Niall Cleaver

Documenting the journey of crafting a timeless coffee cup brand | CEO & Founder of Cupsly

My story isn’t about a polished entrepreneur. My journey hasn’t been traditional. I left school without an English qualification, uncertain of what the future held. 

That failure shaped me, it forced me to think differently, fall into business, and ultimately embrace creativity, resilience, and the belief that change is possible, even when doubted. Fast forward to today, I’m growing and scaling businesses while sharing the real lessons that come from it.

Founder

Are you struggling to grow an engaging community for your business or personal brand.

Stop right there, I think I have you covered ⬇️

This is me (Niall), I'm a 22-year-old who is fascinated by growing communities in the online space. Actual communities that have meaning and purpose. 

The services we provide at Social Library 

➡️ Personal Branding (LinkedIn)

➡️ Guidance & support consulting


Drop me a message to discuss your social media strategy, review how well your current socials/posts are doing, and research how we can build your community and gain you more followers and leads.

or you can email us @

hello@sociallibrary.co.uk

For years... I thought starting small wasn’t even an option.

This year, I want to start small. You need to read this.

Everyone is so scared to start small and I was one of those people. I used to overthink about creating something big instead of worrying about starting small.

Turns out, starting small is how you build big.

It’s how you take the first step forward.
It’s how you stop overanalysing.
It’s how you actually start.

It almost feels wrong when you say it out loud.

But every successful founder and business you see today didn’t get where they are by massive moves. They got there by starting small and then scaling.

So if you’re starting a business, building a hobby, or whatever it may be… stop worrying about “scaling big” and focus on the small step that gets you going.

Growing @thistlescientific and sharing the lessons while I do

Building vs scaling a business. What's the difference?

A few years ago, I learned one of the most valuable lesson in business. I left school with qualifications that made it hard for me to get any sort of job.

Luckily, my family ran a business. I jumped in and started learning. And here’s what I learned: There’s a huge difference between building and scaling.

Building a business:

Proving the idea
Short-term survival
Doing everything yourself
Energy, speed & scrappiness

Scaling a business:

Letting go of control
Long-term decisions
Patience, systems & people
Making sure it works without you.
Alignment throughout the whole company.

Building feels exciting. Scaling feels uncomfortable. Both are essential. I didn’t realise how different they both were until I lived them.

But the one thing that never changes between both? 
The hard work that comes with it.

I just spent 2 hours yesterday in one of the best meetings of my life!!!

What about? How do we build further on our foundation?

Yesterday was a special day, do you know where you get the team together and you leave feeling excited for what's to come? That's what happened.

It's been a pretty wild couple of months for Thistle, but it always comes back to the same thing. How can we deepen the connection we can have with researchers?

The personal touch.
The real support they deserve.
The professionalism and trust they have in us.

This year, we’re looking at how we double down on that.

We’ve set some big objectives, and the whole team is ready for them. If yesterday was anything to go by, this next phase is going to be an exciting one.

We can't wait to share more on this very soon.

We’re excited to announce our new collaboration.

I'm genuinely proud of the impact we're creating in research at Thistle Scientific. It started with one clear objective to make research the best it can be, not only to impact our lives, but also to impact the lives of generations to come.

Last week was a big reminder of this as we announced our collaboration with arcorisbio AG, which will help accelerate the industrialisation and commercialisation of their breakthrough MUSE® platform.

A collaboration that will help keep the world safe.

One of the best mistakes I learned pretty quickly in business.

Thinking strategy comes first in business. But it doesn’t… 

Understanding who you’re building for is.

I’m nowhere near successful yet. But I’ve been lucky to spend time around people who definitely are. And one topic comes up over and over again: 

Strategy.

How did you come up with your strategy?
Why has your strategy been effective?
When do you adapt your strategy?

The answer usually sounds complicated.
But, it keeps coming back to one word: audience.

Before you can plan anything, you have to understand them. What do they care about? When do they need to hear from you? How do they feel when they see you show up?

This is where a lot of founders go wrong. No strategy is 100% correct. It’s custom‑made based on how well you understand the information your audience is giving you.

So copying what works in another company or industry rarely works. You’re playing a different game, with different people, at a different stage.

Strategy is an understanding game.

I used to panic hearing the word strategy in business.

It sounded complicated... but it wasn’t.

I would hear the word and be like that sounds proper technical. I'd just nod like I understood exactly what it meant, when I didn't but now I get it and it's simple.

It's just a plan.

What are the objectives?
What action will you take to hit them?
Which data tells you it's working or it isn't?

We love to make words sound more complicated than they are. 

It's easy to overcomplicate things when you hear all of the advice online but it's simpler than you think. If something isn't working don't wait, go and find the reason why.

Try something. Learn. Adapt. Evolve. Repeat.
Just enjoy the process of figuring out.

That's what business is!

When I was younger, I hesitated on the idea of working for my family business.

Today, I’m 3 years in, working alongside nearly 50 incredible people.

It’s crazy how life works. Some days you’re completely against something before you’ve even tried it…then you try it and realise it was exactly what you were meant to do.

I always had this doubt in the back of my head:
That I had to prove myself somewhere else first.

That’s why:

- I started posting on LinkedIn.
- I kept looking for “my own thing”.
- I started learning more about business.

Now it feels like all of that happened so I could come back better and help continue to grow a business I genuinely care about. But this growth has hardly been me. It’s been the team I get to work with every single day.

A few things this has taught me:

- Don’t write something off until you’ve actually tried it.
- You can prove yourself elsewhere, but always bring the knowledge back

So don't resist an opportunity just because it didn't fit your picture in that specific moment of your life. It might be worth taking a closer look.

Stop listening to too much advice.

Read that again... throughout my journey, I've fallen for many distractions. Stuff that didn't feel right personally, and so many of us are going through this.

There's advice here, there and everywhere.

And it's very hard to know which is the right or wrong advice, and you know what you'll never really know. The only way to find out is to...

Listen to your gut and try.

In a world full of advice after advice, trust yourself first. 
There's no right or wrong way to do anything.

If it works, it works!

P.S. Have a little day in the life vid

Roman Pikalenko 🇺🇦🦩

Turning Impact Leaders into Authority Figures Through Powerful Stories | Ghostwriting LinkedIn & Educational Email Courses ✍️📚

Climate tech founders are building world-changing solutions.

But most of them are invisible online.

Meanwhile, fossil fuel lobbyists have near-infinite marketing budgets. Greenwashers dominate the conversation. Climate deniers spread misinformation to millions.

The people actually solving the problem? They're too busy building to talk about it.

That's where I come in.

I ghostwrite LinkedIn thought leadership for Series A+ climate tech CEOs and founders — helping them take control of the narrative and build visibility that compounds.

Here's how it works:

→ 6-12 month projects built on weekly or bi-weekly interviews
→ I extract your expertise and turn it into content that sounds like you
→ Full strategy, content planning, and profile optimization included
→ Continuous improvement baked in (that's what Kaizen means)

I'm not an agency with 47 writers and a sales team. I'm a solo operator with a limited client roster, which means you work directly with me — every interview, every post, every edit.
Results my clients have seen:

→ Inbound leads and investor connection requests
→ Podcast invitations and speaking opportunities
→ Top talent reaching out directly
→ Measurable traffic to demos, books, and qualification surveys

I've worked with 20+ climate leaders across 4 continents, including 3 LinkedIn Top Voices and a Forbes 30 Under 30 founder. Collectively, my clients have raised $200M+.

I've ghostwritten 1,000+ posts and have been running Kaizen for almost 3 years.

If you're looking to take control of your narrative and start building your visibility, DM me "climate" and I'm happy to talk more.

Growth Marketer

~ Running company social media marketing operations
~ Running paid ad campaigns on social and Google Ads
~ Inbound and content marketing

Weird confession: 3 weeks ago, my gf left to travel in SEA and I miss her a LOT.

Here's what I've been doing to not go insane:

This is the first time we've been apart this long.

Two months total. Just me, the apartment, and two cats who have no idea why Linda isn't here.

I'm not gonna pretend it's easy.


But I've found a few things that help.

1 - Focusing on the cats.

We have two. Hugo (4yo) and Calypso.

Calypso is the kitten. She's my resident spawn of evil..

I've been playing with them more. Teaching them to brush their teeth, which is horrendous but necessary.

Keeping Calypso from knocking things down, eating the wrong things, and chewing on wires.

It's like raising a toddler that will never grow up.

2 - Setting appointments with my friends.

My social life used to just happen. Now I have to be strategic about it.

I schedule time with friends the way I schedule client calls.

It avoids loneliness. And honestly, it's a great excuse to catch up properly.

3 - Being stricter with my routine.

Last year, I doubled down on discipline. Even hired a fitness coach over a month ago.

Now, I’m reading more. Preparing my morning routine the night before. Documenting everything. Reflecting in a journal every day.

Structure helps me stay present and focus on the ‘next thing’.

4 - Focusing on my business more.

I technically have more control over my day now.

So I've been squeezing work into different parts of the week. Working almost every day.

I love what I do, so it’s not a big change.

And staying busy beats sitting around feeling miserable.

—

I know I'm not the only one who misses their partner when they travel.

Especially if you run your own biz and your schedules don't always line up.

So I'm curious.

What do you do when your partner is away for a long time?

What's your coping mechanism?

Do you bury yourself in work, or do you take the opposite approach?

Roman Pikalenko 🇺🇦🍉

I turn $10M+ Series A climate tech founders & execs into LinkedIn thought leaders to attract capital & talent | Helped 3x LinkedIn Top Voices & 10+ climate tech founders | Obsessed with solar right now ☀️

99% of climate tech founders won't be at Davos next week because the tickets cost $27,000.

Here's how to take advantage of it:

The World Economic Forum runs January 19-23 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.

Up to 3,000 leaders will be there talking about climate, innovation, and the green economy.

You won't be in the room.

But you can still extract value if you're strategic about it.

Here are 3 ways:

1 - Engage in the hashtag feed.

#Davos2026 and #WEF2026 will be flooded with posts from attendees, commentators, and climate leaders.

Most founders will just watch. If I were you, I’d:

→ Add thoughtful comments on posts from investors/ founders 
→ Ask questions that show you understand their work 
→ Share a specific take from your own experience

You'll get in front of the right people organically while everyone else is lurking.

2 - Watch livestreamed sessions, then create content from what you learned.

Over 200 sessions will be livestreamed on the WEF website.

Skip the endless scroll of hot takes. Watch actual sessions on cooperation, innovation, and planetary boundaries.

Take notes on what matters for your sector.

Then turn those ideas into your own posts. Not summaries. Your angle on what was said.

3 - Use Davos themes as content frameworks for your business.

Davos 2026 has 5 key themes:

→ Cooperation in a contested world 
→ Unlocking new sources of growth 
→ Investing in people 
→ Deploying innovation responsibly 
→ Building prosperity within planetary boundaries

Pick the ones that align with your startup and create content around them.

—

Davos happens whether you're there or not.

Leverage it.

My client Maria works in construction scheduling.

Her prospects say: "We'll bring you in once we sort out our delays."

But that's backwards.

If she joins at the start? 10 hours to set up a system that prevents $1m/day delays.

If she joins later for damage control? 100 hours to untangle the mess.

—

Climate founders do the same thing:

"We'll invest in LinkedIn after we raise our Series A."

But by then, you've already:

- Pitched investors who googled you and found... nothing
- Missed warm intros because no one knew what you're building
- Spent 12+ months in fundraising mode with zero visibility

Your LinkedIn IS part of the raise.

Investors check you before the call. They want to see thought leadership. Industry credibility. That you can tell a story.

If you wait until after, you're starting from scratch.

—

If you're raising in the next 6-12 months:

→ Share your vision, not just product updates 
→ Post 3-5x/week minimum (investors need to see you're active) 
→ Build relationships with people in your target investor's network

Start before you need it, not after. 

PS — I wrote two newsletter deep-dives on this exact topic:

→ The 3 questions investors actually care about (and what content answers them)
→ Why Series B conversations don't start on LinkedIn (but are influenced by it)

Comment "RAISE" and I'll send you the links.

I've analyzed 100+ climate tech founder profiles in 2025. They're all making the same expensive mistake:

They treat LinkedIn like a PR platform.

Stay in ‘stealth’ for months.

Then appear out of the blue when they need funding.

And then they wonder why:

→ Investors don't respond to their fundraising outreach 
→ Top talent goes to SaaS companies instead 
→ Customers ghost them after initial interest

Wanna know the truth?

I’d never date someone if every time they come to me they always need something. That’s not a very trustworthy person. Why should your investors or customers be any different?

SaaS and B2B founders figured this out years ago.

They don't wait until they're fundraising to start posting. They don't lead with product specs. They don't position themselves as industry experts first.
Instead, they:

→ Share behind-the-scenes of building 
→ Document their failures and pivots 
→ Show their personality and values 
→ Start conversations, not monologues

By the time they need something, people already know them.

Already trust them. Already want to help them succeed.

Climate tech is too competitive to wait until you need something to start building your network.

My suggestion to you this year:

Stop worrying about others trying to ‘steal’ your ideas. If they wanted to, they’d find a way anyway.

Start showing people who you are BEFORE you ask for anything.

→ Share the challenges you're facing 
→ Celebrate your team's wins publicly 
→ Ask for advice, not just attention 
→ Comment on others' posts like you're building friendships, not a follower count

The founders who do this?

They close funding rounds faster. They attract talent that believes in the mission. They build customer relationships that feel like partnerships.

Because trust compounds.

And LinkedIn is where you build it before anyone's ready to buy, invest, or join.

—

The more you treat this platform as a networking space while sharing genuinely helpful advice, the more you increase the chances of being seen.

PS — And if you agree with what I said, but still feel you're not ready to start sharing content, at least optimise your LinkedIn profile. Investors and customers are already looking you up. You could at least make sure it's clear who you are and what you do. 

I created a free resource with 5 headline & 2 About section templates, 2 AI prompts to help create both, and an extra optimization checklist. 

Comment "profile" and I'll send it over. 

Just make sure we're connected so I can DM you.

I've ghostwritten for 20+ climate tech founders over the past 2 years.

And there's one post that outperforms everything else in the first 2-3 months:

The introduction post.

Not a hot take. 
Not a carousel. 
Not a "10 lessons I learned" listicle.

A simple post that says "here's who I am, what I do, and why you should care."

But the problem?

Most founders skip it.

Or they write something like:

"Hi, I'm [Name], CEO of [Company]. We're building [vague description]. Excited to connect!"

Nobody cares.

It shows no story, builds trust, and gives reason to follow you.

So I took the exact framework I use with my clients and turned it into a free resource.

It includes:

→ 2 fill-in-the-blank templates (Origin Story style + Expertise Reveal style)
→ Examples from founders who nailed it
→ An AI mega prompt to write your draft in minutes
→ Bonus checklist for when to post, how to pin, and what to do next

Want a copy?

Comment "intro" and I'll send it over.

PS - If we're not connected yet, send me a request so I can DM you.

Last year, Vinay Hiremath, Founder of Loom sold the company for $975M and is now 'bored' and doesn't know 'what to do' with his life.

I have a few suggestions:

1/ Become a climate tech investor.

I know quite a few breakthrough tech companies that need scaling, whose mission is deeply personal to me, and who can create a large-scale impact.

If Robert Downey Jr, Leonardo Di Caprio, Rihana can do it — so can you, Vinay.

2/ Train the next generation of tech founders.

You made it! Woo. But most people haven't.

Start a coaching program, mentor folks, or build your reputation online through helpful content.

3/ Start a new company.

And make its purpose solving one of the many urgent climate issues.

Anything around safe water access, alternative proteins, sustainable materials, reforestation - options are plenty.

4/ Donate. A lot.

A ton of great NGOs out there struggling even harder than climate tech startups.

Don't know who to support? Go after proven organisations like The Ocean Cleanup.

5/ Revitalize a local community.

Tons of people around the world live in conditions not suitable for 2025. Help fix that, maybe?

—

And if none of it sounds interesting, I also accept donations. I'm confident sending about $20m my way will take some stress off of you.

Up to you 🤷‍♂️

—

What would you do with $975 million spare?

If you write 5 posts per week.

That's 260 posts a year.

Assume you "give" 80%, and "ask" 20%.

→ That's 52 "asks" a year.
→ If 10% convert to a call.
→ That's 5 clients.

Let's say your deal size is $20,000.

And yet, you might’ve thought 1x/month would be enough.

I get it. You're busy running a climate tech company.

"Once per month" feels manageable. Realistic.

But at the same time I hear you say:

"I want to generate revenue through LinkedIn."
"I want inbound speaking opportunities."
"I want to attract top talent."

If you want LinkedIn to work, you have to give it something to work with.

5x per week. Minimum.

—

Because the alternatives are:

If posting 1x/month = 12 posts/year

- 2 asks per year
- 0 clients
- $0/year

If posting 1x/week = 52 posts/year

- 10 asks per year
- 1 client
- $20,000/year

—

If you're ready to take LinkedIn seriously, click "visit my website" at the top to join 430+ climate leaders, and I'll send you my Founder Visibility Playbook:

→ 6-day email course on LinkedIn visibility
→ The Founder Visibility Funnel framework
→ How to post 5x/week without burning out

Post largely inspired by my buddy, Jacob Pegs

One thing I love about my business?

I was sick for almost a week.

Instead of panicking to get a sick leave, asking my clients if they’re okay with me taking a few days break, or scrambling with what I do with work…

…I just took a damn week off.

(well, most of it)

Turned on my Playstation.
Binged LOTR and Transformers.
Ordered in soup and ramen daily.
Drank abhorrent amounts of tea.
And slept for 9-10h a day.

If I wasn’t sick, you’d say I was on a vacation.

And I can only do it because of how I’ve built my business around my life, not my life around my business.

Content has been produced in advance (always is).
Clients have been notified of me being sick.
And I can afford ordering in when I need it.

Now, I’m back.
Clients are still happy.
And I’m feel fresh like a cucumber.

Good times.

While everyone's posting 'insights' from Davos next week, do this instead:
Share one of these 10 styles of content:

• Tips 
• Stats 
• Steps 
• Lessons 
• Benefits 
• Reasons 
• Mistakes 
• Examples 
• Questions 
• Personal Stories

Tips:

→ "5 tips for securing climate finance based on [session name]" 
→ "3 tactics for partnerships I learned from [speaker] at Davos" 
→ "Practical tips from the 'deploying innovation responsibly' panel"

Stats:

→ "The one number from Davos everyone's ignoring" 
→ "3 stats about green economy growth that change everything for [sector]" 
→ "[X]% of climate tech fails because of [stat from Davos]. Here's why."

Steps:

→ "Step-by-step: How we're applying 'planetary boundaries' to our product roadmap" 
→ "How to implement the cooperation framework [speaker] mentioned" 
→ "3 steps to turn Davos talk into actual strategy"

Lessons:

→ "3 lessons from [session] that contradict what VCs tell founders" 
→ "What [speaker] got wrong about carbon markets" 
→ "Davos says [X]. We learned [Y] the hard way."

Benefits:

→ "Why [announcement] benefits sustainable materials (and why investors miss it)" 
→ "3 benefits of [Davos theme] no one's talking about" 
→ "How [policy discussion] helps climate startups more than it hurts them"

Reasons:

→ "5 reasons the Davos conversation about [topic] is incomplete" 
→ "Why [consensus view] doesn't work for early-stage climate founders" 
→ "3 reasons we're ignoring Davos advice on [topic]"

Mistakes:

→ "3 mistakes Davos speakers make about scaling climate tech" 
→ "The biggest error in [session]: assuming [X]" 
→ "What the 'investing in people' panel got wrong"

Examples:

→ "Davos talks about cooperation. Here's what it looks like at [company]." 
→ "Everyone's discussing 'responsible innovation.' Here's our version." 
→ "Real example of [Davos theme] from our last quarter"

Questions:

→ "Everyone at Davos is talking about [X]. Here's what no one's asking:" 
→ "The question [session] avoided: [specific question]" 
→ "If [Davos consensus] is right, why are we seeing [contradiction]?"

Personal Stories:

→ "Davos says cooperation is key. We partnered with a competitor. Here's what happened." 
→ "They're talking about [theme] at Davos. We tried it 6 months ago. Here's the reality." 
→ "The gap between Davos stage and startup reality: [your experience]"

Pick one format. Create one post.

That’s the type of content that people would actually read.

Aaron Korsh struggled as a writer's assistant for 8 years.

Then he created the most-streamed show in Netflix history:

Suits was watched for 57.7 billion minutes in 2023. Beat The Office's record.

I'm on season 7, binging like my life depends on it.

As a writer, I had to figure out why I couldn't stop.

—

Before Suits, Korsh was grinding in Hollywood for 8 years.

No formal training in hour-long dramas. But he had a Wall Street background—even worked for a guy named Harvey.

He wrote Suits as a spec script. Mike Ross was based on himself: good memory, smoked weed, felt like a fraud.

Korsh built a system that makes it impossible to stop watching.

—

Here are the 5 techniques:

—

1/ Cliffhangers and Open Loops

Every episode ends on unresolved jeopardy. A new secret. A win that becomes a bigger threat.

The cliffhanger flips something from earlier in the episode. It's earned, not random.

→ Don't tie up every loose end. Leave one question unanswered.

—

2/ Layered A/B Plots

Two plotlines per episode: case of the week + firm politics or personal drama.

They converge emotionally in the final act. Legal stakes mirror personal stakes.

→ Layer your content. Weave in a personal angle that mirrors your main point.

—

3/ Fast Dialogue Rhythm

Korsh came from comedy. That's why Suits feels different.

Fast, sharp dialogue. Banter. Status games.

Even office scenes have forward motion.

→ Cut the fluff. Make every line move the story forward.

—

4/ The "No Reset Button" Rule

Korsh's philosophy: "If something scares the sh*t out of me and I think it's right, we do it."

Season 1 finale: Trevor tells Jessica about Mike's secret. Terrifying. But no take-backs.

→ Make bold choices. Take a stance that scares you. Don't walk it back.

—

5/ Dramatic Irony

The audience knows secrets the characters don't.

Mike's fraud. A betrayal in motion. A threat coming.

We're watching the clock tick, waiting for the bomb.

→ Let your audience in on the "secret" early. Make them insiders.

—

Korsh built Suits on one principle:

Take bold risks. Layer your stories. Never let them look away.

57.7 billion minutes watched. Most-streamed show ever.

Great storytelling isn't about complexity.

It's about structure that hooks, depth that resonates, and consequences that stick.

—

As a writer, I'm obsessed with studying craft like this.

Whether it's Kendrick Lamar's precision or Aaron Korsh's addictive storytelling.

It's how I help climate tech founders build visibility on LinkedIn.

—

Want my complete playbook for founder visibility?

DM me "SUITS" and I'll send you:

→ 6-day email course on LinkedIn visibility
→ The Founder Visibility Funnel framework
→ How to be seen as a category leader

Make sure we’re connected so I can message you.

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The Battle

Niall Cleaver

Roman Pikalenko 🇺🇦🦩

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The Battle

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Roman Pikalenko 🇺🇦🦩

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