I build companies and document the process. Subscribe to my daily newsletter at timstodz.com

It took me 15 years for my first agency to hit 7 figures. 

I sold it in 2023.  My next agency hit $1M in 8 months. 

Those first 15 years taught me a lot about growing a service business. 

I learned the pains of not knowing:
- Where my next client was coming from 
- How to navigate sales calls
- Which marketing efforts worked
- How to scale growth predictably 

But one by one, I found solutions to these problems. 

Today, I’ve constructed those solutions into a battle tested system that consistently attracts and converts my dream customers. 

It’s the exact system I’ve used to take Quantum Leads from $0 to 7 figures in 8 months. 

Now, I am booking calls and closing deals regularly, all because I took the time to learn how to book sales calls through content and lead generation.

I realized I’m not the only person struggling with these problems. So I decided to share my system with other service business owners through Copyblogger Academy. 

Inside the Copyblogger Academy, you’ll learn:

- How to choose the right marketing channels
- How to attract leads from that channel
- How to do outbound in a way that feels genuine

Once you’ve implemented the system and are attracting leads, I’m happy to give you more one on one coaching through the Sales Accelerator.

Inside, I’ll walk you through the process of navigating sales calls and closing clients in a way that feels natural, not salesy. 

Copyblogger Academy is the solution I wish I had 10 years ago. If it sounds interesting, you can join through the link in my bio. I'll see you on the timeline.

Tim Stoddart

Money buys the seat. Culture buys the heart.

I’ve seen founders try to "raise" their way out of a toxic environment. They offer 20% salary bumps to stop the bleeding, only to wonder why their best people still quit six months later.

The math is simple, but most leaders ignore it:
A salary increase is a dopamine hit. It’s a peak that eventually becomes the new baseline.

A healthy culture is a steady state. It’s the absence of "Sunday scaries" and the presence of psychological safety.

In 2026, talent has more options than ever. If your only leverage is a paycheck, you are vulnerable to anyone with a bigger bank account.
But if your leverage is a culture of high agency, clear communication, and mutual respect? You become uncopyable.

Stop trying to "pay" people to be happy. Start building a place where they actually enjoy doing the work.

How do you define a "healthy culture" in one word? Let’s see yours in the comments. 👇

P.S. I’ve spent years refining the systems I use to scale my business portfolio without losing my mind (or my team). I share the raw frameworks and internal blueprints I use to build "freedom-first" businesses every week.

Don't build a cage, build an asset. Join us here: timstodz.com 🚀

Data isn't an asset. It’s just noise.

Most founders I talk to are drowning in "Bricks." They have:

Spreadsheets full of customer data.
Endless lists of "to-do" tasks.
A pile of half-finished ideas.

They think they have a business. In reality, they just have a messy pile of LEGOs.

To build a 7-figure "Machine," you have to move past the raw materials:

1. Sorted: Group your data. Understand what moves the needle and what's just filler.

2. Arranged: Build the framework. This is where your internal systems live.

3. Presented Visually: Make it clear. If your team can't see the vision, they can't build it.

4. Explained with a Story: This is the ultimate level.

People don't buy your data. They don't even buy your "sorted" features. They buy the story of the life your product builds for them. The best entrepreneurs aren't just great operators; they are master storytellers who use data to prove the dream is real.

Stop showing people your pile of bricks. Show them the home you’re building.

Which stage is your business currently stuck in: Sorting the data or telling the story? Let’s diagnose the bottleneck in the comments. 👇

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➕ Build and follow your story here: timstodz.com 🚀

I see it every day. Brilliant people spend months (even years) waiting for the right certification, the perfect website, or a "permission slip" from the market to finally call themselves an entrepreneur.

Here is the cold, hard truth:

-You don’t become a qualified freelancer by studying you become one after your 5th client.
-You don’t become a qualified founder by writing a business plan you become one a year after you’ve actually started running the machine.
-Qualification isn't a prerequisite. It's a byproduct of action.

In my own journey, the most high-leverage assets I own were built when I was "unqualified." I didn't wait for permission; I built the system and let the results do the talking.

The only way to become qualified is to take action when you’re unqualified. Get in the game.

Stop over-thinking the blueprints. The market is the only teacher that matters.

What is one thing you’re waiting to feel "qualified" for before you start? Let’s break that barrier in the comments. 👇

♻️ Repost to help someone keep their best people.
📌 Get in the game here: timstodz.com 🚀

The fear of looking like a beginner is the fastest way to stay stagnant.

If you aren't willing to be bad at something new, you’ll never be great at the next big thing.

In my business, I’ve had to "suck" at plenty of things before they became assets:

My first few newsletters were a mess.

My first service offerings were underpriced and over-delivered.
My first attempts at systematizing my workflow were clunky and failed.

But here is the secret: 

The "learning" phase is where the leverage is born. Switching your mindset from "I can't" to "I'll learn" is the only way to build a business that outlasts the current trend.

When you embrace being a beginner, you gain a competitive advantage. You’re willing to experiment while your competitors are too busy trying to look perfect.

Don’t let your current success stop your future growth. Be brave enough to suck today so you can dominate tomorrow.

What is one new skill or project you’ve been avoiding because you’re afraid of looking like a novice? Let’s get uncomfortable in the comments. 👇

👉 Found this helpful? Share it! ♻️

Start your next chapter here: timstodz.com 🚀

You don’t need a perfect plan. You need a start date.

I talk to founders every week who are paralyzed by the "Impossible." They look at 7-figure portfolios or automated business machines and think, "I'm not great enough to build that yet."

They have it backward.

Greatness isn't a prerequisite. It's a trailing indicator.

As Zig Ziglar famously put it: "You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."

In my world, "Doing the Impossible" is just a series of small, documented steps:

-The Impossible is just a problem you haven't systematized yet.
-The Greatness is just the result of staying in the game long enough for the math to work.
-The Mindset is simply choosing to see a bottleneck as a puzzle rather than a barrier.

If you wait until you feel "ready" or "great" to launch that project, hire that operator, or scale that asset, you've already lost. The market doesn't reward the most prepared; it rewards the most persistent.

Stop over-thinking the blueprints. Just start building the first room.

What is one "impossible" project you’re finally starting this week? Let’s hold each other accountable in the comments. 👇

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📍 Start your greatness here and follow for more: timstodz.com 🚀

Most founders quit right before the breakthrough because they mistake short-term discomfort for failure.

We are wired to look for instant gratification. When we work out, we want to feel energized. When we learn, we want to feel like geniuses. When we spend money, we want an immediate return.

But the reality of building a business and building yourself is the exact opposite.

I came across this breakdown recently, and it perfectly captures the "Growth Paradox":

-Working out will make you feel weak, when it’s actually making you stronger.
-Learning new things will make you feel dumb, when it’s actually making you smarter.
-Investing in yourself will make you feel broke, when it’s actually making you rich.

The paradox is simple: Growth feels like regression at first.

If you’re currently in the "feeling dumb/weak/broke" phase of your project, don't panic. You aren't regressing. You’re just in the middle of a high-leverage upgrade.

If you don't feel a little bit uncomfortable, you aren't doing the work that actually moves the needle.

Which of these three paradoxes are you currently wrestling with?

♻️ Repost to help someone keep their best people.
👉 Join the builders here: timstodz.com 🚀

It sounds like a paradox, but it’s the most effective operating system I’ve ever found.

Most founders are paralyzed because they are obsessed with the "Goal." They stare at the revenue reports, the follower counts, and the conversion percentages so hard that they lose sight of the only thing that actually moves the needle: The Daily Execution.

My framework for detachment:

➡️ Show up every day: Regardless of how you feel or what the metrics say.
➡️ Complete the tasks: Focus purely on the inputs you can control.
➡️ Do the next right thing: Ignore the macro outcome and win the micro-battle.

If you spend your energy worrying about the outcome, you are stealing focus from the work. If you spend your energy on the work, the outcome takes care of itself.

You will be genuinely astonished at what you can achieve if you just commit to being 1% better every day and completely ignore the result until the work is done.

Are you currently obsessed with the outcome, or are you obsessed with the inputs? Let's check in on your "process focus" in the comments. 👇

♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Tim Stoddart for more.
📌 Build your process here: timstodz.com 🚀

Matt Barker

I make posting on LinkedIn fast, easy and fun. $3M+ revenue driven. 75M+ impressions. 250k+ followers.

I help you grow on LinkedIn using fast, easy and fun to write posts.

Results:

- 50+ clients helped since January 2022
- 2,500+ customers served
- £70k 4 day course launch (The Digital Copywriter)
- 2 x £100k+ digital products launched
- $3M+ in new client revenue driven
- 75M+ organic social views earned
- 200k+ LinkedIn followers gained
- 10,000+ LinkedIn posts created
- 13,000+ email subscribers driven

If you'd like to work together on growing:

- Your LinkedIn profile
- Your team's LinkedIn profile
- Your brand's LinkedIn profile

And growing in a way that is fast, easy and fun to do?

Just DM me so we can discuss how I can help you do that.

Writer

Join 11,000+ readers who get daily tips on attracting dream clients online with digital copywriting.

I have one strict rule for writing LinkedIn hooks.

(been ruthless with my clients on this in 2025 & '26)

My strict rule:

If your hook could be written by 10,000 other people, you are instantly a commodity.

So before you post, ask:

“Can anyone else write this?”

If yes, your hook is generic → rewrite it.

If no, your hook is specific → it stands out → it earns attention → it’s more likely to pull in new followers.

How to fix a “yes” hook (quick and easy):

Add one specific detail from Lived Experience.

- a moment (“Last week I…”)
- a result (“In January my client…”)
- a confession (“I used to…”)
- a quote (“A client asked me…”)
- a number (“I’ve coached 38…”)

That’s it. 

Literally the same idea but now it feels real and it stops blending in with AI-tinted advice posts.

e.g. 

In this post, I mention "I have this strict rule" and "ruthless with my clients". words like "I" and "my" force Lived Experience and that = more unique.

I can't see myself slowing down on this rule.

What do you think?

P.S. Want to write unique LinkedIn posts that grow your followers? You'll need a writing system for that. Here’s a 14 minute training I made for you: https://lnkd.in/d29V4rih

Matt Barker 

Fast, Easy & Fun LinkedIn Writing. 3,675 people taught. Investor @ MagicPost. Follow for posts on Writing, Marketing and Business.

I've written on LinkedIn since early '22 and yes, the game has changed. For the better or worse? Depends how you look at it. But I used to:

- throw up any random carousel
- watch it get 1,000 likes + 100k impressions
- and 1,000+ new followers

That was pretty cool not gonna lie!

(carousels can still smash btw. client of mine just grew about 2k followers, got 700+ likes and 100k impressions from one with about 18k followers)

I don't do that anymore because:

1. i'm more bothered about working on my business
2. i'm more bothered about spending time with my wife
3. i'm more bothered about not being a content / growth addict

(here's how I'm writing posts that drive new followers these days: https://lnkd.in/d29V4rih)

I much prefer to:

- write what i want to write
- do it quickly, easily and in a fun way
- get on with other things in my life

That's just me and my approach.

But there is a big sentiment going around that growing followers on LinkedIn is impossible now. 

It's not impossible, but:

- posts don't seem to go big as much as they used to 
- there's overinflated expectations of how easy linkedin is
- as always, you still have to put in hard work

Combine that together and you get people moaning.

So where does that leave you, if you're just starting writing or already started and not sure if you should continue writing?

My advice to you:

1. Decide if you actually care about growing an audience
(hint: you definitely should)
2. If the answer is yes, think what platform is best for YOU
3. If it's LinkedIn, then yes invest your time in writing there

But please, prioritise making it enjoyable.

Take pride in the process, the writing.

Not the follower numbers and impression counts.

🤘

You’ll hate reading this. But last year, I:

- grew 54,000 followers
- ⁠generated 16M+ impressions
- ⁠⁠made $387k for my one man writing biz

All from writing on silly ol' LinkedIn.

But here’s the real silly thing:

There’s TONS of people smashing it on here.

- ⁠ ⁠Nick Broekema's clients did multi 6 figs w/ content design
- ⁠ ⁠Jacob Pegs​ drives $1.5k daily with passive income 
- ⁠ ⁠Louis Butterfield​ drove $2.4M pipeline for clients with video

I asked them to tell me how they do it. They agreed.

Here's a quick breakdown of exactly how me, Nick, Jacob & Louis personally use LinkedIn to get attention + make money:

(ya might wanna save this for later)

1.⁠ ⁠Matt Barker​ (me). Niche: Writing.

- ⁠Post on LI 7 x per wk (scheduled w magicpost.in)
- ⁠Educational posts to make LI writing fast, easy & fun
- ⁠⁠Stories from working with clients + my life
- ⁠⁠Add link to free resources in posts
- I get their email address (using Kit​)
- ⁠⁠Send automated email sequence
- ⁠⁠Pitch new subs to my Skool​ community
- ⁠⁠After, email 5 x per wk to keep in touch
- ⁠⁠Promote new offer monthly (community/cohorts/1-1)

2.⁠ ⁠Nick Broekema. Niche: Content Design.​

- Talks about Content Design (copy/design/sales)
- Shares 1-5x posts p/w on the fly (whenever he can)
- Content drives people to waitlists and full email list
- Writes 3 emails per week (stories, educational, promo)
- Clients buy through the DMs, waitlists, and email list
- Launches Content Design private group in early April 

3.⁠ ⁠Jacob Pegs. Niche: Offer Funnels.​

- Writes 7x LI posts/wk, 3 drive people to email list 
- ⁠Low ticket funnel to $9 micro “snack” solving 1 core problem 
- ⁠Triggers 4 emails ascending to bigger "snack"
- Leads become customers 
- ⁠Daily email alternating low + high ticket offers
- Turns leads → customers → clients 
- ⁠Runs low cost meta ads to supplement organic 
- ⁠1 long form vid/wk to nurture existing email list 
- ⁠Ascend lower tier clients → higher tiers of proximity on a quarterly basis

4.⁠ ⁠Louis Butterfield​. Niche: Video.

- Makes 1-2 videos per week + panel lives
- Short form to go niche viral, long form to stack trust
- Uses Claude to write scripts + posts (edits in his voice)
- Mix of unhinged zany beard energy and client results
- Simple 5-10 day campaigns monthly to create urgency
- Simple waitlist to capture demand
- Once on waitlist, nurture w emails + videos 2-3x/wk
- Run small cohorts + 1:1 to go deep
- Markets client results

We've all been posting for 2+ years.

What else do you want to know?

Yesterday I reverse engineered my best performing LinkedIn post in March so far. The post got:

- 21k impressions (nearly 2x average)
- 148 saves
- 45 link clicks

I wanted to know exactly why it worked.

So I broke it down line by line.

Here's what I found:

1. The hook put the reader in the middle of Lived Experience. Timeline. Location. Character. Action. Stakes. All five elements were there. Nothing special or crazy about the experience. But intreresting enough to make someone lean in a bit.

2. Only I could have written it. I was on that Zoom call. I gave that specific advice. My personal fingerprint is what made it feel real.

3. The curiosity gap. Got the reader's investment first, then opened the loop after. Most people do it backwards. They create the cliffhanger before the reader cares. This post made you care, then cut before the reveal.

4. The lesson was instantly usable. Something you could apply in the next 5 minutes. Useful things get saved. Saved posts push impressions.

5. The ending was short and simple. One line summarising the lesson of the post. Memorable and easy enough to digest.

Here's the exact framework for you to save:

Scene → Problem → One-word fix → Example → Why it works → Proof → Lesson → CTA

Everything you do has a LinkedIn post in it.

Don't "come up with ideas" → document things.

This is way faster, easier and fun to do.

P.S. last month i made a training video for my clients on why mobile optimised hooks might actually be LIMITING their posts.

that training is yours for free here: https://lnkd.in/dE-_BMT7

This LinkedIn post got 151 likes, but:

143 saves. Insane like → save ratio.

Here's how I created the post in 6 steps (without really spending much time or brain power writing it):

1. Took a Loom​ training video I recorded
2. Copy and pasted the transcript into magicpost.in
3. Took a format I saw Greg Isenberg​ use
4. Combined the two (format + transcript)
5. Did a 'once over', tweaking + editing
6. Threw a TL;DR: on the end for skimmers

Done.

If you're sitting on:

- podcast clips
- client training videos
- call recordings

Do this and you'll have LinkedIn posts for months.

---

P.S. last month i made a training video for my clients on why mobile optimised hooks might actually be LIMITING their posts.

that training is yours for free here: https://lnkd.in/dE-_BMT7

Screenshot of a LinkedIn post written by Matt Barker about how to write LinkedIn posts that attract strangers to follow you. The post generated over 9,000 impressions, 151 likes and 78 comments, demonstrating the engagement potential of clear, experience-driven LinkedIn writing.

LinkedIn post analytics showing strong engagement on a post by Matt Barker, LinkedIn writing expert. The post generated over 9,000 impressions, 151 reactions, 78 comments and 143 saves, demonstrating how high-quality LinkedIn writing can attract attention, drive saves and grow an audience.

taplio

The Battle

Tim Stoddart

Matt Barker

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreTim Stoddart's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMatt Barker's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Tim Stoddart

Matt Barker

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);}Tim Stoddart's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMatt Barker's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreTim Stoddart's LinkedIn Performance