Founder/CEO @ LEANSTACK | Bestselling author and founder

I have bootstrapped several products to millions of users and worked with thousands of early-stage entrepreneurs worldwide - helping them systematically find repeatable and scalable business models using my battle-tested playbooks. 

Instead of:
-Spending several months building a product you hope people will buy.

Imagine a world where you:
- Spend several weeks defining a product you know people will buy.

For aspiring or early-stage founders:

If you’re looking to bootstart your idea, consider joining my 30-day Business Model Design Challenge below: 

You'll learn how to:
- Find or test a big idea worth pursuing,
- Design a business model blueprint,
- Stress-test your idea before investing time, money, and effort. 

Join the next Business Model Design Challenge:
https://runlean.ly/challenge

Ash Maurya

There are three core jobs of a business model. 

1. CREATE VALUE
You create value with your Unique Value Proposition (UVP). To craft a compelling UVP, you need to deeply understand your Customer Segments and their Problem(s).

2. DELIVER VALUE
You deliver value through your Solution and Channels.

3. CAPTURE VALUE
Value capture (getting paid) lies at the intersection of your Cost Structure and Revenue Streams.

The Lean Canvas also helps you describe two more essential jobs:

4. MEASURE VALUE
You measure the output of these three jobs using your Key Metrics.

5. DEFEND VALUE
You deter copycats and competitors using your Unfair Advantage.

Lean Canvas = Business Model Story

I build systematic frameworks for early-stage founders. Author and creator of Lean Canvas.

Your product is NOT "the product" of your startup.
Your business model is THE PRODUCT.

Too many founders obsess over features while ignoring:
→ Customer segments
→ Problems
→ Revenue streams  
→ Distribution channels
→ Cost structure
→ Key metrics

Building the best solution means nothing if the other pieces in the puzzle don't fit.

No alternative text description for this image

In 2006, I had 6 months of runway left. Everyone told me to raise money immediately.

Instead, I did the opposite.

My mentor asked one question: 'Would you rather spend 6 months pitching to investors or pitching to customers?'

I picked customers. Six months later, we were profitable. Never raised that round.

The counterintuitive truth: When you're running out of money, don't chase investors. Chase customers.

Every founder thinks they need funding to get customers. It's backwards. Customers fund your business. Investors fund your story.

Which would you rather have?

Most founders pitch their solution the same way to everyone.

Big mistake.

Investors care about market size and traction.
Customers care about their problems and outcomes.
Advisors care about learning from their experience.

Your solution stays the same. Your story must change.

Good entrepreneurship isn't about changing worldviews—it's about framing your business model in terms of your audience's existing worldview.

Are you telling the right story to the right audience?

Simple models help us understand the complex. 

Before investing in any company, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger use a latticework of mental models to evaluate the company. 

If it passes their tests, they move all in. Otherwise, they do nothing and wait.

Evaluating early-stage ideas is no different.

I have settled on 3 universal (product-agnostic) mental models that I use to
- baseline progress,
- prioritize risks, and
- formulate a “right action, right time” next step.

Here they are: 

1. Lean Canvas: Deconstruct an idea using 12 basic building blocks.

2. Customer Factory: Chart key milestones using 5 customer-centric metrics.  

3. Customer Forces: Understand customer behavior using 4 causal forces. 

BELIEFS + METRICS + INSIGHTS = BUSINESS MODEL STORY

Most founders think a great offer is about discounts and bonuses.

But the most powerful offers tell a story that makes saying no feel irrational.

I call this a "Mafia Offer" 

Here's a 4-Act structure:

Act 1: Identify an undeniable market shift (external to your product)
Act 2: Show why their current solution can't bridge the gap
Act 3: Demonstrate your different approach (transformation, not features)
Act 4: Present pricing as natural extension of the story

After rebuilding my pitch this way, I no longer get butterflies in my stomach when I reach the pricing conversation. 

Customers don't buy products. They buy a promise of something different AND better.

Are you pitching features or selling a customer story?

The hill climbing problem in startups:

Rushing to pick your first customer segment is like getting trapped on a local peak - you find success, but miss the mountain next door.

Start by brainstorming ALL possible customers. Test multiple segments in parallel.

Your odds of finding the best market increase dramatically.

I gave AI complete control of my product launch.
Not just "helping with copy" or "writing some emails."

Full control. Landing pages. Customer segmentation. Multi-variant email campaigns. Sales tracking automation.

The result? 209 paid customers in 40 days. Before the product was finished.

But here's the plot twist that surprised me:

The AI didn't win because it was smarter than me.
It won because it helped me focus on what I do best, while it took care of the rest. 

Full video here: https://lnkd.in/gruip9bq

Open video: AI Ran My Product Launch (Crazy Results) on youtu.be

Most startups defer pricing because their MVP feels "too minimal" to charge for.

This is backwards thinking.

Price is part of your product. It shapes customer perception and defines your market position.

If you intend to charge eventually, charge from day one. Getting paid is your first real validation - not downloads or signups.

The biggest mistake in customer interviews? Leading with your pitch.

When you pitch first:
• Customers pretend to agree
• You do most of the talking
• You hear what you want to hear

Instead, frame it as learning:
• Set context, then let them talk
• Ask how they solve the problem today
• Seek their advice, not their approval

People love helping. They hate being sold to.

Get the frame right and customer interviews become easy.

Most founders think they need to quit their day job to validate a startup idea.

This is backwards.

With the right approach, you can achieve problem-solution fit in 90 days working just 10-15 hours per week. Only then does going full-time make sense.

The myth of "take a leap of faith" has burned more founders than market crashes ever will.

What if the biggest risk isn't your idea failing, but you never properly testing it?

If you can't convert a warm prospect in a 20-minute face-to-face interview, it will be much harder to convert a visitor in under 8 seconds on your landing page.

Yet most founders skip this step entirely.

They build their MVP, launch a website, deploy AI agents, and then wonder why their conversion rates are terrible.

Worse, they don't know why.

Test your messaging, pricing, and user flow with 10 early adopters first. 

If you can't sell them, you won't fare any better with strangers.

The harsh feedback you get face-to-face will save you months of poor online performance.

Don't rush outside the building without first stress-testing your idea.
Stress testing is NOT customer testing, BUT business model testing.

2025 was the year of vibe coding.
Developers typed vibes into Cursor. AI wrote the code. Products shipped in hours.

But here's what nobody's talking about: AI just made the biggest startup mistake easier than ever.

The (Faster) Build Trap.

And it's creating thousands of zombie startups—built in days, dead in weeks (which I guess is still better than dead in months)

---

A founder I know spent 3 weeks building a B2B scheduling tool with Cursor. Beautiful interface. Clean code. Zero customers.

"AI made building so fast," he told me. "Why waste time on validation?"

Sound familiar?

Before AI, building took months. So we validated first. We had to.

Now building takes days. So we think we can skip validation. 

That's the trap.

---

But here's the plot twist:

The same AI creating this problem is also the solution.

Traditional lean startup? Plan-Do-Check-Act took 6 weeks per cycle. You'd run maybe 8-10 cycles per year if you were disciplined.

Most founders ran 2-3 cycles, got impatient, and just started building.

Why? Validation felt slower than building.

2026 changes the math completely.

---

AI collapses the PDCA cycle from 6 weeks to 6 hours:

• Plan experiments: 2 hours (not 2 weeks)
• Build tests: 2 hours (not 2 weeks)  
• Analyze results: 1 hour (not 1 week)
• Decide next steps: 1 hour (not 1 week)

You can now run 50+ validation cycles in the time it used to take to run 5.

That's not incremental improvement. That's a different game.

I'm calling these Vibe Startups—companies that use AI to not just build fast, but validate as fast as they build (before and after).

---

Speed isn't the competitive advantage anymore. Everyone has speed.

Systematic validation at the speed of your thinking is the new moat.

---

Watch the full breakdown of how Vibe Startups work and why the 75-year old PDCA loop just became a lot more relevant (again):

https://lnkd.in/gXWHQpMn

undefined undefined

youtube.com

The New Way Startups Will Be Built in 2026

Joseph Bunga

Everyone tells you to start with a free plan and worry about revenue later.

That's exactly what's killing most startups.

Even MailChimp spent years as premium-only before introducing its famous free tier.

The problem with freemium-first:
• You give away too much (like an artist wanting appreciation)
• Low conversions drown you in non-actionable data
• Free users give bad advice about hypothetical features

The premium-first approach:
1. Charge from day one - pricing is your riskiest assumption
2. Launch with one plan for one customer segment
3. Target early adopters (they're not price sensitive)
4. Use trials or guarantees instead of free plans
5. Add freemium later as a marketing tactic

When I 10x'd my prices and repositioned from B2C to B2B, conversions went UP and I doubled paying customers.

Premium is a marketing tactic, not a business model.

Are you building for users who might buy or customers who do buy?

Most founders start backward.

They get hit with an idea and try to estimate how big it can get. But if you had three ideas to work on, wouldn't you always start with your most promising one?

Instead of starting with an idea, start with a goal.

Define your minimum success criteria: the smallest outcome you'd need in 3 years to call it a success. Then stress test your business model against that criteria.

If your model can't deliver your minimum bar, fix it before investing time and money.

What's your minimum success criteria?

Most founders defer pricing until after they build their product. This is backwards.

Your pricing model should determine your product, not the other way around.

When you give away your product for free, you attract more users than customers. Users drown out the true voice of your customer, steering you down the wrong path.

Price is part of your product. It signals your positioning and determines which customers you attract.

What you charge isn't the user's job to figure out—it's yours.

Are you building for users or customers?

The biggest startup myth? You need a "perfect idea" to begin.

I've seen countless founders wait years for that breakthrough moment that never comes. Meanwhile, successful entrepreneurs use a completely different approach.

In this video, I reveal the "Innovator's Gift" framework—a systematic way to find viable startup ideas hiding in plain sight.

Watch: https://lnkd.in/gts9nruM

Stop chasing fictional 5-year forecasts.

Most founders waste time inventing big goals or pulling out Excel wizardry when pitching investors. Even Mark Zuckerberg didn't think Facebook would be a billion-dollar company.

Instead, define your Minimum Success Criteria: the smallest outcome that makes 3 years of your life worth it.

Pick your game:
→ Level 1: $100K/year (solopreneur)
→ Level 2: $1M/year (small team)
→ Level 3: $10M/year (VC-backable)
→ Level 4: $100M/year (unicorn)

There's no right answer. But you must pick a game to play it well.

What game are you actually playing?

Ghostwriter & Messaging Strategist helping leaders achieve 70% opt-ins with a Microstory Journey using the 3-Minute Story Blueprint to build trust and convert hesitant prospects into eager customers.

Most businesses struggle to convert leads because they rely on forgettable downloads and meaningless discounts that fail to create an emotional connection. 

Prospects don't just need information, they need to feel valued, to trust you, and to experience genuine engagement. 

That's why I created the concept of the Microstory Journey, a 5-day emotional experience that uses the 3-Minute Story Blueprint to touch hearts, build authentic connections, and establish unshakable trust, turning hesitant prospects into eager customers ready to take action.

AWAI Verified Copywriter
Case Studies Certification
Sales Enablement Certification

WRITING SERVICES I PROVIDE:

📨 5-Day Education Email Courses
💲 Ghostwriting on Social Media Platforms
📰  Newsletters
🌐   Web Content
✍️   Blog Posting
📧   Email Marketing
🛒   Sales Pages
📱   Facebook/Google Ads 

WHOM I WORK WITH: I help executives, CEOs, founders, & coaches.

3 Simple Steps to Powerful Messaging
1. Define your goals and messaging. 
2. Develop a customized storytelling strategy. 
3. Execute and refine messaging for maximum impact.

HERE'S WHAT TO DO NEXT:
Email me at mike@mikehays.net OR
Book a call with me at https://calendly.com/ask-mikehays

Mike Hays

Stop Saying 'Should.' 

It's Killing Your Progress.

"I should prospect more." 
"I should post on LinkedIn." 
"I should work out."

Yet nothing changes. The list grows longer while your results stay flat.

Here's what actually happens when you 
replace "should" with different language:

Scenario 1: Your prospecting goal.

↳Old language:
"I should reach out to five prospects today."
Then guilt when you don't. Repeat tomorrow.

↳New language:
"I'm reaching out to five prospects today."
Or admit: "I'm choosing not to prioritize this right now."

↳Result: You either act or you own the choice. No guilt loop.

Scenario 2: Your content creation.

↳Old language:
"I should post three times this week."
Followed by excuses about time, perfectionism, fear.

↳New language:
"I must post three times this week to build my authority."
Or: 
"I'm not ready to commit to this yet."

↳Result: Clarity replaces confusion. Action replaces avoidance.

Scenario 3: Your personal commitments.

↳Old language:
"I should work out tomorrow morning."
Then snooze the alarm. Feel terrible. Repeat.

↳New language:
"I will work out tomorrow at 6 AM."
Or: "I'm prioritizing sleep over exercise right now."

↳Result: You honor your decision either way.

"Should" is the language of obligation without commitment.

It keeps you stuck in a cycle of intention without execution.

When you eliminate "should" from your vocabulary, 
you force yourself to either commit or let go.

Follow Mike Hays for more communication insights.

Mike  Hays

Messaging Strategist & Ghostwriter for Leaders - I help you turn short stories into trust, influence, and premium clients with my Microstory Journey using the 3-Minute Story Blueprint.

You know exactly what you need to do.
But you're still not doing it.

Here's why:

Your brain isn't lazy.
It's just running a calculation you don't see.

Every decision comes down to emotional math:
↳ Pain of taking action vs. pain of staying stuck
↳ Whichever feels heavier wins

I used to think I lacked discipline.

Turns out, I'd just linked massive pain to starting:
- Anxiety about failing publicly
- Worry about wasting time
- Fear of looking stupid

Meanwhile, staying stuck felt... safe.

Uncomfortable, sure. But familiar.

The shift happened when I realized:
Inaction has a cost too.

It's just quieter.
More gradual.
Easier to ignore.

So I started asking myself:

"What's the real pain I'm avoiding here?"

Usually, it wasn't the work itself.

It was the vulnerability. The visibility.

The possibility of being wrong.

Once I named it, the math changed.

Taking action became less scary than staying invisible.

Here's what I realized:
You're not avoiding action because you're broken.

You're avoiding it because right now, it feels riskier than standing still.

What pain have you been avoiding by not taking action?

Follow Mike Hays  for insights on doing the work that matters

How To Get Complainers to Stop Complaining
Without Losing Your Mind.

You enabled the complaining the moment you 
started validating every grievance.

And now you're stuck in an endless loop of 
negativity instead of progress.

But here's what most people miss - 
stopping complainers isn't about dismissing their concerns.

It's about redirecting their energy strategically.

Here's what's really happening:
↳ Your empathy becomes their permission to continue
↳ Chronic complainers seek attention, not solutions
↳ They control the conversation through negativity

Here's how to break the pattern:

1. Acknowledge Once, Then Pivot

↳ Validate briefly, then shift to action
↳ Don't get trapped in the complaint cycle
↳ "I understand. What's one thing you can control here?"

2. Ask Solution-Focused Questions

↳ "What would make this situation better?"
↳ Move them from problem to possibility
↳ Force their brain to think differently

3. Set Boundaries Early

↳ Be clear about your role
↳ People respect confident limits
↳ Define what conversations you'll engage in

4. Model the Energy You Want

↳ Stay solution-oriented in your responses
↳ Your tone sets the standard
↳ Don't match their negativity

What Most People Are Overlooking:
Everyone can listen.
Everyone can sympathize.
But only leaders can transform complainers into problem-solvers.

Quick Question:

When was the last time you got stuck in someone's complaint spiral?

How did you handle it?

Follow Mike Hays for more communication strategies.

They make it look so effortless.

That's what people say when they see polished work.

But here's what they don't see the invisible architecture behind it.

I used to think making work look easy meant hiding the effort.

The late nights.
The revisions.
The moments of doubt.

But the more I refined my process, the more one truth became obvious:

Work doesn't look easy because you hide the struggle.

It looks easy because you've done the hard work 
so many times that it becomes second nature.

And there are only two approaches to this:

The exhausting way
→ Reinventing the wheel every time
→ Burning out to meet deadlines
→ Starting from scratch repeatedly
→ No systems or frameworks
→ Relying purely on inspiration



The strategic way
→ Learning from past projects
→ Refining with each iteration
→ Making complexity invisible
→ Building repeatable processes
→ Creating templates and frameworks

One drains your energy.
The other multiplies your impact.

The best professionals aren't naturally gifted
they're systematically prepared.

They know that mastery isn't about working harder.

It's about working smarter until the complex becomes simple.

They've failed enough times to know what works.
They've refined their approach until it flows.

Not to show off.

But to deliver consistent excellence without the chaos.

Making work look easy isn't about pretending it's effortless.

It's about doing the behind-the-scenes work so well that others only see the result.

When you build the right systems, excellence becomes your baseline.

What's one process you've refined that now feels effortless?

Follow Mike Hays for more insights on strategic communication.

"Quick question" is never actually quick.

Feel That Stomach Drop?

I used to think it was just me.
Then, one day, I realized something:

"Those two words trigger an instant physical reaction."

I wondered why my stomach tightened every time I heard it.

It's always said like it's small. Casual. Friendly.
But the second you hear it, your body knows better.

Because "quick question" doesn't mean a question.

It made perfect sense to me.

It means a conversation.
With follow-ups. And feelings.

It's the verbal equivalent of: "We need to talk."

That pause you feel in your soul? You're not imagining it.

Here's what I learned about "quick question":
- Your stomach knows before your brain does
- Recognition beats explanation every time
- The tone is casual, the stakes are not
- It always leads somewhere bigger
- It's never one question

So here's my takeaway for anyone who's felt that tightness:

You're not overthinking it.
You're reading the room correctly.

Comment: "I've heard this one," and I'll share
the follow-up script that names what happens next.

Follow Mike Hays for more communication insights.

What's Controlling Your Life Right Now?
It's Not What You Think.

(And it's definitely not your circumstances)

Most people believe their life is shaped by what happens to them.
But here's the truth I've learned:

↳ Your decisions create your reality, not your conditions.

There are three decisions driving everything in your life right now:

1. What You Choose to Focus On

↳ Your focus determines your experience
↳ Not what's happening around you
↳ But where you direct your attention

2. Your Emotional State

↳ Your emotions shape your actions
↳ Your state creates your outcomes
↳ You can change how you feel in any moment

3. Your Blueprint

↳ The standards you've set for yourself
↳ What you believe you deserve
↳ These are your expectations

Here's What Most People Miss:

↳ They wait for conditions to improve
↳ They blame circumstances for their results
↳ They give their power away to external factors

The Real Shift Happens When:

↳ You rewrite your blueprint
↳ You realize you control your focus
↳ You take ownership of your emotional state

Your life doesn't transform when you get the promotion, 
find the relationship, or hit the income goal.

It transforms the moment you decide differently.

When you stop waiting for permission from your 
circumstances and start making different 
decisions, everything changes.

So here's my question for you:

Which of these three decisions do you need 
to take back control of today?

Follow Mike Hays  for more insights on intentional living

Fear Will Move You Forward 

But It Will Never Set You Free.

I've been thinking about what really drives most of us.

Here's what I've noticed:
Fear is the default setting.

Fear of failing. Fear of being judged. Fear of not measuring up.
It's exhausting, and it keeps you stuck in reaction mode.

Here's what I've learned:
• Both create movement, but only one creates freedom
• Fear pushes you away from what you don't want
• Vision pulls you toward what you do want
• Vision gives you energy; fear drains it

The shift happens when you stop running from 
something and start moving toward something.

When I switched from "I can't mess this up" to 
"I'm building something meaningful." 
Everything changed.

The work felt different. The decisions became clearer.

The pressure turned into possibility.

Fear will always be there, that's normal.
But it doesn't have to be in the driver's seat.

So ask yourself

What would you create if fear weren't calling the shots?

What vision would pull you forward if you let it?

Drop a comment or send me a DM
 I'd love to hear what drives you.

Follow Mike Hays for more communication insights.

Ever replay one harsh comment all day?

I do.

Someone once told me my work "lacked depth."
Not in a meeting. Not with context.
Just a quick message, then silence.

I couldn't shake it.

I replayed it during lunch.
During my next call.
Even while brushing my teeth that night.

The comment wasn't even detailed.
But my brain filled in the gaps with worst-case scenarios.

Here's what I learned:

Our minds magnify criticism.
→ One negative comment outweighs ten compliments
→ We loop it, dissect it, personalize it
→ It becomes louder than reality

But here's the shift:

That comment forced me to ask better questions.
Not "Am I good enough?"
But "What specifically can I improve?"

I reached out. Got clarity. Made changes.
The work got stronger.

Harsh comments sting because they touch something real.
The goal isn't to ignore them.
It's to separate the noise from the signal, fast.

Because replaying it won't help.
But responding to it will.

What's one comment that pushed you to level up?

🔔 Follow Mike Hays for more leadership strategies

You're watching the wrong thing during presentations.

The Signal That Tells You 10× More

That's what I realized after years of watching presentations.

But here's what most presenters miss:

The slides don't tell you if your message is landing.

The faces do.

People think I'm weird for watching faces instead of slides.

I used to obsess over perfecting every bullet point.
Tweaking fonts.
Rehearsing transitions.
Making sure the data looked flawless.

But the more presentations I attended, the clearer one truth became:

Your audience's reaction matters more than your content.

And there are only two ways to present:

The oblivious way
→ Never checking for understanding
→ Finishing on schedule regardless
→ Reading bullet points verbatim
→ Ignoring confused expressions
→ Staring at your own slides

The adaptive way
→ Reading the room constantly
→ Noticing when energy drops
→ Responding to nonverbal feedback
→ Pausing when faces show confusion
→ Adjusting pace based on engagement

One delivers information.
The other creates connection.

The best presenters aren't just speakers, they're observers.

They know a furrowed brow means "slow down."
They see glazed eyes and shift tactics immediately.

Not because they're mind readers.

But because they prioritize resonance over rehearsal.

Watching faces isn't weird.

It's the difference between presenting at people and communicating with them.

Your slides support your message, but faces reveal if it's working.

What do you pay attention to during presentations?

Follow Mike Hays for more communication insights.

Marketing isn't about volume.

It's about clarity.

We often assume more content equals more attention.
But in real business, especially when competing for seconds
positioning shows up in much quieter ways.

I started paying attention to the brands that 
consistently cut through the noise.

↳ They simply knew exactly why they mattered.
↳ They weren't everywhere.
↳ They weren't louder.

And once you notice it, you can't unsee it.

Most entrepreneurs skip the critical step:
Defining what makes them irreplaceable.

They plunge into content, ads, and campaigns
but struggle to explain their unique value in a single sentence.

The assumptions?

↳ "Our product speaks for itself."
↳ "We'll figure it out as we grow."
↳ "People will understand what makes us special."

But without clarity, your message gets lost
and your budget gets burned.

Three truths about positioning in the attention economy:

1. If you can't explain your edge clearly, 
don't expect your audience to figure it out.

2. You're not competing for market share.
You're competing for milliseconds of attention.

3. Vague positioning doesn't win that battle.

Here's what sets standout brands apart:

↳ They lead with relevance.
↳ They craft messaging that cuts through noise.
↳ They anchor every campaign in a crystal-clear answer to: 
"Why should I care?"

Compare that to those stuck in generic slogans, 
feature lists, and "we're better" claims.

One approach resonates.
The other fades.

Before your next campaign, pause and ask:

What makes us the only choice for the right people?

Can you explain your unique value in 10 words or less?

Follow Mike Hays Mike Hays for more messaging insights.

How Saying Less Helped Me Hear More.

I've been guilty of this for years.

Nodding along while mentally rehearsing my response.

In meetings, I'd:
➤ Plan my counterpoint
➤ Wait for the pause
➤ Polish my story

I wasn't listening.
I was loading.

Then I realized something:

The people I trusted most never did this.
They asked follow-up questions I didn't expect.

So I changed my approach.

Instead of preparing what to say next, I started tracking:

• Where their energy shifted
• What they didn't say directly
• What they emphasized twice
• Questions that would go deeper

That's when conversations became different.

Because real listening isn't about silence.
It's about curiosity.

Stop rehearsing your brilliance.
Start discovering theirs.

The best responses come from what you actually heard, 
not what you planned to say.

Follow Mike Hays for more leadership advice.

51,500 AI layoffs hit Dow, UPS, Amazon, Pinterest.

There’s one skill AI still can’t replace.

 Because the market isn’t hinting anymore, it’s shouting:

Dow: ~4,500 jobs cut (about 13% of the company). 
UPS: up to 30,000 roles on the chopping block. 
Amazon: about 16,000 corporate jobs eliminated. 
Pinterest: about 15% of staff cut as restructuring accelerates. 

This isn’t random. It’s directional.

And the question nobody wants to say out loud 
is the one that hits at 2am:

“If my job is a set of tasks… am I at risk?”

Then the dividing line becomes obvious:

The one skill AI can’t replace is the ability to 
communicate in a way that changes behavior.

Not “being articulate.”
But creating clarity, trust, and alignment,
especially when stakes are high.

 AI replaces output.
 It doesn’t replace leadership.

And communication is what leadership looks like in plain clothes.

If you want to be future-proof, stop asking, 
“What tool should I learn next?”

Start asking, “Can I move people with clarity, empathy, and precision?”

What’s your plan to sharpen that this month?

Follow Mike Hays for more communication skills training.

Messaging Strategist & Ghostwriter for Leaders - I help you create instant credibility that gets replies, calls, and conversions with my Microstory Journey using the 3-Minute Story Blueprint.

Introducing the Fishbowl Practice

The First Method That Neutralizes Criticism Anxiety

(The drill that builds emotional armor)

I help smart people stop talking like robots.
But here's what nobody tells you:

↳ The fear of criticism keeps you sterile.

My Fishbowl Practice changes that:

1. Write Your Worst Nightmares Down

↳ Every harsh comment you fear
↳ Every cruel judgment possible
↳ Drop them in a fishbowl

2. Pull One Daily

↳ Record your response on camera
↳ Just you and the discomfort
↳ No script, no safety net

3. Watch Your Transformation

↳ Week one: You'll stumble
↳ Week two: You'll find your voice
↳ Week three: You'll own your message

4. Build Resilience Through Repetition

↳ Criticism loses its power
↳ Your authentic voice emerges
↳ Confidence replaces performance anxiety

5. Turn It Into Content

↳ Your growth becomes your story
↳ Your vulnerability becomes your authority
↳ Your responses become YouTube Shorts

The Real Win:
When you can handle the fishbowl, real comments feel easy.

I'm starting this series next week.
Each episode: one comment, one raw response, zero editing.

Quick question:

What's the harshest comment you're afraid to receive?

⤵️ Drop it below
Follow Mike Hays for authentic communication strategies

"I wasn't ready for that."

We say it all the time.

But what does it really mean?

Most people think it's about surprise.
About being caught off guard.

But I've learned something different after years of working with leaders and founders.

"I wasn't ready for that" actually means three things:

↳ First: I didn't prepare mentally.
We knew it could happen, but we didn't visualize it. We didn't rehearse our response.

↳ Second: I underestimated the emotional weight.
Logic told us one thing. Reality hit differently. The gap between knowing and feeling is massive.

↳ Third: I didn't build the support system.
We tried to go it alone. No mentors. No peers who'd been there. No framework to lean on when it mattered.

Here's what I've noticed:

The leaders who say "I wasn't ready" the least aren't the ones who predict everything.

They're the ones who prepare differently.

They don't just plan for outcomes.
They prepare their mindset.
They build their network before they need it.
They create frameworks that work under pressure.

Being ready isn't about knowing what's coming.

It's about building the capacity to handle what you can't predict.

The next time you catch yourself saying "I wasn't ready for that," ask a better question:



🔔 Follow Mike Hays for more strategies on leadership and growth

Have You Ever Won the Argument

But Lost Every Relationship in the Process?

Being right doesn't matter if nobody wants to work with you afterward.

Yet most of us prioritize correctness over connection every single time.

Here's what I've learned about the cost of being technically right:

Scenario 1:

You catch an error in someone's presentation.

↳Old approach:
Point it out immediately in front of everyone.
Make sure they know you spotted it first.

↳New approach:
Pause. Consider the setting.
Pull them aside later with a quiet heads-up.

↳Result: They fix the error and remember your respect.

Scenario 2: A team member suggests a flawed strategy.

↳Old approach:
Shut it down with data and logic.
Prove why it won't work, point by point.

↳New approach:
Ask questions that guide them to see the gaps themselves.
Let discovery replace demolition.

↳Result: They learn. They don't resent you for it.

Scenario 3: Someone challenges your expertise publicly.

↳Old approach:
Defend your credentials with force.
Make them feel small for questioning you.

↳New approach:
Acknowledge their perspective.
Share your reasoning without needing to dominate.

↳Result: The room sees your confidence and their dignity intact.

Being right with the wrong tone doesn't build influence.

It builds walls.

When you choose connection over correction, people actually hear you.

So here's what I'm asking myself now:
What's more valuable, winning the point or keeping the relationship?

Follow Mike Hays for more communication insights.

I used to think "watch me fail first" was about humility.
But it's actually about permission.

Most people wait for proof before they start.
➤ They need someone else to go first.
➤ They need validation.
➤ They need certainty.

I realized something different:

"Watch me fail first" means I'm willing to be the example.

Not because I want to fail.
Because I'm willing to learn in public.

Here's what that actually looks like:

• Testing ideas before they're perfect
• Sharing lessons while I'm still learning
• Making mistakes visible so others can skip them
• Building credibility through transparency, not perfection

The leaders I respect most aren't the ones who never stumble.

They're the ones who stumble forward and document the path.

Because when you say "watch me fail first," you're really saying:
"I'll take the risk so you don't have to guess."

That's not humility.
That's leadership.

Stop waiting for permission to be imperfect.
Start creating the path others are afraid to walk.

Your willingness to go first is your competitive advantage.

Follow Mike Hays for more leadership advice.

I blamed my audience for three years.
(they weren't the problem)

The silent killer in every conversation:

Clarity isn't what you say, it's what they understand.

My Wake-Up Call:

→ Perfect presentations
→ Detailed explanations
→ Logical frameworks
→ Zero conversions

I kept thinking:
"Why don't they get it?"

The Real Issue:
↳ I prioritized being right over being clear
↳ I explained features, not transformations
↳ I spoke my language, not theirs

Then I shifted everything:

New Approach:
↳ Watch their faces, not my slides
↳ Test every message with real people
↳ Ask "what did you hear?" not "did you understand?"

The Results:
↳ Clients repeating my message back perfectly
↳ Referrals using my exact words
↳ 3x higher engagement rates

The Truth:
If they didn't get it, your message failed - not them.

Quick Question:

When was the last time you tested your message before blaming your audience?

Struggling to capture attention in conversations?

Start with vulnerability.

I used to think I needed perfect stories to connect with people.
Then, one day, I realized something:

My mistakes were more interesting than my wins.

I wondered why some conversations felt flat while 
others sparked instant connection.

The difference wasn't polish or perfection,
it was honest, human moments that people could relate to.

It made perfect sense to me.

So, I started opening conversations differently.

Weeks went by.
And engagement transformed with every vulnerable opener.

Networking events? Deeper connections.
Client calls? Trust built faster than ever.

And because I led with authenticity,

I stopped trying to impress everyone
and started building real relationships that mattered.

Here's what I learned about conversation starters:
- "I regret this…" invites empathy immediately
- "Don't do what I did" positions you as a guide
- "This is embarrassing" breaks down walls instantly
- Vulnerability creates permission for others to open up
- People remember how you made them feel, not how perfect you sounded

So here's my takeaway for leaders and communicators:

Lead with your humanity
or keep having forgettable surface-level conversations.

Comment: "I lead with vulnerability," and I'll share my conversation framework for building instant trust.

The Smallest Edit That Changed Everything

I almost didn't make the change.

For months, I'd been sending cold outreach messages to potential clients.
Same template, same structure, same disappointing results.

Then I changed one sentence.
Just one.

Instead of opening with "I help executives craft their messaging"...
I wrote: "I noticed your recent post about struggling to stand out."

That's it.
Seven words became twelve.

The response rate jumped from 8% to 34%.

Same offer.
Same credentials.
Same me.

But here's what actually shifted:

I stopped talking about myself first.
I started with them.

It forced me to do the work before I hit send:
→ Understand their actual challenge
→ Show I was paying attention
→ Read their content

The tiny change wasn't really about the words.
It was about respect.

It proved I valued their time enough to be specific.
That I saw them as a person, not a prospect.

Now I apply this everywhere:
In emails, in stories, in every message I craft for clients.

Because people don't ignore relevance.
They ignore generic.

What's one small change you've been avoiding
that might actually transform your results?

Sometimes the difference between invisible and influential
is just twelve words.

Follow Mike Hays for more communication tips.

I shot 39 videos to get ONE right.

Was it worth it? Here's what I discovered.

Most creators say, "just hit record and post."
But after my marathon reshoot session, I learned:

↳ Perfectionism vs. progress is real.
Here's what I found on both sides:

The Pros:

Clarity improved dramatically
↳ By video 20, I knew exactly what to say
↳ Each take refined my message
↳ Confidence grew with repetition

Delivery became natural
↳ Eye contact felt genuine
↳ No more reading scripts robotically
↳ Energy levels peaked at the right moments

The Cons:

Time investment was massive
↳ Editing through 39 takes? No way, didn't do it!
↳ 3 hours for one 60-second video
↳ Diminishing returns after take 25

Overthinking killed spontaneity
↳ Started sounding too rehearsed
↳ Lost the raw, authentic moments
↳ Perfectionism became procrastination

The Key Insight:
↳ Beyond that? You're polishing, not improving.
↳ There's a sweet spot around 5-7 takes.
↳ Done beats perfect every single time.

My new rule:

Three takes maximum, then ship it.

What's your video recording process? One take or multiple?

Drop your number below
🔔 Follow Mike Hays for more content creation insights

taplio

The Battle

Ash Maurya

Mike Hays

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAsh Maurya's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMike Hays's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Ash Maurya

Mike Hays

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);}Ash Maurya's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMike Hays's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAsh Maurya's LinkedIn Performance