Entrepreneurs, Tech & Sales: Own Your Voice on LinkedIn | Social Selling and Personal Branding —> Increase Pipeline & Brand Awareness | LEGO Flower Power 🌻

You're not a content creator. (Phew!!) 

You're a business owner leveraging content to grow your business.

2 very different ways to approaching LinkedIn.

You don't need to post daily. 
Chase the algorithm. 
Or become someone you're not.

You need conversations that turn into relationships that turn into revenue.

I'm on LinkedIn to help you get off LinkedIn.
The platform isn't the point. The relationships are.

That's what fills my cup AND my bank account.

---

Hi, I'm Natasha. 🙌

New mom. Breadwinner. Introvert who hates cold outreach.

I built my business to half a million in 2 years. All because of how I show up on LinkedIn.

Not by being loud. Not by gaming the algorithm. Not by sending soul-destroying pitch slaps in the DMs.

By building real relationships.

I've been "doing LinkedIn" for 10 years - as a scrappy sales rep who hated cold calling, running sales at Forbes Books, to now growing my own business exclusively through this platform.

I teach founders and executives to do the same.

---

Who is this for?

6-figure founders who've built something real.

You're good at what you do. Clients stay, refer, and thank you.

But on LinkedIn? Oddly invisible.

Your competitors aren't better. They're just louder.

The issue isn't confidence. It's knowing what to say and who to say it to.

---

Through my REALationship Growth Method I help founders go from respected offline to recognized online - without becoming someone they're not.

No hacks. No volume tactics. No influencer cosplay. 👀

Real outcomes:

→ Josie closed 3x 12 month contracts from one event
→ Michelle landed two $30k speaking engagements in three months
→ Dr. Ashley secured two speaking gigs in two weeks plus a five-figure client

If LinkedIn feels like noise, performance, or a mild existential crisis...

You're exactly who this is for.

DM me "LFG" and let's chat. 💜

Natasha Walstra

I hate drama. I have no bandwidth for it. I'm building a business, raising a toddler, and pouring everything I have into both.

But something came to my attention last week that I can't ignore.

Someone I trusted has been reaching out to my network - clients, partners, prospects. Scraping my posts and using my name to get in the door.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't sting.

Nothing prepares you when you realize not everyone operates with the same integrity you do. And that's a hard lesson when you assume the best in people.

The silver lining? It makes the right people stand out even more.

The ones who show up for you, the ones who protect your name when you're not in the room, the ones who would never use your success to build theirs.

Those are the relationships worth protecting.

So instead of losing any sleep over this, I'm focusing on how I show up. For me, for my family, for my clients, for all of you. And I'll keep doing it the way I always have - with integrity and real relationships.

All this to say, if you've received a message using my name, please know that's not a referral from me. Working with them reminded me why I don't operate that way. And never will.

Ok. Back to building.

You’re not a content creator. Good. You don’t need to be | LinkedIn personal branding & social selling for founders (not influencers) | Filling APRIL cohort - ask me about it! 🙌

I don't know what I was doing in college, but it sure wasn't this!

On Tuesday, I spoke at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina to an entrepreneurship class where every student is starting a business this semester.

Let that sink in...they're not just learning about entrepreneurship. They're doing it. Literally! One student has an AI automation company and already bringing on big clients! 🤯

What we covered:
→ Why LinkedIn matters even when you're 20 
→ My 3-step framework for a successful LinkedIn presence 
→ 3 things they could do today

I also gave them a custom GPT, the Profile Glow Up, I built to help with their profiles. 

The questions they asked were so on point:

"I have a job lined up, but I'm building a business on the side. How should I show up on LinkedIn?"

"What content should I create beyond 'about me' posts?"

"How do I get a company's attention without pitching in the DM's?"

These students are thinking about intentional relationship-building NOW.

While everyone else waits until they "need" to network, these future founders are already making trust deposits. 😎

AND what was cool about this on a personal note? 
This is the third time I've spoken to this class.

The first time was exactly 2 years ago. 
I was six months into my business. Terrified. 
I have no idea what I even said to them.

Now I'm back. More confident. Having FUN.
Growth is wild when you're paying attention.

P.S. Shoutout to Jeff Savage, PhD for inviting me back. We met at a previous startup, and one of the best things that came from it was meeting him. Some relationships outlast the circumstances that created them.

I got reprimanded by 4 men on a call at 10am.

By 2pm, the President of Nokia asked for my resume.

Here's the full story:

I was on a call with the CEO, my manager, and two other senior colleagues. They were telling me how badly I was performing, especially on my cold calls.

(to be fair, I was sh!t on those calls.)

But I'd started leveraging LinkedIn for outreach instead, focusing on quality over quantity, building relationships instead of dialing for dollars. (booked calls with top companies like Home Depot even!)

They didn't see it that way.

For 30 minutes, I sat there shaking, on the verge of a panic attack...or throwing my computer out the door - wasn't sure which.

The crazy part? I had an in-person meeting in San Jose with the President of Nokia a few hours later..to pitch the tech from the company that just yelled at me.

You can imagine how that went.

I walked in and said: "I'm so sorry, I'm not sure what I'm doing here. I think I'm going to resign tomorrow."

He looked at me and asked, "Do you have a resume?" Then gave me a tour of the office.

I resigned the next day. And although I didn't end up going to Nokia, it led me to a unicorn 3D printing company that actually embraced my crazy LinkedIn ideas.

Sometimes the thing that feels like rejection is actually redirection. 

The approach that got me scolded is now the foundation of my entire business.

Turns out I wasn't bad at sales, I was just bad at their version of it.

P.S. How did I get that meeting with the President of Nokia? Through my network. I'd started intuitively connecting with and reaching out to people who already knew me, trusted me, and liked me. Wasn't intentional then (it was just better than cold calling 😅). 

P.S.2 Even crazier? Yesterday I had a call with the VP of CX from that same company. She was there that day, making sure I didn't break things (in the most supportive way). She's been following me ever since. Now she wants to bring what I do to her current company. Talk about full circle moment!

I'm finally retiring my profile pic.

(long overdue)

My hair is 3x the length now, I've got a lot more wrinkles, and a whole different life.

The pic was fun while it lasted! You might not even know the original actually has a plant on my head - edited it out last year. It was a whole vibe (see below).

But a lot has changed since 2021.

Back then, I was newly in leadership as VP & Director of Sales at Forbes Books and I'd just moved to South Carolina (for the first time).  

I was very unsure of myself, very single, and honestly? A lotta bit lost.

Feels like a lifetime ago...and it was.

Now? 

I'm a Founder, a wife, a mother.

Same me. Just with more clarity, more stories, and a lot more life lived.

Here's to the next chapter. 🙌 

P.S. Peekaboo! Expect some new fun pics in the coming weeks! 📸

The CO— by U.S. Chamber of Commerce featured me!

They asked me to be part of their "Ask the Board" series - where they connect business owners with thought leaders to help solve their biggest challenges.

(A fictional fantasy board of directors. Pretty cool, right?)

They asked me to share how to build a reputation-first business that cuts through the noise.

I've got a lot to share on this, as you can imagine.

Your reputation isn't part of your strategy.
It IS the strategy.

Everything else... your brand, your relationships, your growth... flows from it.

In the article, I break down 7 ways to build a reputation-first business:

1. Why your LinkedIn profile is your reputation's home base 
2. The content balance that builds trust (hint: it's not just expertise) 
3. Why posting alone isn't enough 
4. What to show instead of polish 
5. How to turn clients into amplifiers 
6. The long game most people skip 
7. The one thing that makes you referable

With fluffy BS, exaggerated claims, and flashy marketing, people are looking for something REAL.

This is how you become it.

Take a look!

https://lnkd.in/eR25iWea

P.S. Still can't believe that the girl who was "too empathetic to be in sales" is now giving business advice in the US Chamber of Commerce. Pretty cool stuff if I can say so! 🤓

You know those days where everything just flows?!

Yesterday was not that day.

→ Didn't sleep a wink
→ Massive headache
→ Bombed a workshop 
→ Mixed up client work
→ Dog threw up everywhere 
→ Spoke gibberish on my cohort call
→ Showed up 13m late to a call (thought was an hour later)

The good news?

Apparently, there's some planetary alignment happening that explains all of this.

I'm choosing to believe that. 👀

____

Anyone else blaming the planets this week? 🪐
.
.
.
TGIF

We're in a trust recession.

Your audience has been burned by pitch slaps, AI nonsense, and fake connections.

Their guard is up. 
They're skeptical of everything.

Which means the game has changed.

Not more content. 
Not more reach.

→ More real. 
→ More proof.

So: how are you showing you do what you say you do? 

____

P.S. I heard someone go as far to say we're in a trust depression...which honestly is (depressingly) spot on. 

It's been interesting to see this even with clients who've *already* signed with me, still skeptic 😅 but I've got a really good example of a breakthrough...stay tuned 😎

I posted the same story 2 days in a row.

And it still got great engagement.

Different angle. But same story.

Why am I sharing this?

→ Nobody is paying as much attention to you as you think they are.

We're all the main characters of our own movie.
But we're barely a background extra in everyone else's.

That thing you said last week?
They already forgot.

That post you're worried sounds repetitive?
They didn't see the first one.

That story you've told 3x?
Someone's hearing it for the first time today.

If you feel like you're sounding redundant...GOOD!

That means people might actually be starting to associate you with that thing.

Repetition isn't annoying.
It's how you become known.

The real problem isn't saying the same thing too often.
It's saying so many different things that nobody knows what you're about.

So say it again.
And again.
And then one more time after that.

That's how they remember you.

P.S. What do you want to be known for? Share below!

I want to be known for making your LinkedIn experience fun, empowering, AND profitable. Think my content does a good job of doing that? : )
(and if that's not what your experience has been so far on LinkedIn, we probably should talk. DM "known" to start the conversation!

LinkedIn's algorithm got smarter.

It's called 360Brew.

It reads your content. Checks your profile. Detects the gaming (finally).

And it's why some people are panicking while others haven't noticed a thing.

This week's newsletter (a few days late, my b 🤓) what changed, what it means, and how to use it to your advantage.


___

p.s. TGIF! Has it not been the longest week?!

A top creator asked me something interesting at the end of last year. "Are you feeling the algorithm change? I used to get 30,000 impressions. Now I'm

Open article: LinkedIn's new algorithm: 360Brew by Natasha Walstra • 3 min read

I'm a day late for International Women's Day.

But let's be real, one day isn't enough anyways!

I want to celebrate the 39 women in the REALationship Growth Method right now.

12 that just kicked off in my third cohort. 27 in my other cohort and community.

Every single one of them is building something unique.

Growing businesses, dominating industries...showing up with heart, care, and an insane amount of strength.

But it's not just how they show up for their own businesses.
→ It's how they show up for each other. 👯‍♂️

The encouragement, the referrals, the "you've got this" when someone needs it most.

I wake up every morning genuinely grateful that these women trust me with their LinkedIn and business development strategies... it's not something I take lightly.

To my cohorts and my community:
You inspire me more than you know.

Keep building, keep showing up, keep being exactly who you are.

The world needs what you're creating.

Their like was the first move.

Your DM should be the second.

No one will get mad at you for sending a DM after they like your post.

In fact, they might even be grateful you reached out because, guess what,
Initiating conversations is hard!

And someone has to start the conversation - why not let it be you? 🤔

Plus, the way I see it:

- A like
- A profile view
- And definitely a comment

These are the digital (subtle) versions of starting a conversation.

It's them quietly waving saying,
"Hello, I hear you, and what you said makes sense!"

Now, don't go pitch-slapping them, please. 🙏

But connect, say hi back.
See where the conversation goes.

You never know what inspired that little hint of interest.

Might be your next client.
Might be a referral partnership.
Might be an intro to the best networking call you've ever had.

All I know is this:
The best opportunities only happen once words are exchanged.

____

PS. I know it might be time consuming. I have to admit I'm not able to do this all the time either.

But if you're not doing this type of follow-up, you're going to struggle to see results from all the effort you're putting into actually posting!

My challenge to you:

After your next 3 posts, send 5 DMs to people who engaged with each one.
Start small. See big impact.

I never felt rage towards tech until ChatGPT.

(I'm embarrassed to say that. I shouldn't have let it get to me so much, I know 🙈.)

But it just wouldn't listen!

The em dashes everywhere.
The "Here's the thing:" before every point.
The excessive praise.
The trying-to-be-my-bro energy.

I'd ask for direct,
I'd get fluff.

I'd ask for my voice,
I'd get... motivational poster.

So when I discovered Claude early last year, I literally couldn't believe my eyes.

It actually listens.
It's straightforward.
It remembers what I've shared.

Yes, it still makes mistakes. 
But it doesn't hallucinate to the extent that ChatGPT does. 

And it does SUCH a good job maintaining tone of voice and copywriting.

My writing changed significantly since I started using it.

I brain dump ideas. 
Based on my instructions, it turns them into posts. 

Always starting with my original thought. 
Never replacing it.

Which sparked a really cool idea:
What if I made custom Claude bots for my clients?

So easy they can't NOT post.
So I did.

Now all my clients get a custom ClaudeBot - loaded with information about them, my Know-Like-Trust content framework, and their brand voice, and my instructions.

All they have to do is speak into their phone and poof! - a post is there.

It's the opposite of garbage in, garbage out.

Is it perfect? 
No. But it gets to 80-90%.

And then there's the feedback from clients:

"I can write 8 new posts in 4x less time."

"It's one of my most satisfying relationships" 
(that one made me LOL)

"This stuff is really good."

AI isn't replacing your voice.
It's amplifying it - if you use it right.

____

P.S. I offer this not just for my 1:1 clients, but my cohort, also! I've got 1x 1:1 spot left for March and already filling my April cohort. 

You also get custom branding...AND video content. 

(yep, I'm basically an agency disguised as a coach. if you've been even the slightest bit curious, now's the time to lock it in before things change!) 

DM me "LFG" for deets!

This isn't Mad Libs, y'all.

I keep seeing the same posts over and over:

"[#] lessons I learned from [random experience]"
"What [unexpected thing] taught me about [business thing]"
"I was today years old when I learned [obvious insight]"

You might not even realize you're doing it.
Because AI follows templates, too.
And you ask ChatGPT for a post idea.
It spits out a framework.
You fill in the blanks.
And now you sound like everyone else. 👀

Your audience has seen that format 1000 times this week.
Their brain skips right over it.
You become background noise.

Templates exist for a reason and can be really great!
They're training wheels.
They help when you're stuck.
They give you somewhere to start.

But training wheels aren't meant to stay on forever.

The posts that stop the scroll?
They don't follow a formula.
They sound like YOU said them.

They make people think "I've never heard it put that way before."
Your unique voice is the whole point.
Not your ability to fill in blanks better than the next person.

Thoughts? 

😉


___

P.S. LinkedIn's algorithm, 360Brew, is suppressing AI content (I know, the irony, an AI penalizing AI), my guess is templates are going fall into that category because of how overused and 'swiped' so many have become.

Templates are helpful, and I don't mean to hate on them, but if you use them, do your best to make them YOURS.

Mad Libs, LinkedIn Edition

"It's working out gooood!"

My client was skeptical for weeks. Wouldn't try it.
Finally did. First post? Someone reached out.

This same approach has gotten me 160+ workshop registrations and 3 SOLD OUT cohorts. 

Without a single promotional post.

What is it?

Take a peek! 👀

P.S. Can you guess what it is? ; )

Question for you: if you don't tell people how to work with you, how will they know how to work with you? Really obvious question, I know, but I find 

Open article: How to sell in posts without actually selling (I sold out 3 cohorts this way) by Natasha Walstra • 3 min read

How to sell in posts without actually selling (I sold out 3 cohorts this way)

I got real on this one.

Just did a podcast with Nick Berry about why LinkedIn feels harder than it should for business owners.

Nick's interviewed top dogs like Jason Feifer (Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine), Dr. Benjamin Hardy (10x Is Easier Than 2x, The Science of Scaling), and other impressive people. I was so shocked to be asked on it.

This was his first episode specifically on LinkedIn for entrepreneurs.

We broke down:
→ Why most advice doesn't fit you
→ Why smart people act weird online
→ What to do instead

I also shared some personal stuff I've never talked about publicly.

Take a read (and a listen!)

https://lnkd.in/eFgkAg_D

(my most honest conversation about LinkedIn yet) Hey you! I was recently a guest on The Business Owner’s Journey podcast with Nick Berry. And I’m stil

Open article: You're going to want to hear this by Natasha Walstra • 3 min read

Everyone in my community wants 2 things:

Visibility and sales.

And one of the best ways to get both? Speaking.

So I brought in Marta Spirk, M.A.

Her story was powerful. 
Her framework was clear. 
And her interactive Bingo exercise got everyone thinking about their next move.

The feedback?
"This was a phenomenal session." 
"This was so valuable!"

I could talk about LinkedIn all day. 
But speaking? That's not my lane.

Part of building something that actually serves people is recognizing where your expertise ends and someone else's begins.

Marta was the right person to have in the room. 
And my people are better for it.

P.S. My April cohort of the REALationship Growth Method is filling up FAST. 

We're not just learning LinkedIn tactics, we're hearing from top experts, actually implementing together, and you guessed it, building REALationships. Spaces are limited, and the next cohort won't be until June! 

If you're curious to learn more, DM me "LFG" for more deets OR let's hop on a call! https://lnkd.in/ecAKhTAq

"There's no way anyone would respond to this."

My client said this about a DM I suggested she send.

It was a simple DM for when someone views your profile.

She thought it was weird, too forward, pointless.
She sent it anyway.

The response? A four-paragraph novel.

The person explained exactly why they'd checked out her profile, what they were looking for, what they were struggling with.

They went back and forth and then jumped on a call.
All from one "weird" DM.

Here's the reframe (and why she sent it anyways):

You're not bothering them, you're doing them a favor.

Most people have so much to say, they're just waiting for someone to start the conversation.

They viewed your profile for a reason, they're curious, maybe interested. 
But nervous to initiate.

So you go first.

And if they have no reason? They just won't respond. No harm done.

But more often than not? 
They're relieved you broke the ice.

The DM that feels awkward to send is usually the one that starts the best conversations.


____

P.S. I'm doing another live workshop! And you bet we'll cover this. 

April 2nd at 12:00 ET

Why Your LinkedIn Isn't Converting...and the System That Fixes It

Register here! https://lnkd.in/eg3Kq5iX

Brain fog, breadwinner, business owner... AND content creator?

No, thank you!

This week's newsletter is a permission slip for everyone who's been told they need to "show up more" but can barely remember where they put their coffee.

You don't have to become a content creator to grow your business.

You just have to play a different game.

Check it out 😎

P.S. I'm hosting my next live workshop! April 2nd at 12:00 ET!! Deets coming next week. In the meantime, register here:
https://lnkd.in/ejGSQN2Z

You expect me to be a content creator on top of everything else going on? No, thank you. I've got a multi-6 fig business I run on my own (with a few c

Open article: Brain fog, breadwinner, business owner, AND content creator? by Natasha Walstra • 2 min read

Brain fog, breadwinner, business owner, AND content creator?

Today’s the day!! 

LIVE MERCH LAB → Turning My “No Pitch Slaps” Into Swag! 

There’s a lot I’ve been saying lately that’s triggering (in a good way). 

Definitely could make for some good swag. 

And I love how Amanda Hofman turns your brand essence into company swag you’d *actually* wear. 

Can’t wait to see what we come up with today!! See you there!!

Branded Merch & Swag Expert | Chief Swag Officer | Your guide for sustainable & anti-boring branded merchandise | Print-on-Demand Shop Set-Up | NYC Marathoner turned Cyclist 🏃🏻‍♀️🚴‍♀️

Can LinkedIn advice become wearable? We’re about to find out.

Natasha Walstra is known for helping people sell on LinkedIn without being weird about it. She’s built her brand around making LinkedIn feel more human and helping you be more effective while you’re there.

Her signature rule: No Pitch Slaps. 

But Natasha’s message goes beyond one phrase. If her bold, honest, refreshingly real voice had to become wearable… what would actually make the cut?

In this 🎉 Live Merch Lab 🎉, we’re building Natasha’s very first merch line — translating her sharp, funny, straight-talking energy into something her community would genuinely want to wear.

If you care about building visibility without being cringe, spammy, or robotic, this session is for you.

In this live session, you’ll see:

→ How to brainstorm merch for your own brand while helping design Natasha’s
→ How to turn a strong point of view into something people proudly wear
→ What Natasha should absolutely NOT print
→ A live audience vote on the final picks

This isn’t a webinar. It’s a working session.

→→ RSVP to influence what makes the drop.

Bring your opinions, claim your (virtual) creative director seat, and help us decide what goes from idea to wearable.

Danae Gabriel, Kelly Edmondson and 34 other attendees

LIVE MERCH LAB → Turning Natasha Walstra’s “No Pitch Slaps” Into Swag

The most underutilized part of your LinkedIn profile?

→ Recommendations.

You might think no one looks at them. But if someone's about to spend $1000s with you? They're checking you out everywhere.

They *might* not notice if you don't have any...but they'll definitely notice if you do.

Here's one I got last week from Mahesh Guruswamy - CTO of Kickstarter when we worked together, now COO at Kajabi.

When someone's vetting me, they see this. They click his profile, they verify he's real, he held those positions, AND he said I'm "the real deal."

That builds trust faster than anything I could say about myself.

And right now? Trust is everything.
We're not in a trust recession...we're in a trust depression.

Everyone claims to be an expert, AI can write anything that sounds credible, and anyone can put "strategist" in their title.

How do you know who's the real deal anymore?
You don't - unless you can prove it.

Recommendations are one form of proof.

Real names, real titles, real companies, specific results.
 
Not a testimonial on your website that could've been written by anyone or a quote you could've made up.

A real person vouching for you in a way that AI (and potential clients) can verify.

If you don't have recommendations on your profile, you're asking people to take your word for it when where very few take anyone's word for anything anymore.
(Or at least, they want to trust, but they also just want a little proof to back it up. Recommendations give them that.)

P.S. I'm going to be sharing more juicy systems about why your LinkedIn isn't converting. April 2nd at 12:00 ET. LFG!

https://lnkd.in/epsuaE8z

Kyle Thomas

Went from cubicle data entry to Uber Employee 250 & Startup Exec | Helping you land your career-accelerating role in less than 90 days | Founder & CEO of UpEmployment Accelerator

When it comes to startup job seeking everyone wants to be an early employee at a unicorn 🦄 & earn millions 💸.

But what's the secret to landing those opportunities? 

Here's a hint...

They don't come from the "traditional job search".

When I was job seeking I had no idea what I was doing, but with experience and research, I found ways to stack the deck in your favor.

That's what led me to land a job as Uber's 250th employee. 

After Uber, it's what led me to a VP role with a $100k salary increase at a Y-Combinator startup.

That's why I built Early.

Do you have amazing experience & want to take the next step to accelerate your career in a startup, but not sure where to start?

I wished that someone had a playbook for how to do that. 

It didn't exist, so I created it.

The Early Accelerator gives highly talented job seekers a complete playbook for how to land your next dream role plus accountability & a community to guide you along the way.

The program is designed to allow you to:
- 10x your job hunt efficiency
- Know where you want to go
- Build your personal brand
- Know the salary and equity you command
- Create a system to generate connections & opportunities
- Generate 100x more warm network connections
- Leverage repeatable frameworks
- Get in a peak performance state
- Create unwavering confidence
- Get to your dream role

Despite the challenging job market, we have seen incredible results.
↳ Average job searches lasting ~3 months (90 days vs US avg of 5 months).
↳ >$200k in salary increases.
↳ >$800k in equity increases.
↳ Total compensation increases of over $1M.
↳ Advancements from Manager to Department Head.
↳ Major career jumps from VP to the C-Suite.

I formalized the proven system into an easy-to-execute framework that anyone can use to land their dream job.

My mission is to help millions live extraordinary lives by accessing opportunities that change their careers forever.

You deserve to work in a job that lights you up, pays you what you are worth, and accelerates you toward your vision of your dream future.

Let's go get you that job!

So, D.M 📩 me here or email me at kyle@BeEarly.com today so we can accelerate your startup career the right way.

Stop wasting time applying to every company where you meet the minimum qualifications and learn our proven way to land your dream job!

P.S. If you're a startup job seeker looking to cut your job search in half, outperform over 95% of other candidates, and land a top startup job, click the link in my Featured Section and apply today!

Founder

I take groups of people from A to Z in their job search so they can land their dream job without applying online.

These methods took me from cubicle data entry to a job as Uber employee 250 and from unemployed to startup executive. I'm not special, I can teach you to do the same!

Everyone's applying to the same 20 companies.

These 35 startups can't hire fast enough.

You want to join a team that's growing, not shrinking.

But which startups are growing the most?

I took the last 90-day hiring numbers for...
• Series A, B, and C startups 
• with HQ offices in major markets across the US 
• and funding in the last 12 months

These are the top 5 in each city that hired the most and are actively hiring today.

Even if you're not located in these cities, Many of the companies are hiring outside of HQ and for remote roles.

𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡
SEON (31 open roles)
Allen Control Systems (39 open roles)
Aalo Atomics (16 open roles)
Arintra (5 open roles)
Harbor Health (45 open roles)

𝗕𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗡
Ledgebrook (14 open roles)
Kodex (3 open roles)
OneLayer (2 open roles)
CollegeVine (10 open roles)
Blue Water Autonomy Inc. (20 open roles)

𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗚𝗢
Nerdio (22 open roles)
Toro TMS (2 open roles)
Coinflow (11 open roles)
MUSH (3 open roles)
HOPPR (7 open roles)

𝗠𝗜𝗔𝗠𝗜
Félix (89 open roles)
Flow (34 open roles)
Boom (2 open roles)
FANBASIS (1 open role)
Guardz (14 open roles)

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗬𝗢𝗥𝗞
Nourish (108 open roles)
Arch (28 open roles)
Dash0 (25 open roles)
Tennr (28 open roles)
incident.io (29 open roles)

𝗦𝗔𝗡 𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢
Substack (23 open roles)
Mercury (58 open roles)
Eve (26 open roles)
LangChain (67 open roles)
Peregrine (81 open roles)

𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘
XBOW (49 open roles)
Supio (11 open roles)
MIND (12 open roles)
Augmodo (1 open role)
Aurelian (11 open roles)

Go get that job and build something awesome 💪
_________________________________________________

For more lists & job search tips, follow me, Kyle Thomas.

♻️ Share this to help startup job seekers find a new role.

💬 Want help in your startup job search? Check out the link in my profile to see how Early can help.

I Teach Ambitious Startup Job Seekers How To Land Career-Accelerating Roles at World-Changing Startups | “De-Risk” the Search w/ Proven Methods & Investor-Grade Data | Apply to our Startup Job Search Accelerator Below

Last week, my father-in-law passed away at 69.

These lessons he taught me will help you live a fuller life.

Mike Darder was a rare kind of man.

My wife described him as a "man from a different time".

He would have fit better in the 1800s mountain-man era than in today's technological world.

He married young. He and his wife spent early summers living in a teepee in the upstate NY woods.

He worked for the Department of Transportation for 30 years before retiring.

He was an avid conservationist who hunted, fished, trapped, and cared for the land so it would be left better for future generations.

He was a man in every sense of the word.

Equally skilled at repairing a tractor or felling a tree as he was at creating beautiful furniture, drawings, paintings, and Native American artwork.

Strong but sweet.
Serious but funny.
Firm but gentle.
Short-tempered but unbelievably kind.

I met him in 2012, the year I met my wife, and he immediately took me under his wing.

13 years together sounds long. It went by in a blink.

In that time, he taught me more than I can explain.

Some of the lessons were spoken. Most were modeled.

I want to share a few so you can carry a piece of him forward - and live with the same depth and impact he did.

𝟭) 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁

Mike was there for every birthday party.
He was there for the birth of each of our 3 children.

Work is demanding. Your family is irreplaceable. 
Act accordingly.

𝟮) 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Your gift is wasted if you keep it to yourself.

Mike taught me the woods.
He taught his grandchildren to fish, build fires, and understand wildlife.

Even if you're still learning, teach someone behind you.

𝟯) 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿

If you feel stuck, go outside. Sit quietly. Think.

Mike spent hours in the woods each day.

He was deeper and more at peace than most people rushing to the next thing.

𝟰) 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴

He worked for the DOT, but he was also a father, grandfather, friend, woodworker, outdoorsman, reader, writer, and artist.

It's easy to put on blinders and lose yourself in one thing.

But don't do that at the expense of erasing the rest of who you are.

𝟱) 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻

In tech and startups, everything moves fast.

But speed isn't always progress.

Pause. Read a good book. Feel the summer breeze. Listen to the birds.

I shared the rest of the learnings in the carousel below.

Read them. 
Reflect on how they apply to your life. 
Apply them.

I love you Mike. I miss you terribly. 

I'll be forever grateful for everything you gave me and my family. ❤️

10 Life Lessons from My Father In Law

>200 FinTech companies have raised money in 2026. Here are 30 w/ top investors & open roles 👇

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲:
• Company Name
• 🦄 = Valuation > $1 B
• 🏆 = > 90 % PitchBook success probability
• What they do
• Recent round stage, round size
• Position locations
• Openings by function

1. Rogo 🏆
AI finance analytics
Series C, $75M
New York City, London, Singapore, Remote
43 Openings
Sales (13) • Engineering (5) • Security (4) • Strategic Opportunities (6) • Product/Design (5) • Talent (3) • Finance (2) • Marketing (2) • Operations (1) • Legal (1)

2. WithCoverage 🏆
AI insurance brokerage replacement
Series B, $42M
New York City, Austin, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Remote
26 Openings
BD/Sales/Growth (11) • Engineering (5) • Product (1) • Risk (3) • Marketing (1) • Recruiting (1) • Legal (2) • Operations (2)

3. Bretton AI 🏆
Financial crime compliance AI
Series B, $75M
San Francisco, Remote
8 Openings
Business (3) • Engineering (5)

4. SPRX (Onshore)🏆
R&D tax credit automation
Series B, $31M
New York City, Houston, Los Angeles
12 Openings
Client Success (2) • Engineering (2) • Operations (1) • Sales (7)

5. Relay https://lnkd.in/eyT6tHuc 🏆
Cross-chain bridging protocol
Series B, $17M
Denver, Florianópolis, Brazil, Philadelphia, Lisbon, Remote
5 Openings
Accounting • Growth Marketing (3) • Partnerships & Business Development

6. Concourse 🏆
AI corporate finance agents
Series A, $12M
New York City, Buenos Aires
9 Openings
Engineering (4) • Product (1) • GTM (4)

7. Kalshi 🦄🏆
Prediction market platform
Series E, $1B
New York City, Remote
27 Openings
Compliance (3) • Engineering (8) • Finance (4) • Growth (6) • Operations (1) • Product (3) • Talent (1)

8. Basis 🦄
AI accounting platform
Series B, $100M
New York City
15 Openings
Deployed Intelligence (2) • GTM (7) • Operations (3) • Technical (3)

9. JUSPAY 🦄
Payments tech infrastructure
Series D, $160M
Bangalore, São Paulo, Dubai
6 Openings
Engineering (2) • Legal (1) • Design (1) • Business Development & Marketing (2)

10. Monnai 
Financial data infrastructure
Series A, $12M
United States, Latin America Bangalore
6 Openings
Growth • Sales • QA • Privacy & Security • Data Science • Software Engineering

11. Rain 🦄
Non-custodial payments network
Series C, $250M
New York City, San Juan, Remote
29 Openings
Engineering (10) • Product (5) • Compliance (3) • Growth & Sales (6) • Marketing & Design (3) • Operations (2)

12. Dots 
Multi-sided payment infrastructure
Series A, $8.9M
New York City, San Francisco, Remote
4 Openings
Sales • Growth • Engineering (2)

💬 I'll share the rest of the list in the comments.

📆 Next Monday, I'll share another list. 

Comment below the kind of list you want to see 👇

Go get that job and build something awesome!
_________________________________________________

For more lists & job search tips, follow me, Kyle Thomas.

♻️ Share this to help startup job seekers find a new role.

“Do I actually want this role?”

That’s the question you need to answer honestly if you resent the pre-job assignment.

I’m talking about the case studies, presentations, and work samples as a part of the hiring process.

The hiring team didn’t create a pre-job assignment as a thoughtless hoop to jump through just to make the process harder.

It’s a trailer for the movie.

And if you hate the trailer… you’re going to hate the movie.

Assignments are the best way for the team to get an idea of what it would actually feel like to work with you.

They’re also a great way for you to stand out in the process.

They’re also a great gut check of how much you want to work there.

They show you:

 • How the team thinks
 • What problems you’ll work on
 • Whether the work energizes or drains you
 • Whether you’d enjoy doing this every day, not just once

And yes - some people argue candidates “shouldn’t have to do pre-work before speaking to a hiring manager.”

I disagree 100%.

If you want the job, you’ll do the work.

If you resent the work, you don’t want the job.

Simple.

It may sound harsh, but it shouldn’t.

Take for example Caleb Ralston. 

He has helped build the personal brands for some of the largest founder-led brands out there. 

He was recently hiring for YouTube editors, and do you know what the process looked like?

YouTube editor TRYOUTS over the course of 4 days.

Candidates needed to sign up, were sent the raw video/audio files, and had four days to edit and submit their final video edit.

No interviews before the exercise, just “show me what you got”.

Hundreds of people signed up and did the free work for the opportunity to work with one of the best out there.

And that’s the thing, if you’re not willing to do it, in this market (and in any market at most top companies), there will be people who are more than willing to do the free work.

If you find yourself procrastinating, irritated, or indifferent, that’s your signal not to push harder… but to walk away.

But if you find yourself getting curious, going deeper, losing track of time…

That’s a signal that you should lean in.

That the role might actually be right for you.

That this is work you'll enjoy, not just endure.

The pre-job assignment is a preview of the next chapter of your career.

If you hate the trailer, don’t buy the movie ticket.

If you love it, that’s your green light to go hard.

A quick aside: I know people abuse these exercises but that’s not the norm. I spoke with a new grad last week who worked 80 hours a week for two weeks for a founder on an “exercise” to build them a product. The founder even asked her to work on Christmas day. After the two weeks they shared the salary and equity and it was far lower than market rate.

So do people abuse exercises, yes. But in my experience they’re few and far between. The best companies will run you through thoughtful exercises and the exercises and “free work” are an incredible way to stand out.

Fresh VC funding doesn't just create engineering jobs.

Here are 34 non-eng roles not on your radar.

All of these startups closed their last round in the last 2 weeks and are actively hiring.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲:
• Company Name
• 🦄 = Valuation > $1B
• ⭐ = Top VC Investors
• 🏆 = >90% PitchBook success probability
• Round size, round stage, # of openings
• 3 of the current top non-eng openings + location

MatX ⭐🏆 - Chips for LLMs
($500M Series B, 24 openings)
• Corporate Controller - Mountain View
• Recruiting Lead - Mountain View
• People Ops Generalist - Mountain View

SambaNova 🦄⭐🏆 - Enterprise AI computing
($350M Series E, 13 openings)
• Sr Technical Program Manager - Santa Clara
• Sr Product Manager - Austin
• Sr Product Manager (AI Cloud) - Palo Alto

UniUni ⭐🏆 - Last-mile delivery platform
($155M Series D1, 99 openings)
• BD Manager - Fontana / Brea
• Enterprise Sales Executive - Remote
• Key Account Manager - Remote

Zafran Security ⭐🏆 - Cyber risk remediation
($60M Series C, 32 openings)
• Director of Product Marketing - Remote
• Senior Marketing Operations Manager - Remote
• AVP Sales, Enterprise - Remote

Encord ⭐🏆 - Multimodal AI data
($60M Series C, 38 openings)
• Founders Associate - San Francisco
• Head of Content - London
• Growth Manager - San Francisco

growtherapy 🦄⭐🏆 - Mental healthcare marketplace
($150M Series D, 37 openings)
• Senior Product Manager, Billing Automation - New York / San Francisco / Remote
• Performance Marketing Senior Analyst - New York
• Senior Manager, People Systems & Operations - New York / San Francisco / Remote

Profound ⭐🏆 - AI search analytics
($96M Series C, 69 open roles)
• AI Strategist
• Engagement Manager
• Manager, Account Management (Mid-Market)

Confido ⭐🏆 - CPG finance automation
($24M Series A, 17 openings)
• Head of Product - New York
• Head of Finance - New York
• Founding Growth - New York

Evervault ⭐🏆 - Data security infrastructure
($25M Series B, 10 openings)
• Founding Revenue Operations - New York
• Director of Finance - London / New York
• Business Operations - Dublin / New York

Humand ⭐🏆 - HR software for digital community
($66M Series A, 21 openings)
• Senior Revenue Ops Analyst - Remote
• Head of Data - Remote
• Client onboarding leader - Remote

Nominal 🦄⭐🏆 - Hardware testing & ops platform
($155M Series B, 41 openings)
• Business Operations Generalist - New York / Los Angeles / Austin
• Business Operations (Federal Business Development) - Washington DC
• Area Director - New York / Los Angeles

Subject ⭐🏆 - K-12 digital cirriculum
($28M Series A+, 2 openings)
• VP of Finance (CFO) - Los Angeles

Go get that job and build something awesome 💪
_________________________________________________

For more lists & job search tips, follow me, Kyle Thomas.

♻️ Share this to help startup job seekers find a new role.

💬 Want help in your startup job search? Check out the link in my profile to see how Early can help.

Let people help you.

I know it’s hard.

Hard to admit you’re not the macho man/woman who can handle it all on your own.

But you can’t do it all yourself.

Nor should you.

Let people help you.

It’s going to feel scary.

But you’ll be met with overwhelming support.

Whatever you’re working on - let people help.

That’s it.

Have a great weekend!

Your work is important.

It just shouldn’t cost you your life.

Over the last 3 years I’ve focused on nothing other than my business and my kids.

(If I’m being honest, it’s been far more than 3 years)

I’d wake up, get them ready and do school drop-off and work until pick up time.

Then back to work, dinner, bedtime and repeat.

The weekends were more work, kids’ activities, and house stuff.

Then Monday came around and I was back at it again.

There was no space left in my life for hobbies, friends or free time. 

And if I’m being honest, it almost cost me everything.

My health (multiple hospitalizations).

My relationships (bent almost to breaking).

My happiness (a shell of who I used to be).

It is so easy to be obsessed with something, lose yourself in it, and lose everything outside of it as a result.

By all means, be passionate about what you’re doing (in this case looking for your next role at a startup you can pour everything into) but be mindful that you don’t lose yourself along the way.

Being yourself and taking time for yourself doesn’t make you worse at your job, it actually makes you far better at what you do and more attractive to the people you want to work with.

So consider this your reminder:

Get the massage, book the tee time (or the simulator when there’s 2 ft of snow on the ground!), plan the weekend away with your partner.

Life isn’t something that starts “after this role” or “after the next win.”

It’s happening now.

Don’t put it off.

👋 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Kyle Thomas, for practical startup job-search strategies + weekly curated job lists.

If you aren't featuring AI in your startup job search, this is a wake-up call.

Block just laid off ~50% of its staff, citing AI as the main reason.

Also this week, Meta announced they're re-interviewing all their PM's with a Product Sense with AI interview with the risk of those who don't perform well potentially being marked as "legacy PM" vs "AI PM".

(You can read more about the Meta interviews in Ben Erez' post here https://lnkd.in/e2KuUPcP)

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝗱 𝗱𝗼:

1. See if your company will sponsor you to take a course on how to use Claude Code, Devin, agent orchestration/workflows, whatever is most applicable.
   
   Our team is currently taking Sara Davison and Tyler Fisk's Maven course called How to Scale A Business With AI & Agentic Workflows - Foundations.
   
2. See if your company will sponsor you to join communities of people building with AI.

Get around others, see what they're building and how they're implementing AI in their day-to-day

3. Start a club inside the company that meets regularly and shares AI workflows, tips, tools, and tactics.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴:
 
1. If you're self directed, jump into the AI YouTube sphere and start walking through tutorials while using LLMs to act as your tutor.
    
2. If it's harder for you to get started or keep accountable to testing and experimenting, consider investing in yourself and taking a course or joining a community like the one above.

Do you need to be an absolute AI savage in your startup job search? 

𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁.

Will it significantly help your candidacy if you can proactively show the team what you can implement inside their business leveraging AI in your function and that you're AI literate?

𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝘆𝗲𝘀. 

This isn't meant to scare you.

It's to show you a potential advantage you can gain by using these tools and workflows today and showing them off to the teams you're interested to join.

Start tinkering.

Start testing.

Start building.

Proactively share your work before, during, and after your interview process.

---

🔔 Follow me, Kyle Thomas for more startup job search advice.
♻️ Repost to help others land their dream job!

At the age of 24 I set 58 goals and achieved almost 100%. 

Here’s what I learned from the process. 

When I set the goals, I broke them down into 3 categories: 

→ Personal development goals (28)

→ Things I wanted (15) 

→ Economic goals (8)

Here’s the goal-setting exercise I used: 

→ Set a two-minute timer 

→ Envision your life 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 years ahead 

→ Focus on one aspect at a time (development, things, economic) 

→ Write down everything that comes to mind 

→ Circle the 3 highest priority goals from each section, for each of the years

→ Write down why these goals are a priority for you 

10 years later, I found my journal and here were my results: 

→ Personal development: 62% achievement rate (18/28) 

→ Things: 40% achievement rate (6/15)

→ Economic: 100% achievement rate (8/8) 

Here’s what it taught me about goal setting: 

1. There’s such a thing as too many goals 

I set 58 goals, then narrowed it down to 9 for the year. 

That is honestly way too many to focus on at once. 

Now I like to focus on one to two goals per quarter, max. 

2. Don’t forget the “why” and the “how”

There’s power alone in writing down your goals. Subconsciously you’ll work towards the things you think about. 

But the how is also important. 

Think about the first action necessary, and any blockers you forsee.

It’ll make starting easier. 

3. The “who” matters too 

You don’t need to figure out the path forward alone. 

Find someone who has done it before and enlist them in pursuit of your goal (I have a post coming out later this week sharing a great outreach message).

4. Priorities and goals change as you grow 

As a 24-year old, one “things” goal I had was owning a club. 

That’s the absolute last thing I would want today 😂

Your goals and priorities will change over time, and that’s ok. 

It’s also why you should check in more regularly (I recommend quarterly). 

5. Take small, immediate action 

Write the actions, behaviours, and habits you’ll need to become the person who’d achieve the goal. 

Then take a small immediate step in that direction. 

6. You need to get obsessed with your life

When you set a goal, get serious about it. 

Find podcasts, books, and content creators that cover it. 

Consume the information in your down time and visualise the goals. 

Here’s the TL;DR… 

If you do nothing else, write out your goals for the year. 

Even without a plan, if you look back in 10 years, you’ll be surprised at how much you’ve accomplished. 

But, if you want to achieve things quicker, focus on: 

→ Writing fewer goals at a time 

→ Not just the “what” and “why”, but the “who” and “how” 

→ Taking immediate action makes the goal a reality

If you liked this, follow me, Kyle Thomas for more.

Is one of your 2026 goals to land a new startup role?

Apply to our startup job search accelerator with the link in my profile.

♻ Share this to help startup job seekers find a new role.

Getting hired at a top startup isn't about your resume.
It's how you make the hiring team feel.

Top performers don't just apply. They make the hiring team think:
"Wow, this person already feels like part of the team!"

To do that, they go all-in on their:
→ Networking outreach
→ Applications
→ Interview prep

Here's what that looks like...

1️⃣ 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.
↳ They consume all the interviews with the founders.
↳ They know the founding story
↳ They know the language they use
↳ They know what the team cares about
↳ They know the priorities of the company
↳ They know how they talk about their customers

They research each interviewer like a podcaster.
↳ They know the jobs they have had
↳ They know where they went to school
↳ They've found similarities in their backgrounds
↳ They know how long they've been at the company
↳ They know how this role will impact each interviewer

The more they research the easier it is to turn the interview into a conversation.

2️⃣ 𝐈𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞.

They don't just wing it in the interview.
↳ They craft answers and rehearse them out loud
↳ They proactively identify hiring manager doubts
↳ They identify ways to proactively remove doubts
↳ They do mock interviews with friends or coaches
↳ They use AI to come up with questions to practice

They want to go through as many simulations of the game as possible before they're put on the field.

Live practice with feedback trumps all other practice.

3️⃣ 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬.

They proactively identify creative ways to showcase
↳ Skills
↳ Network
↳ Experience
↳ Ability to drive impact
↳ Interest and excitement in the company

They do this by sending value deliverables like:
↳ Personal pitch decks
↳ 30-60-90 day plans
↳ Case studies
↳ Connections
↳ Playbooks

They compete on generosity and try to deliver as much value as possible to demonstrate their abilities.

4️⃣ 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐮𝐩.

Everyone sends thank you emails (hopefully).

Almost no one sends…
↳ Testimonial videos from your network
↳ Thank you videos
↳ Follow up value

Things like that are little ways to stand out to the team.

"But won't it look like I'm desperate or trying too hard?"

𝗡𝗼, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁.
Founders love it
Recruiters love it
Hiring managers love it

It won't only help you land the job.

It'll help you earn instant credibility and attention.

Want to stand out?
It's not about doing what's 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱.
It's about doing what's 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱.

What’s the most “over-the-top” thing you’ve done in an application or interview?
Drop your story in the comments 👇

---

🔔 Follow me, Kyle Thomas for more startup job search advice.
♻️ Repost to help others find their dream job!

If you only had one hour this week to work on your job search, this is where it should go 👇

(And it’s not generic advice of applying, tweaking your résumé, or sending another batch of outreach. Thank God.)

Every week I talk to ambitious operators asking the same question: 

"How much time should I actually be spending on this?"

Most job searches feel like a full-time job because people skip the foundational step: they never define what they're actually aiming for.

Instead, they burn hours: 

→ Applying to roles they're only half excited about

→ Sending vague outreach that goes nowhere

→ Rewriting their résumé for the third time this month

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 - 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 - 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲. 

Here's how:

𝟭𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 → 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆

Write down the environment you want: stage, industry, pace, culture, mission you care about. This is your filter that everything flows through. 

Here's the kicker that most people skip: write down WHY that's the place for you.

You want to find the thing you're pulled towards, not just what everyone says is "hot right now".

𝟮𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 → 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲

Get specific about problems you solve:

→ What have you solved that's relevant to this stage?

→ What would you own in this role?

→ What outcomes would you drive in 6-12 months?

Be quantifiable.

𝟭𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 → 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲

List the day-to-day tasks someone in this role would do.

This turns a fuzzy concept into something you can pitch.

𝟭𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 → 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘁

→ Who's the internal buyer?

→ What pain are they feeling?

→ Can you name 5 companies that need this today?

𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲: 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗕 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦

Company: Fast-growing B2B SaaS, post-PMF, 50-200 employees

Problem: Sales scaling faster than systems - inconsistent ramp, plateauing win rates

My value: Build enablement that shortens ramp and improves close rates

Outcomes: Reduce time-to-quota 30%, improve win rates 10-15%

Buyer: CRO feeling pain of inconsistent execution as headcount doubles

𝗕𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿: 

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰.
Not "Are you hiring?" but "I saw your team doubled - are you feeling pressure on ramp time? I've solved this at [Company X]."

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁.
You're addressing their exact pain with proof you've solved it.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿.
You know the problem, buyer, and outcome. You're not guessing.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽.
You have a crisp answer that makes them think of specific companies.

One focused hour upfront saves weeks of scattered applications.

How do you land a remote senior leadership role at a $500M startup that isn't even hiring?

An Early member did it in 78 days.

Role: Head of Enablement
Company stage: Series B

Capital raised: >$100M

Valuation: $500M

Top investors: a16z, Sequoia, First Round Capital

PitchBook success probability: 93% chance of an IPO

Was the role posted: No
What got him the role: Genuine, proactive outreach (done right)

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:

𝟭. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁

He had spent years in healthcare, but the role that excited him was in a completely different sector.

The hardest part was letting go of loyalty to his background and giving himself permission to pivot.

That clarity of what he actually wanted changed everything that came after.

𝟮. 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

He didn't have a network in this space, so he built one.

He stayed close to the company's trajectory. Engaged with their content. Built a real relationship with the founder over weeks and months, not days.

The successful outreach was one of genuine interest in providing value.

The punchline of the message was: "What do you need right now?"

That question led to a conversation. The conversation led to interviews. The interviews led to an offer.

It all happened in a matter of days.

𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 - 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿

He made it to the offer stage with 5 companies.

Having options gave him leverage to choose the role that actually aligned with his skills, interests, and long-term growth - not just the first one that said yes.

In 78 days, he went from scattered and uncertain to leading enablement at a rapidly growing Series B startup that wasn't even hiring for the role he landed.

That's what alignment, preparation, and genuine relational outreach can unlock.

𝗔𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀:

→ Setting direction through clearly defined goals

→ Prepare in a way that builds real conviction

→ Turn outreach into relationships that compound

→ Land better startup jobs faster

Want to see similar success in your search?

Apply to join the Early Accelerator at 𝗕𝗲𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆.𝗰𝗼𝗺 or connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know you’re interested in learning more.

How To Land A Senior Leadership Role

You 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 to tap into your unfair advantages more.

The number one question I get asked is: “How do I network more effectively?”

Most people assume the answer is better cold messages...

It’s not.

The real answer is when and why people reach out.

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: a job, a referral, an intro.

That instantly creates friction because the message feels transactional.

When I ask, “How much networking are you doing?” these are the people who answer…

“I’ve been messaging people I’m connected to at companies with open roles but I don’t feel like it’s getting me anywhere.”

Should you be doing that? Of course.

Should those be the only messages you’re sending? Absolutely not.

You unfair advantage can come from many places. Here are just a few:

 • Your background
 • Your interests
 • Your location
 • Your network
 • Your communities
 • What you’re learning
 • What you’re building

Here’s how to reframe your thinking when it comes to networking:

Effective networking is about timing, shared context, clearly demonstrated genuine interest, and mutual value… not just writing better cold outreach.

Here’s an example of how I started dozens of conversations with tremendous operators:

I recently started an agentic AI course alongside ~50 other people.

Instead of waiting until I needed something, I reached out while we were all in it together.

I WAS introducing myself and starting a conversation to build the early stages of a relationship.

I WASN’T asking for anything.

The course acted as the perfect context to narrow the credibility and familiarity gap, and because of that, the messages felt natural.

Within a matter of a few days I added over 50 top operators building with AI to my network.

That’s the framework to steal:

→ Don’t start from zero.

→ Borrow credibility from the environments you’re already in.

→ Think courses, cohorts, events, communities, interests.

→ If you’re not part of one, what could you join? What door could you unlock?

→ Even shared interests or conversations can achieve the same thing - spend time in people’s feeds and see what they’re posting about. Research their LinkedIn profile and see where they’ve been. What is it you can learn from them? What value could you provide to them?

When the context and genuine interest does the heavy lifting, the relationship starts easier, faster, and with less friction.

That’s how networking stops feeling awkward.

📌 Save this post to come back to it later. 

✉️ Looking for a new startup role? DM me and we’ll support you in your search.

Cold outreach is dead.

Or so one of the members of my community thought.

But then he landed an interview for his next startup role.

Here’s how he did it, so you can do it too 👇

He left this message in the Early Accelerator:

"𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵!”

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁?

→ Plug-and-play templates

→ Killer examples from past and current members

→ A confidence reset from seeing others doing it

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 👇

Hi Tom,
I wanted to follow up on my candidacy for this position.
In case it is helpful, I've also attached a case study detailing a project I worked on at a previous company.

The presentation shows:
1. How I rapidly identified the problem
2. Implemented a new data tracking system to analyze the information
3. Came up with a novel solution that led to real business results

If this is the kind of work you are interested in, let's connect.
Thanks,
Steve

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝘁!

Simple, confident, straight to the point (with a clean case-study deck attached).

You can do everything “right” in a startup job search, and still get nowhere.

So what if the answer is doing the thing that feels wrong?

Let’s turn the clock back to 2012.

I was stuck in a cubicle in data entry hell. 

So… I updated my resume and did the “right” thing.

I applied to dozens of jobs.

Many of them were startups.

What were my results?… You guessed it!

Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Then I quit my job and moved to NYC with 90 days of savings and zero network.

Not what many would recommend as the “right” strategy.

But I threw out the old playbook:
→ Stopped focusing on roles and started focusing on people

→ Allowed myself to go down interest driven rabbit holes

→ Offered to do free or low paid work to get my foot in the door

→ Did something for myself every single day

It felt uncomfortable to not to be applying to dozens of roles each week.

But it also felt much more aligned with why I was making the change in the first place.

In 90 days, and with some luck (preparedness + opportunity), I was employee #250 at Uber.

I see this everyday in the startup job seekers we coach inside Early.

Those who are successful do the things that feel 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 to most candidates:

 • They focus on clarity before taking massive action
 • They build their confidence and resources before outreach and application
 • They have a “yes and” approach combining warm and cold outreach to leave no stone unturned (and they do lots of it)
 • They do everything in their power to stand out instead of fit in
 • They combine high quality with increasing amounts of quantity
 • They’re follow up hounds, persistent but polite of course
 • They do whatever it takes to get in the right room or in the right city

To many of them, this feels uncomfortable, “out of character”, or just flat out “wrong”, but it’s what gets noticed. 

Especially at startups.

Stop worrying about what the outside world will think of what you’re doing.

Stop worrying if this is the “wrong” way to go about the job search.

I’ve found that often the thing that feels “wrong” is just the discomfort of doing things you’re not good at yet or putting yourself in positions that will stretch you.

Umer went through the Early Accelerator program and landed a role that fit almost all of his ideal job characteristics in 90 days.

The role will position him perfectly to take his career in the direction he wants to be moving.

For those on the startup job search, read through his tips and start implementing them TODAY.

This is the way to land a great role at a great startup in this hyper-competitive market.

If you're interested in getting support with your startup job search and joining a highly engaged community of almost 200 startup operators helping each other, here's what to do:

1) Send me a DM or a connection request or...
2) Apply using the link to the Early website in my profile

Congrats Umer Jamshaid!

Strategy & Ops @ Turing (Ex-Uber, Ex-Amazon) | Helping Rapid-Growth Startups Scale Efficiently

Grateful to share my job search has come to an end!

More on my next steps soon, in the meantime I wanted to share some lessons learned and personal experiences over the last couple of months.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
- Extended trip to Japan with the family, surprised (and proud!) the kiddos were able to hike all the way through the 10,000 Torii gates to the top of Mount Inari!
- Got a chance to snowboard again after almost 8 years, luckily it just took a couple hours to get back in the groove. For those with kids, highly recommend the French Swiss Ski College at Appalachian Mtn for your kid's first time!

LESSONS LEARNED
1) Networking is key (as always!)
Conversations, intros, and referrals have always been the best way to discover and get connected to opportunities, but candidates need to make sure to do the pre-work to make the most of these convos
- Having a clear idea about what you're looking for and what you're bringing to the table
- Doing basic research so you can go deeper than surface level
- Having clear takeaways/next steps to maintain momentum after calls

2) LinkedIn > Resume
While it's important to have a concise, impactful resume that's (partially) customized to specific roles, having a target role-optimized LinkedIn profile and maintaining consistent engagement is a much better way to generate relevant inbound
- What have you done, what are you looking to do, in what kind of company/function

3) Showing next-level value
The market is tough these days, so taking the initiative to showcase your value and interest helps elevate your application 
- Loom videos for intro and post-interview thank you's
- Case studies to share deeper examples of your thinking and communication
- Ramp/time-to-impact plans at the end of an interview loop to close out strong and synthesize your takeaways 


I also wanted to shout-out all the people that helped along the way, your generosity with conversations, referrals, and recommendations is what really made a difference. An extra special call-out to Kyle Thomas and the Early Birds for really leveling up my search process, application artifacts, and growing my network across some unique startups!

We’ve reached a strange point in hiring.

Operators are scared that sounding “too good” makes it look AI-written.

This came up in the comments on a recent post.

“I have an English degree. I’m not a grammar fiend, but I worry that if I send something too strong or too polished, someone will assume I used AI.”

That fear makes sense, and I’m seeing it everywhere.

Strong operators are second-guessing themselves and holding back because they don’t want to sound robotic.

The thing to remember is there’s a massive difference between AI-assisted thinking and AI-generated messaging.

AI-generated messaging:

 • Sounds smooth but familiar
 • Reads like it could’ve been sent to 50 companies
 • Says the “right” things without saying anything specific
 • Doesn’t have “soul”, “vibes”, opinions, or experiences

But AI-assisted thinking:

 • Helps to speed up research on a company/individual
 • Helps stress test your assumptions or approach
 • Helps to remove unnecessary fluff
 • Speeds you up without removing your voice

That’s why my reply to that comment was simple:

“Write like you talk.”

And… if you really want to remove all doubt, add a human layer AI can’t fake (at least not well).

Add a short 60-90 second Loom of yourself explaining why you’re excited about this company and talking through the impact you believe you can drive in the role.

In today’s world of AI bot mass application this human touch is rarely done, so it stands out immediately.

Operators, please remember: you don’t need to sound less capable to sound human.

Being human doesn’t mean being messy, vague or unprepared.

Human sounds like:

 • Polite but conversational
 • Sharing detailed lived examples
 • Clearly articulating interests and opinions
 • Conveying energy that’s specific to this company/person

Use AI to think more critically and move faster, but don’t outsource your judgment, your voice, or your curiosity.

The goal is to sound like YOU, and that’s exactly what hiring managers are listening for right now.

AI is great at ramping up your speed and volume (just look at the services saying they’ll apply to 50-100 jobs for you PER DAY).

But speed and volume don’t matter if YOU look and sound like THEM.

If you’re looking for more human advice like this, make sure to drop me a follow Kyle Thomas. 

I landed my role at early-Uber through all of the non-traditional job search methods, and now I help others identify what makes them unique so they can land dream startup roles.

You ended the interview with "I'm really excited about this role."
They ended it with a 6-month ramp plan in the hiring manager's inbox 📥

Umer landed a VP-level Strategy & Operations role at an AI company without any prior AI experience.

And this was just 𝐨𝐧𝐞 of the 3 Series A-E offers he landed in 90 days.

Here's what made him stand out:

𝟏. 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲

Instead of generic cover letters, he sent personalized Loom videos to recruiters and team members after applying.

After each interview, he followed up with a 1-3 min video within 30 min, expanding on something discussed in the call.

𝟐. 𝗔 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

Most candidates say, "I'm excited about this role" and leave it at that.

Umer created a comprehensive presentation that included:
a) A 6-month ramp-up plan 
b) Mapping of his skills to their immediate opportunities
c) His understanding of key stakeholder teams and their priorities

This directly addressed his lack of industry experience by showing he could embed himself quickly.

𝟑. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝐝 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹

When it came time to share names of references, Umer chose his carefully.

For the AI role, one reference was from a previous manager who had made the same logistics-to-AI ops jump he was attempting.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀:

1. A Series C role (from LinkedIn + referrals)
2. A VP-level Series A role (from LinkedIn recruiter outreach)
3. A Strategy & Ops role at a Series E AI company (no JD posted, came directly from networking inside the Early Accelerator community)

Each was attractive and required different tradeoffs.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽.

It was the one with:
→Clear scope to grow
→A manager he trusted
→A well-funded, fast-moving market
→100% industry alignment (working at the edge of AI)

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀:

Before joining Early, his search was scattered. He knew what he wanted (remote-first, stability, a pivot from logistics), but his value prop was unclear, and interesting leadership roles felt out of reach.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆:

→He eliminated guesswork: The program provided structure to define his role scope, company stage, and priorities upfront. That made decision-making easier.

→He leveraged the community: Access to like-minded operators sharing networks, referrals, and best practices led to a role that was never posted. 

→Depth beat volume: Better datasets and sharper company research meant fewer applications but higher signal conversations.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: Being intentional from the start and being in the right environment beats just doing more.

You can find out more at beearly.com.

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Natasha Walstra

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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);}Natasha Walstra's LinkedIn Performance

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