Clark Willcox

I help recruiters + consultants build and leverage their brand to attract more of their ideal clients (and candidates).

You didn't become successful by accident.

You got there by making more calls, closing tougher roles, and outlasting everyone who quit early. 

You built real skill, running great meetings, understanding the market, and delivering results that speak for themselves.

But today, being a high performer isn’t enough to get new business. Or even referrals.

The digital landscape is louder, more crowded, and full of “AI-first” recruiting agencies that look polished online but crumble once a real sales conversation starts. They don’t have your experience, your instincts, or your ability to run a consultative call.

You still win the meeting.

You’re just not getting enough of the right meetings.

That’s the real problem, not your ability, but your positioning.

Most top recruiters never learned marketing. Why would you? 

You were too busy billing. But in today’s market, authority is currency. And if your ideal clients don’t see you as different before the call, they assume you’re the same as every other recruiter DM’ing them.

That’s where I come in.

We’ve helped 100s of recruiters + consultants create consistent inbound demand, elevate their authority, and regain clarity and time.

You don’t need more tech.
You need a better strategy and likely someone to run it for you.

To get what you want which is...

Shorten sales cycles
Book more warmed-up calls
Increase client quality
Use their story, skill, and expertise as a competitive edge

In short, you stop chasing and you stop 

And we do the work for you, strategy, messaging, content, outreach, and systems.

No more pointless cold calling.
No more AI fluff.
No more tech stack collecting dust.
No more roles that were never going to close.

Your experience is your leverage.

I help the market finally see it.

𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
Fractional Sales + Marketing: I run your entire inbound + outreach engine.
LinkedIn Sprint: A fast, proven campaign and content system.
Digital Recruiter Academy: Build a full-funnel recruiting business.
1:1 Coaching: Customized growth and positioning strategy.

“Every post I make, I get an inbound lead.” - Rachel Brown, Founder + PT Recruiter

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗲
10+ years in recruiting and sales, door-to-door, agency, entrepreneurship. I’ve failed, rebuilt, and grown through every season. By the grace of God, I went from being orphaned to having a family of my own and a career I love.

Message me if you’re ready to market like a top performer, not a commodity.

Founder

Growth partner to solo recruiters and small recruiting agencies. 

Need to improve your LinkedIn presence + outbound/inbound approach?

Looking to train up your current crop of recruiters?

Looking to add candidates with potential and a training partner to help them achieve it?

Welcome to the Digital Recruiter

https://testimonial.to/recruiter-accelerator/all

“You guys are awesome and have taken a huge burden off of my shoulders.  Trying to build a business (unexpectedly) while navigating my husbands career demands, my family demands is majorly stressful. You totally delivered and I can focus on what I’m actually good at.”

Tara Rochelo, Founder, Four Corners Search

Let’s see how we can help:
https://calendly.com/thedigitalrecruiter/strategy

Most recruiters are trying to boil the ocean.

"I'll work on anything"

They work across multiple industries. 

They try to fill every role from entry-level to C-suite. 

Which alone isn't a problem. 

The real problem...

They never say no to a search.

And they wonder why they're struggling to gain traction outside of referrals. 

The most successful recruiters I know have a laser focus. 

They become experts. 
They know the talent landscape. 
They know the compensation bands. 
They know the companies that are growing and the ones that are struggling.

When they reach out to candidates, they speak their language. 

When they talk to hiring managers, they add real value.

Yes, specializing means saying no to potential business. 

But it also means becoming the only recruiter your ideal clients would consider using.

Stop trying to be everything to everyone. 

Start being the definitive expert for someone.

Watch your cold prospects turn warm and start responding to you instead of ignoring.

Founder @ The Digital Recruiter || Fractional Sales + Marketing || We fix and create your business development engine so your prospects actually start responding to you

Your success as an agency recruiter isn't determined by how good you are at finding candidates. 

It's determined by how good you are at choosing clients.

What causes the desperation in taking on bad business?

Not having a system and approach that can reliably get you quality at bats.

Now, I see plenty of people selling systems.

It’s the approach that isn’t getting talked about. 

Until Digital Recruiter came along.

Recruiters, of all billing numbers, learned in 2025 that the tech stack and systems won’t save you. 

Only you can save you.

Fix your approach by knowing your market.

Once you know your market, you leverage your wins….

Then, you can weed out the good eggs from the bad.

When you have enough in the pipeline… you have the courage to walk away when necessary.

If the first 7 days are any indication...

Wow. 

It's going to be an amazing year. 

If you have doubt, let me potentially provide you  a spec of inspiration. 

The famous Rudyard Kipling poem, "IF." My uncle gave me a framed picture of it back in 6th grade, and it's always stuck with me. 

We had to a recite a poem from memory every year in school from 4th-8th grade. This was one I picked the year I was gifted this.

I won't paste the whole thing here, nor do a I have a recording of my non-finalist performance, but here's the first two lines, which is a good reminder as we forge ahead with all the chaotic energy of the world.

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶
𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶;

The right people always want reliable, engaging, smart people to have in their network.

Be steady, calm, consistent. 

Be trategic, get stuff done, & have a positive outlook.

Those traits win. 

ID the right and wrong people for you. 

Don't worry about the latter.

Focus on the former. 

Results will happen.

Great clients and partnerships are out there for you, waiting to be forged.

undefined undefined

Founder @ The Digital Recruiter || We help you create more opportunities to get quality clients & candidates that want to work with you || Be Coachable

We help coachable recruiters get more clients & candidates that can't wait to work with them. 

How? The answer isn't more expensive tech. It's this 👇


A better system
A better approach 
Consistency

And your ability to admit you need all three of those things at the same time to get what you want. 

You have the ability to get prospects, clients and candidates, all at the same time, that can't wait to work with you. 

Clients & candidates can look at you as THE recruiting authority and solution they've been needing.

You can say goodbye to pointless cold calls & emails.
You can say goodbye to thoughtless AI generated content that is hurting your brand.
You can say goodbye to not leveraging that expensive tech stack. 

You just have to become a Digital Recruiter.

The number 1 way to do that in 2025? Leverage your LinkedIn first. It's a vastly misused platform and you're leaving money on the table. But don't worry we'll show you how to get much warmer calls too and not rely on InMails.

We've worked with 100s of recruiters gain millions and millions of impressions from their target market and turn that into more quality meetings and inbound/outbound leads. 

We've also transformed recruiting desks, corporate and agency, and put their candidate outreach on autopilot. 

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵:
Solo recruiters, agencies and corporate recruiting teams that care to not say they are better, but take action towards making it happen. 

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼:
Fix your top of funnel. We start with LinkedIn and work from there. Because LinkedIn is a sitting gold mine and way easier than cold calls and emails in 2025. 

𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀:
Do it yourself (Digital Recruiter Training Platform)
Done with you (Training programs)
Hybrid Done with/for you (CRM & Content Implementations)

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀
LinkedIn recommendations below & video testimonials https://tinyurl.com/565wmsmy

"𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥." - Rachel Brown, Physical Therapist Recruiter. 

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗲:
If you're ready to invest in an approach that works, let's chat.

https://calendly.com/thedigitalrecruiter/strategy

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

10+ years in recruiting & sales, starting with cold calls, door to door telecom sales. I've been through the ringer in life and business, every mistake in the book, & bounced back each time. By the Grace of God, I went from orphaned to having my own wonderful family.

Digital Recruiter OS. A free email course that over 7 days will lay out exactly what you need to do to start getting better clients and candidates. 

-LinkedIn Profile
-Which LinkedIn tool to use
-Using Automation
-Manual and Drip Sequence Messaging
-Content Strategy

Free LinkedIn Course

Only if you're serious about investing in leveling up your outreach and brand game.

No "picking your brain"

Digital Diagnostic Call

Digital Recruiter Podcast | a podcast by Digital Recruiter

Digital Recruiter Newsletter

Check out video testimonials from agency recruiters and owners we’ve worked with. 

Client Testimonials  

You're looking at your 2026 goals today. Here's a 2022 goal of mine that came true that I wish for you...

Build a pipeline so full you can afford to be authentic.

Plant your flag.

Attract your tribe.

Be OK with those who don't want to be part of it.

You only need a handful of great clients. 

Speak to them. Consistently. Truthfully. 

Don't be boring.

Don't sugarcoat it.

Engage.

Give without expecting back. 

Let go when you realize someone isn't on your level.

Because you know the people you're looking for are fewer and farther.

But that doesn't stop you from searching and marketing to them.

My man Anthony Allen, CSCP 👊

If you’re a recruiter looking for inspiration from a positive person that works hard and is doing some great work on BD and content side.

Make sure to follow him. He exemplifies everything the Digital Recruiter mission is about

Supply Chain Exec turned Recruiter | CPG & Food/Beverage Executive Search | Helping companies avoid costly supply chain mistakes by hiring the right leaders first

Digital Recruiter

The 2 most impressive football teams this year both have one thing in common.

The teams (drumroll)

New England Patriots
Indiana Football

Ok, I know, not a hot take.

But to me, it's their head coaches and 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.

Indiana needs 184 wins IN A ROW just to make it back to .500 lifetime as a program. 

The Patriots hadn't won a playoff game this decade after dominating for the previous 2. They were 4-13 the last 2 seasons. 

𝗖𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶 (𝗜𝗨 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵)
“𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦… 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩.” 

“𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬.” - On the mindset needed to break through a ceiling they've never come close to.

𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗩𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 (𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵)
“𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥.” 

“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨… 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸.”

A decade ago I probably would have thought this was all generic talk.

Until I spent the last 4.5 years building Digital Recruiter.

And all these quotes have applied to me.

My life has been transformed with these traits.

Consistently connecting with recruiters
Consistently posting relevant content.
Consistently working with recruiters to improve them (and getting better at doing so myself).

Nothing flashy. Nothing that has ever gone viral.

It was the mindset of "stop trying to tackle everything at once" and learning to "chip away every day" and fall in love with the process.

What I've seen is recruiters are no different. Producing every year, you only have so many placements if you're in direct hire, higher fee land.

30 placements at $30,000 avg fee is $900,000.

A pretty dang good year.

That's still only 30 days you celebrate a win.

So the recruiters that fall in love with the process and the grind.

That's who breaks through ceilings and wins year after year. 

They are constantly adding layers to their game. 

LinkedIn Content
SEO
AI
ATS

Never too much at once. But steady progress at each stage. not getting too antsy about the short term.

But preparing to win. 

And you do that by being hyper focused on process.

The type of content that generates the most leads, outbound opportunities, and inbound messages?

It's not video.

It's not selfies.

It's a plain, static text post.

Formatted at a 3-7th grade reading level (Yes, I'm serious).

Directed towards your ideal market.

Either hitting a pain point that you can solve or demonstrating how you win for clients like them. 

People read all of a text post if engaged.

They don't watch a whole video.

So that "engagement" % is lying to you. 

But marketers tell you otherwise. 

Because they don't actually understand what's effective. 

Getting 10 like and 10,000 impressions is way more valuable than 100 likes and 1000 impressions. 

Don't over think content aesthetics or worry about your ego getting likes.

Focus on what works for top of funnel.

Over and over. 

Create more valuable opportunities and spend more time closing roles.

I spoke with a recruiter last year who had built a solid presence on LinkedIn through content...here's how they were ruining sales opportunities...

They had an automation campaign with NINE messages on here.

Recommended by a coaching program.

It was killing their brand and reputation.

All that work to get impressions and eyeballs, only to burn through leads.

They turned off the campaigns and immediately felt better. 

This person paid me zero dollars for this advice.

Because it should be standard knowledge.

Farm at scale. Stop pitching at scale.

Build the engine. Invite people to your network daily.

Stay in front with content.

And then do the work to drive open the conversations that are now very warm.

But don't damage your positioning by listening to "cold outreach" experts that have no idea how to build quality business relationships. 

That's the biggest reason I see top billers complain when they invest in "cold outreach"

 3 messages max. Focus on the content more. 

Know how to recognize opportunities and open up conversations.

The pipeline will be full.

Still in recruiting after the last three years?

That means something...

Brian Samson shared a truth on the podcast that people overlook. 

The last three years filtered people out and if you’re still here, it means you didn’t rely on easy wins or try to force relationships to pay off immediately.

You stayed when deals slowed, pipelines dried up, and effort didn’t always convert right away. 

That’s proof you can operate without instant validation.

That’s why decade type decisions matter, because this business rewards people who invest early, think long term, and let relationships compound instead of chasing short term outcomes.

Full episode drops tomorrow.

10+ years connecting US companies with LATAM talent | Founder w/ 3x exits | UCLA MBA | Family man | Host of The Nearshore Cafe Podcast

Most agency recruiters think they have a lead-gen problem.

But what they really have… is a positioning problem.

If your LinkedIn messages or cold emails aren’t getting replies, ask yourself:

“Do I sound different from the last 5 recruiters who messaged this person?”

Because “We specialize in X” or “We have candidates in your space” just isn’t enough anymore.

What is enough? Some examples...

-Case stories with detail
-Quantifying the cost of open roles 
-A clear + informed take on why their roles are going stale

All things which content can help you accomplish. So you aren't nagging your prospects one by one. 

Companies don’t need another resume pusher. They tried that already. 

They want someone who knows how to think through to get the right hire.

And look at it from a perspective no one on their team, or another recruiter has come up with.

Your top of funnel should highlight that.

You don’t need 2 hours to write a great LinkedIn post.

But you also don’t want AI doing all the thinking for you.

Because if it’s generic, it just adds to the noise.

Here’s a simple template that actually works:

Find a real hiring problem your market is feeling.

(Too many interview steps? Offers getting rejected?)

Share your insight.

“I worked with a client who had a 7-step process. We cut it to 3, got clear on the must-haves, and filled the role in weeks instead of months.”

Give a takeaway.

“If roles are sitting open, your interview process might be the issue. Simplify it.”

If you’re a recruiter doing good work

You already have stories like this.

Start writing them down.

Share what you’re learning.

That’s how you build trust with hiring managers before the first message.

The number one obstacle for success in BD after working with 100s of recruiters this decade is...


How to manage conversations in the LinkedIn inbox.

People come to us to figure out how to get more opportunities. 

We build/audit their outreach.

Same with content.

They get more profile views, impressions, messages, replies, etc. 

But then they get stuck.

So I've realized most people only do cold outreach.

Because they don't understand how to have normal conversations.

Yes. We audit dozens of inboxes every month.

Here's the key.

BE YOURSELF.

Everyone turns into a robotic thinking they have to be professional.

Appeasing everyone.

Again, you will not close the majority of people you interact with.

Be yourself. Draw in the RIGHT people.

Those are the recruiters that are generating 6 and 7 figures of additional business from new BD. 

Yes, we have a 49 page playbook of all these examples, good and bad that we're finalizing. 

Excited to share with Digital Recruiter clients new and old in February.

Candidates are getting crushed in this market right now.

There's information overload, fake candidates, fake jobs, all at scale now.

On the latest episode of the Digital Recruiter Podcast, I sat down with Jacob Stripling to talk about what’s actually happening behind the scenes. He was a Digital Recruiter client that started building his brand in 2025.

That opened up way more conversations and he realized he can leverage this platform to help the market even more. Enter WholeStory.me. It came about because he was seeing...

Great people applying to hundreds of roles and hearing nothing back.

Hiring teams overwhelmed by applicants who all look identical on paper.

AI speeding everything up while making it harder to tell who someone really is.

We talked about why resumes are no longer enough, why pretending to know everything hurts more than admitting you don’t, and why the next phase of hiring has to be more human, not louder or faster.

And how Wholestory.me is giving candidates the opportunity to showcase themselves without getting lost in a stack of resumes.

If you’re in recruiting, HR, or talent leadership and feel like effort keeps increasing while outcomes don’t, this conversation will hit close to home.

New episode is live.

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gTPkMY53
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gEWzzY87
Apple: https://lnkd.in/gUHSBvxq

Open article: Digital Recruiter Podcast by tinyurl.com

Why does this number mean so much? 


Because this recruiter thought he needed to join a firm to get this type of success.

Turns out he had the ability all along. 

To be clear, HE is the reason this happened. I’m a guide in all this, but he showed up ready to work an put in the work. 

We just pointed him in the right section and created a few posts. 

So in short…

He re-launched his agency last summer. 

He has been grinding every day since.

Posting consistently. 

Learning how to have better conversations and approaches.

Becoming confident in who he wants to work with.

And who he doesn’t want to work with.

Being bold and direct.

His market has responded in a hugely positive way.

Retained searches…

Getting reqs that weren’t closing elsewhere and knocking them out in a week. 

Content impressions sky rocketing in his ICP.

Sales calls are all warmer. 

A lot of recruiters are a good marketing plan that’s well expected and a bit of messaging refinement away from solving top of funnel BD problems. 

It’s a great time of year to solve that…

We’re kicking off our first episode of the year, and I couldn’t ask for a better guest than Brian Samson

Brian is the founder of Plugg Technologies and has spent his career on both sides of the recruiting and talent equation, agency, in-house, and as a multi-time founder. 

In this episode, we dig into what actually shapes long-term success in recruiting and talent, from early career lessons to building scalable businesses and teams.

We talk about nearshore talent in Latin America, why more companies are thinking about flexible team models, and how staffing and talent leaders can expand their impact without trying to do everything themselves. 

The conversation is practical, honest, and grounded in real experience, not theory.

This episode is about relationships, compounding decisions, and making smart moves that hold up over the long term.

Big thanks to Brian for the thoughtful conversation, check it out.

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3YF7iNw
Spotify: https://bit.ly/4qWtbDU
Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4qjsnsW

podcasts.apple.com

Digital Recruiter Podcast

Apparently EVERYONE had their cold outreach set up to launch this week. I can barely sort through my inbox 😂

Those referrals drying up? Maybe they aren't hiring. 

Here's what's also might be happening.

They found an alternative.

Referrals are great.

Until they forget you exist.

There's more noise than ever.

Content isn't just for cold outreach.

It keeps you top of mind to your existing network.

Given the uncertainty of the market right now,

You can’t afford to be passive. 

Someone in your ICP will be hiring this year. 

Make sure you find them….

And stay in front of them.

Content we created for clients recently is getting 100+ likes and 5/6 figure impressions 

I might have to rethink my ‘leads not likes’ approach 😂

The difference of course…

We aren’t aiming to go viral.

The quality of the content is doing the heavy lifting

No engagement farming

No pods.

No selfies

No lambos 

No AI action figures 

No “look how much money I’ve made”

No hashtags 

Just telling true stories + insights that are relevant to their market. 

Your experience and expertise IS valuable and your market wants to hear it. 

I still love the posts that get 7 likes and turn into business.

But it’s cool to see wider reach be expedited within each clients ICP at the same time.

Posting content as a recruiter but not seeing leads?

Here’s what might be going wrong.

-You're talking about yourself, not your clients or their problems.
Most hiring managers don’t care about your “why” or your journey. They care about results.

-You're writing for engagement, not credibility.
Influencer posts. Generic advice.
That’s not what builds trust with decision-makers.

-You’re posting… then ghosting.

No follow-up, no outreach, no interaction with the people liking or viewing your profile.

You don’t need to spend 6 hours a day on LinkedIn but 30 minutes of real engagement can change everything.

This platform 𝘤𝘢𝘯 be a lead channel. But only if you treat it like one

Another W by just optimizing the LinkedIn profile 🔥

You’re leaving opportunity on the table by not showing how you WIN. 

Great work Ross Mayfield on this one.

Getting Clients For Recruiters & Consultants on LinkedIn | Outreach & Content | Hunting New Logos | Tracking Results | Director of Customer Success @ Digital Recruiter

Wife & Mother of 7 | Venture Capital | Scientist | TOP 30 Patent Drafters | United States Patent Examiner | Violinist | Polyglot | STEM Children's Author | #1 LinkedIn Global Influencer in Innovation/IP Law

Kathryn Vatt is a scientist, former USPTO Examiner, and devoted wife and mother of seven, with over 25 years shaping the future of innovation. Recognized as one of the Top 30 Patent Drafters and Prosecutors and the #1 LinkedIn Global Influencer in Innovation/IP Law, Kathryn has built a career at the intersection of science, law, and business—helping inventors, startups, and global companies turn creativity into competitive advantage.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.S. Biology) and Johns Hopkins University (M.S. Biotechnology), Kathryn is currently pursuing her Juris Doctor in Patent Law at the Franklin Pierce School of Law, one of the world’s leading IP programs. Her rare cross-disciplinary background gives her both the scientific insight and the legal strategy to protect ideas at the highest level.

At the USPTO, Kathryn examined thousands of patent applications, conducted exhaustive prior art searches, and made determinations that shaped industries and influenced global innovation. After leaving the Patent Office, she founded Vatt IP Management, where she develops bulletproof IP strategies, drafts airtight applications, and supports litigation teams in defending patents. She also mentors engineering and life science students through Arizona State University’s Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute and judges international startup competitions, nurturing the next generation of innovators.

Her entrepreneurial vision extends to her ventures:

My Startup Shield™, a founder-focused program that helps startups secure their innovations before they pitch. It protects ideas at the earliest, most vulnerable stage and positions founders to raise capital with confidence

My AI Examiner™, the world’s first proprietary patent search platform that combines examiner-trained AI Patent Examiners with Kathryn’s own human review. Unlike conventional tools, it doesn’t just search faster—it “thinks like an examiner,” offering inventors and startups clarity, precision, and strategy.

MyKidVentors™, a STEM-inspired children’s book series born from her seven children’s real “What if?” questions. Through these imaginative stories, she nurtures curiosity in the next generation, showing that every big invention begins with a single question.

For Kathryn, the same motherly instinct that guides her family fuels her professional mission: to protect, guide, and nurture startups with care, strategy, foresight, and integrity. She believes innovation doesn’t just start in labs or boardrooms—it starts in the curious minds of those brave enough to ask, “What if?”

Kathryn V.

FALL IN LOVE...

with the process.

If you’re building something right now,
here’s the shift that changes everything:
Fall in love with the process, not the results.

Results are unpredictable.
They’re delayed.
They show up on their own timeline.

The process is what you live in every day.
Consistency isn’t about intensity.
It’s about showing up when it’s boring.
When it’s quiet.
When no one is watching or applauding.

Founders don’t burn out because they’re doing too much.
They burn out when all their hope is tied to an outcome
instead of the work itself.

When you love the process,
progress stops feeling fragile.
Missing a day doesn’t feel like failure...
it feels like life.
And you simply come back the next day.

Consistency compounds.
Small steps add up.
And over time, the work begins to shape you
as much as you shape it.

So if today feels slow,
if momentum feels distant,
if the results aren’t there yet...
stay.

Keep building.
Keep learning.
Keep becoming.

Fall in love with the process.
The results will meet you there. 💛

Founder Friday 💫

Some founders build with brilliance.
Some build with courage.
And every once in a while, you meet someone who builds with both brilliance and heart.

Rachel Buchanan is one of those people.

Rachel has been working in blockchain since 2017...long before trust, verification, and integrity became buzzwords or regulatory requirements. 

She didn’t wait for permission. She didn’t chase what was fashionable. She stayed true to what she knew mattered.

That clarity is why she’s now building IntegraLayer, focused on certificate integrity, verification, and trust. Not because it’s trendy. But because it’s necessary.

But here’s what I want people to really know about Rachel.
She is not just thoughtful and brilliant...she is kind.
She is steady.
She leads with integrity in how she builds and how she shows up for others.

That’s why it meant so much that she entrusted the protection of her intellectual property to me. That kind of trust is never taken lightly. 

I’m truly honored and so happy to welcome her as part of the moatly Crew™ 😊 .

And this moment is also a reminder of how meaningful real connections are.
Thank you to my beautiful friend, Bettina Briz, for introducing us, and to founders Kevin Jurovich and Timo Gehrke of Hubble, for introducing Bettina to me in the first place. 

The ripple effect Hubble creates through authentic human connection is genuinely life-changing. One introduction can change the entire trajectory of a founder’s journey.

Rachel, I’m cheering you on!! Not just as a founder, but as a human.
The world needs more builders like you.

#founderfriday #womenfounders #kindnessinleadership #trustbydesign #moatlycrew™ #moatly™ #hubble #buildingwithheart

One of the things I respect most about thoughtful investors
is when they’re honest about what they’re really looking for.
David Y.’s post is spot on.

At the very earliest stages, investors aren’t betting on a polished product.
They’re not betting on traction, revenue, or perfect data.
They’re betting on the person.

Because at pre-seed, almost everything is unfinished.
The product will change.
The strategy will evolve.
The plan will break...more than once.

What doesn’t change as easily is the founder’s ability to keep going
when nothing is guaranteed.

And here’s the part I love most:
The kind of “swagger” that actually matters isn’t loud.
It isn’t hype.
It isn’t performative confidence.

It’s quieter than that.
It’s the steadiness of someone who is aligned with a purpose bigger than their pitch deck.

Someone who, “treats the company as a vehicle, not an identity.”
Someone who keeps building when no one is clapping yet.

As a former patent examiner and now someone who works closely with founders, I see this same pattern over and over again.

The founders who endure aren’t the ones chasing validation.
They’re the ones making progress in silence.
Learning.
Adapting.
Following up with substance.
Showing up again after the fifth setback.

So if you’re a founder feeling discouraged by a slow response, a long diligence cycle, or a quiet room...
this may not be rejection.
It may be observation.

And sometimes, the most important thing you can do
is exactly what you’re already doing:
keep going.

That kind of inevitability?
It can’t be faked.
And the right people notice.

I’m a VC who hates most VCs. I live to help people identify and scale their gifts.

A pre-seed truth most founders miss:
Investors aren’t betting on your product or idea.

Our firm spoke with 10,000+ founders over the last 3 years.
We invested in 25 of them.

That’s <0.2%.

We’re not unique.
That ratio is normal at the pre-seed stage.

At pre-seed:
- The product is usually incomplete
- Revenue is often $0
- Data is thin or non-existent

So what are investors actually evaluating?
The founder.

More specifically?
Swagger.

Not pitch polish.
Not hype.
Not “founder energy.”

Pre-seed swagger is quieter.

It’s the strength that shows up when a founder is aligned with something bigger than the company...and treats the company as a vehicle, not an identity. 

At pre-seed, investors aren’t really asking:
- “Is this the best idea?”

They’re asking:
- “Is this person inevitable?”

Inevitable doesn’t mean certain.
It means disciplined enough to survive uncertainty.

BUT swagger doesn’t replace execution.
It signals who will still be executing after the first five failures.

And that's why good pre-seed investors take their time.

The delay isn’t always disinterest.
It’s often a test.

At pre-seed, we’re watching:
- Do you keep building without validation?
- Do you follow up with substance, not pressure?
- Do you show progress when no one is watching?
- Do you adapt… or just re-pitch?

What founders experience as “foot-dragging” is often pre-seed diligence in motion.

Early investing isn’t about moving fast.
It’s about identifying who keeps moving when nothing is guaranteed.

That’s who gets funded at pre-seed.
And that’s where real swagger comes from. 

---

If this resonates, Founder Chapel is where we unpack this kind of founder formation.

Link in the comments.

SKATEBOARDING THE WEEKEND AWAY

I hope you’re finding a little time this weekend to do something you love…
something that makes you smile, laugh, or feel a bit more you.

This video made me smile. 
Pure joy. Zero fear. Just going for it. 

And today, I’m dedicating it to Bettina Briz,
who has officially started learning how to skateboard.
New wheels. New courage. New joy.
And the most stylish fits, thanks to her personal stylist and amazing husband, Peter Himes.

There’s something really beautiful about trying something new...
not to be perfect at it,
not to impress anyone,
but simply because it feels fun and alive.

May this weekend bring you that same energy:
a little play, a little courage,
and the freedom to roll forward just because it makes your heart happy.

Happy Saturday, friends. Enjoy every moment. 💛

31-27 🐻 

"Good, better, best!
Never let it rest!
Till your good gets better,
And your better gets best!"

Not as pressure.
Not as perfection.
But as a reminder.

This isn’t just a post-game locker room chant. 
It’s something all of us can carry…whether we’re riding a wave of success or sitting quietly in a lull.

Because becoming doesn’t stop when things are going well.
And it doesn’t end when momentum slows.

Good means you’re here.
Better means you’re willing to grow.
Best isn’t a finish line…it’s a direction.

Some seasons are loud with wins.
Others are quiet with reflection.
Both matter.

And in both, the invitation is the same:
keep becoming.

Not by rushing.
Not by burning yourself out.
But by staying open.
By learning.
By choosing to show up again, exactly as you are…still caring, still trying.

Wherever you are right now…
celebrating or recalibrating…
this motto holds true.

Good. Better. Best.
A reminder that growth is ongoing,
and that we are never done becoming. 💛

DON'T WALK THE DESERT ALONE

I am resharing my friend Kevin Jurovich’s post because what he is building is truly invaluable for founders.

What he shares about those early days, learning on the go and wondering whether the struggle meant failure or growth, is a season so many founders live through quietly. It takes courage to speak about that part of the journey with honesty.

What stands out most to me is how he turned that experience into something generous. Instead of keeping those lessons to himself, he is creating space for founders to hear the truth behind building a company. The uncertainty. The doubt. The moments where continuing feels hard.

Founders Uncovered feels like an offering to the people still in it. A reminder that difficulty does not mean you are doing it wrong. Often it means you are doing something that matters.

By sharing real stories from people who have built before us, Kevin is helping founders feel less alone and more capable of staying in the work. That kind of encouragement can change everything.

So proud of you, Kevin. This is going to help a lot of people. Cannot wait for Season 1.

👉 Join the list for Episode 1. https://lnkd.in/gi2NaDMf

Co-founder, CEO at Hubble | Lifelong optimist

Back in 2019, I used to walk around SoMa in San Francisco listening to founder podcasts, trying to figure out if what I was feeling was failure…or just the process.

How I Built This, Masters of Scale, then later Lenny’s Podcast and My First Million. That was my founder education.

I was obsessed with learning from people who came before me.

Because when you’re in the desert as a founder...trying everything, hitting dead end after dead end, it helps to hear that the people you admire went through the exact same thing.

Behind every “overnight success” are years of doubt, false starts, and almost quitting.

That’s why I’m excited to announce the launch of Founders Uncovered.

I’ve teamed up with Drew Glover and Nick Madrid, CFA at Uncovered Media to host a podcast focused on the real stories behind building companies...the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable parts we usually skip.

There are so many incredible founders out there quietly changing the world. Their stories deserve to be told.

Season 1 drops next month. Our hope is that you walk away feeling educated, inspired, and a little more optimistic that you can get it done too.

One conversation can change everything.

👉 Join the list for Episode 1. I’ll send it the moment it drops.
https://lnkd.in/gi2NaDMf

Can’t wait to see more founders win. 🚀

#startups #entrepreneurship

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The Battle

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