Co-Founder @ The Creator Accelerator. Head of Content @ Chris Donnelly LTD. I talk about AI, Marketing & The Creator Economy

Yo,After 5+ years within the personal branding space. I've helped build and scale personal brands of all sizes from varying industries.Currently, I'm helping Chris Donnelly become the most recognised entrepreneur on the planet.2 years in, we've:- Grown on LinkedIn by 1 million followers (180k - 1.1 million)- Have achieved 400m+ views on LinkedIn - Grown on TikTok by 500,000 (200k - 750k+) - Grown on Instagram by 780,000 (0-780k+)- Have achieved 1 Bn Views across platformsAnd I'm also running the Creator Accelerator with him, so if you're looking to do something similar, join the Creator Accelerator ! Here's a bit of proof to help convince ya ;) Yinka generated over $400,000 in revenue directly attributable to LinkedIn and the TCA systems.Jeff sold $80,000 worth of his offers within the first few weeks of joining the cohort. He also generated 840 new leads and grew his profile by 273%.Christine made $52,000 in course revenue from LinkedIn in under two months, while growing from 6,000 to nearly 11,000 followers. She's now at 42,000.Jon told us he'd made "three absolutely huge sales this week for ongoing work that more than doubles my annual revenue and has easily paid for the course, many multiples of times over."Nimrita had an investor reach out after reading her content. Within three weeks of connecting, that investor wrote a cheque for 50% of her funding round.Farhoon launched a paid community and hit $10,000 MRR in just three weeks. 145 paying members with only 5 churns.Julia landed a $250,000 contract and was flown to NYC for high-value networking opportunitiesIf you want to know more... go here: https://thecreatoraccelerator.co.uk/Oh, and also I almost forgot, I do posting on LinkedIn too and have worked with some of my dream brands (woo), so if you're looking to collab, drop me a DM :DPeaceee 

Josh S.

Forget a £90,000 uni degree. 

Learn from these people instead: 

As we are now in 2026, it's time you refresh your feed! 

Here are 54 incredible creators
Who share genuinely insightful and actionable content. 

Drop them a follow here: 

Self Development:

Thomas Pearce
Dan Go
Mark Hyman, MD
Dr. Carolyn Frost
Dr. Neetu Johnson M.D.🧠🩺
Priyamvada S

Business Building:

Chris Donnelly
Matt Gray
Alex Hormozi
Leila Hormozi
Codie A. Sanchez
Dan Martell

Leadership:

Jen Blandos
Dora Vanourek
Mike Leber
Jill Avey
Eric Partaker
George Stern

Artificial Intelligence:

Greg Isenberg
Charlie Lass
Axelle Malek
Anisha Jain
Anna York
Adam Biddlecombe

Marketing:

Elfried Samba
Tom Pestridge
Timothy Armoo
Brianna Doe
Jo Bird ✨
Will McTighe

Career Progression:

Ashley Couto
Ford Coleman
Alec Rickard
Angela Lau
Natalia Cano
Linda Le🌻

📌 Reached the mention capacity
Check out the other creators I tagged in the comments !  

Now it's your turn...
Who's your fav creator on here?? 

Tag them in the comments below :) 

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Josh Sanders

This is the only cheat sheet you need for 2026... 

Here's how to steal it and achieve huge success: 

A masterclass of content from the main man Chris Donnelly 

The LinkedIn algorithm has evolved each year.

2024: The algorithm rewarded reach.
One strong post could land 1m views and 5K new followers.

2025: The game shifted.
Viral reach dipped and niche authority started winning.

2026: Growth is slower but more meaningful.
1,000 buyers > a million passive followers.

LinkedIn is still the best place to build and monetise an audience.

But the playbook has changed once again.

Here’s how to win on LinkedIn in 2026:

1. Get Clear on Your North Star

Why are you posting in the first place?
Example: More leads, higher revenue, less time spent selling.

2. Understand Your ICP

Who exactly are you here to serve?
List their biggest pain points—and how you solve them.

3. Lock In Your Content Pillars

Pick 5–7 topics you can post about often.
It sharpens your message and builds real authority.

4. Turn Your Profile Into a Sales Page

Your profile must turn views into action.
From the headline to the featured links—every detail matters.

5. Engage & Build Relationships

List 10–20 people in your niche.
Comment, support, and build real connections.

6. Map Your Content Funnel

Guide your audience from awareness to buying.

7. Generate Strong Content Ideas

→ Use tools like SayWhat to spot keyword trends
→ Track top creators for inspiration
→ Source ideas from Instagram, X, Pinterest

8. Nail the Writing & Visuals

Pair sharp scanable copy writing, 
With visuals that stop the scroll 

The most important thing is to keep adapting. 

Do not write about subjects, just to go viral...
Instead, experiment, measure and adjust the way you format. 

Because there's no point pushing water up a hill :D 

What differences have you noticed on LinekdIn in 2026? 
Let me know below ! 

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Master the Skill of Negotiation

How to Claim What You’re Worth

A hard truth about life:
Most people aren’t getting what they’re worth

The answer?
Negotiating for what you’re worth.

Those who learn to negotiate effectively:

↳ Earn more respect and recognition
↳ Secure better-paid opportunities
↳ Move forward faster in life

Start building your negotiation skills today
Download this cheatsheet now! 

Harvard's 6 Principles for Agreement:

1. Separate people from the issue
2. Focus on interests, not positions
3. Learn to manage emotions
4. Show genuine appreciation
5. Present your message positively
6. Step out of the action and reaction loop

Know which aspects of communication
To work on most:

↳ 7 percent is the words you say
↳ 38 percent is tone and pace
↳ 55 percent is body language

Identify the Zone of Possible Agreement
And start negotiating from there

Plus 6 extra tips to boost your skills! 

Remember this: 

Closed mouths rarely get fed
Ask for what you truly deserve.

What’s your number one tip for negotiating?
Share it in the comments below! 

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I joined Chris at 180k followers. We're now at 1.1 million. 

Here's the blueprint for what you need to know: 

Just comment "2026" and I'll personally send it to you ! 

These are the same foundational principles 
That in 2 years helped us: 

- Grow by 800k+ followers 
- Drive $10M revenue to our creator business 
- Help 600+ founders drive millions in revenue 
- Guide some of the fastest growing creators on the platform 
- Drive 100,000s of leads and attention to multiple businesses

It is the perfect resource for founders in 2026. 

If you're curious, here's a sneek peak: 

- The 4 post templates that consistently generate leads
- How to set your 2026 "why" and tie content to business goals
- How to find your ICP and what content actually lands with them
- The deplatforming strategy that keeps you safe from algorithm shifts
- Lead magnet to email flows that guide people towards your offer

You don't need a team or years of figuring it out.
You need the right positioning, post strategy, and engagement system.

AND when you grab The 2026 LinkedIn Bible...

You'll also get an invite to Lead Generation Live. 

Which imo will be one of the best events to join this year!  

It's a free 4-hour masterclass with some seriously respected entrepreneurs:

Daniel Priestley (Entrepreneur and author of "Key Person of Influence")
Nathan Barry (Founder of Kit)
Sara Davies MBE (Founder of Crafter's Companion and Dragon's Den investor)
Eric Partaker (CEO Coach of the Year with 1.1M LinkedIn followers)

Remember for all of this, you just have to comment "2026" 
And I'll ping you a link in the comments. 

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In 2026 LinkedIn has changed... again. 

And those who don't keep up will get left behind. 

Awesome algo summary from Chris Donnelly here 🔥

After analysing 329,504 LinkedIn posts, they've got the answers. 

(Let's face it is the closest we'll get to a generalised algo answer) 

If you want to see attention, you must know what's changed.
And LinkedIn users are craving value and substance... a lot.

Here’s how to win on LinkedIn in 2026:

1. Building a brand
2025: Go broad to grow fast.
2026: Go deep to build trust.

2. Writing hooks
2025: Contrarian for the sake of it.
2026: Proof, stories, and results win.

3. Comments that convert
2025: “More comments = better.”
2026: Comments from respected voices matter most.

4. Going viral
2025: Top 1% posts explode reach.
2026: Viral posts get 80% less reach than last year.

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

5. Carousels still crush
2025: Teach to educate.
2026: Tell stories to connect.

6. Emojis
2025: Screams AI.
2026: Used to break up heavy text 

7. Lead magnets
2025: Playbooks and PDFs.
2026: GPTs are outperforming.

8. Ending with questions
2025: Every post must end with one.
2026: Only ask if you care about the answer.

9. Video
2025: Used for reach.
2026: Best for trust and product clarity.

10. Single images
2025: Motivational fluff.
2026: Use ones that surprise or show authority.

11 Hashtags
Still useless XD

You can still grow fast on LinkedIn.
In fact, top creators are still adding 1,000+ followers per week.

But you need to play the new game.

Also if you want more depth on this, 
Chris Donnelly and Will McTighe will be running a whole webinar to show you everything. 

Sign yourself up here: https://bit.ly/4jtwmkd

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2025 LinkedIn vs 2026 LinkedIn 

95% of creators struggle to grow on LinkedIn. 

The reason? Not understanding psychology. 

After growing from 5 to 115k in 14 months. 
I've become accustomed to what works. 

Most posts don't lack the value.
But they are not written for impact. 

The truth is:

Your content is competing for attention.
And the right psychology can make all the difference.

Here’s what works:

Cut the fat → Simplicity beats complexity.
Start with the negative → Urgency makes people take notice.
Stand out with numbers → The right figures disrupt the scroll.
Sell with transformation → Show the journey, not just the result.

And that’s just the start.

There are also 12 bonus growth hacks in here.
That can help you get more engagement today.

Remember: 

You are writing for humans. 
Not for robots. 
(yet) 

What's one other psychological principle you use in your writing? 

If you're interested in learning more. 
Chris Donnelly will be covering something very similar tomorrow ! 

It's Lead Generation Live :D

4 hours with incredible guests like:

1. Eric Partaker 
2. Sara Davies MBE
3. Daniel Priestley 
4. Nathan Barry

If you're a founder, it will be one of the best things you can watch...
To drive significant traffic and leads in 2026. 

Grab your spot here: https://bit.ly/3LyY0zu

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Big personal announcement... 

I recorded my first podcast :o 

Buzzing to announce I went on The Creator Playbook by Callum Mcdonnell 

If you want to check it out, go here: https://lnkd.in/eBTGp5Fy

For those looking for a sneak peak...

Here's what I run over: 

- The Power of LinkedIn for Business Growth
- Setting Clear Goals and Content Pillars
- Optimising Your LinkedIn Profile
- Engaging with Your Network and Building Relationships
- Creating High-Impact Content
- Analysing and Adapting Content Strategies
- Leveraging Lead Magnet Posts for Engagement
- Driving Conversations and Engagement on LinkedIn
- Crafting Effective Hooks and Content Structure
- The Science Behind High-Performing LinkedIn Posts
- Tracking Performance Metrics on LinkedIn

+ much more 👀 

I've always been a big fan of the Creator Playbook interviews, 
So to come on and share my journey was awesome.

Should I do more podcasts?? 

I've been avoiding them for so long, but this was so much fun ! 

Let me know what you think down below !

Yesterday was insane... 5k+ people on call

AND some of the best entrepreneures in the world. 

If you didn't catch it, yesterday we ran our first big online event: 
Lead Generation Live. 

The goal? 
Provide as much value as physically possible to founders. 

And we had some incredible guests to help us do that, such as: 

Daniel Priestley
Nathan Barry
Sara Davies MBE
Eric Partaker

To be honest I was bricking it with this many people coming on live. 
But the team smashed it out the park and it ran so smooth :o 

(s/out Jacob H. and Megan Robinson - the best in the gameee) 

My favourite part was hearing the feedback from people. 
Some said it's been the best live webinar they've ever been to (like whatt) 

Genuinely made my week. 

We even sold all our discounted seats for The Creator Accelerator by Chris Donnelly
Which was not expected at all ! 

Due to this, we only have limited seats left for the new founders edition cohort. 

As a reminder, in the TCA you’ll learn how to:

✅ Understand how to create outsized financial return
✅ Drive business revenue and generate leads consistently
✅ Rapidly grow your audience & build systems to automate growth

It's basically everything on how we built Chris audience to 3M+, 
All whilst he ran multiple businesses, turning over $10M ARR. 

We’ll cover everything:

💡 Week 0: The big picture: mindset, leverage, systems
💡 Week 1-5: Profile optimisation, content writing/design, and using AI
💡 Week 6-10: Email, lead gen, monetisation, and social selling 
💡 Bonus modules: Video, webinars, monetising your audience at scale

And you'll get access to: 

- Live coaching 4x a week.
- Guest masterclasses 
- A thriving community
- 100+ templates
- The best tools with discounts and tutorials 
- Intimate coach-led clinics

As well as a brand new bonus stack which is: 

✅ Creator OS ($99): The system for managing your content
✅ Digital Business Blueprint ($999): 10-week program on building a high-leverage digital business with 10 modules and actionable assignments
✅ All our GPTs ($297): Every GPT we use daily
✅ Chris Coach AI ($999): An AI coach trained on all of my knowledge

If you'd like to secure your spot
Check the link below: https://bit.ly/3YsY4Uz

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I took 1 week off posting on LinkedIn 

And you'll never guess what happened... 

Nothing. Nothing Happened XD 

It's so easy to feel consistent pressure to post on here.
In fact, we deeply encourage people to post daily. 

However, it's all down to how it relates to your goals. 

If the goal is to rapidly grow and scale your brand... 
Post daily. 

For me, I want to keep up consistency throughout the year
Whilst building the best educational business possible with Chris 

This is typically very high in intensive work. 
So I need the odd week off to refresh and recover ! 

And I just came off of a promotion period for the The Creator Accelerator by Chris Donnelly 
I had worked harder than ever before. 

Here are the stats for those interested hehe

In 60 days we managed to: 

- Generate 20,000+ leads
- Rack up 10M+ Views across platforms 
- Have our largest ever online event (5,000 +) 
- Sell out the cohort with 136 incredible founders 

All whilst keeping Chris' brand integrity
And allowing consistent awareness & lead flow for Searchable

But after some sheer grinding, I needed some time off screens. 

So I went to the beautiful Slovenia with my gf Lola. 

We explored the Postojna caves, Lake Bled and Ljubljana Castle
(Whilst not dying driving on the right hand side up mountains 😂)

It was exactly what I needed. 

So if you're burning low... 
Remember you should only continue posting if it aligns with your goals. 

This is a long game people ! 

What did I miss over the last week??

In 10 days time we go live with The Creator Accelerator by Chris Donnelly

And this entirely different... 

18 months ago myself and Chris Donnelly made a critical decision. 
To show the actual methods for growing a highly profitable personal brand. 

At the time, we had grown Chris' account from 180k to 650k in just 6 months. 
And this growth drove monumental opportunity for us. 

Our goal was simple, find the formats that led to outsized distribution 
Whilst keeping positioning strong and a true founder brand. 

We also partnered with saywhat.ai ensuring that strategy was backed by data.
And LeverBrands who are always on top of what's working ! 

This resulted in: 

- Some of the fastest growing creators world wide on LinkedIn
- Millions of revenue generated
- A community of incredible people sharing wins daily (makes me so happy) 

But we've made one big change going into 2026...

We are focussing purely on founders. 
Placing all emphasis on lead generation and driving outsized business returns. 

Why? 

Reach on LinkedIn has dropped significantly. 
But it is still one of the best platforms for marketing your business 

(Through your personal brand of course). 

We've seen this primarily in the last 30 days. 
Driving 35,000+ leads with carefully designed lead magnets. 

So we've gone all in. 

We've restructured our entire educational modules. 
Included brand new ones on funnel optimisation and social selling. 

And have created our best bonus stack yet...

Those who buy this time round get access to: 

- A Free Creator OS ($99) - The system for managing your content
- A Free Digital Business Blueprint ($999) - 10 week course on how to build a digital business
- All our GPTS ($297) - All of the GPTs we use on a daily basis
- The first ever Chris Coach AI ($999) 

We start in 10 days and I am so excited ! 

There are already some incredible founders in the wait space already :) 

If you're looking to drive more attention to your business,
Secure your spot here: https://bit.ly/3YsY4Uz

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These GPTs contain 1000+ hours of LinkedIn knowledge. 

And I'm giving you them for FREE:

Comment CUSTOM, and I will personally send them all to you.

Most people use GPT as a chat bot...
But GPTs can be far more effective when it comes to: 

- Strategy
- Ideas 
- Feedback

Especially if it's had the right training 👀

Ours have been trained across 300,000+ posts across all different industries. 

They have helped us drive 100M+ views. 
And supported us driving significant revenue. 

The 4 GPTs are:

📊 The LinkedIn Algorithm Expert
💡 The Viral LinkedIn Idea Generator
🪝 The Scroll Stopping Hook Generator
💰 The High-Converting Lead Gen Generator

With all of these, you can essentially:

1. Ensure every single post is optimised for the latest algorithm updates.
2. Come up with viral post ideas in seconds. 
3. Generate hooks that stop the scroll.
4. Generate dozens of leads per post.

You basically have a full LinkedIn content team at your disposal. 

Again, I repeat, for free.

Start using them, I promise you won't regret it.

As a bonus, everyone who grabs the GPTs will get a seat for the incredible lead gen live !

Which is a 4 hour lead gen masterclass by Chris Donnelly + incredible guests! 

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Since going through The Creator Accelerator by Chris Donnelly

Michael Lovegrove made an astonishing $200,000.

And most of that came from LinkedIn.

Michael runs Snowballn', where he helps people build powerful sales engines.

He joined TCA wanting to grow on LinkedIn
But had no clear plan on how to get there.

A few weeks in, everything changed.

✅ Landed his first brand deal
✅ Scored multiple paid speaking gigs
✅ Doubled his follower count
✅ Grew his newsletter to 1,000+
✅ Launched his first digital product and started earning

But here's the real win:
He learned how to run a proper accelerator.

That alone helped him 10x the price of his own sales program.

(Always good to be used as a success story.)

Then he launched Sollo, a lead-gen CRM for solopreneurs.
Built a 100-person waitlist before it even went live.

And all of it?
Driven by his LinkedIn content and email list.

In Michael’s words:
"This is far more than just a LinkedIn course. It's probably the best investment you can make outside of starting your own business."

And this means a lot because it's exactly what we aim for. 

The TCA is about building a content-led business that runs across platforms
And brings in real, long-term revenue.

Michael didn’t just learn how to post better.
He learned how to turn attention into income.

If you're a founder who wants to use LinkedIn as a growth engine,
Cohort 6 starts in just ONE DAY. 

We are down to the last few seats now. 
So if you’re serious, now’s the time to act.

600+ people have already built thriving businesses from what we teach.
This could be the moment things shift for you in 2026.

Secure your spot hereee: https://bit.ly/3YsY4Uz

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300km ran in 30 days, with £1285 raised! 

The end of 2025 was brutal... 

But it changed my mind on one main thing. 
That relates to a lot of areas in life. 

There mental barriers we attach to ourselves on a faily basis. 
Are often compeltely wrong. 

When I first started this challenge, I wasn't sure if it was possible for me. 
I was frightened of injuries as I'd never ran a back to back 10k. 

But I knew deep down I had to finish it. 

So I prioritied mobility and simply put the reps in. 
And surprisingly my body adapted (even got a PB on the last day) 

So now my goal for 2026? 
Really question if that barrier I've built up is actually there. 

You are often capable of so much more than you think ! 

So next time you're: 

- Doubting your beliefs on a project 
- Worried to apply for a job your not as qulaified for
- Holding off starting that business you've always wanted
 
I encourage you to truly question of that belief of:
"I'm not good enough". 

Because most of the time, that's the thing that stops people. 

Happy new year legends !

Very excited for the year ahead :)

We've helped 100s of founders make millions in TCA.

This is exactly what to expect from the program: 

Cohort 6 officially starts in just 2 days, 
And the response has blown us away. 

We’ve already helped over 600+ people across 5 cohorts, 
And have over 100 on board for TCA 6. 

If you’ve been wavering, this is your sign to act. 

In the 10-week program, you’ll learn how to:

✅ Rapidly grow your audience & build systems to automate growth
✅ Drive business revenue and generate leads consistently
✅ Understand how to create outsized financial return

It’s the exact system we used to scale Chris audience to 3M+, 
All whilst running multiple businesses, turning over $10M ARR. 

We’ll cover everything:

💡 Week 0: The big picture: mindset, leverage, systems
💡 Week 1-5: Profile optimisation, content writing/design, and using AI
💡 Week 6-10: Email, lead gen, monetisation, and social selling 
💡 Bonus modules: Video, webinars, monetising your audience at scale

And you'll get access to: 

- Live coaching 4x a week.
- Guest masterclasses 
- A thriving community
- 100+ templates
- The best tools with discounts and tutorials 
- Intimate coach-led clinics

+ a whole lot more ! 

I could go on and on about how valuable this program is, 
But I think it's better if you hear it from the alumni themselves. 

The carousel is packed with feedback and testimonials, 
But you can also reach out to our students with questions ! 

When it comes to cost, this is not a casual commitment. 
You get what you pay for, and we're delivering real value here. 

The investment from your side is: 

A $5,850 one-time payment

OR 

3 monthly payments of $2,166.67 

It's an investment, but one that will hold you accountable. 
Plus, we can't reasonably offer this much value at a lower price. 

You'll have live webinars with some of the world's top entrepreneurs, 
And learn a system that can literally earn you millions in revenue. 

(If you ask our students, I think they'll agree it's worth it.)  

TCA has been such an important part of our lives in the last year. 
But it didn't turn out exactly as we expected... 

We assumed the knowledge would be the most important part. 

But it’s become a community that holds each other to a high standard, 
And pushes each other to build and learn at a rigorous pace. 

And, because everyone is bringing their A-game, 
We see business partnerships and friendships form in every cohort. 

Building a personal brand is the best source of leverage for any founder. 

But it's the network you'll have access to that will be life-changing. 

If you're a founder who's ready to transform your life for good...
We go live in just 2 days (January 19). 

We've never had a cohort fill up this fast, so I advise you to act quickly. 

Apply now before it’s too late 👇

https://bit.ly/3YsY4Uz

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What you'll learn in TCA 6 - Chris Donnelly

Just weeks into joining The Creator Accelerator by Chris Donnelly...

Hayden Swerling closed a £165K consulting deal.

So many creators give up way too soon.
They post without direction, then quit when the likes don’t land.

Hayden did the opposite... and it worked.
(Feel free to message him yourself.)

🎨 He shared value-packed content (great writing + design)
✍️ Tailored every post with his ideal client in mind
📈 Fine-tuned everything for max visibility

And the payoff?

✅ 87% growth in 10 weeks
✅ £165,000 consulting deal signed
✅ 5 sponsored content pieces with an HR firm

This is what we teach inside The Creator Accelerator:

– How to write content that attracts high-ticket leads
– How to build a brand that pulls clients in daily
– How to streamline your content with smart systems

Cohort 6 kicks off in 4 days!! 
And this is the final chance to jump in.

We’ve already got 80+ brilliant founders onboard
Working through the pre-cohort materials right now.

But let’s be clear: this isn’t a plug-and-play solution.
It’s built for founders who aren’t afraid of putting in the work.

You’ll be pushed.
It’ll challenge you massively.

But if you show up like Hayden did,
This is the kind of outcome you can expect.

And the community inside will raise your game as well ! 

For those who join this week, we’ve added our best early bonus stack yet:

✅ Creator OS ($99): The full content management system
✅ Digital Business Blueprint ($999): Our flagship 10-week business builder
✅ All our GPTs ($297): Every GPT we use daily
✅ Chris Coach AI ($999): AI mentor trained on my own knowledge

All completely free...

That’s over $2,500 of extra resources, just for early action takers.

This is the 6th time we’re running this.
And it’s shaping up to be the most popular cohort so far.

If you want in secure your place: https://bit.ly/3YsY4Uz

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Repeatable Client Acquisition & Fulfillment | Our mastermind community helps you convert online income into a real business | Book a call or DM to apply

I'm an operator documenting what I've learned building revenue engines over the past decade.

CEO @ MSP Sales Partners. Managing Partner @ Repeatable Revenue. Former PE-backed CEO. Former Managing Director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Spent six years building sales systems for Robin Robins (TMT, sold to PE). Built revenue engines for 100+ service businesses.

I write about what I've learned: how sales systems actually scale, the difference between activity and productivity, why hard choices matter more than hard hours, building a business without burning out.

This isn't guru content. It's lessons from the work... what I got wrong, what finally clicked, patterns I see across businesses, frameworks that actually held up under pressure.

I write for three types of people: Strategists thinking about exits and scale. business owners stuck at a plateau trying to break through. Thinkers who want to build intentional lives, not just businesses.

If you're one of those (or all 3), follow along.

Ray J. Green

When people say, “just stay consistent” or “it’s about volume,” what I hear is: work hard, cross your fingers, and hope you get lucky. 

Just read a post from a popular ghostwriter on how to go viral. His hack? Just have to keep posting. 

Over the weekend watched a YouTube video from a popular business guru on how to find the right growth strategy. Solution? You just have to keep trying new things until it works. 

But if you take this advice literally, and completely, you’re essentially saying “Just keep doing shit until you get lucky.”

And if you’re wired anything like me, that’s not going to fly. Not is it going to be sustainable. 

Volume does matter. Consistency does matter. 

But just like driving to the office everyday doesn’t train you to be an F1 race car driver, volume and consistency aren’t enough. 

It’s intentional volume. Combined with focused reflection and aggressive iteration. 

A critical mass of effort done on purpose. Then regularly reflected on to discern what’s working and what isn’t. And adjusting accordingly. 

Volume without intentionality and iteration is wasted energy. Or lottery ticket-type betting. 

And a good way to burn out.

CEO @ MSP Sales Partners | Man. Partner @ Repeatable Revenue | Ex-PE Backed CEO | Former U.S. Chamber Man. Director

No alternative text description for this image

6 years ago I started posting on LinkedIn because I actually enjoyed creating content. 

I also had a decent amount experience turning around sales teams & businesses using some unorthodox practices. 

So, I wrote about it. 

And wrote about leaving the C-Suite, moving my family to Cabo, and figuring out how to generate income from a Mexican beach. 

My wife and a couple friends were the only people who liked my posts. Sometimes not even them. 

But I actually enjoyed the process. And I wrote just about every day. It was easy. It was light. It was enjoyable. 

With just 3 or 4 likes per post (I don't have many friends), I even managed to get a couple clients from content. They saw a post, looked at my half-assed "optimized" profile, and hired me to give them advice. 

Shortly after that, creating content became a task. Something I had to do every day to be seen and known. To generate some business. 

Sit down. 
Think of something to write. 
Hammer out a post. 
Make it look pretty with descending lines. 
Post. 
Every day at the same time. 

It started to consume every morning. 

Then I learned that commenting on everyone else's posts helped my posts get more reach. So I'd block time every day to "engage" with people's content. A couple hours a day... on a slow day. 

Then I decided to start "batching" content, sitting down and hammering out 6 or 7 posts in one setting and scheduling them all out in advance. 

Then I started recycling content, taking old stuff, refreshing it, and adding it to a second publishing slot for the day. 

Before long, I was cranking out 21 posts a week and racking up who knows how many hours of commenting. 

For all intents and purposes, I was a machine. 

And that's before AI got added to the mix. 

But along the way, I stopped enjoying the process. 

I managed to systematize the joy out of writing. 

Content was forced. Engagement was forced. 

I wasn't sharing a viewpoint I felt strongly about. I wasn't enjoying the process. I was just "building an audience" and generating leads. 

And to some extent, that's perfectly fine. It's LinkedIn. We're all here to do business in one way or another. Myself included. We all gotta eat. 

But today I made a decision: I'm going to start spending more time doing things I genuinely love doing. And one of those things is writing for the sake of writing. 

Not for leads. Not to check a box. Not at a specific time. Not on a schedule. Not in conjunction with 7 hours of commenting on other people's posts. 

But for the joy of it. 

And hoping it adds value in one way or another to someone else here. Even if it's back to 3 or 4 likes per post. 

This post is the first stab at that. And I'm already enjoying this process a hell of a lot more. 

If you want to follow along, comment "WRITING" to receive my.... kidding. 

You'll never see another handraiser post like that from me again. But that's a post for anther day. Maybe tomorrow. But then again, maybe not. 

See you around.

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Writer & Podcaster 

Expert In Residence: Sales & Sales Management

My inner critic is a loud SOB.

Good workout? 
You could've gone harder. 

Eating okay? 
Could be cleaner. 

Time with your kids? 
Could be more present. 

Productive at work? 
Could've done more.

It never stops.

I used to fight it. Try to quiet it. Tell myself that I should be easier on myself, like everyone says you should.

And you know what happened?

It made things worse.

Because then I had the critic AND a voice criticizing the critic. 

Layering noise on top of noise.

So I stopped fighting.

I realized my inner critic is a feature. Not a bug.

That voice... the one constantly pushing me... is what I credit for jumping literal generations for my family.

Growing up with divorce. Absent father. Broken homes. In a foster home at one point. Not a lot of money. Or formal education. And layers of other challenges. 

Today? Happily married. Two healthy boys who know nothing of that instability. MBA from a top school. Living in Cabo. Traveling the world.

That tough critic that pushed me said "This is not for you. You can do better. You will do better."

And I did.

Here's the nuance though.

I've learned to allow the critic to push my actions. My habits. My standards.

Without allowing it to define my worth.

I can accept that my actions will never be "enough" while also knowing that I am enough as a person.

And that's a big effing difference.

One keeps you sharp. 

The other keeps you whole.

Dropped a podcast expanding on this a bit if you're interested: https://lnkd.in/eAm7GyPn

Most salespeople treat discovery like a podcast interview.

"Tell me about your business. How many users? What's your current setup? Walk me through your IT history."

Like you're only there to gather information and collect facts.

And I promise you it's costing you deals. 

Something that's helped the hundreds of consultative sellers I've coached: 

Discovery isn't information gathering.
It's the first step of a strategic close. 

Run a bad discovery and the rest of the process is going to pay the price. 

Example for IT companies:

Bad discovery: "How many servers do you have?"

Good discovery: "How is IT accelerating your growth or holding it back right now?"

One gets you data. The other gets you business impact—the ammunition you need when you're actually trying to close the deal 3 weeks later.

The same thing happens in assessments.

Example for IT companies: 

You find cracked passwords. You find too many O365 admins. You document the vulnerabilities.

Then you present them like a checklist: "You have X problems."

But the MSPs who close? They explain why that matters: "You have cracked passwords on essential systems. Let me tell you what happened to a company last month when a disgruntled employee knew they were leaving…"

Every step in your process—from first call to final proposal—has one job: move the deal forward.

Not educate. Not inform. Not "let them think about it."

Move. The deal. Forward.

I shared a podcast on this, and why despite the stigma attached to it, it really is Always Be Closing. 

I explain why and how here: https://lnkd.in/e7SVFiVx

Years ago I gave my wife terrible business advice.

Not because it didn't work.

But because it did.

She had a custom baby bedding business doing $25K/month on Etsy. Six-month waiting list. Countless 5-star reviews. People literally begging her to make "just one more."

She asked for my input.

I looked at all the indicators and told her what any business advisor would say: "It's time to scale."

She had some resistance. "Yeah, but I love sewing."

But she pushed on.

She hired people. Built systems. Went from spending her days doing what she loved—talking to customers, designing patterns, creating with her hands—to managing quality control and dealing with employee issues.

The advice worked. The business scaled.

And she fucking hated it.

Her initial resistance? That gut instinct she had?

Spot on.

She didn't want to build a business. She wanted to do the thing she loved and get paid well for it. Those are two completely different games.

My advice was biased by what I believed a business should be. Not what her business could be for her.

I see this happen quite a bit. And I'm more aware of it having gone through my wife's experience with her. 

I recorded a podcast breaking down: 

→ Why you should pick advisors carefully (even if you love them)
→ Why product-market pull doesn't mean you should scale
→ How to filter advice so you build the right thing (for you, not for them)

Listen in here: https://lnkd.in/eCtMPwpn

The thing you're most certain about in your business is probably the exact thing keeping you capped.

Just took my kids to a Museum of Illusions in Utah. Your brain swears things are true that aren't—by design.

Same thing happens in business. 

I've spent a lot of time this past year with founders of $200M businesses. And founders of $2M businesses. 

Biggest difference between them? 

A few simple beliefs. 

I break down what this looks like in a 10 min podcast. 

Tune in to listen here: https://lnkd.in/eCpt5-i7

I wish there were more 'right' and 'wrong' calls in business. But what I've learned from 20 years of leading teams, divisions, and businesses? 

It's a lot more "good bet vs bad bet' and a lot less 'right decision vs wrong decision.' 

Regardless of whether you're running $500K business or a $500M business, when you're making high level decisions about where the business should go, you're operating with uncertainty. 

You may be 55% sure on some days. 90% sure on a good day. But that's the job description. 

The problem is, I see this crush a lot of founders. 

They go this direction. Then that direction, Start this project. Change to that project. Pick this priority. Then that priority. 

It's exhausting just to watch. 

Even more exhausting to do. I know from experience. 

I recorded a 10 min podcast for any founder or business leader that's felt overwhelmed by uncertainty. And anyone that's let that uncertainty lead to perpetual pivots and indecision. 

You can tun in here: https://lnkd.in/eVNUZDuY

Our 4th graders were begging for cell phones. 

Parents made a pact: rewind the clock & meet 'em halfway. 

No smartphones... 

But they were genuinely thrilled to get these retro beauties instead. 📞✨

One of the biggest challenges with digital marketing is remembering that the people in your feed aren’t the people buying your stuff. 

(Unless you sell products and services to online creators.) 

I’m guilty of forgetting this myself. 

I scroll here and see a bunch of people using AI in really cool, new ways. 

That gets baked into my head when creating a podcast or YouTube video on AI. 

Then I go to an event and talk to my actual customers and prospects and realize, they’re not using AI in their sales process in some of the simplest ways. 

But it’s not just with AI. It’s with all our messaging. 

We have what’s called “the curse of knowledge.” 

When we forget what it’s like to not know what we know so well. It’s a trap a lot of experts fall into. 

So, reminder (to myself as much as anyone) to spend a little more time creating for the people we want to listen. 

Not other creators.

I'm on Facebook the other day and see an ad: "Every sales expert is telling you the same lie—you need to build rapport before you sell."

The pitch? Buy my $37 course to learn how to sell without rapport.

If you read on, you'll see this supposed sales expert was making a common mistake: 

Confusing rapport with small talk. 

Rapport = trust & credibility. 

Small talk = likability. 

Talking about the weather. The local football team. The family pictures on the desk.

That might make you likable. But it doesn't make you credible.

And if you're selling anything of real importance to someone, likability only goes so far.

Think of it this way: If you need brain surgery, are you going with the doctor you like most, or the one you trust to get the job done? 

I recorded a podcast breaking down the common misconception. 

In it, I break down:

→ Why small talk doesn't equal rapport (and what does)

→ How to establish credibility in the first 5 minutes

→ The questions that prove you're an expert, not just likable

→ Why rapport is an ongoing process, not a one-time event

Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eDs2mfSZ

You know why so many salespeople waste 10 minutes talking about the weather?

Because they think being liked is the same as being trusted.

It's not.

Here's how I think about it:

If I needed brain surgery, I wouldn't pick the surgeon who makes great small talk.

I'd pick the one who asked questions that prove they've seen my exact condition 50 times before.

Likability gets you in the door. Credibility gets you the deal.

(If you are selling anything of high importance.) 

But there's the psychological trap a lot of reps fall into:

Small talk feels safer. It's comfortable. It doesn't require you to demonstrate expertise or challenge assumptions or risk saying something that might make the prospect uncomfortable.

So you hide behind it.

You talk about dogs and football teams instead of asking the question that might make them think: "Wait, maybe our current IT setup isn't as solid as we thought."

Real rapport is built on confidence, not comfort. 

Confidence that you know their industry. That you've done your homework. That you're not afraid to respectfully push back when they tell you something that's not accurate.

I recorded a podcast breaking down: 

→ Why people confuse likability with trust (and how to fix it)
→ The preparation work that builds real credibility
→ How to show up as an expert, not an order taker

Listen to the whole thing here: https://lnkd.in/eDs2mfSZ

There's a name for what happens in a business when leaders have no spine. 

You know what I'm talking about. When the people responsible for making the tough calls... just don't. 

They ignore underperformance. 
Avoid difficult conversations. 
Procrastinate making hard decisions. 
Or just never make them at all. 

From a business standpoint, it's called 'management debt.' 

'Management debt' compounds just like financial debt. 

It destroys cultures. And it can stunt growth just as much as irresponsible financial debt can. 

I recorded a quick podcast breaking down: 

→ What management debt is (vs. real leadership)

→ The compounding impact it has on companies 

→ How to keep it from accumulating in yours 

Tune in here: https://lnkd.in/eT3aBrt2

We all have beliefs that aren’t true. Every single one of us. 

The question is: How much are those beliefs holding us (or our business) back? 

Last week we took our beach kids on a ski trip to Utah for a few days. 

(“Dad, is that real SNOW?!?!) 

We had an unexpected delay in Salt Lake City and stopped by the Museum of Illusions—which is basically an hour and a half of mind bending experiences. 

It’s display after display of, “How in the hell is that happening?” 

And what it comes down to is your brain creates shortcuts with limited data. It stitches information together in a way that makes sense… but isn’t true. 

Like this picture. 

The tops of both of these boxes are the same size. Hard to see. But they even give you a block to hold over it to confirm. 

It’s harmless in this controlled environment. 

But what if the tops of these boxes represented a critical belief you held about something of importance that was holding you back. 

You know, the belief that: 

— “This business just doesn’t have the potential.”

— “That idea will never work.”

— “I’ve got to have [money, experience, connections, etc]  before I can do that.”

— “I’m too [young, old] to do this.” 

— “That channel doesn’t work anymore.” 

And what if it was just completely… wrong? 

An illusion that was holding you back from a monumental shift and achieving what you wanted. 

I've spent a lot of time this past year with entrepreneurs who've built $50M, $100M, $200M businesses.

I've also spent a lot of time with entrepreneurs who are struggling to get there. 

And the biggest difference I see is their belief systems. 

Founders who struggle to get to the next level typically have a belief that’s holding them back. Something they know to be true… that simply isn’t.  

A common one being that they are more essential to day-to-day operations than they really are. 

The question I’m asking myself today: What am I dead certain is true… that isn’t?

How about you?

The MSP owner on the phone with me sounded defeated.

His sales rep had just spent three weeks and 20+ hours on what looked like a perfect fit.

Discovery had uncovered real pain points. The assessment was thorough. The proposal meeting went well—good questions, engagement, positive energy.

Then... nothing.

Not a “no thanks.”
Not a “we’re going with someone else.”
Not even a “we need more time.”

Just complete radio silence after weeks of investment.

“This keeps happening,” he told me. “How do we stop bleeding time on deals that were never going to close?”

This was my response:

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The Battle

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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);}Josh S.'s LinkedIn Performance

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