Shoaib Ahmed

Founder: Yello Hippo | Host: REBELS Podcast 🎙️ | Building Profitable Personal Brands for Founders & CEOs | 185M+ Organic Views | Winner: Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 | Advisor: Limelight

Hi 👋🏽 I'm the personal brand manager behind top 1% LinkedIn accounts. I've delivered:

300M+ organic impressions → VIRAL content marketing 
2.1M profile views → MILLIONS of eyes on offers
£11.2 revenue → TANGIBLE business growth

Thanks to my:

• 5 years experience (built 195+ Founder-led brands)
• First-party data (I've produced 18,750 LI posts)
• PROVEN LinkedIn growth strategies & models

I work with Founders, Coaches, C-Suite teams, Business Execs, Creatives & Freelancers like you to:

a) Scale your LinkedIn growth & presence
b) Carve out a HIGH-VALUE personal brand
c) Win trust, seriously grow pipeline & make ££

So you can:

Stop wasting ££ on bad lead-gen tactics
Build + scale the business of your dreams
Earn life freedom + attract new opportunities

HOW I HELP:

1:1 & Company LinkedIn Coaching:

- Dominate the algorithm & create viral posts
- Scale your following, traffic & engagement
- Turn LinkedIn into an inbound lead channel

LinkedIn Content Ghostwriting:

- Get 'done for you' LinkedIn posts 
- Turn expertise into monetisable assets
- Earn trust as a thought leader & drive leads

CLIENT RESULTS ↓

✅️ Julius got inbound PR invites (Insider, WebSummit, Harvard)
✅️ Maria landed speaking gigs, earning multi-6-figure revenue
✅️ Alex and Katie sold out 96% of their coaching (400% ROI)
✅️ M and A got 55,700 new followers and 200+ quality leads
✅️ David signed brands 625+ tech brand clients in 9 months
✅️ Drew featured in Washington Post & Wall Street Journal
✅️ Harry hit 6.3 million views & got a 733% ROI in 60 days
✅️ Ryan got 14.3 million views and a 6-figure BBC deal.
✅️ Lauren gained 12.7 million views and an £80K client

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ↓

"I got more value, clarity and practical strategy from a 1-to-1 hour with Shoaib than all 4 of the LinkedIn courses I've purchased elsewhere" - Joey

"Shoaib is a genius at crisp content and a true strategist who always has our KPIs in mind to maximise impact." - Katie

"Shoaib is definitely the go-to person for anything related LinkedIn content. I've paid for coaching sessions with other creators and none have been as insightful as this one." - Mat 

"Working with Shoaib was one of the best investments I’ve ever made." - James

"Shoaib grew my LinkedIn 0-100, securing me global media gigs and attracting a ton of business." - Julius

WORK WITH ME ↓

Book my 1:1 LinkedIn coaching (for individuals)
Book my Company LinkedIn Training (for teams)
Book my Ghostwriting Services (for individuals)

Available for media bookings, keynote speaking and brand partnerships.

DM me :)

Founder & Podcast Host

A brand new podcast where you get to hear from rebellious industry disruptors.

In season one, Shoaib is joined by a curated selection of groundbreaking entrepreneurs, creators and business leaders as he delves into their 'against the grain' stories of success. 

This is a podcast where no topic is off-limits. Each episode is packed with raw, emotional and inspiring stories with guests including Lea Turner, Sophie Miller and Lara Acosta.

Watch & listen to S1 now on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Proudly sponsored by Fabric Academy.

For S2 bookings & sponsorship enquiries visit: www.rebelsbyshoaibahmed.co.uk

Fun announcement 🎉
I'm the Head of Content at Limelight.

I've been advising David Walsh on all things personal branding, content & LinkedIn since he launched his company.

Over two years ago.

We make an excellent team.

Dave gave me full autonomy from the start and we've scaled his brand hard.

______

FYI: I'm still FULLY running my own company. It just means I go deeper (1-2 days a week) with one of my favourite founder partnerships.
______

What started as LinkedIn coaching for Dave quickly became:

→ Brand strategy
→ Lead magnets
→ Social selling funnels
→ Content engines
→ Founder positioning
→ Big-picture growth stuff

And that led to this:

25M+ organic impressions.
Tons of viral LinkedIn posts.
40K+ new LinkedIn followers.
Landing 30 speaking/podcast gigs.
Writing foreword to Amazon bestseller.
Features in major media publications.
Named "Top 50 CEO to watch" 2025.

So when he said: "Shoaib, you're practically my Head of Content"

I replied: "yeah, I kinda am."

So we made it official.

Head of Content (part-time).

I'll be doing more of the same, but on a bigger scale.

When you hear me say things like:

"Instead of chasing new clients all the time, do great work for your existing ones."

This is why!!

From a small freelancer contract in Feb 2024.
To being the fractional Head of Content.

Pretty darn cool.

The LinkedIn Growth Expert with receipts 📝 | Grown 205+ personal brands for founders, coaches & creators | Brain behind 300M organic impressions + £11.2M revenue | Multi-award winning LinkedIn coach, strategist, speaker

I kinda ate February up ngl!!! 🥥🌊
Here's what I got upto...

🎂 Celebrated my 27th birthday with my bunch of school pals in Leeds. Had a Thai curry followed by cheesecake. In bed by 9:30pm. Perfect night.

🫡 Became Limelight’s Head of Content (to extend my current partnership with David). I’ll be leading strategy across personal branding, content marketing and LinkedIn. (The nerdy, data-backed, revenue-generating kind.)

✈️ Flew across the world for 30 days in Indonesia - to island hop, chase sunsets and go into “monk mode” in a few business areas. Escaped the dark, depressing 7am UK mornings. Sorry Britain. I love you. But respectfully, no.

🏆 Won the Lone Wolf Consultancy of the Year Award at the Business Awards UK - the judges recognised “exceptional client results” as the winning factor.

🏋️ Ate 17 smoothie bowls (so far!). Drank 14 protein shakes. Spent 40+ hours lifting weights in the gym and read 3 books (all of them were so good, so I'll pop them in the comments!)

🧠 Ran my 2nd LinkedIn masterclass of the year: “How to write viral LinkedIn posts”. 300+ people signed up to learn my proven, data-driven tactics to amplify the visibility of their content.

🤝 Signed a 3-month creator partnership deal with a brand (co-owned by Steven Bartlett). It’s one of the first AI tools I’ve seen that supports real copywriters without turning everyone into beige, robotic LinkedIn clones.

📈 Two clients upgraded their LinkedIn personal branding package size with me to amplify the scale and output of the work I’ve been doing. Always a good sign when clients say “Let’s do more together!”

🎙️ Took a daytrip to London to appear on James Lamb’s new podcast. Honoured to be his 2nd guest. I spoke all things freedom-building, lifestyle businesses, self-belief, unconventional careers and of course, LinkedIn.

😅 Jumped on my first and very chaotic LinkedIn live (+ overshared, iykyk) with my pals Hannah del Herrera, Karla McNeilage and Louis Butterfield.

📧 Grew my email subs by 200+ founders, marketers and business leaders. Welcome!! I’m really focused on adding insane value. So if you want all my best LinkedIn personal branding insights & breakdowns, subscribe: https://lnkd.in/eVKs-RrT


Negatives:

- I got caught in a 3-day flood in Lombok (an island near Bali) and had to wade through muddy floodwater barefoot to get to the gym / cafes / coworking spots. (By day 3, it was just part of the daily routine 😂)

- I got 2 invites for speaking gigs this summer at big marketing events and BOTH were on the same day. Had to decline one. What are the chances?!?

- I had to end a potential client call because a founder (who wanted me to build his brand) said, "even though you're in Bali, I'd expect you to fully work on a UK timezone to accommodate my diary." Dude... you HAVING A LAUGH?? Bye.


PS. What’ve you been upto? Win of the month?

LMK and let’s celebrate 🎉

I’m a 27-year-old from Yorkshire (England).

I spent Monday morning:

🌴 Trekking through the Balinese jungle.
🌊 Chasing waterfalls (saw 7!)
👣 Wading through rivers.

5 hours later, I was in a tiny lil cafe:

💻 Building email funnels.
🧠 Coaching people on LI strategy.
📝 Writing content for a 7-figure CEO.

I am my own boss. 
With no set work hours.
And the ability to work from wherever.

(And I don't take this for granted).


There are 2 types of “freedom”.

The one you see online and the one that actually exists.

The fake one?

People selling you a lifestyle they don’t even own. 

You know the type.

The dude in Dubai, posing next to a rented Lamborghini with a $15K fake Rolex dangling from their wrist as they broadcast to the followers they paid for... "How to get rich on crypto" 

It looks 'aspirational' until you zoom in.

And then you see how flawed the entire thing is.

Then there’s a version which *I* think is better

(But sadly doesn't get the credit it deserves).

The type of freedom earned from:

→ A skill that genuinely helps people
→ A scaling business built on trust/decency
→ And space to enjoy your life on your terms

It’s less "social media" clickbait.

But it’s meaningful.

And most importantly…

It will last much longer than "get rich quick" schemes because it's not just based on material things.

In a world that equates "wealth" / "success" to money...

I think it's cool to also consider these things as a type of "richness"


→ Good health
→ Doing good work
→ Strong relationships
→ Calm nervous system
→ Time/location freedom
→ Being part of a community
→ Having autonomy and choice
→ Adding genuine value to others
→ Not neglecting hobbies and adventure

Who agrees?

I won at the Business Awards UK! 🎉 

This definitely beats the "Star of the Week" accolade I got in year 4 for "helping tidy up Mrs Drury's classroom."

Pretty dope.

Read my interview here: https://lnkd.in/ePwTbv3E

Thanks for the write-up Dan Marsh.

I passed my driving test 9 years ago but I've never owned a car in my life.

But if I did buy a car...

I'd get a little used one for < £500.

Ideally, a tiny 2 seater.

So I never have to worry about:

1. Parking (I'm terrible!)
2. Someone stealing it
3. Someone crashing into it
4. Reversing into a lampost (likely!)
5. Having to give lifts to people 😂

A crappy old banger will do. 

The only thing that matters is that it gets me from A to B.

But right now, I choose not to have one.

I work from home.
I live in the city centre.
I travel abroad 10-12x a year.

I could buy a car. It's the thing to do. Right?

But the money I would spend on a fancy car, fuel, maintenance, parking, insurance, etc.

I'd rather put into:

- Flights abroad
- Health investments
- Spoiling my friends
- Bucket list experiences
- Investing in my business

Cars are weird.

If you're into cars as a hobby, go you!
(Seriously, no judgment).

I personally am not.

But I find 3 things bizarre:

1. How OFTEN I get asked about what car I'd buy

2. How OFTEN I get asked why I don't own a car (usually they say stuff like "but your business is doing well!!!")

3. The look of HORROR on people's faces when I tell them what my dream car actually is (+ how much it would cost)

It's a metal box on wheels.

I grew up in a community where cars were the ultimate sign of wealth.

Well then, consider me poor AF 😂

For some people cars are a necessity.

But for many people they can be a status purchase DISGUISED as a necessity.

I’ve watched so many people:

- Hit their first decent revenue month
- Immediately finance a “nice” car
- Lock themselves into 3–5 years of payments

These same people say:

"We can't go on a holiday this year."
"We need to stop getting takeaways."
"Don't put the heating on. Put on a jumper."

Meanwhile...

They've got a Range Rover and an Audi parked on their drive.

Make it make sense.

Nobody is driving past you thinking: “Wow. What an extraordinary human. Look at that Audi.”

They're thinking:

"Look at that Audi."

They're romanticising the car. 

Not you.

Buy stuff that makes you feel good by all means.

But don't buy stuff because you think it will make you "look" good in the eyes of other people.

Focus on pleasing your inner self.

Not your neighbour.

I wish I hadn’t binged 3 years of self-help content. 

If you’re Au-ADHD (like me), the “personal development” industry can be dangerous.

In 2022, the self-help industry was worth $38 billion. 

By 2032? Estimated to be $90 billion.

There’s a lot of money in convincing you you’re not enough 🙃



I read 30+ “self-help” books, poured over every page, highlighting bits, taking notes.

Before long, it consumed ALL my spare time.

At the gym, I’d play self-help podcasts.
On the train, I’d watch self-help videos.
In bed, I’d listen to self-help audiobooks.

Silence felt unproductive.

I considered “free time” a bad thing.

Don’t get me wrong, the learnings I took away DID improve my life (to an extent).

I made more money. 
My business grew. 
I made like-minded friends.
I improved my health.
I built better discipline.

But ADHD + optimisation culture is a volatile mix.

ADHD comes with ‘hyperfixation”.

This is when you get complete obsessive or absorbed into something.

When this goes on for a prolonged period of time, it can lead you to:

- Feel disoriented by your surroundings
- Neglect/sacrifice everything else
- Lose track of time and ‘balance’

When it runs unchecked, everything else shrinks.

And that’s what happened to me.

I tried to optimise my mornings. My sleep. My diet. My routines. My friendships. My output.

Nothing was allowed to just exist.

This led to unhealthy standards, addictive behaviours and intense irritation when things were beyond my control.

It affected my daily mood (not in a good way!)

And so a word of warning:

Self-help isn’t evil. But it’s addictive.

Especially if you already struggle with dopamine regulation.


I’d advise consuming it in small doses and then taking time to implement one thing at a time, slowly and whilst being kind to yourself.

It’s also okay to reject some ideas.

I think these things are just as important for “personal development” (but RARELY get mentioned in self-help material)...

→ Community & deep connection
→ Investing in your mental health
→ Rest and recovery on your terms
→ Sitting in boredom
→ Spending time in nature 
→ Doing nothing guilt-free
→ Hobbies with no intent to monetise
→ Indulging in fictional content
→ Experience you can’t ‘measure’

You don’t need to optimise every inch of your existence.

I guess it comes back to that word.

Balance.

You are not a startup.

You don’t need to scale yourself every quarter.

You can reach a point and think:

“I am enough.”

💛

"LinkedIn is a professional platform"

Well shucks.

This photo is from Halloween.

I'm Yoshi. My mates are other Mario Kart charactes.

In this picture, you have senior (& very talented!!!) people who work in architecture, teaching, green transport, regulatory affairs, flood risk management, emergency training, branding, etc.

When I posted this 5 months ago...

It went viral on LinkedIn.

I also signed 3 clients from it - would you believe???

In newsfeeds full of:

AI slop
Corporate buzzwords
Sleazy sales content
"Delighed to announce" posts
Company promotions

I think it's refreshing to see:

- Real humans
- Fun / humour 
- Transparency
- Personality
- Unfilteredness

Because you can be professional and have a personality.

The two things are not mutually exclusive.

If someone sees this post and thinks:

"I wouldn't want to work with *him* in business."

I say:

"Lucky escape for me!"

No boring people here, please and thank you 🤣 

PS. Life is short. Care less what people think.

I left 3 'business communities' this week.

My gosh, they were awful!!

Seriously, wtf is going on?

Incident 1:

A WhatsApp chat descended into saying derogatory things about a female founder's body. From who? A bunch of middle-aged, balding men with beer bellies they can't see their toes past. Most of them use the chat to ask 'does anyone have work going?'

The audacity is something else.

Incident 2:

One person posted their LinkedIn content asking for likes and comments. By Friday? It was a full-blown engagement orgy. Everyone swapping spit under each other's posts. "Well said", "Love this" and "So true."

Mate. You're all marketers. 
And THIS is your marketing strategy? 

Incident 3:

Someone asked for tips on how to 'rage bait' on LinkedIn. People were literally sharing screenshots of other people's posts they could publicly 'quote' and then rip apart for impressions. They figured the more controversial they were, the more people would comment.

Grown adults with jobs.
Behaving like Year 7s needing attention.

So I left all three. 

Should've left sooner tbh!

But I hardly check the chats and most are on mute.

I deffo don't want my name associated with any of them.

If your "community" is just a group chat for insecure people to validate each other's toxic behaviour...

It's not a community. It's a circus.

If you're in any communities / chats that you don't check regularly, I'd advice having a lil looksie to make sure you're not mistakenly associated with some of the garbage they contain.

Anyway... 

If you're looking for awesome positive inspiring humans to follow and add to your social feed...

Here are a few:

Karla McNeilage, Sophie Miller, Luke Redhead, Mischa Collins, Alya Annabi, Mona Ganatra, Kati Harris, Ellie Hines 🍋, Danielle Davies, Jeff Abracen, Stephen Adeoye, Luke Manton.

Feel free to add more lovely people below ↓

2022: Worked every weekend 8am-8pm (said “no” to social invites, locked myself in a box room and went into monk mode). 

2026: Spending weekends hopping between tiny islands in the Indian Ocean with swimming shorts, a book and a water bottle.

In those 4 years, I built a multi 6-figure business from scratch.

And no…

I’m not a trust fund kid.
I don’t have a business degree.
Nobody in my family is an entrepreneur to learn from.

In the first 2-3 years, 90 hour weeks were normal.

I love the idea of “work-life balance.”

But practically, it doesn't work. 

(Especially early on).

To get something off the ground, you have to sacrifice in ways most people simply won’t.

You must be obsessive.

It takes time, graft and commitment to:

Hone your craft (until you’re very good)
Test offers that flop + create good ones
Find your ICP and what niche to target
Set up contracts/ invoicing/ decks
Figure out how to market yourself
Learn how to conduct sales calls
Build standard operating procedures
Make mistakes (hopefully only once!)
Learn the fundamentals of business

These photos are real.

But they’re the reward, not the starting point.

And ALSO a reward that I have to maintain.

I work incredibly hard when I'm in 'business season' so I can indulge in this time off, guilt-free. (And I do it all solo - my marketing, my sales, my newsletter, my content, my client delivery, my operations).

Early self-employed life is stressful, lonely, confusing and financially inconsistent.

Fullstop.

And for context:

I don’t have kids or dependents.
I don’t have a debilitating disability.
I don’t have a pet tying me to one place.

That makes digital nomad life easier.

(There are elements of privilege here for sure!!!)

But it doesn’t remove the work.

You can't shortcut that.

So if you’re seeing posts with pictures like these, but without the context I've given in this post and thinking:

“How do I get there???”

The answer is simple:

Mute the people selling you a false dream.

And focus on the work.

Put in the hours.
Cut out your distractions.
Invest in real experts to help.
Work on needle-moving tasks.
Start building your personal brand.

Do the boring stuff.

Now, 4 years in, I don’t chase “balance.”

I practice work-life integration.

I work in seasons.

Some months I go all in - by choice.

Other months I slow down. Travel more. Live life fully.

Freedom isn’t constant relaxation.

It’s optional intensity.

And this freedom is only obtained once you’ve set up the foundations.

Most people chase this freedom with no foundations.

They never make it.

Build and strengthen your foundations first.

All my life I was told "work hard, be sensible and make sacrifices in your 20s so you can enjoy your 30s/40s"

I say... f*ck that!!!

Why can't you:

- Earn good money
- Lay foundations
- Enjoy your life

DURING your 20s???

Huh?

Maybe this scarcity mindset was drilled into me because I come from an immigrant family. Or because I grew up in a working-class community.

I'm not sure.

But if anyone is reading this in their 20s...

Please know that decades of skipping lattes, cancelling your Netflix subscription and showing "loyalty" to one company all your life won't get you what you're told it will.

Work hard. 

(You can't 'shortcut' this).

But also... make INTENTIONAL choices.

→ Start a side hustle
→ Negotiate your salary
→ Build your personal brand
→ Upskill in your free time
→ Be bullish with promotions
→ Add value in every job you can
→ Say "yes" to things that scare you
→ Ask for intros / DM people
→ Work experience > degrees

Don't "wait your turn" or "know your place."

Crash the system.

Because saving pennies here and there won't give you your dream life.

Increasing your earning potential (and using it to fund your preferred lifestyle) will.

You can - and SHOULD - think bigger.

"Be realistic" is a stick used to beat people and keep them playing small.

But playing small doesn't get you anywhere.

You got this 🙌🏽

Me: *Explains my routine to my therapist*
Therapist: "Shoaib, you're autistic & ADHD."
Me: "Huh? You what, mate?" 🙃

8 1:1 sessions later...

I now realise that the 'weird' little things I *thought* everyone did or went through in life are common traits in au-ADHD people.

I just didn't know it.

Anyone relate to this stuff? 👇🏽


1. Walking out of cafes if everything isn't quite ✨ right ✨ I'm talking the level of natural light, texture of the seat (hard wood vs fabric vs leather vs metal), angle of the chair's backrest, height of the table against my elbows, texture of table, the speed of service, etc. And also - I have to sit in the same seat every time I work from a cafe. If that seat is taken, I go elsewhere.

2. Eating the same food on repeat for months (and then I never eat it for another 12 months). Yes, I will eat Quaker's peanut butter protein porridge for breakfast at 9am every single day for 143 days on the trot. The texture is the best out of all the porridges I've tried. But then one day it'll suddenly change to Fage 0% fat protein yoghurt with blueberries (but it has to be the big ones - Tesco's sweet & juicy blueberries only). And yes... when something isn't in stock nearby, I will travel far and wide to get it.

3. Finding one thing by chance and making it your entire personality (for the 2 weeks that it interests you). Then doing that thing non-stop until you can't do it anymore and you've exhausted it. Like buying £150 binoculars to bird watch (literally everywhere I go!!) after seeing a toucan in Colombia once. But all I see now are pigeons and crows. Ffs. It's not quite the same when you're not in a tropical rainforest!

4. Being able to work incredibly fast on some things e.g. paint your entire house in 3 days and get B&Q obsessed after watching all 6 series of Alan Carr's Interior Design Masters in 2 weeks. But then, spending 9 months procrastinating on very minor tasks you find boring - like putting up blinds in my bedroom after they fell off in the middle of the night 7 months ago. My solution was not to fix the blinds. It was to buy an eyemask from Amazon. 

5. Needing to plan your entire day (hour by hour) the night before so you can mentally prepare for things like travel, socialising, eating times, etc. I do this to avoid having ANY 'empty space' in my day because then I know I'll be super restless and annoying to everyone around me. It's frustrating when trying to make plans (because I am not a spontaneous person - I need prep time).


Please say I'm not alone!! Does anyone else do any of the above??

I'm a multi-award-winning LinkedIn expert.

Here's my “multi-award winning” advice:


1. STOP spending 2 hours a day commenting on posts.

Your future clients are not sitting about exchanging comments with other creators. Spend your entire day doing this and people will start wondering: 

"Do they actually have a business to run?" 

Don't get lost playing LinkedIn ping-pong with other creators while your actual dream clients lurk in the shadows like introverted ninjas.

It's a merry-go-round of mutual back-patting. 

Fun? Sure. Profitable? Meh.


2. STOP joining paid cohorts run by mega creators.

What worked to get a creator to 300K followers over the last 5 years won't work for you Sandra (and your 2K followers) in 2026. 

The algorithm, audience, platform, competition, feed saturation - have all changed. 

Study people 1-2 steps ahead of you. 

Not people who've already landed on Mars and are sipping champers with Elon.

Sorry Sandra. I don't make the rules. 


3. STOP relying on ChatGPT to write your posts.

50% of LinkedIn posts have the personality of a terms & conditions page.

When you simply copy and paste 'done for you' posts from ChatGPT, you lose what makes you interesting. 

The way you phrase things.
Stories only YOU can tell.
Your unique POV / TOV.

AI can help you brainstorm and refine your ideas.

But it can't help you build a PERSONAL brand.

Dude, it's literally a robot.


And instead?


1. START embedding offers into your posts and profile.

There has to be a clear system to move people from "I like this person's content" to "I want to work with them."

If someone lands on your profile after reading a post, what happens next? 

Make it stupidly obvious. 

If you're not signposting people to relevant places (e.g. a free downloadable resource, a meeting booking form, your product demo video), you're wasting traffic.

"Personal branding" is one thing.

Using your brand to grow your business is another.


2. START tracking buyer intent signals.

Who's viewing your profile? Who just followed you? Who's routinely liking your posts?

These are warm leads doing a terrible job of hiding. 

They're basically waving at you from behind a very thin curtain.

Start conversations with them.


3. START treating your content as 'campaigns'.

Want to land speaking gigs this summer?

Don't post once saying "I'm available for events!" and then sit by your laptop like a golden retriever waiting for a treat.

Create a 4-6 week content strategy. 

That's 20-30 speaking-specific LinkedIn posts.
Update your banner to reflect your 'speaker' angle
Add a speaker enquiry form to your featured section.
Post clips of you speaking about your topics.
Tell interesting stories about your past talks.
Illustrate what makes you different as a speaker.
Connect with event organisers during this time.

See? 

Now you're POSITIONED as a speaker.


That's the multi-award-winning advice.

Groundbreaking stuff, isn't it?

Someone call Harvard 😂

Being self-employed is cool, until it isn't.

Here's how I manage the bad stuff:


1. It's very hard to fully "switch off"

Even on "holiday", you either:

a) think about work
b) end up doing work

When your clients need you, you feel "obliged" to be available. As a solopreneur, you are the 'do-er' of all things.

When you love your job, want to do the best work for clients and have a brain full of ideas...

Switching off feels wasteful!

(Though this is also the result of being conditioned to be 'productive 24/7).

How to manage it?

Set boundaries, be strict with working hours, say "no" more often, accept you can't help everyone (it's not your job to), and schedule time off in your diary.

Going away? Work ahead of time. 

If you know you have a quieter period, get ahead with admin / bigger projects. 

This will relieve stress in busy seasons!

Pre-qualify your clients. 
Save time with good systems & ops. 
Delegate admin work if you can. 
Prioritise important tasks, not easy ones.

If you do great work for current clients, you won't need to spend so much time and money trying to get new ones. 

Just saying.


2. It's emotionally battering

In year one, I lost 3 clients in one day, cutting our revenue by 1/3 almost overnight. 

2 days later, I signed 2 HUGE clients.

Both are still clients now - 3 years later - and also pay 3x what they did before.

When you start, things are unpredictable.

Setbacks feel soul-destroying.

But if you do great work and have happy clients, you will always be in demand.  So don't get sloppy with delivery. 

Happy clients = stability = happy you

If you react emotionally to everything that doesn't go your way, you won't survive. 

Your revenue isn't 100% 'predictable'. 

No matter how great the results you deliver for clients, things outside of your control can and do happen.

Tips? 

Set long-term contracts with notice periods to protect yourself against revenue fluctuations. Ask for testimonials and social proof. Build your personal brand and don't stop growing it.


3. Your 'to-do' list never ends

If you're not innovating, you kinda fall behind. 

This is a dog-eat-dog world so 'coasting' isn't an option. 

Keep your standards high.

Learn what's important vs what isn't. And then do what you need to adapt, to grow, to add more 'value' to your service.

Pick your lane and niche.

Don't try to do everything (multi-tasking = multi-failing).

Pick 1-2 priorities and work on them each week! 

For big projects like websites, launches and events - work on them at least 15 min EVERY day.

This keeps up the momentum to reach the finish line.


I love being self-employed.

I wouldn't change it for the world!!!

The freedom, the unlimited earning potential, the choice it gives you, the doors it opens...

All 100% worth it.

But also, not easy by any means.

I think it's important I share both sides.

Reminder: You have got this! 🔥

I think I just hired the best virtual assistant in my business.

And it’s not a real person 😂

Until recently, I was spending 3-4 hours a week doing the most boring admin imaginable:

– Client onboarding
– Sending links and folders
– Chasing forms / invoices
– Drafting the same emails
– Scheduling follow-ups

Now it takes me 15 minutes.

I stopped forcing clients into my internal tools and built one simple, client-facing portal instead.

Everything lives in one place:

Contracts + invoices
Onboarding docs
Forms + files + context
Automatic reminders
Clear next steps (for them and me)

And I’m no longer hunting through Slack, email, Drive, Notion and WhatsApp like a gremlin.

This is the kind of AI-enhanced software I love.

The “get this off my plate so I can do my actual job” type of AI.

I’m a one-man band.

So I quickly fall in love with any tool that:

a) saves me time
b) doesn't sacrifice quality
c) makes clients' lives easier

If you want to see what I’m using, comment "PORTAL" and I’ll send it over.

Brand partnership • The LinkedIn Growth Expert with receipts 📝 | Grown 205+ personal brands for founders, coaches & creators | Brain behind 300M organic impressions + £11.2M revenue | Multi-award winning LinkedIn coach, strategist, speaker

I stood butt naked in my garden at 6am this morning, fingering a purple crystal whilst whispering...

"Success, Success, Success"

I was aligning my chakras.

The kids call it manifesting.

Neighbours phoned 999 and called it public indecency.

Either way, it didn't work.

But here's what actually DOES increase your surface area of luck 👇🏽


1/ Take messy action

When I went freelance, I didn't have a company name, logo or even a proper headshot.

Just a niche skill I believed people needed.

So I built a janky landing page in 3 hours, grabbed free invoice templates from Google and winged the rest.

My first "brand" was a Canva logo I made in 12 minutes. 

It was crap.

But I brought in leads before I'd written a single sales page.

I don't fear imperfection. 

Why this mindset works:

 → You test demand before building anything complex
 → You get feedback while everyone else is “planning”
 → You focus on the offer & client, not the optics


2/ Make failure expensive

Motivation is a myth.

It never shows up when you need it.

So I engineer momentum instead.

Take the first step by

a) finding an accountability buddy
b) making a painfully large investment
c) installing a cost of inaction 

For example, I paid upfront for a PT for 2025.
(So I can't pull out or have 'weeks off')

Once you make the purchase, you want to maximise your return.

Makes sense, right?

When quitting costs you something - money, reputation, pride - you suddenly find the energy.

Funny how that works.


3/ Design your environment

I used to roll out of bed and open my laptop.

(After snoozing my alarm 7 times).

A crap way to start the day.

Now?

I start at 6am - when my brain actually works.
I batch admin so it doesn't bleed into creative time.
I work from bright cafes that signal "it's go time."
I mute everything. No random notifications!
I timeblock every hour. Even my breaks.

I also book quarterly "strategy Airbnbs" with other business owners.

We audit our lives, set big goals and make sure our daily actions actually match our long-term dreams.

(I call it the "get your sh*t together" retreat).

Why all this works:

 → You build the capacity for 'deep work'
 → You force structure into your workday
 → You reduce stress of decision making


People say "Shoaib, you're so lucky."

Maybe.

But I also:

- Am super intentional with my time
- Focus on my goals (nobody else's)
- Live each day how I want to live my life

Luck isn't totally random.

It's what happens when preparation meets "f*ck it, let's go."

PS. How do you "attract" luck?

Are you a crystal fiddler or an action-taker?

I'm not against having a sugar daddy.

Or selling feet pics on the internet 🦶 

Nor am I against a rich family member dying in suspicious circumstances and leaving me a fat inheritance.

🫢 

But sadly, I have none of those.

(I know. Annoying af.)

So I had to do the work myself.

I've built a 6-figure branding business with zero mentors, no funding and no connections.

Just me, tippy-tappying away on my MacBook.
Deciding I don’t wanna die in 9-5 corporate hell.
And drinking my bodyweight in double espressos.

For context:

5 years ago, I was sitting in lecture halls learning about genetically modified jellyfish.

No, I'm not joking.

And now?

I've been asked to become an OFFICIAL PARTNER with Stan - the company backed by Steven Bartlett, Gary Vee and 100s of the world's top entrepreneurs.

Kinda mad 🤯

Why did Stan choose me?

Because I DIY-ed my entrepreneur journey.

I built it all in public. 

Since Jan 1st 2022 (my day 1)

I’ve helped build 200+ personal brands on LinkedIn. For 7 and 8-figure founders. Even won awards for it.

I get pitched AI writing tools every week.

Most are crap. 

Built by some SaaS bro who saw "personal branding" trending and thought: "I could cash in on this."

With no understanding of what creators actually need.

Stan is refreshingly different.

It's the first AI tool I'd genuinely recommend to the business owners I coach.

And that's saying something.

Grab a 7-day free trial.

👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/eBMJswYK)

Stanley AI learns your unique writing voice and suggests content ideas based on your goals.

It's also LinkedIn-specific. 

So the recommendations are spot on.

(I would know 😉)

Have you tried it?

I told a friend I had my most successful month in business ever!!

He said:

“Nice. How much did you make?”

Ermmm 😅

I wasn’t talking about money.

So I replied: “I had only 4 meetings.”

He looked confused.

Let me explain 👇🏽

There are 744 hours in January.

My meetings took 3.

That’s 0.4% of the month.

99.6% of my time was mine.

And it was still a 5-figure profit month.


That’s success to me → OWNERSHIP of my time.


Because it indicates 3 things:

1/ I’ve built long-term trust with my clients.

All of my retainers have been with me 2+ years. We don’t need weekly “alignment calls.” They trust the strategy and have seen the results I help them achieve. I deliver. We move.

2/ My personal brand does the selling. 

Clients come through my DMs already educated about what I do. They’ve seen the proof in my posts, cases studies and website testimonials and know how I think from my LinkedIn posts! By the time we DM, they’re ready to go.

3/ I stopped mistaking “busy” for “important.”

I used to say yes to every call. “Quick chat?” “Can we jump on Zoom?” “Let’s discuss.” Now? If it can be an email, it’s an email. My diary is protected. I never mistake ‘talking about doing work’ for actually doing the work.


Somewhere along the way, we decided:

Busy = successful.

A calendar blocked 9–5 = important.

Back-to-back Zoom calls = "productive"

I reject that.

Success, to me, is designing your work around your dream lifestyle, energy and body clock.

No performative busyness.

Who’s with me?

Can we just cut the bull?? 
Most people don’t want a mansion.
Or a £10M exit. Or a CEO job title.

They want:

• To feel peace, own a home, pay for the small comforts/conveniences in life and not deny themselves little joys like extra legroom on a flight.

• To say “yes” when their friends plan a spontaneous weekend trip - without checking their bank app first or calculating annual leave days.

• To build something meaningful without sacrificing sleep, relationships, or their health to do it. And to enjoy the process of learning.

It's kinda depressing.

Most people will never reach this point.

We get conditioned to play a game we don't even want to win.

- Chasing money goals they never set
- Build businesses they feel chained to
- Pushing back bucket list goals to "later"

So what happens?

We work 14-hour days.

Some people do this in a 9-5pm job!! 

Because we've normalised unpaid overtime as just expected.

Apparently, this is "hard work."

I know... because I was a victim of it all too.

Although I had my own biz - and because of that, I earned more than I ever did.

In fact, I hit £100k revenue by month 9 of being a freelancer, at the age of 22 and fresh out of uni.

But over the next few years?

I grew so obsessed with stacking revenue and growing this 'business' that I burned out, was in and out of hospital and had pretty much f*cked up my body, mental health and relationships.

I did that for 3 years.

And then I shook myself and said:

"Shoaib, wtf are you doing with your life?"

My next move?

I spent 5 weeks totally redesigning my life - burning all my boats, pulling the plug on everything I'd internalised and rebuilding my biz from scratch.

I handed over some clients to other people and rewrote my services / contracts!

Why? Because...

More money means nothing 
→ if you’re too exhausted to enjoy it.

More clients mean nothing 
→ if you never see your friends / family.

More growth means nothing 
→ if it doesn't give you more choices.

(FYI: I don't underestimate the power of money to get yourself out of a crappy situation and open doors - but also, there's so much more to life).


Now I have a successful business AND a happy life.

Spending 45 days in Bali rn, working hard in the AM and chasing sunsets in the PM.


It's hard to get here.

But at the end of the day, until you take a risk, take drastic action or make a statement to reject society's version of 'success' ... 

Nothing changes.

You have to CHANGE your reality to change your reality.

And that starts with the day-to-day.

A morning routine.
Your negative self talk.
How you set boundaries.
The contracts you give clients.
Your microbehaviours.
How you spend an average week.

These things tot up.

Make one tiny change in one area of your life, and the net positive effects will seep into another.

Do this for 6 months.

It will change your life.

Just don't stay stuck in inaction, thinking "this is it, I'm helpless".

You're not.

You can do and you deserve, better!

Someone asked me: “How do you do it all?”

My answer: "I regularly give up" 😂

I just do what matters and IGNORE everything else.

(I give it up guilt-free).

YOLO ✌🏽


My work goals?

- Get solid client results
- Grow my personal brand
- Diversify how I deliver value

My personal goals?

- Build time, location & financial freedom
- Spend more time with loved ones
- Live a more 'adventurous' life

So I've designed my routine for all that.

First step? Accept that:

- Your to-do list will never end.
- There's always 'more' you *could* do.
- More money won't solve your problems.

Then? 


1. Focus on priority tasks.

Most people try to fit as much as possible into their week.

Then fill their to-do lists with crap like:

"Send email to X"
"Create document for Y"
"Go to meeting about Z"

Half this stuff takes 2 mins but people still add it to a to-do list to give them a false sense of achievement.

It's dopamine chasing.

And doesn't actually help you progress at all.

Ask yourself: What are the 3 highest ROI activities I need to protect this week?

Then:

→ Block 3x 2-hr deep work slots to do that stuff
→ Batch all your meetings to stop context-switching
 → Use a “one-tab only mode” when working

My framework is: “CREATE, COACH, CLOSE”

If a task doesn’t fall into those 3 buckets.
I seriously question if I need to do it.

(Delegate, automate and outsource too).


2. Schedule your social and hobby time.

I force myself to "switch off" every day.

Tips:

- Book activities in advance, pay upfront
- Put social stuff into your work diary
- Don't rely on things just 'happening'

Be intentional with your 'out of work' time.

Things I've done this year?

Rollerblading. Games nights. Cinema trips. 
Brunches. Dinners out. Parties. Baking days.
Concerts. Beach evenings. Spa & sauna nights.
Weekend hikes. Wild swimming. City breaks.

My next 7 weekends are fully booked. 

This forward planning is awesome.

It forces me to do all my work Mon-Fri. 
(I don't let it slip into evenings/weekends)

And I'm seeing my friends way more than before!


3. Ruthlessly edit your goals

Just because:

You set a goal
Put something on a vision board
Told a friend you would do X thing

It doesn't mean you *have* to.

If it no longer serves you, discard it.

I review my to-do list weekly.

To simplify & delete.

→ Paused offers I was selling out, but hated delivering
→ Stopped launching new things just because I could
→ Killed goals that were ego-driven (& energy-sucking)

Ask yourself:

- Is this goal aligned with what I want now?
- Would I say yes if I wasn’t already doing it?
- Is this task giving me peace, profit or purpose?

If not? Let it goooooo...

LET IT GOOOOOO 🎶🎶🎶


I used to say:

“I’ll take a break when”
“I’ll relax after”
“I’ll enjoy myself once”

Now?

I book fun in first. And build the week around it.

It's your life at the end of the day.

Start living it how 10 year old you imagined you would.

It's more fun that way!

Woke up at 5am to watch the sunrise.

Fell back asleep. Missed it.

But I won't let you miss my free LinkedIn sales masterclass.

*smirks at his own joke*

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gkHq4PaW

I'll teach you: How to Generate Leads & Sign Clients On LinkedIn 💰

🗓️ Thurs 26th March
⏰ 10:00 - 10:30am UK time
💻 Free. Zoom. 30 mins.

Who's this for?

You're active on LinkedIn with a B2B offer and want to monetise your efforts - secure clients, boost sales, increase signups.

Why trust me?

200+ personal brands built.
18,750+ LinkedIn posts written.
305M+ organic impressions generated.
£11.2M+ in client revenue.
500+ PR opportunities landed.

All inbound. 

Without paid ads, intrusive DMs or joining engagement pods.

I've been doing this for 5+ years. 

It's all I do. 

Ask my best mate. He thinks I'm a grade A nerd. I'm practically married to LinkedIn at this point 💍 

Anyways...

See ya theeerrreee.

P.S. Did YOU catch the sunrise this morning? I need to live vicariously through someone 🌅

Hola I'm Dayana! 👋🏼⚡️

I've been in the social media world for over four years and I absolutely love what I do.

I've had the chance to work in some really fun industries, from fitness and beauty to hospitality and recruitment ☁️

Right now, I’m lucky to be surrounded by beautiful books as the Social Media Executive at The Folio Society 📚 Recently, I've grown our Instagram account from 208k to 300k followers in 16 months.

I’m also super passionate about social media marketing and love sharing tips on breaking into the industry, growing as a social media professional, navigating trends, and adapting to this ever-changing world 👀

For enquiries: collazosibarrad@gmail.com 💌 | follow me on TikTok and Instagram: @dayanacollazosi

Dayana Ibarra

Say hello to the newest Adobe Express Ambassador! 👋🥺💻

A month ago, I received an email inviting me to join the program and I honestly thought it was a scam because I just couldn’t believe it.

I’ve been using so many Adobe softwares since sixth form, so being able to now be part of the community feels completely out of this world.

My creative brain is already activated!! 🤭 I’m planning my first YouTube video (coming at the end of the month 👀) and let’s just say… it has something to do with Adobe. That’s all I can say for now.

Thank you so much to Kate O. and the Adobe Ambassador team for giving me this incredible opportunity to join the community. 

Bring on sharing all things Adobe Express!!! 🚀✨

Dayana Collazos Ibarra

Social Media Executive @ The Folio Society | Speaker & Content Creator 🎤🎥

No alternative text description for this image

a day in the life of a social media manager switching between filming, editing and copywriting! 💻

the tools that I cannot live without: Sprout Social, Inc., CapCut and Apple!!! 🤭

The realities of working in social media part one! 🥺💭

When the brand speaks the audience's LANGUAGE!! 👏🏼👏🏼

But also promotes their product in the most subtle way 🤭

Natural Cycles° posted this a few months back to promote their NC Partner View feature and they did it by stepping directly into the shoes of their audience.

They positioned the brand within couple dynamics, using the language and scenarios that couples recognise, creating that instant feeling of "this is so us."

I LOVE how it's relatable, entertaining and highly SHAREABLE because it's exactly the kind of post you'd send to your partner, which of course fuels private sharing on Instagram.

Their product is present without being the focus, yet still positioned as a simple solution to a real need, helping partners better understand the cycle in a way that feels educational and human!!

4 years in social media marketing already! 💻✨🧠

Yesterday, I celebrated International Women’s Day, running my first 5k run event with Women’s Run Series. 

I started running properly 8 weeks ago where my sub time was 42 minutes for a 5k. 

Yesterday, I completed this 5k in 33 minutes, hitting a new PB as my fastest ever 5k. 

To think that all my life, I’ve been against running and I would always say I’d never do it to now completing this run is incredible. It’s a true testament that we can do anything we set ourselves. 

Running is more mental strength than anything else. It’s continuing to push yourself no matter the shin splints, stitches, the feet pain and your body just giving up on you, you still continue no matter that. 

The atmosphere was incredible and I was inspired by all the women that took part in the run. Flip me us women are just incredible man. 

I will continue to push everyday and this only the beginning of my running journey. 10k run is now calling me. 

But for now here’s to celebrating us incredible women and my first ever (but not last) running medal.

If you do any type of social media reporting or data analysis, here’s one thing I think you should start adding to your reports.

Our social platforms are now optimised as search engines and that has changed the lifespan of our content.

Before, we would measure success in the first few hours or days. Maybe weeks at a push. Once engagement slowed down, it was bye bye for our content. 

But now, content can resurface weeks, months even years later because someone is searching for that exact information.

Which means success is no longer just about short-term engagement. Long-term performance is just as important. 

Recently, in my monthly reporting, I’ve started tracking content that gains traction outside of the reporting period or any specific timeframe I’m looking at. 

It helps me see:

🧠What content is being discovered through search

🧠What topics still have demand

🧠Where we can build further

I first used this for YouTube, but I’m now applying the same thinking to Instagram and TikTok. It has helped with reporting and spotting content gaps, making my life a little bit easier.

Next time you’re creating a report, look at spikes that are not linked to content published in that timeframe.

You might find opportunities you would have otherwise missed.

It took me two years to make my weekly social media reports something my team actually cared about!!!

Here’s what I include now 🤭

When I first started at Folio, I wasn’t confident analysing data or reporting. 

I was mostly following what the previous social team had done, but the reports didn’t really show how the accounts were growing or make the insights easy for stakeholders to understand.

At first, I tried to include every metric possible. Views, likes, engagement rate, follower growth, total followers, link clicks, comments. LITERALLY EVERYTHING.

Then I realised something simple. Your reporting should reflect your social media strategy and show how your efforts contribute to your goals.

Another important thing is comparison!!! 

You need to measure performance against something, whether that’s week on week, month on month or year on year. I usually report year on year, but will include other time frames if there are trends worth highlighting.

I normally have about 5 minutes on a Monday to present a recap of social, so this is what I focus on:

⚡ Top performing content from our main channels

⚡ Key metrics and their % growth or decline vs last year. I usually track follower growth, saves, shares and link clicks.

⚡ Context behind the numbers. If something drops year on year, I look at what happened last year.

Andd here’s how I would present it: 

Our Instagram saves are down 35% YoY. Last year we launched our Limited Edition of The Great Gatsby, which it’s content drove a high number of saves. This year we did not have a comparable launch.

Context helps YOU and the team understand why the numbers changed, not just that they did.

Over the last two years I’ve learned that reporting needs to be concise, clear and actionable.

But I’m always up for learning so let me know what else you include in you’re social media reports!!

Today marks 2 years since I joined The Folio Society Ltd!! 🥺

I honestly can’t put into words how life-changing this role has been for my career. 

From building the social media strategy, creating 100s of unboxing videos, growing our audience online, to launching our Instagram Broadcast Channel so we could connect more closely with our community. 

It has been incredible!!!

I’ve truly been able to shine in my capabilities as a social media marketer. 

My biggest achievement, not only at Folio but in my whole career so far, has been growing our social channels by 194k followers across the board in just 18 months.

In 2024, our Marketing Director set my manager and I a challenge as soon as we settled into our roles. 

Grow the social channels and reach the book community worldwide and knowing that we have achieved that feels surreal.

The development I’ve experienced in this role has been out of this world. 

From building systems that help me work better, having the freedom to experiment and nurture my creativity, improving my communication skills through meetings and presentations, learning to love data and numbers to guide strategy and deep diving into the book space.

The growth has honestly been mind-blowing and I can’t wait to keep experimenting, keep learning and most importantly keep creating impact with our online presence!!

P.S. my favourite Folio book has been and always will be The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. 🤭

AD The backpack that fits everything you need for work!Can’t wait to take my Stubble & Co Roll Top to work 🤭

Thank you so much to Emplifi for hosting such an incredible International Women’s Day breakfast and bringing together so many amazing women in the marketing space.

It was such a powerful reminder that International Women’s Day is not just about celebrating one day, but about how we continue to empower and support each other every day by sharing knowledge, guidance and experience to uplift one another.

Feeling very grateful to have been in a room full of inspiring women. 💛

Let's have dinner and talk all things social media detox 🤝🏽

I am SO excited to be a panelist at Swwim - Social Media Agency Food for Thought dinner event on Wednesday 29th April!

I'll be joining the incredible Charlotte Black to talk about marketing in an era of digital detox. 

With more and more people becoming aware of the impact of doom-scrolling and wanting to switch off from socials, audience behaviour online is shifting. 

Whether that's deleting apps, setting screen time limits or using tools like Brick to create more distance from socials, this shift is having a real impact on brands and how they show up.

On the night, I can't wait to unpack this topic from two perspectives, as a social media manager working on the brand side, but also as a consumer of social media myself. 

I'll also be sharing my experience with Brick so far and how it's changed my relationship with socials.

We're going to have a great evening of conversation and, of course, my favourite thing... EATING!!

If you'd like to join us, event information and tickets are available to purchase via the link below.

Can't wait for an incredible evening full of discussion and food! Thank you to Becky Shepherd 🌊 for creating this space for us all to come together. 🙌🏽

https://lnkd.in/eZgCtpTB

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The Battle

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Dayana Ibarra

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The Battle

Shoaib Ahmed

Dayana Ibarra

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Likes

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