Justin M. Nassiri

I’m the Founder and CEO of Executive Presence, where we help leaders build trust, visibility, and influence through authentic executive thought leadership on LinkedIn.

In just over three years, we've bootstrapped past $3M ARR, partnered with more than 250 executives, and conducted more than 750 CEO interviews. When leaders show up consistently in their own voice, their entire company benefits.

Most executives already have a network that trusts them. They just lack a system that keeps them top of mind. My team and I help them articulate what they believe, stay relevant in moments that matter, and expand their influence to hire better, sell faster, raise capital, and shape their industry's narrative.

Our work is built around three principles:

• Authenticity: capture the leader’s real voice and worldview
• Efficiency: require as little as 90 minutes of their time each month
• Measurability: track progress weekly with clear KPIs and outcomes

I work with CEOs, founders, and senior executives at high-growth companies who want their leadership to be an asset that compounds.

My own path shapes how I think about leadership, communication, and influence:

• Officer aboard nuclear submarines, leading teams of more than 200 in high-stakes environments
• Stanford MBA and three-time founder
• Former CEO of StoryBox, funded by Eric Schmidt and used by over 1,000 brands
• Host of the 450-episode leadership and career podcast Beyond the Uniform

Every role taught me the same lesson: Executives are among a company’s most underutilized assets. When leaders communicate with clarity and consistency, they elevate culture, attract talent, deepen trust, and move their industries forward.

My work at Executive Presence is about helping leaders do exactly that - authentically, efficiently, and with measurable results.

CEO ◆ We turn leaders into thought leaders

We specialize in helping top-tier executives boost their visibility, activate their network, and position themselves as thought leaders via our premium, fully-managed LinkedIn service.

Our unique process involves ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants conducting monthly hour-long interviews with our clients, and turning them into impactful daily LinkedIn posts to establish their unique voice and authority. 

We've helped over 100 CEOs become thought leaders. On average, our clients see a 500% bump in engagement in their first 30 days with us. Data is continuously analyzed to improve engagement and identify impactful messaging that you can use for conferences, podcasts, and internal communications.

One of my clients sold his company for over $2 billion, and LinkedIn was part of his exit strategy.

When we started working together, he had posted 5 times in the last year, with minimal traction and no visible narrative. Eighteen months later, he was posting 20 times a month, pulling 400-plus likes on his top posts, and had become a recognized voice in his industry.

Then a Fortune 500 company acquired his company.

When the announcement went out, it reached his entire industry because two years of consistent publishing had already built the audience to receive it. Acquirers, partners, and investors had been watching him think in public for two years before the deal closed.

Most CEOs never think about LinkedIn until a liquidity event, a fundraise, or a leadership transition is already in motion. But by then, it's too late to build the credibility that makes those moments land.

At Executive Presence, we work with executives before those moments arrive.

So join me on March 18 for a live webinar where I'm breaking down this case study and three others, with real before-and-after data (replay available if you can't make it live).

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpMdqxwF

CEO @ Executive Presence | Executive LinkedIn Strategy | Say Something Worth Reading

One of my clients IPO'd at $6 billion.

He did it by posting less on LinkedIn, not more.

Before we started working together four years ago, he was already posting 18 times a month. More than most executives ever will. But 52% of his content was industry commentary. Safe. Professional. Forgettable.

We shifted the mix. He posted slightly less. 
Impressions went up 71%. 
Engagement rate went up 52%. 
Personal content drove 2.5x the reach of industry posts.

Less content. Better mix. $6 billion IPO.

I'm breaking down this case study and three others - with real before-and-after data - in a live webinar on March 18.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpMdqxwF

Yesterday, Executive Presence turned 4 years old. 

The last four years have been the most fulfilling years of my career. 

My first two companies didn't pan out as I had hoped. 
My third company has felt like the culmination of everything I learned in those first two endeavors. 

As I look back on our journey to this point, I want to thank people who played a key role on this journey.

David Lyon - you were the first person I told about this idea during a coaching session. You told me "this is the most clearly I've heard you describe a business. I love it." That encouragement was the initial spark. 

Ryan Hogan - you were our first official client. I couldn't have picked a more energizing, supportive client. 

Abby Cunningham - you were the first employee I hired. I never thought I wanted to hire another employee again. Your positivity & dedication made me change my mind. 

Kelley Braegger - you and I worked side-by-side in the trenches at all hours of the day. Your indomitable mindset kept me going. 

Bill Youstra - you challenged me when I needed it the most. "We've seen the limits of what Justin can build on his own." The day after you told me that, I got serious about becoming a recruiter for my company. 

Erin Dierker - I still cannot believe I ever convinced you to work with me. You are truly a unicorn - equal parts BCG-level strategy and Y-Combinator-level execution. 

Mitzi Mock - I've never campaigned so hard to hire someone. You convinced me that working with a close friend can be one of the greatest gifts in life. 

Greg Alexander - I still tear up thinking of your generosity. Your invitation to spend the weekend with you in Dallas changed the course of my company. You've shaped my thinking about business more than anyone else on this journey. 

My Entrepreneurs'​ Organization forum, No VC Coffee Club, and Collective 54: Thank you for being a sounding board, a support, and fellow travelers on this entrepreneurial journey.

And most of all - my team:
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
Thank you for making celebration, kindness & positivity a deep part of our culture.
Thank you for a commitment to constant learning, growth, and rapid iteration.
Thank you for supporting me and each other in a selfless way.
The best is yet to come. 

2026 is going to be our best year yet, and I can't wait for the next four years ahead.

LFG

One of my clients went from $0 to $200 million in revenue in <5 years.

2 of the 3 biggest retailers in the US regularly reference his LinkedIn posts in B2B sales meetings.

When we started working together, he had posted about 5 times a year for a decade, with minimal traction and no visible narrative. Two years later, he was posting 7 times a month with 5x the engagement, and the people reading his content were the buyers who matter most to his business.

When he walks into a meeting now, they already know who he is. His LinkedIn presence turned cold meetings into warm ones before a single word was said, and the biggest retailers in his market became familiar with his thinking long before any contract was on the table.

When a top-three retailer walks into a meeting already quoting your LinkedIn posts, the sales conversation starts from a completely different place. That kind of familiarity takes years to build, and it only comes from showing up consistently long before the meeting is ever scheduled.

I'm breaking down this case study and three others, with real before-and-after data, in a live webinar on March 18.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpMdqxwF

I watched a video of the McDonald's CEO eating a burger from his own restaurant, and I immediately recognized the problem.

He held the burger awkwardly, called it "the product," and took a tiny nibble before describing it like he was reading off a spec sheet. Millions of people roasted him for it, and one commenter said he looked "incredibly alien."

The thing is, Chris Kempczinski reportedly eats McDonald's three to four times a week. He probably loves the burger. 

But nobody who watched that video believed him, because the way he talked about his own product didn't match how someone who genuinely enjoys a burger actually talks about a burger.

That disconnect between what someone feels and how they express it is something I run into constantly in my work with CEOs on LinkedIn.

A CEO will be genuinely passionate about their company or their team, and then write a post that sounds like their PR department drafted it during their lunch.

I've helped hundreds of CEOs communicate on LinkedIn at @Executive Presence, and the first draft almost always has this problem. CEOs default to corporate language because it feels safe and polished, even though safe and polished is exactly how you lose people.

When a post reads like a press release, people scroll past it. And the audience you're trying to reach - employees, prospects, potential partners - never gets a sense of who you actually are.

The CEOs I've seen generate real traction talk about their business the way they'd talk about it over dinner. They name specific people, describe specific moments, and share specific lessons they've learned along the way. They sound like themselves, and their audiences respond to that.

Kempczinski's video went viral for the wrong reasons. But the lesson for every executive is the same one I share with our clients every week.

If you love your product (or your burger), talk about it like you love it. 

People can tell when you mean it, and they can absolutely tell when you don't.

Most of us need more time with more people.

I realized how true that was on a recent 48-hour trip to San Francisco, where I spent maybe two hours alone aside from sleeping. I'm someone who usually withdraws after big social events to recover, so I expected to be drained by the end of the trip.

But this trip was different, because I shared it with friends I have decades of depth, safety, and connection with. Being around them doesn't pull from my reserves the way a networking event or a conference would.

One afternoon, for example, I went on a two-hour hike with a friend near where he lives. There's something about being outside, in the sun, walking with someone and processing ideas together that effortlessly deepens a conversation. Hiking alone brings up ideas for me, but hiking with another person creates an exchange that goes beyond what I'd come up with on my own.

Later that weekend, I spent hours playing video games with a friend's son while his parents sat down and read. They clearly appreciated the breathing room, and I genuinely enjoyed feeling useful and connecting with their kid.

In both of those moments - the hike and the video games - everyone involved walked away with something they needed. 

When you spend extended time with people you trust, there's a natural give and take that's hard to replicate in a one-hour dinner or a scheduled Zoom call.

Both the give and the take are worth their weight in gold. After my trip, I walked away from 48 hours of nonstop togetherness more energized than I've felt in months. 

And I keep wondering why I don't do it more often.

I work with a CRO who built a $200M+ market from scratch, and three of the biggest retailers in the US now reference his LinkedIn posts in B2B sales meetings. 

Not his company's marketing materials or press releases. His LinkedIn posts.

And two years ago, he was posting five times a year.

He's one of four investor-backed leaders I've been tracking over the past two years, and the pattern across all four is almost identical. 

The same framework produced a $2B+ exit for a healthcare software CEO, 26% headcount growth for a Chief Clinical Officer during a nationwide talent crisis, and a $6B IPO for an enterprise software CEO who shifted his content mix and saw impressions jump 71%.

Every one of them either started from near-zero visibility or was visible in the wrong way. And every one of them almost quit in the first three months because it felt like nothing was happening.

But the ones who kept going are the ones you've heard of.

Four case studies that changed how I talk to operating partners about visibility I recently presented to a room full of PE and VC operating partners w

Open article: Every CEO Who Stayed Invisible Paid for It by Justin M. Nassiri • 6 min read

Every CEO Who Stayed Invisible Paid for It

I didn't know one of my employees was a baker until I spent an afternoon with him in San Francisco.

Having a remote team is one of the reasons we've been able to attract the best talent at Executive Presence - geographic separation within the U.S. hasn't limited our hiring. 

But remote work comes with a tradeoff. 

I miss breathing the same air as my people and getting a sense for who they are beyond a Zoom screen, where conversations tend to be scheduled, succinct, and specific, with rarely any room to wander.

So on a recent trip to San Francisco, I spent several hours with one of our newer Engagement Managers, Joey Perotti. We met at a coffee shop, went for a walk, grabbed dinner, went to lunch the next day, and walked some more.

After about an hour together, we’d already covered all the obvious work topics. And that's when the conversation got really interesting.

I learned that Joey's a baker. We talked about his creative journey writing screenplays and prose, and hosting a podcast. I got to see a side of him that a 30-minute Zoom call would never show me.

His time in film school, his documentary work, his podcast - all of these creative pursuits have sharpened his ability to help our clients communicate their stories, which is exactly what we need him to do.

Even as a fully remote company, I want to keep investing in these in-person moments with my team - and I only have 2 more team members to meet in person (hoping to see you soon Juliette C. and Melissa M.!).

So if a few hours over coffee and a walk can show me something months of Zoom calls couldn't, I'll keep booking the flights.

In 48 hours in San Francisco, I saw six Stanford University Graduate School of Business classmates and five of their children.

The length of my program at Stanford was only two years. But those two years were so intense - the workload, the pressure, the late nights figuring out what we wanted to do with our lives - that the bonds we formed run much deeper than two years would suggest.

And those bonds have persisted long after graduation, even as our lives have gone in completely different directions.

One friend runs a massive company, and another pivoted careers entirely. A few are deep in the weeds of parenthood, trying to figure out screen time rules and school choices and how to be present while also building something professionally.

Despite all that variance, every conversation I had that weekend landed in a similar place. 

Career is one piece of the pie, and for all of us, it's becoming a smaller piece. Fulfillment, family, health, being intentional about how we raise our kids - those are the things that dominated our conversations.

Even how we spend time together has changed. A far cry from how we spent our Friday nights at Stanford.

But no matter how different our lives look, these people still have a real read on me. They knew me during a formative period of my life, and because of that, they can be honest and direct in a way that few other people in my life can.

I'll always make time to invest in these friendships. Even when it means flying across the country for 48 hours.

Good people who genuinely know you - and are willing to tell you the truth - are always worth the trip.

LinkedIn personal branding for VPs and C-level executives | CEO @ GrowedIn

Began writing at 16. Started freelancing at 18. Launched GrowedIn at 21. Built GrowedIn Digital at 24. Turned it all into a group of companies at 25.

The north star remains the same: focus on quality, happy customers, and treating people well.

Most of my time now goes into driving vision, operations, and growth. I focus on building systems that scale, teams that care, and client relationships that last.

Outside work, I spend my time strength training, cycling, exploring new food spots, watching good films & TV shows, and writing occasionally on my personal website: keyurkumbhare.com.

Keyur Kumbhare

About 6 months ago, when we published the very first State of LinkedIn Report, one theme stood out clearly.

Personal brands were outperforming company pages.

That observation has been already discussed a lot over the past few years. LinkedIn works best when people talk to people. Posts from individuals tend to spark more conversation and move through networks faster.

Over time, another pattern has become clearer.

The conversation is no longer really about personal brands vs company pages.

The companies doing LinkedIn well today are using both, and treating them as part of the same system.

They simply play different roles.

Personal profiles are where thinking shows up.
Ideas. Perspectives. Lessons from the field.

Company pages carry the enterprise side of the brand.
Announcements. Product launches. Hiring updates. Company milestones.

One starts conversations.
The other records what the company is building and shipping.

When these are connected, the same idea moves through different layers of the network.

A leader shares a point of view.
The company page adds the official update or context.
Employees reshare it and add their own perspective.

Over time this creates a much stronger presence than relying on one channel alone.

This is one of the shifts we are looking at as we prepare the Spring edition of the State of LinkedIn Report.

There are a few more patterns emerging on LinkedIn that were not as visible even a year ago.

More on that soon.

Our Spring report drops in April. Link in the comments if you'd like to sign up.

I came across a post yesterday claiming personal branding delivered massive ROI in the first month for a client.

And honestly, this is where things start going wrong.

At GrowedIn, we’ve been in personal branding and LinkedIn for over 5 years now, and one thing has always been clear to us. Personal branding is not a direct revenue channel. It is a trust layer. A reputation layer.

Can it lead to business? Of course. People discover you, trust you, and sometimes reach out. But that is a byproduct, not the promise.

The problem with posts that push “5x ROI” or quick returns is that they set the wrong expectations. People come in thinking this is a lead generation engine. It isn’t. And when that expectation breaks, trust in the entire space drops.

We’ve seen this firsthand. Prospects often come in expecting immediate returns because that is what they’ve been told online. In reality, what personal branding does is much slower and much deeper. It shapes how people perceive you. It builds familiarity. It compounds over time.

If your goal is predictable leads, there are clearer ways to do it. Outbound, ads, structured sales processes. Those are designed for that outcome.

Personal branding plays a different role. It makes the rest of your efforts work better. It builds credibility before the conversation even starts.

As founders and operators, it is important to be honest about what we are selling and what we are buying. Not everything needs to be positioned as high ROI to be valuable.

Some things are valuable because they build the foundation.

taplio

The Battle

Justin M. Nassiri

Keyur Kumbhare

Followers

Posts

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Likes

Performance ScoreJustin M. Nassiri's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreKeyur Kumbhare's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Justin M. Nassiri

Keyur Kumbhare

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);}Justin M. Nassiri's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreKeyur Kumbhare's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJustin M. Nassiri's LinkedIn Performance