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

Very few people choose the business game.
They just start playing.

Most think they are struggling with execution.
They are not.

They are struggling with something earlier.
They never chose the rules they are living under.

Pulled in by confident voices.
Podcasts. Threads. Timelines.
Revenue goals and hustle norms borrowed from others.

Every business rewards something different.
Some reward speed.
Some reward depth.
Some demand constant presence.
Others reward quiet consistency over years.

None of these are wrong.
But they are not interchangeable.

Here is the pattern I keep seeing:
- depth thinkers stuck in speed games
- freedom seekers trapped by visibility
- misalignment blamed on tactics
- builders exhausted by volume

Most business problems are downstream.
They start before pricing or marketing.

I wrote a short essay on this idea.
Choosing the game before you optimise it.

Read it here:
https://lnkd.in/eKePpQBw

Are you playing a game you actually chose?

#businessdesign
#foundermindset
#longtermthinking

Most people pick businesses for money.

That is how they waste years.

A business is not just income.
It is a direction of travel.

Once something works financially, it locks you in.
The schedule.
The stress.
The identity.

People do not fail by choosing badly.
They succeed in the wrong direction.

The pattern I see every year:
→ money first, alignment later
→ identity built on momentum
→ success that becomes a trap
→ staying because leaving feels like failure

2026 will not be wasted by inaction.

It will be wasted by full commitment to the wrong game.

#businessdesign
#founderjourney
#strategicthinking

I help businesses create captivating content. Startup Advocate | Marketer

One of my favorite quotes is, " Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't."
I believe big ideas deserve even bigger energy.

Known for my contagious smile and ambitious mindset, I thrive at the intersection of strategy, creativity, and a good cup of coffee. Some say my dreams sound outlandish at first, but that's just fuel to the fire, I go out and make them happen.

As a proud 2019 graduate of UNCW’s Cameron School of Business, I’ve channeled my business education into several entrepreneurial adventures. Most notably, I launched Socialry Marketing in January 2020, a social media marketing firm that helps businesses of all sizes tell their story, grow their brand, and actually enjoy the process. 

It was through running the agency and helping realtors, roofers, schools, non-profits, gyms, restaurants, builders, contractors, lawyers, and many other businesses that I saw an issue. It was difficult for me, a marketer, to be a subject matter expert in all of the industries that I serve. I want to be able to meet my client's needs, wants, and goals. Actually, I want to exceed them! That's when we built Phrayz, a content research tool that ingests / aggregates industry specific knowledge into one spot, and then organizes it for marketing material; blog outlines, infographic carousels, video scripts, and ads. 

When I’m not running a business, you’ll find me leading the Wilmington 1 Million Cups community, volunteering with Young Life, or doing CrossFit. As an Eagle Scout, I still try to live out what scouting as taught me through leadership, management, preparedness, and discipline. 

Still learning. Still building. Always dreaming big. And yes, doing it all with a smile.

Jack Fleming

📷 A photo from almost every month in 2025! What a year it has been. I've had adequate time to relax and be with family over Christmas, my birthday, and New Years. 

My word for the year was Delegate. It may seem simple to some, but it has taken me some time to learn as a business owner. Over the year I wanted to hire and leverage partner vendors more for my marketing and software companies. Of course that can only happen with business growth and proper cash flow. This has been an incredible year of learning and growth.

📆 A year in a snapshot:

Started the year up in Durham for the GrepBeat Rising Stars awards. 

In February we had our 1 Million Cups Wilmington 5 Year Anniversary Celebration.

I was able to rock a media vest and film a few NASCAR races for a client. 

A few Wilmington founders attended DIG SOUTH in Charleston. 

I went to my first ever startup event in Charlotte. Attending Seed The South Capital Summit was a blast. I'm pretty sure it's going to be in Bank of America Stadium this year. That's a photo of me and Luke Kuechly. 

Jim Roberts hosted his annual Investor Buzz-In Event. Running some AV, taking photos / video, and giving a few pitch intros was tough, but so worth it. He probably won't admit it, but Jim, the one-man-nonprofit, needs all the help he can get. He does so much for us founders behind the scenes, so if I can support him (and really Wilmington), with my gifts I will do it. 

Of course 1 Million Cups Wilmington happened each and every Wednesday morning a the UNCW CIE. We had TONS of great entrepreneurs present last year. 1MC Wilmington 2026 kicks off this week. You should come!

There's a picture of me getting pied at Young Life camp over the summer.

Did some content creator vlogging at the GrepBeat GrepAPalooza. 

I had the opportunity to attend Richard Stroupe's Elevate CEO Retreat. It was uplifting being in the small community. I'm still looking back at my notes and the booklet today. 

Traveling to Kansas City for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation 1 Million Cups FastTrac Summit was a blessing. I got to meet so many energetic founders and ecosystem builders from across the nation. 

Beyond grateful for the chance to attend the Business of Software Conference in Raleigh. I'm excited to use the strategies and lessons learned as I grow Phrayz. 

Wilmington Chamber of Commerce events happened throughout the year, but our Young Professionals Council ones were special. Just being able to be in a community with other similar age pros to learn, and voice our needs to help with city growth feels great. 

A group of us went up to support the winners at the North Carolina Technology Association (NC TECH) Awards in Raleigh. Wilmington made it's presence known! What a fun night celebrating with founders from across the state. 

This is mainly a gratitude post. I'm slowing down to remember the wins.
A 2026 goals post will come soon.
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#wilmingtonnc #startup #ceo #entrepreneur

Jack Fleming ✴️📢

Building an industry intelligence tool to help marketers, sales pros, and entrepreneurs. Founder @Phrayz & @Socialry | WilmingtonBiz & GrepBeat “Rising Star” | 1 Million Cups Wilmington Lead Organizer

👤 3️⃣,8️⃣0️⃣1️⃣ of you on here to hold me accountable. Really there are more, but I am only counting my followers. Here are my goals for 2026.

BTW, just skip the follow button, connect with me. ☑️

- [Socialry] Hire a full time in-house photographer
- [Socialry] Hire a full time in-house videographer
- [Socialry] Hire a full time in-house graphic designer
- [Socialry] Hire a full time in-house social media specialist 
- [Socialry] Work with three more home builders in Wilmington, NC
- [Socialry] Help local ecommerce brands with live selling on TikTok / WhatNot
- [Socialry] Gain another client based in Raleigh
- [Socialry] Gain another client based in Charlotte
- [Socialry] Gain a client based in Myrtle Beach
- [Socialry] Gain a client based in Charleston, SC

- [Phrayz] Move 10% of our beta users to paid customers
- [Phrayz] Do at least 8 customer feedback / demo sessions per month
- [Phrayz] Present about Phrayz to 10 other 1 Million Cups Communities
- [Phrayz] Pitch at CED (Center for Entrepreneurial Development) Venture Connect
- [Phrayz] Hire intern to help with marketing / sales
- [Phrayz] Attend the North Carolina Technology Association (NC TECH) YTPN events across the state

 - [1 Million Cups] Find another young entrepreneur to become an organizer
 - [1 Million Cups] *See our post on the 1 Million Cups Wilmington page

- Read 6 Books 


I think this is a good start. Some of these goals are very ambitious, while others are easily doable. To be honest, I still haven't sat down to really think about specific numeric milestones. 

Im counting on my LinkedIn community to help me here. Help me with the baby steps. Connect me with your friends. Keep me accountable. 

Cheers to 2026! 🥂
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#wilmingtonnc #startup #ceo #entrepreneur #goals

📮 This guy is placing people in some pretty cool jobs! Robert and I we used to workout at the same gym together, but I also CONSTANTLY see his LinkedIn posts about companies hiring. 

Robert owns Hawthorne Search, and for over 20 years he has helped PE/VC-backed companies in AdTech, SaaS, Media, Fintech, Data/data analytics, digital media, Ecommerce and Home Services build winning teams. He delivers top talent, from frontline sales to C-suite executives to firms with 10-500 employees. 

I've been posting a lot of his open positions in our Wilmington American Marketing Association (AMA) group. 

We just met for coffee to catch up, and see how we can help each other. If any of the growth stage startups in my network need any help, you should reach out!

Since Social Coffee is a small building, and very popular, there was a good chance that we'd run into other friends. We sat right next Arthur Hughes. I was honored to be able to introduce Arthur to Robert. All of us then talked about UNCW students and getting them ready for the job market. 

What a great meeting!
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#wilmingtonnc #coffee #ceo #entrepreneur #startup

🏎️ Events across Wilmington and Raleigh in the same day. Not many can do it with ease! 

I started this morning on a virtual call with North Carolina Technology Association (NC TECH) Young Professionals Council and Adam Geheb talking about personal branding, public speaking, and networking. I constantly think I can be good at it, but we all know that it takes practice. Adam gave some great tips this morning!

Then, at midday we had the Wilmington American Marketing Association (AMA) 2026 Kickoff January Lunch N Learn. What a turnout! As a board, we talked about the goals for the year, and about membership. We had both guests and members in attendance. Even though we didn’t have a specific learning session for this lunch, the event did seem to be beneficial to all. So many new faces as well!

I ended the night in Raleigh. I’m about to drive back as I write this post. North Carolina Technology Association (NC TECH) Young Professionals Network had their first in person event. It was a triangle mix n mingle at The Glass Jug. I’m excited for more events to come across the state. I was able to reconnect with, and meet many pros all around the same age range. Yes, we did talk about our jobs a lot tonight, but it was still enlightening to be around other energetic, youthful pros. There are so many partnerships or collaborations that can come out of this group, it’s incredible. I met pros in HR, Consulting, Software Development, Coaching, and Product Management. What a night! Great start to the year, and the program. Thanks to Benjamin Tramontana, Alex Taylor, Aaron Fuller, and the rest of the crew for putting this on. 
 
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#wilmingtonnc #nctech #raleighnc #durhamnc #software #startup #ceo #youngpro #entrepreneur

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💽👾 “Tried and true versus the flurry of the new,” said Brandon Ives at the AMA Triangle  Annual CMO Panel. 

 Moderator: Lindsay Michel  - Director and Global Head of Producf Marketing at IQVIA.

Joe Folan : SVP of Growth Marketing at Relias

Erin McMahon : VP of Enterprise AI Marketing at Aethir

Brandon Ives : CEO of Brasco

——


Here are a few of my takeaways from the panelists:

On balance and experimentation Brandon emphasized the importance of balancing tried and true approaches with the constant flurry of new tools. Specifically for him and Brasco that means building internal tools for rapid prototyping, doing regular “housekeeping” on their tech stack, and creating task forces to test and learn together. When it comes to AI adoption, a lot of us are on a level playing field. First, teams have to accept that everyone is learning, but these tools (his favorite tool is Replit) are helping teams move faster.

On clarity and communication Erin reinforced that AI success starts with fundamentals, be crystal clear on goals and customer touchpoints, communicate constantly across teams, and use different LLMs for different needs. You have to keep those different LLMs updated with the right context.
Play to the strengths of your employees when it comes to AI adoption. Her favorite tool right now is Claude (apparently some people pronounce it like clode).

On mindset, data, and the future of marketing leadership Joe brought it back to leadership traits. As marketer, he had to state his answer in a set of three. His list started with curiosity, and keeping everyone asking new questions. Second, he emphasized resilience, and that everyone should expect failure and learn from it. Lastly, he discussed data, and showing real results, not just excitement. He also made a powerful point “AI is valuable, but automation will unlock even more impact.” This comes to fruition at Relias has they have created brand new roles to support AI, instead of losing humans to it. From acting out and scoring sales calls to identifying gaps and eliminating tool redundancy, CMOs are uniquely positioned for what’s next.

My question to all of the speakers was for them to offer a BIG AND BOLD claim. I put them on the spot!

His answer, that he told me after getting off stage was, “Often times people think CFOs will turn into CEOs. I think it will be CMOs more in the future because they know how to tell stories.”

Lindsay, the Moderator also made a good point that AI isn’t just for results, it can facilitate the process itself, helping teams think, collaborate, and move. 

I’m also 100% stealing some event procedures that we can use to make our chapter in Wilmington better.

It was fun seeing some familiar faces - Stan Phelps, Evan Boyer, Mark Hinkle, Jessamyn Palme.

I was able to meet lots of new folks as well - Amber Luis, Chris Thiede, Mary Frances Scholle, Ashlea Caldwell.
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#americanmarketingassociation #raleighnc #marketing #cmo #ai #martech

🍕 Larry Long Jr 🎤 sure knows how to rally a crowd. On Tuesday night, he hosted a few founders and friends to dinner at Cugino Forno Wilmington. It was a good change-up from my regular evening schedule. 

The conversations revolved around how we all knew Larry, business updates, and other recent news. 

I wonder how many people I could rally if I tried this in Raleigh, Charlotte, or Charleston?.... Hmmmm.... I'll have to try it out sometime. 

The small group consisted of John F. Edwards, CSP, Wayne Hippo, Jim Roberts, Wendy Giannini-King, Phil Everhart, and Michelle Hill.
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#wilmingtonnc #startup #ceo #entrepreneur #businessowner

🆘  I'm looking for help from my connections first! Most likely I'll need to hire another part-time social media specialist / BDR position here soon. Before I make the official LinkedIn page for it, I wanted to reach out and see if you (my connections) knew of anyone looking for a job in marketing first. 

I'm looking for someone with:
- Photography skills
- Videography skills
- Content editing skills
- Graphic design skills
- Ability to network 

Tag them below or have them reach out to me:
jack@socialrymarketing.com

Thanks!
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#hiring #socialmediamarketing #wilmingtonnc #marketing #socialmediamanagement

💌 Pulling one of our Jesse Itzler’s playbook here - handwritten notes. My parents did their best encouraging me to write “Thank Yous” at a young age, but it’s still very hard for me to do. 

Looks like I need to buy some branded stationary now.

Last night a wrote a few “Thank Yous” to family after holiday/birthday gifts. Since I was in the zone, I also wrote a few notes to local businesses as well. Really all it is is wishing them a happy 2026. That’s all. I’m keeping it simple, to the point, and not salesy. 

Now I gotta find some stamps around my house. I know I put them somewhere…. 🤔
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#wilmingtonnc #handwrittennote #entrepreneur #ceo #businessowner #startup

⛳️ I’m not the best golfer in the world. Heck, I’m still trying to break 100. Hmm, maybe I should have added that to my 2026 goals list.

I’m not the best business person in the world either, but it’s still not stopping me from getting out there and trying.

I’m working on getting better each and every day, hoping that all things will just click from time to time. 

But, realistically, I still know that there are viables in play. In golf it’s your ability play, the weather, the lie of the ball, and maybe even the condition of the course itself. You’ll go out to play and hope everything goes well. It feels really good when it does, but that’s not always the case. In business, those variables are different but still there. 

That’s also not stopping you from continuing to get out there and give it your best shot though. Do it for the time with others. Do it for the time in a new environment, or well known place. Do it to chase that feeling of what could be. Maybe a Hole-In-One? Maybe closing big deal? 

Just some Sunday thoughts on the range.

Have any of my connections made a hole-in-one before? 
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#golf #entrepreneur #startup #wilmingtonnc #ceo #business

👨🏻‍💻 Can’t wait for our North Carolina Technology Association (NC TECH) Young Professionals Network events later this year. I’ll be able to represent Wilmington across the state. 
#NCTechYTPN #WilmingtonNC #Startup #Entrepreneur

North Carolina Technology Association (NC TECH)

View company: North Carolina Technology Association (NC TECH)

Welcome New Members of #NCTECHYTPN! 

The NC TECH Young Tech Professional Network (YTPN) brings together emerging leaders from across North Carolina’s tech ecosystem to connect, learn, and grow together.

💠 Jordan Rogers | NC Telehealth Network Association
💠 Catie Walters | Silver Tree Consulting & Services
💠 Ryan Springer | Selkius, LLC
💠 Henry K. | SAS
💠 Jack Fleming ✴️📢 | Socialry Marketing + Phrayz
💠 Tre Washington, MBA, CTS-D, PSP | Integrated Information Systems Inc.

Learn more about #NCTECHYTPN here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gah35jUp

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The Battle

Danny Mallinder

Jack Fleming

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taplio

The Battle

Danny Mallinder

Jack Fleming

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);}Danny Mallinder's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreDanny Mallinder's LinkedIn Performance