Aussie writer with 1B+ content views in 10 years | I teach people to use writing online to create career opportunities | Let's connect: tim@timdenning.com

I quit my eCommerce startup with 100+ employees. Then got depressed, developed an eating disorder, and got a minimum-wage job in a bank. I now work for myself and make 7-figures writing.

I'm not that smart and have no college education. The way I used the internet made the difference.

And going to a Tony Robbins event changed my mindset. He taught me to go from being a victim to be in control.

This led to:

• 1B+ content views
• Financial freedom
• Book deal with a major publisher
• Meeting my heroes (like Tony Robbins)
• Quitting my banking career forever in 2021
• Multiple successful businesses fuelled by obsession

My mission: Help 100,000 people start online businesses. 

My beliefs that drive everything I do:

- Anything is possible
- Positivity above all
- Ego is the enemy
- Challenge the status quo
- Chase obsession, not passion
- Always be kind, grateful, and a good person

How can I help you?

• Social media audience building
• Starting or growing an online business

Join my email list with 200,000+ other high performers for more helpful insights:
https://timdenning.com/start-social-hustle-linkedin-bio/

Tim Denning

If you need 36 interviews to make a hiring decision, you don't know what you're looking for.

The best candidates won't wait for your corporate theater.

━━━━━

Friend just withdrew from a Google process after round 12.

4 months. 12 interviews. 6 take-home projects. 3 presentations.

They offered him 10% less than his current role.

He took a startup offer instead. 2 interviews. 1 week. 40% raise.

━━━━━

The hiring circus exposed:

Round 1-3: "Getting to know you" (Could be one conversation)
Round 4-6: "Technical assessment" (Should take 2 hours max)
Round 7-9: "Culture fit" (You mean politics?)
Round 10-12: "Final stakeholders" (People who won't work with you)

It's not thoroughness. It's incompetence hiding behind process.

━━━━━

What long interview processes mean:

• Nobody wants to make a decision
• Everyone's covering their ass
• The role isn't clearly defined
• Too many cooks, no chef
• They're hoping you'll drop out so they don't have to reject you

Companies that can't hire efficiently can't operate efficiently.

━━━━━

I hire in 2 weeks. Always.

Day 1: Phone screen (30 minutes)
Day 3: Real conversation with me (1 hour)
Day 5: Meet the team (90 minutes)
Day 10: Final decision

That's it. No committees. No consensus building. No theatrical performances.

Success rate? 85%.

━━━━━

The top talent timeline:

Week 1: They're interested
Week 2: They're engaged
Week 3: They're questioning your competence
Week 4: They're interviewing elsewhere
Week 6: They're gone

Every week you waste, your competition gets stronger.

━━━━━

Real story from last month:

Candidate had 8 offers. EIGHT.

The companies with 2-week processes got her attention.
The companies with 6-week processes got ghosted.

She chose the company that respected her time. Made $300K first year.

━━━━━

The interview marathon red flags:

• "We need buy-in from everyone" = Nobody owns anything
• "Just a few more stakeholders" = Endless politics
• "One final round" (for the third time) = Disorganized chaos
• "Take your time with this project" = Free consulting
• "We're being thorough" = We're terrified of decisions

Run. These companies are where careers go to die.

━━━━━

Here's what actually matters in hiring:

Can they do the job? (One technical interview)
Will they fit the team? (One culture conversation)
Do they give a sh*t? (You'll know in hour one)

Everything else is corporate masturbation.

━━━━━

To every hiring manager:

Your 36-interview process isn't finding better people. It's filtering out anyone with options.

You're not being selective. You're being stupid.

The best people have choices. Respect their time or lose them.

━━━━━

To everyone in interview hell:

A company that takes 6 months to hire takes 6 years to promote.

Find companies that move fast. They're the ones actually going somewhere.

What's the longest interview process you've endured? 👇

Join my unconventional Substack newsletter with 165K others: https://lnkd.in/gMkRFmj9

Just f*cking do it.


If you want to level up your career faster, then join my unconventional Substack newsletter with 171K others: https://lnkd.in/gMkRFmj9

Aussie writer with 1B+ content views in 12 years | Teaching high performers to build million-dollar digital businesses | Let’s connect: tim@timdenning.com

Most bosses manage your output. The rare ones manage your potential.

One builds careers. The other builds empires.

━━━━━

Had 2 bosses in the same year. Same company. Different universes.

First boss: Tracked my hours. Reviewed my work. Gave me raises when HR approved them.

Second boss: Introduced me to CEOs. Pushed me into speaking gigs. Fought for my promotion when I wasn't even asking.

Guess which one I still text on holidays?

━━━━━

A boss who actually gives a sh*t does things differently:

They don't ask "What did you accomplish today?"
They ask "What do you want to accomplish in life?"

They don't manage your calendar.
They manage your trajectory.

They don't protect you from failure.
They ensure you fail at things worth failing at.

━━━━━

The VP who changed my life did 3 things no other boss did:

1. Told other companies about me (while I worked for her)
2. Connected me to her competition
3. Said "You're going to outgrow this role. Let's plan for it."

She knew I'd leave eventually. She accelerated it.

I've sent her millions in business since.

━━━━━

Bosses who don't care about your future:
• "That's not your job"
• "Stay in your lane"
• "You're not ready"
• "Be patient"
• "We'll revisit next year"

Bosses who do:
• "You should meet..."
• "Have you considered..."
• "I nominated you for..."
• "Take my spot at..."
• "You're ready for..."

One keeps you small. The other makes you unstoppable.

━━━━━

Real conversation with my best boss:

Her: "You're going to quit in 18 months."
Me: "What? No, I'm happy here."
Her: "You will be. But not in 18 months. Let's make sure you leave for something incredible."

She was right. Left after 20 months. For a role she helped me get.

━━━━━

The compound effect of a boss who cares:

Year 1: They teach you their job
Year 2: They introduce you to their network
Year 3: They push you toward bigger things
Year 5: You're running something they helped you build
Year 10: You're hiring their other protégés

Every great leader has this tree of success beneath them.

━━━━━

The test for whether your boss cares about your future:

Ask them: "Where do you see me in 5 years?"

If they say "Right here, killing it!" - they care about themselves.

If they say "Running your own division, maybe your own company" - they care about you.

The answer tells you everything.

━━━━━

To every manager reading this:

Your job isn't to keep your best people. It's to prepare them for what's next.

The ones you develop will build your legacy.
The ones you trap will destroy your reputation.

Be the boss people thank at their IPO.

━━━━━

To everyone with a boss who doesn't invest in you:

They're not going to change. You are.

Find someone who sees your potential and fights for it

Your career is too short for bosses who keep you small

♻️ Repost if great bosses build futures, not just teams

If you want to level up your career faster then join my unconventional Substack newsletter with 169K others: https://lnkd.in/gMkRFmj9

9 uncomfortable career truths people lie to themselves about:

━━━━━

1. A salary won't make you wealthy

Your $200K salary? It's keeping you comfortable enough not to quit.

Meanwhile, the guy making $60K with three rental properties is building actual wealth. The freelancer with equity in 5 startups. The consultant who owns her business.

Wealth = ownership. Your paycheck is designed to rent your time, not build your empire.

━━━━━

2. Your boss doesn't care about your career growth

They care about their quarterly bonus. Their next promotion. Their ass staying covered when sh*t hits the fan.

I had 7 bosses in 10 years. Know how many checked in after I left? Zero.

Your growth threatens them. Your success makes them nervous. Your potential reminds them of what they gave up.

━━━━━

3. Company loyalty is a dumb decision

25 years at the same company? Congrats, you left millions on the table.

Job hoppers make 50% more over their careers. While you're waiting for that 3% annual raise, they're getting 30% bumps every 2 years.

Companies are loyal to shareholders. Not you. Act accordingly.

━━━━━

4. People go to jobs cause they don't know what else to do

"I love my job!" No, you love the security of not having to figure out your actual purpose.

━━━━━

5. Most people have no idea what their passion is, so they lie

"I'm passionate about supply chain optimization."

Really? That's what you dream about? That's what you'd do if money didn't matter?

Passion isn't found in job descriptions. It's discovered by doing sh*t that scares you.

━━━━━

6. Hours worked has nothing to do with value created

I worked 80-hour weeks for 5 years. Know what I accomplished? The same as the guy who left at 5 PM sharp.

One good idea in the shower beats 20 hours of busy work. One strategic "no" beats 100 tactical "yeses."

Time in chair ≠ value delivered. Stop confusing motion with progress.

━━━━━

7. Job titles are meaningless. They're just ego

Vice President of Nothing Important. Senior Director of Bullsh*t Nobody Cares About.

I've met "executives" who can't execute anything. And "junior associates" running entire departments.

Titles are participation trophies for adults. Cheap ways to make you feel important without paying you more.

━━━━━

8. You're not entitled to a raise, promotion... or anything

The market doesn't owe you sh*t. Your company doesn't owe you sh*t. Your boss definitely doesn't owe you sh*t.

You get what you negotiate. What you have leverage for. What you make yourself irreplaceable for.

Expecting fairness in business is like expecting honesty in politics.

━━━━━


9. Most of the stuff you buy keeps you tied to a job

That BMW lease. The house that stretches your budget. The lifestyle you can barely maintain.

You're not working for freedom. You're working to pay for sh*t that imprisons you.

Simplify your life. Watch your options explode.

Dubai-based broadcast journalist and producer for TV, radio, podcasts and global events

Co-founder of Portal Productions, a global podcast and video production company for corporates, government entities and international organisations

Creator of the Soundbite Programme, helping leaders and their teams improve their public speaking and media communication skills through interactive one-on-one training and workshops

Always looking for a good story.

If you have an interesting one or just want to connect (yes, Linkedin friendship is a thing), message me.

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