Oliver Meakings

I'm the founder of Senja.io, a bootstrapped SaaS that helps you collect, manage and share customer testimonials. 

Senja helps you collect testimonials using automations, and share them as images, widgets, popups, Walls of Love, links and videos.

I'd love you to try it: Senja.io

Co-Founder

Co-founder of Senja.io. Collect, manage and share your testimonials.

Olly Meakings

I want to spend $120,000 on marketing

$20,000/month over six months

This will be my biggest ever marketing bet at Senja

But I want to scale from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 ARR and need to take bigger bets

My brain is telling me to try and scale something measurable - meta ads, Google Ads, cold outbound

But my gut thinks I should focus on the hard work of building relationships with power-users and influencers of our ICP

Less measurable, slower to ramp-up, but a genuine opportunity to find and persuade the right people to use Senja, and get to success

This work would then act as the foundation of future marketing activity

So I'm torn

What would you do #BuildInPublic?

Building a bootstrapped SaaS in public, without the BS

I got roasted by 250 people

I knew my post would be controversial, but I had no idea it would also totally change my thinking

I thought people would focus on the measurable vs unmeasurable marketing question, or discuss head versus heart when making strategic decisions

Instead some very smart people focused on me fixing fundamental issues with the product and our product-led growth (now) before sequencing in paid (later)

Senja is product-led but I've drifted way from this over time because our churn and TOF sign ups have met and I have been looking to throw money at the problem

I'm starting to realise that paid will compound existing issues, whereas (unmeasurable?!) relationship building will not only drive TOF but assist throughout the funnel -> activation -> retention -> referral -> churn

We help our customers collect and share video testimonials and stories, and tell them this is how to grow, so it's critical that this is the foundation of our own marketing

Finally I need to look again at our product growth loops as we're uniquely positioned to grow from them IF enough news customers are getting to success

Our tool creates (awesome) assets for our customers that can drive awareness and TOF but only if they are being shared

Thanks to everyone who commented and especially to Olya Grovel 👩🏼‍🔬 who challenged my key assumptions

This is exactly why I LOVE #buildinpublic

I’m hiring my first marketer for Senja

Where should I look?

I'm hiring at Senja!!

Let's start 2026 getting the world's best creator educators on Senja!

I'm looking for someone to manage concierge migrations.

You will lead our efforts to find the best creator educators, tell them about Senja, migrate them to our platform, and ensure they get to success.

If you’re interested, application in comments below.

Your annual reminder that #buildinpublic is for this:

→ Accountability
→ Reflection
→ Helping others through sharing
→ Building community
→ Hiring

Not this
→ Getting rich quick
→ Doing marketing
→ Getting likes on X

The most rewarding part of sharing my journey has been having a ritual to reflect on my progress.

And then sharing it in a way that can help others.

I know a lot of people see #buildinpublic as a way to market their business, and that's a nice second-order effect.

But fundamentally it's about sharing, helping and democratising information.

I'm particularly inspired by those who continue to do it at scale, like Joel Gascoigne at Buffer ✨

I have $12,000 to spend on Meta ads

I want to run 3 cycles of $4,000 of ad spend

Who should I talk to about Meta ads for SaaS?

Most testimonials are filler

Not because they're bad, but because they're untested and unmeasured

You collect them, edit them, and share them on your sales pages

But you have no idea if they're actually helping buyers to make a decision

What if your leads could tell you which testimonials were most helpful?

And you could use that information to show more of the most helpful proof in your marketing?

Over time, you could discover
→ Which stories resonate
→ Which formats work
→ Which proof belongs above the fold

And which testimonials should be hidden

This is something I've been exploring at Senja in our widget playground

Visitors can actually upvote the proof that was useful to them

What do you think?

Would visitors actually leave feedback on a testimonial? 

#buildinpublic

Kicking off 26 with some great news - another native integration live!!!

You can now find Senja inside Umso

Instantly add your customer testimonial widgets to your Umso landing pages

This type of integration Senja's customers get to success in other tools

And it increases the discoverability of Senja across the web

Plus, it's amazing to see Senja inside tools I love and use

Product Designer in Fintech & SaaS | Webflow Developer | Author of The Psychology Behind Design | Product Owner at Olyn

Hey there 👋 thanks for stopping by my profile!

In a nutshell:

I'm a Product Designer with expertise in Fintech and SaaS — who believes in the power of simplicity and psychology.

I’ve spent 6 years turning complex ideas into user-friendly designs, leading to at least a 30% increase in user satisfaction for the companies I worked with.

What I do:

- Make products easier to use
- Improve conversion & retention rate
- Help customers understand the product’s value

I care about these things, plus good work and making things better.

Balint Bogdan

Small win today.

Just locked in the new email design for Brisk.

This is what your clients will see when you send an invoice and reminders.

It needed to feel:

Professional, not pushy.
Clear, not cluttered.

Like it came from you, not a robot.

This is what we landed on.

Launch is coming soon.

Get early and free access: https://staybrisk.com/

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100 Mentorship Minutes

Product Psychology Masterclass

Growth-Driven Design Certification Course

UX Foundations: Style Guides and Design Systems

Wedbush Securities is the largest subsidiary of Wedbush Financial Services. Since its founding in 1955, Wedbush is widely known for providing our clients, both private and institutional, with a wide range of securities brokerage, clearing, wealth management, and investment banking services. Headquartered in  Pasadena, California with 100 registered offices and nearly 900 colleagues, the firm focuses on client service and financial safety, innovation, and the utilization of advanced technology. Securities and Investment Advisory services are offered through Wedbush Securities Inc. Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC.

I currently work at Wedbush, designing the new trading platform for financial advisors and clients.

Wedbush is a financial services firm founded in 1955 and based in Los Angeles. It's a major investment bank, broker-dealer and wealth management company. They provide services like securities brokerage, investment banking, equity research, private client services and asset management.

Product Designer

I joined Repocket to help users have a better experience with their apps and website:

• Built a new design language across web and mobile, so users felt at home.
• Fixed important parts to improve conversion rates and keep users coming back.
• Improved the website by making it more clear for new visitors to understand Repocket's value.

Working with Repocket showed me how important it is to look at design from all angles - from someone's first visit to the website to becoming a regular user. I found that when things work simply and make sense, people naturally want to come back.

Senior Product Designer

I joined Climate Savers to guide their product development and shape new features:

• Helped define clear goals and priorities for both web and mobile platforms.
• Created intuitive ways for users to track and reduce their environmental impact.
• Built an MVP mobile app for consumers to help make climate-friendly choices in their daily lives.

Working with different companies and cultures taught me to be flexible while staying focused on what matters - solving real problems for real people. 

Every project added a new perspective to my design approach, showing me there's always more than one way to tackle a challenge. It's been rewarding to see how thoughtful design can help businesses grow, no matter where they're based.

Freelance

At Plytrix, I served as the sole designer, leading design efforts across all products and shaping the user experience for both customers and internal teams.

Key contributions:

• Designed the core web app platform: Turned complex data into clear insights for customers.
• Established an internal design system: Ensured consistency and efficiency across all products.
• Built the marketing website: Defined the company’s brand identity and communicated its value.

This work laid the foundation for Plytrix’s visual direction and user experience as the company moved into its next stage of growth.

At Olyn, I helped bridge the gap between business needs and user goals to guide product development.

• Translated stakeholder needs into clear, actionable user stories to keep projects focused.
• Applied design principles to support product development and improve usability.
• Drove product vision and strategy to align teams and priorities for the long term.

Working at Olyn showed me how important it is to get everyone talking and working together, while always thinking about what users really need.

I joined Abra to help shape and build new features for their crypto app serving over 1 million users.
‍
• Built a robust design system that enabled everyone to work faster and keep designs consistent.
• Designed full experience of Market Order & Limit Order.
• Created new features for the Institutional Businesses platform.
• Contributed to several products like  Borrow, Earn, Fund and DeFi.

My time at Abra taught me what it's really like to work closely with a product team - seeing how small design changes could make a big difference in how people used the app.

I joined Inbound FinTech Agency to help fintech companies grow and reach more customers by working alongside our marketing, design, and engineering teams:
‍
• Designed marketing websites and improved conversion rates.
• Created animations for products, presentations, social posts, and interfaces.
• Contributed to the development of several websites.

I learned that good work comes from really listening to everyone - marketers need to tell good stories, developers need practical solutions, and customers need things that just work.

UX/UI Designer

As the company's sole designer, I managed all aspects of design for startups including web design, product design and marketing assets.
‍
• I redesigned all marketing websites by improving their look and experience.
• Improved user experience on the web applications to make the product easier for new users.
• Created animations and illustrations to give users a better understanding of the product.
• Designed sales decks and guides for investors.

Being the only designer was challenging but rewarding. I learned to spot what needed fixing first and how to make the biggest impact with limited time.

Graphic Designer

Rainfall was my ever first experience working in a marketing agency, they gave me opportunity to experience what it's like to work in a professional team at a very young age.
‍
• Learned how websites work and how to code them.
• Delivered design marketing assets for clients.
• Contributed with feedback and improvements of small projects. Frontend Developer Jan 2017 - Dec 2017 · 1 yr

Frontend Developer

I design products that look great and feel just right for users | Senior Product Designer in Fintech & SaaS | Webflow Developer | Author of "The Psychology Behind Design"

Brisk

I design products that look great and feel just right for users | Senior Product Designer in Fintech & SaaS | Webflow Developer | Author of "The Psychology Behind Design" 🧠

Freelancing is a patience game, but not in the way people think.

You need three kinds of patience:

Patience with clients.
They're juggling a lot. They're stressed, slow, sometimes unclear. That's not on you.

Patience with yourself.
You'll mess things up, overpromise, or get blindsided by something you didn't see coming.

Patience with the world.
Markets shift. Tools break. Invoices lag. Sometimes nothing goes as planned.

Here's the hardest thing I learned:

Most of this is out of your hands.

You can't control when a client pays, if a project gets canceled, or how busy your inbox is.

But you can control your response.
You can keep your process tight.
You can build a safety net.

Build systems.
Protect your time and your cash flow.
Stay flexible, even when it's frustrating.

That's how you survive, and sometimes, that's all you need.

I used to think landing clients was about having:

The biggest portfolio.
The most followers.
The fanciest website.

Then I learned a stat that changed everything:

89% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know.

That's it.

Not your SEO.
Not your viral post.
Not your award wall.

Word of mouth from someone they trust.

Here's what that means for freelancers:

Your reputation is your sales team.

Every project you deliver well = a potential referral.
Every client you treat like a human = someone who'll vouch for you.

When I started building Brisk, I went back to this principle.

Freelancers don't need more tools to "hack growth."
They need tools that help them deliver on time, look professional, and get paid without friction.

Because when clients have a smooth experience, they tell their friends.

Brisk automates the boring parts, invoices, reminders, contracts - so you can focus on doing great work and building relationships that turn into referrals.

That's the long game.

Start building a business people want to refer: https://staybrisk.com/

Every product claims to be user-friendly.

SaaS landing pages. App store descriptions. Pitch decks.

“Easy to use.” 
“Intuitive interface.” 
“Simple and powerful.”

The problem

User-friendly to whom?

A tool that’s simple for experts feels overwhelming to beginners.

A product that’s obvious to tech workers confuses everyone else.

An interface that’s clean to designers hides everything users need.

There’s no universal “friendly.” 

Only friendly to specific people in specific contexts.

Here's my take on "The myth of user-friendly":  https://lnkd.in/dcj-Fq75

P.S. If you enjoyed these ideas, you'll love my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dmGa5y42

The secret to getting work isn't a secret

It's just boring.

Everyone wants the hack:

The perfect cold email template
The viral portfolio piece
The LinkedIn algorithm trick

But here's the real "secret":

Making positive connections with people.

That's it.

The freelancers who succeed:

Actually talk to people
Follow up after meeting someone
Help others without expecting anything back
They're not smarter.
They're not more talented.

They're just consistently pleasant to be around.

And when someone needs a designer, writer, or developer, they think:

"Oh, I know someone."

You can have the best portfolio in the world.

But if no one knows you exist, you're invisible.

The work doesn't always speak for itself.

You have to speak for it.

By showing up.
By being helpful.
By building relationships.

That's the "secret."

Your interface looks clean.

Good spacing. Nice typography. Consistent colors.

You show it in reviews. People nod. "Looks great."

Then users open it and pause. Confused. Uncertain. Lost.

The problem

The design isn't broken. The structure is.

Apple's design team tests every interface with three questions:

Where am I?
What can I do?
Where can I go from here?
Open your product right now. Pick any screen.

Can someone answer all three in three seconds?

Most can't.

Not because the features are bad.

Because the interface never prioritized clarity.

Here's my breakdown of "The three questions your interface ignores": https://lnkd.in/dMDpH7wZ

P.S. If you enjoyed these ideas, you'll love my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dmGa5y42

Freelancing taught me skills I never expected:

At first, I thought I was just becoming a better designer.

But freelancing forced me to wear every hat in the business.

Suddenly, I had to budget like a CFO. 
Pitch projects like a sales rep. 
Manage timelines like a project manager. 
Market my services like a marketer. 
Negotiate deals like a business dev. 
Communicate with clients, partners, and vendors.

No one told me learning design was just step one. 

The real experience started when I had to figure out the numbers, the pitch and the plan.

The good thing: Every one of these skills transfers.

Even if you go back to employment, you understand how businesses work.

You know how projects get priced. 
What it takes to keep clients happy. 
How revenue targets shape decisions. 

You're not just a designer anymore.

You're someone who sees how business really works.

But those skills don't matter if you're spending half your time on admin.

That's why I'm building Brisk, an organized client management so you focus on getting better, not just getting by.

Free when we launch: https://staybrisk.com/

Your skills are valuable. 

Your time should reflect that.

taplio

The Battle

Olly Meakings

Balint Bogdan

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreOlly Meakings's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreBalint Bogdan's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Olly Meakings

Balint Bogdan

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);}Olly Meakings's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreBalint Bogdan's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreOlly Meakings's LinkedIn Performance