Justin Welsh

The $10M Solopreneur | Helping 100,000+ burned-out corporate professionals build six-figure, one-person online businesses.

Over the last decade, I helped build two companies past a $1B valuation and raise over $300M in venture capital. 

Then, in 2019, I burned out.

So, I decided to walk away from my high-paying executive job.

But, before I could, I had a hypothesis.

I believed building an audience online would be an incredible asset. That attention was the new currency and would play a major part in my success as an entrepreneur.

So, I started building my brand on LinkedIn in early 2019. 

And the results were pretty phenomenal.

In just 6 months, I grew from zero followers to over 20,000.

And on August 1st of 2019, I walked away from my executive role at a fast-growing startup.

Since that day, I've spent my time building a number of one-person Internet businesses.

My results:

→ $10.3M+ in business revenue at a ~86% profit margin.
→ 750K+ people following my journey on LinkedIn
→ 535K+ people following my journey on Twitter
→ 175K+ people read my weekly newsletter
→ 900M+ impressions in the last 6 years

If you want to learn more about how I did this, you can take one of my self-guided courses.

THE CREATOR MBA DIGITAL COURSE

The Creator MBA teaches you frameworks for turning your knowledge and expertise into a quality product that people will buy. Come learn to build a lean, focused, and profitable Internet business.

→ Start watching here: learn.justinwelsh.me/creator-mba

THE OPERATING SYSTEM DIGITAL COURSE

In this 120-minute course, you will learn the complete LinkedIn operating system that I used to grow from 0 to 750K followers and earn $10M+ in income with zero advertisements. Join 40,000+ students and 70+ LinkedIn Top Voices in my LinkedIn course rated 4.98/5 stars.

→ Start watching here: learn.justinwelsh.me/linkedin

THE CONTENT OS DIGITAL COURSE

In this 85-minute course, you will learn the 8-part content creation machine behind 600M+ impressions on LinkedIn and Twitter, and building a 175,000+ subscriber newsletter. If you're looking for systems to produce 10-15 pieces of high-quality written content every single day, this is the course for you.

→ Start watching here: learn.justinwelsh.me/content

Email: support@justinwelsh.me
X: @thejustinwelsh

Founder

Join 75k+ subscribers to the Saturday Solopreneur. Every Saturday morning, you'll get 1 actionable tip on audience and revenue growth for your online business.

The smartest people I know are the most teachable.

That sounds backward.

You'd think the more you know, the less you need to learn.

But it works the opposite way.

The people who are really good at something?

They're constantly asking questions.
Admitting what they don't know.
Changing their minds when evidence changes.

The people who are stuck?

They already have all the answers.

I've been running my own business for almost 7 years now.

I still read stuff from people who are just getting started.

Still change my approach when something isn't working.

Still get things wrong every single day.

That's not a weakness.
That's part of the game of entrepreneurship.

The moment you decide you've figured it out is the moment you stop growing.

And in a world that changes this fast, standing still is the same as moving in reverse.

Be the person who's always learning.

Not because you're insecure about what you know.
Because you're curious about what you don't.

I write a weekly newsletter to 180K+ entrepreneurs who want to continuously get better.

Every week I share what's working, what's not, and what I'm still figuring out.

As a bonus, you'll also get my 2026 LinkedIn growth guide free when you sign up. 

It's the playbook I used to go from 2,000 to 815,000 followers.

Get it now → https://buff.ly/gqZIz2O

The $10M Solopreneur | Helping 100,000+ experts turn their expertise into income.

I overthought my first 100 posts.

Edited them to death.
Spent hours on each one.
Waited for the "perfect" moment to publish.

Most of them flopped anyway.

Then I started posting faster.

Rougher drafts. 
Less editing. 
Just hit publish and see what happens.

Those posts did better.

Turns out nobody cared about the stuff I was obsessing over.

They cared whether the idea landed.

Overthinking feels like effort.
But it's usually just fear.

You can't think your way to good content.
You have to publish your way there.

The feedback is in the arena, not in your drafts folder.

If you've been stuck tweaking instead of posting, stop. 

I put together a free 2026 LinkedIn Growth Guide to take the guesswork out of it. 

Just follow the playbook.

It's everything I learned going from 2,000 to 820,000 followers.

You'll get it when you join my weekly newsletter for 180K+ entrepreneurs.

Get it here → https://buff.ly/44xK67t

I come from a family of employees.

Good people. 
Hard workers. 
Steady paychecks.

Nobody ever started a business.

Nobody talked about building something of their own.

That wasn’t the path.

The path was: get good grades, get a good job, work there for 30 years, retire.

So when I left a corporate CRO role to go out on my own, it didn’t make sense to anyone.

I had the good job. 
I’d done the path right.
Why would I walk away from that?

I didn’t have a good answer at the time.

I just knew I wanted to try something different.

Six years later, I run an 8-figure business by myself.

I work 3 to 4 hours a day.

I have more freedom than anyone in my family has ever had.

Simply because I gave myself permission to do it differently.

You don’t need your family’s approval.
You don’t need someone’s blueprint. 
You’re allowed to be the first.

Someone has to go first.
It might as well be you!

When I started, I had no audience, no product, and no clue.

The thing that changed everything was building in public on LinkedIn.

One platform. 
One skill. 
That’s what opened every door.

I put together a free 2026 LinkedIn Growth Guide with everything I learned going from 2,000 to 820,000 followers.

You’ll get it when you join my weekly newsletter for 180K+ entrepreneurs.

Get it here → https://lnkd.in/eymFT7nF

image credit: tiffinikilgore

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You need delusion.

You need audacity.

Sanity is actually a liability.

Every entrepreneur I know was told they were being unrealistic.

"That won't work."
"You don't have the experience."
"Why would anyone pay you for that?"

The "realistic" people said all of this.

And the realistic people are still exactly where they were five years ago.

Meanwhile, the delusional ones?

They built the thing anyway.

They launched before they were ready.
They ignored people who said it wouldn't work.
They believed in something no one else could see.

Remember:

You cannot build something new while thinking like everyone else.

The timing will never be perfect.
The odds will never be in your favor.
The math will never make sense at the start.

You have to be a little delusional to hit "publish" anyway.

A little audacious to charge money for your ideas.

A little insane to bet on yourself when no one else will.

The people who play it safe don't build anything.

They just watch and wonder.

If you're ready to stop wondering and start building, I just launched a free 30-day challenge that helps you earn $1,000 from your expertise.

It's called The Expert OS.

- One short video per day. 
- All of my templates.
- All of my sequences.
- And all of my prompts. 

Everything you need to get your first paying customer in 30 days.

Start day 1→ https://lnkd.in/ezT6vcCv

Your energy doesn't lie.

When something's right for you, it gives energy.

Not because it's easy.
Not because you're good at it yet.

But because it lights something up in you.

When I started writing online, I was bad at it.

Like, really bad.

But every piece I published made me want to write the next one.

Even the ones that flopped.

That's how I knew.

Compare that to my last few years in corporate.

Every email felt super heavy.
Every meeting took something out of me.
Successful on paper, but running on empty.

Same effort.
Similar hours. 
Totally different energy.

Most people ignore this signal.

They stay in the thing that drains them because it pays well or looks impressive.

Then they wonder why they're exhausted all the time.

Your energy is telling you something.

The work that's right for you won't feel like you're constantly pushing uphill.

It'll feel like something you want to keep doing, even when it's hard.

I write a weekly newsletter to 180K+ entrepreneurs on finding and building that kind of work.

And if you're struggling to get your work in front of an audience, you'll also get my 2026 LinkedIn growth guide (advice from 2,000 to 815,000 followers) free when you sign up.

Get it now → https://buff.ly/gqZIz2O

We make terrible decisions when we're overwhelmed.

Too many projects. 
Too many priorities. 
Too much noise in our heads.

We work more hours but get less done. 
We spend days agonizing over small decisions.

The problem isn't effort.
It's a lack of focus.

When you're stressed, your brain narrows. 
You can't see options. 
You react instead of thinking.

The best thing I ever did for my business was slow down.

Fewer projects. 
Fewer priorities. 
Fewer tabs open (literally and mentally).

It felt unproductive at first.

But something really interesting happened over time.

I started making better decisions. 
And making them a lot faster. 
With less second-guessing.

Because I could actually think.

The calmer you are, the clearer you think. 

And that's worth more than hustle.

Most people build businesses that stress them out. 

I help over 180,000 entrepreneurs build businesses that are the opposite.

Lean, small, profitable.

I send out 4-minute playbooks every Saturday morning to help you start.

You'll learn:

- 6-figure frameworks that run on autopilot.
- The strategies that built my 1.5M+ audience.
- How to build wealth without ever hiring a team.
- Why "scaling" is terrible advice for most people.

BONUS: You'll also get my 2026 LinkedIn Growth Guide for free.

Join here: https://buff.ly/e9HmJhK

I spent 17 years building things for other people.

Their companies.
Their timelines.
Their visions.

And I was handsomely rewarded for it.

Hit my numbers.
Got the promotions.
Made some good money.

But in the back of my mind, I knew I was always one "reorganization" away from making $0.

I kept going day in and day out.

Then one day, I burned out and couldn't do it any longer.

And it hit me:

I was building someone else's asset with my time, energy, and ideas.

The system isn't broken. 
It's working exactly as designed.

It needs smart people to trade their expertise for a paycheck.

Your expertise is yours.
Your experience is yours.

The question is whether you're going to keep giving it away or finally do something with it.

I built a free course for people who are (finally) done building someone else's dream.

It's called The Expert OS.

It's a free 30-day challenge that walks you from "I know stuff" to "people pay me for what I know."

No "mindset" training.
No flimsy, fluffy nonsense.
Just my entire playbook for business building.

Here's what you'll get:

- My "bleeding neck" framework for $250K ideas.
- My $12M+ plug-and-play sales page template.
- My 10-email launch sequence that sells.
- 10+ AI prompts to speed up your build.

It's my entire framework for building my 8-figure business online.

Start Day 1 → https://lnkd.in/ezT6vcCv

Talking about your idea feels like progress.

It's not.

I spent a full year telling people about my "big plans."

At work.
At dinners.
To anyone who'd listen.

Got all the nods.
All the encouragement.
All the "you should totally do that."

Felt great.
Felt productive.

But I wasn't building anything.

I was borrowing the feeling of progress without actually making any.

Every conversation gave me just enough satisfaction to delay starting.

Eventually, I noticed a pattern:

The people who build things disappear for a while.
Then they come back with something real.

The people who talk about building things?
Usually still talking.

Ideas are free.
Everyone has them.

Execution is the whole game.

So I stopped announcing my plans.
And just started working on them.

Six years later, it's an 8-figure business.

Not because I had better ideas.
Because I finally shut up and built one.

If you're ready to stop talking and start building, I created a free 30-day course to help you.

It's called The Expert OS.

One short video per day. All of my templates, sequences, and prompts. Everything you need to get your first paying customer in 30 days.

Start day 1: https://lnkd.in/ezT6vcCv

I'm convinced: You'll never work for a better company than the one you build. 
 
When you build your own business?
 
1. You get to play every role.
2. You build an insane amount of skills.
3. You're forced to take responsibility for all.
4. You can put your family and loved ones first.
 
Is it extremely difficult? Hell yes.
 
Will every day be sunshine and rainbows? Hell no.

In fact, it will be challenging, frustrating, difficult, and painful.

But, man, is it meaningful.
 
And at the end of the day, you'll have the only boss in the universe that has your best interest in mind 100% of the time.
 
YOU.
 
It feels like it's just one decision.

But, really, it's the start of a whole new life.

If you want to start building something for YOU, I put together a free 30-day system to help.

It's called The Expert OS.

One short video per day. All of my templates, sequences, pages, and AI prompts. 

Everything you need to have paying customers in 30 days.

Start day 1 → https://buff.ly/1c87Alu

Ambition is a funny thing.

When you're starting, "more" is always the answer.

More clients, more revenue, more followers, more output.

And that's right. 
For a while.

But at some point, the game changes, and nobody tells you.

You keep optimizing for more when you should be optimizing for less.

Less stuff.
Less noise. 
Less obligation. 

The people I know who seem the most at peace?

They're not chasing the next milestone.
They're deliberately removing things from their life.

Saying no to opportunities that look good on paper.
Protecting their calendar as priority number one.

Because...it kind of is.

I spent years in a career where growth was the only metric.

More deals, more responsibility, more hours.

It worked until it didn't.

Turns out the thing I actually wanted wasn't more.

It was enough. 
Room to breathe.
Room to enjoy the day with my spouse.

It took 6+ years, but I was able to build an 8-figure business that runs mostly on autopilot and creative writing.

Now, I write a weekly newsletter to 180K+ readers on building a business that gives you your life back instead of taking it.

You'll also get my 2026 LinkedIn growth guide (2,000 to 815,000 followers) free when you sign up.

Get it now → https://buff.ly/gqZIz2O

I quit a job making $550,000 per year.

People thought that I was "very stupid."

Maybe I was.

But I'd rather be crazy than spend another decade wondering "what if I tried?"

Most people fail because they never try at all.

They talk themselves out of it before they start.

Too late.
Too risky.
Too uncertain.
Too competitive.

The excuses are endless. 
And they all sound reasonable.

But the people who win aren't the ones with the best ideas or the most talent.

They're the ones who actually do the thing.

Send the email. 
Launch the offer. 
Post the content. 
Ask for the sale.

While everyone else is waiting for permission or certainty, they just go a hundred miles an hour.

You can do whatever you want with your life.

But you have to actually believe that. 
And then you have to act like it.

I built a free 30-day course for people who are ready to stop waiting.

It's called The Expert OS.

It takes the thing you're good at and turns it into a real business. 

You'll get:

- All my templates
- All my launch emails
- All my sales page designs
- All of my AI prompts to speed you up
- Everything you need to make $1,000 in 30 days.

Start day 1→ https://buff.ly/1c87Alu

I get called lucky a lot.

And honestly? I have been lucky.

I had savings when I quit my job.
I wrote on LinkedIn before it was popular.
And a wife who supported me while I figured it out.

But here's the thing about luck:

It doesn't show up when you're sitting around.
It shows up when you're working on something.

I wrote online for 8 months before anything happened.

If I'd quit after six months, the "luck" never would've found me.

Most people aren't unlucky.

They just stopped before the luck had a chance to land.

You have to be in motion for good things to find you.

You have to be building something for opportunities to attach to.

Luck is real.
But it has a bias toward people who take action.

If you're in that silent phase right now, where you're working and nothing seems to be happening, keep going.

And if you want to shorten the timeline, I put together a free 2026 LinkedIn Growth Guide with what I learned going from 2,000 to 820,000 followers.

You'll get it when you join my weekly newsletter for 180K+ entrepreneurs.

Get it here → https://buff.ly/AwBX8Ke

People confuse wealth with money.

They're related, but not the same at all.

I used to make great money at work. 

Big title and bonuses, the whole startup thing.
But my calendar always belonged to other people. 

If something came up with Jennifer or I just needed a slow morning? 

Too bad. 
The day was already 100% spoken for.

Now I make decisions based on how I want a random Tuesday to look. 

That doesn't sound like a big deal until you realize most people can't do it.

The new, modern status symbol is being able to say "I don't feel like it today" and have that actually mean something.

Most people are on a treadmill of trading their time for money so they can eventually buy their time back. 

But the math rarely works out. 

You just get used to the lifestyle and need more money to maintain it.

The goal isn't to get rich enough to stop working. 

It's to build something that doesn't require you to sacrifice your life while you're doing it.

To be able to do what you want, when you want, with whom you want.

I write a weekly newsletter to 180K+ entrepreneurs on building that kind of business so you can enjoy your life.

You'll get my 2026 LinkedIn growth guide (2,000 to 815,000 followers) free when you sign up.

Get it now → https://buff.ly/gqZIz2O

Prior to 2019, I'd never used social media. 

3 years later, I had 1 million followers.

But for the first eight months, nobody listened. 

I had no followers. 
No engagement. 
No proof it was working.

But I kept going. 

Not because I was certain it would work. 
Because I was certain it wouldn't if I didn't.

Here's what I missed:

Results aren't linear. 

You stay invisible for a long time, then suddenly you're not.

The people who win aren't more talented. 
They're still here. 
They outlasted the doubt.

Six years ago, I couldn't have imagined this life. 

Working a few hours a day from the mountains. 

No boss. 
No commute. 
No Sunday scaries. 
Jennifer and I doing whatever we want.

All because I kept writing.
Even when nobody was listening.

If you're in that invisible phase, I want to help you get through it faster.

I put everything I learned into my 2026 LinkedIn Growth Guide:

• Go from "who's this guy" to "I see you everywhere."
• The 3 mistakes that kept me invisible for months.
• The simple system that finally broke through.
• The one thing all fast-growth accounts do.

Get it free when you join my newsletter.

Read it now: https://buff.ly/LtePUUO

I spent 16 years becoming a CRO, and then I quit to post on LinkedIn.

For two years, I knew I needed to leave. 

Every time I got close, I found a reason to wait. 

Not enough savings. 
Not the right time. 
Not sure it would work.

All true (but all excuses).

The thing I was most afraid of was the thing I most needed to do. 

It wasn't some anxious fear. 

It was the deep, quiet fear of doing something real. 

Putting yourself out there. 
Risking rejection.

That fear means you're close to something important.

Most people ignore it their whole lives. 

They stay in jobs they've outgrown. 
They sit on ideas they never test. 
They keep their expertise to themselves.

The move you're most scared to make is usually the one worth making.

I finally made mine. 
It changed everything.

Now I help over 180,000 entrepreneurs do it every week with 4-minute playbooks every Saturday morning.

You'll learn:

• 6-figure frameworks that run on autopilot
• The strategies that built my 1.5M+ audience
• How to build wealth without hiring a team
• Why "scaling" is terrible advice for most people

BONUS: You'll also get my 2026 LinkedIn Growth Guide for free.

Join here: https://buff.ly/e9HmJhK

You don't have to choose.

Make money OR help people.
Grow the business OR enjoy your life.
Build something meaningful OR have fun.

That's the trade-off everyone accepts.

And I think it's ridiculous

I've watched people build businesses that crush them.

They make great money but dread the work.
They help people but hate how they're doing it.
They scale and then spend years trying to escape.

Eight figures.
Zero joy.

They optimized for one goal and sacrificed the other two.

Here's what I've learned:

You can definitely have all three.

But you have to build for all three from day one.

Not "make money now, add fun later."
Not "grind now, enjoy life eventually."

I promise you that later never comes.

The people who win in the long term?

They build around work they love.
They refuse to trade happiness for money.
They design the business to fit their life first.

If you're building something right now, ask yourself:

Will I still want to do this in 10 years?

If the answer is no, you're building a trap.

I built a free 30-day system to help you build all three.

It's called The Expert OS.

One short video per day. All of my landing page templates, email sequences, and AI prompts. 

Everything you need to get your first paying customer in 30 days.

Start day 1: https://lnkd.in/ezT6vcCv

Time to make a lot of money, help a lot of people, and have a lot of fun.

Freedom isn't retirement at 65.

It's a 100% free Tuesday at 2pm.

I left a corporate executive role at 38 because I was tired of asking permission to live my life.

Doctor's appointment? Check the calendar.
Long weekend? Run it by the team.

My time wasn't really mine.

Now, some days I work 8 hours.
Some days I work 2.
Some days I don't work at all.

And that's kinda the whole point.

Not to never work.
Just to choose when and how.

People think freedom means traveling the world.
But that's a vacation!

Real freedom is a lot different than that.

It's total control over your time, your energy, and your decisions.

It's not easy to build that kind of life.
It's incredibly hard.

You can't just take a Tuesday afternoon off if your income disappears when you do.

It took me over 2 years to finally figure it out.

But once I did, my life and business changed forever.

And the last 4 years have been focused on growing to an 8-figure business that runs mostly on autopilot and some creative content.

Now I show 180K+ weekly readers how to build the same kind of business each week in my newsletter.

As a bonus, you'll also get my 2026 LinkedIn growth guide (advice from 2,000 to 820,000 followers) for free when you sign up.

Get it now → https://buff.ly/gqZIz2O

Alesia Kapadia

I failed a lot (in public) over the last six years.

Offers nobody bought. 
Posts nobody read. 
Ideas that went nowhere.

It feels embarrassing at first.

But here's what I learned: 

None of those failures mattered.

They didn't hurt my reputation. 
They didn't set me back. 
They were just...attempts that didn't work.

What would have hurt is never starting.

Sitting on an idea for years. 
Watching other people build.
Wondering "what if" forever.

That's not avoiding failure. 
That literally is failure.

The only way to truly fail is to never try.
Everything else is just information.

Launch something, and nobody buys? 
You learned your offer needs work.

Post something, and nobody reads it? 
You learned your hook was off.

Send a DM and get ignored? 
You learned you need a better angle.

None of that is failure. 
It's all feedback.

But you only get feedback if you start.

Join over 180,000 entrepreneurs in my newsletter, learning to finally start businesses around their expertise.

I send 4-minute playbooks every Saturday morning to help you get started.

You'll learn:

- 6-figure frameworks that run on autopilot.
- The strategies that built my 1.5M+ audience.
- How to build wealth without ever hiring a team.
- Why "scaling" is terrible advice for most people.

BONUS: You'll also get my 2026 LinkedIn Growth Guide for free.

Join here: https://buff.ly/e9HmJhK

I told everyone about my big idea.

Then I did nothing about it for a year.

Talked about it at work.
Mentioned it to friends.

Got all of the nods, the encouragement, and the "that's awesome, you should totally do that."

It felt really great.
Felt like progress.

It wasn't.

I was borrowing the feeling of building something without actually building it.

The more I talked, the less I did.

Every little conversation gave me just enough satisfaction to delay starting.

Eventually, I saw the pattern.

The people who do things don't talk first.
They disappear for a while.
Then they come back with something real.

The ones who talk the most?
Usually still talking.

Ideas mean nothing.
Everyone has them.
Execution is the whole game.

So I stopped telling people my plans.
And just started executing on them.

Let the work speak instead of my mouth.
That's when things actually started to happen.

Six years of showing up, not talking about showing up.

That's what built an 8-figure business and an audience of 820,000.

If you're done planning and ready to start building, I put together a free guide to help you.

It's my 2026 LinkedIn Guide to LinkedIn growth.

Inside, you'll learn:

- The "silent build" for your first 10K followers
- How to "play the hits" for more tractions
- The 7:51 a.m. "siphon method" for views
- How to "prime the algorithm" to win

100% free when you join my newsletter.

Read it here → https://buff.ly/9FVcBq4

I didn't have it figured out when I started.

I still don't, honestly.

People assume that because something worked out, there was a plan.

Some moment where it all clicked and the path became clear.

That's not actually how it happened.

When I left my corporate job in 2019, I had no idea what I was doing.

Zero clue.

I just knew I couldn't keep doing what I was doing.

So I started.
Uncertain.
Confused.
Making it up as I went.

Six years later, people tell me I inspired them.

Which is funny.

Because most days I'm still figuring it out in real time.

The difference isn't getting clear on what works.

It's deciding that confusion isn't a good enough reason to stay stuck.

Everyone's waiting to feel ready.

Waiting for the moment when they finally know what to do.

That moment doesn't come.
You just start and figure it out along the way.

The people you look up to aren't less confused than you.

They just got moving while they were still uncertain.

Listen, you don't have to figure out everything from scratch.

When I started building my LinkedIn audience, I made every mistake possible.

It took me years to learn what actually works.

I put all of my learnings (including the dumb mistakes) into a free 2026 LinkedIn growth guide so you don't have to waste that time.

It's the playbook I used to go from 2,000 to 820,000 followers.

You'll get it free when you join my weekly newsletter for 180K+ entrepreneurs.

Read it here → https://lnkd.in/eiGDtKiE

Tilly Davies

Most professional service businesses don’t have a lead problem.

They have a 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.

Not because they’re careless.
Not because they lack discipline.
But because they’re human.

You’re delivering work.
Managing admin.
Staying visible.
Replying to messages.
Trying to grow without burning out.

And in that constant motion, good conversations quietly slip through the cracks.

Leads go cold.
Opportunities stall.
And the business starts to feel heavier than it should.

That’s the real issue.

Not your offer.
Not your experience.
Not your credibility.

I build 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 for professional service businesses.

Practical, integrated systems that make follow-up inevitable, reduce admin, and create calmer, more predictable client flow.

This isn’t about bolting AI on top of your business.

It’s about building 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀, so conversations are protected, relationships are followed through, and nothing depends on memory alone.

No gimmicks.
No generic prompts.
No templated automation.

Just infrastructure that quietly supports the human behind the business.

Here’s the principle everything is built on:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽.
𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵.

You don’t need more hustle.
You don’t need to post constantly.
You don’t need to chase leads.

You need a system that works when you’re busy, focused, or offline.

If you want to see what’s missing in your current setup, message me 𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙-𝗟𝗘𝗗 and I’ll share the Client Readiness Checklist.

Client Acquisition Expert | Digital Marketing Top Voice | CEO | Founder | 

As a Business Professional with over 40 years’ experience in various industries I started MarketingCX in January 2016. I support my clients Business Strategies by using digital marketing, social media marketing and social selling methodologies to market their businesses online, specializing in LinkedIn.  I am commited to deliver an exceptional service, measurable and manageable results, and a positive return on investment to my clients. 

𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗜 𝗗𝗢 𝗜𝗧: My approach combines a mix of innovation, strategy, technology and digital marketing to craft solutions that are tailored to each client’s unique needs and goals.

𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦: It’s adaptive and forward-thinking. By staying ahead of technological advancements and industry trends, I ensure that my clients’ marketing efforts are leading the curve, resulting in sustained growth and a significant competitive advantage. 

𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗜 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘:
➡️ MCXWebsuite - Customer Centric Websites/Funnels plus MarketingAI Software
➡️ LeadGenPro - LinkedIn Lead Generation DFY plus MarketingAI Software
➡️ MarketingCX Machine - Plug and Play Marketing System
➡️ BizGrowthMarketMinds - Community Portal 

𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗠𝗘:
LinkedInBuddy Webinars
Leaders Live
Social Media Summit
Lunchtime Series Podcast
LinkedIn
ORT Jet Business Bootcamp

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗦𝗔𝗬:
“Tilly has all the tips and tricks to ignite your LinkedIn profile. She helps you to build a credible profile that will bring in more business. I highly recommended Tilly's services. Thanks Tilly.” - Virginie Nothard - Executive NeuroCoach

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵:
I’m always looking to connect with businesses interested in elevating their digital marketing game. Whether you’re seeking advice, collaboration, or services, feel free to reach out on LinkedIn or via my website.
📧 Email me at tilly@marketingcx.co.za

I’m alive. We’re alive. And that’s what matters most.

Last Friday afternoon, just before 5pm, my husband and I were sitting under our lapa, finally exhaling after a long week of work. In seconds, that peaceful moment turned into a fight for our lives.

Four men entered our back garden armed with crowbars and pangas. The anger in their eyes and the weapons in their hands made it immediately clear that this was serious. One grabbed me, demanded my wedding ring, and held a knife to my hand, threatening to cut off my finger if I didn’t comply. I handed over my ring and was forced into the house, where they demanded our safe and the rest of my jewellery.

What followed was chaos. Cupboards were emptied, rooms were ransacked, and fear filled the air. My husband and I were eventually forced into a bedroom, covered with a duvet, holding each other in silence, praying our children would not walk into the middle of it all.

Thankfully, the attackers left before that happened.

Our children arrived soon after. Everything was gone. The house was destroyed. But we were alive. And as our family gathered that evening, shaken but together, one truth stood out above everything else.

Love and family are all that truly matter.

I’m sharing this to explain my brief absence and to reassure everyone that, while shaken, I am recovering well. I expect to be fully operational again by Thursday.

I also want to thank my incredible team and clients. Because our work and services are remote, operations continued uninterrupted. This is a testament to resilience, strong systems, and people who truly care.

We now rebuild in a world where violence and crime can feel normalised. But love, faith, and family remain stronger.

Thank you for the messages, the support, and the patience.
If you have been waiting to connect, collaborate, or continue work, I will be back and available from Thursday onward.

Please hug your loved ones a little tighter today.

Mathilda (Tilly) Davies

Founder of Robolead | One platform to run your business online, automate follow-up, and get AI-ready without adding more tools

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I keep meeting business owners who feel a bit… tricked by AI.

They did what everyone said.
Tried the tools.
Saved the prompts.
Added automation.

And yet their business still feels messy.
Follow-up is inconsistent.
Customer experience feels colder than before.

I don’t think they did anything wrong.

What I’ve noticed, after working in tech for decades, is that this happens every time a new technology wave hits.

It happened with websites.
It happened with CRMs.
And it’s happening again with AI.

The businesses that struggle aren’t behind.
They’re just not aligned for the tech they’ve added.

When workflows are fuzzy, AI amplifies it.
When roles aren’t clear, AI feels chaotic.
When the human side isn’t protected, AI sounds robotic.

None of that means AI is a bad idea.
It just means the business wasn’t ready yet.

And that’s actually good news.
Because readiness is something you can check calmly, without ripping everything apart.

If you’re tired of feeling like you were sold the promise but left with the cleanup, starting with a Business AI Readiness Indicator is the right decision (available on my Profile).

💾 Save this if you know you’ll need this reminder later.

Almost every week there’s a “new must-have AI tool.”
And almost every week I hear the same thing.

“Why does nothing actually feel easier?”

People are adding AI content tools.
Posting more.
Generating leads.

But then… things stall.

Messages get missed.
Follow-ups don’t happen.
And running the business online still feels heavy.

I see this all the time, and I get it.

AI isn’t failing you.

What’s failing is trying to run your business online across too many disconnected tools.

Content lives in one place.
Leads in another.
Messages somewhere else.
Follow-ups rely on memory.

So AI creates activity, but not momentum.

That’s why I stopped recommending “more tools.”

What actually helps is one system that brings everything together.

That’s what Robolead is.

Robolead is the command centre for your business online.

It captures your leads, tracks every conversation, follows up automatically, and shows you what’s working, all in one place.

Once that foundation is in place, AI finally does what it’s meant to do.

It supports you.
It saves time.
It works like extra team members who never forget and never stop.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not behind.

You’re just missing the system that ties it all together.

👉 Comment CONTROL and I’ll walk you through how Robolead works in real businesses.

I don’t want to be a “what if” person.

Our lives are defined by opportunities. The ones we take and the ones we miss.

That’s true personally, and it’s true in business.

A week ago, a violent house break-in turned my world upside down. In the days since, I’ve been recovering, restoring, and rebuilding. Not just my home, but my sense of safety and clarity. Experiences like that strip everything back to what really matters. They make time feel precious. Choices feel heavier.

And they remind me of something important. We don’t always get unlimited chances.

In business right now, we are standing in front of one of those moments.

We have better tools than ever before. AI isn’t hype. It is leverage. It is speed, clarity, scale, and possibility for those willing to learn it and use it well.

This is an opportunity.

And this is one I don’t want to look back on and say, “What if I’d leaned in?” or “What if I’d acted sooner?”

I’m choosing to step forward. Intentionally. Thoughtfully. Without regret.

Because I don’t want my future defined by what if.

If you are in a season of rebuilding or hesitation, know this. You do not have to have it all figured out to take the next step. Small, brave choices still count, and they add up.

Social media makes business look easy.
Real growth looks more like gardening.

Every business has problems.
That’s unavoidable.

What makes the difference is how we respond when things feel heavy, unclear, or slow.

When I need to reset, I go to the garden.
To my roses.
Hands in the soil. No noise. No performance.

Roses have taught me lessons business never did.
Growth can’t be rushed.
Pruning is necessary.
And not every season is meant for blooming.

Social media marketing often makes struggling entrepreneurs sound wildly successful and their solutions effortless.
But real progress doesn’t happen that way.

Most growth is quiet.
Unseen.
Built in moments no one posts about.

Sometimes the strongest move isn’t pushing harder.
It’s stepping back.
Breathing.
Trusting yourself more than the noise.

You don’t need to bloom every day.
Rest is part of the process.

You’ve got this 🌱
Go recuperate.

What helps you reset when business feels heavy?

If AI doesn’t remove responsibility from humans, it’s not built into your business | Calm, outcome-owned Human-Led AI systems for professional service businesses

To me, we are thinking about AI wrong.
So naturally, we’re using it wrong.

We think AI is magic. It’s not.
We also think it’s just automation. That’s not quite right either.

A better way to think about it is this:
automation handles repeatable work.
AI adds flexibility when things aren’t perfectly predictable.

Automation follows rules.
AI learns, adapts, and makes choices.
Together, they’re powerful. Separately, they’re just… tools.

Which is why treating AI like a search engine misses the point.
Just asking it questions, prompts, also misses the point.
And stacking it on top of messy processes misses it even more.

AI doesn’t replace clarity.
It runs on it.

Clean processes.
Fewer tools.
One integrated system instead of ten glued together.

AI won’t fix chaos.
It’ll just think faster inside it.

The goal isn’t more tech.
It’s a lean machine that can think and do.

It’s Sunday. I’m resting. I’m relaxing.
But my business?

Still working.
Because the system is working.
And AI is working inside it.

Who is working today - you or AI?

Most people use ChatGPT every day.
Very few use it in a way that actually changes how their business runs.

Not because they’re bad at prompting.
But because they bolt AI onto broken workflows and hope for magic.

I built this one-page visual reference to show a better approach.
Not tricks. Not tools for the sake of tools.
Just practical ways to think and work differently.

This cheat sheet focuses on:

✅Starting with real context, not vague questions
✅Using iteration instead of chasing perfect prompts
✅Knowing when to search, and when to actually think
✅Setting AI up to support how you work, not distract you

This matters because my mission is simple:
I help businesses build AI into how they operate, not bolt it on.
That means fewer admin tasks, better follow-up, and calmer, more efficient days.

AI should reduce noise, not create more of it.
The advantage doesn’t come from sounding clever with prompts,
It comes from clear thinking, integrated systems, and workflows that make sense.

📌 Save this if you want AI to feel useful, not overwhelming.
♻️ Repost if it helps reset how you think about ChatGPT.

Ten years in business does not look like the photos people post.
It looks like doubt at 2am.
It looks like starting again when you swore you were done.
It looks like betting on yourself when the spreadsheet says you shouldn’t.

Today marks my 10‑year anniversary of BizwithAI.
Formerly MarketingCX.
And before that, two other businesses that taught me lessons the hard way.

Here’s the part most people don’t tell you.

Before entrepreneurship, I spent 20 years in the corporate world.
I did the meetings, the KPIs, the politics, the long hours building someone else’s vision.
I learned structure, discipline, systems, and resilience.
I also learned what it feels like to give everything and still feel replaceable.

Then I chose the harder road.
Entrepreneurship.

Twenty‑five years of it now.
Three businesses.
Countless pivots.
Wins that felt unreal.
Failures that nearly broke me.

Months where clients flowed.
Months where the silence was deafening.

Moments of confidence.
Moments of deep frustration.

There were launches that flopped.
Offers that didn’t land.
Clients who taught me painful lessons about boundaries.
And seasons where persistence was the only thing I had left.

But there were also breakthroughs.

Clients whose lives and businesses changed because I refused to give them shortcuts.
Systems built from scratch that finally worked.

A rebrand in 2025 that wasn’t cosmetic, but a full identity shift.
From MarketingCX to BizwithAI.
A decision rooted in clarity, not trend‑chasing.

Here’s the lesson that took me decades to learn.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Real success comes from staying when it would be easier to quit.
From doing the work when nobody is applauding.
From focusing obsessively on delivering more value than the money you take.

If you chase cash first, you burn out.
If you chase impact first, the money follows.

Business rewards persistence, not perfection.
Consistency, not hype.
Service, not ego.

Ten years in this business.
A lifetime of lessons.
And I’m still here.
Still learning.
Still building.
Still giving.

If you’re in the messy middle, this is your reminder:

You’re not 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙.
You’re not 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣.
You’re 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜.

How many years into your journey are you, and what’s one lesson you’d share with someone earlier on?

Follow me, Mathilda (Tilly) Davies, if you want honest conversations about building businesses that last.

Not overnight success stories.
Not empty motivation.
Real strategy, real systems, and real perseverance.

Because the people who win long‑term are the ones who refuse to stop.

And I’m still... just getting started.

LinkedIn Messaging That Actually Gets Replies

A practical framework for turning connections into conversations, not resistance.

LinkedIn Messaging That Actually Gets Replies

Most AI projects don’t fail because the tech is bad.
They fail because the workflow was never understood.

That’s the uncomfortable truth no one wants to admit.

What usually happens is this.
A business buys AI.
They plug it into a messy process.
Then they’re surprised when the chaos scales faster.

AI doesn’t fix broken workflows.
It exposes them.

Before you automate anything, you have to slow down and map reality. Not the ideal version. Not the process you wish was happening. The one that actually runs the business today.

Here’s the method we use with clients before AI ever enters the picture.

First, pick one workflow.
Not ten. Not the whole business. One high-impact process like lead capture to booking, or invoice to payment. Define exactly when it starts and exactly when it ends. One sentence. No scope creep.

Second, talk to the people doing the work.
Not leadership. Not theory. The people in the trenches. Walk through a real recent example and watch where they pause, copy-paste, recheck, or chase information. Those friction points are gold.

Third, map the current state.
Messy is fine. Pretty is dangerous.
List each step, who owns it, what tool is used, what goes in, what comes out, how long it takes, and where it hurts. If it feels uncomfortable, you’re doing it right.

Fourth, layer in structure.
Add roles, handoffs, and decision points. Show where approvals happen. Show what rules are used. Show what happens when things go wrong. This is the layer AI actually cares about.

Fifth, validate and quantify.
Walk the map with the team and confirm this is how it really works today. Then add numbers. Volume per week. Time per step. Error and rework points. These become your automation success metrics.

Only then do you design AI assistance.
Not to replace accountability.
Not to bypass ownership.
But to support repetitive, text-heavy, and rule-based work.

The bottom line is simple.
If you don’t understand the workflow, AI will only automate the chaos.

Clarity first.
Automation second.
Scale last.

If you’re serious about implementing AI properly, start here.

A while back, I spoke to a professional service business owner who told me:
“Leads aren’t really the issue.
 People are interested.
 Calls go well.”

Then they paused and added:
“But things just… drift.”

We looked at a few recent conversations together.

Nothing dramatic had gone wrong.

No bad calls.
No objections.
No rejection.
Just small gaps.

A call that ended with “I’ll send something.”
A proposal that went out without a clear next step.
A follow-up that said “checking in” instead of moving anything forward.

Individually, they seemed harmless.
Collectively, they explained everything.

Momentum wasn’t being lost because people weren’t interested.
It was being lost because nothing was holding the thread.

That’s the part most people underestimate.

Interest is fragile.
Continuity isn’t automatic.

Once we made the next step visible and unavoidable, the drifting stopped.

Not overnight.
But noticeably.
And the business felt calmer almost immediately.

No more guessing which conversations were still alive.
No more wondering who to follow up with.

Just clarity.

That’s usually the difference.

Follow me, Mathilda (Tilly) Davies, if you want fewer drifting conversations and more intentional progress.

Your business is harder to run than it should be.
And it rarely happens all at once.

At first, it’s just one more task.
One more tool.
One more funnel.
One more automation.
One more platform you “should” be using.

Everything looks sensible in isolation.

But slowly, quietly, your business starts to feel heavier than the results it produces.

Your days are full.
Your to-do list never ends.
Your systems feel fragile.
Your momentum feels inconsistent.

You’re not failing.

Your business has just become too complex to support you.

Most founders don’t burn out because they lack discipline or ambition.

They burn out because their business is harder to run than it needs to be.

Not strategically.
Emotionally.
Energetically.
Operationally.

Complexity is a silent leak.

It seeps into your messaging.
Your follow-up.
Your delivery.
Your confidence.
Your leadership.

And when operations feel chaotic, trust quietly erodes.

Clients feel it.
Prospects sense it.
You feel it in your body before you ever admit it out loud.

Simplicity is not about doing less.

It’s about removing everything that drains you so your clarity, confidence, and leadership can return.

In this week’s newsletter, I break down:
• why complexity destroys trust and momentum
• why your business requires less than you think
• how operational simplicity becomes the foundation of a strong hybrid business
• and how to simplify without losing ambition, depth, or humanity

If your business feels heavier than it should, this edition is for you.

👇 Read Newsletter #105
“Your Business Is Harder to Run Than It Should Be. Why Operational Simplicity Restores Trust and Momentum.”

And if this resonates, comment SIMPLIFY.
I’m paying attention to who’s ready for calmer, cleaner growth.

Why Operational Simplicity Restores Trust and Momentum There is a moment in every service-based founder’s journey when the business begins to feel hea

Open article: Your Business Is Harder to Run Than It Should Be by Mathilda (Tilly) Davies • 6 min read

Your Business Is Harder to Run Than It Should Be

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The Battle

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