Helping professionals launch another income stream in 2024. Click + Follow for posts and articles on business.

I work as a senior digital adviser and strategic sounding board for founders and entrepreneurs building online.My role isn’t to provide formulas, playbooks, or constant direction. Instead, I help people think more clearly about ideas, business models, and decisions — drawing on perspective shaped over decades of working across multiple internet cycles, from early email and web, through mobile, marketplaces, performance marketing, and now AI.Alongside this work, I write and research the business game — an ongoing exploration of how business actually works in practice: incentives, timing, leverage, and why many people lose by copying what looks successful without understanding the rules underneath.Some of this thinking is tested in public through a small working lab called Strategy with Danny, where founders pressure-test one clear offer and learn what actually converts before they scale systems, teams, or platforms.I’m not a coach or a traditional consultant, and I’m not embedded in execution. This work is best suited to independent founders who want a calm, experienced perspective to pressure-test ideas, spot risks early, and avoid scaling the wrong thing at the wrong time.Most of my value comes from pattern recognition, context, and judgment — helping reduce noise, fragility, and unnecessary complexity in how businesses are built.

Danny Mallinder

No Profit is the most important metric in business.

But it’s also a terrible North Star.

Not because money doesn’t matter.
It does.

But because profit often hides the real problem.

You can be profitable 
and still lose motivation.

You can “make it work”
while slowly draining momentum.

When founders say the business isn’t working, it’s rarely a money issue first.

It’s usually something earlier.
Something quieter.

I wrote a short essay on this today, on why profit points backward, and what to look at instead.

If you’re building a business and it feels heavier than it should you might find this useful.

https://lnkd.in/erm-aJkx

#businessgame
#founderthinking
#buildinginpublic

Helping entrepreneurs and founders with business development. Strategy & direction. Creator of ‘The Business Game’ newsletter.

Mexico headlines spark fear.
But they don’t change strategy.

Most founders think they are rational.
Until emotion spikes.

One headline.
One bad week.
One loud opinion.

And they pivot.

I live part of the year in Mexico.
Recent news did not move me.

Because the decision was built on alignment.
Not reaction.

- strategy beats sentiment
- alignment beats urgency
- data beats drama

Overreaction kills momentum.
Calm thinking compounds.

Full essay below - 

https://lnkd.in/edKwMUpP

#founders
#businessstrategy
#clarity

Founders stuck in sales fail.
Your close rate proves it.

If your close rate is up and down,
you do not have a persuasion problem.

You have a broken architecture.

If you are stuck in sales
trying to force it to work,

that is not a closing issue.

It is a system that was never engineered.

Close rate is a diagnostic signal.

If it is unstable,
your architecture is unstable.

The answer is not a script.
It is a system.

In 5 months:

$500k+ closed
Close rate from 23% to 47%
Founder out of the sales seat

Not a confidence upgrade.

An architectural rebuild.

If your close rate fluctuates,
are you fixing yourself
or fixing the system?

#founders
#salesarchitecture
#gtmstrategy

With over 15 years of global experience, I specialize in building leaders, solving complex management challenges, and stewarding organizational transformation. I have led organizations across various sectors, managed multi-million-dollar budgets and teams of 250+, and expanded programs supporting diverse populations and initiatives.

I am passionate about designing innovative learning programs that enhance leadership capacity, foster creative problem-solving, and drive sustainable growth. My expertise spans strategic planning, change management, team building, and leadership communication. I take pride in guiding leaders to navigate transitions, build strong stakeholder relationships, and lead with integrity and adaptability.

✨ I regularly share insights on leadership and management here on LinkedIn, and I’m available for consultations. Let’s connect and explore how I can support your growth and development.

🌐 Book a Consultation @ https://calendly.com/daliaamin-sunlitstrategies/consultation

Dalia Amin

This past week, I was facilitating a training with staff working in the oil and gas field - site supervisors and team leads operating in high-stress, constantly changing conditions.

When we began talking about 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆, the conversation shifted quickly.

For them, this wasn’t a “soft” concept.
It was about whether people feel safe enough to:
• speak up about risks
• report near misses
• admit uncertainty
• challenge decisions before something goes wrong

In environments where safety, speed, and precision matter, silence is not neutral - it’s dangerous.

That’s why psychological safety is not about being nice.
It’s about creating conditions where people can think, speak, and act responsibly under pressure.

This aligns with what Google found in Project Aristotle:
The highest-performing teams weren’t the most experienced or technically skilled -
They were the ones where people felt safe to speak up, ask questions, and raise concerns.

For supervisors and leaders in high-risk industries, psychological safety is built through very practical behaviors:
• responding calmly when issues are raised
• inviting input before problems escalate
• treating questions as responsibility, not weakness
• modeling accountability when mistakes happen

In high-stakes environments, leadership isn’t about having all the answers.
It’s about making sure people feel safe enough to tell you what you need to hear.

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Start noticing moments of discomfort as signals, not warnings. When they show up, practice the three steps. Over time, your nervous system learns that challenge is manageable, and confidence grows with each small win.

Speaker | Global Leadership Strategist | Organizational Architect | Problem Solver

Strong leaders remember this:
not everything needs an immediate reaction.

Some moments need time.
Some need observation.
Some need silence before response.

Reacting can feel productive - especially under pressure.
But more often, it creates more work.

When you pause, patterns start to emerge.
And patterns lead to better decisions.

The pause isn’t hesitation.
It’s control.

No alternative text description for this image

For as long as I can remember, people have come up to me after a difficult decision, a tough conversation, or a speech and asked some version of the same question:

“𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺?”

Sometimes it’s asked with genuine curiosity.
Other times with surprise.
And occasionally - if I’m honest - with a quiet disbelief, almost like: 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮?

Here’s the truth I always wish more people knew:
I wasn’t born confident. I built it.

Confidence didn’t arrive fully formed. It grew through practice, exposure, and a willingness to be uncomfortable in public. It came from putting myself out there, failing openly, and learning not to tie my worth to other people’s approval.

Over time, a few things made the biggest difference for me:
• 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆. Confidence is repetition meeting courage.
• 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲. Every stumble became evidence that I could survive discomfort.
• 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹-𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. Confidence strengthened the moment I stopped waiting to be validated.
• 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲. The more I trusted my gut, the quieter the outside noise became.
• 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘄𝗮𝘆. Even when I felt unsure, I acted, and confidence followed action, not the other way around.

I truly believe this: confidence is not a personality trait. It’s a leadership skill.
And like any skill, it can be learned, practiced, and strengthened over time.

So if you’re waiting to 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 confident before you speak up, take the risk, or lead - try flipping the order.
Act first. Learn. Adjust. Repeat.

Confidence doesn’t come from perfection.
It comes from trusting yourself enough to keep going.

And with time, it builds.

I was recently speaking with a peer whose career growth has been remarkable - steady, visible, and well-earned. Out of genuine curiosity, I asked if there was anything he wouldn’t mind me sharing with my network of nearly 10,000 professionals.

He paused, then said something that stuck with me.

None of his growth came from dramatic moves or overnight breakthroughs.
It came from 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆.

He spoke about:
• 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 - even when it felt uncomfortable
• 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗹𝘆, not just once
• 𝗦𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆, again and again
• 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵, especially when motivation was low
• 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹, even when it slowed things down

By the end of the conversation, his message was simple:
𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩.

And the more he spoke, the more I realized how true that has been in my own journey as well.
Nothing meaningful happened overnight. Progress came from small decisions, repeated often - moments that felt insignificant at the time, but quietly changed everything.

Consistency rarely looks impressive in the moment.
But over time, it’s the reason things shift.

If you’re waiting for a big break or a bold leap - this might be your reminder:
the smallest consistent steps are often the ones doing the real work.

Growth isn’t loud.
It’s practiced.

This webinar was exactly the kind of leadership conversation I believe we need more of.

In Leading Forward: Focused, Human, and Sustainable Leadership for 2026, we didn’t stay at theory. We examined where leadership actually stands today, reviewed the data behind rising urgency and performance pressure, and unpacked the practical shifts leaders must make to stay effective without losing focus or connection.

What stood out most?
The level of reflection in the room. Leaders weren’t looking for quick fixes — they wanted depth, clarity, and strategies they could immediately apply in their teams.

In this session, I shared:
•⁠ ⁠What effective leadership truly looks like in complex environments
•⁠ ⁠How to move beyond task management into meaningful influence
•⁠ ⁠The mindset shifts required to lead sustainably in 2026 and beyond

More sessions are coming soon, and I look forward to continuing this work with leaders who are ready to lead forward.

Iraq-based professionals: Sunlit Strategies, in partnership with Hiwa Foundation, is launching the third year of the HR Development Program. If you are serious about building your career in HR, this opportunity is for you — apply now.

ئامادەیت بۆ گەشەپێدانی تواناکانت لە بواری سەرچاوە مرۆییەکان؟

ناوەندی ڕاهێنانی هیوا فاوندەیشن بۆ جاری سێهەم (پرۆگرامی گەشەپێدانی سەرچاوە مرۆییەکان HR) پێشکەش دەکات بۆ ئەو کەسانەی لەم بوارەدا کاردەکەن یاخود دەیانەوێت شارەزای و کارامەیی زیاتر پەیدا بکەن لەم بوارەدا.

ئەم پڕۆگرامه‌ بریتیە لە ١٢ به‌شی كاریگه‌ر، جەخت دەکاتە سەر بنیاتنانی کارامەیی پراکتیکی و زانیاری قووڵی پێویست بۆ بەڕێوەبردنێکی کاریگەری سەرچاوە مرۆییەکان.

به‌رواری پڕۆگرام: ٢٠٢٦/٠٤/٠٨ تاوه‌كو مانگی ٢٠٢٦/٠٧/٠٨ – بۆ ماوه‌ی ٣ مانگ
کات: چوارشەممان، لە کاتژمێر ٤:٠٠ تا ٨:٠٠ی ئێوارە
دوا وادەی ناو تۆماركردن: ١٥ی ٣ی ٢٠٢٦ کاتژمێر ٨ی ئێوارە
ژمارەی بەژداربووان سنووردارە.

بۆ ئەو کەسانەی پێشتر بەشداریان لە خولەکانی هیوا فاوندەیشن کردووە لە %١٥ داشکاندنیان بۆ دەکرێت.

ئێستا ناوی خۆت تۆمار بکە لە ڕێگەی لینکی فۆرمی بەشداریکردن 

https://lnkd.in/dzZfpBpv

دوای پڕكردنه‌وه‌ی فۆڕمه‌كه‌، ئه‌و كه‌سانه‌ی ناویان تۆماركردووه‌ ده‌خرێنه‌ لیستی كورتكراوه‌وه‌ و بانگهێشت ده‌كرێن بۆ چاوپێكه‌وتنی لیژنه‌. دوای چاوپێکەوتنەکان، ١٦ به‌شداربوو هەڵدەبژێردرێن لەسەر بنەمای وەڵامەکانی فۆرمی داواکارییەکەیان و ئەدایان لە چاوپێکەوتنی لیژنەدا.

ئه‌م پڕۆگرامه‌ لەلایەن 'سانلیت ستراتجیز'ەوە تایبەت بۆ دامەزراوەی هیوا فاوندەیشن ئاماده‌كراوه‌ و پێشکەش دەکرێت.

----------
www.hiwafoundation.org
#HRDevelopment #HiwaFoundation #TrainingCenter #ProfessionalGrowth #CareerAdvancement #HRTraining

One habit that improves any team quickly:
Say the end first.

Most confusion at work comes from this mistake:
People explain everything except the point.

Try this instead:
Start with the outcome.
Then explain the context.

For example:
• “The decision is X.”
• “Next step is Y.”
• “Z owns it.”

After that, explain why.

This simple shift reduces follow-up questions, emails, and meetings.
It saves time!
And it builds confidence in your leadership.

You do not need to be louder to be stronger.
You need to be steadier!

Steady leaders do a few things exceptionally well:
• They respond instead of react
• They stay consistent under pressure
• They do not change direction every time things get difficult

This steadiness creates 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆.
Safety creates 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀.
And focus creates 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀.

People don’t follow the loudest voice in the room.
They follow the one they can rely on when it matters most.

Resharing a moment from Bridge & Build: Leadership Essentials with Hiwa Rauf for Investment and Development.

This work focused on leadership identity, communication, collaboration, and the everyday behaviors that shape workplace culture. What stood out most was the team’s willingness to engage honestly, reflect together, and translate insight into practical commitments, including the co-creation of a Cultural Values Charter grounded in their lived experience.

This is the kind of leadership development that creates real shifts in how teams work together.

If you are supporting teams through change or growth, investing in learning designed around your people and context truly matters. At Sunlit Strategies, this is the work we care deeply about.

Leadership is not built in theory — it is built in how people show up with one another.

Over two days, the Bridge & Build: Leadership Essentials training brought teams at Hiwa Rauf for Investment and Development together to reflect honestly, strengthen communication, and turn insight into action. Through experiential learning, participants explored leadership identity, collaboration, and the everyday behaviors that shape workplace culture.

What stood out most was the openness, courage, and collective ownership participants brought into the space — including the co-creation of a shared Cultural Values Charter grounded in real workplace experience.

This is what meaningful leadership development looks like: practical, human, and built together.

Unfinished work increases mental stress.

Research from Florida State University shows that open tasks stay active in the brain and reduce focus, even when you move on to something else. This is known as the Zeigarnik Effect.

That is why leaders often feel busy but not productive.

To reduce this mental load:
• Write down unfinished tasks
• Decide the very next step
• Assign ownership or schedule it

You do not need to finish everything.
You need to contain it.

Clear minds make better decisions.

Fact: 70% of professional growth happens through on-the-job challenges, not formal training.

According to the Center for Creative Leadership, the 70-20-10 model shows that:
✅ 70% of development = stretch assignments
✅ 20% = coaching and feedback
✅ 10% = formal learning

So if you’re waiting for the “perfect program” before you grow, the real opportunity might already be in your inbox.

A simple way to reduce daily stress at work:
Close one loop every day.

A loop is anything unfinished:
• a follow-up
• a decision
• a task waiting for input

Pick one.
Finish it.

Progress does not come from doing everything at once.
It comes from finishing small things consistently.

One closed loop a day builds momentum.
Momentum builds motivation.

Join me at the International Leadership Week with The Institute of Leadership.

Sign-up Here: https://lnkd.in/ezvRSPyV

Teams lose more time to confusion than to mistakes.

According to McKinsey research, employees spend up to 40% of their time making decisions or clarifying unclear decisions.

Mistakes get attention.
Confusion quietly drains energy.

It shows up as:
• Repeated Discussions
• Unclear Ownership
• Delayed Action
• Rework

McKinsey also found that organizations with clear decision roles and processes make decisions faster and with higher quality outcomes.

The fix is not more effort.
It is clearer decisions and clearer ownership.

If your meetings feel heavy or unproductive, this is often why:

They end without clarity.

A simple discipline that changes everything:
end every meeting with three things clearly stated:

• One decision made
• One accountable owner
• One concrete deadline

When these are missing, the meeting may create activity - but not progress.

Well-run meetings don’t just exchange information.
They convert conversation into commitment.

If meetings aren’t moving work forward, the format isn’t the problem -
The leadership standard is.

If 2025 taught us anything, it’s this:
Leaders aren’t struggling with capacity
They’re struggling with noise.

Economic uncertainty.
AI acceleration.
Role creep.
Employee burnout.
Constant change.

The leaders who thrive in 2026 will be the ones who master:
✔ Deep focus in chaotic environments
✔ Clear priorities communicated simply
✔ Decision-making with incomplete information
✔ Emotional steadiness when others panic

2026 is not the year of doing more.
It’s the year of doing the right things better.

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taplio

The Battle

Danny Mallinder

Dalia Amin

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