Nick Telson

trumpet

Co-Founder

sequel

First Check Investor/Ideator

Horseplay Ventures

Horseplay Ventures is a Startup Playground for the new generation of startup founders. As recently exited founders we understand the pressures of being a founder and what it takes to scale and exit. Horseplay incorporates Pre-Seed/Seed Angel Investing, a free investor syndicate, a podcast and free tools for founders to use.

Co-Founder - Angel Investor

Pitch Deck - @pitchdeckpod

Pitch Deck:

- Top 10 Global Business Podcast
- Top 10 Global New Podcast
- Top 5 UK Career/Entrepreneurship Podcast 

Real investors, real founders, real pitches. In each episode, a startup founder has 10 minutes to pitch their business to Nick and guest Angel Investors/Mentors. They then all discuss the pitch and the business itself, asking questions an Investor would ask in a real pitch. The guest Angel and Nick then discuss what they make of the business and investment opportunity.

Podcaster

Proud Ventures

Member

London & Partners

Business Mentor

Virgin StartUp

Delighted to be an official mentor on the Virgin StartUp Programme; a not-for-profit organisation that exists to help founders start up and thrive.  

They provide funding, straight talk and useful advice to make the entrepreneurial road less bumpy and access to a supportive and dynamic community to help founders have some fun along the way.

Mentor

EMW Global | Sports & Entertainment

EMW Global is an international sports and entertainment marketing agency with offices in London, Hong Kong, Shanghai and São Paulo. They matchmake top class rights holders and athletes with global brands and entertainment IP. Some clients include the Brasilian National Team, Clube Flamingo, Dani Alves, Douglas Costa, Emerson and Marco Materazzi.

Advisor

The Access Group

Co-Founder of DesignMyNight . Acquired by The Access Group in December 2017. Remaining at DesignMyNight.

Co-Founder DesignMyNight

WFL Media LTD | www.designmynight.com

I am co-founder of UKs fastest growing nightlife website www.designmynight.com. Receiving over 6.5 million monthly views and several industry leading B2B softwares including Tonic, our DesignMyNight ticket platform and Collins; the first booking and enquiry management software for casual dining restaurants, bars and pubs. DesignMyNight was acquired by The Access Group in 2017.

Founder DesignMyNight (Acquired '19) 🍹 | Co-Founder trumpet 🎺 | Investor in 55+ Startups (Currently not investing in new deals) 😇 | Podcaster 🎙️| 🏳️‍🌈

Hey!

I’m a London-based entrepreneur, angel investor, podcaster, startup mentor and public speaker, whose speciality lies in talking no-nonsense founder/investor advice and help. I'm currently co-founder of new B2B sales tool, trumpet, host of Pitch Deck podcast and co-founder of an angel investing venture-arm, Horseplay Ventures

I previously co-founded DesignMyNight, back in 2010 and managed to grow that over 7 years with minimal angel funding, to 100+ employees, 15,000 SaaS customers and 8m monthly uniques on the website. We exited to Access Group in 2017.

I live for the early stages of startups - building the brand, finding product market fit, iterating quickly and building out a team. Most of my content is centred around this, as well as tips from an angel investor. Even after exiting to financial freedom, I caught the founder bug again and have co-founded my next startup, trumpet, in 2022; looking to disrupt B2B sales and kill the sales pdf deck. Follow me on here while we build out this new journey in public.

Please feel free to ask for any advice or help, whether a founder, startup employee or investor and I will always endeavour to do what I can. I'm also a regular guest on podcasts, startup speaking gigs and webinars, so feel free to reach out to me if you are looking for guests/speakers. 

I do respectfully ask not to be pitched for investment in my Linkedin DMs and instead go through Horseplay Ventures. Hopefully my podcast is also a treasure trove of information for those looking to raise early-stage investment, thinking about it or just interested in it - search for Pitch Deck by Nick Telson.

Nick Telson-Sillett

When we hit $1M ARR at both my startups, I thought we’d made it. 
I was wrong.

That milestone didn’t feel like success, it actually felt like survival.
Everyone told us $1M was “product-market fit.”

But all I saw behind the scenes was a brittle system held together by caffeine and duct tape!

Our pricing didn’t match value.
Our ICP was fuzzy.
Our team was doing too much of everything and mastering nothing.

The truth?
$1M ARR isn’t validation. It’s the starting line of the real company.

That’s where you stop experimenting and start operationalizing.
If I could go back, I’d systemize earlier and faster.

Milestones don’t necessarily mean stability. 
They mean responsibility.
Time to step up.

Co-Founder trumpet 🎺 | Founder DesignMyNight (Acquired '19) 🍹 | Investor in 55+ Startups 🤑 🏳️‍🌈

Every founder says, “We’re product-led.”
Most aren’t.

They’re product-first. Which is not the same thing.

Product-first means: “We’ll build what we think is awesome and hope they come.”
Product-led means: “The product is the growth engine, not just the feature list.”

A truly product-led company designs moments where the user experiences success before a salesperson ever shows up.

That might be a personalized trial that nails the buyer’s use case or a dashboard that instantly quantifies value or a shareable artifact that helps your champion explain the ROI to their boss.

Those are the product-led mechanisms that sell for you while you sleep.

Because people don’t buy just products anymore, they buy internal momentum.

And your product should be the one creating it.

If your product can make someone feel the win before they buy, you’re already halfway to closing them.

AI drop #4 of our AI-Suite.
Let me introduce you to Spark AI.

Write. Re-write. Ask Anything.

This is not just the usual AI writing tool that says "make it more concise"

Built directly into every Pod, Spark AI helps teams create deal-ready content in seconds, without tab-hopping, rewrites, or guesswork.

Our AI doesn’t just write, it understands who you are and who you're writing for, adapting every message to the buyer, persona, and stage of the deal.

↳ Rewrites Pod content for any audience, from CFOs to Champions.
↳ Summarises, translates, and localises content instantly.
↳ 30+ pre-trained prompts for Sales and Success teams
↳ Refines messaging with live buyer context 
↳ Helps handle objections or strengthens ROI messaging in one click.
↳ Keeps tone and quality consistent across every buyer touchpoint.

Spark AI brings the context to make that the AI efficiency meaningful.

From follow-ups to onboarding plans, it helps every team speak with precision, confidence, and intent.

Context built in. Clarity guaranteed.

I speak to 100s of founders and "growth" is what they say they are searching. Few admit they’re addicted to motion instead.

In our early GTM days, I kept mistaking speed for progress.

We were testing every channel, hiring faster than our process could handle, rewriting the strategy too regularly.

Slack looked alive. The dashboards were busy. But we weren’t actually taking big steps forward; just sideways, very quickly.

Here’s what I eventually learned:

- Most GTM problems are focus problems wearing different clothes.
- Growth isn’t found in “what else can we do?” it’s in “what can we stop doing?”
- A bloated strategy doc usually signals insecurity, not ambition.
- The best teams don’t chase motion; they compound signal.

When we started cutting; clarity returned.

Deals closed faster. Messaging sharpened. The team felt lighter and more confident.

The sharpest GTMs aren’t the biggest. They’re the most precise.

🌴 Making your "time off" the most productive thing you do.

You work hard but remain invisible. 

The problem isn’t your talent, my queen. 

It’s that your message doesn’t land and your courage is on mute.

You didn’t build a business to beg for attention.

You built it to lead.

But you’re struggling to find the magic. 

You’re posting from the “shoulds,” second-guessing every line, hiding the price.

Your launches feel like roulette...

Your calendar is full of content you don’t believe in, and a brand that reads like everyone else’s. 

You know you’re meant for premium clients and stages, but your story is diluted and your DMs are quiet.

I am the bridge between your struggles and your future. 

One where your voice sounds like you.

Your posts make people pause.

Your offer is clear and priced like the value you deliver. 

Your launches follow a rhythm you can repeat.

Dream buyers find you without paid ads.

Your name opens rooms you used to scroll past.

That is the work I do with female founders.

We make LinkedIn your best sales channel by pairing identity with architecture.

LinkedIn Leopard is the identity work that makes you unmistakable. 

The Viral Soul Marketing Method is the content and launch system that sells without shouting.

Together, they turn your story into steady demand. 

And when you want it handled, my agency, Viral Soul Agency, translates your ideas into DFY LinkedIn content that grows the audience, books stages, and brings the right buyers closer.

I know receipts matter.

So here are some of mine: 

I’m a Top 1% LinkedIn Creator in the UK with 72k+ following, featured in Times Square, hosted 12+ retreats for over 200+ people. 

I built it all on organic content.

Before this chapter, I cut my teeth in a Lord Sugar–backed startup, became a top performer, and picked up a few trophies with my name on them. I built and sold out international retreats, grew an online yoga studio during lockdown, and have mentored hundreds of founders from invisible to in-demand.

There are a few ways to work with me: SANCTIFY, my 12-month mastermind for scaling with soul; 1:1 mentorship when you want a high-touch partner; Viral Soul LIVE Event for momentum you can feel; and Viral Soul if you want the done-for-you version. 

If you want the details and to see which path fits, DM me the word “SANCTIFY.”

Yes, I’m a fairy. And yes, I'm here to remind you: 

When you sound like you, buyers find you.

Georgia St John-Smith

7 reasons I will NEVER buy from you because of your content 👀👇🏼

I wasn't going to post this... because it's kinda harsh.

But after helping hundreds of women turn their content into high-ticket sales, I think this might help someone.

And I've realised that direct feedback is better for your pipeline, than fluffing up your ego 👀

So, with love and brutal honesty, here are the reasons I scroll on by ⤵️

1. You post your story alongside generic inspirational fluff that like “don’t be afraid to fail” or "keep going". 
 
I'm sure you've got actual thought leadership from all of your experience, but this is not being articulated.

2. Your post reads like a how-to guide I've seen 3,498 times. 

I see zero difference between your “methods” and anyone else’s. 
 
It’s probably because you have been focused on trying to create as much content as you can, rather than going deeper into your expertise and the supply gap of content that doesn’t exist yet.
 
(Supply gap = nobody is posting it yet therefore YOU become the pioneer, the leader!) 

3. You’re being “valuable,” but you’re not being vulnerable.
 
You share wins but you give 0 backstory of what it’s actually like and the challenges you have ACTUALLY had to overcome. 

4. The opposite… you’re being vulnerable but your content isn’t valuable 
 
I love that you are opening up, but we need to see your expertise shining through. 
 
When you tell us over and over how your life fell apart, we feel sorry for you and do not want to buy from you. 
 
5. You talk a lot about making friends and building a community 
 
 Is is nice, but I’m not here to make friends. Therefore I will not buy from you. 
 
The best thing to think is are you actually adding value to people?
 
 I always focus on adding value with the things I’ve learnt that work, and most people don’t do it. That is why my content sells. 
 
6. You sound like a marketer, not a woman with something to say.
 
Congrats, you learnt how to write a hook! 
 
That is a very valuable and lucrative skill most don’t have. 
 
You now need to DELIVER on the hook. 

7. You’re chasing engagement instead of desire.
 
You comment on the same people’s posts. They comment on yours la la la. 
 
Again, that’s nice but it’s not building up a client base now is it?
 
When you focus on your expertise, and communicating that in ways that make people desire (aka WANT) what you’re selling… then you will sell more ;) 
 
Here’s the truth: 

People don’t buy from the person who posts the most. 

They buy from the person who makes them feel something.

That’s exactly what I’m teaching inside Honey I’m Blowing Up, the 5-day intensive that will completely change how you create content.

We start tomorrow (Wednesday).

🍯🧨 Comment or DM me HONEY to join.

So while everyone else is recycling “tips and tricks,” 7 second reels and "how to" LinkedIn Posts...

You’ll be using psychology, storytelling, and energetic strategy that make your audience want to buy.

Georgia St John-Smith 

❤️‍🔥 Trusted by 500+ Entrepreneurs. 12+ Retreats. Make LinkedIn your best sales channel | Want DMs from premium buyers? Read my About section | Brand with soul, strategy with teeth.

3 weeks ago I set a crazy goal to hit $500k in my company in 2 weeks. 

...by the way. 

We did it. 

A goal with a timeline are very powerful. 

But most people end up hurting themselves with it: 

"What if I don't hit it" 
"What if I fail" 

Etc...

I did something different. 

I said: 

"Let's go crazy" 

And then, I went crazy: 

- Sold on LinkedIn every day 
- Sold on my Instagram stories every day
- Researched viral content 
- Dropped free trainings for my community in my private Telegram channel
- Started dancing to hype music in the shower every day 
- Created a brand new high level mastermind and sold it right away 
- Made a playlist of songs that hype me up and played them all day 

And the wildest thing happened. 

I forgot my goal existed. 

Then... I checked in, and we hit it. 

I was too busy having fun, going for it, making my life a big deal. 

I wish more entrepreneurs did this. 

This is one of the things I did to make this year my biggest Q4 yet and blow TF up now (not in Jan) 🧨 

And if you're a woman on a mission like me. 

You know content... yes. 

Now you're interested in mastery. 

In turning more of your content here, on LinkedIn into high ticket sales. 

You already have a great business, you know you're great at what you do, you love it, and now it's time to blow the F up.

Because queen... you're ready for more. 

Then you're going to want to jump into my brand NEW 5 day intensive: "Honey I'm Blowing Up."

There’s something very powerful about a declaration and a significant gesture to your dedication to your growth. 

Just like I did 3 weeks ago BEFORE we hit this $500k goal, I said… watch me. 

We will do it 😏 

Then we did! 

Honey, it's your turn  🍯🧨 

Join now: https://lnkd.in/ey6jkMvp
 
(We start TODAY Weds 12th Nov and all calls are recorded)

Xoxo
Georgia

You can still make more money in the next 60 days than you did all year.

My leap from $10k to $80k months in 2025 didn't come from doing more. 

It came from amplifying the most desirable pieces of my business inside my content. 

When I finally understood that, everything shifted.

I stopped trying to build 10 new offers, write 10x more posts, and chase 10x more people.

Instead, I asked:

“What’s the most desirable part of my work, and how can I turn the volume up on that?”

That single question changed my business.

Because desire is the most overlooked currency in marketing.

It’s not algorithms. 
It’s not consistency.

It’s the feeling your work creates, the magnetism that makes people say:

“I don’t just want this. I need it.”

When desire goes up, demand goes up.

And when demand goes up, value skyrockets.

That’s not manifestation, that’s economics.

This is how you blow up your sales, not by adding more noise, but by amplifying the parts of your brand people most want to buy into.

That’s exactly what I’m teaching inside Honey I’m Blowing Up,
the 5-day live visibility + attraction intensive.

We start on 12th November. 

And right now you can jump in for just £55. 

This is for the woman who’s ready to scale through energy, and increased demand for your services. 

Your next leap isn’t about doing more.

It’s about being more understood through a new form of sticky content built around desire (not pain points). 

Join us here now → https://lnkd.in/ey6jkMvp

Let's cash in before Christmas, queen. 

Xoxo
Georgia  
Sancti

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The Battle

Nick Telson-Sillett

Georgia St John-Smith

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taplio

The Battle

Nick Telson-Sillett

Georgia St John-Smith

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);}Nick Telson-Sillett's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreNick Telson-Sillett's LinkedIn Performance