Jason Vana

Marketing Director

Attract the RIGHT customers to your business | Brand & content strategist | Founder at SHFT | Known as #sassyjason

Struggling to attract the right clients?

You have a brand strategy issue.

Attracting the right people requires understanding why they should buy from YOU, when there are 1000’s of other options easily accessible through Google.

In order to attract, convert, and retain the right clients, you need to:

- Know what makes your business unique
- Communicate what makes your business unique
- Create an experience that shows what makes your business unique

It’s all about highlighting your uniqueness.

That’s where my agency steps in.

Through collaborative workshops, research, strategy, and design, we will help you uncover, communicate, and build an experience around your uniqueness.

Working with us typically looks like:

- industry, competitor, and customer research
- brand and marketing workshops 
- brand and marketing strategies
- design (logos, websites, marketing materials)

It culminates in an Onlyness Action Plan — your 1 year, step-by-step brand and marketing to-do list.

All so you become the ONLY choice for your ideal customers.

And make a lot more money.

Want to learn more?

Send me a message.
Or book a call at shft.agency/discovery

Founder & CEO

We transform B2B service companies into the ONLY choice for their ideal customers. Our clients see a 20%+ increase in revenue with our brand and content strategies. 

Here's how we help:

◼️ Brand Strategy (customers, uniqueness, messaging, touchpoints, story)
◼️ Brand Design (logos, colors, fonts, collateral)
◼️ Content Strategy (demand gen, content creation)
◼️ LinkedIn (strategy, content, profile audits)

Interested in learning more? DM me or book a discovery call below.

I was in the ER twice this week with chest pains.

Once on Sunday. Again, on Tuesday, which led to my being admitted.

It was scary as hell.

My family has a long history of heart issues:

- Mama Vana had stents at 55 and quad bypass at 70
- Dad died of valvular cardiomyopathy at 46
- Brother had a heart attack in his early 40s
- Uncle had a heart attack in his early 40s
- Cousin had a heart attack in his early 40s

See a pattern there?

I'm 45. 

Chest pain is not something a male in this family should mess with.

(stupid genetics)

Thankfully, everything is fine.

I did NOT have a heart attack.
My echocardiogram came back clean.
My CT angiography came back clean.

Apparently, my heart is strong.
My valves are working.
My arteries are clear.

Ya boy's heart is like Superman. 

(and it's going to stay that way)

Still don't know what's causing the chest pains.
But we do know it's not my heart or lungs.

Which means one thing:

Y'all are stuck with #SassyJason.

Why am I sharing all of this, besides for an algo boost?

It was nice not having to worry about the business during all of this.

Client work got done.
Emails got responded to.
I even made money while in the hospital.

THAT was all possible because of our strategy.

And my amazing team.

Build correctly.

You won't have to worry about your business when life decides to sucker punch you in the chest.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Become the ONLY choice. I build b2b service brands that stand out + drive revenue. Founder/CEO at Shft.Agency. Known as #SassyJason

Most personal branding "experts" are an absolute joke.

→ just be yourself
→ just be authentic
→ just post on LinkedIn
→ just create more content
→ your personality makes you different

👆🏼 Any real brander knows that advice is sh*t.

Yes, you have to be authentic.
Yes, you have to create content.
Yes, you need a personality.

BUT 👏🏼 THAT 👏🏼 SH*T 👏🏼 DOESN'T 👏🏼 MAKE 👏🏼 A 👏🏼 BRAND 👏🏼

Here's what actually builds a brand:

1. create a unique strategy
2. create a unique value
3. create a unique position
4. create a unique perspective
5. create a unique offer
6. create a unique identity
7. create a unique experience

In that order.

Personality, content, and being yourself are steps 6 and 7.

And if you don't have steps 1-5 in place...
Steps 6 and 7 won't make you money.

So before you start working with that personal branding "expert"...

Ask them a simple question:

How much money have your clients actually made?

If it's not at least 2x what you make...
RUN.

They're selling you sh*t.
Not a brand.

#SassyJason out.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

——
PS - Grab my All-in-One Strategy Bundle. 12 strategy resources for only $199. https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

Creating a new category is a balancing act.

Most founders try to be way too different.

→ Optimization specialist
→ Organizationalist
→ Business tidier
→ Life creator

(all categories I've heard from prospects)

None of them makes sense.

Because there is no point of reference to understand what they are.

And no one in their right mind is searching for a Business Tidier 

🙄

Creating a new category requires:

→ Familiar enough to understand
→ Different enough to stand out

Take Edge Cleaning Service in Washington.

They created a brilliant category.

House Detailers.

→ Clear on what they offer (house cleaning)
→ Understandable (we all know what detailing is)
→ Aligns with how people search (detailing is synonymous with deep cleaning)

They took two existing categories (house cleaning and car detailing)...
Smashed them together (house detailing)...
To stand out in the market.

And that's the key to category creation.

Familiar enough to be searched for.
Different enough to stand out.

Find that balance.

Or that "new" category you created will confuse the hell out of people.

And confused people NEVER buy.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

Dear LinkedIn,

Please fix your sh*t.

Signed,

Every Creator Not Using a Pod Or Paying for Engagement

shftagency

fusion-tech-integrated-inc

ignite-student-ministries-inc.

JSESSIONID

li_at

Talks about #content, #branding, #marketing, #brandstrategy, and #contentstrategy

Confession: I hate most of the large accounts on LinkedIn.

Fluffy, stolen, regurgitated nonsense that helps no one.

That's why I only engage with smaller creators.

Those who actually help my business.
Those who teach me something valuable.
Those who have a personality beyond "look how vulnerable I am."

They are the creators who are doing LinkedIn right.

I follow 100s of small creators.

Here are the top 11 you should follow as well:

Alex B Sheridan → video creation that drives revenue

Morgan J Ingram → outbound and Sales Nav genius

Sara Stella Lattanzio → best damn marketer I know

Patrick Cumming → LinkedIn ads savant

Phillip Oakley → a brilliant strategist and positioning genius

Stephen Houraghan → a brand strategist I've learned from

Jacob Pegs → amazing content creator I've been learning from

Irit Levi → process, automation, and operations genius

Mina Mesbahi → one of the best content strategists I know

Katelyn Bourgoin 🧠 → buyer psychology + content strategist = amazing

Richard Moore → the master at closing sales

There are 100s more I could add to this list.

(Please don't cry if you aren't on this list. I still love you)

But these are the creators I recommend to my clients. 

Because I learn from them.

And that, my friend, is what your content should do.

Entertain, but more importantly, EDUCATE your ideal customers. 

So they trust you.
Adopt your POV.
And hire you.

Give all eleven a follow.
And tell them #SassyJason sent you.

You can talk about how great I am for introducing you. 

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS - I'm out today and this week, celebrating Thanksgiving with my family.

PPS - grab all 12 of my paid resources + a $500 discount on a 90-min consultation with my Black Friday All-in-One Bundle → https://lnkd.in/e4YSrcGG

(7) Post | Feed | LinkedIn

My least favorite part of building a brand strategy:

Purpose. Vision. Mission. Values.

Fluffy garbage. 🤮

Case in point.

In 2023, I rebuilt how we create brand strategies at Shft.

My goal: make them lean enough to drive revenue fast.

So I did what most brand strategists wouldn’t dare.

I cut purpose, vision, mission, and values.
(You can pay me extra if you really want them.)

At first, I thought clients would freak out.

They didn’t.

We built strategies 3x faster.
Revision rounds dropped.
Clients made more money faster.

No one cared about what was “missing.”

Because their brand was doing what every brand should do:

MAKING 👏🏼 MORE 👏🏼 MONEY 👏🏼 

Sure, purpose, mission, vision, and values have their place.
But they don't pay the bills.

You can spend months perfecting your mission statement and make $0 from it.

Or you can build a brand strategy that actually makes you money.

Choose wisely.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

The only organic metric I care about on LinkedIn:

Saves.

Reach can be hacked. 
Comments can be written by AI.
Reactions can be driven from a pod.

Saves are the only metric that accurately shows the quality of your content.

Think about it.

No one is going to save sh*tty content.
Or content that doesn't help them.
Or content that isn't relevant.
Or content with selfies.

We only save content that solves a problem.
And that resonates with what we want to build.

And THAT'S the content that drives sales. 

(at least, that's why my clients say)

Want to get more saves on your content?

Try this ↓

1. Know your ideal customers
Determine who is most likely to buy from you.
Get as specific as possible.

2. Know the problems your clients face
Talk to them. Ask them questions. 
Follow up with "why does that matter?"

3. Solve those problems in content
Give them frameworks, tips, and advice.
The more practical, the better.

4. Push a next step
Tell them where to get more help.
A product, call, email → don't leave them hanging.

Practical content gets saved.

The more of your content they save, the more trust you build.
The more trust you build, the closer they are to buying from you.

And that, boo, is the goal.

Create content that gets saved.

You'll build trust and make more money that way. 

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS. Get the full breakdown in tomorrow's Brand Shft email. Subscribe here → https://lnkd.in/eX_VpwT7

Your brand isn’t just a client magnet. It’s a door opener.

Most founders think branding = more leads.

YES, BUT...

A strong brand puts you in places money can't.

Case in point:

Last week, I spoke to Stephen Houraghan's Brand Masters Academy.

I've followed him for years.
Took two of his courses.
Even wanted to be him when I grew up.

(still waiting on that to happen)

He asked ME to teach his community.

Not because I pitched him.
Not because I paid for access.
Not because I sent 47 follow-up DMs.

It's because I built a brand:

I showed up consistently.
Commented thoughtfully.
Built something worth noticing.

That's what happens when you nail your positioning.

You stop chasing opportunities.
They start chasing you.

- Speaking gigs find you
- Partnerships form naturally  
- Mentors become colleagues
- Dream clients slide into your DMs

Your brand is working while you sleep.
Opening doors you didn't know existed.
Creating opportunities you couldn't have planned.

Want to build a brand that opens those doors?

Let’s find what makes your brand the ONLY choice → https://lnkd.in/eH8Y-YC6

It’s 90 minutes to unlock the doors your brand should already be walking through.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Feeling stuck sucks.

But it's not the final word.

All you need is a bit of clarity.

A vision.
A decision.
A roadmap.
A fresh idea.

Something that sparks life back in you.

I see this with every 1:1 client I've worked with.

They launched their business with a lot of excitement.

But the years wore them down.

- tactics that didn't work
- offers no one wanted
- content that fell flat

No matter what they did, they couldn't grow.

You know what finally worked?

Achieving clarity on three simple decisions.

- What makes you unique
- Who do you want to serve
- How will you attract them

I've driven $70M+ in new revenue for clients, and I can tell you this:

Nothing will work until you make those three decisions.

No new marketing campaign.
No LinkedIn hook.
No DM script.
No rebrand.

Make those three decisions.
And watch everything fall into place.

If you're ready to get clarity on your business, all of my resources are on sale for Black Friday.

→ Strategic Goals Toolkit
→ Uncover Your Differentiation Workshop & Miro Template
→ Assumption Reversal Exercise
→ Ideal Customer Playbook
→ Onlyness Strategy Template
→ Paid Discovery Offer Blueprint
→ Brand One-Liner Templates
→ LinkedIn Just Get Started Guide
→ The $700k+ LinkedIn DM Templates
→ Sales Staircase
→ One-Liner Roaster GPT
→ Niche Channel AI Prompt

Plus, a $500 discount on a 90-min consultation.

That covers everything from setting goals to marketing.

Separately, they cost $1,242.

Get the All-in-One Black Friday Special for only $199.

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/e4YSrcGG

These are the exact exercises, templates, and frameworks I have used to position 145+ B2B brands as the only choice.

And drive over $70M in new revenue.

Tactics won't get you unstuck.

Clarity will.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

I have a confession to make:

My Black Friday all-in-one bundle was a flop.

I put all 10 of my digital products + 2 of my GPTs into one bundle...
Gave people a $500 discount on a 1:1 consultation...
Packaged them together (separately $1,242)...

And sold it for $199.

I was expecting to make 50 sales.

Which wasn't a crazy goal.

I sold over 200 of my LinkedIn Just Get Started Guides (included in the bundle).

50 was a very conservative goal.
But I only sold 10. 

And I know why:

I didn't market it well. 

- 1 email announcing it
- 1 LinkedIn post about it
- 2 IG stories that were afterthoughts
- No reminder emails

And the worst part:

- I wasn't even actively engaging on LinkedIn when that post launched.

I was off spending time with family and expected my post to just take off.

I fell into the same mindset I tell my clients NEVER to have:

If I build it, they will come.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Look, you can have the best offer ever.

I mean, $199 to get everything you need to:

- set business goals
- uncover your differentiation
- know your ideal customers and how they buy
- create your brand strategy
- build an offer
- create a paid discovery offer
- create a sales staircase so you don't have to sell
- write your brand messaging
- roast your brand message and get improvements (GPT)
- find niche marketing channels
- build a profitable LinkedIn presence
- send DMs on LinkedIn that generate revenue

It's everything I do for my clients..,
and charge a minimum of $18K for...

For $199.

That's a killer offer.

But without good marketing, even killer offers flop.

Remember that. 

You need marketing to sell your offer.

Anyone who says otherwise is a damn fool.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS - I'm extending the Black Friday sale until this Saturday. Grab your copy here → https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

I  start every brand strategy project with a single question:

What are your goals for the business?

- the revenue you want to make
- the life you want to live
- the size of your team
- how you spend your time

👆🏼 Those are all important when creating a strategy.

Because a strategy is a decision about how you prioritize your time, money, and resources to...

ACHIEVE 👏🏼 A 👏🏼  SPECIFIC 👏🏼 GOAL 👏🏼 

No goal = your strategy is pointing you nowhere. 

Here are my *new* goals for Shft:

- $1M in revenue
- work 4-5 hours a day
- focus on creating my content
- help 100s of SMBs stand out + drive revenue
- only take on 4 large branding projects each year
- small team of experts who don't need supervision

Those goals demand changes in our strategy. 

- selling digital products
- launching a paid community
- simplifying our delivery processes
- creating clearer SOPs
- hiring high-quality people

Goals dictate your strategy.

So figure out what you actually want to build.

Once you see your goals clearly, the strategy almost writes itself.

Need help with that?

Grab my Strategic Goals Toolkit → https://lnkd.in/eei5cqAZ

It'll help you map out the goals needed to create an epic strategy.

Future you will thank you for getting strategic now.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

6 Strategic Goals Every Founder Needs | Shft Agency

Stop creating strategies you never use.

You don't need another brilliant plan to save your business.

Beautiful slides.
Detailed timelines.
Comprehensive analysis.

All for it to collect dust while you focus on doing whatever feels urgent.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Here's what to do instead:

Build a strategy you WANT to implement:

1. Start Small
Pick ONE thing to focus on for the next 30 days. 

2. Make It Measurable
If you can't track it, you won't do it. Set clear metrics that matter.

3. Schedule It
Block time in your calendar. Treat strategy execution like client work.

4. Review Weekly
Every Friday, ask: "Did I move the needle on my strategy this week?"

5. Adjust Fast
If something isn't working after two weeks, pivot. Don't wait months.

The goal isn't to create the perfect strategy.

(It doesn't exist, boo)

It's to create a strategy you'll actually execute.

Because a mediocre strategy you implement beats a brilliant strategy you ignore.

EVERY 👏🏼 SINGLE 👏🏼 TIME 👏🏼 

Stop planning your way to success.
Start executing your way there.

Your future self will thank you.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

If I had to rebuild my business from scratch...

Here's exactly how I'd do it ↓

1. Get crystal clear on what you want to build.

I changed my mind every other month — solopreneur, massive agency, fractional CMO.

Because I looked at what everyone else was doing and thought:

THAT'S what success looks like. 

🤮

Define what you want to build.

Set goals for your time, focus, and team size.

Building is much easier when you do.

2. Know your ideal customers.

You need to know them inside and out.

Who they are, what they love, what they struggle with, how they buy, who they trust, what motivates them to buy.

Every post, every offer, every DM should speak to THEM.

3. Create an offer staircase.

Having 10 different offers means you're known for nothing.

Pick one main offer and break it into steps:

- Freebie lead magnet
- Paid digital product
- Paid discovery offer
- Low-tier version (done by you)
- Mid-tier version (done with you)
- High-tier version (done for you)

ONE offer. 
Different levels of access.

4. Pick 3 platforms and post regularly.

Educate and entertain your ideal customers where they are.

Make it a mix of:
- Social (LinkedIn, IG, TikTok)
- Email (launch an email newsletter, boo)
- SEO (YouTube or blog posts)

Those three cover the basis of the buying journey.
And guarantee you show up where and when they are looking.

4 steps.
Years of frustration avoided.

If you want to build smarter, all of my resources are on sale for Black Friday.

It's everything you need to implement those 4 steps yourself.

Separately, they cost $1,242.
Get the All-in-One Black Friday Special for only $199.

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

These are the exact exercises, templates, and frameworks I have used to position 145+ B2B brands as the only choice. 

And drive over $70M in new revenue.

All by implementing four simple steps.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

My email signup form has 5 fields.

Most marketing "experts" say that's way too much.

They say I'm losing potential subscribers because I'm asking too much up front.

That best practice is just asking for an email.

More conversions that way.

Newsflash:

If you can't fill out 5 fields, I don't want you as a subscriber.

💁🏻‍♂️

You're clearly too damn lazy.
Don't really care about growing your business.
And it's a sign you won't implement the advice I give you anyway.

I don't want lazy ass, incompetent, freebie seekers on my list.

They don't buy.
They don't implement.
They don't follow advice.

And a year later, they're complaining that their business hasn't grown.

Those aren't the people I want to work with.

Look, best practices have their place.

But you better know:

- who you're trying to attract
- what you're trying to build
- the experience you're trying to create

Because not every best practice is the RIGHT practice for you.

Like having only 1 field for an email newsletter.

Best practice? Sure.
Best practice for Shft? Not at all.

Because if filling out 5 fields is too much for you...
...building a profitable business is WAY beyond you.

And I don't want to waste my time teaching you.

#SassyJason out.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Most strategies don't drive revenue.

Here's how to test if yours actually does:

Revenue is the only metric that matters for business survival.

Yet most strategies focus on vanity metrics, awareness, and how nice it looks.

None of that pays the bills.

Here are 7 ways I test if a strategy actually drives revenue:

→ Review client retention and expansion rates
→ Calculate customer lifetime value changes
→ Measure conversion rates at every stage
→ Monitor average deal size improvements
→ Analyze sales cycle length reduction
→ Track lead quality, not just quantity
→ Test pricing strategy effectiveness

If your strategy isn't moving these numbers, it's not working.

Businesses spend months on positioning and market research without connecting it to actual revenue outcomes.

That's not a strategy.
It's expensive procrastination.

Real strategy creates a direct line from your positioning to your profit.

The only question that matters:

"Will this help us close more deals, faster, at higher prices?"

If the answer isn't a resounding YES, you're not being strategic.

You're procrastinating.

Test your strategy against revenue.

Not engagement rates.
Not brand awareness surveys.
Not how pretty your website looks.

Revenue.

Because that's what keeps you in business.

Everything else is just noise.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

I rarely discount my products and services.

It's just not the game I want to play. 

But this year, I started launching more digital products.

Frameworks, templates, and GPTs that I've used to generate 6-7 figures of new revenue for my clients.

I had 1 paid resource before 2025.

I now have 10.
And a few freebies that will become paid products next year.

I'm discounting them all.

That's right, #SassyJason is running a Black Friday deal on my All-in-One Bundle.

Here's what you get:

→ Strategic Goals Toolkit
→ Uncover Your Differentiation Workshop & Miro Template
→ Assumption Reversal Exercise
→ Ideal Customer Playbook
→ Onlyness Strategy Template
→ Paid Discovery Offer Blueprint
→ Brand One-Liner Templates
→ LinkedIn Just Get Started Guide
→ The $700k+ LinkedIn DM Templates
→ Sales Staircase
→ One-Liner Roaster GPT
→ Niche Channel AI Prompt

Plus, a $500 discount on my 90-min Onlyness Call consultation good until March 31.

Purchased separately, these resources cost $1,242.

But you can get the All-in-One Bundle for $199.

That's a savings of $1,043.

(Yes, I have gone insane 🤪)

Grab your bundle today → https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

That price expires on Tuesday, December 2. 

Don't say I didn't warn you.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

------
PS - I'm out today spending time with Mama Vana, Brother Vana, and Niece Vana, so I likely won't be replying.

Most brands rebrand for looks. Pepsico rebranded for survival.

Especially when you take consumer trends into account.

I worked in the food processing industry for 7+ years.
And have clients in the food processing industry. 

There is a dramatic shft (pun intended) in that industry towards:

- cleaner labels
- healthier options
- fewer preservatives
- more natural ingredients
- more homemade style foods

And Pepsico is a monster of a company.

They own roughly 110 brands.
In food and beverage.
Across the world.

Their old brand screamed:

- We're corporate.
- We only care about profits.
- We cut corners when possible.
- We don't care about healthy ingredients.

It was time for a change.

Not just to update perceptions on their business.
But to better align with their new Pep+ strategy.

This rebrand makes Pepsico feel:

- smaller
- organic
- homegrown
- health conscious

Everything you want to be known for in the food processing industry right now.

That's what a good rebrand SHOULD do:

- shft your perspective
- shft your impression
- shft your focus

And, ultimately, shft your brand.

Take a page out of Pepsico's book.

When the market changes drastically...
And people don't look favorably on corporations...
And you implement a new strategy to grow...

It's time to update your design to match.

Or, keep giving off the wrong perception.

Because nothing tanks a brand faster than looking healthy on paper and corporate in public.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Pepsico Nailed their Rebrand | Shft Agency

I've run 275+ strategy workshops. 

Here are the 4 pitfalls even experienced marketers stumble into.

Pitfall 1: Starting with tactics

They jump straight to "we need better content" or "let's run ads."

Without understanding:

- WHO they're targeting
- WHY those people should care
- HOW they'll stand out in the market

Strategy first. Tactics second.

Pitfall 2: Making assumptions about their market

"We know our customers want X."

Do you?
Or are you guessing?

I've seen companies spend months building features nobody asked for.

Because they assumed instead of asking.

Pitfall 3: Trying to be everything to everyone

"Our solution works for small businesses AND enterprises."

RIIIGGGGHHHTTTT....

And that's exactly why you're struggling to stand out.

Pick a lane.
Own it completely.

Pitfall 4: Skipping the competitive analysis

"We don't have competitors."

Yes, you do.

Even if it's the status quo or simply doing nothing.

Understanding what you're up against shapes everything.

Just look at the data ↓

Companies that skip strategy spend 3x longer getting to market.

They pivot constantly because they never had a clear direction.

But companies with a solid strategy?

They move fast.
They stand out.
They win.

You can keep guessing your way to success.

OR you can build a strategy that actually works.

One gets you results.

The other?

That's just expensive trial and error.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

December means one thing:

It's time to audit your brand.

Most founders never revisit their brand once it’s live.

No evals. No reflection. No updates.
Just hope it still lands — even though the market has moved.

If it’s been a year since your last brand check, start here:

1. Analyze competitors
Drop yours and their websites into SEMrush.
See if you're winning attention. 

2. Pressure test your positioning
Still the only?
Run your unique angle through the Can’t/Won’t test.

3. Talk to real customers
Interview 3–5. Ask about their problems and why they bought from you.
Update your ICP based on their words.

4. Audit the experience
From first click to offboarding — what’s clunky and what's seamless?
Find and fix any friction.

5. Make it actionable
Prioritize the shifts.
Assign owners. Set deadlines.

Want a sharper outside perspective?

Let me roast your brand.
And give you a checklist of what to improve.

I'm only taking on 4 brand audits until Christmas.

Book yours here → https://lnkd.in/eabzMSpq

Don’t wing it like the rest.

Audit now, so 2026 isn’t guesswork — it’s growth.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

How to Audit Your Brand | Shft Agency

Happy Thanksgiving from the Vana family.

Including my sassy niece.

The only one who can out-sassy #SassyJason.

Excuse me while I go torment her a bit.

Like all good uncles do.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Roman Pikalenko 🇺🇦🦩

Kaizen

On March 7th, 2023, I decided to quit my safe & comfortable job…

…all to start my own business 🔥

You see, I was freelancing in one way or form for almost a year then:

→ Ran 3 group coaching programs for young marketers to build their personal brands
→ Got booked for eight 1:1 consultations about LinkedIn Growth 
→ Started doing external engagement for my friend’s client 

By the time the calendar hit 2023, I was earning 75% of my full-time job income

Feeling like I’d outgrown the company I was in, it was a matter of time I took the leap 

I had to figure out 2 major things for myself:

→ How to position myself and where to find my ideal clients
→ What services to offer and at what price

Now, I help 6-figure founders build, grow, and scale their personal brands on LinkedIn

All through a Done-For-You Premium Ghostwriting 

- You don’t need to write your content
- You look at the inbox full of leads
- You run your biz smoothly

If you’re someone who’s tried creating content on LinkedIn or hired a cheap writer with no strategic background, you’re in the right place

Book a 30-min consultation with me

And let’s explore how it would look like if we worked together

✌🏼

Full-Stack Ghostwriter

Limelight

I worked in a B2B SaaS company for almost 2 years in the past. 

It made me realize just how plagued the industry is with features nobody cares about, branding nobody remembers, and products nobody uses.

I've also been creating content on LinkedIn for 3 years now. And in all that time, I've been pitched (very poorly) by a lot of brands that undervalued my work and made the collaboration problematic. There was no easy way to partner up. 

When David reached out to me asking to join as an Advisor, it felt like a perfect match.

Not only I had a chance to contribute to building a great SaaS product, but also helped shape it in a way that would benefit end users like me.

As an Advisor to Limelight, I help build the first-ever B2B creator ad platform. I've been beta-testing the product from the start and it’s impressed me so far. The team is extremely fun to work with and is receptive to every bit of feedback. 

If you're a brand or creator looking to partner up with either, I'd recommend checking them out. 

If you are a brand or creator looking to collaborate with me, get in touch via my
Limelight storefront: https://app.limelighthq.com/p/roman-pikalenko.

Advisor

Slush

I never thought I’d be an entrepreneur.

But I was training to become one without realizing it. 

It’s 2019, I’m in my last year of uni. 

I hear about this event called Slush that’s founded by students that’s now the biggest gathering of Venture Capital in the world

(Let that sink in) 

And it was right in my “backyard”, in Helsinki. 

I applied to volunteer there. Sustainability team.

During the event:

— I met cool new people & made new friends

— Learned that volunteering is hella fun

— Fell in love with Slush Magic (iykyk) ✨

and all without spending thousands of €€€ 

(I was a broke student 🤷🏻‍♂️)

I left wanting more. 

2021: I went to Slush again. Became a Group Lead. 

2022: I volunteered at Slush again.

And this year, I rose up to be a Team Lead.

(yay me)

A Text Production Team Lead in charge of written social media content and then some. 

Perfectly aligned with my ghostwriting ambitions. 

I now have a team of 4 legends. 

All are hungry ambitious young people like me that want to make a difference. 

If you’re an impact brand coming to Slush 2023, let’s connect and meet up during the event. 

If you’re a volunteer and resonate with my journey, let’s do the exact same thing ✌🏼

See you at the event 🔥

Text Production Team Lead

Shield

Just 1 week before I quit my job, Andreas, CEO of Shield, said 3 sweetest words a young guy like me could only wish for:

“Check your inbox :)”

There was a contract to sign.

You see, I’ve been following SHIELD and using their tool for 2 years then. 

They had a vibe and functionality. Their team was top-class. 

I wanted in. 

3 months of negotiations. I finally quit my job. They were open for business.   

When I finally got the role of Content Writer, I was tasked with one thing — keep the community engaged and build the brand’s authority further through their Company Page and part of the newsletter. 

Results?

I was able to:

- Cut down 1 hour of newsletter research
- Cut down 1 hour of newsletter writing (1,5 sections)

This freed up 2 hours for my teammate, Jaziel, to:

- Strategically place a fitting theme every week
- Focus on making sure the newsletter was headed where SHIELD wanted it to go. (time to reflect, and make more normative decisions moving forward)

We were able to keep a consistent opening rate between (50-57%) with a click rate of around 5-8%.

More than that, we were getting weekly newsletter love mentions.

Often from creators and profiles that would normally get unnoticed. 

Now, I apply the same mentality with my clients. 

I put them in the spotlight through the right stories and content. 

So they too can receive love mentions from their community (and make that $$$).

Content Writer

Recright

In 2021, I FINALLY landed a marketing role after being laid off 3 times from my bar job

Learned how to build systems, distribute & connect multiple channels.

Only about 200+ job applications in, I was referred to a Growth Manager, Rémy, that worked there.

From the start, I was thrown into the deep end. I had to conduct 5-10 growth experiments simultaneously for multiple marketing channels.

Our goal? Understanding where our resources were best spent.

My biggest problem was streamlining the entire process:

- Multiple social media channels
- New website & email automations
- Analyzing data & reporting it back to the team

I felt lost…

“What do I focus on?”

This was the wrong question to ask. The right one was:

“What experiment will bring the most result for our main objectives?”

See, I was afraid I lacked expertise. And I didn’t know yet how to use every system that was already in place.

Here’s what I did in the next 5 days:

- Analyzed what has and hasn’t worked before
- Checked which of the current experiments would bring the best results
- Laid out the step-by-step execution plan & time blocked it in my calendar

What’s the worst that could happen?

(Spoiler: As I was still an intern, I wouldn’t be promoted to my full-time role)

But as a result, I was praised for my proactiveness and we managed to gather valuable data on what channels to abandon entirely.

My biggest achievement was learning how to build systems, distribute & connect multiple channels.

Because of that I now always take a data-driven structured approach to solving complex problems. 

Juggling multiple elements at the same time felt challenging & chaotic but weirdly satisfying. 

Even though I had to constantly check in with the team.

About 1,5 years later, I felt that I reached my maximum potential in that role:

And eventually, I quit to start my current Ghostwriting business.

✌🏼

Growth Marketer

Growth Marketing Intern

Laurea Entrepreneurship Society

Before I found my 1st paid marketing role in 2021, I decided to volunteer. 

Instead of volunteering anywhere, I picked a local university’s Entrepreneurship Society.

(which explains my current entrepreneurial ambitions so well btw)

One of my biggest responsibilities as the Head of Marketing for me was running our events.

That meant:

- Finding speakers & partners for the events
- Creating content to promote the events
- Hosting the events

There was a week before the summer break, when we accelerated all the event production.

I ended up hosting 3 back-to-back webinars & workshops in a single week.

Main challenges?

→ Cross-promoting 3 events for 4-5 weeks prior across FB, IG, LinkedIn, and email

→ Dealing with last-minute delays, changes, and people not responding

The promotion was done in the priority approach, accelerating the volume of content the closer the events got.

The last-minute events required me to juggle both team, speaker, and partner communication pretty much 24/7.

I thought I was gonna lose it. Thankfully, our Community Manager was there to remind me that “We got it”.

….

How did I get through the week?

Simple. I just f*ckin did. 

Sometimes there are no fancy hero endings.

I did learn that event marketing is tough if you have no idea what you’re doing.

And I learned a whole lotta stress management techniques when things get hot.

When my 1-year term was done, I knew that the team was in the right hands.

(I may have hired specific people for the next HoM to avoid the headaches I had)

✌🏼

Head Of Marketing

The Old Irish Pub

In 2020, I hit rock bottom:

→ No job
→ Ran out of savings
→ Stuck in a small town (Vaasa)

Then I accidentally saw a job ad:

“Looking for a bartender. The Old Irish Pub.”

I thought it was the pub in Vaasa as it just opened.

Sent my application & resume

Got the response back:

“We’d love to interview you!”

Only the email address was from The Old Irish Pub Helsinki

“Helsinki?! It’s 4,5h away from us”

3 days later, I went to Helsinki, aced the interview, and moved there completely within 2 weeks.

And oh boy, what a job it was:

→ Constant night shifts
→ Lifestyle that drained my health
→ Dealing with less desirable customers we had to call ‘guests’

There were of course good moments too: met some of my best friends there & the love of my life. 

But in the 2nd month, sh*t really hit the fan. 

We called it the ‘Copenhagen Night’ as everything you could imagine happening at a bar, happened that night:

- Broken glass & me getting cut
- Rude guests & me getting screamed at
- More drink orders we could handle & me chugging Red Bulls

And I had to train 2 new runners

Looking back, I always ask myself “How the hell did I manage to get through the night?”

My honest answer?

The adrenaline I had + the caffeine I drank made me feel like a machine.

In a single night I:

- Got glass cuts 6 times
- Drank 3 Red Bull cans
- Served 100+ drinks & cocktails
- Served at least twice no. of shots
- Managed at least 5 very drunk guests
- Taught the runners how to thrive on busy nights
- Ruled the kitchen with my teammate constantly supplying the bar with glasses

It was chaos. I hated the cuts. But I loved the adrenaline rush.

Now, whenever things get intense, I look back at my bar job.

And I always remind myself:

“You could’ve been doing it at night, exhausted, and getting multiple cuts all over your hands. Keep going.”

…

As I completed my 6-month internship at Recright and switched to a full-time role, there was no space or energy left in me to work at the pub.

✌🏼

Bartender

Upbeater

***✍️ Story writing in progress...***

Growth Hacking Marketer

Digital Marketing Manager

Hitachi ABB Power Grids

Sales Intern

Turning Impact Leaders into Authority Figures Through Powerful Stories | Ghostwriting LinkedIn & Educational Email Courses ✍️📚

I help climate deep tech founders build founder visibility that compounds.

Because when people look you up…

You don’t want them to find a quiet profile, a repost from last year, or a pitch deck disguised as a post.

You want them to see credibility. Clarity. Momentum.

Most of my clients are:

- Series A founders with scientific or technical backgrounds
- Deep in climate, water, food, or materials innovation
- Short on time but serious about becoming the go-to in their category

I ghostwrite their:

- LinkedIn thought leadership (to build traffic engine)
- Educational email courses (to convert attention into demand)
- And sometimes, their articles, newsletters, or even books

💬 I’ve worked with 10+ founders across 8 countries, helped generate $300k+ in LinkedIn-attributed revenue, and ghostwritten 1,000+ posts that have reached millions — while helping my clients build audiences filled with investors, partners, and talent.

You’ll never hear me say “you need to post more.”

Because most founders aren’t struggling with volume.
They’re struggling with clarity.

Clarity of what to say.
Clarity of how to show up.
Clarity of what content makes them look like a leader — not just another expert.

That’s what I do.

If you want to build long-term authority, not just chase likes, we should talk.

💌 DM me “Pinky” and I’ll show you how I help founders build founder gravity — without sounding like a LinkedIn bro.

(And yes, I’ll tell you why it’s Pinky.)

Or just stick around and follow — I post regularly on founder visibility, deep tech storytelling, and LinkedIn strategy for serious operators.

~ Running company social media marketing operations
~ Running paid ad campaigns on social and Google Ads
~ Inbound and content marketing

For the past 2 months, I've been prepping for today.

Tonight, I'm flying to Tokyo for 16 nights, and I plan to work no more than 1h/day.

Here's how:

This is a milestone for me.

In 2.5+ years of running my ghostwriting business, this will be the first trip where I'm almost 100% hands-off.

6 clients. 22 LinkedIn posts per week. And the entire month of November covered.

I prepared 88 posts in advance.

Here's the exact process I used:

Step 1: Prioritize what's happening right now before I look ahead.

I didn't jump straight into November content. I made sure current and next-two-weeks content was locked in first.

If I let present work slip while planning ahead, I'd be stuck putting out fires right now.

Step 2: Map everything out and categorize by difficulty.

I looked at the entire month I'd be gone (Nov 9 to 26) and went client by client.

I categorized them by:

→ Who was easiest to write for based on how long I've worked with them
→ How fast their review process is
→ How proven their topics are
→ How hands-off they are.

One client gives me the green light on almost everything and has 5 specific daily topics.

Another was still ramping up, so I waited until early October to write for them once I had enough context.

Step 3: Schedule strategic work sprints with recovery time built in.

→ I picked two weekends, two weeks apart, to work extra hours.
→ I left one weekend in between to rest and recharge.
→ During those sprint weeks, I worked evenings and weekends writing for all 6 clients.
→ This kept me from burning out while still hitting my deadline.

Step 4: Microbatch by topic and structure for maximum efficiency.

For each client, I created a topic-per-day structure similar to my client who already had 5 specific topics mapped to each weekday.

This let me batch write in focused sessions instead of jumping around randomly.

I grouped similar topics together and knocked them out one by one.

Step 5: Split my writing into two distinct phases.

Phase 1: V1 drafts.
Raw thoughts, structure, and ideas dumped onto the page.

Phase 2: Final drafts.
Editing, adding visuals, stress-testing hooks, and leaving annotations for the client explaining my choices.

This two-phase system kept me from getting stuck in perfectionism during the creation phase.

Result: 88 extra LinkedIn posts prepared in 2 months.

I submitted everything a week before my trip. That gave me the final week to handle client edits, review feedback, and analyze all the work we've done so far to keep improving.

And now I get to spend 16 nights in Japan working no more than 1 hour a day.

PS. I’m going to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Nagano. Any recommendations? 🇯🇵

Roman Pikalenko 🇺🇦🍉

I turn $10M+ Series A climate tech founders & execs into LinkedIn thought leaders to attract capital & talent | Helped 3x LinkedIn Top Voices & 10+ climate tech founders | Obsessed with solar right now ☀️

Many founders on LinkedIn are trying too hard to be “authentic.” They think it means:

- Sharing vulnerable stories
- Talking about their traumas
- Posting their dog/cat/parrot every other day

But here’s what they forget:

They’re leading a business.

And when the signal gets drowned out by lifestyle content:

- Investors don’t take them seriously
- Quality hires roll their eyes and move on
- Customers go with the competitor who speaks to their pain

Authenticity ≠ oversharing.

Especially in climate tech.

If you want to build a personal brand that drives leads, PR, and funding… focus on:

→ Talking about real customer problems 
→ Sharing the story behind why you started 
→ Asking if your content is helpful, not just “relatable” 
→ Showing both wins and roadblocks 
→ Proving you’re up to the task — whether you’re a PhD founder or building your first company

That’s how you earn attention that compounds.

—

Are you struggling to differentiate your tone from your company’s?

PS. If you watched The Last of Us Season 2, I'd love to hear what you think of it. I have some....thoughts.

"If I go on vacation, I don't want to think about LinkedIn."

That's a fair and common concern.

But you don't have to drop your LinkedIn entirely to stay present.

If you go away for 3 weeks in Japan (like I just did), you can stay visible with almost zero creative effort in 3 simple ways:

1/ Recycle your best-performing posts instead of creating anything new.

Your top posts earned engagement for a reason. Reposting them does three things:

• Keeps your posting cadence alive
• Reinforces ideas your audience already loved
• Saves you from burning creative energy while you're supposed to relax

Most people won't even notice you've posted it before.

2/ Share raw travel observations.

A photo with a one-paragraph caption. A quick reflection tied to your niche. An observation about how stepping away resets your thinking. 

Travel naturally creates content, and people engage out of empathy and curiosity. 

3/ Set an away message that redirects attention.

Your inbox will still fill up while you're gone. Instead of a generic "OOO," link to something valuable:

• Your latest newsletter
• Your best lead magnet
• Your sales page
• Your calendar for post-vacation calls

This keeps conversations warm and moves people through your ecosystem while you're offline.

—

Staying present on vacation isn't about grinding from hotel lobbies.

It's about keeping the lights on with smart, low-effort signals.

What's your vacation LinkedIn strategy? Do you post? Go silent? Something else?

Day 3 in Tokyo: I sumo wrestled Waka and won.

One of my clients gets 1-2 investor inbounds every month.

Not from cold emails.
Not from pitch decks.

From LinkedIn posts.

Most Series A founders pitch investors 1:1 and wait for 199 'nos' before they get a 'yes'.

But there's a faster way.

Educate investors at scale through content so when you do reach out, they already know who you are, what you're building, and why it matters.

I've written 550+ LinkedIn posts for climate founders raising capital. The ones that generate investor attention aren't the "vulnerable" Crying CEO posts.

They're story-driven posts weaved with actionable insights, proof of progress, and direct answers to questions investors are already asking.

Here's how to do it:

1/ Don't just celebrate milestone. Show traction.

Don't post: "So excited to announce we hit 10,000 users! 🎉"

Post:

• The specific problem those 10,000 users were trying to solve
• How fast you got there (6 months vs. 2 years matters)
• What you learned that changed your product roadmap

Investors care about your ability to learn fast and iterate. Show them you're paying attention to the right signals.

2/ Take a public stance on where your industry is heading.

Most founders play it safe.

They share news and add a generic "exciting times ahead" take. That's not thought leadership. That's commentary.

Instead, show how you think about your market.

What's everyone getting wrong? Where will regulation force the next wave of innovation?

Pick one POV per post, explain your reasoning, and back it with data or first-hand experience.

Investors follow founders who see around corners.

3/ Spotlight your team in a way that shows why they're invaluable.

Don't post: "Thrilled to welcome Sarah to the team! She's amazing."

Do post:

• Why you hired Sarah now (what gap did she fill?)
• The specific problem she'll solve in the next 90 days
• What her track record signals (ex-Tesla, scaled X from 0 to $10M)

When you spotlight a hire, you're saying: "Look at the caliber of people betting on us."

4/ Share takeaways from the rooms you're in without name-dropping.

Meeting takeaways show you're having the right conversations with customers, partners, advisors, and other founders.

Format: "Had a conversation this week with a [CFO at a Fortune 500] about [their biggest procurement challenge]. Here's what I learned..."

Then share 2-3 takeaways that show you're absorbing information investors care about.

—

One of my clients? Their posts reach ~1,200 VCs per month.

Another gets 1-2 investor DMs and connection requests monthly without cold outreach.

They're not posting about struggles or origin stories.

They're posting proof they understand their market, execute fast, and think like Series B-worthy founders.

That's what gets you in the room.

—

What story angles tend to work best for you with investors?

At the World Economic Forum, a Native American chief asked a CEO: 

"Could you explain where from your home to your office, you stop being a grandfather?"

That question haunted Ulf Stenerhag for years.

I work with climate founders every day. The ones who stick with it? They're driven by something deeper than market opportunity.

For Ulf, it was that single question.

How could business leaders make decisions at work that would harm their own grandchildren?

In 2018, after 20 years running a successful pharmaceutical supplier, he sold everything and founded WAYOUT WATER, on a mission to solve the global water crisis while eliminating plastic pollution.

Here's what I learned from his story:

1/ The best climate solutions solve multiple crises at once.

1.3 billion plastic bottles are used daily. Over 2 billion people lack clean drinking water. And the bottled water we buy? Contaminated with microplastics and forever chemicals. Ulf didn't just want to provide clean water, he wanted to eliminate the entire broken system.

2/ WAYOUT's Micro-Water Plants turn any water source into drinkable water using only solar power.

Each system:

• Supplies 8,000 liters per day—enough for 2,000-3,000 people
• Prevents 5.7 million plastic bottles annually
• Saves 483 tons of greenhouse gases per year
• Converts even salt water into high-quality drinking water
• Operates completely off-grid

3/ One decision can compound for generations.

Ulf's entire company exists because of one question about being a grandfather.

He once said: "Since then, I can't make decisions that are bad for future generations."

That's the difference between a founder chasing an exit and a founder building a legacy.

—

Every Monday, I share stories of exceptional climate leaders. 

Know someone worth nominating? Drop their name below.

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