Michel Lieben 🧠

Founder / CEO @ ColdIQ | Scale Outbound with AI & Tech 👉 coldiq.com

I’m (Michel) the Founder & CEO at ColdIQ, a sales prospecting agency (+ we compare the latest sales tech, too!).

We worked with 100+ B2B organizations (including SaaS & Agencies!) and are using Clay, Prospeo, FullEnrich, Instantly, Lemlist, Ocean.io - alongside other great sales tools - to run outbound campaigns that flood 🌊 our (and our clients’) inboxes with interested prospects.


We can help you:

• If you’re a B2B business leader who doesn’t have the time to handle your prospecting engine or to hire and manage salespeople… You can outsource your lead gen to us, and we’ll transparently show you the exact way we run your campaigns. (We’ll provide SOPs, too… if it works so well that you want to build your in-house team).


• If you’re a sales leader or an outbound agency owner: We’ll help you set up the exact systems & tools we use to run automated ‘trigger-based’ campaigns that convert like crazy. 


• And… if you simply want to improve your B2B sales automation skills or learn to run these campaigns yourself, we’ll teach you by building a campaign from scratch together with you —from ‘idea’ to ‘running campaign’ (we’ve done it more than 50 times already, and the rumour says people ❤️ed it).


We've launched hundreds of campaigns, so you don't have to.


Thus - if you: 
- are a B2B service/solution provider making > $50k/month
- provide solutions with Lifetime Value > $10k
- want to shortcut your outbound success


We can help.

Send a DM, and I'll share more details.

Alternatively, reach out to michel[at]coldiq.com 
or via the website 👉 coldiq.com 


__________



And if you're looking to build your top-of-funnel tool stack... 
Check our curated lists of the best outbound tools here 👇

👉 coldiq.com/tools 👈
👉 coldiq.com/ai-sales-tools 👈

Performance-based B2B lead generation 💥 | coldiq.com
→ We help you scale your prospecting activities by implementing outbound sales systems in your business. We take care of sourcing leads, researching your ICP, crafting the sales messages, automating sending and ensuring the high deliverability of messages. We let you focus on what brings money into the business: closing deals.

I turn 31 today. My business made $557,000 last month. But before that, I failed 7 businesses in a row:

Here’s what I tried building... 
and why I'm convinced each 'fail' got me closer to a 'win'


1. I started a clothing brand with my friend Thibault Selderslagh.

👎 We barely managed to sell 15 t-shirts. We had to order minimum 400. So we ended up with 385 t-shirts... now collecting dust somewhere.

👍 But, I learned how to create websites during this process.

↳ ... a skill I used to create the V1 of my website ColdIQ.


2. I co-founded a raffle lottery in the UK 🇬🇧

👎 I invested 40,000€ of my personal savings. We only managed to sell £1,000 worth of lottery tickets.

👍 But, I learned to run ads while desperately trying to sell these tickets.

↳ ... a skill we now use to book 50+ monthly meetings via ads. And that we offer as a service to clients (with some closing > $1M as a result!)


3. I tried to become an Instagram influencer.

👎 I found a hack that grew my account to 29,000 followers. Then it stopped working, and I've lost followers ever since. I never made a dime from the platform, nor did I get offered any free brand product.

👍 But, I learned about social media & algorithms.

↳ ... a skill that got me to be a LinkedIn influencer instead (😆). But more seriously, this led to 15,000,000+ impressions & 1,000+ inbound meetings for my company.

(And we now offer it as a service too... send a DM!)


4. I ran a sports betting affiliate website.

👎 I grew it to $6,000/mo, until it dropped to 0 overnight because of regulation changes in Belgium 🇧🇪

👍 But, I learned a lot about monetizing affiliate brand deals.

↳ ... a skill that allows us to generate > 5-figure per month in passive affiliate revenue.


5 & 6. I started an MMA Betting blog AND a Crypto blog.

👎 None of them made a single $1.

👍 But, I learned SEO & Copywriting

↳ ... skills that are responsible for driving 100s of thousands of visits to ColdIQ's website.


7. I launched a Facebook Ads agency

👎 I booked 15 meetings, and didn't manage to close a single client.

👍 But, I learned cold email in the process.

↳ ... a skill that turned into a service we currently deliver for 70+ clients, amounting to > $500K in MRR.


Takeaway?
You win, or you learn.

And each failure turns into a lesson that lets you try again... better.

So keep pushing!

P.S: What's the worst business idea you've tried... and what did you learn from it? 👀

Failing 7 businesses before growing one

How I would find my first 10 clients if I had to restart from 0:

It's how I've hit > $6.5M+ ARR in 3 years 👇

1. I'd find a ‘free’ way to get my brand out there.

In the beginning: 

You have lots of time.
You have little money.

So you want to start with a time-consuming channel that doesn’t require much funds.

This could be:
→ Writing blog articles.
→ Creating LinkedIn posts.
→ Recording YouTube videos.
→ Being active in niche communities.

I tried them all.
The one that worked best for me was LinkedIn.

It’s what I recommend to all my friends in B2B to get started.


Software you can use:
- Design: Canva or Figma
- Content Ideation: Taplio or Scripe 


2. I'd direct this ‘visibility’ to a short landing page.

Your brand efforts will gather interest.

Interested visitors will check your site or your social profiles.
You want them to understand asap how you help.

The most effective way I found to do so, is to record a 5-min video sales letter, breaking down your offering.

Some people won’t buy straight away.

For them, I’d suggest creating a lead magnet to grab their email addresses
… and nurture them with valuable content over the long term.

For the ones that didn’t provide their emails, you can use visitor identification software to de-anonymize them (in the US).


Software you can use:
- VSL Hosting: Wistia
- Landing Page: Webflow or Framer
- Visitor Identification: Midbound or Instantly.ai


3. I'd reach out to warm ‘high-fit’ leads.

Many prospects will engage with your content but won’t try to schedule a call

Still, they might be interested.

In this case, I’d suggest reaching out to every prospect who’d make an ideal client but hasn’t messaged you yet.

I recommend writing your first 25-50 messages by hand, before trying to automate.

This could look like:
“Hey {{name}}, seems my post on {{topic}} resonated with you. Are you working on {{potential initiatives}}? Happy to swap notes if that’s helpful.

Whatever you write… the magic of manual notes is that it forces you to re-read & improve your messaging every time.

This allows you to uncover patterns…
Which will be invaluable once you scale your sending.


Software you can use:
- Email Outreach: Instantly.ai
- LinkedIn Outreach: Expandi
- Multichannel Outreach: lemlist
- Email Finding: Wiza, Prospeo.io, LeadMagic or FullEnrich.


4. I'd repeat the above steps for 3 months straight before considering giving up. 

This 100% works.
It sounds simple, but it’s challenging to keep working hard when things are uncertain.

Working hard is difficult on its own.
But working hard, when doubting that there’s a point, is even harder.

To make it work, you must somehow convince your brain that you’re not doing this for nothing. Even when you get 0 results in the first weeks, or months.

Repeat these steps enough times.
And you’ll inevitably improve.

Improve enough…
And soon enough, you’ll reap the rewards of your hard labour.

Good luck ✌️

P.S: Who's starting something new in 2026? 👇

Claude can now build advanced n8n workflows from a single prompt.

Just use this Claude project setup, and it will handle 90% of the work 👇

This completely changed how we build automations at our $6.5M ARR agency…

Here’s precisely how we run this:

1. Write a basic prompt describing your workflow. 

Claude (Sonnet 4.5) will read it, break it down & output an n8n JSON file that can be imported.

2. Claude takes care of the complex implementation.

That is:
- Filed mappings + expressions
- Data flow between nodes
- Trigger configurations
- Conditional branches
- Sticky notes for docs
- Error handling

Beware: there are usually a few small items to debug, and it won’t add your API keys for you. But everything else is handled.

Now, what’s included in the system:

1️⃣ Full Claude Project Setup

The system infrastructure that transforms Claude into an n8n workflow builder. 
(Just need to copy paste & you’re ready to go!)


2️⃣ Over 70 n8n Documentation Pages

The official n8n GitHub documentation from which we extracted syntax, capabilities & node references. 

That’s how Claude knows how to build functioning workflows.


3️⃣ Templates & Frameworks

Templates + Frameworks you can copy-paste for use cases like lead routing and social listening.


4️⃣ Real-life Examples 

Our actual prompts vs. the workflows Claude ended up building.
(So you can see what worked well, and what did not).


5️⃣ SOPs to always stay updated with the latest Docs

Step-by-step guide to pull and compile n8n documentation every time there’s a new feature.
(Which is every week in AI world)


Once again, this is democratising complex workflow buildouts.

Starting from scratch or piecing together documentation used to take a lot of time.

“How to build n8n workflows?” has always been a bigger challenge than “what n8n workflow shall I build?”

This flips the questioning on its head.

Spend most of your time thinking about which automation moves the needle for your business. Not how you'll build it.

...and leverage Claude to get 90% of the way there.

If you want to get the entire system, including the documentation package & guide to set it up yourself, comment “PROMPT”, “n8n” or “CLAUDE” and I’ll DM it to you!


P.S: Kenny Damian is our n8n 🐐 at ColdIQ, and the man behind the agentic workflows we build for our > $10M ARR clients. If you want to get access to these value drops before everyone else… you NEED to follow him!

Silicon Valley is the hub of GTM unicorns.

But have you seen what’s going on in Europe?

Giants are being built in countries with just 11M inhabitants 🇸🇪 🇧🇪

And it’s happening all over the continent.

Here are some of my favourite EU success stories:

1. Odoo 🇧🇪

Founded by Fabien Pinckaers, Odoo quitely grew to 40M€ MRR and is now valued at well above $5B.

They did that by breaking all the rules:

→ A generous Freemium model.
→ Kept it open source & community-powered.
→ Built 100s of apps, instead of just ONE block.

All the while: 

- his board was trying to get him fired.
- spending 7 years near bankruptcy.
- losing 16M€ from overnight

Today, it’s 6500+ employees & 750M€ in revenue in 2025.

I’m especially proud of this one, as a fellow Belgian 🇧🇪!


2. Lovable 🇸🇪

Founded by Anton Osika & Fabian Hedin… it’s the loudest success story of the year.

Lovable hit $200M ARR last week, one year after hitting $1M ARR.

At ColdIQ, we use it to build free tools for lead generation purposes.

Testing out prototypes required technical people. 
Most of our team is able to spin off a ‘free email finder’ or a ‘custom client dashboard’ in a day.


3. lemlist 🇫🇷

The French success story that should be studied by everyone in GTM.

Founded by Guillaume Moubeche, now led by Charles Tenot.

It includes lemlist, Taplio & now Claap under one umbrella.

Some things to takeaway:

- A 300K+ combined followers, employee-wide LinkedIn content strategy.
- Unseen build-in-public transparency by their Founder & the entire team.
- Bold acquisitions (i.e: Taplio, Claap) so their app ecosystem covers every GTM function.

At ColdIQ, they're our #1 choice for all our multichannel prospecting campaigns!


4. n8n 🇩🇪

They’ve been a staple in automation teams for some time…

But with the rise of AI agents… they became a category of one.

More modulable than their competitors, more powerful, less expensive… it’s an essential component of modern AI + GTM tech stacks.

It’s saving our team hours of work everyday!


Other GTM success stories across Europe:

🇨🇿 Apify
🇫🇷 Aircall
🇫🇷 arcads AI
🇫🇷 Argil
🇫🇷 Dust
🇫🇷 FullEnrich
🇫🇷 Hyperline
🇫🇷 Prospeo.io
🇬🇧 Attio
🇬🇧 ElevenLabs
🇬🇧 Synthesia
🇲🇰 HeyReach.io
🇪🇸 Genesy
🇪🇪 Pipedrive
🇦🇹 Storyblok
🇳🇱 Expandi
🇳🇱 Framer

… and the list goes on!

P.S: What EU SaaS is on your radar at the moment?

Most companies bet their entire LinkedIn strategy on the Founder.

We get the whole team involved:

Last month, this allowed us to sign 14 new deals, totalling ~$70,000 in MRR for our agency. Plus, another 16 customers won for our educational program.

It’s a win-win.

For the team:
→ They grow their brand, a precious asset they own… and that will benefit them whatever they decide to pursue.

For us:
→ They send visitors to our site and generate qualified leads every single day.

Everyone shares around their domain of expertise: 

- Ivan talks about ABM, LinkedIn Ads & Funnels.
- Millie shares tips on Founder-Led branding.
- Monika shares her best cold email rewrites.
- Kenny shares his latest n8n workflows.

… and the combined posting volume makes it challenging not to come across ColdIQ on your LinkedIn feed.

2026 will be the year of Employee-led branding.

Don’t miss this shift.

I just crossed 60,000 followers. LinkedIn got us to $6.5M+ ARR.

Here's every tool I used to grow my following:

1. Content Ideation

→ Taplio (go.coldiq.com/taplio)

I use their in-app feed to find outlier LinkedIn posts in my niche.

You can input keywords such as: "ai sales", "outbound" or "GTM" and then filter for posts that:

- include the above 'searched' keywords
- were posted within a month ago
- had 300 likes or more

I then reverse-engineer the structure, hook & CTAs of these high-performing posts to improve my own.

→ Scripe

Also great for content ideation. 

It lets you aggregate posts by author, which is another helpful way to find 'viral publications' or 'outliers' on a given topic.


2. Copywriting

→ Grammarly

As a non-native English speaker, I make lots of spelling mistakes. 

I use Grammarly's extension to correct my writing in real-time.

Doesn't sound too crazy, but this could be the most helpful application in my LinkedIn tech stack.

→ Claude

I use Claude to generate hook variations, repurpose past content & brainstorm new angles.


3. Visuals & Design

→ Figma / Adobe

My LinkedIn strategy relies a lot on visuals.

When made well, they multiply the reach of your publications up to 10X.

Our designers use either Figma or Adobe's suite to design our carousels & infographics.


→ Canva

My first-ever carousels published on here were made on Canva.

It is the most beginner-friendly app to create social media visuals.


4. Video Creation

→ OpusClip

I use Opus's AI features to automatically create short-form videos from my long-form content.

The output isn't as great as that of a professional editor...
But it's cost-effective.

And multiple AI-edited videos got me 50,000+ views on LinkedIn (while only taking me 2 minutes to generate).

→ Screen Studio

Screen Studio is my favourite Mac Screen recording app.

It's great to make video walkthroughs or tutorials because it automatically zooms/focuses on the parts of the screen you're actively working on.

It makes video outputs look much more fancy than they'd be otherwise.

→ Ezgif

I use Ezgif to create .GIF files out of my short audioless video content.

If you're planning to publish a < 15-second audio-less video on LinkedIn...

I'd recommend speeding it up and converting it into a GIF file.

I'm not 100% sure why, but it outperforms in terms of reach & engagement.


5. Content Planning

→ Notion

My central content hub.
It's where I collect ideas, draft them, and prepare my posts.

Notion also serves as my content calendar.


That's the entire stack I used to go from 0 to 60,000+ followers.

It's also the tech stack I plan to get past 100,000.

What tools did I miss?

Let me know 👇

P.S: If you want to grow your account, sell a B2B product, but don't have time to post... send a DM. 
We'll do it for you ✌️

From 0 to 60,000+ LinkedIn followers

We’re about to hit $7m ARR. Here’s the GTM workflow that signed us 70+ high-ticket clients: 

Step-by-step breakdown ↓

1. Our team publishes 250+ LinkedIn posts every month.

- We use Taplio to identify posts that outperformed.
- We study the hooks, formats & visuals of these outlier LinkedIn posts.
- We solve our prospects' pain points in our content pieces.

↳ This works so well, I want to do more. Hopefully reaching 500+ monthly posts across the ColdIQ team.


2. We spend $10,000+ a month promoting our most effective publications via LinkedIn Ads.

- We study what posts generate qualified meetings.
- We analyze which ICP books from the posts.
- We boost said post in front of said ICP.


3. We identify anonymous visitors & reach out likers/commenters who didn't schedule a call.

- On ColdIQ’s site: Instantly.ai & Midbound de-anonymise our visitors.
- On LinkedIn: Clay captures our social activity.


4. We route all our warm leads to Clay.


5. We use LLMs to Tier, Segment & Score prospects.

- Claygent automates research at scale on our inbound leads.
- OpenAI prompts segment out leads.
- We contact warm leads via LinkedIn, Email & the phone.


6. We enrich the contact information of our filtered leads.

- We use Prospeo.io, LeadMagic, Wiza to find emails adresses.
- We use Prospeo.io, FullEnrich to look up phone numbers.


7. We send DMs, emails & call ‘warm' prospects.

- We make our outreach concise & valuable.
- We use lemlist for multi-channel outreach
- We use Instantly.ai for email outreach.

- Expandi is another great option for LinkedIn outreach.


8. This workflow booked us 1,500+ meetings in 2025 & closed > $3M ARR already.

- It helped us grow to > 35 FTEs
- It helped us reach > $6.5M in yearly revenue.
- It helped our clients close $500K+ in revenue at > 3-10X ROI


P.S: Anything you’d improve in the workflow below to get us to $10M ARR?

I tested way too many AI Sales tools.

Here are the categories I’m closely watching in 2026:

1/ Workflow Builders

Why?

↳ They help you build advanced, multi-step, automated prospecting workflows.

Example use-case: Running a signal-based Clay campaign that scores leads, segments them into several tiers, adds an AI-personalized first line… and pushes contacts to your favourite sequencer. For 1,000+ leads. On autopilot.

Examples include:

→ Relevance AI
→ Outbond
→ Clay
→ n8n


2/ MCPs

Why?

↳ They enable AI agents to take actions by connecting to your tools. Without you needing to manually open them.

Example use-case: Connecting Claude MCP to Google Calendar so that it… 

[1] checks how many sales calls you have today
[2] researches each prospect
[3] provides relevant talking points for the qualified ones…
[4] cancels meetings with unqualified leads. 

All that, without opening your calendar app.

You can prompt via tools such as:
→ Cursor
→ Claude
→ VS Code
→ Mistral AI

And connect to your apps using:
→ Docker, Inc
→ Pipedream
→ Composio


3/ All-in-One Sales Platforms

Why?

↳ They consolidate every essential cold outreach feature within one platform.

Example use-case: Warming up domains, building a lead list, monitoring relevant signals, enriching contact data & automating email outreach (Instantly.ai) or multi-channel outreach (lemlist) without any other prospecting tool. In essence, running your entire prospecting campaign in one place.

Examples include:

→ Instantly.ai
→ Expandi
→ Artisan
→ lemlist


4/ Sourcing Agents

Why?

↳ They source data autonomously, given a set of prompts.

Example use-case: Sourcing a list of Sales Leaders, based in SF, in VC-based startups that have > 5X’d revenue 2 years in a row within the last 3 years… by simply telling Exa, in plain English, that this is the list you’re trying to build.

Examples:

→ Relevance AI
→ Outbond
→ Claygent
→ Tavily
→ Apify
→ Exa


5/ Conversation Intelligence

Why?

↳ They record meetings & extract relevant insights from your business conversations.

Example use-case: Reviewing your latest 100 sales calls via Attention’s agent to figure out the most frequent objections your sales team gets from prospects.

Examples:

→ Momentum.io
→ Fireflies.ai
→ Attention


6/ Signal Platforms

Why?

↳ They monitor intent signals to help you uncover prospects in buying mode.

Example use-case: Monitoring previous product buyers (champions) in Common Room, to pitch your solution when they move to a new company (that doesn’t use your product yet!)

Examples:

→ Common Room
→ TheirStack
→ Outbond
→ Clay


7/ AI SDRs

Why?

↳ They automate your prospecting entirely.

Example use-case: Letting Valley write your outreach, qualify your leads, monitor replies & answer on your behalf.

Examples:

→ Artisan
→ Valley

P.S: What AI Sales software category are you betting on in 2026?

AI Sales Categories for 2026

LinkedIn got me past $6M ARR. But Jake Trinder, the mastermind behind Instantly.ai & Clay's channels, argues YouTube is better.

His proof? He grew multiple channels from 0 to > 7-figure revenue from YouTube.

So we did a side-by-side comparison 👇

1. Core Focus

→ LinkedIn: Booking meetings by publishing relevant snackable content.

→ YouTube: Building trust & booking meetings via in-depth educational videos.


2. Key Rules to Win

LinkedIn: 

A. Find outlier/viral/proven publications using tools like Taplio.
B. Consistent high-quality posts relevant to your ICP.
C. Frequent engagement actions with your audience.
D. Optimized profile (banner, title, featured section).

YouTube:

A. Nail combination of thumbnail + title before recording.
B. Focus on quality. YouTube = "Winner takes all"
C. Deep research on titles, thumbnails & trends.


3. Posting Time & Frequency

→ LinkedIn: 3 to 7 posts per week. Same posting time every day.

→ YouTube: 1 video per week. Posting when audience is most online.


4. Top Software

→ LinkedIn:

- Content Ideation + Analytics: Taplio
- Visuals: Figma, Canva, OpusClip
- Writing: Claude, Grammarly

→ YouTube:

- Content Ideation: 1of10, Viewstats, vidIQ
- Production: Adobe Premiere Suite
- Recording: Tella, OBS Studio


5. Expected Reach

→ LinkedIn:

- Audience = B2B focused (i.e: sales, marketing, HR & tech buyers).
- Prospects browse the feed to educate or entertain themselves.
- Over 310,000,000 monthly active users.

→ YouTube:

- Audience = Broad, top-of-funnel (creators, entrepreneurs, founders).
- Audience is actively searching for the content you're creating.
- Over 2,500,000,000 monthly active users.


6. Engagement Expectation

→ LinkedIn: 

- Decent conversion rate. 'Easy' to produce content scale.
- You can reach out to post engagers (DMs).
- Leads are nurtured daily.

→ YouTube:

- High conversion rate from long-form content.
- Audience can binge-watch channels.
- Can't contact viewers directly.


7. Challenges

→ LinkedIn:

- Can take weeks/months before generating any leads.
- Staying consistent is hard.

→ YouTube:

- Lots of upfront work to get 1 good video out.
- Consequent investment in studio setup.
- Talking to a camera can feel weird.


If you had to pick one platform to scale your business, which would you choose?

P.S.: If you need help with YouTube, reach out to Jake. He's the best at growing B2B brands on there. If you need help on LinkedIn, send me a DM :)

Founder: “There are so many sales tools, how do I even pick?”
Me: "I run outbound for 75+ companies. Start here 👇"

(Pick just 1-2 tools per category)

1️⃣ Databases

Accurate data sourcing is the foundation for successful outbound.

You need at least one very reliable data platform.

Some of my favourites include:

1. Clay (starts at $149/mo)
↳ They aggregate 100+ data providers in one place, including as intent platforms and AI agents.

2. Openmart (from $149/mo)
↳ My favourite database for SMBs & local businesses.

3. LinkedIn Sales Navigator (from $99/mo)
↳ The O.G B2B database.

4. Exa’s websets (from $49/mo)
↳ List building agent that retrieves niche data based on plain English prompts.


2️⃣ Enrichment

Your sourced lists will often miss contact data (i.e: email addresses & phone numbers)

To enrich these, I recommend a combination of:

- Wiza (starts at $49/mo)
- FullEnrich (starts at $29/mo for 500 credits)
- Prospeo.io (starts at $39/mo for 1,000 credits)
- LeadMagic (starts at $99.99/mo for 10,000 credits)


3️⃣ Agents

AI agents best prospecting use-case is automating lead research.

Depending on use case, I'll use:

1. Relevance AI (starts at $19/mo)
↳ Ideal to build custom agentic workflows.

2. Claygent (starts $149/mo)
↳ Within Clay, best agent to perform at scale research on your lead lists.

3. n8n (starts 24€/mo)
↳ One of the most flexible, powerful & cost-effective workflow builder.


4️⃣ Signals

You can’t know for sure that companies are in-market for your services.
But you can make an educated guess by monitoring buying signals. 

Some reliable platform to source these signals include:

- Clay (starts at $149/mo)
- Common Room (starts at $1,000/mo)
- Trigify.io for social signals (starts at $149/mo)

lemlist also recently release a ton of signals within their all-in-one platform.


5️⃣ Outreach

Next up, you’ll want to contact your leads, while maximising the likelihood of your messages getting delivered.

Some great options include:

- Instantly.ai for email outreach (starts at $37/mo)

- Expandi for LinkedIn outreach (starts at $99/mo)

- lemlist for multichannel outreach (starts at 69€/mo)


6️⃣ Closing

Tech doesn’t replace a great seller, but they can help by:

1. Facilitating deals data logging, storing & cleaning: Attio (starts at 36€/mo)

2. Recording meetings,taking notes & gathering sales insights: Attention.

3. Capturing lead interactions, and routing insights to Salesforce: Momentum.io (from $69 per user per month)

4. Automating inboud routing: Default (starts at $500/mo)

5. Building clean proposals: Qwilr (starts at $39/mo)


P.S: Have you tried a great sales software recently?

Which one it is? 👇

Sales Technology Stack

The best B2B data is the one your competition doesn't have:

...and you can find it for less than $50/month ↓

Thus, if you want to extract data...

→ Via a marketplace of thousands of pre-built scraping workflows: Apify (go.coldiq.com/apify)

→ Through AI agents researching the web on your behalf: Apify, Clay, Relevance AI, Exa, Outbond.

→ Without exiting LinkedIn: Prospeo.io, lemlist, Expandi.

→ On dedicated pages: Instant Data Scraper, ZenRows.

→ By crawling search engines: Firecrawl, Perplexity.

...there's a tailor-made solution!

What's your go-to software for data scraping?

Data Scraping Software (2025)

How I get > 30% replies via LinkedIn DMs

By doing the opposite of the 100+ weekly pitches I get:

CONTEXT

I sent 5M+ outbound messages for my $6.5M+ ARR Agency.

Nowadays...

Answering DMs costs me more time than running campaigns.

I'm the CEO at a 33-person company.
(I can't imagine how much outreach execs in big orgs get)

That said, I know most execs check their inbox.
And many reply.

Here's how I decide whether I'll respond or not...

And how I changed my own outreach because of this ↓


✅  DMs offering free work

Some DMs offered a free landing page rewrite or samples of already-made work.

I ran prospecting campaigns and pitched free custom lead lists.
(These were getting me more positive replies than I could handle)

My recommendation: Imagine your prospect is an existing client. What's the first thing you'll do for them? Do it already and send it over!


✅ DMs asking to be referred

Let's say you:
1. Send a message based on a current initiative of ColdIQ
2. Searched who is in charge of this initiative.
↳ I'll gladly refer you to said person

PS: You can automate this 'play' via Clay by combining intent signals & retrieving a leader/manager in a specific department.


❌ DMs asking for time on the 1st touchpoint

Meetings are my personal hell.
I'm fighting every day to eliminate as many of them as possible.

If you're "just asking 15 min of my time" to pick my brain, I won't answer.


✅ DMs from ‘known’ people

An unfair truth in cold outreach: $WHO sends a message matters even more than WHAT the message is.

If you're a well-known executive, I'll most likely reply.

I saw this firsthand as I grew my LinkedIn to 60K+ followers...

The exact same message would perform better, without changing anything.

Pro tip: If you sell B2B products, build your brand on LinkedIn.


❌ Generic templated outreach

The only way to make impersonal, generic outreach work is to send at a massive volume (millions of messages).

LinkedIn doesn't allow such volume.

So you'd be better off doing this by email.
Or better yet... not at all.


✅ DMs sharing valuable insights

Jihad explained this better than I could under one of my posts:

"
The best "free work" isn't actually work → it's insights.

I send technical audits of prospects' platforms.
→ 5-minute analysis
→ 3 specific optimization opportunities 
→ No strings attached

Example: "Your checkout flow has a 23% drop-off at payment verification. Here's why + 2 quick fixes."

- Takes me 10 minutes.
- Shows immediate value.
- Demonstrates expertise without asking for anything.

The key: Make it so valuable they'd typically pay for it.

Generic "free consultation" = everyone does this.
Specific actionable insight = rare.
"

Solving prospects' issues before they pay you a dime is the fastest way to gain their trust.


🔘 Videos or Voice Notes

I listen to voice notes or watch videos.

It annoys people.
But if they're well done, they'll grab attention.

What's a DM you receive you could NOT ignore?

Share it 👇

30% LinkedIn DMs

AI agents are replacing human employees.

Funny enough, they operate in very similar ways:

The smartest agents don’t work alone.
They work in teams.

Some behave like assistants.
Others as managers.

And as with any sort of team, there are different ways to structure their collaboration.

To illustrate this:
We can look at how 3 multi-agent setups would handle the same task…

For example: Scheduling a quarter business review with an important client.


1️⃣ Hierarchical setup

A manager agent assigning tasks to its agent team members.

1. The manager receives a task = Schedule a business review.

2. It tells a subordinate agent to check potential times to meet with the clients.

3. Another agent checks product usage from the client. "Has usage recently dropped? Is engagement still strong?"

4. A 3rd agent drafts an email based on client availability & product usage: 

"Hey Achilles, it's been a while - wanted to ensure you're using the product to the fullest. How about a quick chat next week, Wednesday?”

5. The manager reviews everything and sends the email.


2️⃣ 'Human-in-the-Loop' 

A smart assistant tapping your shoulder when needed.

1. The agent drafts the business review email and finds some available times.

2. But… it sees the client gave negative feedback 2 weeks ago.

3. Before sending the email, it asks you: “Do you want to review the email before I send it?"

4. You make small tweaks, and you send it.


3️⃣ 'Sequential' setup

Like a factory or an assembly line where each person does one task and hands it off to the next.

1. 1st Agent asks: "Is a quarterly business review due?" based on the client's last meeting time.

2. 2nd Agent pulls client's usage data.

3. 3rd Agent drafts a short email.

4. 4th Agent sends the email to book the meeting.


So, when should you use which?

As a rule of thumb:

- Hierarchical setups work well for complex, multi-step tasks.

- Human-in-the-loop setups are recommended for high-stakes, sensitive tasks.

- Sequential setups for ordered workflows with clear dependencies.


P.S: What's one process in your team that would run better...
with some smart agents working behind the scenes? 👇

For Digital Sakes

The Agency for Hospitality. 

Servicing the full funnel and user journey with data driven production, from master assets to digital campaigns and social assets. We digitally unlock immersive experiences &​ drive action through strategic marketing 🎥✨

In the ever-evolving domains of hospitality & travel, establishing a distinctive online presence requires more than mere visibility – it necessitates a compelling narrative and data driven strategy that deeply resonates with your target audience's needs, wants and desires. 

At For Digital Sakes we excel in the art of digital transformation, elevating hotels into immersive destinations & properties into aspirational spaces. Driven by a commitment to operate from a human first perspective while delivering production and content excellence that translates into brand and business results. 

Our expertise spans from intimate luxury boutique hotels to leading global resorts, digitally bringing brands to life with our adept video marketing strategies. Our approach creates immersive virtual experiences that turn viewers into  guests, supported by well-crafted digital campaigns that leave an indelible impression.

Why For Digital Sakes? Beyond marketing, we are strategic analysts, storytellers, content specialists and video experts. We delve deep into your brand's history & ethos to create narratives that forge an emotional connection & leave a lasting impact while operating from an audience first perspective. Our bespoke strategies are designed to optimise visibility and engagement across relevant platforms, ensuring your message is effectively conveyed to your intended audience.

Co-Founder | Creative Strategist 

ConvaTec

Director of Global Multi-Channel Marketing

Ad-Lib Digital

Head of Europe & Business Development

Nestlé

Social, Media & Partnerships Specialist - EMENA 

Senior Digital Content Manager - EMENA 

Johnson & Johnson

This role saw me drive the number of brands on social by 200% in 2 years, along with increasing media investment on Facebook alone by 148%. 

Great successes during my time in role included the ideation of the creative for the birth of the second royal baby that was used as a global asset. 

My remit included: 
Driving the social and content strategy, right through to execution. I was responsible for the creation and management for digital channels within Johnson and Johnson, across 13 plus brands across the portfolio and across multiple markets, including UK, Ireland and the Nordics.

I was responsible for ensuring that media plans were appropriate responses to brief, targeted the right audiences, were executed accordingly and ensuring that reports showed strong results, often over exceeding industry benchmarks.

As the company’s social media expert and champion, I took ownership of the management and growth of our social media communities and key influencer programs. It was also my responsibility to raise the Digital IQ of the Marketing Department, I needed to ensure that all stakeholders were up to date with trends, advancements and social media movements.

My remit extended much further than the above; including the project management of the two year partnership with MSN, seeing 13 brands running various advertorial and editorial activity across the affiliate platform.

Portfolio Digital Content and Online Community Manager - EMEA

L'Oréal

This was a graduate role that I secured over 700 other applicants and after 7 interviews. 

I was responsible for driving the objectives and digital needs for The Body Shop in all global markets. 

My remit included Strategy, Platforms and Operations: Tracking the digital and social evolution to identify relevant innovations. Participating in the digital agency, vendor, and content partner relationship; issue resolution and performance evaluation. 

Collecting, comparing, and synthesising international market data and proposing actions – including analysing competitor data (products and strategies). Creation of strategy for markets - including digital mix for launches, pillar-product innovations. 

Enable best practice sharing and adoption of creation, channel and media strategies across all markets. 

Managing the growth and development of the digital intern. Assisting Digital Producer in ensuring all assets produced are correctly versioned for our key digital channels (social, mobile, web, etc); overseeing the implementation and maintenance of all digital tools inclusive of diagnostics (skincare, fragrance, etc)

Digital / eCommerce Management Graduate

GLOBAL ETHICS LIMITED

This was a role I sought out after seeing the amazing one for one business model that One Difference adopts at Marketing Week. Post discussions with them they created a role for me while I was at Kingston University. 

I was responsible for assisting the marketing department, maximising in-store promotional activities and acting as a Brand Ambassador for the One Brand.

I had to ensure that promotional activities across 21 Tesco Express stores were maximised for the brands FMCG products. I was then required to survey stores to find new ways to display products, and ensuring managers ordered enough stock to meet demands and build new displays.

Ambassador - One Hero

A+E Networks UK

Publicity Assistant

The purpose of this role was to support the Digital Marketing Manager and the Digital Marketing team. Across all digital touchpoints. This included SEM, Social Media strategising and management of social pages and CRM support, along with other digital projects. This role also included asset management such as copy writing,  image sourcing, clip, promo and short form coordination.

Key Achievements 
-Working on an award winning social media project with Foursquare & HISTORY that achieved features across key media including Variety, Broadcast, C21 and PR Week. 
This went on to win the CorpComm Award for Best Use of Location Based Marketing in July 2011 for Foursquare partnership with HISTORY

Digital Marketing Assistant

AETN UK / BSKYB

International Marketing Assistant

Founder of For Digital Sakes | The Agency for Hospitality | Ultra Lux Hospitality 🌎 | Podcast host: The Digital Concierge by FDS🎙️ | Driving Direct Bookings with Grand Walkthrough Tours | Human 1st Perspective always ✨

| |  We are The Agency for Hospitality | | 

At For Digital Sakes, I help leading & luxury hotels and tourism boards thrive with data driven digital strategies and bespoke video marketing approaches that drive strong ROI. 

Working predominantly brand side for 14+ years has given me a tremendous amount of insight into how to most effectively and efficiently reach and resonate with an audience through high performing strategies. 

Such learning of approaches and methodologies has been fostered working brand agnostically for 50+ renowned brands; from global giants like Nestlé and L'Oréal to cutting-edge AI startups and Med Tech businesses. 

While digital marketing is now a broad term, my expertise hones in on brand, content and partnerships which I bring to the industry of hospitality and tourism; ensuring the user and user journey is at the forefront of all that we do, producing assets for the full funnel.

Carrying with me a diverse portfolio of digital experience grants me a unique ability to drive quantifiable results and growth for any brand. 

Having navigated the complexities of high-tier brands and spending $70 million+ in digital advertising, I was granted unparalleled publisher relationships, which gave a tremendous amount of insight that I take pride in sharing with my clients in the hospitality and tourism space.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

💌 I post weekly about various strategies and observations on Digital, Content and Video Marketing; centred around hospitality and tourism, while sharing my personal anecdotes about being a female business owner. 
☕️ Fancy a coffee call with me? Drop me a DM - I'm always happy to extend my network!
🔔 Want to see more from me? Set the bell for me in the🔝 right
👁 Read some of our case studies with leading brands such as Bvlgari, Rosewood, The World’s 50 Best Hotels and more, visit our website: www.fordigitalsakes.com
🌍 Intrigued about working with us? Drop me an email: Holly@fordigitalsakes.com

Holly Phillips

Hospitality is still male-dominated
and these 8 leaders are shifting the power balance.

Luxury travel is being reshaped not by committees or legacy boards, but by women redefining what leadership looks like in our industry and it must be celebrated!

Here are 8 female CEOs every hospitality professional should be following:


Barbara Muckermann — Group CEO, Kempinski Hotels
Leading one of the world’s oldest luxury hotel brands into a new era of design, heritage and human-centred service.


Linda Bekoe — CEO & Founder, APLBC (About Partners Luxury Brands Collection)
Driving global visibility and commercial success for hospitality brands.


Natasha Shafi — CEO, Mr & Mrs Smith
At the helm of the world’s leading boutique hotel platform, shaping curated, design-led travel.


Claudia Da Rin — CEO, Luxury Hotels, Villas & Yachts Representation
A reference point in relationship-driven luxury and high-touch hospitality across Europe.


Blanche van Berckel — Founder & CEO, Vous Hotels & Retreats
Building a new wave of boutique stays rooted in culture, wellness and meaningful experiences.


Eleni Theochari — CEO, MYKONOS LUXURY CORPORATION 
Leading a women-led firm advancing AI-driven hospitality consulting and elite travel design.


Carolyn Turnbull MBA GAICD — CEO Nammos Hotels & Resorts  
Having led major destination development and tourism strategy initiatives with global impact.


Katerina Giannouka — former CEO, Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts
Instrumental in elevating design, brand strategy and guest experience across Jumeirah’s global portfolio.

These women are raising the standard and shifting the industry with them.

Who else deserves to be recognised? Who would you shine a light on? Ladies I'm looking at you! Let's keep lifting one another up!

Founder of For Digital Sakes | The Agency for Hospitality | Cinematic Grand Tours & Digital Toolkits that Drive Direct Bookings | Podcast Host: The Digital Concierge 🎙️ | Human-Led Always ✨

8 female CEOs in hospitality you should follow

Friction is the fastest way to lose a guest and a tiny Athens bar just solved it brilliantly.

I popped into Minnie Moochers in Athens this week and noticed something so small… yet so smart.

On each table, there’s a little light you twist and it turns red when when you’re ready to order or stays white when you're all sorted! 
No waving.
No waiting.
No awkward eye contact.
No ignoring your friends while you try and get attention.


Just a simple, elegant way to remove friction from the guest experience.
And it reminded me of something we talk about constantly in hospitality and digital strategy:

The brands that win are the brands that reduce friction, the ones that really get insider the guests head and step in their shoes, for each step of their journey! The true drivers of seamlessness. 

Not with big gestures but with clean, intuitive, human-centred micro-moments.


That light is more than a clever touch.
 It’s a lesson in user journey design:
 👉 Anticipate needs
 👉 Reduce effort
 👉 Respect time
 👉 Make action obvious


Every business not just F&B has its equivalent of that tiny light.

A single moment in the journey where clarity, ease, or intentionality can change everything.


Oh and if you’re in Athens and want to chat hospitality, travel, experience design, or the little details that make brands unforgettable I’m here until the end of the month and would LOVE to chat!

Drop me a message or tag any hotels who would benefit from connecting with us!

Oh and what smart journey integrations have you seen lately? I would love to hear below!

From zero clients and no roadmap to working with the top of the top.
Belmond. Bvlgari. Rosewood.

What started as a shared idea between myself and Thibault Selderslagh has grown into an agency shaping how luxury hospitality shows up online.


To close out Season One of The Digital Concierge by For Digital Sakes, I’m sitting down with someone who’s been there since day one my co-founder (and partner in life), Thibault Selderlagh!


People often ask what it’s like working with your partner so in this episode, we go behind the curtain on both our business and our relationship.


Together, we unpack:

 💡 How we built For Digital Sakes from scratch

 💬 The reality of growing a company as a couple

 ⚖️ Balancing vision with execution

 💭 The lessons, mistakes, and mindset shifts that shaped it all

 🌍 And what’s next for FDS  and the future of hospitality

It’s honest. 
It’s personal. 
And the perfect way to wrap up this first chapter.

🎧 Listen to the Season Finale now on Spotify or YouTube link in bio.

 And if you’ve been here since episode one a massive, massive thank you.

Season Two will be back with us in Q1!

Give it a listen and tell me what resonated most I’d love to hear your thoughts before Season Two begins. ✈️

6 things that should be on your radar from this week’s What’s Hot in Hospitality.


From Soho’s newest opening to Costa Rica’s rainforest hideaways and the rise of women-focused wellness, here’s what is shaping the industry right now.

1. London’s freshest opening: Honest Greens, Soho
A new wave of wholesome, vegetable-forward dining lands in central London, bringing relaxed, real-food energy to Soho, yes please!


2. Hotel of the Week: Nayara Tented Camp - Leading Hotels of the World, Costa Rica
Stilted safari tents overlooking Arenal Volcano, private hot-spring plunge pools, and rainforest immersion at its finest. Think high design meets deep nature.


3. Destination of the Week: Kiruna, Sweden
Snow-dusted landscapes, aurora skies, ice hotels and Arctic wellness rituals make Kiruna one of the most magical festive-season escapes.


4. Experience of the Week: Kith Ivy, New York City
A members-only concept blending fashion, wellness, padel, dining, and retail under one roof. A glimpse into the future of lifestyle-led hospitality.


5. Book of the Week: The Design Hotels Book by Design Hotels
A global collection of independent hotels merging architecture, culture, and storytelling. Essential inspiration for design-led travel lovers.


6. Trend of the Week: Women-Focused Resorts
From Canyon Ranch to SHA Wellness, female-centric retreats are shaping the next era of wellness with a focus on hormone health, longevity, movement, and community.


Travel is evolving fast, and these six touchpoints highlight exactly where the industry is moving: more emotion, more immersion, and more intentionality.


If you want the full Radar every week, subscribe to our newsletter for trends, hidden gems and industry insights landing in your inbox weekly! Link in comments and bio! 

And as always what was on your radar that we missed?

Weekly Wrap up - whats hot in travel and hospitality

Travel is entering a transformative era, one that’s as much about meaning as movement.

This morning I had the chance to attend The Future Laboratory Breakfast Briefing at beautiful The Roof Gardens, where Sam Blenkinsopp  (Trippin & All Corners ), Natasha Shafi (Mr & Mrs Smith ), Fiona Harkin and Seyi Oduwole( The Future Laboratory) unpacked the Optimised Odysseys report, exploring how technology, culture and community are reshaping luxury travel.


Here are a few takeaways I scribbled down during the insight packed session that stayed with me ( and I loved the naming conventions!):


To Gather Travel – a return to collective connection; families and communities seeking shared rituals.

Selfscapes – solo travel as self-definition; journeys that shape identity.

Gilded Luxury – from status to sensation; the rise of stillness, craftsmanship, and human-centred luxury.

Intellitrips – technology as an invisible enabler; AI-driven, seamless journeys.

Souljourns – travel to reconnect with nature, local culture, and night-time experiences.

Emerging Epicentres – the decentralisation of travel; new creative capitals rising.




And under Foresight:

Climate-conscious check-ins – low-footprint luxury.

Future nostalgia – design that blends heritage and innovation.

Cloud citizens – borderless, frictionless, digital-first travellers.

The Travel-Verse – the merging of physical and digital journeys, from storytelling to spatial design.


It’s clear: the next chapter of travel will be defined not by destinations, but by depth.

By experiences that align with identity, wellbeing, and belonging.

What struck me most is how the conversation is shifting from “How do we travel better?” to “How do we travel truer?”

Guests are craving design that feels personal, wellness that feels purposeful and journeys that feel like stories they want to keep telling.l not necessarily documenting. 

At For Digital Sakes, this aligns so closely with what we’re seeing daily the rise of digital storytelling that brings meaning, mindfulness, and emotion back into the experience.

Which of these insights speak to you? 

Thanks Kayleigh Owen for putting this on my agenda while I was in the UK! To Sam Blenkinsopp for popping me on the list and for Martin Raymond and his team for a super fruitful session!

No alternative text description for this image

There’s a quiet rebellion happening in luxury right now and it’s playing out in pen strokes instead of pixels.

Burberry and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts are both leaning into illustration (and even AI-assisted illustration) as a new form of brand expression and I’m here for it.


Because honestly, 
Animated clips? 
A short film with an incredible cast? 
A conceptual illustrated campaign? 
Yes please!

The Burberry social team are ones to keep their eyes on because they’re not just producing content, they’re shaping culture.


So what does this shift actually mean?

✨ Luxury is slowing the scroll.
Illustration forces stillness. It signals confidence the kind of brand that doesn’t need to prove itself. 


✨ Imagination is back.
In a world obsessed with “authenticity,” there’s power in mystery. Illustration invites emotion instead of instruction it lets the viewer feel rather than just look.


✨ AI is becoming art.
We’re past the panic. The smartest brands are using it to elevate creativity, not automate it  merging digital precision with emotional depth.


✨ Emotion is the new aesthetic.
Luxury branding isn’t just about showing reality anymore. It’s about capturing resonance the mood, tone and energy of a brand’s inner world.

Why it matters
This isn’t just a trend it’s a shift in how we tell stories. It gives permission to others to lean into other storytelling methods!

At For Digital Sakes, we’ve been calling this the rise of emotive storytelling where art, AI and authenticity collide to create something that actually moves people to take action. 

What do you think about illustration in luxury hospitality?

Are we entering an era of illustration?

Tourism isn’t just bouncing back it’s breaking boundaries.
From Saudi’s $113B future-focused vision to Bhutan’s soulful restraint, this week proved that the next decade of travel will be defined by intention, innovation, and intelligence.

What’s on our radar this week, so we're putting it on yours. 

A wrap-up of what’s shaping travel, hospitality, and digital storytelling right now from Saudi’s tourism surge to AI-driven brand worlds.

News of the Week
The inaugural TOURISE Summit in Riyadh marked a major milestone for global tourism, with Saudi Arabia unveiling $113 billion in future-focused investments across hospitality, wellness, retail, and AI-driven platforms.
A global call for cities to elevate urban tourism safety and sustainable development through responsible governance and intelligent systems.

Trend
Brands trading lenses for lines. And I'm not sure I'm here for it... 
Luxury brands like Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and Burberry aren’t just showing reality anymore they’re sculpting resonance. Through AI-driven visuals, generative illustration, and motion storytelling, they’re creating brand worlds where every line, animation and pixel feels intentional. 

Destination
 Bhutan. Still one of the world’s most exclusive travel frontiers, Bhutan’s “high value, low volume” philosophy continues to attract travellers seeking purpose over passport stamps.
 From Aman kora’s lodges to the Trans Bhutan Trail, this is where spiritual renewal meets sustainable design.

Hotel
Ciel Dubai Marina, Vignette Collection by IHG / The First Group
Opening this month, Ciel is set to become the world’s tallest hotel at 377 metres, redefining luxury from the ground up with 82 stories of design, scale, and spectacle.
 More than architecture it’s an elevation of experience.

Experience
Dior Spa at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc.
Wellness with couture precision. The newly unveiled @Dior Spa brings haute fragrance rituals, lymphatic sculpting, and Côte d’Azur calm into one cinematic journey. Book me in right away please!

Book
“Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly” by Hannah Selinger 
A sharp, honest memoir that captures the reality of working behind the scenes in hospitality raw, real, and deeply human. For anyone shaping the future of travel and service, it’s a reminder that every great experience starts lonnnng before the guest arrives.


Which story stands out most for you this week the rise of AI storytelling or destination storytelling? Or what did we miss that should have been on our radar?

Weekly Wrap Up x For Digital Sakes

Regenerative travel is the biggest shift since eco-tourism
and is becoming the new benchmark in luxury hospitality.

Sustainability is no longer enough.
Guests don’t want "less harm" they want positive impact.

And the smartest hotels are already building it into their DNA, not juts slapping it onto their marketing.

Here’s who’s leading the way 👇

1. Regeneration Built Into the Land

The most forward-thinking destinations are designing for restoration, not extraction:
• The Red Sea (Saudi Arabia)
→ Only 5% of the total area will ever be developed.
→ Over 50 islands remain untouched and protected.
• Kiri Private Reserve
→ Coral propagation programmes, marine conservation, and waste-to-wealth recycling centres.
• Fogo Island Inn (Canada)
→ Operates under the Shorefast Foundation, reinvesting profits directly into the island and its community.

These projects don’t just reduce harm they regenerate whole ecosystems.


2. Regenerative F&B Is the New Luxury

Luxury travellers increasingly judge hotels by how they grow, source, and repurpose food.
• Six Senses
→ Organic gardens, composting, and regenerative farming initiatives across their properties.
→ Some locations even run seed-preservation programmes.
• Daylesford Stays / Bamford (UK)
→ A true closed-loop farming model powering their hospitality experiences.
• Patina Hotels & Resorts Maldives
→ Zero-waste culinary philosophy, extensive recycling, and hydroponic gardens.

This is farm-to-table — evolved.


3. Community Regeneration as Core Strategy

Communities are no longer a marketing story they’re part of the business model.
• andBeyond Travel
→ Conservation levies fund anti-poaching units, local schools, and community programmes.
• Shinta Mani Wild (Cambodia)
→ Works with Wildlife Alliance to employ and train anti-poaching rangers from nearby villages.
• Singita
→ Long-term partnerships with conservation funds and community development trusts.

Regeneration now means ecological + social impact.


4. Radical Transparency Is the New Trust Signal

Luxury travellers want proof.

Leaders are publishing:
• biodiversity impact metrics
• waste + water circularity data
• community economic reports
• regeneration KPIs (coral growth, forest expansion)

Red Sea Global, Soneva, Singita, andBeyond and Wilderness all publicly report impact.

This is where the industry is heading:
Hotels judged not only by experiences but by measurable restoration, and rightly so I would say!



You should care about this, and in fact we all should because this isn't a 'trend' as such... It’s becoming the new luxury badge.

Travellers will soon ask:
“What did my stay restore?” and use it to virtue signal on their socials perhaps... but it still drives impact.

And the brands that can answer with data and not just slogans will own the next decade.

Which property do you think is setting the standard in regenerative travel?

Regenerative travel is in, sustainability is out. 

The internet is loud but people are craving connection more than ever.

Today Outlander Magazine shared an older mana’s handwritten flyer inviting strangers to “smoke a cigarette with me” for five minutes in Washington Square Park… and can you imagine thousands showed up.

Not for a brand.
Not for a launch.
Not for a celebrity.

For a moment.

A moment that reminded people what it feels like to belong to something even something that was essentially a ‘five-minute smoke break.’

And that’s the truth cities, brands and even leaders forget:

Community doesn’t form around products. It forms around shared emotion, shared curiosity, shared presence.

People are exhausted by algorithms, ghosting, and digital distance.

They are seeking frictionless ways to gather low-stakes, human, spontaneous.

That’s why something as simple as a flyer printed at home can create a crowd big enough to trigger real-time “incident alerts.”
It wasn’t the cigarette. It was the invitation.

The permission to pause.
The permission to show up.
The permission to be part of something bigger than your screen.

And this matters far beyond a viral moment.

For hospitality.
For destinations.
For communities.
For anyone building experiences.

Because this is the reminder:
People don’t want more noise they want more togetherness.
More small rituals.
More shared stories.
More reasons to step into the world again.

These days everything is automated, curated, and optimised…sometimes the most powerful thing you can offer people is simply a place to meet.

So what is your brand doing to create a community? Or are you letting it happen without you?

This is what great geo-targeting looks like.

I’d barely stepped into Amsterdam and my phone lit up:

“Welcome, Holly. Stop by the House for an event or screening.”

Simple. Timely. Relevant.
Not a campaign but a cue.
Not a broadcast but a nudge in the right moment.

Most brands still treat notifications as noise.
But hospitality brands that understand geo-targeting turn them into touchpoints that feel personal, intuitive and almost anticipatory.

Here’s why this works:

1. It aligns with real behaviour
I’m in the city → I’m near the House → here’s something I can do right now.

2. It reinforces belonging
The message doesn’t sell. It welcomes.
Hospitality is emotional, this uses technology to deepen that feeling.

3. It shifts intent instantly
A well-timed, geo-smart notification can move a guest from “scrolling” to “I’ll pop by.”

4. It respects context
No hard push. No noise.
Just a moment that makes sense in the moment.

The future of digital hospitality isn’t bigger campaigns.
It’s smarter context.

Moments like this.
Delivered to the right person, in the right place, at the right time without ever feeling like marketing. 

Oh and if you’re in Amsterdam tomorrow and want to talk hospitality, travel or marketing drop me a DM! 

Ps nicely done Soho House & Co

Are your sales toolkits stuck in the 70s? When print was king and PDFs were the peak of innovation?


And here’s the truth your best sales asset  isn’t necessarily human. 

It’s video. 🎥

Yet so many hotels are still relying on PDFs to sell an experience designed to be felt.



That’s the challenge.
Fact sheets inform, but they don’t inspire.


A deck can tell me what you offer, but not why I should care.


The modern guest doesn’t buy a room type; they buy a feeling. ( okay some do 😉) 


And in a time where attention is the new currency, stories, not slides, are what convert.


Oh, and your sales teams and trade partners?
They want videos too. And not just the ones they hunt for from your social media channels. 


Because let’s face it when they can show, not tell, they sell faster, more confidently, and with emotion that a brochure just can’t carry.

That’s where digital storytelling comes in.
At For Digital Sakes, we turn static presentations into cinematic brand assets that move audiences, literally and emotionally.


From cinematic hotel walkthroughs to vertical mini films designed for discoverability, we help hotels go from decks to digital experiences that sell themselves.


Because modern guests don’t want to be told.
They want to see it.
Feel it.
Believe it.


Ready to retire the PDF and reimagine your sales toolkit?


Let’s create video assets that sell your story before your team even speaks.
Get in touch to start your hotel’s digital transformation.

Can ‘work–life balance’ really exist when you run your own business?

It’s a question I get asked all the time running For Digital Sakes with Thibault Selderslagh and if I’m honest, it’s one I’ve wrestled with myself.

There’s so much pressure on founders to have this perfect equilibrium…
Work here. Personal life there, all neatly separated and contained, but quite frankly I don't feel that is how it works. 

Sometimes I'm sending an email from my bed, other times it's from the gym or a hotel lobby and I'm lucky if it's from my office! 

But when your business is your passion, it rarely looks compartmentalised!

In this clip, Thib and I share a take that not everyone will agree with  but so many founders quietly resonate with:

Sometimes balance isn’t about working less.
It’s about building a life you don’t feel the need to escape from.

It’s about designing days that make sense for you.
Not the internet.
Not the textbooks.
Not the “ideal routine” you’re told to follow.


And here’s the truth most people don’t say out loud:
If you genuinely love what you do… there’s no shame in pouring more of yourself into it.


Just make sure the life around it supports you, sustains you, and doesn’t disappear in the process.


This is part of the Season One finale of The Digital Concierge by FDS where Thib and I finally share what it’s really like building a business (and a relationship) side by side.

🎧 Tune into the full episode on Spotify or YouTube, link in bio and in comments.
 
👇
I’d love to hear your take:
Do you believe in work–life balance as a founder or entrepreneur? Or are we putting pressure on ourselves to chase something that doesn’t actually exist?

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