Actionable strategies to grow your audience, monetize your skills, and build leverage online. | Trusted by leaders at Google, Adobe, Meta

Hi, I’m Ryan. I help high performers become founders by using LinkedIn to build real, profitable businesses.

My career didn’t fall apart. I didn’t burn out. I finished every role cleanly - Director, VP - leading hundreds of engineers across the world and helping build multiple billion‑dollar companies.

And still, I knew I wanted to build on my own.

I’ve founded 5 companies and earned multiple exits while scaling teams behind $1B+ in outcomes. I loved the work, but I wanted a life where I could build big things and be present for my family. I wanted ownership. I wanted flexibility. I wanted proof I could do it on my terms.

LinkedIn became the path. I grew from 1,200 to 100,000+ followers in nine months, built a brand that opened doors I didn’t know existed, and stepped fully into my own business.

Since then, I’ve coached 50+ founders to design careers, income streams, and opportunities that match the life they actually want - not the life their company dictates.

Here’s how we work:

- Identify the opportunities you can’t see in your past experience.
- Build a clear, practical brand that attracts the right people.
- Turn your skills into simple offers, real customers, and predictable income.

Today, I own my time. I build, coach, and spend my days with my family - and help others do the same.

If you’re a high performer who wants a business that fits your life, DM me.
Partnerships, speaking, press: ryan@ryanyockey.com

Professional highlights:
• 5× Founder | Multiple exits
• Scaled teams responsible for $1B+ outcomes
• Grew to 100,000+ followers in 9 months
• Coached 50+ founders
• Trusted by leaders at Google, Adobe, Meta

Ryan Yockey

Change is scary. Starting over is scarier.

Most people avoid both.

And stay exactly where they are.

Here's what I've learned watching people build:

The caterpillar doesn't negotiate with the cocoon.
It surrenders to it completely.

That's the part nobody tells you about growth:

→ You don't transform by adding more.
→ You transform by letting go first.

The job that didn't work out wasn't a failure.
The idea that collapsed wasn't wasted.
The version of you that didn't make it — needed to go.

Most people want the butterfly.
They just want to skip the dissolving.

That's not how it works.

The discomfort you're avoiding right now?

That's the process.

That's what I write about every Saturday.

Want to know if your LinkedIn profile is holding back the next version of you?

I'll send you a free Loom walkthrough — I'll tell you exactly what's killing your growth.

Drop your profile link in the comments or grab a spot here: https://lnkd.in/gUMT6k_g

I help high performers build businesses on LinkedIn | From 1,200 → 140K followers in 12 months | Coaching + Newsletter for founders who want out

Most people dismiss their biggest dreams.

Not because they're impossible.

Because they sound crazy out loud.

I know the feeling.

I spent 12 years climbing someone else's ladder — VP titles, good salary, the whole picture.

On paper, it made sense.
Inside, it felt like I was disappearing.

The idea of walking away felt irrational to everyone around me.

To me, it felt like the only option.

That gap? That's where every real entrepreneur I know has lived.

Most people never cross it.

They wait for the idea to feel safer.
They wait for someone to tell them it's okay.
They wait until the timing is better.

The timing never gets better.

Here's what I've learned building a business 141,000+ entreprenuers:
→ The dream that embarrasses you in a room full of people is usually the one worth chasing
→ "Crazy" is just what conviction looks like before it has proof
→ The people who crossed that gap didn't wait for certainty — they decided the discomfort of staying was worse than the risk of going
→ Your idea doesn't need to make sense to everyone else — it only needs to make sense to you

The entire point of life is to take chances on dreams that seem crazy to most — but feel like destiny to you.

If your LinkedIn profile still reflects who you used to be — not who you're becoming —

I'll personally audit it on Loom and show you exactly what to fix.

https://lnkd.in/gUMT6k_g

Stay unreasonable.

Stay locked into your growth.

No time for noise.
No time for comparison.
No time for reacting to things that don’t matter.

Just you and what you’re building.

Most people don’t stall because they lack ability.
They stall because their attention is scattered.

Scrolling.
Second-guessing.
Watching other people play a different game.

The ones who make real progress?

They’re not louder.
They’re not busier.

They’re focused.

I learned this the hard way.

When my growth slowed, my attention was everywhere.
When things started compounding, my attention narrowed.

The difference wasn’t effort.
It wasn’t talent.

It was what I stopped giving energy to.

Discipline isn’t doing more.
It’s removing everything that doesn’t compound.

Your growth doesn’t need motivation.
It needs protection.

Everything else is distraction.

Every Saturday morning, I send one focused email to 134,000+ entrepreneurs.

One idea.
One system.
No fluff.

It takes 4 minutes to read.
It’s free.
And it’s designed to help you keep building while others drift.

Join here: https://lnkd.in/gfyweeTM

Stay locked in.
Keep building.

I’ve been watching people for years. The patterns are wild.

The loudest person in the room? Usually compensating.

The flashiest? Probably broke or close to it.

The one who won’t shut up about how smart they are? Not that smart.

Here’s what I’ve noticed about people who actually have it:

The strongest are gentle.
They don’t need to intimidate. Their presence does the work.

The smartest are quiet.
They listen more than they talk. They know they don’t know everything.

The wealthiest are simple.
No logos. No flex. Just compound interest and time freedom.

The happiest are private.
They’re not performing for an audience. They’re living for themselves.

Real power doesn’t need to prove itself.

It just exists.

The person who’s actually built something doesn’t need to tell you about it every five minutes.
Their results speak.

The person who’s actually confident doesn’t need external validation.
They’ve done the internal work.

If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth, your intelligence, your success—pause.

Ask yourself who you’re trying to convince.

Because the people who’ve made it?
They stopped performing a long time ago.

They just started building in silence.

That’s what I write about every Saturday. One short note to 140,000+ entrepreneurs who care more about real progress than public applause.

It takes 4 minutes.

And its free: https://lnkd.in/gfyweeTM

No noise.
Just the work.

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

I turned down $250K because of what Charlie Munger taught me.

The offer was simple: consult for a company selling overpriced courses to desperate entrepreneurs. Easy money. I needed it.

But I kept thinking about Munger's rule: "Don't sell anything you wouldn't buy yourself."

Would I buy their $5K course? No.

Would I recommend it to a friend? Hell no.

So why would I help them sell it?

The internal war was brutal. I had payroll coming up. My savings were thin. This one deal would solve everything.

But every time I tried to justify it, I felt sick.

I said no.

The next month was terrifying. I scrambled. I took smaller projects. I ate ramen more than I'd like to admit.

Then something shifted.

When you stop chasing money that feels wrong, you create space for opportunities that feel right.

Six months later, I landed a client whose product I genuinely believed in. The work energized me. The money came anyway.

Now I use Munger's rule as my filter for everything:

Would I buy this?
Would I use this?
Would I recommend this to someone I care about?

If the answer is no, I walk.

It's the most expensive filter I've ever used.

And the most profitable.

Every Saturday morning, I send one focused email to 135,000+ entrepreneurs about doing exactly that. 

Designed to help you build more by doing less. 

It takes 4 minutes to read.
It’s free. 
Join here: https://lnkd.in/gfyweeTM

The dream is the proof.

Most people treat their idea like a problem.

Too risky. Too big. Too far from where they are now.

So they shrink it.

They find a more "realistic" version and call it wisdom.

But here's what I've watched happen over and over:

The people who can't stop thinking about something — even when it makes no sense — are the ones who were supposed to do it.

The obsession isn't random.

It's directional.

The dream didn't show up to torture you.

It showed up because you're one of the few people built to carry it.

Most people quiet that voice.

The ones who don't?

→ They stop needing other people's permission
→ They stop waiting until conditions are perfect
→ They stop treating the dream like a liability

The hardest part isn't the work.

It's deciding the dream deserves to be taken seriously.

141K people chose to take theirs seriously.

If you're ready to be taken seriously too — your LinkedIn profile is where that starts.

I'll tell you exactly what's holding it back: https://lnkd.in/gkDvugyj

What dream are you still sitting on?

Everyone you admire online looked ridiculous once.

Most of them will never tell you that.

14 months ago I had 1,200 connections from 10 years of doing nothing.

A resume for a profile.

Content so bad I cringe thinking about it.

I kept going anyway.

Today I have 141,000+ followers built almost entirely through that same profile.

The people who eventually look polished didn't skip the beginner phase.

They stayed in it longer than everyone else.

Most people quit right before the compounding kicks in.

Not because they lack talent.

Because they can't tolerate looking bad on the way to getting good.
→ The rep builds the skill
→ The skill builds the confidence
→ The confidence builds the result

You don't find your voice by waiting until it's perfect.

You find it by posting the imperfect thing anyway.

If your profile still looks like mine did 14 months ago — I'll show you exactly what to fix.

Free audit: https://lnkd.in/gkDvugyj

Fortune 500 Energy Executive, Business & Strategy Leader, Entrepreneur, Peak Performance & Career Growth Coach

I’ve spent over two decades operating inside high-pressure environments, Fortune 500 leadership roles, large-scale turnarounds, global operations, and decisions where the consequences were real.

Across Asia, the Middle East, and Western markets, I’ve seen what sustained responsibility does to leaders over time.

Here’s what experience taught me:

Success on paper often comes with an invisible cost.

The higher the responsibility, the heavier the cognitive load.

Measuring decisions. Carrying outcomes. Holding work, family, and expectations often without a place to put the weight down.

My work today sits at the intersection of leadership, judgment, and sustained performance.

I’m interested in:
	•	how leaders think under pressure
	•	why intensity stops scaling at senior levels
	•	how calm, clarity, and restraint become competitive advantages
	•	the transition from operator → leader → steward
	•	building results without eroding health, family, or self-respect

I write and share reflections primarily for men in senior roles: executives, founders, and operators who are successful externally but navigating complexity internally.

No hype.
No hustle culture.
No motivation for motivation’s sake.

Just hard-earned lessons on leadership, decision-making, and carrying responsibility well.

Souhaibe Barkat

A boss will ask you to manage your stress.

A leader will fix what’s causing it.

There’s a difference between telling people to “cope” and creating an environment where they don’t have to.

A boss says: Take a break. Go for a walk.

A leader asks: Why are you burning out in the first place?

A boss checks productivity.
A leader checks people.

A boss measures deadlines.
A leader removes bottlenecks.

Stress isn’t always about workload.
It’s about unclear priorities. 

Unspoken expectations. 
Silent pressures that stack up until they explode.

Real leadership isn’t about pushing people harder.

It’s about protecting them from the things that drain their energy before they even start.

Because when your team feels safe, supported, and seen they’ll perform better without you having to “motivate” them.

Stop telling people to manage their stress. Start managing the causes.


♻️PS: If you think leadership is about titles, you’ll always be a boss. If you think it’s about people, you’ll always be a leader.

Executive Leader | Large-Scale Turnarounds | Leadership, Judgment & Sustained Performance

People mistake kindness for weakness.

But, it’s actually a sign of strength.

Kindness as a leader isn’t about being “soft.”

It’s about:

➠ Listening when your team speaks
➠ Understanding struggles before judging
➠ Balancing results with humanity

✅ A kind leader earns respect.
❌ A harsh leader only earns fear.

Compassion doesn’t mean avoiding tough decisions.

It means making them without crushing the people involved.

When your team feels safe, they perform better.

When they feel supported, they give more.

Strong leaders know:

You can be firm without being cruel.

You can be ambitious without being arrogant.

You can be kind without being taken for granted.


♻️PS: Leading with kindness costs nothing. But it will make you the leader everyone remembers.

Want to keep your best people.

Start doing what most companies ignore.

Here are 9 proven ways to retain top talent that actually work 👇

1. Overpay for top talent
→ You can’t afford to underpay high performers.
→ Replacing them will cost far more in the long run.

2. Default to recognition
→ Say thank you often.
→ Share wins publicly.
→ Recognition is retention fuel.

3. Run a “Stay Interview” every 6 months
→ Ask: What makes you stay? What might make you leave?
→ Support their long-term goals early.

4. Enforce a “No Jerks Policy”
→ Your best talent will never rise above the worst behavior you tolerate.

5. Be soft on the person, hard on the problem
→ Mistakes happen.
→ Handle them with grace and clarity.

6. Give autonomy with ownership
→ Let them own products, clients, or key decisions.
→ Autonomy + Trust = Retention.

7. Add “No-Meeting Days”
→ Give people the space to think and do deep work.

8. Make feedback a cultural norm
→ Regular, honest feedback strengthens relationships and raises performance.
→ As Ken Blanchard said: “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”

9. Don’t micromanage
→ Great leaders remove roadblocks.
→ Mediocre ones add red tape.

Great people stay where they feel valued, trusted, and free.



📌PS: Want a 1-page version of this for your team?
Comment “RETENTION” and I’ll send it to you.

Most jobs are trainable. Skills can be taught.

Attitude can’t.

Yet so many companies:

❌ Reject candidates because they don’t tick every box

❌ Overlook people with high potential but less experience

❌ Choose “safe” hires over hungry learners

What great leaders do instead:

✅ Hire for mindset and willingness to learn

✅ Train for skills that can be developed

✅ Give people an opportunity to prove themselves

Because sometimes, the best performer you’ll ever hire…

…is the one you almost didn’t.

♻PS: Don’t just hire qualifications. Hire potential and build the talent you want.

You deserve a manager who treats you like you matter every day.

Not just when they need something from you.

We’ve all worked with that kind of manager:

➠ Warm and friendly… only when a deadline is coming up.

➠ Full of praise… only when they want you to take extra work.

➠ Suddenly “checking in”… only when their own boss is watching.

That’s not leadership.
That’s transaction.

A real leader doesn’t treat you like a resource.

They treat you like a person.

✅ They ask how you’re doing even when there’s nothing urgent.
✅ They give feedback to help you grow not just to fix mistakes.
✅ They celebrate you not only your output.

If your manager only values you when they need something.

they don’t value you.


♻️PS: Respect is not a seasonal benefit.
It’s a daily practice.

72% of meetings are a waste of time. 
Billions of hours gone.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Here’s how top performers run efficient meetings:

Elon Musk → Prepare hard, ask better questions
Come in ready.
Hold everyone to high standards.

Steve Jobs → Keep the room small
Invite only who matters.
Smaller group = faster results.

Larry Page → Decide, don’t delay
Every meeting needs a decision-maker.
Speed matters. Cut the bottlenecks.

Satya Nadella → Sync leadership weekly
Use dashboards to align.
Clarity beats chaos. Always.

Ben Horowitz → Make 1:1s count
Let them set the agenda.
You listen 90% of the time.

Marissa Mayer → Test every idea
Ask smart questions.
Weak logic doesn’t pass the filter.

Alfred Sloan → Follow up fast
Send a clear memo post-meeting.
Tasks, deadlines, next steps lock it in.

Sheryl Sandberg → Stick to agenda
Start with a plan.
End when it’s done.

Don’t let meetings drain momentum.
Use them to drive results.

Run them sharp.
Run them with purpose.

♻ Repost to help more leaders embody presence
➕ Follow Souhaibe Barkat for proven strategies to lead, grow & win.

No title is a license to treat people poorly.

A big office.
A fancy title.
A corner desk with glass walls.

None of that makes you more important than the people you lead.

Leadership isn’t about the title on your LinkedIn profile.

It’s about how you treat people when no one’s watching.

✅ Respect your team, no matter their role.
❌ Belittle them because you “outrank” them.

True leaders know:
➠ Power is a privilege, not a weapon
➠ Influence is earned, not demanded
➠ Titles fade, but your reputation doesn’t

The best leaders lift others up.
The worst leaders push others down.

At the end of the day, your title might get erased from the org chart.

But how you made people feel?

That stays forever.


♻️PS:A title can open doors.
But respect is what keeps them open.

True Leadership Isn't Safe.

It's not about playing it safe.

It's about doing what's right, even when it's hard.

1) The Real Test of Leadership

→ Speaking up, even if it's unpopular.

→ Putting people before personal comfort.

→ Challenging the boss when something feels wrong.

2) What Makes a True Leader

→ They defend their team under pressure.

→ They take risks to protect others.

→ They stand up even if they stand alone.

3) Why It Matters

→ Trust is built in tough moments.

→ Teams follow courage, not titles.

→ Real leaders rise when it's risky.

PS:

Anyone can follow orders.

But only the brave lead with integrity, no matter the cost.

Be the senior you needed when you were a junior.

When you were starting out, remember:

→ How lost you felt in your first week

→ How you wished someone explained things patiently

→ How you needed someone to tell you, "You're doing great, keep going"

✅ Guide instead of gatekeeping

✅ Share knowledge without ego

✅ Create a safe space to ask “silly” questions

✅ Celebrate small wins, not just big results

❌ Making juniors “figure it out the hard way”

❌ Hoarding information to stay relevant

❌ Criticizing without teaching

Leadership isn’t about your title.

It’s about the impact you have on the people coming after you.


♻️PS: One day, they’ll remember you as the reason they didn’t give up.

People don’t quit jobs.

They quit feeling unseen.

A person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected.

It’s not magic.
It’s human nature.

➠ Loyalty builds trust.
➠ Appreciation builds loyalty.
➠ Trust builds performance.

You can’t demand excellence out of thin air.

But you can inspire it by showing someone their work matters.

A thank you.
A small note of recognition.
A shoutout in front of the team.

These cost you nothing.
But they can change everything.

✅ Teams grow when they feel valued.
❌ They break when they feel invisible.


♻️PS: People will forget perks and policies. But they’ll never forget how you made them feel.

taplio

The Battle

Ryan Yockey

Souhaibe Barkat

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreRyan Yockey's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSouhaibe Barkat's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Ryan Yockey

Souhaibe Barkat

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);}Ryan Yockey's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSouhaibe Barkat's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreRyan Yockey's LinkedIn Performance