Barrel Holdings

What if growth wasn’t about “more” but “better”?

And what if there was a system for “better”?

That’s what we do at Barrel Holdings.

We help agency founders turn strong businesses into scalable, durable companies by installing agency systems that reduce chaos, protect margins, and unlock real value by:

→ partnering with agency founders & leaders
→ shifting founders out of daily sales & delivery
→ installing financial visibility & margin discipline
→ training teams on scoping, pricing & resourcing
→ building frameworks for recurring revenue streams
→ engineering systems for growth without dependency
→ coaching on workload capacity safeguards & burnout

There’s more.

And it is my job to make “more” - and all - of that agency wisdom binge-worthy.

Curious how we acquire, manage, and launch agency businesses?

🔗 Check us out: https://www.barrel-holdings.com/

Marketing Lead

outonomi

There’s no shortage of advice on how to become successful.

The real challenge?

Staying successful.

(In a way that evolves with you.)

My private coaching work is built for executives, entrepreneurs, founders, and thought leaders who’ve built great careers, businesses, and companies - but feel the quiet strain of titles, KPIs, and growth outpacing their vision for life.

Problems I helped my clients solve:

"I’m clear on what I don’t want.”
“This isn’t the life I truly want to lead.”
"This next chapter needs to be intentional."
"For the first time, I don’t have a 5-year plan."
"I’ve outgrown the version of myself. Now what?”
"I’m no longer sure this is my definition of success."
"I just can’t see myself doing this for the next 10 years."
"Success doesn’t mean the same thing it did five years ago."
"I’ve worked so hard to get here, but I don’t want here anymore."
“Ambition isn’t the problem. Figuring out what to do next with it…is.”

Since I’ve lived what you are walking through, I now bring both the personal experience and 7 coaching certifications to help you move through it all clearly, calmly, and efficiently.

My approach blends:

• Designing beliefs that fit your whole life
• Figuring out who you are & what you want
• Expanding your personal capacity for growth
• Building leadership identity grounded in clarity
• Untangling the subconscious patterns you carry

Because success isn’t one definition.
It’s allowed to evolve as you do.

If you’re an executive or founder ready to grow into what’s next, this is where we do that work.

✨ Private coaching application opening soon.

Founder | Private Coach to Executives

Chief

As I infamously said: "Success is just a starting point."

To us, at Chief, success is a place of service.
It is where grace, grit, and intention meet.
It is a place of connection.

It is how we live our lives.

This is why I am incredibly proud to belong to a private membership network that connects and supports the most powerful women executives, sharing playbooks with those who see themselves as both ambitious and empathic, driving change on all levels of their organizations.

Welcome to a place where there is room for all of you - and where we celebrate those who pave the way to bring others with them.

🌿 Here's to building impactful businesses.
✨ Here's to being impactful humans.

Member

IM Digital

Stories power strategies.

I learned that here.

I learned what it means to translate a story into...
→ an impactful initiative;
→ an ROI-driving project;
→ a needle-moving event.

I've learned what it means to champion transformational narratives and had a front-row seat to their power unfolding over multiple cities, continents, clients, partners, projects, and company sizes.

This is all to say...

Our job is not to get the strategy piece first.
Our job is to get the story right. 

If the story is right, the strategy unfolds.

Purposeful storytelling isn't show business; it is simply good business.

Vice President Strategic Initiatives

Innovation is the movement of intellect and imagination in the direction of growth.

It is NOT a result of logical thinking, even though its result should be logical structure.

Its goal is NOT to identify THE thing to say "Yes" to but to identify all the things we will say "No" to. 

In its essence, innovation is about making a bet on a future only few can see and trusting yourself enough to be willing to go on the journey.

👉 Whether through workshops and sprints (over 150 under my belt);
👉 Whether through events big and small (Shoptalk included);
👉 Whether through working with clients (valued at $1,9B)

I have been on journeys that resulted in creating an innovation portfolio, building diversified innovation strategies, and driving top-line growth through innovation.

I have loved every single moment, especially the ones where I served as a "professional needle mover" operating on the intersection of strategy, creativity, and psychology.

💌 In the words of the people I was able to serve: "It's like you borrow us the energy to see change as an opportunity. And then we get to translate the opportunity into clarity, and from there... well, it's easy to grow."

Vice President of Innovation

The role that became a platform for expression.

Our clients.
Our own.
Mine.

Taking over the creative efforts at an agency that was deeply rooted in complex integrations and known for its technological savviness was... a lot.

But I was curious, I loved a challenge, and I saw a gap between the ask and the value we could deliver. It asked for slight restructuring, rebranding, and navigation of 9 - but we made it happen.

🙌 It resulted in a top-performing revenue channel.
🙌 It resulted in the launching of Design Sprints.
🙌 It resulted in a profit increase.

More importantly, it resulted in us re-positioning ourselves as a full-service agency, a place where creativity and commerce meet, with competence and contribution at its core.

Over this period, we launched mid-COVID-19 materials, which led to 3 deals worth over $600k signed in a week, collaborating and partnering with the likes of PayPal, Adobe, and Salesforce, and personally heading tailor-made workshops with target key accounts.

🎯 As I fondly like to remember, that was the moment when we started pushing our brands in new directions, fueling their growth through visual, visionary storytelling.

Head of Creative

From nothing... to - my oh my - quite something.

I was always a storyteller.
I loved stacks of books.
I enjoyed the words.

(I adored their power. 🤤)

This role was the first place where my words found a home.

They got me from a small-town adventurer and aspiring dreamer into the role of blog writer who got her work published on the Adobe website, driving the Mobile Optimization Initiative and spearheading the Magento Imagine efforts.

The words spoke through me, and they were loud, and they were clear. They got us leads (over 130 per venture), they got us on the Imagine Excellence awards shortlist, and they got us into rooms where the impact was made.

It was there and then that I realized...

→ I want to keep talking.
→ I want to keep sharing.
→ I want to keep evolving.

And I want to take as many people as possible with me.

Marketing Director

Inchoo

Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Sales and Marketing Intern

AIESEC

Vice President for Business to Customers

Talent Development Manager

External Relations Team Member

Organizing Commitee of Local Training Seminar

Task Force for Brand Audit

I was always the “behind-the-scenes” girl:

• Servicing $1.9B clients;
• Leading growth and strategy;
• Pushing Inc. 500 agencies forward;
• Starting & scaling 7-figure departments;
• Collecting big brand platform partnerships;
• Evolving agencies from 12 to +100 employees;
• Running PayPal initiatives & Shoptalk workshops…

Eventually, I noticed a pattern, one I’ve seen in boardrooms, exec teams, and inside myself:

Scaling a business isn’t the hard part.
Scaling your leadership, your identity, and your capacity for success happening 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 you, instead of 𝘵𝘰 you—that’s where it starts to ache.

That realization cracked open a question:

What if the goal isn’t just growth, but 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?

So I made space for a new kind of success. One that is sustainable. One that included my full self. 

Since then:

→ Got 7x coaching certifications
→ Became a VP & a Board Member
→ Grew from 1k to ~15k social followers
→ Organized events with the US Embassy
→ Spoke at events, panels, and workshops
→ Personally coached 50+ female executives
→ Became a top 3% LinkedIn Creator (Favikon)
→ Became a member of CHIEF (hi, female execs!)
→ Launched my own newsletter for high-performers
→ Confidently moved from the agency world to holdcos
→ Founded OUTONOMI, the platform for sustainable success

None of this happened by accident.

It happened the moment I redefined success on my terms, and built everything else to match it.

That’s the work I now do every week: helping high-achievers recalibrate what they lead, how they live, and who they get to be inside OUTONOMI.

And I’m so grateful you’re here.

———

👋 Follow for weekly insights on leadership, growth, strategy & sustainable success.

🔥 Try my newsletter OUTONOMI—1,500+ women executives subscribe for private insights on sustainable success every week.

🚀 Want to grow your leadership, inside and out? Apply for my private coaching. Next slot available in July.

Ivona Namjesnik

Your LinkedIn posts writing guy | Top 3% Ghostwriter | Worked with 16 executives | 900+ Posts written | $5M+ in client-attributed revenue | Lead generation expert |

Hey, you made your brand congratulations on that!!!
Have you monetized it or waiting until you reach 10k followers like everyone else?
My client recently closed a $5K deal with only 475 followers.

Fun Fact: It all takes good (psychology packed) content and some smart networking to make a sell.

Instead of vanity matrix I focus on these instead:

➜ Strategic engagement with decision-makers
➜ Problem-solving over self-promotion
➜ Correct Outreaching Methods
➜ Consistency beats viral posts
➜ Clear value in every post

A buyer's decision making does not depend on:

Your Following
Your product
Your offer

It's simpler than you think!

Let's discuss this over a call (No strings attached)

https://calendly.com/razaabdullahpbs/30min

Raza Abdullah

I play a recap of my life every night before I sleep

And honestly…

I laugh at the “big problems” I once thought would end me.

“I just need a bank job after graduation.”
 “If I can make 10k PKR extra, life will be sorted.”
 “I’ll marry her once I’m stable.”

At that time?
These felt like mountains.

Today?
They feel like small bumps I barely remember.

And that’s the reminder I carry now:
Most problems look impossible only while you’re in them.

Give it time. Give yourself some space.
You’ll outgrow this one too.

Have a strong Monday.
You’re doing better than you think.

I AM HIRING A WRITER WHO KNOWS LINKEDIN

Not someone who “likes writing.”
Not someone who has “managed social media.”

Someone who understands LinkedIn growth.
Someone who knows how to write content that:
• pulls attention
• starts conversations
• and turns followers into leads

Here’s what your experience must include:

- Writing posts that leave an impact.
- Understanding voice, tone, and positioning
- Managing content flow with zero sloppiness
- Knowing how to turn ideas into posts.
- Reviewing work with a publisher’s eye.

And most importantly, If you say things like “algorithms hate me,” this isn’t your thing.

Here’s what to send me:

• Your LinkedIn posts that performed good.
• Your analysis why those posts worked.
• Your experience with LinkedIn content.

Send an email at razaabdullahpbs@gmail.com

Let’s see if we can build something great together.

Most people think experts don’t like to help.

But that’s not true.

Experts hate lazy questions.
They LOVE sharp, curious ones.

Ask this:

→ “What part of your process changed your results the fastest?”
Not this:
→ “Bro how do you do this?”

Ask this:
→ “What shift helped you keep clients happy long term?”
Not this:
→ “Clients are hard… what do I do?”

See the difference?

One respects their time.
The other drains it.

The first one opens doors.
The second one gets ignored.

Below are some questions that you ask every day but SMARTER!

And here’s the real kicker:

Asking good questions makes you memorable.
People remember how you made them feel smart.
And they WANT you to win.

If you want faster growth this year:

Don’t chase more content.
Chase better questions.

Who is one person you want to learn from this month?

Most people think experts don’t like to help.

People on LinkedIn, know things you don’t.

They'll teach you if you just open your mouth.

So... I wasn’t a bright student growing up.

I sucked at studies.

But I was annoyingly curious.

When I reached college, my parents told me one thing:

“If you want university… study.”

So I tried.
But studying alone felt like torture.
- It was a new school.
- New faces.
- No one knew me.

So I did something funny and a bit embarrassing:
I acted like the “stupid kid” who wanted to learn.

I would ask the slowest questions in class.
People stared at me like I stole their homework.

But something crazy happened…
- Teachers noticed.
- Good students noticed.
- People started helping me.

And slowly… I caught up.

Even started learning faster than others.

For a moment I thought I was some hidden genius.

Spoiler: I wasn’t. And life humbled me fast.

I was just the guy who asked a lot of questions.

And that turned out to be my biggest power.

Curiosity made me sharper than talent ever could.
- If you feel behind… ask.
- If you feel stuck… ask.
- If you feel lost… ask.

People know things you don’t.
And most of them will teach you if you just open your mouth.
Asking questions is the real growth hack.

P.S. What’s one question you wish you had asked earlier in your career?

You can look like an expert without knowing everything. 

Just ask expert-level questions.

Let me be straight:
I work in the personal brand world.
Positioning matters (so much)

and you can’t sound clueless and expect people to trust you.

But here’s the trick nobody teaches:
You don’t have to look like the “expert.”
You just have to ask expert-level questions.

Most people ask questions that lower their credibility:
- “Why is LinkedIn engagement dead?"
- "How do you guys deal with bad clients?"
- “How do I find clients?”

But when you reframe them… something magical happens.
You look thoughtful.
You look intentional.
People WANT to answer you.

Try these instead:
→ For those seeing a drop in reach, what changes in audience behavior are you noticing?
→ When you realize a client isn’t a fit but the invoice still matters, what’s your first move?
→ If you’re getting steady inbound from LinkedIn, what actually moved the needle first for you
 
Same questions.
But sharper.
Cleaner.

More “I’m here to think with you,” not “please save me.”

Smart questions turn strangers into teachers.
And you walk away looking like someone who gets it.

PS. What’s one question you want to reframe today?

Designers, don’t be mad…

Anyone can create infographics in seconds with this (no Canva needed).

Most people complicate infographics.

They think they need:
– crazy design skills
– templates
– color theory
– 7 hours of “fixing the spacing”

Bro… you just need the right workflow.

Here’s the one I use (steal it):

1. Go to YouTube.
Pick a long lecture, interview, or podcast.
The more value-packed, the better.

2. Copy the link.
Don’t overthink it. Just grab it.

3. Paste it inside Gemini with this prompt:

“Analyze deeply the content of this video: [link]”

Let Gemini do the boring part.

4. Click Tools → Create Images.

5. Then tell Gemini:

“Turn this transcript into a simple cheat sheet.
Summaries the key takeaways and convert it into a 9:16 infographic.”

That’s it.

Gemini does the heavy lifting.
You walk away with a clean infographic you can post on LinkedIn, Instagram… even your newsletter.

This is how you stop wasting hours on “design”
and start posting content people actually save.

4 simple lines built a business for me.

The biggest one in my entire family.

I spent years watching people study for months…
- Buy courses
- Hire tutors
- Watch 20-hour videos

Only to realize something wild:

4 simple lines can give you almost the same clarity:
1. “I don’t get it.”
2. “I don’t know.”
3. “Tell me more.”
4. “How did you do it?”

That’s it.
No ego.
No pretending to be smart.
Just honesty.

These 4 lines took me from confused → sharp in almost everything I learned.

And here’s the funny part:
People think asking questions hurts your positioning and yes, it does…
but only when you're asking without thinking.

When you ask the right questions?
- You look intentional
- You look serious
- You actually look more like an expert

And people want to help you

Now write this somewhere:
Your next big jump won’t come from another “secret hack.”
It’ll come from one good question asked to the right person.

P.S. What’s a simple question that helped YOU get smarter?

taplio

The Battle

Ivona Namjesnik

Raza Abdullah

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreRaza Abdullah's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Ivona Namjesnik

Raza Abdullah

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);}Raza Abdullah's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreRaza Abdullah's LinkedIn Performance