A creative Solopreneur building personal brands for the top 1% entrepreneurs on LinkedIn and sharing what I learn along the way.

In December 2022, I was building my personal brand to land a UX design internship.

I didn’t expect it would turn into a business serving 80+ CEOs.

Here's my story:

I met my first client - a UX Design Agency founder who looked at my work and said,

“Your design skills are good… but your ability to position people is rare. You should build personal brands, not interfaces.”

He handed me his LinkedIn account.

I built his personal brand from scratch.

He loved it. Then he referred his brother... a co-founder whose account had been poorly managed by another agency.

I took over.

Both profiles grew. Both businesses did, too.

Then in October 2023, I started freelancing.(it didn't worked out well)

So I positioned myself as a solopreneur.

By early 2024, I was working with CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders across the U.S. - including Silicon Valley startups backed by top venture capital firms.

Then I launched Mikaios, a personal branding company built on one belief:

If people knew your story, they’d trust your brand.

→ 80+ CEOs and founders served globally
→ 5,400+ posts written.
→ 200+ qualified leads generated.
→ 10M+ views generated organically.

In 2025, I founded Brand By Content, a media company that helps people build authority at scale through newsletters, systems, and education.

Recognition

🏆 Ranked 28th LinkedIn Creator on Taplio’s Growth Challenge (out of 2,600+)
🏆 Ranked 12th Best Storyteller & Writer in India by Favikon

Today, I help CEOs and founders who already have the results (but not the visibility) build personal brands that attract opportunities, partnerships, and recognition.

If you’re ready to become known for what you do best, book a private strategy call with me:https://cal.com/johnnaveen/strategycall

John Naveen

Last year, I took my grandma to Sri Lanka.

It's been her dream for more than a decade.

She always wanted to visit, meet relatives there, and explore the country.

I still remember (when I was in grade 3 or 4) I told her:
"Wait a little… one day, I'll take you."

She laughed. I laughed.
But deep down, I meant it.

Last year, it finally happened.

We visited different cities, explored new places.
She enjoyed everything with the curiosity of a child.

It was one of the very few times in my life where I felt:
"Okay… this is what happiness actually looks like."

On one of the bus rides, a man sitting near us asked where I was from and what we were doing in Sri Lanka.

I told him, "I brought my grandma here. She always wanted to visit."

He paused. Looked surprised.
And then said something that stayed with me:

"This is the first time I'm seeing a grandson take his grandma on a trip."

I didn't know what to say.

It felt strange… and honestly, it hurt a little.

Because to me, it wasn't anything special.

A happy elder in your home is a blessing,
that's how I've always seen it.

But after that moment, I started noticing something:

Many people my age barely speak to their grandparents.

Some don't visit.
Some don't sit with them.
Some don't even know their stories.

I'm not judging… life gets busy, people move, routines change.

But that bus ride made me realize how rare simple love has become.

Even today, whenever I go to a new city or achieve something small, I tell my grandma first.

She doesn't understand most of the work I do (it's all tech and internet things) but she listens with full attention.

And maybe that's what life is.
Not just growth. Not just ambition.

But moments you create for the people who once created your world.

***
When was the last time you spent real time with your grandparents?

John Naveen Kennedy

CEO & Founder @ Mikaios - A personal branding company

I stood in front of 1200 students last year.

Ten years ago, I couldn't speak in front of 10.

As a kid, I loved speaking.

My audience was small: my mom, my sister, a few people at home.

I would talk, sing, shout, share whatever was in my head.

Even back then, I enjoyed standing in front of people.

Not to show off. Not to impress anyone.
Simply to share what I knew.

Then school happened.

Stage fear crept in, and insecurity followed.

"What will people think?"
"What if I mess up?"

So I stopped.

I forgot about public speaking entirely.

Last year, I made a simple decision:

I'm going to speak publicly, no matter the outcome.

If I fail, fine.
If people laugh, fine.
If someone mocks me, fine.

I wasn't attached to the result.
I was attached to the process.

I wanted to prepare.
I wanted to try.
I wanted to show up.

Soon after, I got an opportunity to speak at a college.

The first talk went well.
Students told me it helped them.

The staff appreciated the session.

Then came the second opportunity… this time, with 3x the audience.

The fear came back, briefly.

But I still went up on stage.
And once again, it worked :)

I've been writing content for three years.
I work closely with CEOs.
I help build personal brands.

But standing in front of students, sharing what I've learned, that gives me a kind of happiness nothing else matches.

It reminded me why I started in the first place.

***
What was the bravest thing you did in 2025 that turned out to be a great experience?

We recently rolled out a new internal rule at Mikaios.

Before any client post gets approved, it has to pass three checks.

No exceptions.

1. Does this post have a story?

If it's just information, tips, or opinions without a narrative — it doesn't go out.

People don't remember points.
They remember stories.

2. Is there a clear idea behind the story?

A story without an idea is just noise.

Every post must answer:
What should the reader think differently after this?

If there's no takeaway, we don't approve it.

3. Is there a supporting visual?

A photo. A carousel. A screenshot.
Something that grounds the post in reality.

On LinkedIn today, this matters more than ever.
The platform is flooded with AI-generated content.

Everyone is using AI. Even my friends tell me:
"I just give context and publish whatever it generates."

That alone isn't a differentiator anymore.

The edge now is:

A real story.
A clear idea.
A visual that proves it happened.

AI can help you write faster.
It can't replace lived experience.

So instead of fighting AI, we design around it.
This checklist is our filter.

And it's how we make sure every post feels human in a feed full of machines.

***
What's your filter for deciding whether content is worth publishing?

I’m the founder of Traffilo, an SEO agency that helps brands get found across Search, AI Overviews, and Generative Engines.

I started my career working on freelance SEO projects for over two years before building Traffilo. That experience shaped how I approach practical, results-focused SEO.

My primary focus is on organic growth, building SEO that drives high-intent traffic, not just rankings. At Traffilo, I lead SEO strategy and direction, while my team handles execution.

We also support brands with performance marketing (Google & Meta Ads) when it makes sense, so paid and organic efforts stay aligned.

Let’s connect and talk about improving search visibility across SEO and AI.

Ankush Gupta

I built a SEO AI agent (n8n) that sends weekly updates to clients automatically!
People usually pay $500–$1000 for something like this, but I’m sharing it for free.


It uses Google Search Console and GA4 to track performance, then uses AI to explain what changed in simple language, and sends everything to Gmail and Slack.

So clients get:
➞ What changed
➞ Why it matters
➞ What to focus on next

Without dashboards, screenshots, or long reports.

It’s basically the kind of update you’d normally prepare manually every week, just automated.

Want this setup?
➞ Like this post 👍
➞ Comment "SEOn8n"

And I’ll send you the workflow JSON + setup guide.

(Repost for priority DMs.)

If we’re not connected yet, send me a connection request so I can share the link.


If you work with SEO and clients, this will save you a lot of time every week.

SEO & AI | Founder @Traffilo | Building visibility across Search, AI Overviews, and Generative Engines.

How clients see SEO vs how SEO really works 👇 


From the outside, SEO often looks like quick fixes and fast rankings.

Behind the scenes, it is research, structure, testing, patience, and continuous refinement.

Real SEO is not magic or shortcuts.
It is about aligning intent, content, technical foundations, and trust over time.

This gap in expectations is where most frustration comes from. Not from lack of effort, but from misunderstanding how SEO actually works.

See the infographic below where I break down the difference clearly. 👇 


🔃 Found this helpful? Reshare to help others! 🔃

--
Follow Ankush Gupta for more insightful content like this! 🤓

SEO & AI | I help site owners grow organic traffic with smart SEO that ranks on Search, AI Overviews & Generative Engines.

SEO limits you must follow in 2026 👇 


SEO isn’t about doing more anymore.
It’s about knowing the limits and staying within them.

From title lengths and page speed to crawl rules, UX signals, and content clarity, crossing these limits quietly hurts rankings, AI visibility, and trust.

Most sites don’t fail because of bad SEO.
They fail because small limits get ignored over time.

I’ve put together a simple checklist that highlights the key SEO limits that actually matter in 2026, so you can spot issues before they become problems.

See the infographic below where I break everything down clearly. 👇 


🔃 Found this helpful? Reshare to help others! 🔃

--

Follow Ankush Gupta for more insightful content like this! 🤓

10 MiniMax SEO prompts you need to try today!


If you’re using MiniMax only for writing content, you’re missing its real strength.
I use these prompts to:

➞ audit long-form content
➞ improve AI readability
➞ make pages easier for LLMs to understand and cite

These are the same prompt structures I use in real SEO workflows, not experiments or hacks.

See the carousel below to explore each prompt and how to use it. 👇 

🔃 Found this helpful? Reshare to help others! 🔃

--
Follow Ankush Gupta for more insightful content like this! 🤓

10 MiniMax SEO prompts you need to try today

Regular SEO and Programmatic SEO solve very different problems, but most people mix them up.


One is about depth, quality, and authority.
The other is about scale, structure, and long-tail coverage.

Both work.
Both fail if used in the wrong context.

Understanding when to use which can save you months of wasted effort and budget.

See the infographic below, where I break down the real differences and when each approach actually makes sense. 👇 

🔃 Found this helpful? Reshare to help others! 🔃

--
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taplio

The Battle

John Naveen

Ankush Gupta

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreJohn Naveen's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAnkush Gupta's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

John Naveen

Ankush Gupta

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);}John Naveen's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAnkush Gupta's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJohn Naveen's LinkedIn Performance