Compound Content Studio

Founder & CEO

Bluecast

Co-Founder

Social Files

Founder

Triple Whale 🐳

Head of Social

Nutritional Coaching Institute

Content Strategist

T. Clark Nutrition

CEO @ Compound; Building a social media agency for B2B companies; Founder, Social Files

Scaling Compound Content Studio, a social agency for B2B companies who want to launch an organic social media presence that creates real community, generates product demand, and increases revenue (our personal fav).

We've helped 50+ early-stage SaaS and service founders launch and scale founder-led content in the past 1.5 years.

Also writing a weekly newsletter called Social Files that helps B2B companies generate product demand and get customers with social content.

Check my featured link to subscribe to Social File.

Tommy Clark

It's a damn shame that so many aspiring writers are getting nerfed hard by Chat GPT and other AI tools. They don't even realize it.

The most valuable part of the writing process *is* the struggle.

You learn the most when you have to think through how to form an argument. How to slot the pieces of a story together in a way that makes sense. Not to mention the discipline it takes to sit down in front of your laptop and chip away at a post, article, or book when you don't quite feel like it.

When you rely on AI to get you an OK draft that's "70% of the way there," you rob yourself of that mental training. The end product just also isn't that good.

The inefficiencies in the writing process make you a better writer.

Stop trying so hard to rid yourself of them.

CEO @ Compound | Co-founder @ Bluecast | Building a social media agency for B2B companies

Can I be real honest with you for a second?

Posting 5 times per week on LinkedIn is not hard. It’s just not. You are telling yourself it’s ‘hard’ because you are scared to put yourself out there on the internet. Which is insane because you literally started a company. You perceive pressing “post” on a piece of LinkedIn content to your 2700 followers as harder than leaving your comfortable job, managing a team of employees, raising VC money, etc etc.

Do you understand how ridiculous that sounds?

Do you??

Press publish. Who cares what your colleague from the job you quit thinks? That six-figure ACV contract you land from LinkedIn next month will wash the embarrassment away.

If this post convinces just one founder to PRESS PUBLISH, I can log off a happy man today.

Refusing to post daily on LinkedIn to maintain "quality" is such a cop out.

Posting 5 times per week is not hard. And no, you don't have to post slop to do it. Founders just get a bit too precious with their LinkedIn. They assume every post has to be a thoroughly researched, long-ass dissertation polished by some expensive PR firm. You know, you can just post your thoughts, right? And people want to hear those! Crazy. I know.

Quality is not determined by how long it took you to write a post. Some of my top-performing posts took minutes to write from idea to timeline.

Quality is not determined by the length of the post itself. Many short-form pieces do quite well.

Last thing: when you're just starting out on LinkedIn, nobody knows who you are. You get people to know who you are by showing up in their timeline often, with stuff they like. Your 1-2x per week cadence is not enough. It's just not.

So please, just publish.

AI slop has overrun the LinkedIn timeline.

This is good news, believe it or not.

Huh??

Yes. Good news. Hear me out.

When everyone and their mom is using Chat GPT, Claude, or one of the seventy-two LinkedIn content writing tools to one-shot content…it all sounds the same. There is no moat. Content is a commodity.

If you are willing to put just a liiiiittle effort into originality and prose, you will stand above the pile of dogsh*t AI-written content.

Their laziness is your opportunity.

I'd urge you to share more of your personal interests on LinkedIn going into 2026.

No...it's not "fluff." Sharing what you're into humanizes you, and is a helpful moat against soulless AI slop.

If you're a founder: you'll also be surprised by how many people in your ICP share the same interests and hobbies as you. 

I've been on several sales calls that have turned into conversations around books (deals closed, btw). I've met countless great candidates for the Compound Content Studio team who found me first through one of my posts about reading.

Plus, I find writing about this stuff a lot more fun than sharing the same "viral hook formulas" again and again and again (though those posts *do* have their place).

Try publishing a personal interest post this week.

I think you'll be surprised by the reception.

If I was a Content Writer on the job market in 2025 who wanted to land a new job, there’s ONE skill I’d put all of my focus into to attract A+ opportunities. Writing founder-led content for LinkedIn. Here’s a breakdown of why, what sub-skills you need to develop, and how I’d go about doing it:

I. Why founder-led content?

More and more B2B founders are realizing that LinkedIn is the most effective channel to get in front of their ideal buyers. Yet, they have NO time to create content on their own. I speak to 5-10 founders per week who report this. The demand is there. Yet the 'supply' of writers who are proficient in this skill is not.

At Compound, we’re always hiring Content Writers to join our team to support our demand.

II. What sub-skills do you need to develop to be a stellar writer for LinkedIn?

(1) Understand how to write compelling hooks and choose interesting topics. Packaging is the most impactful lever you can pull to improve post performance. Most writers I speak to coming from SEO background just don’t understand how to package content for social.

(2) Learn how to shape-shift your tone. Writing for founders requires the ability to ascertain their writing style. You need to be a chameleon. And you can’t let your own tone show too much in the final output.

(3) Write with clarity & logical flow. This is not specific to founder-led content, but it is worth highlighting here. Great writing is clear thinking. Can you pull nuggets from a content interview and weave them together in a cohesive narrative?

III. Practical ways to improve your writing skills

(a) Do 30 minutes of Copy Work per day. Literally take a piece of writing you admire, and hand copy it. Sounds silly, but it works. The practice helps you get a feel for ‘good writing.’

(b) Spend time each day scrolling the LinkedIn timeline. Study which posts grab your attention, and why. Reverse engineer winning content.

(c) Write 3 hook variations for every post you create. You’ll get more reps in…and you’ll find that your 2nd and 3rd tries are often the best hooks.

(d) Write. Every. Day. The most progress I’ve made as a writer & marketer came during the pandemic era when Gary Vee brainwashed me into posting 3x a day across 4+ social platforms. Insane output; but, nothing was more effective for my growth as a marketer & writer.

I’m running out of room here, but this should give you a good overview of how to start writing for LinkedIn. If you implement this blueprint, you will see your writing ability spike in the next month.

I hate the AI witch hunt posts as much as the next guy. I'm still going to use em dashes—watch me—and I'm still going to use the 'rule of three' in my writing. Sorry.

That said, we do need to have a chat, you and I. It is soooo painfully obvious when a founder hands over their content production to AI.

Anyone with more than two brain cells can tell.

You might fool a total beginner, but you are not fooling a sophisticated buyer.

And the moment your reader notices the not-so-subtle shift in writing style, you lose them.

Resist the false promises of the AI guru industrial complex.

Inefficiency and effort are a small price to pay for your reader's trust.

I’m convinced one of the best ways to stand out as a Content Writer as AI becomes more prominent in business content is to read more fiction. Read across multiple genres. Read books written in different POVs.

I see so many Content Writers confine themselves to non-fiction self help books or personal branding slop from the clone army of content gurus on LinkedIn. That’s a fine place to start. I began there!

But if you're only reading what everyone else is reading, your writing starts to sound like…everyone else. Your inputs influence your output. And you become a commodity.

In that case, you're **checks watch** 1-2 years away from your career being oneshotted by my new favorite coworker, Claude.

I’ve noticed my writing improve as I’ve read more for fun. I spend a lot of my time right now in the science fiction and fantasy genres. My prose has gotten stronger, and so has my ability to tell a compelling story. Writing is also fun again!

I’ll say it time and time again: great writing is built on a foundation of reading.

P.S. I’m currently reading Shadows Upon Time, book 7 of The Sun Eater series - phenomenal series. Coming up on the end of the series here, and looking for my next read. What would you recommend? Hit me in the comments.

"LinkedIn isn't working for me." Mhmm. Ok. Whenever I talk to a founder who's struggling to grow on LinkedIn, I can trace the problem with their posts back to 2 core elements.

(Good news: these are stupid simple to fix)

(1) Topic selection
(2) The hook

These two elements are related, but distinct.

Your topic has to be compelling to your ICP. Then, you have to use your hook to package that topic in a way that is most likely to stop the scroll.

All the hook tactics in the world won't make a bad topic work. Conversely, plenty of great topics get buried under a crap hook.

If you're struggling to see momentum on this platform, spend most of your time here. Trust me. Ok?

Side quest update: as of yesterday, I'm done with Act II of the first draft of my debut science fantasy novel. 115,336 in the Google Doc. In the home stretch now (of draft 1 💀).

Cranking away at a ~1500-word-per-day pace. Should be typing "The End" by the time the new year hits.

Then, time to write it all over again in Draft 2.

After that, I'll hire an editor for a developmental edit (if anyone has recs, let me know).

I love writing. Grateful I get to run a company that does it for founders. It's been fun honing the craft in an entirely different medium over the past year. Writing a coherent book is so, so much harder than social content. Made me better at my 'day job' in many ways, too.

Excited to share the finished book with you all around this time next year.

All of the founders who pop off on LinkedIn fast have a dirty little secret.

Relevant industry experience. See, credibility is a multiplier. The formula is simple:

Performance = Content Best Practices x Credibility

When your reader views you as a credible authority, you play the content game on easy mode. Scrollers are more likely to stop and read your content...often despite you ignoring industry best practices.

I remember earlier on in Compound's journey, we worked with a fintech client. The CEO wanted to create posts "like Jamie Dimon's." I looked at Dimon's content and found walls of text that would scare off most readers were he not the CEO of JPMorgan. His content did well despite his formatting, not because of it.

You also see greener founders do everything 'right,' yet gain zero momentum. Every post flops. "But I followed this viral hook template!" Yeah. You're also selling into GTM leadership as a 22-year-old 'cracked' founder with zero experience in sales. Why should they listen to you?

Remember, credibility is a multiplier, and anything multiplied by zero is...zero.

When you zoom in on the startup founders who have 'blown up' on LinkedIn over the past 1-2 years -- think Austin Hughes, Gal Aga, etc -- you often see an overlap between what they write about and real, lived experience. Their posts hit stronger because of believable, specific examples and unique takes formed by real-world reps.

There isn't a hack to circumvent this.

The pinnacle of the content game is packed with "ten-year overnight success" stories. So you'd better start publishing now. 

___
***Disclaimer: I'm sure there are some edge cases here, so forgive me for using the absolute to make the hook punchier ;)

Every B2B startup founder should try their hand at LinkedIn content. It’s silly not to. Here’s why, what you should post about, and how to get started (in one simple guide).

Btw - I’ve helped 75+ founders & CEOs get started with social content and I’ve used content to grow my own company to $1M+ in revenue last year (2nd year in biz).

Ok, so why bother posting?

- You’ll get more inbound leads (duh)
- You’ll have an easier time sourcing A+ to join your company
- You’ll get more inbound investors wanting to give you money
- You’ll make your other marketing channels (outbound, paid media, etc) perform better

That’s really it.

WTF do you post about?

Simple framework - find Content-Market Fit.

- What does your ICP care about?
- What’s relevant to your product?
- What do you have the credibility to write about?

Once you’ve landed on one core focus…Not 5. Not 3. 1. Then you’ll build your Content Funnel.

- TOFU: broader “founder story” and company-building content that’s optimized for reach
- MOFU: industry-specific thought leadership that positions you as a go-to resource for your ICP
- BOFU: product content - case studies, feature highlights, all the stuff that pitches your software

For example - say you're selling a SaaS in the GTM tech category selling into founders and revenue leaders. And you were a former VP of Sales at a well-known company like Gong. Easy money.

You’d want to position yourself as a go-to resource in sales & GTM. Your top of funnel content would be ‘building in public’ updates showing the momentum you have as a company. Could get vulnerable too - but to be honest, you don’t have to. Middle of funnel content would be sales advice and frameworks that your ICP would find helpful. BOFU content is your feature demos.

How often should you post?

- 5x per week. No, it’s not too much. Nobody knows who you are. Get in the timeline more.
- Here’s your content mix - 1x TOFU, 3x MOFU, 1x BOFU (good starting point)

You’ll either write your own stuff (if you're bootstrapping or haven’t raised *yet*).

Or, if you've raised your seed or Series A, you could look to bring on an agency to help you produce content (I know a guy). Hiring in-house for content early on is doable, but hard. You're not gonna know what to look for.

Anyway. Follow this guide. Use the other stuff on my profile and in my newsletter as well. You have 100% of what you need to win with content.

It will change the course of your business if you commit to it for a quarter. GLHF!

Whenever a founder’s LinkedIn post flops, I can trace it back to one cause: the hook. The good news is, hooks are a formula. Here are 6 ways to write better LinkedIn hooks (without relying on cringe templates that make you want to delete your profile to preserve your honor):

Quick credibility blurb: I’ve spent the past 7 years writing on LinkedIn, and have helped over 100 B2B founders launch their presence on the platform. Probably written or edited over 10,000 posts. Concerning! 😆

(1) Negativity bias.

Human brains are wired to focus on the negative (like it or not). You can fight against this, or you can tastefully use it to your advantage. Try framing your next post around something your customer wants to get away from. Notice how I got you with this in the post you're reading…you don’t want your next hook to flop, do you?

(2) Specific numbers.

Ideally, monetary figures. This is why sharing revenue numbers works so well, and why green-screen-talking-head short-form creators often write hooks like “[Popular Brand]’s $75M Marketing Playbook.” Don’t hate the player…just do it tastefully.

(3) Narrative.

Stop with the stale, sterile “how-to hooks.” Package the same idea as a story. Stories are the preferred way for humans to consume information. Use this in your hooks.

(4) Credibility-jacking.

Use popular names and figures in your hooks. You’re essentially “borrowing” credibility from the subject.

Funny story about this one. One time, another ghostwriting agency CEO did one of these hooks using one of OUR clients. The audacity! To his credit, it went viral.

(5) Lists.

David Ogilvy is one of the greatest advertising minds in history; he’s also a great writer. And in his work, you’ll find a ton of lists. Lists are such an easy way to package information. They also create an information gap. If I say I’m giving you 6 ways to avoid bad hooks, you need to read the rest of the post to learn all 6.

(6) Visuals.

This one’s sneaky. The hook isn’t just what appears before the “See More” line. You can also use your media as a hook. You should. Right now, I’m finding that IRL photos perform better than overly branded graphics. Don’t force media when you don’t have to (I didn’t here), but when you do, treat it like MrBeast treats his thumbnails.

Can you make me a promise?

Next time you write a post, before you press publish, run your hook through this checklist. If you don’t see at least 2-3 of the above levers in the copy…you should rework it.

Hope this helps. Save this, and follow along for more ways to improve your founder-led LinkedIn content.

“I don’t know what to post about” is no longer an excuse not to publish founder-led content.

At least, not after you read this post. Here are 20 content prompts pulled directly from the bank of questions we ask clients on content interviews. Save this. Bookmark it. Pick one today to use as the starting point for your next post.

Tell me about the origin story of [company]. What was the lightbulb moment for you?

What’s one company-building belief you have that others disagree with you on?

What's one [category] belief you have that others disagree with you on?

How do you think about hiring at [company]? How are some recent hires?

What were the top 3 wins from the past month? Top 3 learnings? What’s next for [company] in [next month]?

How do you think about building culture at [company]? What are the core values of your culture?

Tell me about a recent conversation you've had with a customer or prospect that stood out to you.

What has been the biggest 'oh shit' moment in growing [company] so far? How did you overcome it? How has it influenced the way you continue to grow [company] going forward?

Can you get us a list of *every* feature you've shipped in the past X months? Of these, which are *most* compelling to your ICP?

What’s one book that impacted the way you view company-building?

Run me through a detailed checklist of how to [category-related task]. What are the specific steps required to achieve [desired outcome]?

What are 3-5 things you wish you knew before you got into [category]?

What are the top 3-5 mistakes that keep [ICP] from [ideal outcome]?

Run me through all the tech and tools a [ICP] needs in their tech stack.

Tell me about a time when you had a difficult customer and made it work. Bonus points if we can find an example where you or your team went above and beyond for the customer. How did this experience influence the way you run [company] now?

Tell me about one hire you've made at [company] who has blown away your expectations.

During your time as [ICP], what was one template or framework you found yourself relying on?

What's one thing you wish more people knew about [product]? Any anecdotes or case studies we can cite in this post that would make it more compelling?

What made you decide to take the jump from [previous role] to starting your own business? At what point did you know you were ‘ready?’

What do you think the [ICP] role will look like in [category] in the year 2030? Give me at least 3 specific predictions (each will be its own post).

What is the right way to [industry-related task]? What is the wrong way to [industry-related task]? Contrasting the two in a post tends to do well.

What [category] news has caught your attention lately? Is there a new release or development that [ICP] should be aware of? What is your take on this?

Fin.

LondonHouse Chicago

As Director of Sales and Marketing, I instill a culture of high performance by providing consistent opportunities for growth, acknowledgement, and a vision for success the team can trust and follow. Responsible for leading all property level sales and marketing initiatives. Achieved our goal of being the most followed hotel in Chicago on Instagram, streamlined sales strategies and processes resulting in a 76% growth in year over year awarded RFP value, and ranked #1 in conversion within a comp set of eleven similar hotels.

Director of Sales and Marketing

Influencer Advisory Council – IAC

Advisor and Board Member

HSMAI Chicago Chapter

Our mission is to be the leading source for sales and marketing information, knowledge, business development, and networking for professionals in tourism, travel, and hospitality. With a strong focus on education, HSMAI has become the industry champion in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry while operating as a leading voice for both hospitality and sales and marketing management disciplines, as well as connecting its members with customers.

VP of Sponsorships

The Dow Hotel Company

Responsible for marked increases in business travel, convention, corporate group and airline segments. Developed sales strategies to increase revenue and cultivate new business sources through analysis of reports, client interface, leverage of electronic media, and developmental meetings with Sales staff.

Complex Assistant Director of Sales - Embassy Suites & Doubletree Chicago O'Hare

Liberty Machinery Co.

In my Marketing and Business Development role, I helped clients with the liquidation of surplus machinery and industrial equipment. I also assisted clients in the procurement of used machinery through sales from inventory or brokerage.

Marketing and Business Development

Argyle Cut Stone

As Co-Owner, I was involved in every facet of operation in this 3rd generation owned business. My responsibilities included all accounting duties, all human resources duties, purchasing, marketing, sales, contract negotiations, field measurements and machine operations.

Co-Owner

Clear Creek Stone Company, Inc.

As Vice President of Finance and Operations, I was involved in every facet of running this limestone fabrication business. Responsibilities included accounting, human resources, purchasing, sales, union contract negotiations, and land and asset deals.

Vice President Of Finance And Operations

Renaissance Hotels

As Director of Business Travel, I was responsible for all transient preferred accounts, as well as attaining new group business from Fortune 500 companies. Surpassed 2005's inaugural year transient budget by 8%. In 2006, increased average daily rate of Preferred Accounts by 11% over the previous year. Created a highly successful contest and blog with over 500 qualified followers.

Director of Business Travel, Chicago O'Hare

Hilton Chicago Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center

Responsible for all transient preferred accounts as well as attaining new group business in the automotive, chemical, insurance and energy markets. Increased negotiated account revenue by over 30% two years in a row. Established a Loyalty Rate for small companies that other hotels would not sign on, servicing an underserved market niche that increased sales and boosted average daily rate.

Global Account Manager

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

Responsible for building partnerships with potential preferred accounts while developing relationships with existing clientele. Integral role in supplying additional leads to the group sales team. Successfully procured accounts with Ameritech and Boeing worth over $700,000 annually.

Business Travel Sales Manager, Hotel Allegro

After 8 years of being out of the hospitality industry, I walked into a travel agency to the exclamation, "Hey! You're the Bingo Guy!" An email marketing campaign to drive sales from 8 years prior confirmed three things: 

•	The Power of Storytelling
•	The Power of Personal Branding
•	I Needed a Cooler Nickname

If you're looking to:

•	Develop creative paths to success
•	Find opportunities hiding in plain sight
•	Communicate strategic alternatives

Then let's chat!

In a world spinning with possibilities, I believe it's the genuine relationships we forge that make it go round.  And when you apply a bespoke touch to business – tailoring your sales, marketing, and personal brand to resonate with each individual – that's where the magic happens. 

Things I love talking shop about:

•	Customer service that's relationship-focused
•	Critical thinking & problem solving that gets to the root of the problem
•	Storytelling - Ask me about that bingo contest
•	Digital marketing & social media - CHDM certified!
•	Creative ideas & content development

Away from work I love spending time with my family, creating art, playing golf, and rooting for the Cubs and Bears. Additionally, I support the Michael J. Fox Foundation and Muscular Dystrophy Association. Please message me if you’d like to share your story or need help in reaching your goals.

Don Barnett

Is this a great book about hospitality?
Or the 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 book about hospitality?

If you’re in hotels, restaurants, or 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯, this book should be required reading. Twice.

A few of my favorite takeaways:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
A guest mentions they didn’t get to try a real New York hot dog. So the team 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 runs out to get one, plates it like fine dining, and delivers it tableside. It cost them $2. It bought them a 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵.

𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹.
At Eleven Madison Park, “Dreamweavers” are team members whose job is to create magical, personalized moments for guests. Think human surprise & delight factory. Hospitality teams need fewer policies, more Dreamweavers.

𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 ≠ 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲. 
Service is giving someone what they asked for. Hospitality is making them feel seen. Big difference. Huge impact.

This book isn’t just for people in hotels or restaurants. It’s for anyone who wants to turn transactional moments into transformational ones.

Creative Solutions for Hospitality Success | Director of Sales & Marketing at LondonHouse Chicago | Certified Hospitality Digital Marketer

Most people look at this view from LondonHouse Chicago and see a postcard. I see… a flashback.

Not just because I once co-owned a limestone company (yes, really), but because I helped build part of this view. Sort of.

Before jumping back into hotel life, I spent 7 years co-owning a limestone fabrication/restoration business. One of our projects? The iconic Tribune Tower. We restored intricate limestone details like the lintel you see pictured (basically a very fancy, very heavy eyebrow for a window).

The experience taught me something I carry with me to this day: 
Whether you're restoring a landmark or running a sales team, if you're trusted with something important, treat it like it’ll be around forever. 

Because if you do it right, it just might be.

🎆 1 post. 1.2 million views.  And suddenly our NYE ticket sales aren't just strong, they're 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 💥
 
Our social media manager posted this organically. 
No paid ads. 
No gimmicks. 
Just a killer view, a well-dressed crowd, and a moment people 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 to be part of.
 
We're on the cusp of 2026 and there are still hotels not on social media.

At this point, it’s like they're refusing electricity because candlelight seems to suffice.
 
People can’t book what they can’t see.

🚨 Sales PSA: "Can I have 15 minutes of your time?"
My answer: You're hilarious.

You want 15 minutes of my day? Cold?
With a message that sounds like a chatbot with abandonment issues?

Let me share a few numbers with you:

• On average, I get 6 of these requests a day
• 6 x 15 minutes = 1.5 hours
• 1.5 hours x 5 days = 7.5 hours a week

Almost an entire workday.

Listen, I'm in Sales too. I get it. There are goals to make and bosses that give no breaks. But time is not free. In fact, it's my most valuable asset.

Instead of 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 for something, try 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 something. 
Insight 🕰️ Education 🕰️ Something funny

Earn the time before you try to book it.

"Do you have 200 tiny pins with your face on them?"
...Maybe?

These ridiculous pins were the result of something very real: 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘺. The kind you earn by showing up, performing, landing new accounts, and launching wildly successful ideas like a client Bingo contest that people actually 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥.

So when I pitched another idea, “let’s make pins with my face on them," my boss said yes. Not because it was a good idea (it absolutely wasn’t), but because I’d built enough credibility to take a swing.

The result? A disturbing early-2000s mugshot immortalized on metal. 

And now one day, my children, their children, and their children's children will stumble across a drawer full of these and wonder how many paint chips their ancestor ate.

And who knows? Maybe one day, one of you will get one in the mail.

Performance + ideas + time = equity. 
Sometimes it pays off in promotions.
Sometimes it pays off in hundreds of unsettling souvenirs.

Dragging out the Christmas lights, ready to channel my inner Clark Griswold, and my daughter hits me with: “Dad, you’re 50. Maybe ladders aren’t your thing anymore?”
 
Fast forward to me, 20 feet up, gripping the gutter like it owes me money, thinking: “𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.”
 
This got me thinking that there’s wisdom in doing a pre-check before diving into 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. Ladders, projects, meetings, you name it.
 
Here’s my new rule-of-thumb:  

✅ Am I physically or mentally up to this?
✅ Is it fear or excitement I’m feeling?
✅ Should I ask for help?
✅ Is it still worth doing? (If it brings joy, hell yes.)
 
Whether you’re decking the halls or tackling a sales action plan, take inventory. Are you ready to do this?

Hotel Salespeople when that 7pm reception wants to set-up at noon and kill the ballroom for the whole day...

Sales is asking someone out on a date.
Marketing is why they say yes.

Social media is why they say yes.
Utilizing influencers is why they say yes.
Investing in your personal brand is why they say yes.

Reach out if you want to hear about some receipts.
Speaking of which, how you doin'?

What price do you put on stress? Drama? Boredom?
How about happiness? Work/life harmony?

Something to ask yourself when presented with a job opportunity. 
 
Compensation is the easy part. What's harder to put a value on is: 

🤔 The boss that trusts you. 
🤔 Opportunities for growth. 
🤔 An easy (or arduous) commute. 
🤔 The colleagues that have your back. Or not.
🤔 Does this new job represent progress in your career or a step backwards? 
 
There's a shift in perspective the older you get. Money is no longer the end all be all. You put a higher value on the things that enrich your life beyond the paycheck. 

What do you value beyond the paycheck?

You're on LinkedIn? It's Thanksgiving. Go eat. Go.

Hotel Sales PSA: Where the ______ are you? 
Here's a simple fix to make you more discoverable with potential clients... 
 
Way too often, I stumble upon a LinkedIn profile headline that reads, "Sales Manager, ___________ Hospitality Management". 
 
Great, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳?
Is your management company even in the same city as you?  
 
📍 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲.  
 
Update your headline, and while you're in there update your contact info with your work email instead of your personal email. 
 
"Efficiency is doing things right;  
Effectiveness is doing the right things." 
- Peter Drucker

Have you ever seen something so bad, it's good?
Probably not the best strategy for your hotel's marketing.
But wig caps? I'm hair for it.

Even though Halloween was over weeks ago, I saved this.

1. Because it makes me laugh. The model for this looks like she lost a bet.
2. To illustrate the importance of hiring the right people to market your business.

The hotel version of this I see most often are the "agencies" that will handle your social media at prices much lower than others. There's a reason for that:

• The content consists of pictures of the hotel pulled from the website, stock photos, and pictures of things to do in your city.
• ZERO video
• ZERO onsite content creation
• Little to no analytics

This is a strategy that just checks a box versus actually creating a community, staying top of mind, and driving bookings.

One size does not fit all. That only works with wig caps.

How do you know your reputation proceeds you?
Without searching, guessing or meeting, people say...
"Let's call ___________."

Not because you post motivational quotes in bold font.
It's because you have a reputation of:

💡 Solving Problems / Getting $%&@ Done 💡

That's the power of a strong personal brand. People trust you, they remember you, and they instinctively reach for their phone when a need arises.

Who is the first person you think of when you need a problem solved?

When you can directly attribute revenue and opportunities to your personal brand, this lyric resonates even more.

taplio

The Battle

Tommy Clark

Don Barnett

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Performance ScoreTommy Clark's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Tommy Clark

Don Barnett

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);}Tommy Clark's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDon Barnett's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreTommy Clark's LinkedIn Performance