Helping businesses deliver impact by enhancing their visibility and reputation | Founder of arco.

I spent my early twenties collecting careers like stamps. Architecture degree, music production, entrepreneurship—each pivot made perfect sense at the time, but from the outside it looked like I couldn't commit to anything.

The truth was simpler: I had no idea who I was, so how could I know what to do?

I discovered this wasn't just my problem. Almost everyone I knew—smart, capable people with good degrees—felt completely lost about their careers. We'd been taught how to get jobs, but nobody taught us how to figure out what work would actually fulfil us.

That realisation changed everything. I saw that the real problem wasn't a lack of opportunities or skills. It was that most career advice starts at step 10 when people like us were still stuck at step 1: understanding ourselves.

Now I'm building tools and communities to fix this:

TrueNorth: An AI-powered career coach that starts with self-discovery, not job listings

MidWeek: London events bringing together people navigating career uncertainty

Still Wandering: A newsletter documenting the messy reality of finding meaningful work

I work with people in their 20s and 30s who know they want something more from work but can't articulate what that is. People who've tried following conventional career paths but felt like they were wearing someone else's clothes.

My approach is simple: you can't build a meaningful career until you understand what meaning means to you. Everything else—the skills, the networking, the applications—comes after that.

If you're tired of career advice that assumes you already know what you want, let's talk.

Alex McCann

The CEO of Anthropic just predicted a "white-collar bloodbath."

50% of entry-level white-collar jobs eliminated within five years. Unemployment potentially hitting 10-20%.

And the data backs it up.

UK tech companies cut graduate roles by 46% last year. They're expecting another 53% drop by 2026. I've spoken to people who've sent 300 applications and heard back from maybe five.

What gets me is the disconnect.

The people creating this technology are openly warning about what's coming. They're the ones sounding the alarm. Meanwhile, most of the advice young people receive still assumes the old system works. Get good grades. Build your network. Tailor your CV.

That advice was already struggling. Now it feels like teaching someone to be a brilliant switchboard operator in 1995.

I don't pretend to know exactly what replaces the current system. The honest answer is that nobody does, including the people building the technology that's reshaping it.

But I'm fairly confident about one thing: the gap between what's happening and what people are being told is getting dangerous.

When the CEO of Anthropic is more worried about entry-level job destruction than most of the infrastructure designed to help people find work, something has gone wrong.

Alex  McCann

Founder of Truenorth | Re-thinking Traditional Career Advice and helping people find meaningful work | Writer at Still Wandering Newsletter

He built a 20,000-person community. It didn't make him feel any less alone.

Two years ago, Charlie Rogers and AJ . told me to read 🌀 David Spinks's book. He co-founded CMX, built one of the largest networks for community builders in the world, had a successful acquisition.

Childhood isolation had made him hypersensitive to connection. He was brilliant at reading rooms, exceptional at bringing people together. The pain-into-purpose playbook.

But when I asked if that purpose had healed the original wound, he said no. If anything, it distracted him from healing it.

He spent fifteen years building something successful while struggling with anxiety and negative self-talk the entire time.

He calls it dirty fuel versus clean fuel.

Dirty fuel is when you're working to fill a hole, driven by fear or shame or the need to prove you're enough. Clean fuel is when you're already whole, driven by curiosity and connection and the work itself. Both look identical from the outside, both produce real results, but one burns you out.

Finding meaning in your suffering is different from healing from it. You can build an entire career on the former without ever doing the latter.

Full interview on my Substack. Link in comments.

The CEO of LinkedIn just called five-year career plans "a little bit foolish."

His words: "when you know technology and the labor market and everything is moving beneath you," mapping out the next five years makes no sense. You're planning for a world that won't exist by the time you get there.

I think he's probably right.

But here's what's interesting.

The school system rewards planning. University admissions reward planning. Job interviews ask where you see yourself in five years, and there's a correct type of answer. The entire infrastructure of career advice is built around the assumption that you can plot a trajectory and follow it.

Now the CEO of the platform that hosts most professional networking is saying the premise is broken.

So what replaces it?

"Be adaptable" is true but useless. "Build transferable skills" assumes you know which skills won't be automated next year. "Follow your curiosity" works if you have the financial cushion to experiment, which most people don't.

The uncomfortable truth might be that we're in a transition period where the old frameworks have stopped working but the new ones haven't solidified yet.

Which is a difficult thing to tell someone who needs to make decisions about their career right now.

By 2026, one in five companies will have eliminated half their management layers.

Middle managers made up a third of all layoffs in 2023. Companies are advertising 42% fewer management positions than they were two years ago.

The theory is that AI can handle the coordination, the reporting, the communication that middle managers used to do. Flatter organisations, faster decisions, lower costs.

I've been thinking about what gets lost when you remove those layers.

Mentorship becomes a luxury. The people who translate strategy into action disappear. Someone has to notice when things aren't working and flag it before it becomes a disaster. Someone has to develop the next generation.

Deloitte found that fewer than 4 in 10 managers feel equipped for the people side of their jobs. Now there will be fewer of them, responsible for more people, with less time for the human elements that technology can't replicate.

There's a version of this that works out fine. Flatter organisations with better tools, more autonomy for individual contributors, less bureaucratic friction.

But I suspect what we'll mostly get is the cost savings without the investment in making the new structure work.

Fewer managers. Same expectations. Everyone stretched thin. Nobody with time to develop the people coming up behind them.

The generation best equipped to work with AI can't get hired.

Gen Z workers have the highest AI readiness of any generation: 22% score high on AI quotient measures, compared to 6% for Baby Boomers.

This makes intuitive sense. They grew up with the technology. They're more comfortable experimenting with it, more willing to integrate it into how they work.

And yet companies are systematically eliminating the entry-level positions that would let them into the workforce.

I keep coming back to how backwards this is.

The people most equipped to figure out how AI integrates into work are being locked out of work entirely. Meanwhile, the people least comfortable with the technology are the ones making decisions about how to deploy it.

Only 23% of organisations offered any AI training last year. Employees are mostly teaching themselves. The companies loudly declaring themselves "AI-forward" aren't investing in helping people learn how to use the technology. They're using AI as a justification for headcount reduction.

There's a version of this transition that could have gone differently. Where companies invested in training, brought in younger workers specifically for their comfort with the technology, built institutional knowledge about what works and what doesn't.

Instead we got the version where AI is primarily a cost-cutting story.

Eliminate junior roles. Expect remaining staff to figure it out on their own. Declare victory.

I don't know what happens when an entire generation is told their skills are needed but they're not allowed through the door.

55% of companies regret laying off workers for AI.

That number stopped me when I first saw it.

The pattern is this: companies fire people based on what AI might be able to do in the future. Then they discover the AI isn't ready yet. Then, rather than admit the mistake, they quietly rehire offshore at significantly lower salaries.

The prediction is that half of all AI-attributed layoffs will follow this exact pattern.

Here's what I think is happening.

AI will fundamentally change how companies operate. The type of work people do. The skills that matter. That part is real.

But we haven't figured out how to get there yet.

What this data reveals is that many companies are rushing the transition, making layoff decisions based on capabilities that don't exist, and then scrambling to cover the gap. They're optimising for the press release rather than the actual transformation.

The companies that get this right will be the ones that lay foundations first. That invest in understanding what AI can and can't do before restructuring around it. That treat the transition as a multi-year process rather than a single dramatic announcement.

2026 might be the year that separates the companies managing this transition intelligently from the ones who rushed it and are now quietly cleaning up the mess.

Lara Acosta

Entrepreneur and investor building businesses online | Featured on Forbes, Kajabi + Semrush | Helped 3,000+ people build their personal brand.

Everyone wants to build a personal brand, and I figured out how.

With over 20M+ impressions, 300,000 followers across socials, and multiple 6 figures made, I can show you how you can build one too (without spending years figuring out how)

In 2022: I was unemployed and trying to get into a master's degree - downloaded LinkedIn
In 2023: I became #1 female creator on LinkedIn by building my personal brand and agency
In 2024: I'm building the best education platform to teach people exactly how to do it

Helped, coached and worked with 500+ build contents systems, increase engagement, improve their writing and beyond using proven strategies that worked for me. 

Here's how I can help you:

1. Subscribe to my YouTube (It's free, and better than people's paid courses!)
2. Join 15,100+ amazing people and subscribe to my newsletter. 
3. Join 500+ members inside Literallyacademy.com

And if you're not ready for either! Welcome to my profile anyway, I talk about writing, storytelling,  personal branding and tell a lot of stories.

See you on the feed 💖

Sponsorships + booking : mary@ladigitalmx.com

Founder

Last year, I made the most revenue in my life. 

But the biggest payout wasn't money. 
It was the connections I built along the way.

I went from zoom calls from my small room in Mexico
To standing on stage next fo top 1% entrepreneurs.

And every week I see at least one of them in London.

Oh and I still do small zoom calls even after having 300k!

Last year alone, I met:

Iman Gadhzi
Shan Hanif
Simon Squibb
Dan Priestley

People who had changed my life online, I got to thank them offline and even get to be part of their world.

Your network IS your net worth.

And you can build both, on LinkedIn. (I did).

They say “Your network is your net worth”. 100% true.

(Repost this if you’d like to meet me in 2026)

PS: Who is 1 person you want to meet in 2026? (Don't say Jasmin Alic please! I KNOW).

Btw, I'm hosting a free LIVE LinkedIn Class on the 22nd! (for free!) Join here: https://lnkd.in/eC5sm4cP

Entrepreneur and investor building businesses online | Featured on Forbes, Kajabi + Semrush | Helped 3,000+ people grow their personal brand and scale their businesses.

This is a very special moment for me.

To my female and immigrant followers, this is for you too.

I just spoke at one of the biggest events in the UK.
Next to legendary and legacy names, everyone knows.

And for some reason, I made it into the list too.

Even with a stutter and an accent.
Even with crazy imposter syndrome.
Even without being a Forbes 30u30...

When I started this journey, I felt like all odds were stacked against me. 

I got rejected 100s of times because of my grades.
I didn't get taken seriously enough because I was a girl.
I had to work twice as hard to get seen and heard too.

But I never let that stop me. I ignored it instead.

This moment right here is proof that ANYONE can win. 

All you need to do is to stop waiting to be chosen.

Choose yourself. The right people will choose you too.

And open doors you never thought you'd get to open.

Repost ♻️ this to inspire others so we can win together!

Catch the LIVE replay here: https://lnkd.in/eGBM3Puw

PS: This was all because I built a personal brand, and I just put together the exact blueprint I followed.

Grab it for free here: https://lnkd.in/eKqAcXZB

I spent the last 90 days testing every LinkedIn hack. 

Here's what actually works in 2026 (for any niche):

Everyone is talking about the "new" LinkedIn algorithm.
But I just see it as more of the same, but 10x more specific.

I've grown brands from 0-100,000 followers here.
Grown my own to 300,000+ in the same time.

Mastered every format here, and helped others too.

And there are 3 core elements you need to implement:

1. Hyper-specific content (3x a week)

• Solve one exact problem per post
• Use industry language your clients use
• Speak directly to one person

Jake Ward mastered this for "boring" SEO.
Built kleo.so to $60kmrr  as a result of exactly that 

Alex Vacca mastered this for GTM.
Scaled his business to $6M ARR too

Their content is hyper-specific but simple.

Clients want to work with them because they get it.
Users want to engage with them because they simplify it.

2. Proof-First Content

80% tactical step-by-step frameworks and screenshots.
20% stories on how you're doing it (use stories)

The 80% builds trust, the 20% engages them more. 

Educate and storytell. Always both. 

3. LinkedIn Video (let me explain...)

Video reach might be down right now.
But it's the fastest way to prove authority. 

LinkedIn video is ok.
Linkedin Lives? They're a goldmine.

We had a LinkedIn live with 200 people.
Made $10,000 from it. 

People buy from people they trust. Video accelerates this! 

I'd limit these to 2 a month, though, no pressure. 

I left a checklist for you in the image below for you to script your first Linkedin video too btw.

This is the no-bs blueprint for entrepreneurs. 

It's not about more volume, it's about more insights.

Dominating LinkedIn isn't just about virality right now.
It's about building a brand that earns trust.

Keep your focus on your 1 thing. 

The rest will follow.

PS: Who is your favorite "expert-led" creator right now? I want to follow more people! Tag them below! 

PPS: Jan 22nd, I'm walking you through the best way to master these 3 elements in 2026!

join us for free LIVE on the 22nd of January here: https://lnkd.in/eC5sm4cP

We're already at 4,000 sign ups! Come join us! 

See you thursday, love - Lara x

pov: you stopped spending 10+ hrs writing content and started building $1M+ businesses with content. 

not long ago, 90% of my time was spent writing content. 

scrolling through my feed looking for ideas.
stressing about the hook, re-hook and content. 
trying to find the most popular format for 2025...

today i spend 10% on content and 90% on business.

built the best strategy to drive engagement to my content, but also manage different teams daily.

mastered growth content to get new followers.
mastered lead gen content to convert them into clients.

and if you're tired of feeling like you're stuck.
or if you're tired of rushing to write today's post. 

i spent the last week dissecting exactly how i did it. 

created a 200+ page long masterclass i'll deliver live. 

documented every step of the process for you to use.

join 4,000+ entrepreneurs and catch me tomorrow at 7pm LIVE: https://lnkd.in/eC5sm4cP

ps: what is the most time-consuming part of your content creation process? writing? ideas? engagement?

In November, my small business hit 200k/mo. 
If I had to start all over again from 0, here's what I'd do:

For content I'd focus on:

1. Educational content that is highly applicable 
2. Storytelling content that is highly relatable 

Too many people here just do one, but it isn't enough. 

You need to get attention by storytelling.
You need to get trust via specific breakdowns. 

Two hooks you can steal for each.

"9-Step SEO Content Strategy (Steal my 1M strategy)"
"pov: i just quit my 9-5 tech job to build a business"

For conversion, i'd focus on:

1. Building an email list as fast as possible
2. Sending weekly emails to my readers. 

Having attention is not enough if you don't convert it.

Post 4x a week. 1 lead magnet to move people to email.

This simple strategy is worth $1M. But no one does it.
It's boring, I know... but it works. 

Look, my friends... 

"Giving value" is no longer enough to grow your business or personal brand. 

The millionaires on this platform are shifting to email.
But getting traffic from LinkedIn. 

Build your brand, sell out your business.

Masterclass, over 🫳🏼🎤... wait not really. 

Jan 22nd, we're revealing exactly how you can do it too.

From content to lead magnets to conversion, I'll show you everything I've ever done live so you can use it this year.

join us for free LIVE on the 22nd of January here: https://lnkd.in/eNRvSRR7

the first 1,000 people get 4 playbooks to use for content and business!

pov: you're about to launch a tech startup in London with friends in your 20s (bts of a $1M biz).

there's something so surreal about this business. 

it wouldn't even be a reality without linkedin.

jake and i met on linkedin.
broke into the top 0.1% in less than a year.

we built businesses all through organic content.
made millions of dollars along the way. 

today we're running the same playbook for our startup. 

getting leads without spending a single dollar on ads. 
converting customers through our personal brands.
getting insane opportunities because we do it publicly. 

most people overcomplicate growth - we didn’t.

to build a profitable business you need 3 things:

1. a single platform (linkedin)
2. a skill you're good at
3. writing outstanding content daily (with kleo).

we're revealing exactly how we do it step by step in 2 weeks. 

the entire content to lead gen strategy we've used for our 3 businesses over the last 2 years to hit $1M+.

join us for free LIVE on the 22nd of January here: https://lnkd.in/eNRvSRR7

the first 1,000 people get 4 playbooks to use for content and business!

3 lessons you need to hear to win this year.

1. If you never quit, you'll never fail (keep going)
2. Nothing happens, then everything happens 
3. You already have what it takes (so start)

Stop doubting yourself.

Don't spend 2026 doing the same things.

pov: you're in your 20s, building a business people love

(people traveled across the world to tell us this!)

today, Kleo has helped people gain over 1,233,394 views. 

• landed our exec clients 5/6 fig deals through linkedin. 
• helped many get new sponsors for their businesses.
• got them dms filled with speaking opps! 

i've always said that linkedin changed my life.
but it feels 10x better seeing it happen for others. 

this is your reminder that perfection is overrated. 

messy, consistent and public action is better.

and honestly you never know... your next post could change your entire career. it happens every day here. 

we're in the golden era of linkedin.

who's in? 

to celebrate, come to my free live class on the 22nd: https://lnkd.in/eC5sm4cP

we're giving away FREE access to Literally Academy to people who join kleo during launch week too...

(don't tell my team please)

PS: repost ♻️ this to get a FREE gift from me, with love.

I went on my dream podcast, but nearly canceled it.

Felt like an imposter the entire day; I was nervous.
Self-doubt was loud in my head, and I was scared. 

Almost as though I hadn't built anything ever. 

But going on a podcast with 754k subscribers is something I've never done before. What if I failed?

Imposter syndrome doesn't pick favorites, I guess.
But you can always decide how much it affects you.

And I didn't let it. I showed up (nervous, but showed up).

No matter how many followers I have or businesses I build, sometimes all I see are failures and rejections. 

If you relate, let me leave you with my favorite lesson:

You're not bad at things, just new at them. 

From LinkedIn, to work, to a stage... keep going. 

Watch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/e_Er4XCq

PS: What podcast would YOU love to be on?

I'm putting together a FREE class showing you exactly how we built an organic content engine that brings us opportunities like these! 

If you're ready to make 2026 your best year ever...

RSVP your spot on January 22nd at 7PM GMT. 

Comment "CLASS" and we'll send you the link. 

or just click here: https://lnkd.in/eC5sm4cP

pov: you locked yourself in a room until your new tech business made $100,000 (without vc funding or ads).

but before i tell you what happened my room.

let me remind you of 1 thing. 

ideas mean nothing without execution. 

stop planning.
stop going to events.
stop trying to find investors.

do the thing first, fill the gaps later.

hope this inspires you to take imperfect action.

watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/emZvizBi

ps: kleo is indeed, live forever. try it today https://lnkd.in/eY7cPYSn

I just built my co-founder's LinkedIn Strategy LIVE.

Results so far? 213,833 impressions in 30 days.
392 sign-ups for our software in under 10 days.

This is the copy-paste strategy every founder can use. 

I included 3 key elements no one talks about. 

1. How to stand out from day 1
2. The 4-3-2-1 Content Framework I built
3. How to use AI to write better content, faster 
4. Turning ideas into highly educational content
5. Turning stories into engaging viral pieces 

If you've been looking for a high-level strategy. This is it. 

Most people pay me $2k/hr for this.
Today you get it for FREE. 

Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/eTX2Qtrk

But whatever you do, don't share this.
I might get in trouble for giving so much away for free..

Shoutout Cam Trew for locking in so hard... 

PS: I want to do more of these LIVE, if you're a founder/creator in London, comment below and maybe you can be next! Repost ♻️ so we find you faster:)

The best entrepreneurs I know don't believe in work-life balance. This advice is flawed in many ways. 

Most spent YEARS in seasons of imbalance.

Which is what helps them have balance today. 

Personally, I don't have work-life balance. 
It's not that I don't believe in balance. It’s just unrealistic.

What I DO believe in is knowing that it is a privilege to be tired in the pursuit of challenge of your own choosing.

Pressure is a privilege, which I remind myself of daily.

Shoutout to the tired entrepreneurs building right now, I see you and root for you ♥️.

taplio

The Battle

Alex McCann

Lara Acosta

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taplio

The Battle

Alex McCann

Lara Acosta

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);}Alex McCann's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreAlex McCann's LinkedIn Performance