Nift

The Gratitude Flywheel – Reshaping how people discover and engage with brands.

Partnerships

Sell Grow Repeat

On a mission to help founder led sales organizations, early stage companies, and digital entrepreneurs build sales processes and strategies that work.

Some recent successes:

- From 5% to 40% close rate in 3-months
- 40% increase in revenue in 2-months 
- First 1K customers in 6-months
- From $80K to $2M+ ARR

💪🏻 Let's work together!

Founder

TalentSheets

More than 490+ marketers and founders use TalentSheets to manage and support their influencer marketing efforts.

The first influencer platform that layers on top of Google, turning Google Drive into your own personalized influencer marketing database. All without changing your current workflow or costing you a fortune.

Co-Founder

LOOM CLUB

A neighborhood club where a community of locals exercise, co-work, and socialize under one roof. 

Re-imagining community & wellness for a changing world.

Investor

Plei, Inc

Plei is the largest pickup soccer platform & organizer in the United States, boasting more than:

- 180,000+ soccer players on the Plei App
- 40,000+ games hosted on the Plei App as of Aug '23 (30,000+ in 2023 Alone)
- Partnerships with 130+ sports facilities across 15 U.S. cities

Teachable

Director Of Business Development

Fullscreen

Fullscreen empowers talent and brands to build and monetize highly engaged, social-first audiences through best-in-class strategy, creative services and technology.  Our company is a global leader in social-first entertainment experiences and services for the world’s top talent, digital influencers, brands and avid fans.   
 
For our talent and digital influencer partners, we provide a range of services and tools that include talent management, multi-platform content optimization, brand partnerships, live touring, consumer products, and a powerful consumer-facing technology platform that provides affinity brands, talent and influencers with websites, online stores, fan clubs and social optimization tools to help them seamlessly analyze data and create meaningful relationships with fans. 
 
For our brand partners, we work with marketers who are looking to engage valuable, elusive youth audiences on social platforms through original entertainment, influencer marketing, multi-platform social content, organic and paid distribution, live events, and targeted media.  We have offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta.

VP Sales and Marketing

Reelio

- Founder with a strong focus on sales & marketing
- Built and managed cross-departmental teams for goal and process alignment that continue to provide stellar relationships and results for our clients.
- Drove company from ideation and pre-revenue to annual 8-figures 
- Sold into key accounts, such as, Estée Lauder, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, & Dunkin' Donuts without pre-existing relationships
- Liaison between market demands and product development in order to better shape product roadmap
- Built an outsourced SDR org to deliver 11X ROI on cost
- Drove company to successful acquisition

Co-founder & VP, Sales & Marketing (ACQUIRED)

Partnerships @ Nift | 3X Founder (8-figures, 7-figures, and a dud) | Investor. Advisor. Bourbon Lover | Exploring the tactics and stories from the best entrepreneurs on the planet

Daily insights on business building.

Sales & Marketing Leader with 10+ years selling high-value solutions as a player/coach to meet customer needs. 

Creative and curious mindset, with a track record of leveraging problem-solving skills to uncover new revenue opportunities and drive business growth. 

Unquestioned ethics and a strong commitment to doing what is right for customers, co-workers, and the company.

EQ > IQ

Some highlight from across my career:

- Responsible for more than $100M in advertising budgets

- Scaled startups $0 to 8-figures, then again from $0 to 7-figures

- Built an outsourced SDR Team that produced 11X ROI on net new logos

- Trained more than 50 sellers to systematically attain quota through repeatable process

- Sold into and built marketing programs for some of the best companies on the planet. 

I'm excited to create something amazing with you.

💪🏻 Let's work together

Mark Borum

The hits keep coming. Nift has once again been named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™.

One of North America’s fastest-growing technology companies, driven by 731% revenue growth over the past three years. 💪

[Full release in comments]

For the first time, the people who own the transaction are also becoming the most powerful media owners in the room. 

Walmart, Target, Kroger, Instacart, Uber, DoorDash… they have carts, orders,  identities, and now the media dollars.

Everyone’s hyped about retail media racing toward ~$100B. The more interesting question is: what happens when every “ad opportunity” is attached to a logged-in, paying customer?

The space is still relatively new, but its month-over-month rate of change can give you whiplash. If you still think commerce media is “sponsored products on a retailer’s site,” you’re already behind.

This is fast becoming the default way brands buy performance media:
closer to the transaction, closer to the customer, closer to actual revenue.

And the tension no one wants to talk about? there’s a ceiling on how many ads you can jam into an app, a feed, or a checkout flow before users tap out.

So the next phase isn’t “more ads.” It’s:

– Turning high-intent moments into value, not noise
– Growing yield per user without torching the experience
– Bringing in non-endemic dollars w/out turning into Times Square

The players who solve that balance — retailers, apps, BNPLs, streamers — will own the next decade of advertising. 

Everyone else will be arguing about CPMs while their users quietly churn.

Open article: Retail media ad spend will reach over $100B by 2027 by emarketer.com

Retail media ad spend will reach over $100B by 2027

Big milestone for us at Nift: we’re continuing our expansion in the UK with another phenomenal partner.

When Nift started, the idea was simple– help people discover great brands through gifts that actually feel good to receive. Watching that idea grow from a handful of partners in the U.S. to working with some of the biggest consumer apps in the world… that’s been surreal.

This latest addition to our UK partner ecosystem is a reminder of how far the team has taken this. 

New markets, new partners, and the same belief that there’s a better way for brands and consumers to connect than another interruptive ad.

I’m incredibly proud of what we’re building and even more excited for what opening up the UK unlocks next.

We’re pleased to share that Nift is partnering with Clearpay (Afterpay) as we expand into the UK.

Through this partnership, Clearpay customers will receive thoughtful thank-you gifts at meaningful moments in their journey—helping them discover brands they’ll love, while giving Clearpay a way to generate incremental revenue without interrupting the experience.

It also offers brands a more thoughtful path to reaching new audiences, rooted in relevance and choice rather than disruption.

We’re grateful to be partnering with Clearpay and look forward to what we’ll build together. 💪 

 🔗 Full announcement:  https://lnkd.in/gP4eRDNF

MicDrop

Surround yourself with leaders who think and communicate BIG.

Alex Merry, Public Speaking Coach

Public speaking coaching for people who need to communicate BIG ideas.

The English-Speaking Union

Churchill Public Speaking Competition Judge

TEDxClapham

Many of the talks from TEDxClapham have gone on to have an incredible impact. From going viral to changing government legislation, and lobbying the UN to raising 7-figure investment for their ideas. It was here I learned the potential impact one short presentation can have.

Founder and Curator

Champions Life Academy

An award-winning fundraising agency that we grew from a team of 4 to 250. Raising over £12.5 million for charity along the way.

Chief Operating Officer

University of Birmingham

Responsible for managing, training and running 2 BUCS University football teams and a squad of 40+ people.  This was my first experience of presenting to a group - though I didn't realise it at the time!

Mens Football Coach

Helping entrepreneurs use public speaking to build their brand | Public Speaking Coach | Author of Make It Count | Former COO and TEDxClapham Founder

Why is it, that some people get away with breaking every public speaking rule in the book, yet we still want to listen to what they’ve got to say? 

If there’s one thing I've learned working with some of the most successful leaders of our generation, it’s that there is a big difference between having an idea and being able to communicate it.

That is what turns big thinkers into thought leaders.

As a leader, speaking is an important part of your life. You’ve got to cast a vision, inspire your team, and influence stakeholders. Yet, so many have never paid any attention to the one tool that has the power to unlock even more. Your voice.

I've spent the last 10 years helping people like you unlock the true potential of your ideas so they get the credibility and respect they deserve.

Public speaking isn't something that's come naturally to me. I've had to hard work at it and have seen first-hand the power of being able to communicate ideas well. 

I've used public speaking to build a business from 4-250 people. Then I  founded TEDxClapham and the talks I've worked on since have turned those who delivered them into the go-to people for their subject matter.

15 million views and counting 
£250m+ raised  
Government legislation changed

I'm brought in by organisations like Adobe, Bloomberg, WeTransfer, Mastercard and Amazon to do the same for them.

Your work is only as good as your ability to communicate it. The earlier you can start, the more impact you'll have.

Alex Merry

The sheer volume of work over the last few months has been absolutely brutal...👇

Inside MicDrop we've:
👋 Onboarded and welcomed 39 amazing new members in October
🧩 Rolled out our brand new Advanced Positioning Sprint
💻 Built MicDrop OS; a content hub for thought leaders
🤖 Trained MicDrop's own speaking assistant, Ari
⚫️ Helped members with SXSW applications
🍽️ Set up member supper clubs

Outside MicDrop there's been:
💰 Two 8-figure fundraises
🧑‍⚖️ One 9-figure lawsuit

[And a partridge in a pear tree! 🎶]

---

And then there was that wedding in Nepal we'd committed to before we knew any of these things even existed!

The timing for this trip was far from ideal, but we're lucky enough to be able to work wherever we want - and so we will!

[The Himalayas are going to take some beating 🌄]

There's something to be said for changing your environment when you're out of energy (even if that means working from a new coffee shop).

We landed at 5:30 this morning, not slept a wink but full of excitement and optimism for what's to come professionally in 2026.

Happy Friday!

There is nothing more rewarding than seeing messages like these...👇

When you've been off-grid for a couple of weeks. 
[Highly recommend Nepal🇳🇵]

Landing a slot at Davos is pretty extraordinary - especially given this member is right at the start their thought leadership journey.

MicDrop didn't play any direct part making in this happen, but  one thing we do well is help our members recognise and play to their strengths.  

Everything we do is about helping our members get invited to speak in the rooms that are going to enable them to have the biggest impact possible.

--

But the most important sentence in this picture for me is the last one. 

'Love MicDrop, just have been passive in showing the love.'

Because it highlights there isn't a right way to be a 'good' member.

---

Many of our members are visibly active every day.

They're the heartbeat of MicDrop and their energy enables our community to thrive 💙:

✅ Attending the live calls 
✅ Taking part in our sprints
✅ Posting in the hub and on WhatsApp

Their energy lifts the whole room. 

---

But I also know that some of the biggest breakthroughs happen quietly, in the background.

So many of our members use MicDrop in ways I never get to see: 

✅ Connecting/collaborating with other members directly
✅ Implementing our frameworks and tools
✅ Dipping in and out as and when they need

And this is so easy to forget.

Using MicDrop well looks different for everyone - it’s about using the community in a way that fits your personality and aligns with your speaking goals.

--

Time to fly home. 

More wins like this - whether shared publicly or privately are very welcome 😉!

MicDrop is my private community for thought leaders who speak. 
We'll be opening our doors again next year - head to my profile to join the waitlist.

I love this quote by Ed Latimore. 

But it lacks nuance so I added the word...👇 

'Perceived'

'Perceived' because in my experience, 
Embarrassment isn't guaranteed. 

Especially when it comes to finding your voice...
❌ We don't want to share it until it's 'right.'
❌ Because we don't want to look stupid.

The reality? 

---

1. There is no such thing as 'right.' 
↳ So experiment 🧪

---

2. People are too busy focusing on themselves to worry about whether what you're doing is right or wrong...

↳ This is a psychological phenomenon known as The Spotlight Effect 🔦. 

↳ A cognitive bias that vastly overestimates how much others notice and focus on us 🧠

↳ So experiment 🧪

---

3. So involve your audience in your voice finding journey...

✅ Test different messages and angles
✅ Ask them questions
✅ Share your insecurities

Because they're not interested in someone perfect;
They're interested in someone human.

---

Nearly half of MicDrop opted into our November Positioning Bootcamp and a huge amount of what we're doing sits right in this territory:

⚡️ Finding the right language for your message
⚡️ Sharpening how you talk about what you do
⚡️ Plugging the gaps in your credibility

All of this can feel really exposing.

And yet, it's the work that will determine:

1. The level of gravitas your message carries
2. Who books you to speak and why
3. How much your topic is worth

In other words, it really matters.

So if it feels uncomfortable, good. 

It means you’re in the stretch zone where positioning actually shifts. 

Keep going 💪. 
Keep experimenting 💪. 

Because this is the work that separates the sought-after thought leaders from everyone else.

---

MicDrop is my community for sought-after speakers. 

We're not taking on any new members until February, but if you're interested in being part of the next intake, head to my bio to join the others on the waitlist.

taplio

The Battle

Mark Borum

Alex Merry

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreMark Borum's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAlex Merry's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Mark Borum

Alex Merry

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);}Mark Borum's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAlex Merry's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreMark Borum's LinkedIn Performance