Michelle J Raymond

B2B GROWTH CO - Get Your Business Active on LinkedIn™️ for Growth

Are you looking for someone who can audit your current performance on LinkedIn and provide a strategy on how you can boost the performance?

Want to learn how to create an Employee Advocacy Program using LinkedIn? I can work with your teams to show methods that will give great returns.

LinkedIn can be overwhelming when you first venture onto the platform. Where should you focus your efforts? What is the current LinkedIn best practice?

Built on the principles of #socialselling - building trusted relationships, become the go-to authority and be top of mind ready for when your ideal client is ready to make a purchase. 

The training focusses on WHY you should do different things on LinkedIn so you can tailor to your unique following. 

I never want you to think it's a one size fits all approach.

Head B2B Growth Coach + LinkedIn Trainer

International Speaker & Podcast Guest - LinkedIn™️ Company Page Expert

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 - https://socialmediaforb2bgrowthpodcast.com/

This show covers everything you need to know to grow your business using social media. It covers Social Selling, Branding, Content Creation, Thought Leadership, and Employee Advocacy.

With weekly sessions featuring global B2B experts, we share proven strategies and actionable tips to 
help you maximise your time on LinkedIn.

Podcast Host and Producer - Social Media for B2B Growth Video Podcast

The LinkedIn Pages Product team have hand-selected a small, engaged group of small & medium-sized business Page Admins to share quick feedback on new concepts and features they are building. 

This is an acknowledgement of the work being done as an advocate for the improvement of LinkedIn  Company Pages and active member of the Page Admins group. 

Please note : I'm unable to share any new features before they are launched.

LinkedIn Pages Team Advisor - Small Business Advisory Council

The LinkedIn Branding Community by #MichelleSquared

Michelle B Griffin and Michelle J Raymond met on LinkedIn through the power of commenting in December 2020. Together they have supported each other with complimentary yet different strengths to rise up and stand out on LinkedIn with their personal branding and business branding businesses.

Both quickly realized that the “Power of Two” as #MichelleSquared was a force for good that would propel success more than what was possible on their own.

The LinkedIn Branding Community was launched in early 2022 as a LinkedIn Audio show followed by their podcast and book that showcases their Brand Squared System™ methodology to pay these lessons forward. 

Their mission is to bond together powerful and impact-driven professionals who are building successful brands and businesses to rise up and stand out on LinkedIn and beyond.

The LinkedIn Branding Community Co-Founder

The top-ranked podcast, The LinkedIn Branding Show, hosted by #MichelleSquared, Michelle B Griffin and Michelle J Raymond, empowers professionals, entrepreneurs, experts, and small business owners to stand out and rise up as they build personal and business brands on LinkedIn. New episodes drop every Thursday on your favorite podcast platform.

Podcast Co-Host - The LinkedIn Branding Show

This isn’t an ordinary branding book or business book, for that matter. The LinkedIn Branding Book is more. This compilation is our invitation to support you in investing and profiting from your unlimited potential through the power of LinkedIn.

Inside, you’ll discover the power of putting yourself out there and the foundational branding steps you need to stand out and rise up on LinkedIn, either as an employee or a business.

Think of #MichelleSquared as empowering yet straight talk experts, guiding you to build a personal or business brand that is uniquely and proudly yours.The LinkedIn Branding Show, our highly regarded weekly podcast, comes to life on these pages. You’ll find interactive episodes with actionable takeaways threaded in with the stories and lessons that will deliver real results.

Throughout, you will be guided by our personal perspectives, our decades of sales and marketing knowledge, and our first-hand experiences building LinkedIn brands on a global scale.

The LinkedIn Branding Book is here to fast-track and ensure your success. You can skip the mistakes we made, avoid frustration, and move forward confidently and convincingly with your refined LinkedIn personal and business brand. Come along for the journey with the Power of #MichelleSquared, the Power of LinkedIn and the Power of Good Brands and Good Businesses.

If you are looking to invest in the success of you and your business, we wrote this book for you.

Michelle B Griffin & Michelle J Raymond AKA #MichelleSquared

Co-Author The LinkedIn Branding Book

I help you get rid of these

If you want credibility for your business you need to get rid of these grey boxes. They could be costing you opportunities. Having your company page set up will legitimise your business, create a great first impression and begin to build trust.

<<< ASK ME HOW TO GET RID OF THESE FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Business Gold

Build Awareness, Authority and Advantage with LinkedIn Company Pages. getbook.at/BusinessGold

Business Gold is the world's first book about LinkedIn company pages and gives you everything you need to know about using Pages to make an impact in your business.

We cover:
▶ Why a Page for your business is an excellent idea and how it will help you achieve your marketing and sales objectives.
▶ How to set up a Page properly so it will receive 20% more reach than incomplete pages.
▶ How to publish from a Page to get high organic reach, without having to pay for adverts.
▶ How Pages differ from personal profiles.
▶ How to grow the following of your Page.
▶ How to successfully run events from your Page.
▶ All you need to know about sub-pages of company Pages.
▶ Examples of excellent Pages.
▶ The future of Pages.

Shelley McConaghy posted this review on Amazon:
This is THE go-to for setting up and managing a LinkedIn Business Page
I can't believe how many amazing tips are contained in this one book, about setting up and continuing to manage a great Linkedin business page. I think I'll be implementing ideas from it for quite a while. Of course things evolve quickly, but the strategies and guidance around implementation of setting up all the features is timeless. Well-written and very digestible.

Follow #BusinessGold and our book page at https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-gold-book

Ranked -
124 In Kindle Store in total
1 in Multilevel Marketing
1 in Business Communications
9 in Business and Economics
1 in Marketing
1 in Marketing and Sales
1 in Business and Investing

Co Author - World’s First Book on LinkedIn Company Pages ** GLOBAL BESTSELLER**

Dalcon Hygiene - Ensuring a Cleaner Future.

Dalcon Hygiene is an Australian manufacturer of commercial cleaning products in both liquids and powders. 

Responsibilties
• Develop a program of cost reduction initiatives by strategically sourcing raw materials.
• Technology upgrade throughout business. Includes responsive/mobile-friendly website, HubSpot Marketing and CRM integration, and mobile account managers.
• Product development by staying on top of current product trends and the latest ingredient technologies.
• Ownership and development of operations aligning with organisational strategy, implementation, and communication to all key stakeholders.
• High focus on increasing warehousing systems and efficiencies within the organisation, including taking employees on the journey and implementing structures for short and long-term success. 
• Led and supported a team of fifteen, focusing on employee performance development, including delivery of plans, budgets, and KPIs. 
• Establishment and implementation of a business plan for a 3-5 year period, consistent with the organisation's plan for commercial activities. 
• Development of organisational capabilities and efficiencies by examining operational infrastructure to ensure the highest level of customer service whilst reviewing underperforming areas of business and introducing improvements to meet stakeholder requirements.

GM Sales & Operations

BRENNTAG ASIA PACIFIC

Responsibilties
• Responsible for the growth and development of major contract manufacturers and brand owners in Sydney and Melbourne.
• Report on business movement, opportunities, industry trends, competitor activity and past/future sales appointments.
• Achieve activity, sales and GP targets whilst identifying and converting new business.
• Attend industry networking functions and events to increase market awareness and new business.
• PACT Group, Pax, Unilever, BWX (Sukin), Ensign Laboratories, Baxter Laboratories, Nature’s Organics, Aesop, Aware Environmental. 
• Distributing materials from - DSM, Solvay, Carrubba Extracts, KCC Silicones, CPL Aromas, JRS Cosmetic Cellulose, Novachem.
• Working at all levels of business with heavy involvement with R&D projects. 

Key Achievements 
• Delivered 147% of GM budget.
• Member of Brenntag Asia Digital Marketing Team
• Interim supplier management for a number of suppliers over a period of five months

Key Account Manager - Personal Care

• Liaise with core suppliers, Personal Care unit manager, logistics, sourcing and QSHE teams to deliver service excellence to customers.
• Use of social media and business networks to promote principal suppliers and their products.
• Account Management of key brand owners and contract manufacturers such as: Unilever, PACT Group (Jalco), Pax, Activ Pharma, Moorebank Aerosols, Pure Fiji

Key Achievements:
• Interim management of principal suppliers and team leadership in the absence of a Personal Care Market Manager
• Market map completed of mineral oils and petroleum jelly in Australia. Identified 2500t of potential new business for the personal care market. 
• Delivered GM $300k of new business development.

Account Manager - Personal Care

IXOM

Life Sciences incorporates Household and Laundry, Personal Care and Beauty and Health. 

In this role, I worked with key accounts such as Unilever, PACT Group, Pax, Trendpac, Delta Laboratories, Natures Care.

Major manufacturers promoted - Seppic, Lubrizol, CLR, AAK, Stepan, Vantage, Shin Etsu, Strahl & Pitsch, Novachem.

In depth understanding of the challenges faced in manufacturing, my role is working to find solutions to enable my customers to maintain high quality in increasingly tight market. 

Ingredients and raw materials sold varied from commodities to specialty ingredients, including flavours/fragrances 

Achievements
•  Bulk Powders Laundry Project - $15M revenue
• Heated ISO SLES Project - $5M revenue

Key Account Manager - Life Sciences

Working with small to mid-size manufacturers in the household and industrial space nationally. 

Key Responsibilities
• Strong focus on reactivating lost business and building opportunities in this space. 

Key Achievements
• Increased Ixom's market share of this portfolio by 8% after several years of decline. 
• Reactivated 30% of lost business accounts in the short period that this role was held before promotion. 
• Developed and delivered sales plans.

Account Manager - Household and Industrial

Pacific Non Wovens

This hybrid role was a combination of short and long cycle selling at all levels of business. 

National Wipes Product Manager - a multi faceted role which included completion of requests for proposals, renegotiating existing contracts, marketing strategies, business development, product training  and budgeting. Customer portfolio was a mix of janitorial, office, industrial and wholesale suppliers. Also managed the toll manufacturing on behalf of Unilever Australia.

Completed a relaunch of the Vistex brand into the distributor market place. This included complete packaging redesign, marketing material, sales training program.

Senior Technical Account Manager – broad spectrum of customers across many different non woven textile markets.  Specialist in acoustic and filtration products.
A technical solutions based selling role from product development, testing and implementation. 

Responsible for $6 million portfolio representing approx 25% of total company sales budget.  

Also included the oversight of Sydney based customer service representative to ensure that NSW Sales representatives were supported.

National Product Manager / Senior Technical Account Manager

Contract Role to manage key client relationships during The Smith Family’s divestment process.

Key Responsibilities
• Develop strong working relationships with internal stakeholders e.g. warehouse, production planning, finance 
• Technical-based sales of Non-Woven fabrics.
• Complete monthly forecast and review to liaise with the Operations team to ensure order demands could be met. 
• Manage customer service representatives to ensure daily tasks are completed in a timely manner. 

Key Accomplishments
• Cleared all slow-moving and obsolete stock from the warehouse, increasing sales by $95K.
• Achievement of an average 97% of orders delivered in full and on time.

Customer Service and Warehouse Team Leader

Universal Choice Wholesalers

Responsibilities
• Management of one local sales representative and four based in overseas sales team. (Philippines).
• Management of team to drive retention and growth against sales targets through new product expansion and new business development. 
• Development of a marketing plan to expand the Universal Choice brand in respective markets. 
Improvement of GM% against company targets

Key Accomplishments
• Increased average Gross Margin % from 10% to 35% within the first six months. 
• Developed Universal Choice brochures for beauty, aged care, child care and safety markets to expand Universal brand in the market. 
• Achieved 11% growth on customer portfolio, reversing the trend of negative growth for the previous 12-month period.

Sales Manager

Responsibilities
• Provide recommendations and advice on suitable products and convert client queries into sales.
• Utilise LIVCRM system to monitor customer purchasing patterns and manage multiple sales prospects. 
• Negotiation of new business with various levels of management. 

Key Accomplishments
* Account management of sales budgets of AUD$1.2m, including 12.5% growth in first six months. 
* Designated team specialist in reactivating inactive customers.
* Promoted to Sales Manager.
* Growth of 17% on number of items sold.

Senior Account Executive

The Smith Family

Responsibilities
• Manage Supply Agreements with the aim of ensuring all market offers are delivering the greatest value to the customer account and earning TSFCE the highest profit margin possible.
• Prepared 2009/10 Sales budgets and analysis of performance against budget reported monthly. 
New business research and development, including quotations.

Key Accomplishments
• Account management of sales budgets of $4m with a focus on Distribution portfolio e.g. Vistex Wiping Cloths 
• Captitalised on individual market research and initiated new business and product development with estimated sales of AUD$1m. 
• Analysed Market Offer and sales for the Furniture Felt segment and implemented a revised market offer, which delivered improved gross margins of 7% due to reduced handling and freight costs. 
• Prepared the marketing plan to reinvigorate the “Vistex” brand of wiping cloths. Sales trend reversed to have the highest on record for 18 months.

Technical Sales Representative

As part of the Sales and Marketing team, managed the Customer Service team to be proactive service providers in order to maximise the effectiveness of the customer service provided to internal/external and Australian/Overseas customers.
• Escalated calls, ensured achievement of KPIs, 
• Mentored team for growth and development and manage conflicting priorities.

Key Accomplishments
• Led cross-functional teams to develop and implement Service Level Agreements throughout the Supply  Chain, which improved on-time deliveries by 9%.
• Procedural development and deployment across Customer Service and the Supply Chain.
• Overall efficiencies gained allowed for the Customer Service team to take on an additional Export function reduction in wages of 25%.

Customer Service Manager

Business LinkedIn Trainer - B2B Marketers/Business Owners my LinkedIn G.R.O.W.T.H Masterclass & B2B Community Builder are your secret to growth. Company Page Expert. 2XLinkedIn Author.

“I know my business should be on LinkedIn, BUT… (Insert Your Reason Here).” Are you feeling frustrated that you know that your target audience is on LinkedIn, but you aren’t sure how to take advantage of this?

You probably looked around LinkedIn, and there was conflicting and often questionable advice that isn’t tailored to B2B and certainly not aligned with your business goals and resources. 

You quickly realise you don’t have time to figure LinkedIn out. You just want to work with someone you can trust. 

With over two decades of B2B sales experience, eight of them using LinkedIn to scale businesses, I founded B2B GROWTH CO because I’m passionate about helping businesses like yours leverage LinkedIn to build a powerful industry-leading community and attract opportunities for business growth.

I work one on one as I know that no two businesses are the same. You have unique requirements, resources and experience that need to be factored in. One size never fits all, and your LinkedIn B2B strategy is no different. 

LinkedIn for business success is built on the power of your company brand and the personal brand of your employees working together. That’s why I've developed three products that will be your blueprint for making this happen.

After a free intro call, I will recommend which course or combo will help your business most  - 
 📌 LinkedIn G.R.O.W.T.H Masterclass - foundational training for all employees. 
 📌 LinkedIn B2B Community Builder Masterclass - exclusive for Company Page admins running the Company Page.
 📌 LinkedIn Profile Recharge – Say goodbye to profiles that undersell knowledge and experience. 

My mission is to give your team confidence and clarity in taking effective actions on LinkedIn without wasting time. 

What makes me different to most is that I genuinely care about your business growth and results. I’m strongly against automation tools, engagement pods, and other hacks that avoid genuine relationship-building. 

Don't just take my word for it. Here's what one of my clients, Kelly K, says: "Michelle is our LinkedIn whisperer... having someone we can rely on to keep us on top of what's happening has been invaluable. Her enthusiasm and positivity are contagious."

STOP UNDERSELLING YOUR BUSINESS ON LINKEDIN!

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗠𝗘:
😃 The time is NOW to grow your business - Book a FREE 15min Intro Call
📅 https://calendly.com/michelle-j-raymond/book-an-intro-call-15mins

Global LinkedIn Pages Expert - LinkedIn Strategist and Trainer - B2B Social Selling Consultant

LinkedIn feels like it has changed more in the past year than it has in the last five, don't you think? You'd be forgiven if you're struggling to keep up.

If your reach has dropped or your posts feel unpredictable, it’s not you. The platform is evolving.

Big creators are seeing smaller numbers, smaller creators are getting surprise boosts, and pay-to-play has arrived.

But here’s the first truth bomb. 💣

You can still win on LinkedIn. You just need to evolve your strategy.

Ready for the full breakdown? 

My latest newsletter dives into what’s actually working right now with help from this week's guest, the fabulous Michaela Alexis.

B2B Marketers LinkedIn Bestie. Don’t waste time figuring out LinkedIn. I’ve already done that and can help you implement LinkedIn in your business. LinkedIn Training, LinkedIn Profile Writing, Company Page Management.

There’s a quiet frustration running through LinkedIn right now. Marketers, creators, and business owners are all asking the same questions. “Why is my

Open article: LinkedIn Has Changed: 5 Truth Bombs Every Professional Needs to Know by Michelle J Raymond • 4 min read

LinkedIn Has Changed: 5 Truth Bombs Every Professional Needs to Know

Who's coming to Social Media Marketing World Anaheim in 2026? It's the place where Marketers' Dreams Come True. 😉

Fun fact: my first ever speaking gig was at this event in 2024. 

It's so cool to be invited back to speak at this event for the third time. Every year that Liliane Abboud and I go, we learn so much and we meet so many great people (too many to tag, but the temptation to try is real!).

Here's my topic for 2026 - LINKEDIN COMPANY PAGES THAT CONVERT: THE 5 STRATEGIES EVERYONE ELSE MISSES.

Buy your ticket through this link (in person or virtual) - https://lnkd.in/gBfUYzpK

Mike Stelzner and the Social Media Examiner team do such an amazing job putting on this event, and I can't wait to see what energy the new location brings. 

Will I see you there?

PS Yes I'll be packing Tim Tams 😀

No alternative text description for this image

Hot take: If your LinkedIn strategy falls apart the moment an employee leaves, it was never a strategy to begin with. You just borrowed their brand.

Everyone talks about building employee personal brands because they “get more reach than Company Pages”.  Yes, it's true they do get more reach. 

They’re powerful. They matter. They humanise your business.

But here’s what no one wants to say out loud:

Gen Z makes up 65% of LinkedIn members. It is this generation that businesses rely on to amplify their brands. 

But Gen Z now averages around one year in a role, and 1 in 3 plan to change jobs in the next 12 months. (no judgement)

With that level of churn, building your entire visibility on individual profiles is… unstable at best.

Your Company Page is the brand asset you own.
Your employees are the amplifiers - not the foundation.

Here’s the twist people forget: a strong Company Page is what attracts the next wave of great employees in the first place.

My solution - The Power of Two wins every time. 
A strong company brand + strong employee brands.

“Employee personal brands = borrowed land". Change my mind.

Man smiling while sitting at a table with a sign that reads "Employee personal brands = borrowed land. Change my mind."

You want your content to sell stuff on LinkedIn. But it's not.

I'll give you the answers today to change that on one condition.....

You'll need to stop using impressions and engagement as your only measure of success. It's killing your conversions.

Because writing for likes and comments isn't the same as writing for conversion. 

Good news for you, The Ghost 👻 a.k.a Sarra Richmond is here to help in this week's episode. 

The summary is in the newsletter, but do yourself a favour and watch or listen to the whole episode so you don't miss out on what could be that one thing that is a game-changer for your content.

What did you learn from reading this?

Repost if you think it will help someone else 😀

You’re posting. You’re showing up. You’re “doing all the right things” according to what the feed says… and still nothing moves. On the surface, your 

Open article: How to Fix Your LinkedIn Conversions: The Real Reasons Your Content Isn’t Working by Michelle J Raymond • 4 min read

How to Fix Your LinkedIn Conversions: The Real Reasons Your Content Isn’t Working

Dare to be different.

Or not. But here's what happens when you don't..

There's the obvious - you blend in with competitors. I see that all the time when I'm doing Page Audit & Strategy sessions with clients. 

Remove the logo, and everyone still looks the same and sounds the same. 

Being professional ✅
Blending into obscurity ✅

But Marketers, there is another angle for you to consider that's not so obvious. 

That nagging voice inside you that knows what you are doing won't work, doesn't go away. The job you once found fulfilling now feels more like an empty void. 

Because deep down, you know the truth.

Safe content isn’t strategic. It’s self-sabotage dressed up as professionalism.

The longer you play small, the further you drift from the impact you could be making.

If you want results, you can’t hide behind what’s “industry standard”.

You have to lead. Experiment. Put your own stamp on things.

Dare to be different. 😀

Your audience, your brand and your career will thank you for it.

Cheers
Michelle

PS Do you need help getting back the courage to back yourself and do the type of marketing that lights you up? Send me a DM.

Should I join an engagement pod and reap the potential rewards? A question I've pondered recently and answered why I couldn't do it in my 200th episode recording with Neal Veglio. 

There are many reasons why my answer was no; it would never be worth it. 

The main one - my clients. 

How could I offer training and done-for-you LinkedIn services if I fundamentally didn't believe they would work for my clients?

There is no way that I could lie to their face and say follow my process, it works with a disclaimer of **only if you buy the engagement and followers**. 

I don't pretend that with clients, LinkedIn for business growth will always be easy. It's not. 

Nor will I overpromise the types of results they can expect or the timelines in which they will occur. I know I've missed out on opportunities because of this, but those potential clients weren't the right fit to work with me. 

I am 100% confident in my G.R.O.W.T.H framework, and other LinkedIn training programs will set clients up for success if they do the work. 

Integrity will always be the foundation of working with B2B GROWTH CO - Grow Your B2B on LinkedIn. 

If you are a B2B Marketer or business owner that shares these values and is looking to refine your LinkedIn strategy for 2026 book a time with me. Limited places left before the end of the year.

Tim Tam Tip - imagine this is the LinkedIn feed. There is a little bit of everything out there. You have to give people a reason to pick you, your content, your brand. 

You won’t be for everyone.

But the one’s that align with your brand will choose you.

That’s the great part about branding. It makes selection easy. 

Just like there is no way I’m eating bananas (Liliane Abboud you can have them). 

How many Tim Tams are on this platter?

PS If someone invents Tim Tam pie I’m jumping on the Thanksgiving trend here. What do you think Brenda Meller🥧 ? 

Happy Belated Aussie Friday 😃

Marketers - winning on LinkedIn in 2026 will come down to one thing: Know Thy Customer.

Having tunnel vision to serve your customer with your LinkedIn Marketing is a skill we all need to practice. 

I see it with Company Pages that fail, as they constantly focus only on the brand. 

I see it with individuals who get sidetracked by trending content, algorithm reports and the noise LinkedIn sends our way, like ads and suggested posts.

Know Thy Customer for me is not getting ChatGPT to create an ICP profile in a few seconds; you give it attention for 4 minutes and 22 seconds, and then forget about it as the next distraction comes in. 

It's about real conversations that happen with customers. 

Maybe the marketing team have the opportunity to speak directly, maybe it's social listening, or maybe you are leveraging your customer-facing colleagues.

Narrow down your customer and solve their biggest problem, and as Sarra Richmond says - CHING 💰💰💰💰

Tim Tam Tip - Let's get dark this week. Dark Tim Tam & Dark Social. 

Timfluencer Testing Leaderboard 

1) Double Coated Chocolate
2) Deluxe Dark Chocolate Mint
3) Original
4) Dark Chocolate
5) Decadent Triple Coated Chocolate
6) Strawberries & Cream
7) Cafe Latte
8) Mangoes & Cream (confession, I can't bring myself to try this flavour)

Happy Friday, 21/11/2025 - Let me know in your comment the date you see this post. I'm curious when people will actually see this.

Billy Samoa Saleebey

Podify

Podify, LLC is a podcasting services and technology company that specializes in the production and promotion of digital media and podcasts. We work with podcasters and companies to provide audio editing, video editing, search engine optimization, web development, writing, analytics, transcription, publishing, media management, advertising, marketing, and social media support. Our clients subscribe to our monthly membership to receive these services and our mission is to help their podcasts achieve high production quality while reaching their target audience. We also create applications, technology, and automated tools to help create a more efficient workflow to produce a podcast.

Co-Founder & CEO

Insight Out with Billy Samoa 

What if an insight could change your life? 

Host Billy Samoa Saleebey (award-winning filmmaker and former Tesla Exec) sits down with the world’s most remarkable people to uncover their life-changing insights. Impeccable research and deep curiosity help to shine a spotlight on transformational insights that can change your life. Learn the secret formulas and playbooks world changers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders have used to reach incredible levels of success. Practical and specific, you will walk away knowing how to put these lessons into action so get ready to take theses Insights Out!

Creator and Host of Insight Out

For the Love of Podcast

After leaving corporate life last year, I’ve become obsessed with podcasting. I created the show Insight Out to highlight the transformational moments of remarkable people.

It was a year spent learning a new industry and while I may have left my career, in the process I found my calling!

The purpose of this new show is to help podcasters create world-class podcasts. I meet with the best podcasters in the world, renowned experts, and industry leaders to continue my own learning and to serve this purpose.

There are over 1,000,000 podcasts and this show will focus on what separates the top 1% from the rest.

So this is a podcast about podcasts, podcasters, and podcasting.

I’ll dissect what makes some shows are great while others fail to find success; Exploring how to produce a high-quality show and how to promote it so it can find it’s audience

I’m on a mission to help make your podcast shine by giving you the tools, insights, and technical tips used by best podcasters of all time

If you’re like me, constantly working to make your podcast reach its fullest potential then you’re in right place

I hope you’ll join me on this journey, where everything we do, we do it...

FOR THE LOVE OF PODCAST!

To be notified when the first episode is out please join the mailing list by visiting the link below:
http://fortheloveofpodcast.com/for-the-love-of-podcast-is-launching-8-31/


#podcast #billysamoa #podcasters #podcasting

Creator and Host of For the Love of Podcast

Insight Media

Insight Media is a Los Angeles based broadcasting and media production company focused on the growth and development of individuals and businesses.  Our mission is to produce content and experiences that will inspire action for the good of humanity. We do this by sharing insights and life stories that help illustrate how the choices we make have an impact on our life and our planet. Our first program is a podcast and video series called Insight Out (http://insightoutshow.com). The purpose of this show is to discover and dissect transformational insights that have helped propel the lives and careers of exceptionally successful individuals.  Through interviews and case studies we examine how these major breakthrough moments teach valuable lessons that often influence the trajectory of our lives. 

For more information please visit our website to see our Master Plan: https://insightoutshow.com/index.php/2019/09/01/insight-studios-public-master-plan/

President and Founder

Tesla

As Director of Global Sales & Product Training I am responsible for all sales and product training teams for Tesla worldwide.  My organization supports every sales function at Tesla and provides product knowledge to empower all our employees to share how our groundbreaking eco-system of products enhance our customer’s lives while accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy. My mission is to ensure all our global sales teams receive the training and development necessary to perform at an exceptional level so they are equipped to exceed sales targets while delighting our customers with a world-class experience.

Director, Global Sales & Product Training

As Director of Global Onboarding & Growth I am responsible for all new employee onboarding at Tesla. This includes the new hire welcome experience (orientation), mergers & acquisitions, new markets, and role-specific training. In this role, I work closely with senior business leaders and an incredible team to develop and deploy effective and impactful Onboarding experiences to thousands of individuals that join Tesla each year. Our approach is simple; never ever settle and constantly raise the bar. This ensures we are providing a world-class experience for all new Tesla team members.  We are not just “training” a new hire, we our providing an immersive experience that will prepare them to contribute to our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

Director of Global Onboarding & Growth

As Senior Director of Training & Development I am responsible for all sales training departments at SolarCity, including new hire onboarding, ongoing training, and leadership development.  In this role, I work closely with senior leaders and world-class trainers to develop and deploy effective and impactful training curriculum to all 5,000+ sales professionals in the organization.  In addition to training, I am responsible for all sales communications, including the production of SolarCity TV, our internal television network that is focused on delivering communication to the entire company.

Senior Director of Training & Development (SolarCity)

Responsible for creating positive, transparent, and constant communication between all levels of the organization.  Assist sales leadership in developing the voice and content used to ensure that all team members feel heard and engaged in building the most transformative company on the planet.  

This role combines elements of film/video production, sales execution, management strategy, training and motivation of sales professionals.  Responsibilities include gathering continual feedback from all sales channels at all levels, sharing ideas for improvement with all necessary departments, building a world class management training program, collaborating with the CRO in preparing weekly all-hands meeting agendas/contests/content, and creating motivational videos and other training deliverables that will provide an exciting and innovative approach to disseminating all information to the sales organization.

Director of Internal Sales Communications (SolarCity)

Verengo Solar

• Responsible for all sales functions for Inside and Outside Sales Organizations
• Developed new strategy for referral and pipeline conversion
• Increased overall sales volume 50% 
• Created new business practices and personally rolled out initiatives to every sales market
• Hosted weekly company-wide training webinars on successful sales strategies

Vice President of Sales

• Oversaw all training and development for Inside and Outside Sales organizations
• Managed team of trainers, instructional designers, and support staff
• Developed modular 12 Step Sales Process
• Created compresensive 90 day onboarding infrastructure for all new solar consultants
• Designed four part Solar Academy curriculum with classroom and field training
• Achieved 30% average close rate for newly hired solar consultants
• Developed ongoing training curriculum and certification
• Applied Adult Learning Theory methodology to all training fuctions
• Created weekly training series “Ask the Expert” to share best practices of high performers
• Developed full service LMS from ground up using Moodle platform

Director of Sales Training

• Responsible for all sales activities and revenue for Los Angeles market
• Managed sales supervisors and team of 25 solar consultants
• Maintained highest overall revenue, deal count, and SG/referral volume every month
• Orchastrated initiatives that led to company-wide canvass program
• Set company record for total monthly revenue: 7.1 million (March 2012)
• Set company record for most deals in a single day: 20 (September 2013)
• Set company record for most revenue in a single day: 600k (September 2013)

Regional Sales Manager

• Educated homeowners on the benefits of solar for their home electricity needs
• Sold over 200 PV solar systems
• Set company record for most sales in a month: 33 deals (December 2010)
• Set company record for most revenue in one month: 1.3 million (December 2010)

Solar Sales Consultant

Believe Entertainment

OWNER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, DIRECTOR,  2002 –  2009
• Wrote, directed, and produced award winning feature film Rolling
• Winner of Audience Award at San Francisco Independent Film Festival
• Winner of Evil City New York Film Festival
• Winner of PRISM Award recognizing the accurate depiction of substance abuse
• Coordinated film festival tour spanning 10 cities in the US, Germany, England and Australia
• Deployed grassroots social media marketing campaign
• Sold merchandise and products to both retailers and end users
• Raised over half a million dollars to produce, promote and distribute film
• Landed multi-territory film distribution deal Indican Pictures

Owner, Executive Producer, Director

We Launch 🚀 Podcasts🎙️for Speakers🎤 Authors✍️ and Founders🔥 Ex-Tesla 🚘 Exec Turned Podcast Production & Marketing Agency Owner 🔴 You Record, We Do the Rest → Learn More by Booking a Podcast🎙️Strategy Call Below👇

𝗠𝗬 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬:
In 2019, I left Tesla as the Head of Global Sales & Product Training and went ALL IN on podcasting

I left my career but I found my calling. Here's what happened 👇

Spent a decade making movies - My feature film, Rolling, won awards, went to festivals all over the world, and got picked up for distribution in 2009

In 2010, I decided to make a pivot

I wanted to make a difference so I got into the renewables space

Helped scale a small solar company scale to become one of the biggest in the country

Got recruited by SolarCity

When Tesla acquired SolarCity, I got the opportunity to create the Onboarding Program for Tesla

Every new hire who starts at Tesla, goes through this program

I became the Global Head of Sales and Product Training, one level removed from Elon

Then I got the call...

Elon didn't want a global head of sales training

I could have stayed in corporate, but it was time to do my own thing

I started my podcast, Insight Out

Quickly realized how much work it is, so built a team

It became clear that others could also use help, so I started Podify

Today we help 40+ podcasters produce, promote, and monetize their shows

______________________
𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗥 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 🚀
🎙️Insight Out - Top 1% Globally
▶️ Co-Founder & CEO of Podify
🎞️ Audience Award Best Feature - Rolling
🎥 Million+ views on YouTube
🤝 30K+ on LinkedIn - Millions of content views 
🏆 Top 100 LinkedIn Sales Star
🚗 Global Leader at Tesla
🥇All-Time Sales Record Holder
📺 Creator of SCTV 

______________________
𝗠𝗬 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 🌎
To help visionaries and change-makers amplify their VOICE to make their mark on the world!

______________________
𝗠𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗬 🎙
We help podcasters and brands produce, edit, promote, and monetize their shows - Podify.com

______________________
𝗠𝗬 𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧 🎙
Insight Out dissects how the world’s most impactful people have made their mark - insightoutshow.com

______________________
𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗜 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 🤝
People who are changing the world

______________________
𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗜 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 👊🏻
Brands, influencers, celebrities, podcasters, athletes, speakers, radio/TV personalities, entrepreneurs, and executives

______________________
𝗙𝗨𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗦 🤙🏻
🌎 World Traveller (42 countries 6 continents)
🍜 Ramen Addict
👨‍👦Dad to Kid Epic (YouTube)
⚾️ Little League Coach

______________________
𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗠𝗘 📲
📆 Book a FREE podcast strategy call:
calendly.com/billysamoa/podify

📫 Media requests: saleebey@gmail.com

I post here daily: Hit 🛎 to be notified

Follow #BillySamoa

FUN FACT: British Airways accidentally launched one of the most iconic hip-hop groups of all time.

In 1983, the Beastie Boys were just three broke kids trying to make music in New York City.

Then something unexpected happened:
British Airways used their song "Beastie Revolution" in a TV commercial.

Without permission.

The band lawyered up.

They sued the airline...and won $40,000.

What did they do with the money?

✈ Rented an apartment on 59 Chrystie Street in Chinatown.
✈ Turned it into a studio.
✈ Rehearsed. Recorded. Created.

Then, 39 years ago today, they released this truly EPIC album: Licensed to Ill

That apartment became the birthplace of the Beastie Boys as we know them.

It wasn’t a record deal.
It wasn’t a viral moment.
It was a legal battle that funded their future.

They later thanked the guy who stole their song.

Because without him, they might never have made it.

Sometimes your big break looks like a breakdown.
Sometimes your unfair advantage starts as an injustice.

Stay ready.
Stay scrappy.

Turn the chaos into your catapult.

Founder of Podify | Launching Video Podcasts for Speakers, Authors & Founders | Amplifying Purpose-Driven Voices, Building Unstoppable Brands | Ex-Tesla

This is what building a business actually looks like…and most people will never survive it. Here’s the part nobody wants to admit:

Most entrepreneurs don’t win because they’re smarter.
 
They win because they keep going after the part that would make normal people quit.

Everyone wants the “perfect plan.”
 
But the real skill?

- Using the chaos to your advantage.
 - Turning the obstacle into the strategy.
 - Making the landing look intentional, even when the middle was a disaster.

The best founders aren’t avoiding friction.
They’re weaponizing it.

Real examples:
• Airbnb couldn’t get traction… until they leaned into politics and protests and used “belong anywhere” to turn resistance into the brand.
 Their friction became their positioning.

• Netflix was getting crushed by Blockbuster on convenience… so they turned a disadvantage (mailing DVDs) into a subscription model that created predictable revenue.
 Their limitation became the business model everyone copied.

• Slack wasn’t built to be Slack. It was a failed video game.
 The thing that wasn’t supposed to be the product became a $26B product.

• Spanx couldn’t get into stores—so Sara Blakely used that invisibility to listen to customers directly, build community, and create pull instead of push.

Lack of access became a moat.

The pattern?

Some people crumble under friction.
Entrepreneurs manipulate it.
Elite entrepreneurs turn it into leverage.

If you can’t handle unpredictability, you don’t have a “strategy problem.”
 
You have a capacity problem.

Building a company rewards founders who stay in the car when it’s violently flipping…and somehow steer on the way down.

The goal isn’t to avoid chaos.

The goal is to become the kind of operator who can turn chaos into a competitive advantage.

That’s the muscle.
 
Build it and you become unbeatable.

I came across this photo recently and it hit me a little differently than it used to.
On the right is me.
Across the table are two legends: Todd Cochrane and Rob Greenlee, two people whose fingerprints are all over the foundation of the podcasting industry.

Todd passed away about a couple of months ago.

But his impact… that lives everywhere in this space.

What I remember most about him, and about Rob, wasn’t the accolades, the Hall of Fame status, or the decades of contribution.

It was how approachable they were.

When I first got into podcasting, I interviewed Todd long before I ever met him in person.

And when I finally saw him at Podcast Movement, he treated me like someone he’d known for years. 

Funny, friendly, and a personality you can't forget. The last time I saw him we walked around for a while even talked about a possible business venture together. 

This is a guy who didn't need me. He built his own company and legacy yet he was totally up for thinking of how we could partner on something...in fact, it was his idea to team up!

That's the thing about podcasting... 

The people who built this industry didn’t pull the ladder up behind them.

They held it steady for the rest of us.

That’s something both Todd and Rob share:

They never acted like gatekeepers. They acted like mentors.

And honestly, that’s one of the things I love most about this industry.

Podcasting grew because people like them didn’t compete in the shadows, instead, they shared openly, helped generously, and pulled so many of us up with them.

Approachable.
Generous in sharing wisdom.
Genuinely excited to help the next generation of creators.

From my experience, podcasting has always been less cutthroat than other creative industries.
 
More collaborative.
More “we” than “me.”

If you’re just getting started, here’s the lesson I learned from these two:

- Don’t be afraid to ask questions of the people who’ve walked the path before you.
- Attend the events.
- Reach out.
- Say hello.

You might be surprised by how willing they are to help.

I certainly was.

You never know who will shape your journey or how much time you’ll have to say thank you.

Grateful for Todd’s legacy, and grateful for people like Rob who continue to build this community by lifting others up.

#Podcasting #Legacy #Community #Gratitude

The debate is over: Die Hard is NOT a Christmas movie. Here’s the definitive case.
Before you throw your ornaments at me… let’s look at this like adults:

1. Christmas themes ≠ Christmas decor

Christmas movies center on:
• generosity
• redemption
• belonging
• transformation
• a Christmas-specific moral

Die Hard centers on:
terrorism, masculinity, marriage conflict, corporate greed.

Christmas does not shape the story.
 
It’s wallpaper.

2. Christmas does NOT create the conflict

Christmas movies require the holiday to:
• create stakes
• drive tension
• shape the plot

In Die Hard:
• the heist creates the stakes
• Hans’s plan has nothing to do with the holiday
• McClane’s marriage issues existed already
• Christmas adds zero narrative pressure

Move the date → nothing breaks

3. Christmas movies resolve on a Christmas message

Elf, Grinch, Home Alone, Wonderful Life…

Their endings reinforce Christmas morals

Die Hard ends with:
“A cop kills terrorists and leaves with his wife.”

Great ending
Not a Christmas ending

4. The creators themselves rejected the label

Bruce Willis (Comedy Central Roast):
“Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It’s a Bruce Willis movie.”

Director John McTiernan:
“We weren’t making a Christmas movie. Christmas was a backdrop.”

Writer Steven E. de Souza:
Joked about it online, but has never once said it was actually made as a Christmas film.

Creator intention matters. Just asked the guy who invented the GIF

This settles the genre debate, but there's more, and it gets even more compelling...

5. The release date nukes the argument

Die Hard premiered on July 22, 1988
Summer
 
Action-movie season.
Not Christmas season.

Studios don’t accidentally release holiday films in July.

This was positioned/marketed as a summer blockbuster.

6. Christmas is not required for any major plot point

A true Christmas movie breaks if you remove Christmas.

Die Hard:
• The heist works any day the building is empty
• McClane could visit L.A. for any family reason
• The party could be any corporate event

Change Date
Same movie

7. Critics in 1988 never called it a Christmas movie

Not one

• No Christmas marketing
• No holiday framing
• No genre classification
• No awards positioning

The “Christmas movie” label started decades later

8. The Christmas setting only survived because it was in the original book

The film is based on a novel that takes place at Christmas, but it’s not thematic.

kept out of convenience, not intention

BONUS: The psychology of why people want it to be a Christmas movie

People call Die Hard a Christmas movie because:
• it’s ironic
• signals “I’m in on the joke”
• turns a non-holiday movie into a holiday tradition
• it creates a sense of identity & ritual


Watch it at Christmas
Enjoy it at Christmas
Make it your tradition

But…
Die Hard is an action movie set during Christmas, not a Christmas movie with action.

Your turn:
Where do you stand?

 (And yes… I’m prepared for the comments.)

Convince me I'm wrong!

Stop scrolling.
I just found the most organized place in America…and it’s a Taco Bell sauce station.

Seriously, look at this thing.

Every Diablo, Fire, Hot, and Mild packet lined up like they’re interviewing for a job at NASA.

Straws? Perfect.
Napkins? Perfect.
Salt? Perfect.
My life? Not as perfect.

But here’s the part that gets me:
Someone did this voluntarily.
 
At a fast-food condiment bar.
Probably at 11PM.

No bonus.
No promotion.
 
Not even a “Great job arranging the Diablo packets in a perfect 4x5 grid!” from their manager.

Just quiet, obsessive excellence.

And honestly?

I’d hire this person immediately.

Because if someone cares THIS much about the smallest part of the job…you can trust them with the biggest parts.

Most companies chase “rockstars.”
 
Meanwhile the real rockstars are out here alphabetizing hot sauce.

Find that person.
Promote that person.
Protect that person.

What’s the most unexpectedly elite act of excellence you’ve ever seen at work?

The unusual origin of Black Friday that almost no one knows...

Black Friday didn’t start with discounts.
Or profits.
Or retail strategy.

It started with chaos.

1960

Philadelphia police began calling the day after Thanksgiving “Black Friday” because the city was slammed with:
 • traffic gridlock
 • packed sidewalks
 • shoplifting
 • crowd control issues
 • long overtime shifts
 (They dreaded the day — it was a logistical nightmare.)

1961

Philadelphia retailers hated the name so much they tried to rebrand it as “Big Friday.”

It didn’t work.
The public ignored it.

1980s

National retailers took the term and flipped the meaning.

They reframed it as the day stores finally went from “in the red” to “in the black.”
 (The story wasn’t historically true, but it was psychologically brilliant.)

That narrative stuck.

And the negative term became the most profitable retail event of the year.

Entrepreneurial takeaways (non-obvious):

1. Reframing > Reinvention

You don’t always need a new product.
Sometimes you just need a new meaning.
Black Friday turned chaos into profitability through a story — not a strategy.

2. People follow narratives more than logic

When retailers said, “This is the day we go into the black,” shoppers didn’t ask for proof.
 
They joined the ritual.

Your audience doesn’t buy your product first.
They buy your story.

3. Momentum is often manufactured

Black Friday grew through a feedback loop:

crowds → coverage → more crowds → cultural tradition.

Entrepreneurs can create their own loop by aligning:
a moment
a message
a reason to act now

4. A flaw can become your feature

Black Friday was a problem.

Then it became a promotion.
Then a cultural pillar.

Sometimes your biggest frustration is hiding your biggest advantage, you just haven’t reframed it yet.

Final Thought:

Black Friday is proof that the story you tell about your business can completely reshape the outcome.

The holidays aren’t broken—but how we approach them might be. Here's why 👇
Every December, we get caught in a whirlwind of tasks:

Buy the perfect gifts.

Wrap them beautifully.

Send them to everyone on our list.

Shop for the best holiday feast.

Put up the lights.

You know the drill.

But here’s the truth: when we obsess over doing, we forget about being.

A few years ago, I spent Christmas Day glued to my phone, frantically hunting for last-minute deals. Guess what I don’t remember? Being on the phone and missing the important moments that matter. 

That moment taught me something simple but profound:

Presence beats presents every time.

This year, I ditched the checklist and chose to show up differently, and this image sums it up perfectly. 

The best holiday memories aren’t about what you give or do. They’re about how you show up.

What’s one thing you stopped doing to create space for what matters most? 

Share below. And remember to make this the season of being. ❤️ 🎄 💚

Your biggest fans will never like, comment, or share your content.
And they’re the ones who quietly grow your business the most.

Here’s the part almost nobody understands:

The internet is powered by lurkers, not loud people.

We’ve been conditioned to chase visible engagement…
 
But the people who change your business are almost always invisible.

Why?

Because “lurking” isn’t passive.
 
It’s psychological due diligence.

Silent followers aren’t disengaged, they’re evaluating you:
 • consistency
 • tone
 • expertise
 • emotional safety
 • alignment with their worldview
 • and whether you actually follow through on what you preach

They’re not signalers.
They’re observers.

And observers convert.

Because here’s the non-obvious truth:

**The commenter wants attention.
The lurker wants transformation.**

One is performing.
The other is deciding.

And if you understand how audiences actually behave, you stop optimizing for applause…and start optimizing for trust.

Here’s what most creators miss:

1. Lurkers are the ones who binge your content.

They don’t drop likes, they collect receipts.
They’re building an internal map of who you are, what you stand for, and whether you’re worth betting on.

2. Lurkers are status-conscious.

Research shows most people avoid commenting publicly because it feels socially risky.
 
But buying from you?
That’s private.
Safe.
High reward, low exposure.

3. Lurkers are the ones who read every word.
 
Your long posts?
 Your deep dives?
 Your frameworks?
 The people who never engage are actually consuming the most.

4. Lurkers are where the real money comes from.
 
Your “superfans” hype you.
 Your lurkers hire you.
 Ask any agency owner, consultant, coach, or founder: they’ll tell you 80–90% of revenue comes from people they've never seen comment once.

5. Lurkers create network effects without you knowing.

They’ll recommend you in private WhatsApp chats, Slack channels, mastermind groups, and dinner tables.
 Not for clout.
 For utility.

6. Lurkers think long-term.

They’re not impulsive.
They buy only when they fully trust you.
Which means if they convert… they stay.
And here’s the mindset shift entrepreneurs need to make:

**If your marketing strategy relies on visible engagement, you don’t have a marketing strategy, you have an ego strategy.**

Serious businesses don’t need likes.
They need leverage.

And the silent majority gives you exactly that:
 • They compound trust.
 • They drive private referrals.
 • They convert quietly and repeatedly.
 • And they require you to play the long game.

Most people quit because they think no one is listening.

But someone always is.
 They’re watching.
 They’re learning.
 They’re deciding.

And one day, they reach out with six words that change everything:

“Hey, I’ve been following your stuff…”

If you want to win in the creator-economy:

Stop creating for the people who react.
Start creating for the people who remember.

That’s where real brands are built.

After much thought, here are my Top 10 favorite Christmas movies. 

Here are my Top 3 favorite Christmas movies that aren't Christmas movies:

1. Trading Places
2. Die Hard
3. Gremlins

What about you? What are your Top 10?

Why this post exploded: An antomy of a viral LinkedIn post

Thank you Megan Cornish, LICSW for allowing me to break this down!

Viral posts follow patterns: psychologically, algorithmically, linguistically, and structurally

1. Hook is explosive, taboo, and curiosity-driven

4 elements:

A. Pattern interrupt
LinkedIn is filled with “5 tips for…” posts.

Gender-swap experiment?
400% jump?

Stops the eye immediately.

B. High-stakes social issue
Sexism, gender bias, and algorithmic inequity = engagement triggers.

C. Shock + simplicity
The entire story premise is delivered in 14 words.
Short = shareable, screenshot-able, unforgettable.

D. Curiosity gap
“Is this real?”
 “Why would this happen?”
 “What else is the algorithm doing?”
 “Could this happen to me?”

Curiosity = scrolling.
Scrolling = dwell time.
Dwell time = reach.

2. She shares a real experiment, not an opinion

Test-driven.
Measurable.
Scientific.

Data-driven posts travel farther

3. Challenges the platform

3 topics guaranteed to drive LinkedIn virality:
LinkedIn algorithm
Job market
Leadership toxicity

This post hits 'em all!

Calling out LinkedIn’s algorithm?
Guaranteed engagement.

People love talking about LinkedIn on LinkedIn.
It’s meta-engagement

4. Speaks to two MASSIVE emotional triggers: 

A. Fairness

Feels unjust.
Sharing is an emotional response to injustice.

B. Identity
Women will share it
Men will respond to it
DEI experts will amplify it
Marketers will debate it
Creators will test it

One post.
Many identities activated
This multiplies virality

5. Ties 2 trending topics together: gender + AI

She explicitly says:
ChatGPT rewrote her headline & posts
Voice became more "male"

So suddenly the post becomes about:
AI bias
Algorithm bias
Gender bias
Linguistic bias

6. Writing style is “messy human,” not polished corporate

People trust vulnerability

Reads like a real person typing rapidly while excited, not a brand polishing a statement.

Creates:
- Authenticity
- Imperfection (good for trust)
 ✔ Emotional tone
 ✔ Conversational rhythm

Polished posts get scrolled
Raw posts get read.

7. Shows the receipts

Proof = credibility

Screenshots neutralize skepticism

Visual evidence increases save rate = boosts distribution.

8. Built-in viral mechanics

A. Sparks debate
People cannot resist debating
More comments = more reach

B. Encourages tagging

Women tag other women.
Creators tag AI experts.
DEI leaders tag each other.

Tagging expands reach

C. Repostable

Topic is social commentary = perfect for reposts.

650 reposts amplify impressions - more than likes/comments.

9. It produces what LinkedIn LOVES: “Accelerated Velocity Engagement”

LinkedIn’s algorithm prioritizes posts that get early:
Reactions
Comments
Reposts

“850 impressions but 74 reactions and 31 comments.”
Crazy high engagement ratio

Why it took off!

10. Exposes a system flaw

Any post that reveals:
a hack, loophole, bias, broken system

…creates “YOU MUST SEE THIS” impulse.

We share what surprises us

This is one of the smartest ads you’ll see all year...and it’s not because it’s funny.

It’s because it solves one of the biggest problems in marketing:

Borrowed relevance.

Deadpool & Wolverine dominated culture the summer it came out.

Memes, clips, interviews, trailersy: your feed was flooded with them.

Heinz saw that cultural tsunami saw didn’t do what most brands do

(which is… nothing).

They did something far smarter:
They attached themselves to a cultural moment they didn’t create, but made it feel like it belonged to them.

And here’s the genius:

They didn’t force a connection.
 
They found a truth that already existed:

Red + yellow.
Ketchup + mustard.
Deadpool + Wolverine.

Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

That’s the entire strategy.

Cultural pattern recognition executed perfectly.

Most brands wait for permission.
Heinz didn’t.

They saw the wave of attention coming and paddled early.

And that’s the real marketing lesson:

The fastest way to become part of culture is to reflect it back to people in a way that feels inevitable.

Not forced.
Not try-hard.
Inevitable.

Deadpool & Wolverine dominated the theaters.

Heinz just made sure they dominated the grocery aisle too.

It’s not just a billboard.

It’s a psychological trick:
➡️ It collapses the distance between a blockbuster movie and a grocery-store product.
 ➡️ It hijacks attention without asking for permission.
 ➡️ It makes Heinz feel like the “official condiment” of the summer’s biggest film…
without ever saying it.

That’s not advertising.
That’s cultural jiu-jitsu.

And it’s a masterclass every brand should study.

#Marketing #BrandStrategy #CulturalMarketing #Heinz #Deadpool #Wolverine

The billion-dollar idea Nintendo almost missed…because it didn’t come from the “innovation team.” In the late 1960s, Nintendo was failing.

They tried everything:
 • instant rice
 • love hotels
 • a taxi company
 • toy guns
 • a vacuum cleaner
 • Disney-themed playing cards

Nothing worked.

The company was days from collapse.

Then something happened that would quietly change the future of the entire video game industry:

A maintenance worker was caught tinkering with a toy idea on his lunch break

His name was Gunpei Yokoi
 
Job title: janitor / maintenance engineer.
 Zero formal authority
Zero product responsibility

He was playing with a homemade, extendable “grabber arm” made from leftover factory parts

Most companies would’ve scolded him:
 “Get back to work”
 “Stay in your lane”
 “That’s not your job”

Nintendo did something different.

They asked: “Could this be something?”

That idea became the Ultra Hand: a cheap, silly plastic toy

Sold over 1.2 million units, saved Nintendo from bankruptcy, and launched Yokoi’s career

Fast-forward:
Yokoi didn’t just invent a toy
 
He invented the Game Boy, the D-pad, and the entire philosophy behind Nintendo’s biggest hits

A maintenance worker became one of the most influential product creators in history

Entrepreneurs miss:

Innovation often comes from the edges of the organization:
 • Hobbyists
 • Tinkerers
 • No official authority
 • Understand the product emotionally, not strategically
 • See problems others are blind to

This is the psychology behind it:
 
1. Hierarchy kills creativity
The higher people climb, the narrower their perception
 Leaders optimize systems
 Front-liners notice friction

Biggest ideas often live at the bottom because that’s where reality lives.

2. Experts are biased toward complexity
Yokoi wasn’t an engineer designing for prestige
 
He believed in “lateral thinking with withered technology” using simple, accessible components to make something fun

That philosophy created:
• The Game & Watch
 • The D-pad
 • The Game Boy
 • Metroid

Sony and Sega chased horsepower, Yokoi chased fun.

 3. Creativity thrives in constraints
Nintendo was broke
Couldn’t afford cutting-edge
Had to invent within limits

Entrepreneurs forget this:
Constraints don’t block creativity
 
They shape it.

Game Boy wasn’t powerful
 It was durable, cheap, and portable

4. Billion-dollar ideas look like toys at first
The Ultra Hand cost pennies to make

But toys or simple experiments reveal the customer’s emotional triggers 

1. Your next breakthrough probably isn’t coming from you
But from someone on your team who’s playing with something “irrelevant.”

2. Build a culture where “side projects” are signals, not distractions.
If Yokoi had been punished for tinkering, Nintendo might not exist today.

3. Stop chasing cutting-edge tech, chase emotional resonance.

Emotion > specs

4. Empower the edges of your organization.

 • support
 • interns
 • ops

If you aren’t listening to them, you’re flying blind.

The world’s fastest-growing meat company… doesn’t use animals. Here’s the wild story behind it:

 It started with an insane question:
 
“What if we could make meat… without animals?”

Most ideas try to improve something that already exists.
 
Ethan Brown tried to reinvent one of the oldest industries on Earth.

Here’s how a farmer from Maryland ended up reshaping global food culture...and the lessons every entrepreneur should study:

1. Big missions start with uncomfortable questions

Ethan grew up around livestock.
 
But he couldn’t ignore the data:
• Meat production uses enormous water and land
• Livestock contributes heavily to greenhouse gases
• Demand was rising, but the system wasn’t sustainable

So he asked the question:
“Meat is just amino acids, lipids, minerals, and water.
 Why can’t we rebuild that…with plants?”

Game-changing ideas begin where most people stop thinking.

2. In 2009, he quit his clean-energy job and went all-in

He assembled a team of scientists, molecular biologists, and food engineers.

Goal wasn’t to make veggie burgers.
 
It was to replicate:
• the sizzle
• the texture
• the fat melt
• the flavor compounds
• the Maillard reaction
…using plants.

Not “fake meat.”

A competing technology.

Entrepreneurial takeaway:
 
The fastest way to win a market is to redefine what the product actually is.

3. Their first stroke of genius wasn’t a product...it was positioning

When Beyond Burger launched in 2016, they didn’t stick it in the vegan aisle.

They put it directly in the meat section next to beef.

This did two things instantly:

Changed perception: If it sits next to beef, it competes with beef.

Expanded TAM: Instead of serving vegans (~2% of consumers), they served everyone.

Entrepreneurial takeaway:

Niche products stay niche because founders place them in niche contexts.
 
Change the context → change the customer

4. They rode momentum and created cultural demand

2018–19:
Fast-food chains like Carl’s Jr., Dunkin’, and A&W start offering Beyond Meat.

Suddenly, plant-based meat isn’t counterculture, it’s mainstream.

In 2019, Beyond Meat goes public.
The stock surges 163% on day one...the best IPO in nearly 20 years.

Entrepreneurial takeaway:
When your mission collides with timing, distribution, and cultural tailwinds...that’s when revolutions happen.

5. The mission wasn’t marketing 

 Beyond wasn’t fighting culture.
 
It was solving an environmental problem using innovation instead of activism.

By 2022, Beyond Meat was in 80+ countries and partnering with KFC, McDonald’s, and Pizza Hut.

Entrepreneurial takeaway:
 A mission becomes a megaphone when it’s measurable:
 • less water
 • less land
 • less emissions
 • same experience

Beyond Meat didn’t win because the world wanted plant-based burgers.
 
It won because Ethan Brown showed the world a future where meat didn’t need animals.

If you want more stories like this about founders who think differently and reshape entire categories, follow me.

This “free” plastic football phone quietly generated over $80,000,000 in magazine revenue.

Not because it was high tech.

Because it was high psychology.

Here is what Sports Illustrated did brilliantly:

They sold the bonus, not the product.
 
Nobody wakes up thinking, “I need a long-form sports magazine.”
 
But a talking, working football you can unwrap on Christmas morning? T

That’s a story.
 
The phone was the star. The magazine was the upsell.

They understood unit economics better than most founders do today.

Cost to make the phone: about $4.
Price of the annual subscription: about $55
New subs driven 1986–1991: roughly 1.6M

Rough math:
Revenue ≈ $88M
Premium cost ≈ $6.4M
 
The “free” gift was a rounding error that unlocked massive LTV (lifetime value).

They spoke to the real buyer.
 
The ad isn’t aimed at hardcore sports fans.

It’s aimed at stressed gift-givers.
 
The script is basically:

“Christmas shopping is impossible.”
“This solves your problem in one phone call.”
 
It’s a relief offer, not a features offer.
They bundled identity into plastic.
 
That phone wasn’t just a gadget.
 
It said: “I’m the kind of person who lives and breathes football.”
 
People will happily pay for objects that let them signal who they are.

They made the value stack lopsided.
 
In one shot you get:

A full year of sports coverage.
NFL, NBA, MLB previews.

The famous swimsuit issue.

A novelty phone that sits in your living room.
 
All for “99 cents an issue” and a “free” phone.
 
The perceived value is ridiculous compared to the actual cost.

They used the premium to own the home.
 The magazine lives on the coffee table.
 The phone lives next to the couch.
 
Every time it rang, SI got free impressions.
 
It was physical remarketing before pixels existed.

They turned a commodity into an event.
 
A subscription is boring.
Unboxing a football phone on Christmas morning is memorable.
 
They didn’t sell magazines.
They sold a moment.

What can entrepreneurs steal from this?

Stop obsessing over “features.” Design an offer so good it feels slightly irrational to say no.

Add a physical or experiential premium that costs you little but feels big to the buyer.

Aim your message at the real decision-maker (often the gift-giver, assistant, spouse, or boss).

Think in LTV, not first sale. If a $4 “free” gift acquires a customer who stays for years, it’s a bargain.

Ask: What’s my version of the football phone?
A private community?
A live workshop ticket?
A done-for-you template?
A piece of merch that sits on their desk and keeps your brand in their line of sight?

The football phone wasn’t just a cheesy 90s gimmick.

It was a masterclass in offer design, customer psychology, and long-term thinking.

If your product is good but growth is flat, you may not need a new product.
You might just need a better “football phone.”

Do you feel like this at work?
Because honestly…

This is all of us.

Employees trying to hold up the weight of 10 missing coworkers.
Entrepreneurs trying to carry the whole company on their back.
Leaders pretending the wobbling stack isn’t wobbling.

This guy in the ad?
He’s basically every founder I know.

Carrying 30 boxes.
Balancing a business on two wheels.
Praying today isn’t the day customers, clients, or payroll tip it over.

This classic ad nailed something we still avoid talking about:

Burnout isn’t a personality flaw.

It’s a math problem.
Too many boxes.
Not enough hands.

And no one wants to admit they're one tilt away from disaster.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

We glorify hard work…but ignore hard loads.

People aren’t failing.
They’re drowning.

Entrepreneurs aren’t “hustling.”
 They’re duct-taping the universe together.

Here’s why this visual hits:
- Employees see their workload.
 The “do more with less” era has gotten absurd.

- Entrepreneurs see themselves.
 We’re building, selling, hiring, fixing, planning…
 (and somehow still answering service emails at 10pm).

- Everyone sees the truth:
 This isn’t about capability, it’s about capacity.

If your team looks like this, you don’t need tougher people:

you need better systems, better clarity, and fewer boxes.

And if you look like this?

Welcome to entrepreneurship.

You don’t need to push harder.
You need to stop playing human forklift.

What’s the one box you need to put down this week?

Why This Post Hit 90k+ Impressions

1. The Hook Was Irresistibly Scroll-Stopping

Perfect pattern interrupt:
“This isn’t just a shopping list. It’s a 100-year-old productivity hack we should all be using.”

Curiosity gap: presents a contradiction: a shopping list… that is actually a “productivity hack”?

Historical angle: “100-year-old” triggers novelty and wisdom bias.

Universal relevance: Everyone shops. Everyone wants to be more productive.
No fluff, no jargon: Simple language = fast comprehension.

Earns click on “See more.”


2. The Visual Asset Was Unusual and Highly Shareable

The vintage 1920s grocery list device is:
Visually strange
Tactile
Intriguing
Not commonly seen on LinkedIn

People stop scrolling because the brain is wired to notice objects it doesn’t recognize

Also:
Image contains lots of small text, which makes people zoom, look longer, and re-read

More dwell time = LinkedIn boosts distribution.

3. Perfect Blend of Nostalgia + Utility

Modern pain points:

Overcomplicating things
Using too many apps
Forgetting basics
Getting distracted

Nostalgia posts work well, but nostalgia w/ actionable lesson performs 2–3× better

4. Taps Into a Collective Frustration

“Complexity is the enemy of action.”

People feel this everywhere:
Work systems
Apps
Tech overload
Productivity tools
Business processes

Creates:
Emotional resonance
High comment rate
Shares because people tag colleagues

5. Provided a Framework (LinkedIn LOVES frameworks)

Lesson into actionable steps:

Whiteboard
Physical notebook
Focus on simple processes

Posts that translate insight → action stimulate:
Comments
Saves
Reposts
Longer reading time

6. Invited Conversation

“What’s one outdated system you still use because it just works?”

Easy to answer
Makes people feel smart
Encourages stories 

Makes people think “Ooo I want to share mine”

Drives massive comment volume, which the algorithm rewards.

7. Appeals to Every Demographic

This is rare.

Works equally well for:

Engineers
Founders
Designers
Productivity geeks
Tech skeptics
Parents
Boomers
Gen Z

Any post that spans generations/industries inevitably gets pushed further.

8. Format Is Classic High-Performing Structure

Strong hook
 ↓
 Simple, curiosity-fueling explanation
 ↓
 3-part list (humans love threes)
 ↓
 Cultural commentary
 ↓
 One big lesson
 ↓
 Practical examples
 ↓
 Call-to-comment question

It follows the exact rhythm the LinkedIn algorithm favors.

9. Topic Is “Evergreen Viral”

Themes that perform:
Productivity
Simplicity
History
“Things you didn’t know”
Curiosity objects
Anti-app / anti-tech sentiment


10. People Felt Smart Sharing It

Hidden driver of virality:

People share posts that make them look insightful

EVERY growth lever:

✔ Scroll-stopping hook
 ✔Strange + nostalgic visual
 ✔Universal relatability
 ✔Valuable insight
 ✔Actionable takeaways
 ✔A story + lesson combo
 ✔An irresistible conversation prompt
 ✔Branding alignment
 ✔Perfect rhythm + formatting
 ✔Zero friction to engage

Writing down tasks you already did isn’t laziness. It’s leadership.
Here’s why:

Every founder I know who ships consistently has one thing in common:

They build systems that reward action, not systems that punish imperfection.

A to-do list is supposed to help you focus.

But for most people, it’s a daily reminder of everything they didn’t finish.

The “write it after you do it” trick flips the script:
 • You see progress
 • You reduce stress
 • You reinforce action
 • You stay in motion

That’s the entire game in entrepreneurship.

Most people fail because they quit during the boredom phase.

Not because they weren’t capable, but because they couldn’t feel the progress.

Here’s the real psychology:
 • Dopamine → fuels consistency
 • Consistency → creates output
 • Output → compounds into results

Entrepreneurs don’t need more willpower.

We need more wins.
Tiny, manufactured, unfair wins… every day.

So if crossing off something small keeps you in forward motion?

Do it.
Stack it.
Repeat it.

We think we fail because we’re unorganized or undisciplined.

Nope.

We fail because we don’t give ourselves enough reasons to stay in motion.

Entrepreneurs who win long-term aren’t the ones with the most complex systems.
 
They’re the ones who master one simple skill:

Making progress feel good enough to repeat.

Momentum beats discipline.

Every time.

A snail can sleep for three years. Most entrepreneurs can’t stay consistent for three months. That’s the real problem...

We massively overestimate what we can build in a year…
and completely underestimate what we can build in ten.

The founders who break through aren’t the fastest.
 
They’re the ones who stay in the game long enough for compounding to finally kick in.

Business isn’t a sprint.
 It’s not even a marathon.
It’s a stamina sport.

The truth nobody talks about:
Most companies don’t die from lack of potential.
 
They die from lack of patience.

A snail can wait out three years without moving an inch.
 
Surely we can survive a slow month, a bad quarter, or a season where nothing feels like it’s working.

The entrepreneurs who win aren’t the ones who “hack speed.”
 
They’re the ones who master staying power.

The most resilient founders I know do three things exceptionally well:

1. They don’t confuse stillness with failure.
 Sometimes pulling back is what keeps you alive.

2. They protect their energy more than their ego.
 Slow progress is still progress.

3. They think in decades, not days.
 That’s where compounding becomes unbeatable.

Consistency beats intensity. Every. Single. Time.
• 1 good decision, repeated for 3 years, > 100 “crush it” days
 • 1 offer refined relentlessly beats 10 new ideas
 • 1 audience nurtured beats 10 audiences chased

Momentum always comes back...
but only for the people who are still around to catch it.

Move fast when you can.
Hibernate when you must.
 
Just don’t disappear.
The long game is undefeated.

If you’re moving slow right now?

Good.
 
Direction > velocity.

Just don’t stop.

Every brand claims to be #1.
IKEA became unforgettable by admitting it’s not.

Here’s why that’s genius.

At first glance, it’s just a dad feeding his child.

But notice what’s not happening:

The IKEA high chair is empty.
The toys are ignored.
The product isn't being used at all.

Most brands would panic at that.

IKEA leans into it.

“Proudly second best.”

It’s a message you almost never see in advertising:

We know we’re not the most important thing in your home.
 
Your kid is.
And we’re okay with that.

This is why the campaign worked:

It’s humble instead of loud.
Human instead of salesy.
Honest instead of aspirational.

IKEA isn’t selling a high chair.
 
They’re selling trust.

And trust is what makes a brand last.

#Marketing #BrandStrategy #EmotionalIntelligence #IKEA #Advertising

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