Entrepreneurs, Tech & Sales: Own Your Voice on LinkedIn | Social Selling and Personal Branding —> Increase Pipeline & Brand Awareness | LEGO Flower Power 🌻

I'm on LinkedIn to get OFF LinkedIn.

I know, crazy for someone who teaches LinkedIn.

But getting off LinkedIn and building real relationships? That's what fills my cup and my pipeline (and bank account).

I teach you the same.

Your expertise deserves to be known.🙌

You're a business owner, tech leader, or executive who's built something incredible. 
You solve real problems. You get results. Your clients love working with you.

But your ideal clients are scrolling right past you on LinkedIn.

Here's what I see every day:
— Brilliant professionals who are invisible online while their competitors get all the attention. 
— Leaders who've built amazing businesses but can't translate that success into LinkedIn visibility. 
— Executives who know they should be networking but feel awkward and inauthentic trying to "work" the platform.

You're probably struggling with:
— Your network could be an asset, but right now it's untapped potential
— You're tired of relying on cold outreach, referrals, or waiting for leads to find you
— You know LinkedIn has potential, but you don't have a system to use it effectively
— You want to build genuine relationships, not just chase vanity metrics
— You feel overwhelmed by the platform and don't know where to start

The frustrating part? You're amazing at what you do, but that expertise isn't translating into the visibility and opportunities you deserve.

There are two approaches to LinkedIn:
1. Random posting and cold outreach that leads nowhere
2. Strategic visibility + intentional relationship-building

I help leaders like you transform from invisible to influential through my REALationship Growth Method.

Real results from real clients:
Scott: Closed a $400k deal from LinkedIn relationships
Michelle: Landed 2x $30k speaking engagements in 3 months
Dr. Ashley: 2 speaking gigs in 2 weeks, 5-figure client in 4 weeks

This isn't generic social media coaching. I built my own multi-six figure business using these exact strategies while being an introvert who hates traditional networking (and definitely hates cold outreach). 

Ready to be known for what you do?

DM me "LFG" and let's chat! 💜

Natasha Walstra

My first time on stage!

200 women at the Women Breaking the Mold Forum - an event for women making real impact in manufacturing.

The speakers on Day 1 were incredible, and I still can't believe I was included with them. 

Aoife Beirne , CEO of Mergon Group , shared her RISE framework for building confidence and started us off with breathing exercises I desperately needed. 

Genevieve Caplette , Director of Transformation at Michelin, talked about what REAL leadership and culture looks like within an organization. 

Heather Preu, CEO of Intellect, shared her experience as a CEO multiple times over, raising a family, and her take on work-life balance: "It's just life. Good enough is good enough." 

And Tina Richter of Weapon X Worldwide, Inc., fighting global plastic waste with such passion and purpose.

Then I had the honor of sitting on a panel with Katherine Bashir (CEO, EVCO Plastics), Jennifer Hoffman (PM Director, Eurofins ), and Christine Yeager r (Founder, CSY Impact Consulting sulting). Moderated by Teresa Schell ll, President of Vive Marketing. We talked about mentorship, advancing in male-dominated industries, having a voice, and supporting other women.

And it was full circle moment seeing Lisa Lehman, who I connected with at Carbon. Felt like no time had passed! We stayed in touch over the years, and this opportunity to speak wouldn't have happened without her. 

The statistics we saw were eye-opening. The disparity in executive positions.
The pay gap. How underrepresented women still are in manufacturing (and tech). 

But this room of 200 women? 
This is how we change those numbers. 
By showing up, speaking up, and lifting each other up.

___

P.S. I used to be a shy, anxious person. 
Crazy to realize: that's not who I am anymore.
If you're waiting to feel "ready" to step up - you never will. 
Do it anyway.

Grow the REAL (and profitable) way on LinkedIn | Social Selling for Entrepreneurs & B2B Teams | Filling January cohort of the REALationship Growth Method - ask me about it! 🙌

I’ve never had a year test me like this one.
 
Last Thanksgiving, I wasn’t thinking about business growth or strategy.  

I was sitting in the NICU.
 
Our son arrived 7 weeks early. He was where he needed to be, but leaving the hospital without him broke me in a way I still struggle to put into words.  

Coming home not pregnant and without our baby was one of the hardest things I’ve ever lived through.
 
Unsurprisingly, postpartum depression hit fast and hard.  
My mindset tanked.  My business struggled.  
I questioned everything, including whether I was meant for entrepreneurship at all.
 
But what I know now:  
Sometimes your business doesn’t grow because you push harder.  
It grows because you do.
 
And that’s what happened.
 
Today, our little dude is thriving.  
My business is the strongest it has ever been.  
And last week, we moved into our forever home.
 
This Thanksgiving, I feel an 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 sense of gratitude.  

And I want to say thank you.
 
To the people who checked on me during my lowest moments. 

To my 1:1 clients who trusted me while I was still finding my footing.  

To the 25 who've signed up for my group program even knowing group was out of my comfort zone. 

To my coaches and mentors who helped me rebuild from the inside out.  

To my loving husband who is the best partner and father I could ever have dreamed of.

And to YOU, who continue to support the very unpolished, but always real, me.
 
I am not curated.  
I am not perfect.  
And there is no flawless strategy behind any of this.
 
But you still show up.  
You still support me.  
You make all this possible.
 
If you told me six months ago that we would be buying our dream home, there's no way I'd believe it.  But here we are.
 
I am grateful.  
My family is grateful.  
And I couldn't have done this without you. 
 
Happy (late) Thanksgiving. 💜

Having a network of REAL connections matters.

In the last month, I've made 26 introductions.

That's almost one per day. (Although, did 4 in one day!)

I can only do that because I actually KNOW these people.
Not just their LinkedIn profiles. 
Not just their business cards.
I know them.

Which is why I'm excited about expanding my network by joining The Dames, LLC

By amazing luck, they had an in-person conference here in Charleston last week.

I heard from incredible women with 6, 7, and 8-figure businesses.

I deepened relationships with connections I already had - Deb Boulanger 💫 and Jess Sato 

I met Kim Boudreau Smith IRL - a friend I met on (you guessed it) LinkedIn nearly 2 years ago. 

And I'm excited for the new connections I made: Julia Linn, Samantha Irish, Elizabeth Hill, MSW, Nicole Glover

I love being in rooms where women choose collaboration over competition.
Where truth and honesty echo through conversations.
Where everyone's network benefits from the new relationships being formed.

I was randomly introduced to the Charleston chapter VP while looking for a new community AND trying to figure out how to get out of my baby bubble. (I will be honest, the introvert in me has been LOVING this bubble)
Grateful to Kim Russo for taking that call.

And to the founder, Meghann Conter, for being so incredibly welcoming as I nervously showed up at the welcome BBQ not knowing anyone. (We both lived in the south of France which is a unique connection to have in common!)

This is what real community looks like.
Not transactional networking.
Not "what can you do for me?"
Just people genuinely supporting each other's success.
And that room was FULL of this.

P.S. My entire network now gets to benefit from these new relationships I'm forming. That's the compound effect of showing up and actually building connections that matter.

Last week I posted once.

And I "posted & ghosted" that same post.

No engagement. No comments. A handful of DMs.

Why? Life was life-ing and I had no capacity to show up on here.

And that's OKAY.

There are seasons for everything.

Sometimes I'm heavy on engagement and network building.

Other times I'm focused on the behind-the-scenes stuff that doesn't show up in my feed.

Like the last few weeks:

→ Putting on my first live workshop
→ Speaking on a panel IRL (also a first)
→ Consulting with a Big Four (stay tuned)
→ Launching my group program (another first)
→ Selling out of my 2nd and filling my third cohort

That's a lot of doing the thing while not talking about the thing.

LinkedIn isn't about showing up perfectly every day.

It's about showing up consistently over time.

Some weeks that's 4 posts and 50 comments.

Other weeks it's 1 post and radio silence.

Both are fine.

The goal isn't perfection.

It's presence. Over the long haul.

Don't let the fear of "not doing LinkedIn right" keep you invisible.

Imperfect visibility beats perfect invisibility. Every time.

P.S. Oh, and something BIG on the personal front happened on Friday... can't wait to share more about that soon!

Anyone else's life life-ing hard right now??

P.S.2. Hiiii!! 👋👋 My little guy just learned to wave so you can imagine, we've got lots of waving going on in the house these days. 👋

"Spend 2 hours a day commenting on LinkedIn."

That's what a top personal brand creator recommended.

My reaction: 
Who the heck has time for that? 👀

Then I realized the problem:
You're taking advice from the wrong people on LinkedIn.

Most LinkedIn "experts" are content creators.

Their business model is completely different from yours.

I'm breaking down the difference and why it matters for your strategy.
Check it out 👇

P.S. I'm already filling up my next cohort in January - which isn't actually that crazy because there are only 35 working days left in the year. 35! You've got one week left to join at the founding member rate PLUS lifetime access (yep, I did accidentally start a community 😅 and it's AWESOME). 

DM me "LFG" for deets!

(And that's OK!) I recently saw one of the top personal brand creators in the world recommend spending 2 hours a day commenting on LinkedIn. 2 hours. 

Open article: You're not a content creator by Natasha Walstra • 2 min read

"It worked!" - my client, shocked.

He was skeptical adding a CTA at the end of his posts.

For weeks I'd been trying to get him to do it. WEEKS!

But I was insistent: If people don't know how to take the next step with you, how will they know how to take the next step with you?

For some context...this is person is reaching out to engineers.
If you're struggling with what to say in DMs, imagine an engineer who doesn't post at all.

So we put together a simple CTA: "DM me [keyword] for [offer]"

The result?
The FIRST time he used it, someone reached out. 👀

People are tired of being pitched in DMs.
But we're all here to grow our businesses, right?

The difference: This is a soft sell. 
An entry point to the bigger offer.

We're not trying to get them to buy immediately.
We're trying to welcome them into our orbit EASILY so they can see what we have to offer.

This is exactly how 164 people registered for my workshop.
Not through promotional posts saying "come to my workshop."
Through a nudge in the P.S. and comments.

Give people an easy way to raise their hand.
Then have a real conversation.

_____

P.S. If you're not using soft CTA/CTEs in your posts, you're making people work too hard to connect with you.

"I'm back to being a LinkedIn fan. 😍"

Jackie posted this after 3 weeks of joining my cohort.

Before: 
→ Rewriting every post multiple times 
→ Spreadsheets full of content 
→ Feeling like LinkedIn was taking away from her business

3 weeks later: 
→ Confident about what to post 
→ Booking clients 
→ Actually enjoying it

What changed? It wasn't tactics.

This week's newsletter breaks down the shift that matters + an announcement about switching things up with this newsletter.

____

P.S. Day 2 of what I'm grateful for: Community. I'm about to jump on a call with Aprelle Duany who I met through Entreprenista. We already collaborated on an AI Summit she hosted last year, and now we're connecting to share insights in our respective expertise to support and grow our businesses. Collaboration > competition everyday. 🙌

Hello, subscriber! Quick announcement: I'm switching things up You're still getting this newsletter here on LinkedIn on Tuesdays. But I just switched 

Open article: "I'm back to being a LinkedIn fan. 😍" by Natasha Walstra • 4 min read

24k impressions on one post.
Sounds great, right?

The number that's actually impressive:
→ 209 profile views.

Those are the people who didn't just scroll past.
They saw my clients content and clicked to check out his profile.
That's intent.

And here's the wild part:
Only 160 people liked the post.

That means 49 people were interested enough to visit his profile but too uncomfortable to engage publicly.

They're lurking.
And they're everywhere on LinkedIn.

67% of people log in weekly but never comment or like anything.
That's over 670+ million lurkers (!)

They're reading your content. They're interested. 
But too uncomfortable to engage publicly.

Don't look just at likes and comments to tell you who's interested.
Profile views are a quiet little 'hellos'

After every post, check who's viewing your profile.
If they're your ideal client? Reach out directly.

Big caveat:
This only works if your profile actually speaks to them.
If they land on a corporate resume? They bounce.
If it clearly solves their problem? They remember you.

The most interested people often engage the least publicly.
Don't let vanity metrics fool you.

Your biggest opportunities might be in those profile views, not those likes.

___

P.S. This client just started posting on LinkedIn 3 months ago. Never used social media before in his life. Now with my custom AI bot helping him create content consistently? One post got 24K impressions and 209 profile views. Not bad for being 3 months in!

Y'all, I love that posts live longer on LinkedIn. 🙊

(I might be one of the few who feel this way.)

Why?

Because that means if you only post 2-3x a week, you're still top of mind in your network.
Unlike Meta where posts die after 24 hours, on here they stick around.

I absolutely dig it. 

In October I had a LOT going on and just couldn't get to my usual posting (and I hate posting & ghosting).
So I only posted 3x a week.

But every morning I woke up with notifications - comments and likes from past posts.

And guess what?
October was my best month ever. By nearly double.
Let that sink in.
Less posting and I closed more deals.

Use this as an opportunity to reevaluate how often you're posting.

If you're posting 5x a week: 
→ Do you feel like you're burning out? 
→ Is the quality of your posts all good?

If you're not posting at all: 
→ What if you only had to post 2x a week instead of 5x? 
→ Does that help reframe your overwhelm and make it seem easier to start?

While LinkedIn figures out its algorithm, remember this:
Quality beats quantity. Every time.

Your posts show up in feeds for days...even weeks.
So give yourself permission to post less and stress less.
Your content has a longer shelf life than you think.

___

P.S. My goal is still to show up with quality content at 4-5x a week, but sometimes life keeps life-ing and I can't do it. And that's OKAY. Give yourself grace and do what works for you that doesn't lead to burnout. The LAST thing I'd want is for you to go ham on here and then disappear for months at a time because it got too overwhelming. You've got this! 🙌

"Would I say this if I ran into them at a coffee shop?"

This is what you should be asking yourself before you send any DM. 

If the answer is no... don't send it.

This one filter will save you from 99% of bad LinkedIn DMs.

Most people have forgotten that LinkedIn follows the same social rules as real life.

And that there's a real HUMAN on the other side of the screen.

You wouldn't walk up to a stranger at Starbucks and say: "I noticed you're in leadership and wanted to explore synergies with our AI-powered solutions..."

So why would you say it in a DM?

Instead of treating LinkedIn like a networking platform.
Treat it like your office.

Your connections? 
They're your colleagues.

Comments? 
Water cooler conversations.

DMs? 
Dropping by someone's desk to say hi.

When you make this mental shift, everything changes.

____

P.S. Today in the REALationship Growth Method we're covering "Social Selling & Conversation Starters" - I went through all my DM's in the last month and compiled examples for the group. Might have to make this a lead magnet...would anyone be interested in this?

The most valuable thing I added to my business this year? 

→ A small (but growing!) newsletter.

(Hard to say exact numbers, but it's ~$75k in 6 months and I currently have 381 subscribers + my LinkedIn subscribers)

Here's the thing about newsletters: 
It's not about size. It's about attention.

These people invited me into their inbox. 
They want to hear from me every week. 
No algorithm deciding if they see my stuff.

Just real attention from real people.

When I hosted my first workshop, 176 people registered. 
More than half came from my newsletter. 
And I didn't send a single promotional email! 
Just mentioned it naturally, the way I'd tell a friend.

That's the power of a list that actually pays attention.

This week's newsletter breaks down why newsletters work, what I didn't expect, and why NOW is the time to start one (or fix yours).

P.S. I'm the LinkedIn Lady, yes... but growing your business? That's the actual mission. 😎

Are you thinking about starting a newsletter? Do it. Already have one but not seeing results? Keep reading…you might be missing a few key elements. St

Open article: The most valuable thing I added to my business by Natasha Walstra • 3 min read

The most valuable thing I added to my business

Don't think people read profiles?

No worries. My client didn't either.

In fact, she was skeptical even AFTER we updated hers.

Then ONE week later, she got this message:

"𝘖𝘔𝘎. 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 ...𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘭!"

She immediately reached out: "I'm glad to be proven wrong."

What got this person's attention?
Not the banner. Not the headline.

→ The Experience section.

The section most people copy-paste from their resume OR have some corporate marketing jargon they were forced to put in during onboarding and call it a day.

Your Experience section is an opportunity:
- To show off without actually showing off
- To talk about your wins, your obstacles, what you learned

All those lessons that led you to be the expert you are today?
THAT'S what people want to hear about.

Not "Responsible for increasing revenue and managing cross-functional teams."

TELL A STORY.

How did you crush your quota every quarter?
What obstacles did you overcome?
What made you realize you were onto something?

My client's story in her experience section?
Real. Human. Memorable.
And it made someone stop scrolling and reach out.

Not everyone will read it, no.

But if it means ONE person was swayed to have a call with you after just one week?
I'd say that's worth it.

Your profile isn't a resume.
It's your story.
Tell it like one.

___

P.S.  Part of my program includes a total profile makeover. Doesn't matter if you have branding or not (this client here didn't!) I'm all about progress > perfection. Helping you find a system (or brand) that works for where you are. 

I'm booking for January cohort - final weeks to get founding member rate AND Lifetime access. 

DM "LFG" for deets.

How I create 5+ posts from one call.

This is so simple, but no one was doing this!

Whenever I have a really good conversation with a client or team - great questions, big problem solved, interesting debate - I take that transcript and drop it into my chat.

My super simple prompt: 
"Pull all the themes and questions discussed on this call."

It gives me ~3-5 themes/?s (or more in this case)

From there, I turn the best ones into posts.

Here's what it gave me from last Monday's call:

Themes:
- Google Alerts for prospecting
- Post engagement & follow-up strategies
- Avoiding pitch slaps in DMs
- Content creation struggles
- Using call transcripts for content (𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸)

Questions:
• "Should I reach out to people who liked my post?"
• "How do I make content creation faster?"
• "What's the balance between content creation and engagement?"
  
All solid. All post-worthy.

If one client is asking these questions, you can bet others are wondering the same thing.

You're literally getting handed post ideas every day - you just need to capture them.

"𝘋𝘰 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭?"

As much as possible. Why?

→ It turns it into a unique story.
Not some generic advice post anyone could write.

→ It's social proof. Shows I'm doing the thing I say I do. 
On calls. With real clients.

Obviously, I respect privacy - I don't share names or identifying details, unless discussed.

But this approach shows you do what you say you do while creating relevant content.

Easy peasy.

___

P.S. I thought everyone was doing this, until I started to share it with my clients and realized no one was doing it.

Best way to think of this: instead of creating content, you're capturing it.

Is this an AWS meltdown but Cloudfare style? 

I can't access half my tools right now. 😐

(I actually have a great post for today, but Canva wasn't having it and you know me, I like images with posts haha). 

Anyone else feeling stuck?

Zoltan A. Vardy

The Launch Code

• The Launch Code: a proven sales blueprint for B2B founders to consistently close 3+ high-ticket clients per quarter.
• Applied by 200+ startups across 26 countries to turn sales from guesswork into a repeatable growth engine.
• Delivered through a video course, 1:1 mentoring, group accelerator programs & workshops.

B2B Sales Strategist & Founder

• Startup & Tech Conferences: Dublin Tech Summit, EU Startups Summit, Arctic15, TechChill, TNW, Wolves Summit, PODIM, How To Web.
• Accelerators & VCs: Startup Wise Guys, Supercharger Ventures, Design Terminal, ReaktorX, Speedinvest, Kindred Capital, Euroventures, Fil Rouge. 
• Organizations: Venture Cafe, HBBA, United Way

Keynote Speaker - Sales, Growth & Entrepreneurship

Antavo Enterprise Loyalty Cloud

• Support founders, leadership team, and investors to accelerate Antavo's global expansion.
• Antavo is an enterprise loyalty SaaS technology with clients like BMW, KFC, Kathmandu and BrewDog in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

Chairman

Investor & Board Member

Mentor Equity LLC

• Investor and board member of B2B enterprise technology startups based in Europe.
• Portfolio - Dexory (AI data analytics in logistics), Antavo (loyalty program SAAS tech platform)
• Exit: Brainient (video advertising technology), sold to Teads (2016).

Angel Investor & Board Member

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

• Led global ad sales teams for international TV division, 12 offices and 50+ channels across EMEA, APAC and LatAm. 
• Grew TV and digital ad revenues +20%, unified global sales organization, developed digital commercial strategy and negotiated multi-market ad partnerships.

Sr. Vice President, Global Ad Sales, NBCUniversal International Networks

ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE

• P&L responsibility for 900-employee, $150m revenue division with TV channels in Hungary (TV2, FEM3), Romania (Prima TV, Kiss TV) and a TV production company. Private-equity backed (KKR, Permira) company, bought SBS Broadcasting in June, 2007.

CEO, Central & Eastern Europe

• Generated record revenues and profits by relaunching flagship general entertainment channel, reducing costs during economic downturn, and launching cable channel portfolio.

CEO, TV2 Hungary

SBS Broadcasting

• Oversaw ad revenues of $1.1 bil for 19 TV channels in Nordic, Benelux & Central Europe; negotiated group-wide advertising deals with marketers and media agencies.

Vice President, Advertising Sales

• Led 60-person commercial team in super-charging revenues by 50% to $150 mil over 3 years alongside declining viewing share.

Commercial Director, TV2 Hungary

eEurope Media

• Developed business plan and raised $1.5 mil from angel investors to launch a network of consumer Internet portals in Central Europe; built and managed staff of 30, created exclusive partnerships with Google and Hewlett Packard; sold business to strategic buyers.

Co-Founder & CEO

CBS Corporation

GM & Vice President, CBS Plus

Turner Broadcasting

Business Development Manager, Europe

USA TODAY

Marketing Manager, Europe & Asia

I teach B2B founders how to close more enterprise deals faster using The Launch Code 🚀 Generated $2 billion in B2B revenue in my 30-year career📣 Speak about B2B sales & entrepreneurship

Struggling to sell your B2B tech product, even though you know it’s great?

I’ve been there. After 30 years in B2B sales — from leading $150M revenue teams at NBCUniversal to building my own startup — I’ve closed $2B in revenue by learning how to make skeptical buyers say “yes.”

That’s why I built The Launch Code, a proven blueprint trusted by 200+ founders in 26 countries to turn sales from a constant struggle into a repeatable growth engine. It’s designed to help founders win 3+ high-ticket clients per quarter.

👉 I created The Launch Code by blending my two worlds:

• Corporate sales leadership at the highest level

• Startup founder grit, speed, and focus

The result: a sales system that gives startup founders corporate-level structure without losing startup agility.

What you’ll learn with me:

✅ How to FOCUS your offer & message so buyers instantly get it

✅ How to STRUCTURE your sales process so you close more with less stress

✅ How to SCALE your sales so you stop doing it all yourself

Who I work with:

• Early-stage founders → use my video course + mentoring to land your first consistent high-ticket clients.

• Scaleup founders → work 1:1 with me to scale faster, build a high-performing team & break revenue ceilings.

Why listen to me?

🔹 Closed $2B+ in revenue
🔹 Carried $150M revenue responsibility as SVP at NBCUniversal 
🔹 Built & sold my own company
🔹 Investor in multiple startups
🔹 Author of The Launch Code & keynote speaker

📩 DM me if you’re ready to win 3+ high-ticket clients per quarter and turn sales into your growth engine.

• The Launch Code is a blueprint that helps B2B tech founders sell and market to enterprise customers.
• Worked with 200+ founders from 26 countries.
• I share The Launch Code via a personal mentoring program, an on-demand course and a course + mentoring package.
• Startup accelerators can choose a course + group coaching package.

“When do I give up?”
I ask myself that at least once a quarter.

When things hit harder than expected.
When a prospect or partner shuts me down.
When something I really counted on... doesn’t happen.

But somehow, I always pick up the pieces and keep moving.
Founders ask me this question too — a lot.

Because “never give up” can be dangerous advice.
Blind persistence can kill your startup just as fast as quitting too soon.

So here’s what I tell them:
✅ If you're still learning, improving, and seeing progress → keep going.
⚠️ If you're repeating, losing money, or drained of motivation → pause, pivot, or reset.

Giving up isn’t failure.
It’s strategy.
It’s how you make space for your next big win.

This is the side of entrepreneurship no one glamorizes, but every founder knows.
👉 When did you know it was time to quit?
👇 Let’s talk in the comments.

#FounderStruggles #Resilience #Entrepreneurship #Startuplife

B2B Sales Strategist for Tech Founders | Win 3+ High-Ticket Clients per Quarter | Closed $2B in Revenue | Author of The Launch Code | Keynote Speaker

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This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for more than just good fortune.

I’m thankful for the decisions that changed my life, even when they felt risky.

🙏 I had the courage to walk away from a comfortable corporate career in my late 40s.
Starting over wasn’t easy. But it was right.

🙏 I get to share my knowledge with incredible startup founders, and help them turn their dreams into reality.

🙏 I’ve built a life where financial stress no longer runs the show.
It took years of hard work, discipline, and yes...a bit of luck.

🙏 I’m physically healthy and energized enough to pursue the work I care about.
That’s a privilege I don’t take for granted.

🙏 I’m surrounded by a loving wife and daughter who believe in me and support my purpose, especially on the hard days.

None of this happened overnight. But every step was worth it.

👉 What’s one thing you’re grateful for this year that didn’t come easy?

#Thanksgiving #Gratitude #EntrepreneurLife #Founders #StartupJourney #Reflection

Last week, I fired a brand new client — no regrets.

He wasn’t prepared to listen to my advice.
He was rude, dismissive, and resistant to feedback.

Ironically, his business was about helping others “clarify their focus.”
But when I asked him to define his own... he listed 20 things.
When I suggested choosing one, he pushed back. Hard.

That’s when I knew: we weren’t aligned.
And alignment isn’t a luxury. It’s a requirement.

After mentoring 200+ founders, I’ve learned:
→ The best client relationships are built on mutual respect
→ Shared values and shared trust.
 
When those don’t exist, it’s better to walk away.
Early. Clean. Honest.

Because great outcomes only happen when you’re building with the right people.

📸 This is me — standing firm in that decision.
Respect is non-negotiable.

Would you have fired him, too, or tried to make it work?

#b2bsales #founders #entrepreneurship #focus #clientrelationships

I thought publishing my book was the finish line. I was wrong.
Turns out, the real work begins after the launch.

📖𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙚

Last week, I wrapped up an eight-month European promotional period with one final talk at Venture Café London.

𝟭𝟴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝟭𝟭 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
From Finland to Spain, Germany to Estonia, I shared The Launch Code with founders, dreamers, and doers.

I stood on stages and in countries I'd never been.
I met readers I’ll never forget.
I signed and sold hundreds of books to founders building what’s next.

And I hit walls.

My “favorite”? I once traveled 1,180 kilometers over two days... to speak to four people and sell one book.

𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
➡️ Hearing MY words come to life in a stranger's voice in my audiobook.
✅ Signing a Hungarian publishing deal with Líra Group for 2026.

Would I do it again?
Absolutely.

Because true impact doesn’t happen in a single moment.
It’s built, brick by brick, one trust-building conversation at a time.

👉Swipe through for moments from the road.

What’s something you finished that changed your life?

#entrepreneurship #founders #authorlife #globalkeynote #startups

The Launch Code Promo Tour 2025

Basic professionalism is now a competitive advantage.
Crazy, right?

What comes naturally to you might feel like a revelation to others.

Paul Kulon from SummerJam once told me:
“God, you’re really great with follow-up!”

Urban Lapajne from PODIM thanked me for giving honest feedback — not because it was easy, but because it was real.

It made me realize:
The stuff that makes you look like a pro isn’t flashy.
It’s not loud.
It’s consistency.

✅ Sticking to deadlines
✅ Following up when you say you will
✅ Delivering what you promised

These aren’t “big” moves....but they build trust.
And trust builds everything else.

Your achievements might get attention.
But your behavior is what earns opportunity.

What’s one “basic” behavior that, in your eyes, sets true professionals apart?

👇 I’d love to learn from your perspective.

#leadership #professionalism #followthrough #founderlife #trust

Brilliant founders. Great products. But no traction?
It’s not a product problem — it’s a sales system problem.

That changed last week. 

🚀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽 kicked off inside the V4 Startup Force accelerator, uniting early-stage founders from:
🇨🇿 Contesaur.cz  
🇭🇺 Felm
🇵🇱 RunPixie.com  
🇸🇰 shealed  

Over four intense weeks, we're going beyond theory:

✅ 5 live mentoring sessions
✅ Hands-on playbook building
✅ Real-world sales simulations

Each founder gets access to The Launch Code — but more importantly, they build their own repeatable sales process, together.

One founder’s initial feedback:
"I’ll finally know what to say in sales calls without sounding like a robot."

If you run an accelerator or incubator and want your founders to stop guessing and start closing, let’s talk.

📩 Message me to see how The Launch Code can plug into your program.

Let’s equip the next generation of founders with the skills they need to sell.

#b2bsales #startups #foundertraining #accelerators #launchcode

Imagine paying to get punched in the gut... and calling it a win.

That’s entrepreneurship.

Anastasiia H. said it better than I ever could:

“Entrepreneurship: the only roller coaster where you pay for the ride, get punched in the gut, and still stand in line for another go.”

After decades in the game, I still haven’t found a better description.

🎢 The highs? Unreal.
🥊 The lows? Unforgiving.
🔁 And yet… we get back in line. Every time.

Because once you’ve felt that rush, there’s no going back to "safe."

👉 What’s been your most unforgettable ride as a founder?

Drop your story below. I’d love to hear it 👇

#entrepreneurship #founders #startuplife #resilience #leadership #growth

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(24) Venture Café London: Posts | LinkedIn

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JSESSIONID

Talks about #b2bsales, #startups, #entrepreneurship, #salesandmarketing, and #businessdevelopment

AI-Driven Ops | GTM Operations | Workflow Automation | HubSpot CRM | Customer Success Enablement

Most founders don’t struggle because of their product.

They struggle because of their message.

If your customers don’t instantly get why you matter, they’ll move on, no matter how good your solution is.

That’s what I talked about at Podim Conference, where we broke down how clarity and structure turn chaos into consistent sales.

But the conversation doesn’t stop there.

Because the same myths keep holding founders back:
❌ That you can build a unicorn in 9–5 hours
❌ That AI can sell for you

The truth?
AI can speed you up, but if your fundamentals are broken, it’ll just help you fail faster.
And balance is great, but commitment still wins.

I unpacked all this in my latest newsletter.

Which do you think is the bigger myth right now: AI replacing sales or success without sacrifice?

Every founder I meet has one goal: sell more. But most miss the real reason they’re not closing more deals. It’s not the product, it’s not the market…

How 200+ startups fixed their sales with one simple shift

Podim Conference

Your sales team doesn’t need another motivational talk.
They need the startup mindset to close big deals faster.

I discovered my superpower at age 25 when I spoke on stage at an international sales event, sharing how I sold ads for Cartoon Network in Eastern Europe. 

I was nervous but ready.

That talk launched me to become a Vice President at CBS three years later.

Since then, I’ve led sales teams at TV2 and NBCUniversal, using speaking to align vision, drive revenue, and energize performance across global markets.

In the last six years, I’ve taken 50+ stages in a dozen countries, helping founders scale B2B sales.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀.

Whether it’s sales kickoffs, leadership offsites, or global conferences -- I’ll 
show your teams how to think, sell, and win like founders.

🎥 Here’s the 2.5-minute speaker reel - and imagine this on your stage.

Planning your next sales event? Message me.

And let’s create the kind of keynote they’ll talk about all year.

#CorporateEvents #PublicSpeaking #EntrepreneurialThinking #HRLeadership #B2BSales

Everyone’s trashing office work these days.

But I just spoke with the founder of a high-end lifestyle brand in the UK.

Her company has a full-time, in-office policy.

No hybrid. No WFH.

Has it made recruitment tougher? Yes.

But the founder’s stance is clear:

“If you don’t want to work side-by-side with your colleagues, you’re not a fit for our culture.”

And honestly? I get it.

I’ve led teams from ten to a thousand.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned:

𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻.

Deals, ideas, and culture often happen between the meetings — not on Zoom.

These days I split my time between home and the office. 

But I’m a solopreneur.

And even then, I know: remote work isn’t always the productivity booster people think it is.

The key is knowing what really brings out your best -- not just what feels comfortable.

👉 Curious: would you work for a company that requires full-time office presence?

#leadership #companyculture #productivity #hiring #futureofwork

If you're building a startup, you already know how easy it is to get pulled in ten directions at once.

New ideas, new clients, new markets… everything looks like an opportunity.

But here’s the truth: most founders don’t struggle because of weak products or bad markets. They struggle because they lose focus.

And the same principle shows up at the top of the tech world.
The Magnificent Seven (Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla) now make up 36% of the S&P 500.

Not because they chased everything… but because each one doubled down on what they do best.

Cloud. Chips. AI. Mobility.

Relentless focus turned into momentum, momentum into dominance.
I
n this newsletter, I break down:
🔹 Why focus is the single most underrated growth strategy
🔹 A simple 5-step process to help you find yours
🔹 How narrowing mine changed my entire career
🔹 And what the Magnificent Seven can teach every founder about clarity

If you feel spread thin or “busy but not moving,” this one’s worth a read.

Because once you find your focus, growth stops feeling like guessing, and starts feeling like momentum.

View newsletter: Master your B2B startup sales

f you’re building a startup, you already know how easy it is to get pulled in ten directions at once… New ideas, new clients, new markets. Everything 

Open article: Losing momentum? Here’s how to get it back. by Zoltan A. Vardy • 3 min read

Losing momentum? Here’s how to get it back.

5PM: Quit or Conquer?

Meetings are done.
Your to-do list? Still stacked.

This is the moment that separates dreamers from builders.

Do you scroll…
or do you show up and finish strong?

Because success isn’t built when it’s easy.
It’s forged in the quiet hour...
when no one’s watching and quitting feels justified.

The best founders I know don’t wait for motivation.
They commit.
Even when it’s unglamorous.
Even when it’s exhausting.

That’s how businesses are built.
That’s how founders grow.

So when 5PM hits, ask yourself:
Comfort or progress?

👇 What’s your 5PM ritual?

#founderlife #entrepreneurship #mindset #discipline #leadership #videocontent

If your value proposition sounds like this guy...
…it’s time for a rewrite.

Founders often want to explain everything:
✅ Every feature
✅ Every benefit
✅ Every audience

But in trying to say it all, you say… nothing.

A strong value proposition answers just 3 things:
1. What problem do you solve?
2. For whom?
3. Why are you better?

In one sentence.
Clear. Sharp. Repeatable.

Once you’ve got it?
Test it.
Watch people’s faces.
Then refine.

Clarity wins. Complexity kills.
So, how simple is your value proposition right now?

👇 First comment = practical help for B2B founders.

#startups #b2bsales #founders #positioning #valueproposition

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