Stefan Stefanov

Making magic happen through Email 🦅👁️

You know retention should be a growth engine.
But instead, it’s mostly a source of stress.

👉 If you’re an agency, you’re juggling more accounts - but the systems behind them are patched together and breaking.
👉 If you’re a brand, in-house retention sounds smart… until you’re buried in clunky ESPs, missing data, and slow handoffs.
👉 Or maybe you're running retention - but something feels off. Results are flat. Ops are messy. Team’s flying blind.

You’re not alone. And the pain is real.

Fragmented flows.
Campaigns delayed.
No clear ownership.
And every “quick fix” breaks something else.

You know it could run smoother. Perform better. Without the constant drag.

Now imagine this:

✅ Your lifecycle automations just work - logic is tight, handoffs are seamless
✅ Campaigns go out on time, on brand, without bugs or bottlenecks
✅ Your team knows what to do, and when - without Slack chaos or last-minute scrambles
✅ Strategy, tech, and execution are finally aligned

That’s what I help agencies and brands build:

→ Retention systems that grow without fires
→ Flawless backend ops across email, SMS, and CRM
→ Consulting that turns scattered teams into calm executors

Whether you need a deep audit, help structuring your in-house retention ops, or a partner who knows what “done right” really looks like:

Send me a DM.
Let’s make retention flow again.

Email Production Manager

Looking at the comment sections on LinkedIn… It’s getting crazy!

AI convos ftw lol 🤖

Even making them look more “natural”. with a small letter at the start of a sentence here and there. Long ass comments too.

Sh*t… it’s funny what this has turned into and I’m not questioning the authenticity of anyone but are you? 😆

Retention systems that run without you | Precision-built ops for growing teams | C.E.G. (Certified Email Geek)

Most marketers are addicted to quick wins.

Results this week. ROI this month. A/B tests that must show something by EOD.

But most meaningful progress compounds.

Take Zero-Party Data.

It takes time to collect.
Even more time to analyze.
But once it clicks, it can reshape:

• How you segment and message
• How your flows convert
• Who you attract in the first place

Delayed gratification isn’t a flaw in the system.
It 𝘪𝘴 the system.

What long game are you playing in your marketing right now?

The most misunderstood thing in email?

You tell me 🫵 

IMHO, thinking it’s all about sending emails.

Treating email like a send button means:
Write copy → hit send → tweak subject lines → optimize opens.

Staying top of mind is a big part but don’t get me wrong.

Email isn’t purely a channel.
It’s a system.

And when that system is broken, no amount of clever copy or AI will save it.

What breaks most often?

• Chasing “winning” metrics that lose money
• Testing popups, flows, and campaigns in isolation
• Prioritizing output over structure
• Chasing retention on the expense of acquisition and quantity over quality

Email only works when you build for 𝗲𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗼-𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, not isolated tactics.

What’s the most common email misconception you keep running into - with teams, clients, or leadership? Let’s make a list in the comments 🗒️

AI will save you time... until it doesn’t.

Here’s what I keep seeing:
• AI-generated SOPs missing key steps
• Summaries that include made-up “facts”
• Action items based on information that doesn’t exist

Why?
Because the person using AI hit copy/paste... and never checked the output.

We 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 the speed AI offers.
But unless you build internal guardrails, you’re just speeding into chaos faster.

What’s worked for us:

✅ Teach the team how to prompt 𝘢𝘯𝘥 QA
✅ Never use output without reading every line
✅ Create a simple AI-use policy (summaries, docs, outlines - what’s okay, what’s not)

AI isn’t the problem.
Undefined usage is.

Does your org have an internal AI playbook? Or winging it for now?

Most walls are made of paper.

If there’s one belief I’d want to build into every team I work with - it’s that.

That just because something 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 fixed, doesn’t mean it is.

That constraints often aren’t real.
That policies can be rewritten.
That “we’ve always done it this way” is the weakest argument in any meeting.

The teams that move fast?
They poke at the wall.
They ask better questions.
They assume improvement is possible.

It’s a mindset thing.
Not ego. Not rebellion. Just... forward energy.

That belief is contagious.
And it spreads fastest from leadership down.

Do your people feel like they can push boundaries?

P.S. Shout out Steven Bartlett for the phrase. Love it!

Do you know your numbers?

Most leadership teams think this just means financials.

But what about the 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 deliverables?

• How many emails did you actually send?
• How many versions, translations, and last-minute clones?
• How much troubleshooting and app setup work quietly piles up?

Not everything needs to be counted as a single “unit.” But if you don’t have a way to scope the invisible work, it’s going to cost you - in capacity, morale, and retention.

A quantifiable scope = predictable workload = less chaos.

And everything outside that scope?

Well… there's no free lunch (as we say here).

How do you track the “untrackable” in your team?

Been thinking about this lately:

Agency roles used to feel... fixed.

Account manager does this. Copywriter does that. Strategy stays over here.
Clean boxes. Clear swim lanes.

But lately?

I’m seeing the opposite.

More fluidity.

And it could work - as long as two things are true:
1. Boundaries are clear enough to avoid chaos
2. Redundancy is avoided (no one’s tripping over each other)

The old rigid structure?

Might be holding teams back more than it’s helping so I'm curious... What are you seeing inside your org or with agency partners?

“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦?”

Everyone loves the idea of “surprise and delight.”
But when you’re managing client work, it’s not that simple.

So here’s the question I’ve been thinking about:

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰?

You know the kind:
• A quick dive into an analytics tool to explore something adjacent
• A one-off Loom with a strategy tweak
• A deliverable they didn’t expect - but actually needed

Small moments.
High leverage.
Zero expectation.

But if you’re not careful, these turn into scope creep.
Which means they either stress your team…
Or train clients to expect more than they’re paying for.

So here’s how I’ve started approaching it:

A 3-part framework to protect margin and enable surprise:

1. Baseline clarity - lock down what’s in scope, clearly and early.
2. Buffer zone - build 10-15% bandwidth into your process for “discretionary effort.”
3. Use it intentionally - don’t throw extras randomly. Use them to reinforce trust or momentum when it matters most.

This way, surprise is a strategy - not a burnout driver.

Curious how you approach this.
Do you intentionally leave room for “unscoped value”?

Stop chasing shiny tools. Start asking better questions.

I’ve seen teams throw money and time at new tech stacks…
Only to realize the real issue wasn’t the tool.
It was their thinking.

❌ “Tool X will fix our lifecycle”
❌ “Let’s just buy Y - it works for [cool brand]”

But pause. Ask:

✅ What core problem are we solving?
✅ Is this helping the customer experience?
✅ Could we do this with what we already have?

Because 80% of the time?
You can.

You either already have the feature,
Or a workaround exists - if you’re willing to dig.

Before the next big purchase or “urgent” implementation:
Ask how it improves what’s already working.

Optimization beats overhaul.
Systems over novelty.

Your turn:
What’s a tool your team bought… just to optimize (the lately so popular buzz word) “vanity metrics”?

Incrementally getting better in any (ideally all) of these will bring you the highest ROI.

Not talking about money and work but what fuels them and being the best version of yourself.

Not only for you but for the people around you.

And this might be the best post on LinkedIn ever cause all the work strategies and "hacks" don't matter if you feel like crap.

Master these 10 habits in 2026. 
Feel amazing, reclaim agency + self-respect. 

1. final food 4 hr before bed 
2. screens off 30 min before bed 
3. avoid blue light 2hr before bed, use red/amber
4. book in hand 10 min before sleep 
5. go to bed same time every night 
6. light in eyes when waking (sun or 10k lux)
7. walk for 10 min immediately following eating 
8. daily exercise (even if for 20 min)
9. eat good stuff, ditch the junk 
10. foster friends, family and love 

They read as simple. I promise they'll change your life. Make them non-negotiate life habits. Do them every_single_day.  Once you establish the habits, it is very easy to maintain. Stick with it for two weeks and start getting the dividends.

Marketing Director and leader with 4+ years of experience helping B2B brands scale through organic content, digital marketing strategies, and full-funnel implementation.

A few examples of my work and results include:

↳ Ghostwrite LinkedIn thought leadership and long-form content for B2B CEOs and executives, generating a combined 2M+ in organic impressions and an average of 8+ inbound leads per month

↳ Build email and SMS campaigns that have driven $1M+ in client revenue across weekly newsletters, product launches, nurture sequences, and automated flows

↳ Built scalable AI-powered content and sales systems that helped double agency revenue from $50K to $100K+ MRR in under 6 months

↳ Publish newsletters, blog content, and interviews spotlighting stories from a range of industries,  including B2B SaaS, sustainability, and technology

I'm always eager to connect with others working in these industries or teams needing help in these areas. If that's you, shoot me a DM or reach out to my email at connor@connorflynn.co. I'd love to chat!

Connor Flynn

One of the unintentional consequences of AI is that somewhere along the way, actual good writing has become synonymous with fake writing, or a “telltale sign” that you’re using AI. Which, in my opinion, is complete BS.

Sure, maybe there’s such a thing as being “too polished” or too formal in your writing. I hate soulless corporate and academic writing just as much as the next person. 

But God forbid I like a little white space in my content to make it more readable for you, the reader. God forbid I like to use bullet points here and there to break my ideas apart. And don’t even get me started on the apparent *crime* it is to use a single em dash in your content (beep boop beep boop!).

The funniest part is, two years ago, no one would bat an eye if you had any one of these things in your content. But flash forward to today, someone reads an em dash or a “not X, but Y” sentence in your content, and it’s like you’ve committed a crime against humanity.

Idk, maybe it’s just me. But can we please go back to the time when good writing meant sharing actual good ideas and perspectives, whether “too polished” or not?

Unlike what most people will have you think, your ideas need and deserve to be shared, even if the medium feels “too polished” or “too AI-ey.” 

Don’t let the opinions of others hold you back from sharing what needs to be shared.

-

Okay, rant over.

What’s your take on this? You think a piece of content that feels “too polished” has any less value than something that feels more raw and authentic? Seems like it these days. But I’m actually really curious to hear what you think.

Marketing Director @ Atticus | Building founder-led brands with content marketing that drives presence and pipeline | $1M+ generated for clients from organic content

Back in 2021, I sent a DM to this guy right here, asking if he needed any marketing help for his clothing brand. 4 years and $1,000,000+ in email revenue later, we finally met up in Boston the other week.

I’ll be the first to admit, it’s a bit surreal (in the best way possible).

Because after spending countless hours on Zoom calls with one another, sending Slack messages back and forth every week, and trying to coordinate things async for so long, one lunch in person makes up for all of that.

You see, when Jack Tarca and I first started working together all those years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I was just a clueless college kid trying to make a name for myself as I kicked off this whole "business journey/content/marketing" thing.

I opened my laptop in my college apartment and sent 30 Instagram DMs to clothing brand owners (which, in hindsight, is nothing when it comes to cold outreach lol).

I didn’t get a single reply… except from Jack.

Still early in his own business journey at the time, he was willing to take a chance on me, a kid with no marketing experience, claiming he could help out with marketing. Go figure.

First, it was simple email automations. Then SMS and sales campaigns. Next thing you know, four years later, I just sent out the 116th edition of our weekly Find The Good Friday newsletter.

Reason I'm sharing all this with you is because that one yes, that willingness to take a chance on a kid like me, is the reason I am where I am today. 

If it weren’t for Jack, I wouldn’t be the Marketing Director at a content marketing agency today. In fact, I probably never would have stepped into this whole content + marketing + writing + LinkedIn space in the first place.

Grateful for you, Jack.

Here’s to you, long-term partnerships (and friendships), continued business success, and another 4+ years of finding the good together.

-

P.S. Check out Find The Good — one of the coolest brands out there and guaranteed good vibes.

Over the past few months, I've had the chance to talk to Josh Cons and get a first-hand look at what he's building over at Orbit. So when he invited me to become a founding member, it was a no-brainer.

You see, writers are in a weird spot right now:

Writers are severely underserved.

With AI flooding the market, a lot of teams think they can simply rely on tools alone to create content. They're cutting writing budgets, replacing writers with software, and treating content like a commodity that can be automated.

It’s left a lot of us in this strange "in between."

But the reality is, content isn’t going anywhere. And *good* writers are more in demand than ever before.

Sure, AI can generate words. But it can't think strategically. It can't understand nuance or tell stories that actually resonate with people.

That's where actual human writers come in, and it’s the gap Orbit is filling.

Truth is, it's the community I wish had existed when I was starting my writing journey several years ago:

- Daily content job opportunities
- Office hours with hiring managers
- A community of writers all in the same boat
- Resources and training to improve your skills
- Scholarships for writers who are facing layoffs
- White-glove introductions to hiring content teams

If you’re a writer or anyone in the content space right now, trust me when I say the Orbit community is about to become your new best friend.

Shout out to Josh and Yathin N. for building such a killer community.

If you’re a writer looking to build your network in the space and level up your craft, I’ll drop the link to join in the comments below.

Looking forward to connecting with you inside.

I turned 26 yesterday. Every birthday, one of my favorite things to do is reflect on all the highs and lows of the previous year. 3 of the biggest takeaways (life and business) anyone can learn from my whirlwind of a year:

(1) You can only connect the dots looking backward

If I'm being completely honest, there were so many times throughout the past year where it felt like things would never work out. Where I would stare up at the ceiling in the middle of the night and ask God what He had ahead for me because it was impossible to see the next step.

There were so many seemingly “random” occurrences that made no sense in the moment. But then, looking back a year later, it all made sense.

Even if it doesn’t make sense right now, all those “random” moments mean something. They were data points that were all part of the bigger picture. But you can only see the full picture when you pause and look back at what they added up to.

You can only connect the dots looking backward.

(2) Volume > everything else

I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago who was struggling to get leads for his business. He was mostly relying on referrals and the little content he was posting.

I told him that (this is a great reminder for me too) if he had the insane amount of volume Hormozi, he would need struggle to generate leads or get clients ever again.

I heard a podcast with Hormozi where he said he spends 25 hours a week on content, publishing something like 250+ pieces of content across all channels every week. Sure, he’s got a great product. But he wouldn’t be nearly as successful as he is today if he didn’t focus on volume from day one.

Of course, never sacrifice quality for quantity. But no matter what you’re trying to accomplish, you’ll always need way more volume than you think.

Doing just a little bit more than everyone else doesn’t feel like it makes a difference in the moment. But over an extended period of time, it's the only way to beat your competition.

(3) Fall in love with the process

This one’s cliché as hell, but it couldn’t be more true. A while back, one of the greatest tennis players ever, Novak Djokovic, was asked how he’s continued to play at such a high level throughout his career. His answer was simple:

“I just love hitting a tennis ball.”

Yes, he’s talented and works harder than anyone else. But when it comes down to it, the only real difference between him and any other player is that he just loves the process more than anyone. He just loves hitting the tennis ball.

Same thing applies to any area of life. The more you can detach from the outcome and genuinely just focus on putting in the reps every day (hitting the tennis ball), the longer you’ll stay in the game, and the more success you’ll have in the long run.

-

Obviously, these only scratch the surface. But these are the lessons I've found myself consistently coming back to over the past 12 months.

Here's to making 26 the best one yet. 🥂

If I were tasked with building a LinkedIn growth engine for a B2B SaaS exec team in 2026, here’s the exact playbook I’d follow:

1. Connect with 150 ICP-fit prospects each week:

Target decision-makers at companies that fit your ICP, people in adjacent roles who influence buying decisions, and industry peers who can amplify your content.

This brings your ICP into your “sphere of influence” so you can nurture them further with your content.

2. Comment on 5-10 accounts daily in your space:

Build a list of 10-15 other accounts in your space. This could be your ICP, industry leaders, or companies you want to work with. Then, leave thoughtful comments that add to the conversation that’s already happening.

The LinkedIn algorithm rewards comments almost as much as standalone content, so having an engagement strategy like this is a great way to build distribution and nurture relationships before you ever send a DM.

3. Post 3-5 times per week:

Here’s the simplest content cadence I recommend if you don’t know where to start:

- 1/3 thought leadership (case studies, playbooks, how-to)
- 1/3 POV content (industry observations and trends, contrarian takes)
- 1/3 building content (what you’re building, lessons learned, personal stories)

This positions you as both an expert in your field and an actual person who’s worth following. 

4. Scrape and target intent signals:

Profile viewers, followers/connections, and post engagers are all intent signals most people ignore. But you shouldn’t. Because it’s the highest level of intent on this platform.

Track it all, look for patterns, prioritize ICP-fit prospects, then reach out and start a conversation with them.

5. Set up targeted outreach campaigns:

Use the intent data you just scraped to build highly targeted lead lists. Then combine those “warm” prospects with colder campaigns targeting your ICP:

- Build lead lists using Sales Nav or Ocean.io
- HeyReach.io or lemlist for LinkedIn outreach
- Instantly.ai or lemlist for email outreach

The reality is, most B2B teams treat LinkedIn like nothing but a megaphone. They post content (or worse, *don’t* post and simply lurk), and hope prospects come to them.

But the execs who will win in 2026 and beyond are combining inbound *and* outbound into one engine.

This is the B2B playbook to follow if you want to crush LinkedIn this year as a founder or exec. 

- 

I created a full playbook breaking this down into more detail. It’s got everything from how to optimize your LI profile to content frameworks and templates. 

Let me know in the comments below or DM me if you want it, and I’ll send it over to you.

I do content interviews every week with clients and always walk away with so many interesting insights. The other day, I asked one of our clients what he’s prioritizing this year, and I think anyone can learn from his answer:

“I’m really bullish on scaling the unscalable things.”

Reason I found it so interesting is that most people think scaling means having all these fancy systems, automations, and putting out an insane amount of volume.

And sure, that's part of it. But there's something to be said about doing the opposite — focusing on the things that require more time, attention, and an actual human touch. It might not lead to what we often think of as an “immediate ROI,” but over a long enough period of time, it outperforms everything else.

I recently watched a YouTube video where this CEO said that every once in a while (maybe once a year, I can’t remember), he flies all his top clients out for a weekend golf trip.

Now, a lot of people would think that's crazy. It's expensive, time-consuming, doesn't scale, whatever you want to say.

But for him? It's the highest ROI activity he does all year. It builds trust. It builds real relationships off a screen and turns clients into long-term partners who refer him business and stick around for years.

You can't automate that type of stuff.

The irony is, it’s usually the unscalable things that scale in the long run.

Because the unscalable is what separates you from everyone else who's optimizing for efficiency at the expense of connection.

So my reminder for this year (and maybe a reminder for you, too) is to do more of the unscalable things.

That's how you actually build something that lasts in the long run.

-

What's one unscalable thing you want to focus more on this year? Drop it in the comments below.

taplio

The Battle

Stefan Stefanov

Connor Flynn

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The Battle

Stefan Stefanov

Connor Flynn

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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);}Stefan Stefanov's LinkedIn Performance

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