Creative Entrepreneur & Marketer 🍗 Social media: 94,500+ followers 🍗 MD of Chubbiverse: spreading giggles through rainbow farts + meme culture (6.2 billion giphy views)

From a KFC checkout chick to an award-winning marketer and digital entrepreneur - my journey proves that messy action beats perfect inaction every time.

Here's my story (the short version):

I started as an interior designer but the 9-5 wasn't for me. Switched to being a street artist (that's how I became "String") - won grants, created art, and was broke. Everyone said to give up, but I kept moving forward.

Then, people started asking me about marketing and social media. I went all in on LinkedIn, creating content that cut through the noise. Built a social following of 100,000+, became a LinkedIn Top Voice for 4 years straight, and discovered my sweet spot: helping smart people build their personal brand through strategic + authentic content.

Today, I run The Trusted Voice (TTV), where we help entrepreneurs, founders, and professionals transform from invisible experts into powerful online authorities. 

Our PACE Framework has helped members 3X their visibility and consistently land opportunities through LinkedIn.

What I'm known for:
🍗 Building engaged product and communities that drive real business results
🍗 Turning expertise into influence through strategic content
🍗 Creating frameworks that simplify complex marketing and sales concepts
🍗 Helping professionals find their voice and own their space

Want weekly insights on building authority and scaling your influence? Join smart professionals in my newsletter where I share actionable strategies on personal branding and digital marketing.

→ Subscribe here: https://stringstory.co/newsletter/

Open to: Speaking opportunities, podcast interviews, and collaborations

My product + service include: 
1. Consulting on marketing or business (see my featured section to book a paid session, 
2. Want coaching on how to level up your personal branding for marketing or sales? Consider joining TTV coaching membership - DM me directly to discuss if you're a good fit.

String Nguyen

If sharing your ROI ever feels messy, stressful, or unclear… you’re not alone.

ROI isn’t a numbers problem.
It’s a storytelling problem.

In fact, 87% of marketers struggle to prove their ROI.

👇 Watch the quick video below 👇
I share two ways monday.com reframed their ROI story and made it finally land with clarity.

Want to know how to win the ROI conversation?

Here’s the full replay/session: https://lnkd.in/gt7nTRDE

LinkedIn for Marketing 

 #ad #ROIonLinkedIn

Digital Entrepreneur & Marketing Coach 🍗 Social media: 100K followers 🍗 Helping smart people with easy marketing and content tips

What’s worse... Feeling stupid or Staying invisible?

Online, I shared some thoughts on personal branding.

Someone commented:

“This is basic stuff. Anyone could have written this. Probably AI.

Honestly… made me want to throw my laptop 😂

But I realised something: 
I see brilliant consultants and experts doing the *same* thing to themselves.

- They scroll.
- They comment.
- But they won’t hit post.

“I don’t know what to say.”
“What if I’m wrong?”
“Everyone’s already said this.”
“What if nobody reads it?”

Every expert you admire had a cringe era. They just didn’t quit.

🍗 They kept posting.
🍗 Kept refining.
🍗 Kept showing up.

Your early posts won’t be your best.
Some people will think they’re obvious.
And you’ll overthink every line.

That’s when most people tap out.

But the ones who stay invisible?
They’re waiting for the “perfect” insight…
while less-qualified competitors are out there getting clients and owning the space.

So here’s your mini reset:

✅ Stop waiting
✅ Start posting
✅ Get feedback
✅ Get better

Messy action > perfect inaction. Always.

Here's a reminder your voice only gets stronger when you use it.

87% of marketers struggle to prove long-term impact.

Smart marketers aren’t waiting to guess anymore → they’re going where the answers are.

LinkedIn’s Virtual Event: “Winning the ROI Conversation” brings real talk from  monday.com’s Shai M. and LinkedIn’s Payal Kode (PK).

They’ll break down how to prove impact across the full B2B journey.

📅 Monday, 24 November 
APAC focus @ 1pm SGT 

If you want ROI clarity, smarter investment decisions, and data that drives business outcomes… this is the virtual event to attend. 

Comment below to let me know if you’ll be there or you registered. 

📌 Watch LinkedIn’s virtual event, Winning the ROI conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gd4_iF8T 

 LinkedIn for Marketing 
 
 #Ad #ROIonLinkedIn

I’ve been re-reading Atomic Habits lately.
It’s funny how a book about small actions
hits harder when life feels full.

James Clear talks about how change isn’t about big moves.
It’s about tiny steps that stack up quietly over time.

And that feels like the perfect Sunday reminder.

You don’t need to plan your whole week today.
You don’t need to “get ahead.”
You just need one small act of calm.

Read a few pages.
Make tea slowly.
Take a nap.

Because the little things that recharge you today
become the energy that moves you tomorrow.

Sundays aren’t for catching up.
They’re for slowing down.

For me, that means no laptop.
Just a comfy couch, a good book,
and maybe a snack I don’t have to share.

If your week’s been loud,
pick something quiet to refill you... a book, a cafe moment, a stretch, a walk, a nap.

Rest is how we remember who we are
when we’re not rushing to be someone else.

You've been the smartest person in every room for years.

But your bank account doesn't reflect it.

You know more about your field than 99% of people. You could solve their biggest problems in your sleep.
But somehow, they're buying from someone less qualified.

The gap isn't your knowledge. 
It's your positioning.

Knowing everything about accounting doesn't make you valuable.
Knowing how to save a small business $50K in taxes? That's valuable.

Being a marketing expert means nothing.
Being the person who doubled three companies' revenue in 90 days? That means everything.

Credentials don't sell. Transformation does.

Your 10+ years of experience is impressive. 
But your client who went from $10K to $100K using your system? That's irresistible.

Stop leading with what you know.
Start leading with what happens when people work with you.

What's the transformation you create that you never talk about?
Don't need to answer that q, just think about it.

And if you're not creating and most lurking, that needs to change.
Content helps refine and reinforce your branding and positioning.

One small pause.
Five deep breaths.
Ten minutes with no screen.

That’s it.
Creativity just got room to land.

Do you get excited for New Year’s? 🎉
Most people switch off around now... holidays, food, and family time.

I do that too… but I also use this time to reflect, refocus, and realign for the year ahead.

It’s my version of a reset.
🍗 Slow mornings.
🍗 Matcha lattes.
🍗 Fried chicken catch-ups.
🍗 Mapping out what next year should feel like. 

Last time I did this, I told myself:
“Do less work. You’re going to be a new mama. Go slow and be intentional.”
And honestly? That focus saved me.

This year, I’m inviting you to join me.
Let’s put that end-of-year energy into something meaningful.

🧠 I’ve made a free worksheet to help you map out your 2026: simple, intentional, clear, and reflective.

Because sometimes, we just need a space to pause and set our intentions with clarity.

I used to thrive in chaos…
but this year, I’m learning to appreciate the slow things in life (a baby does that to you). 💛

Download the free worksheet (the link is inside this week's newsletter) 
If you like, come join in the live workshop and let's map it out together.

View newsletter: String's Golden Nuggets 

So, it’s my birthday month. And I’ve spent it eating fried chicken with friends, family, and the people who matter most. 🍗 Turning 40 has made me mor

Open article: Free 2026 Strategy Worksheet 🧠 Let’s Reset For The New Year by String Nguyen • 2 min read

Free 2026 Strategy Worksheet 🧠 Let’s Reset For The New Year

It’s happening today - register to learn how to improve your ROI

Female Founders Rise

Female Founders Rise is a community of 10k female and non-binary founders.
Join here > https://swf5gwq3cbv.typeform.com/Join-FFR

Our purpose is financial freedom for women through entrepreneurship and we work across 4 pillars

1) Community
2) Business Fundamentals
3) Getting More Women Funded
4) Awareness of Female Entrepreneurship

Our mission is to provide advice, connection, networking, and support to help female founders succeed.

We have partnered with London Business School, Google, Lloyds Bank, British Business Bank and many other great communities and organisations supporting founders.

We'd love to have you join us - click on the link below or in my bio.

Founder + CEO

Female Founders Directory

+ Working on initiatives to promote diversity in supplier lists by encouraging SME’s and corporates to buy from women-led businesses in the UK.

+ Facilitating collaborations among women selling B2B to create meaningful opportunities for growth.

+ Building a supportive community within Female Founders Directory.

Founder

Faust House

An experienced exited entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den winner with over 20 years in digital marketing, I’ve personally scaled and sold three businesses.

I work with scaling service-based and tech businesses to help them get the most out of their marketing spend to enable growth, funding and successful exit.
Typical ROI x 10

Founder + Advisor

RunYourself

Angel Investor

Mamma Wellbeing

Advisor and Angel Investor

ONEWAYX

ONEWAYX is Shaping the Future of MetaCommerce, providing a plug-and-play Metaverse Operating System that empowers brands and retailers to integrate immersive experiences and Web3 capabilities.

Ventures Together

Ventures Together is a curated community of 130+ of Europe’s leading tech entrepreneurs and operators who angel invest and help companies together. We’re responsible for building some of the biggest startups like Wise, Klarna, Beamery, Onfido, Citymapper, Huma, Monzo and Deliveroo. 

“VT has provided us with unique access to influential and strategic business operators. I am amazed at the pace, efficiency and feedback provided to us by the VT community” - Anna Brailsford, founder and CEO of Code First Girls.

ZINC

Zinc backs exceptional talent to build new commercial solutions that solve the most pressing societal issues. As a Zinc Visiting Fellow, I support the cohort of 70 talented Founders to build commercial, scalable businesses that tackle one of the toughest problems society faces today - Financial Resilience.

Visiting Fellow

Country & Town House 

I worked with Country & Townhouse since Jan 2020 helping them with growth strategy and raising funds. I later joined as an advisor to the board. I stepped down from this role as I paused most of my consultancy work to focus on Female Founders Rise

Board Advisor

Freelance Marketing Club

Bringing together marketing freelancers for networking, collaboration + fun  
We handed this networking group on to a new leader because I need to focus my time and energy on Female Founders Rise full time.

Free networking + masterclasses for marketing freelancers.

Co-Founder

Female Founders Rise 💥| Advisor | Mum of 4 | Digital + Media + Marketing | Exited Founder

I'm on a mission to make entrepreneurship more accessible.
I set up my first business at 25, and since then, I have successfully set up, grown and sold multiple companies (and had a few failures on the journey too!)
Entrepreneurship is what I love.  

Most recently, I’ve been focused on Female Founders Rise [FFR] - a community of 10K female and non-binary founders 
>> https://femalefoundersrise.com/

I’m also a micro-investor in 30 women-led businesses, a speaker, and co-host of The Alternative Funding Show.


At FFR, our purpose is to enable financial freedom for women through entrepreneurship.  

We do that through 4 pillars:

➕ Community - we come together for connection, collaboration, and support.  Being a founder can be a lonely journey, and we want to be there for each other

➕ Funding - we've launched Cohort 4 of our fundraising accelerator - a free 8-week program to help 60+ female founders at a time on their fundraising journey

➕ Business Fundamentals - we run regular sessions and masterclasses on all things fundamental to growing a successful, sustainable business

➕ Awareness - we celebrate female founders and help them share their voices.  So far 700+ women have taken part in our personal branding challenge

We have partnered with brands like London Business School, Lloyds Bank, and Google and hosted events for 100's of women all over the UK.  We have been featured in The Times, Sifted, and Forbes.

Come and join us on our mission 👉 femalefoundersrise.com


Why do I care?

I want the same opportunities for women entrepreneurs as their male counterparts. 
When I heard about the difference in funding, I was shocked and decided I would try and do something about it.  
In the last few years, I have found my "Why" and a great deal of joy from being around so many incredible women doing amazing things.   

-------

👋 Follow me for daily posts on entrepreneurship, female founders, and my journey investing in women-led businesses.

👉 Join Female Founders Rise free and connect with 10k
female founders >>femalefoundersrise.com
Curated resources, fundraising support, business fundamentals + connection

👉 Find Female Founders Rise on LinkedIn >> https://www.linkedin.com/company/female-founders-rise/

-------

For paid consultancy or paid speaking engagements, please enquire at hello@femalefoundersrise.com

Emmie Faust

This time 3 years ago I started FFR
I was recovering from a breakdown, started therapy and meds

Never did I envisage I would be mentally strong enough to host an event for 150 people and stand on stage

And tomorrow I host at Google for 5th time 

Before these big events I always look back to how I was 3 years ago
To the big dreams that I had
But not knowing if they would come to life

I felt panicky in crowds 
I remember having to leave Paddington station as there was so many people
Leave dinner with friends…

Slowly I have supported myself to recover
Alongside friends + family +
the FFR community I have got better

I know that the balance is delicate
I’ve made SO many changes to my life

And most of all gratitude 
Gratitude for what I get to do each day
For the people that I get to work with
For the women I get to know
And support

Gratitude for the amazing partners and the people behind those businesses who really SHOW UP and support

Gratitude that tomorrow I will feel the fear as I stand on stage 
But I will be able to do it

Alongside my bestie Debbie

For anyone who is in that tough stage right now my only thought is:

It Will get better 
You need to be very clear on that
To have that belief 
This is what kept me going 💜

And also always reach out for help
It’s not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength and I wish I had known that earlier

Can’t wait to celebrate with some of you tomorrow
Let me know if you are coming 

Emmie 

Ps shall I bring my bell to keep everyone to time?

Serial Founder building a community of 10K Founders | Sharing the Real Journey of Entrepreneurship + Growth | Join ⤵️

No alternative text description for this image

We’re having a ‘party’ at Google

When I left this morning my husband said just have a party
Celebrate all the incredible women

And we’re doing that
And having fun
And learning how to supercharge our businesses for 2026

And meet incredible women 
(Plan is for at least 10 connections each)


So far we have had AI for entrepreneurs and building a strong company culture

Next up 
✅ Founder Showcase
✅ Marketing for Growth
✅ Financing and Funding 
✅ Mindfulness
✅ Human Operating System


We’re here with a room full of 150 female founders of growth businesses

Thanks to HSBC UK and Google Cloud for hosting us and all the team behind 

Come and join us in Manchester next week or sign up to Female Founders Rise 

We’re hosting events all throughout the year

I don’t think I could EVER work a normal job again - it feels impossible

I struggled with Perimenopause and had days when I couldn’t function before I found HRT

I would never have been able to hold a job down during that time (unless I had a seriously empathetic boss)

Then I had a breakdown mixed in around the same time and was incapable of doing much for a while

And now with 4 kids there is always one every day who is poorly and off school
Needing the dentist, the dermatologist, the Dr or the worse an A&E trip.


Days are filled with school appointments and celebration days and things to do

I juggle my diary like crazy to fit it all in

And this is the reality for many women

We find entrepreneurship because we need something that gives us freedom and flexibility. 

And we know this from research.
That doesn’t mean we’re not ambitious or driven

Infact I am more ambitious than ever
But also aware that I need something that fits in with the demands of 2025

And this is why I set up Female Founders Rise which funnily enough has become my life’s work
I am running a successful impact led business and doing it on my terms

But one of the reasons this came to be is that when I tried a traditional corporate role I lasted 6 weeks

Anyway I’d love to hear if you have had a similar experience 

PS me at Gatwick on Sunday about to go and work from Tenerife (another bonus of working for yourself!) before I got turned back at the gate. 
Check your passport and how long it’s been alive for.

OMG i wasn’t allowed on the flight!!

My happy post about my solo trip is now defunct! 
My passport expires in June 2026
But it’s been valid for over 10 years and apparently that is not allowed

No one told me
I checked in
Got my boarding pass
No one said anything til I got to the gate!! 

And I have been turned away.

Friday I booked a flight
Saturday I booked a hotel
Today I’m at Gatwick going away

It was all rather spontaneous 
(And supported by my husband)

The thing is I have been working my socks off recently

Hosted a MEGA event at Google HQ on Friday
Worked so hard on The Rise Report
(And still am)

And getting ready for another big summit in Manchester on Friday

I know my mind and body
I know how important it is for a reset
The energy and prep for an event is huge

I’m going to work from Tenerife
A break from life here
A time to refill my cup
To read fiction
To walk in fresh air
To swim
To be

This is where I do my best rest 
And my best work

And I’ll come back ready to take on the world, 
4 kids, Christmas hols, 2 more events.

Previously I would have thought that this was selfish 
Leaving my husband and kids
Prioritising myself
Spending money on me time

Now I know it’s an investment in myself, my family and my work

Never underestimate the importance of self care and investing in yourself

I learnt this the hard way and will never go back!


Ps event photos from Friday and my husband who has encouraged me to go!

MEGA excited for tomorrow.

Wanted to share this ahead of The Summit as we have so many wonderful speakers, hosts, and 150 founders attending.

And 5 members who will showcase their business to the community.

Big thanks to everyone who has been part of making this come to life.
Check out what is going on in the brochure below 👇

In the words of my co-host Debbie
"love being surrounded by women bringing their A game and meeting new people and connecting with old friends" 
She's up for meeting you if she doesn't already know you.


Thanks to Ally Clegg and Purdey Miles Neil Lock Emma Osman always supporting at Google Cloud
And all at HSBC - Taryn R. and Tammy Shepherd and team

Female Founders Rise Summit Brochure 2025

This Friday these 5 founders will join me on stage to showcase their business to an audience of 150.

I cannot wait to hear them share their stories  
What inspired them to do what they do
How they set up and most importantly
How we can help them 🙌

Give them a follow. 
Give them some love in the comments 
And let us know if you will be cheering them on in the audience on Friday

We need to see more female founders on LinkedIn
In the media, on stages, on billboards.
This is just the start.

Natalie Duvall
Alison Burton
Jade Buffong-Phillips
Kerran Kaur
Eniye Okah (Raising SEIS/EIS)
Jasmin Harsono 🧿

I'm mega excited for Female Founders Rise Summit 2025

------------------------------------------------------------------

Very grateful to be back at Google HQ (thanks Ally + Purdey and team) 
And to all the HSBC team who have supported us (thanks Taryn + Tammy and team)

PS Sam Cooper-Gray This was your initial idea - so happy to see it come to life!

Female Founder Showcase

Interesting write up in The Guardian - a lot of talk on this topic at the mo (and doing my own experiments too).

For a long time, I had a hunch that my posts were being dampened.

I even contacted my friend at LinkedIn months ago to say that myself and other women felt that this might be the case and our posts were being dampened.
(was told highly unlikely)

Around the same time I read a report about the top creators on LinkedIn and I noticed 85% were male 
(wild guess this equates to 85% of the content on LinkedIn is written from a male perspective)
Which means that the content on here is not balanced

And it's what I've been saying for ages
We need to see the voices and stories of more women on LinkedIn.

Read on for the info from article and my little experiment to date which hasn't uncovered anything meaningful yet (7 days in)
I know that there are lots of women like Cindy Gallop who have been talking about this and investigating for ages.

Here is the info - would love to hear your experience 👇
Either way it's clear 
We need to have a more balanced view of voices and content on this platform


"Megan Cornish, a communications strategist for mental health tech companies, said she started experimenting with her LinkedIn settings after seeing her reach on the platform decline precipitously earlier this year.

First she changed her gender to “male”. Then she told ChatGPT to rewrite her profile in “male-coded” language, based on a LinkedIn post suggesting the platform favours “agentic” words such as “strategic” and “leader”.

Finally, she asked ChatGPT to rewrite old, badly performing posts from several months ago in similarly “agentic” language, figuring that recycling old, reworked content would help her isolate what effect “bro-coding” was having on her reach.

Things went great. Almost immediately, Cornish’s reach on LinkedIn spiked, increasing 415% in the week after she trialled the changes. She wrote a post about the experience, and it went viral, racking up nearly 5,000 reactions."

Here is the post > https://lnkd.in/egP3QfF8

And another one here
 https://lnkd.in/ev4g6CHq

Read more here on The Guardian > https://lnkd.in/ea4TPdjD


----------------------------
My early experiment:
I changed my gender a week ago and haven't seen anything meaningful - a slight uptick in followers and a slight decrease in impressions.  
However a)this is only a week so I will look to test for a bit longer (2 weeks) and then flip back to female for 2 weeks.  
b) I haven't changed the content, started writing in a male perspective, changed my pronouns all which others in the test did
c) I have been writing a huge amount about female entrepreneurship

I will be following this story with interest....
Apparently reach is down everywhere

From panic attacks at Paddindton station to building a community of 10k founders

I’m loving listening back to this chat with Sam Cooper-Gray as I tidy up my
House this morning.

I feel like we covered off so much in this podcast that I haven’t necessarily talked about before

My failures
My successes
My breakdown and recovery

Sam is such a champion of female founders and has been a big supporter of Female Founders Rise too

I loved this chat 
Do give it a listen if you get a chance on Spotify or wherever you listen

https://lnkd.in/e3CyVKmU

And have a fab day

If you’re a female founder and you’ve not yet found us at FFR find the link in my bio
And come and join the party!

Big learnings from getting £200K on Dragons’ Den 

And then that business failing (wish I'd known some of these beforehand)

1/ Taking investment comes with responsibility
Your investors have expectations based on what you promise
When there’s money in the bank and pressure to grow quickly, it can lead to decisions you wouldn’t make if you were building slowly and bootstrapping

2/ Work with experts but understand what they are doing
If you’re outsourcing to 'experts' this is super important.
Speak to other founders for recommendations

3/ Focus on one thing at a time
At the time, I was juggling 2 businesses, my family, and everything else.
It’s easy to get carried away trying to do too much at once
As entrepreneurs it's easy to get carried away with all the ideas and the things we could be doing.

Do any of these resonate?
Love to know your experiences of building businesses.

I'm on to my 11th business now, aged 47 and loving it.

Dragons' Den Success and then Failing

The 5 TED talks you must watch

One a day this week to give you insight and motivation to help you on your entrepreneurial journey

 1/ Teach Girls Bravery, Not Perfection - Reshma Saujani
 ↳ For founders who hold back because they feel they need everything to be perfect before they start

2/ The Real Reason Female Entrepreneurs Get Less Funding - Dana Kanze
 ↳ For understanding the bias women face when fundraising and how to recognise it

3/ How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over - Mel Robbins
 ↳ For when you feel stuck and need a push to take action

4/ The Mindset of Startup Investors - Dr. Silvia Mah
 ↳ For insight into how investors think and why building relationships matters

5/ To Solve the World’s Biggest Problems, Invest in Women and Girls - Musimbi Kanyoro
 ↳ For a reminder of the impact women can make when we support each other

Which are your fave TED talks 
Let me know - is it time to create a mega list?

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The Battle

String Nguyen

Emmie Faust

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