Grow Your Career 1% Daily - I’ll Show You How | Follow for Tips on Learning, Professional Development, and Productivity | Professor | MBA + JD

Is this the part where I talk about brand voice, distribution, and storytelling across the funnel? Or say we “help companies scale content that converts”?

𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁.

But what we really do is write content your team doesn’t have to worry about, so you can stay focused on strategy, not sentence structure.

𝗛𝗲𝘆, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻. 👋

And my path here hasn’t exactly followed a playbook:
Banking → Law School → Teaching → L&D → Content

(Yeah… it’s been a ride.)

Today, I run a B2B content agency with my wife. We keep it lean and personal — just the two of us, plus our kids and a couple barky mini schnauzers. 

At Damn Smart Marketing, we give marketers writing they can trust and results they can stand behind.

✓ Content that sounds like you (not a template, not bland AI)
✓ Full support from idea to publication
✓ A partner who gets content
✓ Zero fluff, zero hand-holding
✓ More time to focus on what matters

In other words: you get to 🚀 while we handle the ✍️.

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿? 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸:

1️⃣ 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗳𝗼𝗿-𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀.
Blogs, LinkedIn posts, newsletters, case studies. If it’s got words, we’ll write it. You get to run the show without sweating every sentence.

2️⃣ 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.
We’ve built an AI-assisted workflow that makes posting easy, effective, and actually worth reading.

If you're curious, DM me. 

No cold, hard pitch, I promise. Just a real convo about where you’re headed and whether some damn smart content can help.

Stephen 😀

Stephen Mostrom

How my wife and I work together without losing our minds (or our marriage)...

9 years ago, Donna and I started Damn Smart Marketing.
4 years ago, we niched down to B2B content writing. 
24 months ago, I joined full-time. 

It's been a wild ride. 
Full of ups and downs. 

And, when we share our story with others, the same question comes up every time.

"How do you work with your partner 24/7 without killing each other?"

Here's our formula: 

1 - Love your differences (really!)
2 - Create a clear division of duties
3 - Remove pressure whenever possible
4 - Talk about everything
5 - Leave your ego at the door

Interested in learning more about how we make it work?

👉 https://lnkd.in/gtPzBpME

Writer for B2B Tech & Finance ✍️ | Running a content agency with my wife (and yes, still married) | Human words, AI workflows | JD & MBA

I've got one resolution for '26. 
KEEP. IT. REAL. 

Real talk
- Words I’d say out loud, not empty-calorie buzzwords
- Taking a stance, not performative "thought leadership"
- Posting for people, not the algorithm

Real content
- Heart-first drafts, not perfect-first outputs
- A voice with fingerprints, not generic AI fluff
- Photos that feel lived-in, not perfectly staged

Real-ationships
- Showing up first, not keeping score
- Chats that run long, not calendar Tetris
- Conversations with pauses, not pitches

LinkedIn.
The business world.
The internet.
Honestly, the whole globe.

It’s getting more synthetic by the second.

Time to swim against the current. 

Real only. 
No exceptions. 

You in?

LinkedIn friends: Can you help me get the word out?

I’ve got *a lot* of thoughts on writing, creativity, AI (and where to avoid it), and B2B marketing. 

(Also the last season of Stranger Things… but that’s a separate thread)

I’m looking to connect with smart folks who care about these topics and want to have no-fluff conversations around them.

If you know anyone I should meet, I’d appreciate a tag or a DM:

- Podcast hosts
- Conference organizers
- Speaking opportunities
- Or adjacent worlds I should be paying attention to

And if you just want to talk about The Upside Down or how Steve + Dustin are an elite duo, I’m here for that too!

Thanks in advance. 🙏

I assume every LinkedIn post will flop (yes, even after 1M+ impressions). So, I run mine through this 10-point checklist before hitting publish.👇

The result?

10k+ followers
Viral client posts
Countless connections

Here's the checklist: 

1. Did I start with the good stuff?
Weak hook, no go. I’ll tweak it 100x to get it right.

2. Does this post sound like me? (Or like AI?)
Beep boop. No thanks, I’ll stick to Stephen writing. 

3. Did I make it easy to read?
No one’s reading bland blocks of text during their coffee break.

4. Did I paint the picture?
Feelings, stakes, pain. That makes a story real. 

5. Will I remember this tomorrow?
If it’s forgettable to me, it’s forgettable to them.

6. Am I talking to one person, or broadcasting to everyone?
Generic tone = generic results. I write to one reader and one reader only.

7. Did I edit out the filler?
Adverbs, clichés, throat-clearing intros. I cut them with a chainsaw.

8. Did I anchor it in lived experience?
Real stories beat abstract advice every day (twice on Sundays).

9. What’s the one thing I want someone to remember?
If my post has 6 points, it has no point.

10. Did I enjoy writing it?
If it felt like a chore, it’ll probably read like one too.

Your go-to?

Who in their right mind adds 25 pounds to their morning walk?

Umm....

Last year, I started wearing a weighted vest. Unless it's 110° or more, most mornings you'll find me with three dogs walking a mile loop around Chandler. 

Shoulders strained. 
Core (hopefully) engaged. 
CCR probably on repeat. 

It's the funny bit about exercise...

To get stronger, you have to intentionally do hard things. Lift heavy stuff, run when nothing's chasing you, or strap extra weight to your body. 

The reward?
Growth. 

Problem is, when I look at the mental side of work, all I see are shortcuts. AI wasn't the first, but boy is it the loudest. 

"Write 100 LinkedIn posts in 30 seconds!"
"Turn one idea into a week of content!"
"Hit publish without ever breaking a sweat!"

There’s absolutely a time and place for speed, efficiency, and productivity.

But if everything gets easier…
When do we actually get stronger?

This isn't theoretical. 

Darja Djordjevic (Columbia Univ) on AI: 
“Here is a machine that is always available, endlessly enthusiastic, and seemingly competent in every domain. That creates a powerful feedback loop. You skip the discomfort of starting from scratch and get rewarded in seconds.”

Great for the short-term. 
Hazardous for the long. 

That's why I'm personally putting on weighted vests at work, too. 

Writing the first draft from scratch.
Sitting with the mess before cleaning it up.
Thinking before prompting.

Do I use AI? Of course.
But it’s the spotter, not the lifter.

Because the discomfort *is* the workout.

Maybe I'm not in my right mind. 
Maybe that's okay... as long as I'm growing. 🤷

Last year, I ghostwrote on LinkedIn for a dozen execs. 12M+ impressions, 20k+ followers. Here are 4 post types that delivered (and why): 

1. Scar stories

Easily our top-performer. 

What were the bottom-rung moments in a career (fumbles, toxic peers, etc)? And, most importantly, what did you learn from them?

One six-figure impression post from last year started with, “When I left the boardroom, I thought I was fired.” 

These posts counter the perfect upward path so often embedded in thought leadership content. 

They take courage to post. 
And that’s why they work. 

2. Non-obvious + niche trends

Market trend posts work when you’ve got a one-of-one view. 
And genuine thought leaders do. 

The key is making sure the trends don’t sound like an economics report. 

They need to cut deep for your target audience. 
Show you’re in the trenches. 

Not “5 [industry] trends,” but “5 patterns showing up across every [industry] conversation I’m in.”

3. Have you seen?

This is the small-scale side of the trends conversation. 
Commenting on news happening right now, this minute. 

- Major shakeup in your industry
- Big, bold stance by leadership
- Real-time data that informs decisions

In one move, you bring your readership into the fold (“have you seen?”), then lay out your angle (“here’s how I see it”). 

Timely and opinionated. 

4. I used to think X, now I think Y

Growth is interesting. 

People love to map the trajectory a leader’s taken. They want to see the nitty-gritty thoughts that shape million-dollar (billion-dollar?) leadership. 

One post that caught fire last year…
 
It broke down the people side of a data-heavy business. “I used to think the numbers mattered most, now I think it’s those small hallway conversations.”

Growth. And how it happens. 
Your readers can easily take notes. 




What do these posts have in common?

- Specific to YOU, not just anyone
- Getting real with your struggles and journey
- Putting the “thought” in thought leadership

That’s what separates the leaders people sync with…
From content that gets scrolled past and forgotten.

This might be my favorite January reading stack ever ↓

📚 How fear shaped history, politics, society, and more 
📚 One man's journey to consume the entire encyclopedia britannica
📚 The economist behind "Capital" takes on current events
📚 AI's impact on human writing (hint: it's not good)
📚 A globetrotting journey via classic works of fiction

What are you reading?
(Recommendations, please! I'm building my list for next month)

I'm tired of reading LinkedIn posts stuffed with fluff. 

Too many words. Too little payoff. A waste of everyone's time...

The result:
Writer – Annoyed that their message isn't resonating. 😡 
Reader – Annoyed that their attention isn't respected. 😤 

Who's this working for?
Answer: no one.

Time to get back to an old writing rule I swear by, "Every word not working for you... is working against you." 

Time to ditch words that add nothing. 

↓↓↓
These are the 4 worst offenders I see every single day: 

1. Buzzword Bingo
“Leverage”
“Synergy”
“Thought leadership”
“Game-changing”

2. The Warm-Up Lap
“I’ve been thinking a lot lately…”
“I wanted to share a quick thought…”
“This might resonate with some of you…”
“Just some reflections…”

3. Captain Generic
“Bet on yourself.”
“Show up.”
“Do the work.”
"Success isn't linear."

4. Say It Again, But Louder
“In other words…”
“Put simply…”
“Let me explain…”
“To clarify…”

Instead of fluff, do this...

Get to the point. 
Respect your reader. 
Mic drop and move on. 

Yeah?

Buffer crunched 2M+ data points to answer the question: How often should you post on LinkedIn to maximize reach? ↓

2-5 times per week. 

Doesn’t have to be every day. 
Doesn’t have to destroy your calendar. 

But moving from “whenever I have time” or once a month to this range yields serious results. 

+1,182 more impressions per post
0.23 percentage point lift in engagement rate

Buffer calls it “flipping a switch.”

That’s why, when we work with busy execs and founders at Damn Smart Marketing, we use a simple 3 / 30 approach: 

3 → publish three posts per week (minus holidays)
30 → one 30-minute weekly brainstorm to generate raw ideas

(Huge shoutout to Devin Reed, who runs this process to perfection. His breakdown is worth a look: https://lnkd.in/gcghEk5R)

That’s it. 

The difference between fading into the background and showing up in the feed of the people you want to reach. 

Questions?
Drop them below or DM me.

It's official: most folks DO NOT want to read AI. 

I've suspected as much. Seen loads of spiky posts about it on LinkedIn. But this is 4,484 people casting their vote, and you can see...

Only 16% keep reading, no problem. 
Whoa. 🤯 

My thoughts: 

1 - This topic is emotional quicksand. 4k+ people voting on a LinkedIn poll... that crazy, and a signal that people REALLY care. 

This isn't a shoulder shrug.  
It's a raging fire we need to pay attention to. 

2 - How do you know something was written by AI? Short answer: you don't. Instead, we're all judging in seconds. 

Is it flat, lifeless? Could anyone have written it? 
Does it have an em dash or too many rule of threes?

There's no rulebook. 
Just people making assumptions. 

As writers, marketers, and content folks...
We have to know this. Understand it. Adapt to it. 

3 - Content is about making bets. Bets that something you create will resonate and lead to a conversation, trust-building, etc. 

Idk about you...

But I don't want to bet on 16% odds. The chance folks MIGHT ignore the AI of it all and keep reading anyway... even if ChatGPT can generate 1M words in 3 seconds.

The smarter bet? 
Write for people. Write what resonates. 

And at least according to this (pretty big) poll, that isn't AI. 



Ok, enough of my ramblings...
What do you think? 

P.S. Shoutout to Mel Barfield for doing the work.

This LinkedIn post should have been a snoozefest. ↓

Instead, it's one of the best examples of writing voice I've ever seen. 


We've all seen the new furry friend angle.
Usually it's “I got a pup! 🐶” and 5 likes.

But not Lauren. 

Check it…

1 - She pulls you right into the storyworld

“middle of the workday” → busy CEO
“puppy with bad eyes” → awwww
“definitely don’t need another dog” → tension
“skin of our gahdayum teeth” → relatability
“ohmygaaaahhhh” → human emotion
“drive four hours” → commitment

And then there’s her backstory:
“lost… one year ago this week”
😭😭😭

2 - She uses (gasp) humor

Pile of laundry?
Mitch McConnell? 

I won’t explain the funny here cause that ruins it. 
But c’mon. This is standup level. 

3 - She sounds so human

Running around at 1 million miles per hour. 
Making heartfelt decisions. 
Talking pup names with her husband. 
Reflecting on the past and looking to the future. 

All in 115 words. 



I’ve never met Lauren. 
Never seen her content on LinkedIn before. 
But you can bet I smashed that “like” button fast. 

And last I checked, 1000+ others had too. 

Wow. Great writing. 
Who knew?

“Have AI write the first draft, then edit.” 

I know smart folks who write this way. It works for them. Real talk, though, it's not how I do my best writing.

Here's why: 

1 - The 1000-pound anchor. 

Once words are on the screen, they’re hard to ignore. You start reacting to what’s there instead of imagining what could be.

That usually means less human judgment. Less original thinking.

You either have to edit hard and fast and often. 
Or you quietly settle.

2 - It’s painfully predictable.

AI leans on the same phrases, rhythms, and structures. Even when you tell it to mix things up.

So I’m left with two bad options:
- Everything I write starts to sound the same
- I spend time hacking and rearranging instead of thinking

Both feel like fighting the work instead of doing it.

3 - I want my creative muscles strong.

I plan to write tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that.

When I'm on a client call, I want ideas flowing straight from my brain (not from a prompt I used last week). 

That only happens with reps.

Staring down the blank page like it's a roaring dragon spitting flames. And coming out the other side untouched. 

---

My process instead: 

- I write the first draft, messy and human. 
- I get feedback from trusted peers and my co-founder. 
- I use AI for grammar, polish, and the occasional word swap.

That balance works for me. 
It protects originality without sacrificing speed or quality.

Curious how others do it.

AI-written first drafts?
Or human-first?

When execs and founders ask me how to win on LinkedIn, I give the same advice every time: Hook your reader. Here are 5 hook-writing tips👇

1. Know the fundamentals

Your hook = what shows before “see more.”
You’ve got about 200 characters to earn the click.
Make it count.

2. Use specific, emotionally charged words

Generic is boring. Stats are boring. I’ve seen enough posts start with a bland sentence + stat to fill a stadium.

Don’t aim for the head. Aim for the heart.

And use the words that speak to them...

Think:
– Burnout, not low engagement
– Ghosted, not no response
– Nightmare spreadsheet, not manual process

3. Inject your POV

There’s way too much “you should” on here. Try “I did” instead.

Personal stories beat generic advice every day of the week.

Simple formula:
Do interesting things. Talk about them.

4. Signal value early

If you’re sharing 5 tips, say that up front. Please don’t make people guess what they’re getting.

Clarity builds trust... fast.

5. Benefits, benefits, benefits

Assumption is a dangerous game on LinkedIn. The audience is too wide, too diverse.

So spell it out:
- Why should someone care? (benefit)
- What’s it going to help them do? (benefit)
- What’s the end result? (benefit)

If the value’s not obvious, they’ll scroll. Every time.


---
Your turn: What's your go-to tip for writing a standout hook?

Donna Mostrom calls our LLM “Cathy.”

Because we use ChatGPT.

Chatty Cathy.
Well played. 🫡

Helping B2B Teams win more clients in less time by growing an email list of buyers. Join my free workshop. Seats are limited, so apply now!

Most Business Leaders know how to deliver.

Very few know how to stay visible long enough for ideal clients to discover them.I help fix that.

I help B2B and recruitment leaders build an authority engine that increases visibility, drives warm conversations, and fills their pipeline with clients who already trust their expertise.

The system is simple: CLARITY → AUTHORITY → CONVERSATIONS (The CAC System)

1. Clarity - We nail your positioning, messaging, niche, and signature frameworks so buyers instantly understand your value.

2. Authority - I build your visibility tower — daily content, insights, stories, and a strategic narrative that positions you as the go-to expert in your market.

3. Conversations - Warm engagement, optimised profile touchpoints, and simple outreach loops that turn attention into booked client calls.

This creates for you.
⬆️ More visibility
⬆️ Better clients
⬆️ Consistent inbound
⬆️ Higher perceived value
⬆️ An easier sales cycle

Results my clients have got
✔️ 60k+ impressions in a single post 
✔️ Multiple warm client conversations booked within 30 days
✔️ £500k+ deal closed from visibility built using this system 
✔️ More replies, more reach, more opportunities, without constant grinding

Jonny Umoru

Here is a quick tip for every business owner who wants more monthly revenue.

Record your calls.
All of them.

Not for compliance.
Not for content.

For truth.
When you listen back, two things happen fast.

You see exactly where you’re strong.
You see exactly where you leak value.

Early 2024 forced me to dive deep into my meetings.
As I was booking them consistently.
But clients weren’t converting.

My first assumption was the obvious one.
“I must be bad on calls.”
Wrong.

The real issue was more subtle and more damaging.

I was allowing my prospects to treat the meeting like an open advice line.
Which is helpful, generous but also super unfocused.

There's no clear structure.
There's no solid boundaries.
There's no actual clear commercial direction.

Once I fixed that, conversions followed.

Same calls.
Same experience.
Different outcome.

Recording calls doesn’t just improve sales.
It improves your judgement.

And when you’re running a business, judgment is the real leverage.
More data always beats more opinions.

I help exec search and recruitment firms build authority that turns into client calls

If posting more content actually worked, you’d already have more clients.

You’re probably going through the same problem as everybody else, you're visible, and you’re consistent.

But nothing is converting.

That’s not a content problem, it’s a funnel problem.

Content without a funnel is just noise.

I learned this the hard way.

I used to post for likes and impressions.

Back then, landing clients felt hard.

Now I make what used to take me a month in a single week.

Because I post with intent.

I stopped creating content for attention and started mapping it to how buyers actually decide.

Most agency owners treat LinkedIn like a shop window.

It looks good, but does nothing.

If your content doesn’t guide action or build authority, you get seen but not chosen.

This is how to fix that problem.

Every agency needs content across all three stages:
1️⃣ Awareness. Make them care
2️⃣ Consideration. Make them trust
3️⃣ Decision. Make them act

Miss one and your pipeline leaks.

Stop posting to be noticed.
Start creating to be chosen.

DM FUNNEL for the full content to the client playbook.

Content Without a Funnel = Noise

One of the best things about the way we work now?

I can be on serious business calls all day.
While my kids are in the next room.

Sometimes my three-year-old pops in for a hug.
Sometimes my one-year-old wants to sit on my lap.

- Closed 2 more clients
- Had 5 meetings

And not once has anyone complained.

Not once has anyone questioned my professionalism.
That still blows my mind.

I came up in a world where “real work” meant sitting in an office all day.
Looking busy, wearing the right clothes, and pretending life didn’t exist outside the building.

Now, the bar is different.

Do good work.
Be clear.
Create results.

That’s it.

We’ve finally reached a point where output matters more than optics. 
Where trust matters more than appearances. 
Where being human doesn’t disqualify you from being professional.

That shift matters.

Not just for business, but for families, sanity, and how long people can actually sustain doing this work.

This era isn’t perfect.
But this part of it?

I genuinely love it.

January is about removing ambiguity.
Having just motivation or determination is not enough.

Most slow starts come from unclear rules.

No defined output.
No minimum standard.
No agreement on what a “good week” actually means.

This January, I did one simple thing.
I defined the floor.

Not goals.
Not vision.
The minimum level of execution that counts as “we are in motion”.

For me, that meant.
• one visible piece of content per day
• five outbound conversations started
• zero days with no pipeline activity

Same workload. Same constraints.
Just fewer decisions left open.

Within the first full week:
3 new clients closed
10 meetings booked

Not because January is special.
But because momentum shows up when rules are clear.

If January feels slow, do not push harder.
Set the floor and remove the choice to drift.

No alternative text description for this image

Chasing new leads feels productive, but it’s usually just avoidance.

Most founders assume slow growth means they need more leads.

So they.
→ Start new outreach
→ Target new people
→ Switch content topics
→ Reset the cycle

What they don’t do is build depth.

Instead of chasing new conversations, follow up with someone you spoke to months ago who already knows how you think.

Instead of posting about a brand new idea, revisit a topic you’ve already covered, from a sharper angle, with clearer judgment.

Trust doesn’t come from novelty.
It comes from familiarity.

Pipeline building only feels hard when you rush it.
When everything is urgent, nothing lands.

Slow down.
Deepen.
Let trust compound.

That’s how conversations turn into clients.

Inbound is a hope strategy.
Outbound is a hustle strategy.
Neither scales on its own.

If you are an agency founder, here is the part most people avoid saying.

Inbound builds trust
But it compounds too slowly when you need revenue now

Outbound creates pipeline
But every call starts with “Who are you again?” if you have no brand

The agencies that scale do both
Content that builds demand
Outreach that creates momentum
A system that works without founder pressure

Inbound warms them up
Outbound brings them in

Do only one
And your funnel leaks the moment you stop pushing

Your email list does not grow by accident.

It grows when each step is intentional and done in the right order.

This carousel walks through the exact 5-step process I use to build email lists that attract the right people and turn attention into conversations.

It starts with clarity.
Moves into value.
Then creates a clean, simple path for someone to raise their hand.

Nothing here is clever.
Nothing is rushed.
And that’s the point.

If your list feels slow, quiet, or disconnected from revenue, the issue is usually sequence, not effort.

Follow the steps in order.
Do not skip ahead.

Save this and come back to it when you’re building your next asset.

5 guaranteed steps to grow your email list

If you think sales is just about how much effort you put in.
You are wrong.

You can work all day on sales and get none because you are doing the wrong things.

More calls with the wrong people.
More follow-ups that focus on the wrong part of the funnel.
More posts that talk about the wrong topics.
These things lead to more stress.

But if deals only move when you are actively forcing them forward.
That is not a motivation issue and it is not a market issue.

It is a system issue.
Fix the leak by slowing down and understanding the race youare actually in.

My clients and I get rejected every day.
On email. On LinkedIn.
And it grows our businesses → fast.

Most people avoid rejection.
We build systems that create it → at scale.

Why?

Because rejection means you’re in the game.
→ You’re visible.
→ You’re asking.
→ You’re testing.

Outreach that never gets rejected
...is outreach no one sees.

Rejection is just step one.
The next step is revenue.

👇 If you’re not getting rejected, you’re not growing.

I booked 5 client calls 1 hour ago because I followed up...

No secret framework, just 2 lines.

That is all you need.

So when people say they are not booking calls, I ask.
"Do you send a follow-up message?"

Most of them say.
"No."

So why are you shocked that you are not booking calls?

So make sure you follow up with each prospect.

Is being cringey worth it if you can build a successful business?

Most agency owners say the same thing.

“I do not want to post consistently.
I hate seeing those people who are always in my feed.
It feels cringey.”

And they are not wrong.
Some of the content is awful.

But here is what is actually happening.

You do not remember people because they post a lot.
You remember them because they show up at all.

The ones you complain about are the ones you can name without checking LinkedIn.

That is not an accident.

Consistency is not what makes content cringe.
Lack of thinking does.

Posting badly and posting often are not the same thing.
But they get lumped together because it is convenient.

Here is the trade-off most agency owners never say out loud.

You can protect your taste and stay invisible.
Or you can risk mild discomfort and be remembered.

There is no upside to being unknown with high standards.

Clients do not buy from the best hidden thinker.
They buy from the person they trust and can recall.

And recall only comes from repetition.

If someone needs to see your name five times before they take you seriously, that does not mean you are cringey.

It means you are human.

Avoiding consistency does not protect your brand.
It just protects your ego.

And egos do not build pipelines.

I have a big smile on my face this morning.

Not because of a launch or a viral post.

Because of two emails.

I sent two newsletters this week.
Each one took about 15 minutes to write.
Both were content-heavy and genuinely useful.

The result?
👉 5 replies to each email
👉 3 calls booked from each one
👉 6 calls total from 30 minutes of writing

That is not normal email marketing.
That is nurture working.

Usually, I get one or two replies per newsletter.
This time, more people responded and booked calls.

And this is exactly why I keep repeating the same thing to friends, clients, and anyone who will listen.

If you are not sending emails, you are making growth harder than it needs to be.

Newsletters nurture and sales emails convert.

When you stay consistently in your audience’s inbox.
→ You stay in their head.

When you stay in their head.
→ You get picked when the timing is right.

Most businesses do not do this because they underestimate the power of email.

Remember 30 minutes got me 6 calls.
The ROI on my time is crazy.

That is leverage.

If your pipeline depends entirely on chasing, this is your reminder that attraction exists too.

Attention is not a nice-to-have anymore.
It is the currency your pipeline runs on.
And every month, it gets more expensive.

Right now, your agency is in one of three positions.

1️⃣ Visible, but not credible.
2️⃣ Credible, but invisible.
3️⃣ Quietly bleeding pipeline while saying you are “doing the right things.”

Only one quadrant compounds demand.
And it is never the one that works harder.

High visibility without authority creates noise.
→ Likes, comments, conversations… and no revenue.

High authority without visibility creates comfort.
→ Referrals come in. Then slow. Then plateau.

Low visibility and low authority are the silent killers.
→ BD feels cold. Effort increases. Results disappear.

The uncomfortable truth is simple.
You do not need more effort.
You need to earn attention.

When visibility and authority move together.
BD stops feeling like rejection.
Meetings stop being random.
And your pipeline starts behaving like a system again.

💥 If you want to know exactly where your agency sits right now
🔥 DM me MATRIX and I will send you a breakdown

Stop Chasing. Start Attracting.

Ever feel like content is a game of cat and mouse?
- You post.
- You chase.
- You get nothing.

But here’s the truth.
You can’t catch a mouse without putting some cheese out.

Most people continue to chase leads with empty content.
No hooks, no insight, nothing worth stopping for.

Then they blame the algorithm… or worse, the audience.

But it’s not a lead problem.
It’s a cheese problem.

Your market isn’t ignoring you.
They’re just not hungry for what you’re serving.

When your content actually hooks attention, shares something useful, and demonstrates genuine thought.

You stop chasing.
You start attracting.

That’s when the algorithm bends in your favour.
And the right people find you without you lifting a finger.

Because in the end.
It was never about catching the mouse.
It was about becoming the cheese.

Sometimes a simplified marketing process beats a complicated one.

Posting consistently, engaging properly, and connecting with the right people on one platform will outperform a scattered strategy almost every time.

Yet we keep seeing the same pattern.

3 landing pages.
25 long-form videos.
TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn.
Now YouTube is added to the list.

None of them mastered.
None of them consistent.

That is not ambition.
That is dilution.

You are not behind because you are missing tools.
You are behind because you are splitting attention.

I had a call recently with a prospect who is not active on social at all, but wants to build a following, run cold email outreach, and launch YouTube content in two months without any foundation.

I told him the truth.

That is not a strategy.
That is a full-time job pretending to be a side project.

The fastest way to grow is not being everywhere.
It is focusing on being somewhere for a long enough time.

So just keep it simple.
1. Master one platform.
2. Build proof.
3. Create momentum.

Everything else comes after.

Authority or virality?
Which is best, and which do you want more of?

Most founders say they want both.
That answer is usually the reason their content does nothing.

Virality optimises for attention.
Authority optimises for trust.

Attention feels productive.
Trust books meetings.

Viral content is designed to be shared by people who will never hire you.
Authoritative content is designed to be recognised by the few people who can.

So ask yourself this before you post anything.
• Who do I want to recognise this?
• What decision do I want them to make after reading it?
• Would the right buyer see this and think “this person understands my world”?

If the answer is no, the post is noise, even if it performs.

A recruiter with 3 inbound conversations a month from the right companies beats a recruiter with 30,000 views every time.

So decide what you are building.

A bigger audience
Or a smaller group of people who already trust your judgement

Because content that is not built around that decision is not neutral.

It is quietly training the wrong people to pay attention.

Starting the year slowly used to be my default.
And it used to kill my momentum from the year before.

I’d tell myself January didn’t really count.
People were still easing back in.
Decision makers weren’t fully switched on yet.

In reality, it was just an excuse to underperform.

So this year, I scrapped that thinking.

Instead of setting “January targets”, I set targets based on what the business actually needs to hit the outcome I want for the year. No easing in. No soft runway.

We’ve only really been back since January 5th.
That is only 3 days.

In that time.
• 3 new clients closed
• 10 meetings booked

Same market. Same people. Same calendar.
Different mentality. Different actions. Different result.

When you limit time and remove optionality, your actions rise to meet it.
When you stretch the goal and stop negotiating with yourself, you discover you were capable of more all along.

January isn’t quiet.
It’s revealing.

Just thought I’d share.

Most services fail because they make your client’s life harder.

No matter what you sell, your real job is simple.
Make your client’s world lighter.

If you run a recruitment business, your job is not to send CVs.
Your job is to reduce stress, indecision, and wasted interviews.

If you run a content service, your job is not to “support visibility.”
Your job is to remove thinking entirely. What to post. When to post. Why it matters. All handled.

If you are a consultant or strategist, your job is not to impress with ideas.
It is to make decisions obvious and execution frictionless.

Here is the standard most people avoid asking themselves.

Does working with me save my client time, money, or energy?

Because if the answer is no, you are not adding value.
You are outsourcing stress.

The bar should be this high.
When someone works with you, they should feel relief.

If your service adds complexity, it needs refining.

And if it adds stress, it does not matter how good it looks on paper.
Because you are bringing new propblems to your clients door.

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leverage-funnels

jonny-umoru-inc

I had one of my free trials convert into a long-term client yesterday.
But at the start of us working together, he was sceptical.

He wasn’t convinced the goal we set would actually happen.

Within 24 hours of us starting, he changed his mind.

When we spoke after, he said he was genuinely surprised.
Not just impressed by the offer.
Not just sold on the vision.

Surprised that what I said would happen… actually happened.

That’s why he became a client.

Not because I promised something big.
But because I set a clear target, explained what was and wasn’t possible, and delivered inside the timeframe we agreed.

There was no hype, no ego.
I never said to him, “Just trust the process”.

Just data, boundaries, and execution.

Here’s the lesson I keep relearning:

Overpromising doesn’t build trust.
Underselling doesn’t either.

Clarity does.

You should know what you can realistically achieve.
Say that.
Then do exactly that.

That’s it.

The best way to create your best content is to reduce the friction between the idea forming and you capturing it.

I use voice notes sent to myself on WhatsApp.
Or I dump ideas straight into the iPhone Notes app.

I don’t wait to write them down later.
I don’t try to write a polished version first.

I want the raw context while the idea is alive.
Refinement comes later.

That raw capture is your advantage.
Don’t dilute it.

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Stephen Mostrom

Jonny Umoru

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taplio

The Battle

Stephen Mostrom

Jonny Umoru

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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);}Stephen Mostrom's LinkedIn Performance

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