagement + value-first approach = multimillion-dollar personal brand.

He didn't wait for permission.

He didn't wait for perfection.

He just started documenting his journey and never stopped.


The lesson:

Your personal brand isn't about being the smartest person in the room.

It's about being the most authentic.

Stop trying to be perfect.

Start documenting your process.

What's one authentic moment you could share to grow your brand?

Let me know below.

I asked Leila Hormozi, “How do you build a company culture?”

Here’s what she said:

I just spent $15,000 on a team offsite in Canada.

People always ask me how to build great company culture and attract top talent.

Here's what I've learned after 4 years of building The Birdhouse:


1. Build something bigger than yourself

Your team doesn't want to work for you. 

They want to work towards something that matters.

When people feel like they're part of something meaningful, they show up differently. 

They care more. They push harder.

If your company vision is just "make money," you're going to attract people who only care about a paycheck.



2. Help people achieve their personal goals

Every quarter, I sit down with each team member and ask: 

"What are your goals? Are we helping you hit them?"

Not just business goals. 

Personal goals too.

When your team is growing personally and financially, they'll run through walls for the business.


3. Focus on making the most impact

I don't tell my team to focus on revenue. 

I tell them to focus on getting the best possible results for clients.

The revenue follows when you're obsessed with your craft

One post we write can generate more revenue than a client's entire monthly retainer. 

When the ROI is that obvious, clients refer us to their entire network.

That's how we’ve used referrals to double our yearly revenue without touching outbound for over 2 years.


The bottom line:

Great culture isn't having ping pong tables and free snacks in the office. 

It's giving people a mission worth working towards, helping them grow, and obsessing over making real impact.

Spending $15,000 on bringing my team together is an investment in the people who make everything possible.


What’s your best piece of advice for building a company culture?

Let me know below.

Watch Me Use AI to Create 100+ Viral Twitter/X Posts in 1 Hour

Mark V. Smetanin

Unlock Success for Airbnb and Short-Term Rental Business. Recently by Improving the Product - Increased Engagement by 42% , conversion rate by 74%, and acquired 2.5M new users.

As a product management leader with over eight years of experience in payments, e-commerce, Airbnb business, property management, I am a fan of technology and its application to drive business growth.My expertise lies in product management, agile coaching, portfolio management, and strategic planning.I have experience in increasing user engagement, optimizing technical processes and leading high-performance teams.

Key Highlights:

Director of Product Management: Enhanced user engagement by 16% and improved product value description by 14% through strategic market research and collaboration.

Senior Product Portfolio Manager: Managed a $1.2M project, leading to an $8M revenue projection and a 17% increase in Net Promoter Score. 
Risk assessment methods were applied, which reduced project disruptions by 24%.

Head of Product Strategy: Increased customer engagement by 42%, improved conversion rates by 74%, and acquired 2.5M new users—reduced marketing expenses by 28% by addressing critical pain points.

Skills and Expertise:

Product Management/Product Owner: Agile Frameworks, Scrum, Kanban, SAFe
Technical Proficiency: Jira, Asana, Hubspot, Salesforce
Industry Expertise: Fintech, E-commerce, Property Management, Vacation Rentals
Certifications: PMI-ACP, PMI-PMP, CSM, CSPO

Professional Experience:

Nine years in product management, agile transformation, and strategic planning
I have experience in leading cross-functional teams to deliver high performance products.
Skilled in negotiating and managing key partnerships and stakeholders

Interests:

The God's Flow State, Coffee, Stand-up comedy, Kite surfing, Skiing, Music, martial arts (2 black belts), Reading, and Hiking.

Technology Stack:

Jira, Jira Service Desk, Hubspot, Asana, Zoho Projects, Microsoft Project, Basecamp, ClickUp, Todoist, PipelineCRM, Freedcamp, Hive, Monday, Trello, Time tracker, Pivotal Tracker, Slack,Excel, Powerpoint, MS Sharepoint, MS Visio, MS Project, MS Access, Prezzi, Numbers, Pages, Photoshop, Lightroom, Planview, Linux, FreeBSD, Quality Center, ZohoCRM, ZenDesk, Zoho Desk, Fresh Desk, Vivantio Help Desk, FreshService, Salesforce Service Cloud, Hootsuite, WordPress, HTML, CSS, OBS, Mindmaps, Focus Matrix, Dropbox Paper, Skitch, Insightly CRM, Payment Gates (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Square, Braintree, Stripe, Paypal, Authorize.net, 2checkout, Payoneer, Bitpay, Shopify Payments), Google Analytics, Google Search Tool, Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, MCP, Rentals United, Avirato, Expedia, Booking.com, Airbnb, VRBO, PMS, Glovebox, Coterie, Risk Advisor, AWS, Crowe CRM, Salesforc

Lead Product Manager / Product Owner / Consultant

•     Improved a Product using a customer journey map, understanding and prioritizing the most critical pain points in the most profitable segment. Provided clear concept and design strategy. Collaborated with Dev and UX teams. Increased customer engagement by 226%, Improved conversion rate by 74%, and acquired 2.5M, new users.

•     Planned and facilitated an extraordinary spike for (AI) Artificial Intelligence tools and prompts. Fixed and resolved seven major issues when team members just felt stuck. 

•     Raised team confidence after the last check-in. Positive emotions and gratitude are on our happiness radar. The current sprint is 100% happiness VS 78% at the previous sprint. 

•     Organized the most efficient communication with stakeholders and implemented advanced product backlog refinement, reducing the backlog by 16%.

•    Stepped forward with special coaching from our Unique Coach and very advanced Scum Master. Differentiated workflow steps, business rule variations, variations in data, and interface variations, polished and deepened INVEST criteria. Dramatically improved the slicing of our vertical stories. Delivered value ~20% faster with the smallest increments to our customers. 

•   Implemented automated test script, additional smoke test after the build is released to QA, and code review by peers. Armed new Definition of Done (DOD) for our dev team. Changed Sprint Planning Agenda. Raised team confidence level in delivering the sprint goals to 94%. 

•    Implemented automated test script and code review by peers. Armed new Definition of Done (DOD) for our dev team. 

•     Collected the data via Web-tracking and customer interviews,  tested and validated assumptions with the development team. Provided much precise anatomy of personas. Redesigned current marketing campaign reducing waist by 28%

Spikes:
Sustainable and environmentally conscious business practices
Enterprise Agile: Changing your culture

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