Joanna Howes

Helping leaders step into their courageous zone and create positive impact, through transformative coaching & training | CEO of The Change Creators Ltd | Campaign 40 over 40 | International Coach of the Year 2020 🏆

We specialise in creating courageous leadership teams who win together.

Whether you're a newly formed team, a merged company establishing a new board, or feeling the need for a reset, we can help you create a strong aligned cohesive team. 

Courageous leaders are open, vulnerable, and committed to continuous learning, driving exceptional results for their teams and the organisation.

We help by:

• Moving from operating in silos to a collective mindset 

• Avoiding feedback to leaning into compassionate candor 

• From going around in circles to make decisions to a bias for action 

• From working as job titles to truly understanding each other as human beings 

• From all talk and no action to peer-to-peer accountability 


Our approach centers on increasing individual and team awareness, fostering a unified leadership team culture grounded in aligned principles, and promoting effective communication and accountability.

"When the business isn't performing, the first place to look is the leadership team."

👉 For coaching and training inquiries, please email: joanna.howes@thechangecreators.com

👉 For podcast and speaking engagements, please email: anna@thechangecreators.com

Let's connect and explore how we can elevate your leadership team to achieve extraordinary outcomes.


Trusted by: 
Monzo, Amazon, BBC, Troy Asset Management, Ada Ventures, Iris Worldwide, Uncommon Creative Studios, 6 Nations Rugby, ITB, PrettyGreen PR, Hue & Cry, McCann Worldwide.

What our clients have to say: 

“She's 'Life Changing'. Jo has an ability to enable a fearless focus on creating a personal and professional roadmap to success”. - Director Of Client Services at SYZYGY London

“As a coach Jo has been fantastic- full of insights, always there to listen and most of all provide practical solutions. As a team we have come out more confident and ready with practical tools to help us develop further in different areas.” - Head Of Project Management at BBC Creative


🌐  Visit: www.thechangecreators.com

CEO and Founder of The Change Creators - Leadership Coach and Trainer 

At The Change Creators, we provide transformational services to help leaders grow and become the leader they know they can be. We focus on the mindset, skills and behaviours leaders need to step into their courageous zone, create a positive impact and deliver results.

Our services include:
 
✅Cultural shifts and transformations  

✅Leadership and team coaching and training

✅Operational excellence consultancy 

✅EDISC and Meta Dynamics profiling to increase self-awareness and self-leadership 

✅Executive 1-2-1 coaching 

If you would like to take your leadership to the next level and invest in your growth, get in contact with us today and watch your influence and performance sky rocket.

My FIRST sober holiday showed me a mistake I see leaders make A LOT!

We focus on changing behaviour…
but skip the part that actually makes change stick.

Identity.

When I have tried going sober before, I'd say things like:

 “I haven’t drunk for 10 days.”
 “I’m doing Dry Jan.”

I was still identifying as someone who drinks.
So it was easy to wobble and slip back to old habits. 

This time, I said.
 “I don’t drink.”

It meant I moved to a new identity of someone who doesn't drink. 

And because of that, there was no internal debate. 

I see this in leadership constantly.

Leaders say to me:
 “I’m working on delegation.”
 “I need to stop people-pleasing.”
 “I should speak up more.”

That keeps change at the behaviour level.

But identity-led change sounds like:

 → “I'm a leader who builds leaders.”
 → “I can be respected without being liked.”
 → “My perspective has value.”

Change doesn’t always need more effort.
Sometimes it needs a clearer decision about who you are.

So...

❓Where in your leadership are you ready to step into a new identity?

♻️ Repost to inspire your audience
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Strengthening Leadership Teams to Connect, Perform & Grow Together | Courageous Leaders Podcast| Speaker | International Coach of the Year 2020 🏆 | Follow for posts about self-mastery, leadership & culture

Most of the big changes in my life didn’t start with confidence.

They started with discomfort I couldn’t ignore anymore.

Over the years, I’ve had to choose courage over comfort more times than I expected:

👉 Leaving my first marriage that looked fine on the outside

👉 Quitting a secure job to backpack around the world 

👉 Moving countries for a role I thought would be 'the one' and wasn't

👉 Completely changing my career from Ops to Coach 

👉 Starting a business without a roadmap

👉 Launching a podcast with no idea if anyone would listen, or what I was doing

👉 Reshaping my work so it fits my life, not the other way round

None of these moments felt brave at the time.
They felt unsettling. Lonely. Risky.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

Courage doesn’t usually look like a leap.
It looks like being honest with yourself before you’re ready.
It looks like letting go before you can see what’s next.

Every time I chose change over comfort, I didn’t gain clarity first.
I gained it after I moved.

That’s what built the business.
The podcast.
The work I love.
The life that actually feels like mine.

Not because I had a grand plan.
But because I stopped ignoring the nudge.

If you’re feeling restless right now, stuck, flat, or quietly frustrated - it might not be a motivation problem.

It might be a courage moment.

So I’ll leave you with this:

What are you tolerating that your future self will thank you for leaving?

Sit with it.
You don’t need the whole answer.
Just the next honest one.

♻️ Repost to inspire leaders you know to ask the harder questions
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I'm about to do the opposite of everything I was taught as a woman! 💪

I've just had my first call with the brilliant Georgie Rechner, founder of Midlife Rebel (and if you are not following her on Instagram yet, you need to be).

She is my health coach who is going to help me do the opposite of what many of us have been conditioned to do.

I'm INCREASING my calories!
Going to be Lifting heavy weights.
And getting comfortable taking up more space.

I go to the gym. I do Pilates. I swim.
But I’ve never really known how to train properly.

So this year, the focus is all on building muscle mass and strength!!

NO more shrinking!! 
 
I’ve spent years working on my mind, courage, confidence, and self-belief.
Now it feels like my body’s turn, so they can work together. 

In your life and leadership, bringing your mind and body together will have a huge impact on how you feel about yourself and how you can show up for yourself and your team. 

Where might you be ready to stop shrinking and start building instead?

♻️ Repost to inspire the inner rebel
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Big news! 

This Thursday we are kicking off 2026, with the amazing Sedge Beswick on the Courageous Leaders Podcast. 🙌

Sedge has led social at ASOS, built her own agency SEEN to £24 million, and now she’s helping brands and entrepreneurs grow their businesses with bold ideas and courage.

Subscribe below to hear us dive into: 

🔥 How to know when it's the right time to leave your company (even when it's your own)

🔥 How to find better balance with ambition, family and life

🔥 How to have the courage to do things differently and stay true to your values

It’s a conversation I LOVED and left feeling so motivated.  

If you want real stories and honest insights about leadership, confidence, and making brave choices.

Catch the episode this Thursday - don’t miss it!

👉 Subscribe on YouTube here: https://lnkd.in/eHGVyFSE

👉 Apple: https://lnkd.in/edeq-Wvp

👉 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eJatPjke

 ♻️ Repost to help leaders you know to have the courage to change 
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OLD JO: Shit, I don't have any posts ready for this week
So work for hours trying to do some. 

NEW JO: Oh well I'll go to the spa.

Seriously transformational, a whole new Monday afternoon ritual. 

So, this is all I have for you today but I actually think there is a powerful message here.

When you focus on what matters most and what is going to help you show up in the best way, your mind is so much happier, which means you are.

I used to sit for hours writing posts, overthinking them and worrying if they resonate.  

Now, I write when I feel like it and focus on what I want to share vs what the gurus' are sharing is the formula for likes and reposts.

So a gentle question for today:
How are you choosing to use your time right now?
And is it actually helping you feel good or just busy?

♻️ Repost to get our priorities clear
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TIME! 🕰️

In the Xmas break, something FINALLY landed. 

After years of podcasts, reading and courses.

My brain has finally accepted a simple truth.

Time is the most valuable thing I have. 

I know, this is OBVIOUS.
And yet, I've never truly prioritised it before.

I've prioritised:

1. Earning more money - (important, yes, but how much is enough?)
2. Saying yes to more than I can realistically handle
3. Clearing my work to-do list before my life one
4. Long hours over time with friends and family
5. Exercise (saving the good habit for last)

What has changed is how I view being successful. 

I also have some dear friends who are having their time cut short, and it's been a big wake-up call. 

I’m not pretending my old habits won’t try to sneak back in; they will.
But now I have a new healthy lens on life.

And that changes the decisions I make when they do.

Where are you still spending time like it’s unlimited?

What are you waiting to feel ready for, or waiting until you have achieved X, until you can have some joy?

♻️ Repost to remind your audience what is important
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We need less ego.
More openness.
Less control.
More trust
No need to be the smartest person in the room.
More focused intention with our time and energy.

That’s what sat underneath the conversation with Simon Cook, CEO of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, on the Courageous Leaders Podcast - which is live now.

You don’t need to have the best idea.
You don’t need to control everything.
You DO need to create the conditions for others to thrive.

If you’re leading a team right now, this episode is for you.

And maybe think about this question:

What might change if you stopped trying to hold everything together and trusted a little more?

Watch the episode on YouTube here: https://lnkd.in/e7WrG-dy

Or listen on Apple: https://lnkd.in/edeq-Wvp

Or on Apple: https://lnkd.in/edeq-Wvp

Or on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eJatPjke

 ♻️ Repost to inspire courageous leadership
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Key insights from Simon Cook - CEO Cannes Lions 

ONE thing I consistently see missing in leaders.

They think they have it.
Yet, when the time comes it's not there.

That thing is courage.

The leaders who will succeed this year won’t be the most certain or polished.
They’ll be the most courageous.

The one's who will:

1. Challenge the dominate voice in the room, even when it feels risky

2. Feels discomfort with all the change but keeps moving forward 

3. Can go to a beginner’s mindset and be okay not knowing the answers

4. Be honest when things are hard, and let others help

5. Refuse to tolerate their teams being treated badly

6. Stop defending territory and protecting ego and lead as a true executive collective

7. Look after themselves so they can show up consistently for others

Courage isn’t loud.
It’s often quiet, uncomfortable, and deeply human.

Where is courage being asked of you right now and what are you avoiding?


♻️ Repost to inspire your fellow leaders to step into courage
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“I’ve always been addicted to my career, addicted to working."

Sound familiar? 

So many of us get a buzz from the next big win, the title, the ever-rising bar we set for ourselves. 

But what happens when it feels more like an addiction than an ambition? 

In our latest Courageous Leaders podcast, I discuss this exact topic with Sedge Beswick. 

She had the courage to change and design life on her terms. 

Let’s be honest and courageous about our relationship with work. 
It can be our passion, but it shouldn’t be our prison.

Have you ever questioned whether you’re addicted to working and what it would take to break free, even a little? 

You can listen or watch the full episode using the links below: 

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eF_KU3Ri

Apple: https://lnkd.in/edeq-Wvp

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eJatPjke

♻️ Repost to support more leaders
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MEET PERKY

My new productive friend 🐧

On holiday, my husband bought me a penguin clock for my desk.

Partly because I love penguins.
Mostly because I have zero shame about loving cute things.

Enter: Perky.

His current alarm settings include:

🐧 Fun time, Perky
🐧 Move away from your desk, Perky (rude but fair)
🐧 Fuel up, Perky
🐧 Call a friend, Perky (emotionally supportive penguin)

Every time I look at him, I smile.

Every time he goes off, I giggle as it's the funniest music and he makes such a funny sound when I turn the alarm off, I actually do the task 😀

We spend so much time in leadership chasing:
smarter systems
better tools
cleverer gadgets

When sometimes what really changes behaviour is something small, human, and oddly joyful.

Perky now reminds me to move, eat, connect and not take myself quite so seriously.

Friday question for you:

 What’s on your desk that makes you smile?
 (And if the answer is “nothing”… may I gently suggest a penguin?)

Happy Friday 🐧💛

Many CEO’s I work with have a lot of CONVICTION. 

But they miss ONE core ingredient that impacts whether change will be successful. 

Which is why I invited Simon Cook, CEO of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Lions, to the Courageous Leaders Podcast. 

Simon has been through so much change over the last couple of years that I thought, who better than to share their insights and strategies. 

I was also curious to get to know Simon more and hear his story.

And, I don’t think I’ve been in the presence of someone so calm and grounded before. 

This episode gives some very practical advice on how to lead through change. 

We cover: 

🔥 Why conviction and coordination need to work together for success

🔥 What it took to navigate change on a large scale

🔥 Why relinquishing control is both terrifying and essential, especially when building a high-performing team

🔥 The hidden value in failure (but why you shouldn’t “budget for it”)

🔥Why protecting your time and mental fitness is now a non-negotiable executive responsibility

🔥 Advice for agency CEO’s

I’d get a pen and paper ready for this one as some brilliant tips you can implement straight away.

Watch the episode on YouTube here: https://lnkd.in/e7WrG-dy

Or on Apple: https://lnkd.in/edeq-Wvp

Or on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eJatPjke

 ♻️ Repost to support leaders right now
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What happens when the CEO of Cannes Lions admits that his greatest strength was also holding him back?

It was an honour to go behind the scenes with Simon Cook on The Courageous Leaders Podcast.

On Thursday, you will be able to find out what was holding him back and:

🔥 Where he needed to find courage
🔥 The advice he would give to Agency CEO’s
🔥 What it took to lead through change at a large scale
🔥 The 3 C’s that he lives by 
🔥 What he believes the future of the industry is 

Tune in on Thursday for LOTS of practical tips and advice.

Make sure you don’t miss the episode

Subscribe on YouTube here: https://lnkd.in/eHGVyFSE

Or on Apple: https://lnkd.in/edeq-Wvp

Or on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eJatPjke


 ♻️ Repost to let leaders know this resource is coming soon 
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Insights from the CEO of Cannes Lions - Simon Cook

"You won't get balance, but you can get your priorities straight." 

A simple but powerful insight shared by Sedge Beswick. 

When she made certain things non-negotiable, everything else started to fall into place. 

As leaders, when you ring-fence what matters most, work and life feel more purposeful and you actually get to be present for the moments that count.

For me, my self-care, lunch break and having space between meetings are my non-negotiables and these simple things have been life and business changing.

What’s a non-negotiable in your schedule?

You can listen or watch the full episode using the links below: 

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eF_KU3Ri

Apple: https://lnkd.in/edeq-Wvp

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eJatPjke

♻️ Repost to support more leaders
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Struggling to know if you should leave? 

Then this is for you.

Sedge Beswick - founder, advisor, and someone who knows firsthand the internal battle that comes with walking away. 

If you’re struggling with letting go of a role, a title, or an identity you’ve worked so hard to build, let Sedge’s story give you permission to pause, reflect, and move forward without guilt.

In my career, I have walked away from 2 roles and at the time, it was challenging, but both ended up being the best decisions of my life. 

I'd love to know in the comments if walking away worked for you, so we can support those who are torn in their decision-making right now. 

You can listen or watch the full episode using the links below: 

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eF_KU3Ri

Apple: https://lnkd.in/edeq-Wvp

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eJatPjke

♻️ Repost to support more leaders
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Struggling to know if to walk away? 

I now understand why my husband has banned me from the kitchen.
(when he is cooking).

"Help is the sunny side of control".

Whenever he cooks, I go in with good intentions to “help”.
What I’m actually doing is trying to control the dinner so it turns out how I like it.

He’s clocked this completely.
Hence the ban.

Now, apply that line to leadership.
Where do you think you're helping but still holding on to control?

Where do you jump in to “support” a team member or steer their thinking because you want it done a certain way?

The intent is usually good.
But the impact can be reducing learning, confidence, and ownership.

The very things leaders ask me to help build in their teams, without always seeing how their own behaviour might be getting in the way.

Real support looks like:

👉 Trusting people to figure it out
👉 Letting things be imperfect
👉 Staying available without taking over

So, where might you need to ban yourself from? 

♻️ Repost to wake up leaders
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How are you going to protect your time this year? 

Some tips from the brilliant Simon Cook, CEO of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Lions.

If we can master this as leaders, we are setting ourselves and our teams up for success.

What’s one thing you are going to do differently this year to manage your time better? 

Share in the comments to help other leaders. 

Watch the episode on YouTube here: https://lnkd.in/e7WrG-dy

Or on Apple: https://lnkd.in/edeq-Wvp

Or on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eJatPjke


 ♻️ Repost to help leaders who are up against it right now
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This week I'm sharing a breakthrough I had to change how I run my life and business.

It will help you as a leader to know why you maybe feeling stuck and give yourself the ability to tune into what really matters to help your decision making.

So this weeks Courageous Leaders episode is me talking to you to share my personal experiences on how I've created change.  

Subscribe to https://lnkd.in/eHGVyFSE

Follow at https://lnkd.in/edeq-Wvp

♻️ Repost to support more leaders
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Courage to listen to yourself 

Chris Donnelly

Founder (Business Acquired by Croud)

Founder | Follow for posts on Business, Marketing & AI

Cofounder of Searchable: 

An Autonomous SEO & AEO Growth Engineer 
Analyse, fix, & scale your website to drive customers

Work out how to master AI Search here: searchable.com

The short life story 

I decided to skip the corporate job & start a digital marketing agency at 21. Here is the journey so far: 

Age 21: Bootstrapped Adjust Media at university making websites 
Age 22: Left Uni and rebranded to Verb Brands
Age 27: Acquired DBD Media Ltd, their 20 staff & expanded to digital marketing
Age 28: Won Bugatti & recognised as leading luxury agency
Age 30: Sell entirety of Verb Brands to Croud & LDC in an 8-figure deal
Age 31: Founded Lottie Org w/ Will Donnelly (Grow revenue to 8 figures, raise $35m & hire 100 people).
Age 32: Launch my Media, Education and Investment business
Age 33: Launched the Creator Accelerator and reached 8 figures in revenue
Age 34: Co Founded Searchable

It’s been a journey. 

Through Searchable.com I help founders and marketers to grow their organic traffic on auto pilot with our autonomous Seo and Aeo tool: searchable.com

Through my investment company, we support and invest into Entrepreneurs running incredible businesses, and with our experience as operators, help them scale. 

If you are a founder of a profitable and growing company with approximately $1m+ EBITDA, and you want to see if you can grow faster, reach out. 

If you are not at that level yet, I produce resources to help you get there. 

I run a podcast called Wake Up, and produce content on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram for free.

Commercial enquiries for speaking or brand deals: enquiries@chris-donnelly.co.uk

Co-Founder

Found CRM by Lottie 

A cloud-based care home operation software, mapped and built specifically to the care and retirement industries unique customer journey and supports care homes with CRM, Occupancy, Administration and Finance

Found results in a higher conversion rate, better attribution of marketing spend, saved time and ultimately high occupancy.

Everyone wants to know which AI is "the best."

The answer isn't simple. But here's the breakdown:

I've spent months testing every major AI model.  

And they all have different strengths and weaknesses. 

The real skill is knowing which AI to use for each specific task. 

Here's how the top 6 stack up in 2026: 

(See the sheet for more details and updates 👇)

1. Claude Opus 4.5
The model I rely on most.

Best for: Strong reasoning and long-form thinking
Handles complex documents without losing structure
Downside: Less spontaneous with creative ideas

New updates: 
Claude Code, Cowork, and Excel will change how technical teams work.  

2. ChatGPT-5.2
Still the most versatile tool available.

Best for: Strong reasoning and multimodal support.
Fast for content, workflows, and experimentation
Downside: Costs increase quickly with heavy usage

New updates: 
With Health features, Atlas, and Apps, ChatGPT has captured more of the market.  

3. Gemini 3
Google’s model, now properly usable.

Best for: Multimodal understanding across documents and data
Very good for research-heavy work inside Google-heavy teams. 
Downside: Creative output can feel restrained

New updates: 
Nano Banana with revolutionary image creation, Gemini 3, and personal intelligence. 

4. Perplexity
The fastest way to get reliable answers.

Best for: Real-time search with clear citations
Transparent sources reduce guesswork 
Downside: Limited creative generation

New updates: 
Learn Mode for structured, guided understanding and a new AI browser, Comet. 

5. Grok 4.1
Strong awareness of what’s happening now.

Best for: Real-time trend and cultural context
Useful for social listening and narratives
Downside: Limited use for structured or technical work

New updates: 
The new image generation feature is impressive (if not controversial !).  

6. DeepSeek 3.2
Open-source, highly efficient for technical teams. 

Best for: Strong quantitative and STEM reasoning
High performance relative to cost
Downside: Limited documentation outside Asia

New updates: 
3.2, which is essentially DeepSeek 3.1 with better reasoning and stability. 

Each model will serve a slightly different purpose. 

I encourage everyone to test them and make up their own mind. 

The more you experiment, the more value each one can provide.  

Which LLMs are you already using? Which ones are you most curious about? 
Drop a comment below. 

P.S. We built Searchable to make it as easy as possible to prepare for AI search 
that happens within these LLMs. 

It's an autonomous SEO & AEO Growth Engineer that: 
Analyses, fixes, and scales your website automatically to drive customers. 

Learn more and get started with a 14-day free trial 👇
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

----

📌 If you want a high-res PDF of this sheet:

1. Follow Chris Donnelly
2. Like the post.
3. Repost to your network.
4. Subscribe to: https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb

Co Founder of Searchable.com | Follow for posts on Business, Marketing, Personal Brand & AI

This funnel powers multimillion-dollar businesses. 

And now I'm giving it to you completely free:

It's the same one I used to build multiple 7-and 8-figure businesses. 

Here's the full breakdown: 

1️⃣ Awareness: Get discovered by people and AI

Online Location

- Founder-led social content. LinkedIn, X, YouTube
- AI search results. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI
- Broad top-of-funnel SEO content

KPIs

- Impressions
- AI mentions and citations
- Organic traffic growth

Strategy

- Publish founder-led POV content to earn attention
- Optimise content for AEO and GEO + Google (SEO)
- Create broad content AI can surface and summarise

2️⃣ Consideration: Educate and nurture that audience

Online Location

- Educational social posts and cheat sheets
- How-to and comparison blog content
- Community platforms. Reddit, Quora, LinkedIn comments

KPIs

- Scroll depth
- Returning visitors
- Product or demo page views

Strategy

- Build mid-funnel SEO content (comparison pages, buyer guides)
- Use gated content (guides, webinars to capture emails)
- Engage in communities AI scrapes (Reddit, Quora)

3️⃣ Intent: Capture high-intent signals

Online Location

- Bottom-funnel SEO. Pricing, reviews, alternatives
- Interactive tools. Calculators, quizzes
- Branded search results + referral traffic

KPIs

- Demo requests
- Form completions
- Branded search growth

Strategy

- Optimise BOF pages for Google and AI citations
- Use interactive tools to surface buying intent
- Showcase proof with structured data

4️⃣ Conversion: Turn intent into revenue

Online Location

- Conversion-focused landing pages
- Email sequences
- Social DMs and follow-ups

KPIs

- Conversion rate
- Revenue per lead
- Card abandonment rate

Strategy 

- Personalise CTAs using behaviour signals
- Test AI-generated page variants
- Layer urgency, e.g. time-bound offers

5️⃣ Loyalty: Compound trust and growth

Online Location

- Email (upsell flows)
- Community platforms (Discord)
- Help centres and support hubs

KPIs

- Retention rate
- Repeat purchase rate
- Referrals

Strategy 

- Build loyalty loops with personalised rewards
- Use AI internally for predictive churn alerts
- Encourage community-led growth with referrals & UGC

Using this funnel, we built:

- The Creator Accelerator to 600+ founders across 5 cohorts
- Lever Brands into a content production engine serving clients globally
- Searchable to $83K MRR in 1 month

This is the most scalable, cost-efficient growth engine out there. 

And the same one we teach through The Creator Accelerator by Chris Donnelly. 

It's doable for any founder willing to dedicate the time and energy. 

Cohort 6 starts January 19th.

But be aware, we are down to our last few spots ! 

Click here to secure your spot: 
https://lnkd.in/eybF9QQG

Early applicants will get access to exclusive resources worth over $2500. 

♻️ Repost to help your network build smarter in 2026.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building businesses that scale.

We analysed over 1m LinkedIn posts in 2025...

This is absolutely everything you need to know for 2026: 

Unfortunately for us all, the algorithm did not take a holiday...
And the LinkedIn "game" has changed yet again. 
 
That's why Will McTighe and I spent hours studying the latest data. 
 
So this year can be your best one yet on the platform. 

I'm still seeing the same old practices:  

Bland hook structures, over-relying on motivational quotes, 
And sticking to safe, but irrelevant topics...

If you want to see real growth, you need to know the new rules. 

LinkedIn users want more value and substance than ever before. 

Here’s what will actually win in 2026: 

1. How to build a brand
❌ Go broad for maximum growth. 
✅ Become an authority in your niche. 

2. Text hooks
❌ Generic contrarian hooks.
✅ Proof of work, authority and personal story hooks perform best.

3. Comments that count
❌ “Get as many comments as possible.”
✅ Comments from authority figures have the most impact. 

4. How to go viral
❌ Top 1% posts would get 455x the reach of average posts.
✅ A Top 1% viral post gets ~80% less reach than 12 months ago 

(But you can still grow your business and following...) 

5. Carousels are still king
❌ Purely educational carousels preferred. 
✅ Contrast and storytelling carousels are outperforming.

6. Emojis
❌ A tell-tale sign of AI.
✅ Improve readability.

7. Lead magnets
❌ Just playbooks and step-by-step guides.
✅ Top lead magnets are often GPTs.

8. Questions?
❌ Every post must end with a question. 
✅ Only include genuine questions.  

9. Video
❌ Videos get insane reach. 
✅ Videos are for product demos and building trust.

10. Single images
❌ Generic motivational billboards.
✅ Surprising pictures OR authority pictures.

11. Hashtags
Shock horror, nothing's changed here. 
They're still useless.

It's possible to grow a large LinkedIn following quickly. 

The top 1% of creators are growing by 1,000+ followers per week.

But you need to know how to play the game. 

That's why we've created this 50+ page report. 

It's your rulebook to succeed on LinkedIn in 2026. 

To get access, simply: 

1. Like this post ✅
2. Share it with your network ♻️
3. Join the Saywhat & Creator Accelerator Webinar on January 8th 5:30 pm GMT 🖥️ 

Will and I will break down the playbook step by step and give you: 

- The full ~50-page data report
- Our in-depth analysis of what's changing
- Actionable strategies based on real data
- A live Q&A for your specific questions

Learn more and sign up here: 
https://lnkd.in/ecXxBGTN

♻️ Repost to help others master LinkedIn in 2026. 
Follow Chris Donnelly for more growth strategies like this.

2025 LinkedIn vs 2026 LinkedIn

Founders in 2026 desperately need leverage.

These 20 AI tools could replace a 10-person team...

Most early business problems can be solved without increasing headcount. 

You'll save money and time if you invest in some smart tools instead. 

But you'll need the right stack to get the best results. 

I’ve tested all 20 of these AI tools over the past year while building Searchable (an AI tool in of itself).

If used correctly, they can produce the work of 10 people,  
Before you make a single new hire. 

Here are 20 AI tools to kick-start your startup without heavy spend: 

1. Lovable  
Build a full site without writing a line of code.

2. Searchable  
Get ranked on Google, ChatGPT, and anywhere people are searching for solutions.

3. Cursor  
Accelerates the speed and efficiency of your engineering team. 

4. Zapier  
Automate connectivity for CRM and automated retention and upsell campaigns. 

5. ChatGPT  
Your brainstorming partner for the tough problems. 

6. Claude  
Set up workflows, create SOPs, and get consistent outputs.

7. Clay  
Enrich contact details and stitch together social media/marketing activities. 

8. Claude Code  
Spot trends, analyse churn, create automated comms, and more. 

9. Replit  
Turn ideas into working software without a big engineering team. 

10. Descript  
Create founder-led content at scale without a full media team. 

11. Willow  
Capture ideas, specs, and prompts while walking or between meetings. 

12. Perplexity Comet  
For market research, competitor breakdowns, and decision support. 

13. Julius AI  
Understand user behaviour, churn, pricing sensitivity, and growth levers. 

14. Superhuman  
Email operating system to stay on top of sales and customer comms. 

15. Gamma  
Beautiful presentations in minutes.

16. Saywhat  
Write LinkedIn content that compounds attention and demand. 

17. Framer  
Ship marketing sites, waitlists, and MVP landing pages quickly. 

18. Zendesk  
Customer support that scales without hiring too early. 

19. n8n  
Replace brittle no-code tools with flexible automation.

20. Granola  
Stay aligned after calls with the best AI meeting notetaker. 

This isn't about avoiding hiring altogether. 

It's about building leverage so that when you do hire, 
You have an enormously capable, productive, and high-margin team.

The best teams I've seen use AI to handle 80% of the work, 
Then bring in humans to finish the final 20%. 

But remember, even the best tool stack can't salvage bad SEO. 
And in the era of AI, discovery is no longer about Google. 

That's where Searchable comes in. 

While you're building, Searchable is optimising your content automatically. 
So you rank everywhere your customers are looking for solutions. 

Learn more and get started with a 14-day free trial here: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to share this stack with other founders and operators. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more resources like this.

Reddit is the most-cited domain inside AI systems.

It probably cites your website 0% of the time.

Semrush analysed which websites are cited the most across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

The results reveal where and how to build authority in 2026: 

LLMs are citing these websites the most: 

Reddit (~9.5%)
↳ User-generated discussions and reviews  
↳ Real experiences and opinions  
↳ Community-driven content

LinkedIn (~8%) 
↳ Professional insights and thought leadership  
↳ Industry discussions and case studies  
↳ Verified professional profiles

Wikipedia (~7.5%)  
↳ Comprehensive, well-sourced articles  
↳ Neutral point of view content  
↳ Extensive citation networks

Major players Medium, YouTube, and Google are only cited around 5%. 

This indicates a shift in what AI systems prioritise. 

They favour platforms with: 

→ User-generated content  
→ Community discussions  
→ Authoritative sources  
→ Multiple perspectives  
→ Regular updates

Traditional business websites are ranking lower because they're self-promotional, lacking in community engagement, and infrequently updated.  

Meanwhile, platforms like Reddit and LinkedIn are dominating. 

They offer real user experiences, active discussions, current information, and verified professional insights.

So, if you want to get ahead in 2026: 

1. Build a Reddit presence 
↳ Answer questions in relevant subreddits
↳ Build reputation through helpful content

2. Learn how to master LinkedIn  
↳ Publish consistent, valuable content 
↳ Build authority in your niche  

3. Create Wikipedia-Style Content:  
↳ Comprehensive, well-sourced articles  
↳ Extensive internal and external linking

4. Develop video content 
↳ Educational tutorials and explanations  
↳ Expert interviews and discussions

5. Optimise for knowledge panels  
↳ Structure data properly  
↳ Build entity relationships  

Start small, and set weekly goals: 

Week 1: Audit where your industry discussions happen
Week 2: Start contributing valuable insights (no selling)
Week 3: Create comprehensive educational content
Week 4: Build relationships in relevant communities

Increasing your ads budget isn't necessary to get ahead. 

Focus instead on providing genuine value on the right platforms.  

Have you started optimising your content for AI search? 
Leave a comment below. 

To increase LLM citation rates without adding more to your plate, 
Get started with Searchable for free.  

It's an Autonomous SEO & AEO Growth Engineer that analyses, fixes, 
And scales your website to drive customers. 

Check it out here and get started with a 14-day free trial: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost this to inform your network on the latest AI updates.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on AI Search in 2026.

There's a good chance your prompts are rubbish.

It's 2026. Let's fix that together:

Lots of you have been using ChatGPT, and AI in general, for a few years now.

For most, it's treated like a Google replacement or a simple problem-solver.
And as a result, the outputs aren't as sophisticated as they could be.

Take these examples to see what the difference between bad, good, and great is:

❌ Bad Prompt

Write a viral LinkedIn post about entrepreneurship.

Why it's bad: it's far too vague to produce anything of value.

✅ Good Prompt

Write 5 LinkedIn posts aimed at founders building real businesses.
I’ll pick the strongest one, explain why it worked, then you’ll rewrite 5 more using that feedback.

Why it's better: it is more specific and allows for iteration and improvements.

✅ ✅ Great Prompt

Role
Act as a founder who has built and sold £10m+ businesses and writes for other founders.

Task
Here are 5 LinkedIn posts I’ve written that performed well: [PASTE POSTS].

Analyse why they worked, then write 5 new posts for founders running £1m+ businesses.

Format
• Short pattern breakdown
• 5 hook-first posts

Constraints
• Founder-first
• No generic motivation
• One clear point per post

Stop when
• Patterns are identified
• 5 posts are written

Context: [INSERT DUMP]

Why it's great: it's clear, detailed, and importantly, uses negative prompting for what not to do.

The last one follows a format my team and I swear by.

1. Role 👤
2. Task 📕
3. Format 📄
4. Warnings ⚠️
5. Reasoning 🧠
6. Stop Conditions 🛑
7. Context Dump 🗑️

It saves us all so much time and brainspace (arguably more important).

Like everything with AI... do not let it replace your thinking.
With each output, be critical about the quality and reprompt as and when necessary.

But not using AI for the sake of "authenticity" just isn't an option in 2026.

How are you getting on with AI? Using it often?
I'm curious to hear in the comments. ⬇️

My new business Searchable helps businesses appear inside these LLMs that you prompt.

If you're a business owner or marketer interested in gaining more visibility for your business...

Learn more and claim your 14-day free trial here:
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to help your network get better at prompting.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more guidance on leveraging AI.

Bad Prompts vs Good Prompts vs Great Prompts

I've posted on LinkedIn every day for 3 years. 

You can still grow, but the tactics have changed: 

The LinkedIn algorithm has changed every year.  

2024: Algorithm favoured virality. 
One post could get you 1m views and 5K followers overnight.

2025: The platform shifted. 
Virality dropped, and niche domination took centre stage. 

2026: Growth is harder but more valuable. 
1,000 people who actually buy from you > millions of followers. 

It's still the best platform to grow and monetise an audience. 

But the strategy has completely changed again. 

Here's how to master LinkedIn in 2026:

(See the cheat sheet for the full playbook 👇) 

1. Know Your North Star

This is why you're posting in the first place.
Example: Generate more leads, drive up revenue, free up your time.

2. Know Your ICP

Who are you helping?
Write down their common frustrations and how you solve them.

3. Know Your Content Pillars

Define 5-7 content pillars you can talk about consistently.
This keeps your content focused and builds authority in specific areas.

4. Turn Your Profile Into A Landing Page

Your profile needs to convert visitors into leads. 
Optimise everything from your profile picture to your featured section. 

5. Commenting & Relationship Building

Create a list of 10-20 people in your space.
Engage to create a community of relevant audience members.

6. Understand Your Content Funnel

Take your audience on a journey from Awareness to Conversion. 

7. Content Ideation

→ Use tools like SayWhat to find relevant posts by keywords
→ Create lists of leading creators to model
→ Pull ideas from Instagram, X, Pinterest

8. Content Writing & Design

Pair excellent writing with incredible visuals.

9. Tracking & Testing

Test new ideas, see what performs, and lean into winners.

This is the exact system we teach inside The Creator Accelerator.

Cohort 6 is closing in less than a day !

So, if you're on the fence, this is your sign to take the leap.  
We've helped 600+ founders across 5 cohorts earn millions through content.
 
And there's no reason you can't be next.  
 
If you want 2026 to be the year you finally grow and monetise your audience... 

Grab one of the last spots now 👇
  
https://lnkd.in/eybF9QQG

Applicants will get $2500 of exclusive resources, but you have to act now !  

♻️ Repost to help founders in your network master LinkedIn in 2026.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building businesses through content.

This LinkedIn Coach GPT is trained on 300K+ posts. 

And I'm giving it away for FREE ↓

Consistency and strategy are everything when it comes to LinkedIn. 

After receiving hundreds of messages asking for help in these areas,
I built the 2026 LinkedIn Content Coach. 

The team and I have spent years figuring out what actually works on LinkedIn.

And we put all of that knowledge into this single tool.

It's trained on 300,000+ posts and took 50+ hours to build. 

The GPT is trained to help you with 4 core functions:

✅ Plan your 2026 strategy: 
Get a clear roadmap tailored to your goals and audience

✅ Generate 100+ content ideas: 
Never stare at a blank screen again

✅ Rank your posts: 
Get honest feedback on any draft before you hit publish

✅ Audit your strategy: 
Get specific recommendations to improve reach, engagement, and conversions

It uses proven formats and frameworks that actually perform:

→ Strategy planning based on your business goals
→ Feedback that improves your content before it goes live
→ Post analysis that tells you what's working and what's not
→ Idea generation trained on high-performing content patterns

Only 1% of people post on LinkedIn.

And fewer than that have a real strategy behind what they publish.

There is a huge opportunity here for anyone who starts now.

If you can produce good content with a clear strategy, the benefits are massive.

And this GPT makes it easier than ever.

So stop wasting time guessing what to post next, 
And get a coach that helps you improve your content in seconds.

It has strategy planning, idea generation, post ranking,
And the exact frameworks that drive real business results.

You'll also get an invite to a Free LinkedIn Algorithm Report 2026 Webinar, 
Hosted by myself and the brilliant Will McTighe. 

We analysed 329,504 LinkedIn posts from all of 2025 to see what's really working.  

On the call, you'll learn:

✓ Exactly what changed in the algorithm since Q3 2025
✓ The huge opportunity opening up in certain niches
✓ The four hook patterns that are making people stand out
✓ The two video formats that actually help grow your business
✓ The comments that actually help your reach
✓ 15+ practical tips you can use in your content tomorrow

♻️ Repost this to help your network level up on LinkedIn. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more tools and strategies like this.

UPDATE: Due to the volume of comments I am sharing the GPT here !
https://lnkd.in/eph4f4dQ

2025 saw a massive shift in how we perceive coding. 

It's 2026 now, and companies are still lagging behind.

I used to think you needed developers to build products.

Then I launched Searchable...
And validated the entire idea with AI in 48 hours.

At that level, I didn't need to know a single line of code. 

But if you're planning to replace real engineering work, 
You'll need to create a proper plan of action. 

AI coding makes it easier than ever to build. 

But you still need to input clear ideas and know how it works. 

There are three levels of AI coding founders should understand:

(See the visual for more details 👇) 

1. Vibe Coding
Level: Non-technical founders

What it is:
Turning rough ideas into working prototypes by describing what you want in plain English and letting AI handle the code.

Business use case:
→ Validating startup ideas fast
→ Building landing pages, MVPs, internal tools
→ Testing demand before hiring engineers

Tools to use:
→ Lovable - Product prototypes and signup flows
→ Bolt - Fast web app generation
→ Replit - Build and deploy without setup
→ Make - Connect tools and workflows

2. AI-Assisted Coding
Level: Technical or semi-technical teams

What it is:
AI working alongside a human developer to speed up writing, debugging, and refactoring code.

Business use case:
→ Building production-ready software faster
→ Improving developer output without growing headcount
→ Reducing bugs and repetitive work

Tools to use:
→ Cursor - AI-first code editor
→ GitHub Copilot - Inline code assistance
→ Continue - Open-source AI coding assistant
→ Google Antigravity - Context aware completions

3. Agentic Coding
Level: Advanced team and operators

What it is:
AI agents that can plan, write, test, and refine entire chunks of software from a single objective.

Business use case:
→ Large feature builds
→ Legacy code refactors
→ Automating repetitive engineering tasks
→ Spinning up internal systems fast

Tools to use:
→ Claude Code - Agent-driven deployment
→ OpenAI Codex - Autonomous coding tasks
→ Devin - Full software agent
→ Gemini CLI - Command-line agent workflows

These tools let you validate first and hire second… 

Yet another way AI allows founders to move faster than ever before. 

If you’re building right now, this is leverage you can’t ignore. 

Are you familiar with AI coding? How are you using it? 
Drop a comment below with your process.  

At Searchable, we're using AI to build an autonomous SEO and AEO growth engine.

It analyses, fixes, and scales websites to drive customers automatically. 

If you're a founder who wants to stay visible when people search with ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI...

This is built for you.

Learn more and get started with a 14-day free trial here: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to share this breakdown with founders in your network. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building smarter.

If you want your brand to stay visible in 2026...

Don't follow the Old SEO rules. 

Traditional SEO hasn't died, like some creators are saying. 

But the game has changed and the requirements for discovery have expanded.   

Millions of people are using LLMs instead of (or alongside) Google for search.  

(Weekly users of ChatGPT alone hit nearly 900 million !)  

Embracing the new era of search with AI is a non-negotiable.  

And this is the best place to begin👇

(See the cheat sheet for more details)

⚙️ Old SEO
↳ A race to the top of Google’s page one. 

S - Search
E - Engine
O - Optimisation

Built on keywords, backlinks, and technical tweaks. 
It worked, but prioritised visibility over real authority.

It's great for: 

- Driving large volumes of traffic
- Helping new sites compete quickly
- Monetising clicks through ads/funnels

Use it to: 

- Rank blogs and landing pages with keywords
- Build backlink networks to climb the SERPs
- Scale content production for page-one coverage

Potential problems: 

- Results vanish when algorithms update
- Traffic without trust or conversions
- No presence in AI-driven platforms where discovery now happens

🎯 The end goal is page-one rankings and traffic as the victory metric.


🤖 New SEO
↳ SEO today is about being retrieved, cited, and trusted, across Google and AI platforms.

It's built in 4 layers: 

GEO: Cited in LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini
AEO: Appearing in AI summaries and overviews
AIO: Structuring data so AI tools and workflows can use it
SXO: Aligning UX, trust, and conversions with user intent

What it's great for: 

- Building durable authority that compounds over time
- Being cited in AI-driven results and recommendations
- Turning visibility into leads, sales, and long-term trust

Use it to: 

- Scale content clusters rooted in expertise
- Ensure your brand is the source others reference
- Create a funnel of discovery → demand → conversion

Potential benefits: 

- Visibility across both Google and AI ecosystems
- Retrieval and citations in tools people use every day
- Stronger brand trust built directly into content

🎯 The end goal is to be discoverable, credible, and preferred.

This isn't about choosing between Google and ChatGPT. 

That only creates more limitations. 

The new game is being adaptable and meeting your customers where they are. 

If you want to do that without adding more to your plate, 
Start with Searchable. 

It's an autonomous SEO & AEO Growth Engineer that 
Analyses, fixes, and scales your website to drive customers. 

Learn more here 👇
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to help your network prepare for the new era of SEO. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on optimising for AI search.

Success as a Founder doesn't come from experience.

It comes from consistent curiosity to learn more.

It's easy as an entrepreneur to fall into a common trap I see often:

Thinking you've got all this sh*t figured out.
Spoiler alert: you have not. Not by a long shot.

You've got to sharpen your tools, consistently. 

That's where these books come into play.

I've read every single one, some of them several times.

And I would recommend each one to a specific Founder at a specific time:
(You can see one key lesson from each in the visual below)

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear 🔁

Who?
Founders who set goals but struggle to keep consistent.

Why?
Because progress is found in the everyday habits. 

2. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz 🪖

Who?
Founders dealing with pressure and uncertainty. 

Why?
It talks honestly about what to do when there are no 'good' options.

3. The Learn Startup by Eric Ries 📐

Who?
Early-stage founders building something they hope people want.

Why?
It helps you test reality early before money disappears. 

4. The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss 🌴

Who?
Founders who feel busy all the time but stuck in the business.

Why?
It forces you to question whether the way you're working makes sense.

5. Deep Work by Cal Newport 🔦

Who?
Founders who are constantly interrupted.

Why?
Because clear thinking is hard to find once your calendar piles up.

6. Start With Why by Simon Sinek ❓

Who?
Founders trying to hire well and rally a team.

Why?
It explains why some companies inspire loyalty and others struggle.

7. Key Person Of Influence by Daniel Priestley 👤

Who?
Founders who want their reputation to open doors.

Why?
It shows how authority compounds when you're known for something specific.

8. Zero to One by Peter Thiel 1️⃣

Who?
Founders building in crowded or competitive markets.

Why?
It challenges you to think about whether you're actually doing anything different.

9. Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne 🌊

Who?
Founders stuck competing on price or features.

Why?
It reframes growth around finding opportunity where others aren't looking.

And so I think every founder would benefit from at least one book here.

They won't give you all the answers you're looking for.
But a bit of guidance and golden nugget along the way can't hurt.

It's especially easy to consume now with audiobooks, etc.

And your self-education should not stop there...

I have a weekly newsletter dedicated to busy founders - Step by Step.

Join 200k+ reading it weekly for genuine business advice from a person genuinely building businesses:

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb

And if I'm missing a book from this list, drop a comment below.

I'm always on the lookout for a good new read !

♻️ Repost to help other founders in your network.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more business building tips.

Marketing and SEO have changed for good. 

Businesses need 4 new levels to scale: 

I've built multiple 7-and 8-figure companies over the last few years. 

The Creator Accelerator, LeverBrands, and Searchable have one thing in common:  

They were all built using this exact system for marketing and SEO.  

Master all 4 to scale in 2026:  

(See the visual for more details ↓) 

1. Discovery Layer
This is where people and AI first encounter your brand. 
Establish consistent visibility early, before intent exists.  

- Top-of-funnel SEO
- Cold outreach
- Non-branded queries
- Founder-led content

2. Trust Layer
This is where audiences and AI systems decide whether you are credible. 
Prioritise clear explanations, educational assets, and visible proof. 

- Mid-funnel SEO
- Comparison content
- Authority signals
- Guides and explainers

3. Intent Layer
This is where interest becomes measurable demand. 
Focus on strong bottom-funnel SEO and interactive assets. 

- Bottom-funnel SEO
- Pricing pages
- Alternatives pages
- Evaluation queries

4. Decision Layer
This is where confidence turns into action, and revenue is created. 
Use clear conversion paths, proof reinforcement, and a trusted founder presence. 

- Conversion pages
- Testimonials
- Closing calls
- Email sequences

All four layers must be present for the best results.

Most businesses struggle because they only focus on one or two layers.

Discovery without trust = traffic that bounces.
Trust without intent = engagement but no leads.
Intent without decision = interest that never closes.

You need all four working together.

And in 2026, that means optimising for both traditional SEO and AI search.

That's why we built Searchable, 
The first AI Search copilot that handles SEO/AEO/GEO optimisation automatically.

It analyses your website, identifies gaps across all four layers, and helps you execute the fixes.

If you're serious about visibility in 2026, 
Your content must be optimised for the most popular LLMs. 

Learn more and get started for free: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

What's your biggest marketing or SEO question right now? 
Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

♻️ Repost to share this with other founders in your network. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building businesses that scale.

I run a £20K/month research process through Perplexity for free.

Founders don't realise what they're sitting on:

When I was building Searchable, I needed:

- Deep market analysis on AI search adoption
- Competitive intelligence on legacy SEO platforms
- Regulatory landscape research on AI governance

Hiring analysts would've cost £15K-£25K per project.

Instead, I built a prompting system that turned Perplexity into a Harvard research team. 

Here's the system I use to get the most out of Perplexity: 

✅ Time-bound everything → "Last 24 months only" filters recency bias
✅ Demand structure → Tables, headings, sections beat wall-of-text responses
✅ Force citations → "Cite all claims" makes output defensible
✅ Require both sides → Evidence for, against, and what's uncertain
✅ End with action → "So what?" or "What should someone do next?"
✅ Apply domain knowledge → Review sources, validate, add your expertise

And the prompts to get started: 

(Find the full prompts in the sheet 👇)

1. Market Landscape Snapshot

Breaks down market size, growth rate, main players, and 3-5 trends that matter. 
Ends with practical "So what?" No speculation allowed.

2. Competitive Comparison Breakdown

Creates a positioning table comparing offerings, pricing, and distribution.  
Flags contradictions in public information.

3. Trend Validation Check

Determines if a trend is real or hype by gathering evidence on both sides. 
Verdict: hype, early signal, or established shift.

4. Deep Dive on a Single Question

Goes beyond surface summaries. 
Shows where experts agree, disagree, and what nuance is missed. 

5. Buyer & User Insight Synthesis

Analyses real customer language from reviews, forums, and discussions. 
Surfaces pain points and desired outcomes.

6. Regulation & Risk Overview

Maps the regulatory landscape by region. 
Focuses on what affects real decisions, not theoretical compliance theatre.

7. Evidence-Based Opinion Builder

Lays out the strongest arguments on both sides. 
Highlights where evidence is strong versus mixed. 

8. Research-to-Decision Summary

Structures output as: what's known, key risks and sensible next steps. 
Practical decision framework, not predictions.

Market validation that used to take days now takes minutes.

And the output quality isn't just faster. 

It's often better because it's pulling from all sources simultaneously. 

Have you tried Perplexity for research? 
Leave a comment below with your thoughts.  

If you want your business to show up in AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, 
Searchable is the simplest way to have it done for you.

It's an autonomous SEO & AEO Growth Engineer that analyses, fixes, and scales your website to drive customers.

Learn more and start your 14-day free trial: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to help your network to level up their research. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building with AI.

YouTube has 60 million active channels. 

These 8 are actually worth watching: 

Most of what I've learned about business has been through experience. 

But when I want to really focus on self-improvement and education, 
I always turn to these 8 YouTube channels. 

YouTube has always been full of nonsense. (And AI isn't helping.) 

That's why I consistently return to these 8.  
They are genuinely more useful than your average MBA, and FREE.  

Start watching these 8 to get ahead of your peers: 

1️⃣ Chris Donnelly Business 📺 (shameless plug, sorry!)
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eeDN7nG7
↳ I document everything as I build Searchable. 
Business building, AI, marketing, and 15+ years of operator experience.

Why subscribe? 
Learn from my mistakes building several 8-figure businesses.  

2️⃣ Greg Isenberg 🤖
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eiEbC9zt
↳ Greg dives deep into AI agents, vibe marketing, and new AI startup ideas. 

Why subscribe? 
Vibe marketing and AI agents are the most important new AI skills.

3️⃣ Y Combinator 📈
🔗 https://lnkd.in/ey59mw_S
↳ YC helps a new generation of founders grow their startups. 

Why subscribe? 
They're a non-negotiable for AI updates in a business context.

4️⃣ Simon Squibb 🚀
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eqYca3jq
↳ Simon offers advice for free that others would charge thousands for. 

Why subscribe? 
You won't find this advice for free elsewhere.

5️⃣ Matt Wolfe 🧠
🔗 https://lnkd.in/ezgfJsxP
↳ Matt is your go-to when it comes to keeping on top of AI news. 

Why subscribe? 
If you want to keep ITK on the world of AI, subscribe to this man.

6️⃣ Modern MBA 🏫
🔗 https://lnkd.in/etaJnYrn
↳ Modern MBA is littered with incredible business case studies.

Why subscribe? 
You literally can't get this content anywhere else. It's fascinating.

7️⃣ Starter Story 💰
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eweuJNmi
↳ Proven ideas you can take and make money from.

Why subscribe? 
Loads of real-world examples and lessons you can learn from in each story.

8️⃣ EO 🎬
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eNMtUxAZ
↳ Resource for next-gen builders turning ideas into reality.

Why subscribe? 
If you struggle to listen to lengthy podcasts on startups, this is for you. 

These channels were a lifesaver while building all three of my businesses. 

But now that Searchable is launched, I want to return some of that advice with my new channel. 

I've mentioned it above, but I am really excited about this one. 

I’m going to break down every tool, framework, and strategy I used to build multiple 7- and 8-figure businesses. 

We already have some great stuff on AI tools, and what I learned working at the fastest-growing startup in history.  

Click here to start watching: 
https://lnkd.in/eE7A6wyw

Any channels you'd add to the list? 
Drop it in the comments. 

♻️ Repost to share these channels with your network. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more resources like this.

8 YouTube Channels You Need To Watch In 2026

Great to be featured in Forbes talking about LinkedIn.

I’ve been on here for 3 years and reached 1.2m followers...

And I'm always excited to show others how powerful this platform can be. 

Being a LinkedIn creator is a rollercoaster.

There are massive opportunities to earn visibility and generate leads. 

But the algorithm is famously unpredictable. 

And now with the new algorithm, 360 Brew, things are changing once again. 

This isn't "the death of old tactics" as some might claim.
LinkedIn has always been evolving, and we've adapted.

But the principles I touch on in this article will remain true for some time. 

Here's what I told Forbes: 

✅ Your profile signals your authority. 

The algorithm reads your profile to verify your authority. 
Make sure it's as clear as possible. 

✅ Saves are the metric that matters

Bookmarks tell LinkedIn your content is worth coming back to. 
Write posts that would make someone hit that save button. 

✅ Consistency beats timing

As I told Forbes, there has never been a golden hour.  
Make a schedule and be consistent.  

✅ Consider your content formats

Steer away from polls and focus on better-performing formats. 
Shorter, engaging carousels will increase completion rates. 

The nature of how we generate leads on LinkedIn has shifted.

We've gone from gaming the algorithm with hashtags and hiding links, 
To building real authority and creating content worth saving.

2026 can be the year you stop posting more and start earning more.

We've seen 100s of founders do it, and there's no reason you can't be next. 

And now is the perfect time to start ! 

To help with that...

I'm hosting Lead Generation Live on January 15th at 12:30 pm GMT. 

A 4-hour free live event focused on lead generation featuring:

✅ Nathan Barry: Founder of Kit ($50M ARR)
✅ Daniel Priestley: Author of "Key Person of Influence"
✅ Eric Partaker: Built an 8-figure business working 2 days a week
✅ Sara Davies MBE: Founder of Crafter's Companion and a Dragon's Den investor

This isn't a passive webinar where you sit and listen. 

You'll be doing the work in real time, 
And you'll walk away with frameworks you can start using right away. 

So, clear your schedule, find a quiet spot, and we'll see you there:
https://lnkd.in/eqqNdpkP 

And if you want to read the full Forbes article, click here: 
https://lnkd.in/eqztxNzM

♻️ Repost for other founders in your network. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building your audience and business.

I lost several clients while building my first business. 

Not because the work was bad. Because I couldn’t prioritise my time.

When everything is “high priority,” your clients sense the lack of focus. 

That was 14 years ago. 

Since then, I’ve built and exited multiple 8-figure businesses.

I still worked incredibly hard to make that happen… 

But only on the things that actually needed my attention. 

And these 7 frameworks were the key to making that happen. 

Use them to shift your focus back to what truly matters for your business: 

(Save the sheet and come back to it as needed 👇) 

1. The Eisenhower Matrix
By Dwight D. Eisenhower

A 2x2 matrix that sorts tasks by urgent vs important. 

Use it for:
When your day is run by messages, requests, and putting out fires.

2. Timeboxing
By James Martin

Give a task a fixed time limit so it can't swallow up your whole week.

Use it for:
Strategy, planning, writing, and decision-making.

3. Impact/Effort Matrix
Popularised by Lean/Agile practices

A 2x2 matrix that ranks tasks by impact vs effort.

Use it for:
Feature requests, growth ideas, and deciding what to build next.

4. Kanban Board
By Taiichi Ohno

A visual workflow that tracks tasks through stages.

Use it for:
Team execution, project delivery, and reducing context switching.

5. The Stop Doing List
By Jim Collins

A framework for prioritisation where you win by removing commitments.

Use it for:
Freeing time, eliminating legacy tasks, and stopping your calendar from owning you.

6. The One Metric That Matters (OMTM)
By Alistair Croll & Ben Yoskovitz

Force everything to answer one question: What matters most right now?

Use it for:
Weekly prioritisation, product focus, and stopping drag.

7. The 80/20 Principle (Pareto Principle)
By Vilfredo Pareto

A principle to help you focus on the few things producing the most results.

Use it for:
Finding your best customers, best channel, best offer, and cutting distractions.

Prioritisation is still the no.1 thing I see founders struggling with. 

If everything is of the highest priority...

Nothing ever gets your full attention. 

For the health of your business, and your own peace of mind, 
Test one of these frameworks this week. 

The more order you bring to building, the more you can look ahead. 

How do you approach prioritisation for your business? 
Leave a comment below with your thoughts. 

If you enjoyed this content, you'll enjoy my newsletter, Step by Step:
https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb

200k+ founders are already receiving frameworks like this every Sunday. 

I also have 30+ free learning resources for you when you sign up.

♻️ Repost to share these frameworks with your network. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for actionable strategies like this.

After years of trial and error, The Lead Gen Blueprint is here. 

It's generated our team millions and you can steal it for FREE ↓

Comment "BLUEPRINT" and I'll personally send it to you.

You can post every day and still have an empty inbox.
Likes and followers don’t automatically turn into leads.

That’s why my team and I spent months building a proper lead gen machine.

It turns:
Attention → conversations → qualified leads → paying clients.

We’ve used it to generate thousands of leads and millions in revenue.

Then we packaged the whole thing into one playbook.

Inside you’ll find:

✅ Landing page structures converting at 60%+
✅ A 7-day quick-start to get this live fast
✅ Newsletter strategies that turn readers into buyers over time
✅ Nurture sequences that build trust and fill your pipeline automatically
✅ A warm DM system for starting real conversations without sounding salesy
✅ Lead magnets that turn cold followers into engaged subscribers
✅ The 5 post types that bring qualified prospects, not vanity metrics
✅ How to turn your LinkedIn profile into a lead-capturing landing page

The best founders aren’t posting for the sake of it.
They run systems that convert attention into revenue.

This blueprint sets you up for long-term results on LinkedIn
And gives you the frameworks, templates, and playbooks to make it work.

As a bonus, if you claim the playbook, you will be invited to Lead Generation Live !

A 5-hour free live event focused on lead generation featuring:

✅ Daniel Priestley: Author of "Key Person of Influence"
✅ Nathan Barry: Founder of Kit 
✅ Sara Davies MBE: Founder of Crafter's Companion and a Dragon's Den investor
✅ Eric Partaker: Built an 8-figure business working 2 days a week

It will be on January 15th from 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm GMT. 
It's completely free and online, so you can join from anywhere. 

Comment “BLUEPRINT” and I’ll send the link.

♻️ Repost to help founders turn content into customers.
Follow Chris Donnelly for more on building systems that scale.

To kick off the New Year, I've made a 30-Day SEO Plan for 2026.

The most comprehensive one available on LinkedIn:

There's no doubt about it, Google traffic still matters massively.
It dwarfs AI Search traffic 12 to 1.

We understand this at Searchable and still consider it a key visibility factor alongside AEO and GEO.

Therefore, you need a plan to optimise your website for it.

Otherwise, you're ignorantly missing out on thousands of opportunities to attract and land customers.

Use this to kickstart your 2026 with increased traffic and business:
(Please check out the carousel for detailed and implementable guidance)

Days 1-2: Baseline & Visibility Audit
Before you touch anything, get visibility.

Days 3-4: Intent Mapping
Stop guessing keywords and map intent instead.

Days 5-6: Topic Clusters & Page Roles
Decide what each page exists to do.

Days 7-8: Technical Hygiene (The Unsexy Stuff)
Fix this early or nothing works, basically.

Days 9-10: Speed, UX & Mobile Reality
Fast sites always win over slow ones. Always!

Days 11-12: Search Visibility Tracking
What you don't see, you can't fix, after all.

Days 13-14: On-Page Structure For AI
This is where most sites fall down...

Days 15-16: Schema & Entity Signals
Help machines understand you first.

Days 17-19: Content Upgrade Sprint
Don't publish more, fix what exists first.

Days 20-21: Internal Linking That Makes Sense
Links are your page's logic.

Days 22-23: Founder-Led Authority Content
Use this time to create a content strategy and plan.

Days 24-25: Strengthen Trust & Retrieval Signals
This is about helping search engines and AI trust and retrieve your content.

Days 26-27: Consolidate Authority Where It Matters
This is about making your site the obvious source on a topic.

Days 28-29: Fix What's Underperforming
Be ruthless and get rid of anything not working.

Day 30: Lock The System
This will be your new operating system.

There's no need to see SEO as an overwhelming headache.

In just 30 days, you can create a system to appear in traditional and AI search.

Just treat it as one day at a time for compounding growth for your business!

However... if this does seem all too much, I have a solution:

It's a little business called Searchable.

An autonomous SEO & AEO Growth Engineer that will:
Analyse, fix, and scale your website to drive customers. 

If you want increased visibility on your business,
Try out a 14-day free trial here: https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to help your network optimise their SEO.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more SEO tips and tricks.

30 Day SEO Plan by Chris Donnelly

2025 was the year I shipped faster than ever before. 

In 2026, you can achieve the same using these 9 rules:

2021: Sold my agency for £25M and thought I'd figured it out.
2025: Built Searchable to $83k MRR in 1 month. 

I got here using these 9 rules. 

Steal them:

1. If you're overthinking..
↳ Ship the MVP and learn from real users.

We started a waitlist, and 10k joined before we had a product. 
Waiting for perfection means losing to someone who shipped today.

2. If you want product-market fit...
↳ Give 100 people beta access and listen obsessively.

We gave 100 people early access to Searchable, and 50 brought their friends. 
PMF is built through iteration.

3. If growth is slow...
↳ Work on your product, it isn't good enough yet.

Marketing can't save a mediocre product. 
If you build something people love, they'll tell others. 

4. If you're burning out...
↳ Focus on work and tasks that lead to compound growth.

Build systems, create content, automate processes. 
Your job is to work on things that get easier over time, not harder.

5. If customers aren't converting...
↳ Deliver value upfront for free.

Our free visibility report converts at 20% to paid customers. 
Give people a reason to trust you before you ask them to pay.

6. If nobody knows you exist...
↳ Build your personal brand before you need it.

I spent years building 1M+ followers. 
When we launched Searchable, attention, trust, and distribution were covered. 

7. If competitors are ahead...
↳ Study what works and make it 10x better.

We didn't invent AEO, we studied existing tools and built something better. 
Innovation means finding what's validated and improving it dramatically.

8. If you're stuck on strategy...
↳ Talk to 10 customers, and the answer will reveal itself.

Your customers will tell you what to build if you listen. 
Stop guessing and start asking.

9. If you think you need more resources... 
You need better leverage.

Better systems and focus > More people or budget. 
Focus on leveraging what you have, not creating more volume. 

Short rules can have a massive impact when you actually execute.

2025 was the year I realised you don't need a perfect plan.
You just need to move fast and fix things as you go.

Every business problem is an execution problem.

We're using these principles to build Searchable, 
The best tool for AI Search analytics and actions.

Check it out here and get started for free: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

What's one hard and fast business rule you're taking into 2026?
Share it in the comments. 

♻️ Repost to help your network start 2026 with clarity.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building businesses better.

ANNOUNCING: AI Search Summit 2026 (Live + Free)

I’m genuinely excited about this one.

On Jan 22, I’m hosting “AI Search Summit 2026: The Big Event” with Searchable.

And it’s easily the biggest event we’ve done so far.

I swear this isn’t another “AI is coming” talk.

It’s a 3-hour live event focused on one main topic:

How brands actually win visibility inside AI answers in 2026.

If you’re still optimising only for rankings and traffic, I’ll be blunt:

That playbook is already outdated.

I see it every week:

- Great brands not showing up in ChatGPT
- Strong SEO sites invisible in Gemini
- Content that ranks, but does not actually get cited

That’s exactly why we’re doing this.

I’ve brought together some of the best minds and businesses building in AI search to share what’s genuinely working as of today.

The lineup (so far):

✅ Myself 

✅ Dan Slagen - SVP, Marketing Zapier

✅ Ethan Smith - CEO, Graphite

Together, we’re breaking down:

- How AI engines decide who gets recommended
- How to analyse, prioritise, and act on the sources AI cites for you and your competitors
- What content formats trigger citations
- Why traditional SEO signals ≠ AI visibility
- What to fix to stay visible in 2026

Everyone attending gets:

- The AI Search Visibility Report 2026
- Frameworks, templates & playbooks
- Live giveaways + prizes worth $50,000+
- Real brand examples across ChatGPT, Gemini & Perplexity

I’ll also be sharing:

- What we’ve learned from tracking thousands of AI prompts
- Where most teams are still wasting time
- The exact visibility gaps brands don’t see yet

📅 January 22, 2026

⏰ Live online (global-friendly) starting 4pm (for 3 hours)

🎟️ Completely free

We’re capping attendance, and spots are already filling.

👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eJ43WJJu

Let's kick off the year strong folks !

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