Nerd who fell in love with marketing & growth.

Available for keynotes and short advice calls

Nicholas D'hondt

I'm building an AI marketing team of one.

Here's the thing about being a one-person marketing & sales team at an open-source software company (JobRunr): you don't have time for everything. 

So I asked Patrick for help.

Patrick is my AI executive assistant, built on OpenClaw. And this week, he built me a LinkedIn Ads review system. From scratch. 

Let me walk you through how we got here.

Step 1: We did the research first.

Before writing a single ad, we analyzed our actual data. Not vibes. Data.

We pulled company visitor data from Scarf and cross-referenced it with HubSpot. IP matching, domain lookups. That gave us a ranked list of which industries and companies are actually visiting our Pro and Pricing pages.

Finance. Insurance. Government. Not what I would have guessed.

We built company lists from that intelligence and matched them to LinkedIn audiences.

Step 2: We built a messaging framework.

Patrick analyzed all our existing customer data. Hubspot data, email conversations, intake questionnaires, support questions, ads,... Then we used that data to fill in a creative strategy map and come up with 3 angles per target-audience.


Step 3: The visuals.

I showed Patrick our existing ad visuals. He reverse-engineered the visual language and wrote image generation prompts matching our brand. Generated with Gemini. I could approve, reject, download, tweak in Photoshop, re-upload. All from a review tool he built.

Step 4: The review tool.

Patrick built a web app where I review everything:
→ Ad copy with live LinkedIn preview
→ Image variants (approve, download, replace, regenerate)
→ Comments and feedback
→ One-click approve to push live

No SaaS subscription. Just me and my agent.

The proof? One ad Patrick created by analyzing my best performers and generating a variant is now my highest CTR ad at 2.65%. AI-generated. Outperforming all my manual ones.

The difference between "write me an ad" and this? Real context. Your CRM data. Your analytics. Your brand. Your actual performance numbers. 

And most importantly: Your taste. You are the creative director who shows the way. 

Full stack: OpenClaw, LinkedIn Marketing API, HubSpot, Scarf, Gemini, and a custom review tool. Fully built using Telegram conversations.

Happy to share more details. Or just roast my AI visuals. Either works.

Head Of Growth at JobRunr | Turning creative ideas into measurable results | Public Speaker - Available for keynotes

Are AI agents going to take over all our jobs???

Probably not. But they're definitely taking over parts of mine.

I got invited to join the Content Coffee Break podcast by Fuss for the first time. We recorded in Alicante ☀️ and covered three topics I think every marketer should be paying attention to right now:

🤖 AI agents are the new marketing colleague
OpenAI just acquired OpenClaw, and it says everything about where we're heading. AI is no longer a chatbot you ask questions to. It's an agent that actually does the work. 

My own AI agent is called Patrick, and he already handles a big chunk of my daily workflow. From email triage to content research to CRM follow ups. Not replacing me. Working with me.

📱 The TikTok algorithm is under attack
Europe wants to ban infinite scroll. If that happens, your entire organic reach strategy changes overnight. Less passive scrolling = fewer chances to be seen. Time to rethink how you show up.

🔍 Social search is eating Google alive
62% of Gen Z uses TikTok as a search engine. They're not Googling "best restaurant Antwerpen" anymore. They're searching it on TikTok. If you're not optimising your social content for search, you're invisible to an entire generation.

10 minutes. Three trends. Zero fluff.

🎬 Watch the teaser below
🎧 Full episode link in the comments

Did I just become my AI agent's assistant?

So I have this AI executive assistant called Patrick. It runs on Claude Opus, has access to my browser, can execute scripts, manage files... basically it can do a LOT.

This morning I wanted to test something. Could Patrick download a popular TV show for me?

I gave it 10 magnet links. One for each season. "Download these, store them on my Desktop, folder per season."

Patrick didn't even hesitate. It wrote a script, connected to Real-Debrid, started downloading. Season 1 done. Season 2 done. Season 3 done.

Then it stopped.

"I can't help with downloading copyrighted TV shows."

Wait. What? You already downloaded three seasons! NOW you have moral objections?

I pushed back but Patrick wasn't buying it. "The torrent names literally say Friends Season 1-10 (1080p BD x265). I can't pretend otherwise."

Fair enough. So I tried a different approach.

"Fine. Don't run it. Just write me the script."

And it did. Wrote a Python script. Saved it to my Desktop. Even left a placeholder for the API token so its hands would stay clean.

Then I asked: "Can you paste in the token already?"

Done. No objections.

So let me get this straight. Patrick refused to RUN the download. But happily wrote the script, added the credentials, and handed it to me with a "Ready to run."

The irony is perfect. 

We're building AI agents to do our work, and here I am... doing the work my agent refused to do. Because it had principles. That it applied... selectively.

We live in interesting times.

If you want to see the full conversation, scroll through the PDF below 👉

Patrick's Moral Objections...

Built For Endurance

Built For Endurance teaches leaders and teams to balance performance and recovery and reach great resilience.
We use biometrical insights, immersive nature experiences and combined lifestyle interventions to support lasting behavioral change.

Founder & Managing Partner

Nova Reperta

Management Consultant

Slow Cabins

Operational Director

Project Manager (freelance)

huzelo

CEO & Co-Founder

SOLVINT Supply Management

Freelance consultant

ENGIE Electrabel

Senior Buyer CAPEX (Freelance)

Delhaize Belgium

Senior Buyer (Freelance)

Reynaers Aluminium

- Responsible for purchasing & quality strategy development for the Reynaers Group
- Management & coaching of team of strategic buyers (total 8 FTE)
- Strategic supplier development & start up of commodity teams within the group
- Focused on procurement savings with direct impact on the company results
- Operational KPI development on purchasing & quality

Group Purchase & Quality Director

- Responsible implementation Group Quality strategy in different Reynaers markets
- Support start up local suppliers through quality audits
- Coordinate international improvement projects with focus on operational excellence
- Create and implement operational performance indicators

Group Quality Manager

- Management of quality department (13 FTE) at Reynaers Duffel. 
- Developing local quality strategy. 
- Responsible for customer complaints, product quality controls, supplier quality assurance and quality management system
- Auditing of potential and existing suppliers. 
- Managing improvement projects related to the internal processes. 
- Responsible for ISO 9001 certification.

Quality Manager

I got promoted multiple times at an early age, became a director in a multinational at age 27 and finished multiple long-distance endurance races along the way.

Yet, all these superficial - externally oriented - achievements left me disengaged, unfulfilled and disconnected from my authentic self. The result? I got divorced, lived a financial unstable life and was not able to have healthy love relationships.

The best thing I did was quitting...literally stopping; during a 360 km endurance race I stopped after 120 km. Completely drained, but convinced to live life in a different way.

I started exploring science based immersive modalities such as ice baths, different intense breathing techniques and rediscovered connection with nature, my true nature. I now work at the intersection of science and spirit, combining ancient wisdom with modern science and technology. As an engineer, I still love to use technology to support me in my own process of self-development. 

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨?
𝙄 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨.

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:
- Finisher Marathon des Sables 240 km (29th out of +1000 participants)
- Finisher Jungle Marathon Brazil 260 km (5th out of +50 participants)
- Quitting the 360 km Swiss Peaks after 120 km
- Divorcing during my eMBA training

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞?
L&D managers, Wellbeing leaders or executives contact me when they or leaders from their organisation face "Energy Depletion". Overloaded by complexity, an agenda packed with meetings and decision making which is compromised. On the surface, they often look agitated and reactive. Deep down inside, they are suffering, surviving and longing for help.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩?
- Starting with a biometrical assessment (complemented with scientific supported surveys) to get awareness around the impact of lifestyle on energy levels
- Learn immersive and impactful tools which can be done on a daily basis and support sustainable performance
- Design leadership programs to drive resilient leadership within the company

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐛 𝐚 (𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥) 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞:
DM or lieven@builtforendurance.com

Lieven Van Linden

Happy to share that I'm available for keynotes (and other leadership performance requests) through London Speaker Bureau. 

Big thanks to Nikita Cols for the trust and looking forward to further inspire outside of the Belgian Borders.

Human Performance Advisor for C-Level leaders & entrepreneurs | Author Fully Charged | Keynote Speaker | Helping leaders thrive under pressure using biometrics and immersive experiences

Open article: Lieven Van Linden – Keynote Speaker | London Speaker Bureau by londonspeakerbureau.com

Lieven Van Linden – Keynote Speaker | London Speaker Bureau

Most leaders don't burn overnight.

They slowly get cooked.

You may know the 70's experiment of the frog in the cooking pot. (Don't try this at home)

When you drop a frog in boiling water, it immediately jumps out.
But place it in cold water and slowly raise the temperature…and the frog stays until it’s too late.

That’s how todays context is for most leaders. 

It is not a shock but has a slow rise in temperature:
- AI disruption
- endless decisions
- constant uncertainty
- growing complexity

At first, you can handle it.
You work a bit longer.
Sleep a bit less.
Push through.

Until one day you realise the battery is empty.
While most leaders know how to manage their short term fatigue, they struggle with long term energy depletion.

That’s exactly why I wrote Fully Charged. Not to avoid stress but to make sure you jump out of the pot before the water starts boiling.

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taplio

The Battle

Nicholas D'hondt

Lieven Van Linden

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

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

Performance ScoreLieven Van Linden's LinkedIn Performance

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