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

Execution will humble you in more ways than advice ever could.

And this, by far, has been my best realisation.

It's actually scary how much advice is in the world we live in. And normally, it's not the correct advice. The truth is, advice that will improve your business is hard to come by because everyone is sharing an opinion online.  

But there's one thing that beats any advice:

Saying you'll do something and actually doing it.

In my teens, I told myseIf was going to go all in on business, and that meant learning many things I once never knew. How? Real experience.

Less talking, more doing.

I didn't have a background in marketing, I learned.
I didn't have a background in brand, I learned.
I didn't have a background in R&D, I learned.

And here's what I found out...

When you start facing real situations, real problems, and real outcomes, you quickly see who’s telling the truth and who isn’t.

You learn who to trust.

Advice has its place. But execution is what changes things.

Growing @thistlescientific and sharing the lessons while I do

I’ve just landed back from a week in the mountains.

And it reminded me how easy it is to forget what really matters.

I know I talk a lot about business because it's something I'm passionate about, but let's be real, it will never be as important as family. 

Scaling a business takes a lot out of you, early mornings, late nights, and missing certain celebrations. It's honestly brutal sometimes. 

Because it never stops!!!

You always have something that needs implementing, changing or improving, but what I've realised is that time away with your family allows you the space to think, enjoy and realign. Never take this for granted.

Honestly, had the best couple of days... now super exctied to get back and execute on the plan we've set out over the past couple of months.

We did it!!! Thistle is rebrand ready...

Over the past few months, we've completed a full rebrand at Thistle Scientific, one that has pushed, tested, and shaped the new direction we're heading in. These will be the months I'll remember forever, but...

I want to talk about what goes into a rebrand:

The late nights thinking decisions through.
The transition phase throughout the organisation.
The alignment through the internal team and external partners.

They all hit you! But in a good way.

Because eventually, you see all the pieces of the puzzle coming together, and you appreciate all the details and hard work that went into every part of it.

But this whole process got me thinking about one thing, "change", and how so many of us are nervous about it. This is a good feeling to have. 

It means you're pushing yourself.

Take it all in!!!

The most important skill of an entrepreneur is to do the basics first.

I used to fight this idea because it sounded too simple.

Sticking to a routine 
Doing the things you promised.
Being open-minded to the problems. 
Interacting directly with your customers.
Executing the plan you set out with your team.

It really is simple!!! 

At the start of this year, I told some of my closest friends what I was going to do. Less talking and more just focusing on what creates the moment. 

And I can already feel it. It hasn’t been anything out of this world, it's just been staying focused on what matters most in the buisness. And normally, these are the tasks you repeat.

You've got to understand that most people will dislike doing the basics over and over again, becasue it can become boring and not fun. But these are the tasks that create the difference that changes your life and business. 

It may be boring, but it works.

3 years ago, navigating a merger, improving systems, and building a stronger foundation.

Since then, Thistle Scientific has grown year on year, hired across multiple countries, and deliberately focused on scale. Why?

Equipping scientists around the world requires collaboration, obsession, and teamwork. It’s understanding what will help each researcher improve the work they’re doing.

But there’s an even bigger reason…

Scaling allows us to support even more researchers, and the better support they get, the more impact their work can have on the rest of the population.

Any researchers here... would love to chat with you.

One of the best decisions I've made as a 25-year-old growing a biotech business was to... spend time with people who have already done it.

Not people who're trying to sell you something.
Not people who shut down your ideas every five minutes.

But the people who have lived and breathed the problems you are facing.

The real operators. And what I've noticed is that they don't try to sell you online they are heavily focused on real outcomes. They have this credibility where they've been there and done it. You can just feel it!!!

So, if you're going to surround yourself with successful people:

Do your due diligence
Ask the important questions
Don't waste your time and especially theirs.

That's where real change is created.

Evean, now I've got so much to learn and it's so important to remember that the moment you think you've understood it all will be the moment you stop making progress.

We had a chance to showcase our new design in Thailand.

I pulled it... You only get one first impression.

We had an opportunity to move fast on some new design work. It would've lined up perfectly for our ASIA distributor meeting in Thailand next month, so I pushed for it. 

I thought it would be:

Great to share the new innovation.
Great to share the new Thistle identity.
Great to share our new direction with them.

But I was chasing speed over execution.

The lesson wasn't "slow down". I still believe in moving fast.
The lesson was "speed" without clarity is just expensive.

Coming straight out of a rebrand, it’s easy to chase momentum. But when you do that, you can lose the bigger picture and that costs you.

Growth never happens when you move without clarity. You only get one chance at a first impression, so we are making sure ours is worth it.

"TEST THE LIMIT"  that's what our rebrand was built on.

When we started to plan our rebrand, we didn't view ourselves as successful. We saw ourselves as a challenger brand. A brand that wanted to do things differently from others in our industry.

This was our starting point.

From the first conversations I had with our team, they were all open-minded to it and wanted to be aligned on the bigger picture, but there was something I noticed more special. 

They all wanted to be a part of it.  Contributing, debating, and just being fully curious. Through my years of learning business, I've noticed that one of the best traits in any business is the team being curious. They like to get stuck in. And here's what I've seen:

They adapt quickly to problems and solutions.
They build better products and services.
They spot opportunities others ignore.
They make better decisions.

Being curious is lethal (in a good way)

There's something special about being around an open-minded team. A team that wants to play an even bigger part in this journey. It's pretty cool.

Very proud to announce the next chapter of Thistle Scientific.

Thistle has expanded a lot over the years as a team, company and scientific partner.

Today, we’re updating our entire visual system to convey a clearer, bolder expression of who we are and the purpose we stand behind. Now the time feels right to step into our next chapter and announce the rebrand of Thistle Scientific.

One that will demonstrate the connection and deeper understanding we have for researchers and global organisations who are changing the world for good.  

Just like research, brands must evolve too. We must listen, adapt and strengthen. That's what we're here to do. Committed to the direction we're heading, and that's to equip scientists to be relentless in changing the world for good. 

One hypothesis at a time. 

Welcome to Thistle 2.0

Because science is never done. So, neither are we.

Your Personal Branding Gal💕 | Keynote Speaker, Consultant & Mentor | B&T Women in Media Finalist | Mental Health Advocate

I'm here to disrupt the LinkedIn platform with refreshing content and uncomfortable truths from a first gen Asian Australian millennial. 

I wear a lot of different hats - keynote speaker, social strategist at DDB and personal branding expert. But my heart passion comes down to one focus - content creation. And I wish I start sooner. Growing up I was always told that I would never make it as a creator and I would never make it in the world of social. But here I am, challenging every 'no' I was ever told and sharing my story to inspire others to start chasing their dreams. 

And if you've made it all the way down here, let's keep the good vibes flowing:
📸 Insta: @rosiechong
🎵TikTok: @rosiechong
📲Threads: @rosiechong

Rosie Chong

This is a metric you need to be keeping an eye on.👀

When you start creating content, most people think that the most important metric is reach, engagement or the number of connection requests. But the metric you need to really be keeping an eye on his profile views. 

Why? 

These are people who are actively going out of the way to learn more about you and your business. These people could become clients are mental even lead due to your next career move.🚀

Don’t get me wrong it’s still important to track reach and engagement, but if you’ve been neglecting profile views you’re seriously missing out.

Rosie Boccamazzo

The 9 to 5 Personal Branding Gal💕| #1 Aussie Personal Branding Creator

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What's the best performing format on LinkedIn? 👀

Well you're not going to like my answer. 

The format that gets the most engagement and most reach is going to be a format that not only can you execute week after week, but also a format that your audience becomes familiar with.

💡If you love talking to audiences - video might be for you 
💡If you're a fantastic storyteller - try long form 
💡If you're straight to the point - stick with short form

The real secret to getting great reach is consistency and clarity in your content and your personal brand.

Sometimes getting started is the easiest part of building personal brand. 🤪

I started my personal branding journey over five years ago and in the last 6 to 12 months I’ve struggled with consistency and finding a passion and purpose with my content. 

The bottom line is I know I love LinkedIn. I love personal branding. And I love being able to help inspire others and teach them ropes so they can capitalise on the power of a personal brand. 🔥

The biggest battle any creative will face is burnout and the marathon of content creation. 

I’ve been fighting this battle for months and the biggest thing that got me out of a rut was finding a renewed “why”. 

💡The why behind creating
💡The why behind building 
💡The why behind connecting 

So remember that creativity comes in ebbs and flows. Sometimes you can have a little fun with a personal rebrand 👀

How long should you spend writing a piece of content? 🤔

Most of my posts I write and edit under 5 minutes. No that's not a typo. 

I've never been great at pre-scheduling content, even though this is my number one piece of advice if you're trying to build a powerful personal brand. I write my best content in the moment. 

And I know a post won't be worth sharing if I cannot create it in under 5 minutes. But that doesn't work for everyone. 

💡Some will spend an hour editing the perfect video.
💡Others will spend 10 minutes writing a text post. 

There's no right or wrong answer. 

At the end of the day, if your post is giving value to your target audience, then you know you've got a good post, whether it takes you 5 minutes or an hour.

Back to doing what I love the most! 🔥

In a few weeks I’ll be taking the stage at The Social Summit. I was lucky enough to do this last year and I can’t wait to do it again. 

Mostly people called me crazy because I love public speaking despite my anxiety, but there’s something so magical about sharing the stage with some of the industry’s best. I love getting to share my journey and insights  to inspire other others. 

🚨If you haven’t got your ticket yet use DC 9TO530

I need to do more of this... 🤯

This afternoon I ran a virtual personal branding 101 session! This is one of my favourite training sessions to run - and honestly I forgot how much I love being able to share my experience with others so they can upskill and take charge of their own personal brand! 

2026 is the year people need to take personal branding seriously.
💡If can land you your dream job
💡It can double your earning capacity
💡It can teach you unparalleled confidence 
💡It can connect you with your dream mentor 

Thanks to Utkarsh Manocha for having me in! 🚀

PS if your team or community are keen to learn more about personal branding slide into my DMs 👀

I’m embarrassed to admit this. 🙈

But I haven’t given my LinkedIn profile a proper update since Jan 2025. 

It feels ironic as one of the easiest wins I share with my clients - spend the time upgrading your profile. You need to treat it like your website landing page. 

🔥Up to date info 
🔥Inviting and engaging banner 
🔥Fresh profile image 
🔥Intentional key words and descriptions 

It’s the easiest way to make or break a first impression with a potential client, mentor or new connection. 

Yet it’s the place I’ve neglected the most. 🤪

So if a LinkedIn profile upgrade has been on your to do list you’re not alone. Time to give it a refresh 👏 

When did you last update your profile? 👇

You don’t have to quit your day job to have a killer personal brand. 👀

Since I started building my personal brand 5+ years ago I’ve balanced my 9-5 career, freelancing in personal branding and working as a content creator. 

It’s not necessarily about giving it all up, but finding a way it can harmoniously live together. 

🔥Your schedule 
🔥Your content pillars 
🔥Your branding
🔥Your voice 

Each week the balance might look a little different, but I’m walking proof you can have your cake and eat it too. So what’s holding you back?!👏

taplio

The Battle

Niall Cleaver

Rosie Chong

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreNiall Cleaver's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreRosie Chong's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Niall Cleaver

Rosie Chong

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Niall Cleaver's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreRosie Chong's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreNiall Cleaver's LinkedIn Performance