Nift

The Gratitude Flywheel – Reshaping how people discover and engage with brands.

Partnerships

Sell Grow Repeat

On a mission to help founder led sales organizations, early stage companies, and digital entrepreneurs build sales processes and strategies that work.

Some recent successes:

- From 5% to 40% close rate in 3-months
- 40% increase in revenue in 2-months 
- First 1K customers in 6-months
- From $80K to $2M+ ARR

💪🏻 Let's work together!

Founder

TalentSheets

More than 490+ marketers and founders use TalentSheets to manage and support their influencer marketing efforts.

The first influencer platform that layers on top of Google, turning Google Drive into your own personalized influencer marketing database. All without changing your current workflow or costing you a fortune.

Co-Founder

LOOM CLUB

A neighborhood club where a community of locals exercise, co-work, and socialize under one roof. 

Re-imagining community & wellness for a changing world.

Investor

Plei, Inc

Plei is the largest pickup soccer platform & organizer in the United States, boasting more than:

- 180,000+ soccer players on the Plei App
- 40,000+ games hosted on the Plei App as of Aug '23 (30,000+ in 2023 Alone)
- Partnerships with 130+ sports facilities across 15 U.S. cities

Teachable

Director Of Business Development

Fullscreen

Fullscreen empowers talent and brands to build and monetize highly engaged, social-first audiences through best-in-class strategy, creative services and technology.  Our company is a global leader in social-first entertainment experiences and services for the world’s top talent, digital influencers, brands and avid fans.   
 
For our talent and digital influencer partners, we provide a range of services and tools that include talent management, multi-platform content optimization, brand partnerships, live touring, consumer products, and a powerful consumer-facing technology platform that provides affinity brands, talent and influencers with websites, online stores, fan clubs and social optimization tools to help them seamlessly analyze data and create meaningful relationships with fans. 
 
For our brand partners, we work with marketers who are looking to engage valuable, elusive youth audiences on social platforms through original entertainment, influencer marketing, multi-platform social content, organic and paid distribution, live events, and targeted media.  We have offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta.

VP Sales and Marketing

Reelio

- Founder with a strong focus on sales & marketing
- Built and managed cross-departmental teams for goal and process alignment that continue to provide stellar relationships and results for our clients.
- Drove company from ideation and pre-revenue to annual 8-figures 
- Sold into key accounts, such as, Estée Lauder, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, & Dunkin' Donuts without pre-existing relationships
- Liaison between market demands and product development in order to better shape product roadmap
- Built an outsourced SDR org to deliver 11X ROI on cost
- Drove company to successful acquisition

Co-founder & VP, Sales & Marketing (ACQUIRED)

Partnerships @ Nift | 3X Founder (8-figures, 7-figures, and a dud) | Investor. Advisor. Bourbon Lover | Exploring the tactics and stories from the best entrepreneurs on the planet

Daily insights on business building.

Sales & Marketing Leader with 10+ years selling high-value solutions as a player/coach to meet customer needs. 

Creative and curious mindset, with a track record of leveraging problem-solving skills to uncover new revenue opportunities and drive business growth. 

Unquestioned ethics and a strong commitment to doing what is right for customers, co-workers, and the company.

EQ > IQ

Some highlight from across my career:

- Responsible for more than $100M in advertising budgets

- Scaled startups $0 to 8-figures, then again from $0 to 7-figures

- Built an outsourced SDR Team that produced 11X ROI on net new logos

- Trained more than 50 sellers to systematically attain quota through repeatable process

- Sold into and built marketing programs for some of the best companies on the planet. 

I'm excited to create something amazing with you.

💪🏻 Let's work together

Mark Borum

The hits keep coming. Nift has once again been named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™.

One of North America’s fastest-growing technology companies, driven by 731% revenue growth over the past three years. 💪

[Full release in comments]

For the first time, the people who own the transaction are also becoming the most powerful media owners in the room. 

Walmart, Target, Kroger, Instacart, Uber, DoorDash… they have carts, orders,  identities, and now the media dollars.

Everyone’s hyped about retail media racing toward ~$100B. The more interesting question is: what happens when every “ad opportunity” is attached to a logged-in, paying customer?

The space is still relatively new, but its month-over-month rate of change can give you whiplash. If you still think commerce media is “sponsored products on a retailer’s site,” you’re already behind.

This is fast becoming the default way brands buy performance media:
closer to the transaction, closer to the customer, closer to actual revenue.

And the tension no one wants to talk about? there’s a ceiling on how many ads you can jam into an app, a feed, or a checkout flow before users tap out.

So the next phase isn’t “more ads.” It’s:

– Turning high-intent moments into value, not noise
– Growing yield per user without torching the experience
– Bringing in non-endemic dollars w/out turning into Times Square

The players who solve that balance — retailers, apps, BNPLs, streamers — will own the next decade of advertising. 

Everyone else will be arguing about CPMs while their users quietly churn.

Open article: Retail media ad spend will reach over $100B by 2027 by emarketer.com

Retail media ad spend will reach over $100B by 2027

Big milestone for us at Nift: we’re continuing our expansion in the UK with another phenomenal partner.

When Nift started, the idea was simple– help people discover great brands through gifts that actually feel good to receive. Watching that idea grow from a handful of partners in the U.S. to working with some of the biggest consumer apps in the world… that’s been surreal.

This latest addition to our UK partner ecosystem is a reminder of how far the team has taken this. 

New markets, new partners, and the same belief that there’s a better way for brands and consumers to connect than another interruptive ad.

I’m incredibly proud of what we’re building and even more excited for what opening up the UK unlocks next.

We’re pleased to share that Nift is partnering with Clearpay (Afterpay) as we expand into the UK.

Through this partnership, Clearpay customers will receive thoughtful thank-you gifts at meaningful moments in their journey—helping them discover brands they’ll love, while giving Clearpay a way to generate incremental revenue without interrupting the experience.

It also offers brands a more thoughtful path to reaching new audiences, rooted in relevance and choice rather than disruption.

We’re grateful to be partnering with Clearpay and look forward to what we’ll build together. 💪 

 🔗 Full announcement:  https://lnkd.in/gP4eRDNF

The Foundry for Art Design + Culture

The market doesn't reward the best. It rewards the best positioned.

The Foundry builds premium brand ecosystems that make leaders and organizations irreplaceable. Strategy. Story. Systems. Since 2007.

Most leaders and organizations have transformative value the world never sees. They're brilliant in boardrooms but invisible in markets. Their expertise dies in PowerPoints. Their culture gets lost in corporate speak.

The Foundry changes that narrative.

Since 2007, we've turned hidden giants into market leaders. We decode what makes you irreplaceable—then build the brand systems that prove it. Corporate storytelling that makes culture magnetic. Executive positioning that commands premium opportunities. Strategic video and design that transforms expertise into influence.

Your competition is playing small with "good enough" brands. You're building an empire of influence.

From Mohawk to Marriott, from founders to Fortune 500s—we make the invisible undeniable.

The Foundry. Where leaders become irreplaceable.
New York State certified MWBE.

Chief Branding Officer + Co-Founder

United Group of Companies

Responsible for developing strategic branding solutions for all commercial, multi-family, student housing, and senior housing portfolios. Develop brand creative, market research, brand purpose, strategy and voice, naming, and visual identity. Developed concepts for integrating the brand into built environments. Responsible for planning, developing, and implementing all marketing and sales strategies, marketing communications, and public relations activities, both external and internal.

Director of Brand & Marketing

Oberlander Group

Responsible for the development and management of all creative work including concept, design, presentation, execution, and production. Senior management leader executing agency vision and brand stewardship, strategic planning across agency products and services—including marketing and public relations, and new business development.

Creative Art Director

Russell Sage College

Full-time faculty member responsible for teaching advanced level Visual Communication Design courses and development of Graphic Design, Typography, and Portfolio course curricula.

Professor

The College of Saint Rose

Full-time faculty member responsible for teaching advanced level Visual Communication Design courses and development of advance level Graphic Design, and Portfolio curricula.

Personal brand strategy for CEOs & C-Suites | 10Xing Executive Brands to increase revenue, build authority, and attract unicorn talent | Top 50 LinkedIn Creator 11th Worldwide, 3rd US | +94K IG | NYS M/WBE

There are two ways to build a business, a career, or a legacy in 2025:

1. Blend in. Get replaced.
2. Lead. Build a brand that's irreplaceable.

Most are stuck in the first.

Even brilliant executives. Successful founders. Industry experts with decades of proof.

Here's what no one tells you: Having expertise isn't enough anymore. Having a "personal brand" isn't enough either.

You need the complete strategic ecosystem, positioning, brand strategy, and aligned offers, working together to make you the only choice in your market.

Right now, you're likely leaving $100K-$250K on the table because:


• Your positioning sounds like everyone else's "I help" statements
• Your brand strategy and business strategy aren't aligned (the expensive gap)
• Your offers don't reflect your true value or market position
• These pieces operate in silos instead of as one powerful system


The real problem? You're treating brand as decoration when it should be your business strategy.

Imagine instead:
Having positioning so clear that ideal clients find YOU. A brand strategy that drives every business decision. Offers that practically sell themselves at premium rates. All working as one ecosystem that builds your authority, revenue, and the freedom to live how you choose.

That's where I come in.

I'm the brand strategist who transforms high-performing leaders into irreplaceable market authorities. Using my Value DNA™ framework, I architect the complete system, brand strategy, premium positioning, and aligned offers, that makes you uncopyable.

Whether you prefer the energy of group momentum (VIB, the focus of private coaching, or complete done-for-you execution, I help you:
→ Build brand strategy that becomes your business strategy
→ Position and differentiate yourself as the only choice (not the best choice)
→ Design offers that align with your premium market position
→ Create the ecosystem where every element amplifies your value

The result? You stop competing and start commanding your category.

If you're ready to build the brand strategy that makes you irreplaceable, and add $250K+ through an aligned ecosystem that actually works, let's talk.

Explore offers below.

Alana Sparrow

Your network isn't your net worth anymore.

( for real woot the fook ↓ )

Because here's what's happening in real time, whether we like it or not:

LinkedIn's new algorithm 360Brew's job is hyper-focused on personalization. 

Not serendipity.

Sooo...all those real relationships you've been building? 

The DMs where you're actually funny? 

The coffee chats where you solve their entire business model in 47 minutes? 
(you need to stop that anyway)

The "we should totally work together" conversations that feel like you finally found your people?

The platform can't see any of it.

Your relationships are invisible unless they're public.

So if you're....

– best clients aren't commenting
– your dream collaborators aren't sharing
– your actual humans aren't showing up 

where the robot can 𝘴𝘦𝘦 them doing it... 

the algorithm thinks you're sitting in an empty room talking to yourself.

And it's definitely not setting you up on any blind dates with new audiences.

Cool cool cool. Love that for us.

We're out here trying to build real community and run actual businesses, and these absolute geniuses keep rewriting the rules like we don't have sh*t to do.



But here's what I'm watching 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 work:

1 / You have to engineer the overlap now.

2 / Comment in rooms where your 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 clients are. 
( Bring a jacket or personality...it's cold AF)

Not just your cozy little echo chamber where everyone already loves you.

3 / Save content from people whose audience you want. 
(I know. Feels weird. Do it anyway.)

4 / Get your people to share your work.

That's how the model figures out who the hell you're for.



The algorithm rewards substance now. Not "great post, bestie!" 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴.

So yeah. 

Your offline relationships still matter, but if those people are lurking like they're watching you through a window, the model thinks you're a lonely cat lady with a sad little blog.

What's something you've done (on purpose or completely by accident) that actually got you in front of a new audience here?

I'ma dyin' to know.

PS: Go on and share...it'll help us both. Please and thank you.

Alana Sparrow 

Making Leaders Irreplaceable (+$250K) | Positioning & Premium Brand Strategy for CEOs, Founders & Executives | Private + VIB Group Coaching + DFY Brand Strategy | Global Top 1% Strategist | NYS M/WBE

I've had people say, can I sliiiide into your DMs?

( this is not a children's playground jeff )

You should be completely honest.

You should say,

Hey, can I, um walk
awkwardly into your
DM region?

Can I roll into your
DMs like a potato
going down a hill?

Jeff, here's a powerful tip that changed my
connection game forever:

Personalization + Familiarity + Affinity = 👯‍♀️👯‍♂️

For example:

1. I say why I want to connect [build]
2. I mention something familiar [resent post]
3. I marry their interests and mine [shared insights]

This is how I have an +90% acceptance.
And why I’ve grown a +65% ideal audience so fast .

I don't randomly connect; I strategically request.

Bonus tip:
Use the first line to say why you want to connect
↳ Use the second line to resonate with their interests

Real life example:

"Hey Howie, we both breathe air so would love to connect. Ha, jokes aside, would be honored to have you in my connections, and to bring some branding value to your feed too."

Bonus bonus tip:
You can skip a note if you have a solid well positioned profile or you've had good dialog in the comments.

PS: Join my newsletter for regular goodness not shared here: https://lnkd.in/eACn29sZ

Hot take: your "brand voice" isn't the asset. 

( this wacky thing is )

Your nervous system is.

Most people build backwards.

Pick a personality...

quirky! 
relatable! 
no-BS!

then stuff their actual thinking into it like a Lithuanian grandma making sausage.

Works great until someone disagrees with you in the comments.

Then it's just... 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲?

The wobble. The qualifier. The "well what I 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 meant was..."
(so awkward)

Your body registers it before your brain does.

That's not a voice problem. 
That's a calibration problem.

Your tone is just your nervous system protecting ideas you haven't fully moved into yet.

Like wearing someone else's shoes and hoping no one notices you're walking weird.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀:

Their voice isn't something they built.

It's what got left behind after they stopped performing and started inhabiting.

You can borrow syntax. Copy cadence. Mimic structure.

But you can't rent someone else's conviction and expect it to hold your weight when the room gets spicy.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻?

They've just done the work to inhabit what they're saying.

So their voice isn't a costume. 
It's just them, standing still.

Which sounds boring but is actually magnetic as hell.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝘁.

Stop polishing delivery.

Start living into what you actually believe.

The way you say it will sharpen itself.

That's how you build a signal strong enough to survive scrutiny.

And weird enough to be worth the premium.

PS: If you had to teach this, where would you start?

PPS: Follow for more branding truth bombs M-F 6:30am EST. Ring my bell boop.

How to win at failing on LinkedIn ↓

( steal this DM strategy ) 

I’ll give him credit…he played the long game…and is now working on his ‘priorities.’

In all seriousness, of all the platforms not to be a creep on it’s this one.

Why Alana?…. Do tell!

Well Mark…this platform is directly tied to your livelihood like no other. 

Jobs, careers, and businesses are all tethered here.

Don't be a dope and fook things up for yourself in the worst way.

For the rest of you who have your priorities in order...connect with 10 relevant people today.

Making Leaders Irreplaceable (+$250K) | Positioning & Premium Brand Strategy for CEOs, Founders & Executives | Private + VIB Group Coaching + DFY Brand Strategy | Global Top 1% Brand Strategist | NYS M/WBE

If I ever became stuck in a job again…  

( the exact 4 things I'd do )  

It wouldn’t start with updating my résumé. 

Or posting a single piece of content. 

Or rewriting my LinkedIn headline.  

It would start with getting 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 on four things:  

1. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁?    
Not the vague version. 
The real one.    
The work that matters. 
To me.     

2. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴?    
Not just skills. Value. Perspective. Power.    
The stuff that changes outcomes.     

3. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁?    
Stay. Leap. Lead. Build. Shift.    
Doesn’t matter... until I know.     

4. 𝗪𝗵𝗼’𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿?    
A company. A cause. A client.    
If you don’t know who you’re calling in, no one hears you.  
Without this fundamental clarity?  

–  It creates friction. 
–  You lose momentum. 
–  You start second-guessing. 
–  You might even lose 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵...in yourself or from others.  

And that’s not just a professional problem. That’s a personal one.  

Maybe you like the work but 
hate the environment.  

Maybe you’re in the right room 
but they don’t see you.  

Maybe you’re in the wrong industry, 
chasing someone else’s definition of success.  

And NO...
entrepreneurship isn’t the answer for everyone.  

I’m not here to sell it. 
Unless it’s what you 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 want. 

And it gets you where you’re 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 going.  

But this? This is for everyone:  

–  You deserve to feel fulfilled in your work. 
–  To see the ripple effect of your contribution. 
–  To know you’re making an impact.  

And if you’re an employer reading this:  

Companies are healthier when people know their worth. 
Teams are stronger when clarity drives action. 
And lives change when people stop settling.  

So….  

–  Don’t rewrite your résumé. 
–  Don’t update your title. 
–  Don’t post a single thing...  

Until you know exactly what you want, what you bring, what you’re here to do, and who it’s for.  

Clarity isn't a warm-up.  

Its the work. 
It’s the shift. 
It’s the difference.  

Don't move until you've got it. 

PS: applies whether you feel stuck or not. Too many of ya’ll are underpositioned. This should help.

taplio

The Battle

Mark Borum

Alana Sparrow

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreMark Borum's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAlana Sparrow's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Mark Borum

Alana Sparrow

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Mark Borum's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAlana Sparrow's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreMark Borum's LinkedIn Performance