Scale revenue with AI & tech

I decided to skip the traditional corporate path & start building in the AI x Sales space at 27. 
Here's the journey so far:

Age 18-21: Business school in Brussels, realized I needed practical experience
Age 22: Coding bootcamp + lucky Bitcoin exit gave me 50K to fund a world trip
Age 23: 12-country world tour learning new skills every month in a new country.
Age 24-26: Growth hacker roles at German startups, learned systems but felt unfulfilled 
Age 27: Co-founded ColdIQ with Mich
Age 28: Hit our first major milestones learning everything the hard way 
Age 29: Scaled to $6M ARR and became Clay's #1 global partner. Running a business that does $477K/month with 30+ team members across 4 continents.

It's been wild. Today through ColdIQ, we help B2B companies build AI-powered sales systems that work. 

We've run outbound for 300+ organizations and generated millions in pipeline.

The best part? We built this entirely remote with people I genuinely enjoy working with. 

Turns out you can have rapid growth AND life quality - you just need the right systems.

If you want to build your own AI sales agency, I teach everything in our ColdIQ Agency Accelerator, the exact playbook we used to hit $6M ARR in 2 years. 

From Clay workflows to hiring A-players to scaling without burning out.

If you're already doing $1M+ ARR and want help scaling your existing business, let's talk about our done-for-you services.

https://coldiq.com/

If you're not there yet, I share everything for free on LinkedIn and in our 7-day email course (in the featured section).

The AI x Sales opportunity is the biggest wealth creation event of our generation. The market is so massive that there's room for everyone to win.

Ready to start your agency? Join 130+ founders in our accelerator.

https://coldiq.com/accelerator-program

Alex Vacca 🧠🛠️

R.I.P. LinkedIn "experts".

↳ For 2026, I built this step-by-step guide + agents so you can get clients on LinkedIn.

Most LinkedIn "experts" only do two things:

Post generic motivational content.
Send cold DMs that smell like a pitch from the first second.

We decided to do something different.

We created a real system that combines AI + strategic positioning + intentional content:

- Generates consistent visibility without chasing anyone.
- Converts strangers into prospects.
- Works without a team.

What we achieved in 30 days:

→ +14,338,471 organic impressions without spending on ads.
→ +500 inbound leads without sending a single message.
→ +110 calls booked.
→ All using a guide that's already optimized for what's coming in 2026.

What's inside the guide?

→ How to use AI with specific prompts to build authority without burning out.
→ How to structure your content so it sells.
→ How to make LinkedIn work for you 24/7.
→ The exact execution system we use (and how you can replicate it).

Want access to the full guide to dominate LinkedIn in 2026?

Comment "2026" and I'll send it to you.

Co-Founder @ ColdIQ ($6M ARR) | Helped 300+ companies scale revenue with AI & Tech | #1 AI Sales Agency

If your outbound isn't working, it's probably not your copy.

It's your data. Here is how to find the best one.

Most sales teams are sourcing leads from the exact same places.

LinkedIn. ZoomInfo. Apollo.

Your competitor builds a list Monday morning.
You build the same list Monday afternoon.

Now you're both chasing the same person who's already drowning in pitches.

This is why outbound feels broken.

It's not your messaging.
It's that you're fishing in the same pond as everyone else.

We stopped doing that.

Instead, we started hunting in places nobody's paying attention to:

→ Product Hunt launches where founders list their email publicly
→ G2 reviews where buyers complain about your competitor
→ Job boards where hiring signals reveal budget and growth
→ GitHub repos where technical buyers reveal themselves
→ Reddit threads where people ask for alternatives
…and 57 other data sources.

All accessible and ignored by 95% of sales teams.

We built a breakdown of every underused data source for outbound.
What you can scrape from each.
The sales signal it reveals.

Drop "LIST" in the comments and I'll send it over in full resolution.

We scaled to $6M ARR without funnels.

This is why 90% of funnels don’t work anymore 👇

This is how most companies run their GTM:
 
Awareness → Decision → Conversion → Start over.

The problem with that is that every time you close a deal (or lose one), you start all over again.

Plus, you have 3 teams running 3 separate motions

→ Every hand-off creates friction
→ You learn things after it's too late to fix them
→ Your tools live in silos and never connect
→ Each team is optimizing for something different

We replaced all of it with a flywheel.

One system where Content, Ads & Outbound work as one.

Here's how it works:

Motion 1: Value-led outbound

We don't send pitches. We send value.

Every cold email offers something worth consuming:

- A personalized video breakdown
- An industry-specific strategy doc
- A downloadable Notion template
- A teardown of their current approach

The goal is bring qualified traffic into our ecosystem.

Motion 2: Multi-channel retargeting

Every interaction gets captured and scored:

→ LinkedIn profile viewers identified via Sales Nav + PhantomBuster
→ Post engagers tracked through Trigify.io and Common Room
→ Website visitors enriched via RB2B (US) and Snitcher (EU)
→ All touchpoints routed through Clay for lead scoring

One click or a reply to our cold email triggers:

→ LinkedIn + Google retargeting for 30 days
→ Automated email nurture sequence
→ CRM tags them based on intent
→ Sales gets instant notification
→ We track every profile view and post engagement

Motion 3: Tier conversion system

Not everyone converts the same way. So we built multiple paths:

→ High-intent leads book appointments by chat (email, LI DMs)
→ MQLs go into automated nurture sequences
→ Warm accounts get ad retargeting plus personalized campaigns

We use outbound to fuel the flywheel.

Cold email isn't dead. It's just no longer the full strategy.

It's the trigger for the real GTM engine behind the scenes.

Here's why this compounds:

Outbound creates curiosity → drives traffic to the ColdIQ ecosystem
Content builds authority → warms future outbound responses
Ads retarget engaged accounts → move them through the buying cycle
Great delivery → Better case studies → Better prospects → Better clients → Higher prices.

Everything strengthens everything else.

When your GTM engine runs in sync, growth becomes inevitable.

P.S. If you run an agency/B2B business and want to engineer the system that connects all three channels and add $10K-$100K to your MRR, comment "GTM".

Most cold emails get <1% reply rates.

Ours get 10%.

If I had to teach someone cold email from scratch, here's what I'd tell them:

For getting replies, focus on:

1. Real triggers
2. Specific pain
3. Proof that's actually believable

Too many people here just blast templates. But that's not enough anymore.

You need triggers to be relevant.
You need pain that connects to their actual situation.

Two examples you can steal:

"Saw you're hiring 10 SDRs. Usually means ramp time is killing quota."

vs.

"I noticed you work in sales."

One gets replies. One gets deleted.

For the ask, I'd focus on:

1. Giving value before asking for time
2. Making the next step super easy

"Do you have 15 minutes?" doesn't work anymore.

"Mind if I send over the 3-step process we used?" does.

Here's my actual template:

"Hi [Name],

Saw you're [trigger].

Usually that means [pain].

We helped [Company] go from [before] to [after].

They saw [result] in [timeframe].

Mind if I share how?"

That's it.

Everyone overthinks this.

Perfect subject lines. AI personalization. Fancy tools.

But if you nail trigger + pain + value, nothing else matters.

One more thing that works better than anything:

Free work.

"Mind if I build you a custom lead list for your new SDR team?"

That gets replies every time. You're solving their problem before they ask.

It's simple, I know... but it works.

What's your go-to cold email approach? Drop it below 👇

Most lists get 1-2% reply rates.

Ours get 5-15%.

Same frameworks. Different lists.

If I had to teach someone list building from scratch, here's what I'd tell them:

For coverage, focus on:

1. Multiple data sources (one source = missing 40% of your market)
2. Cross-referencing to fill gaps
3. Never trusting a single data provider

Too many people here just pull a list from Apollo and start blasting.

That's not a strategy.

For enrichment, I'd focus on:

1. Validating every email before sending
2. Adding context that makes it relevant
3. Scoring leads so you know who to prioritize

The difference is the work you do before you send.

For precision, I'd focus on:

1. Tiering your list (not all leads are equal)
2. Matching message to segment
3. Spending more time on fewer, better leads

Everyone wants the perfect cold email template.

But if you're sending to the wrong people, no template saves you.

The list is the strategy. Everything else is execution.

We put together a free masterclass on this:

→ Full guide (8 phases)
→ 15+ video lessons
→ 2 AI agents that build lists for you

Comment "LIST" and I'll send it over.

list building masterclass

Andrew Carnegie sold his company for $480 million and became the richest man in America.

Thanks to a decision his partners called "the worst mistake of his life."

In 1870, steel was about to change everything.

Hundreds of entrepreneurs saw the opportunity.

"We need the mines. The railroads. The production. The distribution."

Carnegie made a different choice.

"What if instead of doing 12 things poorly, I dominate ONE?"

He picked production.

Every dollar. Every engineer. One single metric: cost per ton.

1875: Steel cost $100 per ton.
1900: Carnegie was producing it at $12 per ton.

Nobody could compete.

1901: J.P. Morgan bought everything for $480 million.

The "worst mistake" made him the richest man in America.

I'm watching the same mistake happen in AI right now.

Every week someone DMs me:

"I'm starting an AI agency. We do lead gen, AI workflows, chatbots, automation, and consulting."

That's five businesses. Not one.

In 2026, thousands of people will launch AI service businesses.

Everyone will have access to the same tools. Claude. GPT. Make. n8n. Clay.

The tools won't be your edge.

Expertise will.

One niche. One problem. One service. Done better than anyone else.

At ColdIQ, we spent 3 years going deep on GTM.

Not AI broadly. Not "automation." GTM for B2B tech companies.

That focus is the reason we're at $6M ARR.

Carnegie didn't win by doing more.

He won by doing one thing better than anyone else in the world.

Same playbook works in 2026.

Pick your one thing. Go deeper than everyone else.

That's how you win when everyone has the same tools.

the 480 million mistake 

Cold outreach stops feeling cold when you catch people at the right time.

The difference between "not interested" and "let's talk" usually comes down to timing.

We've tested dozens of signals over the past year.

These 5 actually tell you when someone's ready to have a conversation:

1️⃣ They visited your website

Someone from a target company just looked at your pricing page.

They read a case study. Clicked around your features.

They're not sold yet. But they're curious.

→ That's your window. Hit them before they forget you exist.

2️⃣ They just got funding

Fresh capital means spending mode. New hires, new tools, new infrastructure.

That window only lasts about 90 days.

→ Reach out before their growth stack is finalized.

3️⃣ They're hiring for a specific role

A company adding 5 SDRs needs a better sales stack.

A company hiring engineers needs dev tools.

Growth creates gaps. Gaps create budgets.

→ Position yourself before they've already picked someone else.

4️⃣ They're engaging with certain LinkedIn profiles

They're liking posts from thought leaders in your space.

Leaving comments. Saving content about problems you fix.

That's not scrolling. That's someone doing research.

→ Reference the topic. Start with value. Skip the pitch.

5️⃣ They're consuming content about a specific topic

Same idea, but broader.

They're reading about challenges you solve.

Watching videos. Joining conversations.

They know they have a problem. They just haven't found the answer yet.

→ Show up where they're already looking.

Stack two or three of these together and you're reaching out to people already in motion.

lemlist's intent signals tracks all 5 automatically and pings you when it’s time to reach out.

No manual tracking. No spreadsheets. Just real time signals.

Which one would move the needle most for you?

5 intent signals telling you who is ready to buy

He went from $10K to $80K/month with just one extra hire.

No ads and no big sales team. 

Samuel is one of our students inside our Agency Accelerator.

He runs a recruiting agency in Germany serving IT and construction companies.

Before joining, his client acquisition was 100% cold calling.
Dialing gatekeepers. Hoping to reach the CEO. 

It worked, but it didn't scale.

He wanted to grow revenue without growing headcount.

Here's what he built:

→ Scraped job platforms like Indeed to find companies actively hiring
→ Reached out 1-2 days after they posted (perfect timing)
→ Automated his Clay workflows to run evergreen
→ Personalized LinkedIn outreach to candidates with Clay


He went from $10K to $80K/month in less than a year.
Team went from 2 people to 3.
His employee's calendar is now booked with 40-50 candidate appointments per week.

I sat down with Samuel to break down how he achieved this.

You can check the full case study on Youtube.

We are working 1:1 with 5 agencies this month.

If you'd like to add $20-100K MRR in the next 90 days, send the word "Accelerator".

Cold outreach: 8% reply rate.

Warm outbound: 47% reply rate.

Same effort. 5x the responses.

The difference happens because you are reaching people who already know you exist.

Think about it:

-> Someone viewed your profile.
-> Someone engaged your post.
-> Someone followed your company page.

They already recognize your name.

But most B2B teams ignore these people and blast 10,000 cold emails to strangers instead.

Why?

Because capturing warm leads used to be a nightmare:

Sales Nav -> Clay enrichment -> ICP scoring formulas -> Claude for Copy -> Automation setup -> Daily manual work.

6+ tools just to reach people who were already interested.

Valley does all of it.

It captures:
→ Profile viewers
→ Post engagers
→ Competitor post engagers
→ Company page followers

Then it scores them, filters out bad fits, writes personalized outreach, and sends it.

Every day without the manual work.

The people who already know you convert better than strangers.

Now you can actually reach them.

What's your best strategy to convert leads on LinkedIn?

If you are in Cape Town 🇿🇦 and want to succeed in GTM.

This is for you.

On January 29th, ask us anything about building GTM systems with Clay.

If you've seen ColdIQ's posts, followed the work we do, or wondered how top teams actually use Clay to grow their businesses, you might want to join us.

This is your chance to ask real questions, get real answers, and learn how to apply Clay to your own business.

You’ll Learn:

- How ColdIQ uses Clay to power real-world GTM systems
- Signal-based outbound strategies and when to use them
- How to think about Clay if you’re just getting started
- Common mistakes teams make and how to avoid them
- How AI fits into modern outbound and GTM workflows

Stefan 🦁 Kollenberg (Head of Data Partnership) and I will answer the questions from Louis Van Wyk.

I'll be there to share how we've scaled into a multimillion-dollar agency building GTM systems for 300+ companies + sharing our plans for 2026.

We'll kick things off with welcome drinks at 6 PM, then move into a live AMA-style discussion.

Spots are limited.

Link to register ↓

He left Goldman Sachs to start an agency from scratch.

8 weeks later he hit $40K/month with zero ads and no sales team.

Daniel Salzner is one of our students inside our Agency Accelerator

He spent 1 year at Goldman Sachs 

He knew cold outreach worked.
It got him his first customers and his first investors for his previous startup

But this time he wanted to build something different.
An agency with an acquisition system that runs without a sales team.

Here's what he achieved:

→ Started on Upwork to nail his ICP
→ First 4 clients in 4 weeks ($15K MRR)
→ Switched to targeted outbound once he knew who to reach
→ Automated 40-50% of fulfillment
→ One LinkedIn post brought 130K impressions and 30 booked calls

The result?

$0 to $40K MRR in 8 weeks.
$80K collected in 10 weeks.

Still no sales team. Still no ads.

I sat down with Daniel to break down how he achieved this.

You can watch the full case study on my Youtube channel. 

We are working 1:1 with 5 agencies this month. 

If you'd like to add $20-50K MRR in the next 90 days, send the word "Accelerator".

364K to 1.7M impressions in 6 months.

Here's what I changed.

Most people blame the algorithm when LinkedIn doesn't work for them.

But the problem is almost never the algorithm.

It's your profile and content not being optimized to show up in the feed.

Here's the breakdown:

1. My headline

Your headline should scream exactly what you specialize in.

When someone lands on your profile, there's zero confusion about what you help with.

I use the formula: "I help X achieve Y through Z"

So your ideal client knows instantly you’re the right person for that.

Mine is: “Helped 300+ companies scale revenue with AI & Tech”

If your headline is vague, no one remembers you.

2. My content

I stopped posting what I wanted to talk about.

I started answering the burning questions my ideal clients already have.

If they struggle with lead generation, I break that down in detail.

How do you find those questions?

Ask yourself: What are they struggling with right now?

In my case, my ideal client was me 2 years ago.

So I spend time thinking: What kept me up at night when I was at that stage?

That's your content goldmine.

For me, those questions became my content pillars:

→ Workflows and automations
→ Tech stack breakdowns
→ GTM strategies (outbound, content, ads)
→ Operations and systems
→ Lessons from my founder journey

Every piece of content I create is focused on helping B2B business owners and teams increase revenue through technology.

The goal is giving away so much tactical value that people see you as their trusted advisor, before they ever talk to you.

3. My proof

It's not enough to say what you do.

You have to prove you can actually deliver.

- Testimonials
- Achievements
- Case studies
- Screenshots
- Real data

If you claim you get X results, show data. Show client wins.

People need evidence before they trust and invest in you.

Which of these 3 do you think moves the needle the most?

9 Truths I’ve Learned by 30 

(That I wish I’d known at 20)

1) Do > Consume

In 2020, I read 59 books in one year. I made 0$

In 2025, I read 2 books and our business generated multiple 7 figures.

In my early twenties, I was always the guy who knew everything about self-improvement and business.

I was reading books for CEOs when I hadn't even started a side project.

Consuming feels like progress. It's not.

You can spend a lifetime reading and never actually move forward.

2) You can't lose if you don't stop

I've spent 3 years in GTM now.

My goal: be known as one of the top people worldwide helping businesses grow with technology.

That takes years and there's no shortcut.

Businesses come and go.

But the authority you build in an industry? That stays with you.

It only disappears if you restart something new every 3 months.

3) You can only connect the dots looking backward

So many decisions didn't make sense when I made them.

But 10 years later, you look back and see how everything connects.

But for the dots to connect, you have to make decisions first.

4) Posting content is a luck mutiplier

Content has been the biggest hack in my life.

You just become a magnet for interesting people and interesting opportunities.

5) No one is coming to save you

People complain about the system. About AI. About their boss. About their upbringing. Their traumas because it feels comforting to have people feeling bad you.

Everyone got different cards dealt.

But no one will ever care about your life more than you.

You have to save yourself because no one else will.

6) Find your infinite games and your infinite people

For me the ultimate happines is finding great people to build great things with.

That is a game that is fun to play and that has no end.

That's what I'm optimizing for now.

7) Your growth is measured by the uncomfortable conversations you are willing to have

I've seen people stay stuck for years because they're avoiding one conversation.

The conversation they know they need to have but keep putting off.

The people who move fast in life have the hard talk today, not next month.

8) Micro Speed - Macro Patience

Most people are extremely impatient but have zero long-term vision.

Flip it.

Have a 10-year vision. But act fast today.

9) The world is changed by your action not by your opinion

Everyone wants to have impact and change things.

It's easy to comment and easy to have opinions.

But what really matters is what you do.

Not what you say.

—

Which one do you agree/disagree with?

Jessie Lizak

Building personal brands that drive B2B revenue by leveraging live streaming, podcasting and AI | Reveting's WinsDay Host | Fractional CMO | Deconstructing Data Co-Host | Marketing Coach |

Struggling to Close the Trust Gap with Buyers?

You’re putting yourself out there. Posting, maybe even running ads. But something’s still off. There’s no trust, no connection that gets your audience hooked. Maybe imposter syndrome is creeping in, or maybe your marketing isn’t hitting the mark. Or you just need help without the overhead of a marketing team.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone—and that’s where I come in.

ABOUT ME:
I’m Jessie Lizak, CEO of Reveting, and I help B2B professionals build REAL personal brands across ALL the social platforms that matter—LinkedIn™️, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram. But I specialize in LIVESTREAMING because nothing builds trust faster than going live. Whether you’re an exec, marketer, or solopreneur, I’m here to help you build a brand that pulls in loyal customers who TRUST you from day one.

WHAT I DO:

FULL-SERVICE LIVESTREAMING: If going live terrifies you, we’ve got you covered. We handle all the tech and help you go live like a pro, building real-time engagement and trust.

PERSONAL BRANDING ACROSS CHANNELS: LinkedIn™️ is great, but it’s not the only game in town. We help you create a consistent personal brand across LinkedIn™️, TikTok, YouTube, and more.

TAKING UP SPACE PROGRAM: Got imposter syndrome or feel lost in marketing? This program’s your guide to building a personal brand with livestreams, podcasts, and B2B marketing strategies. It’ll give you the confidence to OWN YOUR SPACE online.

WHY LIVESTREAMING?
Because trust is everything. Your buyers need to see you LIVE—no filters. Livestreaming lets you break down barriers and build a connection you can’t get from posts or ads. And guess what? Most of your competitors are too scared to go live. If you can do it (with my help), you’ll already be winning.

WINSDAY:
Every Wednesday, we host WinsDay—a sponsored live show full of sales and marketing insights, guest interviews, and even some fun prizes. It’s where you’ll learn how to ACTUALLY grow your business using livestreaming—and have a good time doing it.

OUR APPROACH:
At Reveting, we’re focused on REAL connections. No fake stuff. We use DATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES that make sure your brand hits the right audience. And we help you show up AUTHENTICALLY so that trust—and sales—come naturally.

READY TO OWN YOUR SPACE?
If you’re tired of playing small and ready to build your brand across social platforms, let’s talk. Whether you need full-service livestreaming, a killer personal branding strategy, or coaching that gets real results, I’m here for you.

Let’s make something REAL together.

Fractional Chief Marketing Officer

Podcast planning, hosting, management, and syndication for the Deconstructing Data podcast. Development and management of BDEX website content, blog posts, email marketing, newsletter, organic social content across channels, digital ads, promoted posts, PDFs.

First WinsDay of 2026.

And honestly, it feels like the right way to start the year.
Not with trends.
Not with predictions.
But with a real conversation about what actually makes B2B brands get noticed right now.

What makes someone stop scrolling.
What makes them listen.
And what makes them trust what they’re hearing.

Tonight on Reveting's WinsDay, I’m joined by Jennifer Galbraith and Muhammad Moaaz❄️ Nagori.

Jennifer is the founder of Alestra Marketing, Inc. 

She helps brands earn visibility through media, strong storytelling, and smart communication. The kind that builds credibility beyond a single campaign.

Muhammad Moaaz❄️ Nagori, Head of Marketing at ConvergeX Connections and Co-founder at Cloudlead.co.

He works with B2B teams who care about data quality, better targeting, and real conversations at the top of the funnel.

Less guessing. 
More intention.

Here's what we'll be covering tonight:
 → Earned Media Optimization
 → What’s actually working in B2B event marketing right now
 → Story soundbites people remember
 → How psychology really drives attention in B2B sales

If you’re building a B2B brand and want your message to land, not just be seen, this one matters.

Join us on Reveting tonight at 8 pm est.

WinsDay LIVE 2026 event graphic featuring host Jessie Lizak centered in a full-body image, with guest speakers Jennifer Galbraith on the left and Muhammad Nagor on the right in black-and-white portraits. Bold black and neon green Reveting-branded design with ‘WinsDay LIVE,’ recording indicator, and event date and time displayed.

20 truths about going live on LinkedIn™:

→ 1) Your first live will feel awkward. Do it anyway.
→ 2) No one expects perfection. They expect clarity.
→ 3) Consistency matters more than production quality.
→ 4) You don’t need a huge audience to make it work.
→ 5) Decision-makers actually watch live video.
→ 6) Going live builds trust faster than posts alone.
→ 7) You’ll say things live you’d never write in a caption.
→ 8) Those moments are what people remember.
→ 9) Authority is built in real time, not drafts.
→ 10) One live can outperform weeks of static content.
→ 11) Guests expand your reach without ads.
→ 12) High-caliber guests don’t need hand-holding.
→ 13) Your voice does more than your logo ever will.
→ 14) Engagement feels different when it’s live.
→ 15) Leads feel warmer when people have seen you speak.
→ 16) Repurposing starts with a strong live foundation.
→ 17) The replay matters more than the live moment.
→ 18) You’ll get clearer the more you show up.
→ 19) Momentum compounds quietly, then suddenly.
→ 20) The hardest part is starting. The rest is rhythm.

Going live isn’t a trend. It’s infrastructure for modern visibility.

Most B2B founders don’t have a content problem.

They have a translation problem.

They know a lot.
They’ve lived the work.
They’ve solved real problems.

But none of that turns into content because it lives only in their head.

So here’s something practical you can steal this week:

Teach ONE thing you already explain to clients. And do it live.

That’s it.

For me, that's showing up every WinsDay on the Reveting page.

Instead of packaging those answers into content ideas, I talk through them live. With other credible guests.

Exactly how I would with a client.

I’ve gone live every week for almost four years now.

Not because it’s trendy.
Not because of the algorithm.
But because livestreaming lets people see how you think, how you diagnose problems, and how you lead conversations.

That’s where trust is built.
Teach it plainly.
Teach it live.
No hype.
No performance.

That’s how you build authority in 2026.

And yes, that’s how revenue follows.

Most marketing tactics fail for one simple reason.

They are launched without a hypothesis.

Cold email.
Paid ads.
Livestreams.
Content calendars.

None of those are strategies.

They are experiments.
Tactics.

And experiments without a hypothesis are just activity.

Marketing works a lot like research. 

My master’s in sociology absolutely influences how I think about this.

Before you deploy a tactic, you should be able to answer a few basic questions.

1. What are we testing
2. Who are we testing it with
3. What outcome would signal success
4. What outcome would tell us to stop or adjust

A real marketing strategy starts with an exploratory question or a hypothesis.

For example, if we are targeting founders who run marketing agencies, then going live on LinkedIn™ twice a month for six months, paired with intentional repurposing, will increase brand awareness, close the trust gap with buyers, and start showing up in inbound conversations.

Before you even start, you define what success looks like.

Success might look like hearing prospects mention the show on sales calls.

It might look like the same people showing up and engaging every week.

It might look like follower growth on your company page.

It might look like more qualified inbound leads.

Each of those outcomes would change how you run the tactic.

If engagement matters most, you optimize for conversation and community.

If leads matter most, you optimize for reach, distribution, and new eyes.

Same tactic.

Different strategy.

Completely different execution.

Marketing is not about doing more things.

It is about knowing what you are testing and why.

When strategy comes first, tactics like livestreaming stop feeling random and start compounding.

This image was created with Secta. I use it for polished, headshots without overthinking a shoot. If you want to try it, you can get 20 percent off using my link at secta.ai/jessie.

#marketing #strategy #science

People are going to talk about you.

Quietly.
Loudly.
Behind your back.
Sometimes without ever actually knowing you.

Once you put yourself out there, it’s inevitable.

For a long time, that part really got to me.

I’d hear things people said about me. 
About my show. 
About my intentions.
One that hit especially hard was hearing that a well known woman once called my show sexist.

That one shook me.
Because I’ve always identified as a feminist.

I marched. 
I pumped my breasts in office closets.
I built my career while centering women and children, even when it wasn’t convenient.
Even when it cost me.

Part of why I started my own podcast was that I wanted to hear from more women.

There used to be a Wall Street Journal podcast that interviewed successful women. It inspired the sh*t out of me.

When it disappeared, something clicked.

If it doesn’t exist anymore, you build it.

At the time, I was also a CMO trying to convince a CEO to start a podcast. So I went first.

Here’s what I understand now.

When people talk negatively about you, it’s rarely about you.

It’s about what your visibility brings up in them.

The voice they haven’t used.
The risks they didn’t take.
The version of themselves they postponed.

Psychologically, criticism creates a sense of control. “If I label you, I don’t have to look at me.”

That realization changed how I hold it all.
Not because it made the comments disappear.
But because it reframed them.

You don’t trigger people by being perfect.
You trigger them by being real.
By showing up live.
By thinking out loud.
By letting people see you in motion, not packaged.

I’ve made mistakes.
I’ve learned publicly.
I haven’t always gotten it right.
But I’ve been real.
Especially on livestream.
And that kind of visibility will always invite opinions.

If this brought something up for you, sit with it. That reaction is information.

Before you judge someone who’s visible, pause and ask yourself what it’s stirring in you.

We’re all responding from somewhere. Sometimes the work is figuring out where.

I’m sharing this alongside a new image I created in secta.ai.

If you want to explore it too, my affiliate link gets you a discount: secta.ai/jessie

Being seen isn’t easy. 

But the negative does become noise and the positive takes over. 

Energy flows where the mind goes. 

Don't let anyone steal your peace.

Do you still need a dashboard if AI can just tell you what to do?

That’s one of the bold ideas David Finkelstein and me explored with Tom Firth on Deconstructing Data.

Tom is the Co-founder of Cotera and a builder at the frontier of AI-driven business ops.

We talked about:
→ Replacing static dashboards with decision-making agents
→ Why most AI tools still need a real CRM behind the scenes
→ The biggest mistake startups make when rolling out AI
→ Data readiness: the real challenge behind automation

Loved this conversation, especially the part about prompt engineering versus actual strategy. Don’t miss it.

We'll be live again on Deconstructing Data today at 4:15 pm est. Find it on BDEX's page.

Looking forward to this episode of BDEX's Deconstructing Data, with guest Tom Firth, Co-founder of Cotera who is talking about what it really takes to make your business data work for you not just sit in reports.

Tom brings a fresh perspective on data readiness, automation, and the new era of AI agents. We explore how businesses can shift from static insights to real-time, data-driven decisions, and why breaking down silos is step one.

Here are the conversation topics:

1. AI Agents in Action: From Dashboards to Decisions
2. Breaking Data Silos: Unifying Customer Identity
3. What Does It Take to Prepare Your Data for AI?
4. Tech Stack

If you're trying to future-proof your data strategy and move faster without sacrificing accuracy, this episode is your playbook.

Most companies are drowning in dashboards but starving for action.

In this episode of Deconstructing Data, we’re joined by Tom Firth, Co-founder of Cotera to talk about what it really takes to make your business data work for you not just sit in reports.

Tom brings a fresh perspective on data readiness, automation, and the new era of AI agents. We explore how businesses can shift from static insights to real-time, data-driven decisions, and why breaking down silos is step one.

Topics include:

1. AI Agents in Action: From Dashboards to Decisions
2. Breaking Data Silos: Unifying Customer Identity
3. What Does It Take to Prepare Your Data for AI?
4. Tech Stack

If you're trying to future-proof your data strategy and move faster without sacrificing accuracy, this episode is your playbook.

How to Prepare Business Data for Automation and Smarter Decisions

It’s WinsDay, and we’re live tonight.

Come on out!! 

8-9 PM EST.

Leadership rarely follows a straight line. 

Sometimes it’s shaped by loss, responsibility, and the decision to step forward when there’s no playbook.

In this upcoming WinsDay conversation, we’re joined by Andi Shaughnessy and Danielle Carter, Co-CEOs and Owners of ExpressIt Delivery, to talk about what it really takes to lead, grow, and scale a business through change.

After the passing of their father, Andi and Danielle stepped into the family business without formal business training and went on to transform ExpressIt into a multi-million dollar, WBENC-certified company operating across multiple states. Along the way, they navigated leadership transitions, operational growth, rebranding, team expansion, and the realities of running a business in a fast-moving industry.

This conversation blends real leadership experience with practical insight for founders, operators, and entrepreneurs who are building in the real world, not just talking about it.

We’ll be diving into:

1. Business & Leadership
2. Women in Business
3. Personal Growth & Resilience
4. Tactical & Inspirational Topics for Entrepreneurs

If you’re interested in leadership development, women-led businesses, scaling operations, or navigating growth through adversity, this episode offers grounded lessons and honest perspectives from leaders who built success by learning on the job and leading with intention.

Women, Leadership, and Growth in Business

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The Battle

Alex Vacca 🧠🛠️

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