Tom Schaeffer

Thomas Schaeffer & Co.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿 & 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 is a boutique agency providing ghostwriting and content strategy for executives who want to amplify their voice, sharpen their positioning, and expand their influence.

We work with leaders at pivotal moments—whether building thought leadership, leading a transition, or shaping a second act beyond corporate. Our services combine high-level ghostwriting, content systems, and selective coaching to help executives turn experience into leverage and build a presence that creates real opportunities.

Founder

Executive to Entrepreneur

𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿 is a coaching and content platform for midlife professionals ready to leave the corporate grind, clarify their next move, and build a business that fits their life. We offer 1:1 coaching, frameworks, and practical guidance for reinvention.

Float Left

Float Left Interactive was a pioneer in TV app development and the first company to build Roku apps for media brands.  For over 12 years, Float Left has enabled media brands to deliver and manage the next generation of TV experiences on every screen.

🏆 2022 Streaming Media 50
🏆 2021 Streaming Media 50
🏆 2017 Streaming Media 100
🏆 2016 CableFax -> Most Innovative People in Multiscreen
🏆 2015 Streaming Media 100

Co-Founder, CEO (acquired)

The Weiss Group, Inc.

Developed internal and external web applications in direct support of company’s marketing initiatives.

Senior Software Engineer

Teledata Inc.

Developed EPA compliance software, specifically targeted to address fuel tank leak detection.

Software Engineer

Bridgeway Benefit Technologies

Provided programmatic and logical fixes for technical problems on ISSI’s Benefit Fund Administration System.

Account Representative /  Programmer

Ghostwriter for Influential Executives and Entrepreneurs || Transforming Ideas into Influence Through High-Impact Writing || Former CEO, 2x Founder, 1x Exit

I’m a former CEO turned writer and coach. I help midlife professionals turn experience into leverage—through writing, clarity, and reinvention.

After scaling and selling a 7-figure software agency, I walked away from the startup grind to build a simpler, more intentional life.

Along the way, I discovered something powerful:
Most executives don’t need another job.
They need clarity—and a path that’s finally theirs.

Today, I work with high-achieving professionals in transition—those ready to move from corporate to consulting, from founder to writer, or from executive to entrepreneur.

Here’s how I help:

1. Executive Ghostwriting
For founders and CEOs who want thought leadership that drives inbound demand—without spending hours writing content. You bring the insight. I bring the structure, clarity, and voice that earns authority and attracts opportunity.

2. Executive to Entrepreneur Coaching
A 12-week 1:1 experience to help you reinvent your career, clarify your offer, build a simple content system, and land your first client.
It’s for professionals who are ready to turn experience into independence—building something of their own, on their own terms.

At the core of both is a simple idea:
Use your expertise to build leverage and freedom—because your next chapter should serve your life, not the other way around.

[Coaching: exectoentrepreneur.com]
[Substack: exectoentrepreneur.substack.com]
[About Me: thomasschaeffer.me]

Writer

A ghostwriting agency for founders, CEOs, and business leaders looking to build influential personal brands.

The wealthiest I've ever felt has nothing to do with revenue.
 
After 16+ years of entrepreneurship, including running an agency with a big team, BIGGER clients, and all the trappings of a "successful" business, I can tell you the thing I value most now is control over my time.
 
• Working on projects that genuinely interest me.
• Being present for the people I love.
• Doing very little of what I hate.
• Not dreading the week.
• An open calendar.
 
Most professionals are optimizing for income, title, and growth, and there's nothing wrong with that if it fills you up, but be careful you're not building a life you need a vacation from.
 
The shift for me came when I stopped asking "how do I scale this?" and started asking "what do I actually want my days to look like?"
 
What would change if you optimized for time instead of revenue?

Helping B2B Tech Founders & CEOs Turn Their LinkedIn Presence into Pipeline & Opportunties • Executive Ghostwriter • Executive Communications Strategist • 3x Founder (1x Exit)

Every meaningful breakthrough in my career started with a period of feeling completely lost.
 
After 16+ years of entrepreneurship, I still hit stretches where I feel like I have no clue what I'm doing. And honestly, it's sometimes more than a feeling. 

But I've learned that the instinct to go back to what's familiar, take the safe path, wait until you "figure it out" before making a move is exactly what keeps people stuck.
 
The ones who learn to lean into this discomfort are the ones who succeed.
 
If anything, consider it the price of admission -> the cost of stretching yourself. 
  
The only difference between people who make it and everyone else is that they embrace the discomfort and stick with it. 

That's literally it. 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

When was the last time you felt completely out of your depth? What happened when you stayed in it?

A year ago, nearly everything I consumed and created was digital.

Today, I'm writing with legal pads, note cards, and loving my 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 (it's like a modern typewriter).

I'm reading physical books and building a personal library. I even subscribed to a monthly print newsletter. I LOVE it, and I decided to work on my own.

It's a shift that's been building gradually, but looking back, I kept reaching for things I could hold.

Analog isn't easier. It's not faster, but that's what I love about it. It's forced me to slow down, be present, to actually enjoy what I'm reading, and to think more deeply about it. 

Screens stopped doing that for me a 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 time ago.

Also worth noting: Barnes and Noble Official is opening 60 new stores this year. Vinyl keeps outselling CDs, and direct mail is quietly outperforming email.

People are gravitating back to physical, analog experiences. I'm sure it's not because we're anti-technology, but because something got lost when everything went digital.
 
I'm loving every minute of it. 🔥

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Are you guys back on the analog train?  What's one analog thing you're doing?

No marketing team can replicate the trust that comes from hearing directly from their CEO.
 
I learned this the hard way.

As CEO, I spent years letting the company brand carry everything. I rarely published anything.  I wrote A LOT, but kept it behind the scenes. Looking back, those are years of missed opportunities I can't recover.
 
Since building my own presence, the impact has been insane. It's become an essential part of how people discover me, trust me, and decide to work with me. 
 
Your marketing team amplifies the brand, yes, but executive presence is what makes them know, like, and trust you (and eventually buy from you).

Note: executive presence has been known to dramatically reduce sales cycles :)

No campaign or branded content ever produced that effect.

Pouring money into campaigns won't replace the credibility of a visible leader.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-
If you're an executive posting consistently, what's changed for you since you started?

"Nobody is spending hours writing anything in 2026 Tom - they use ChatGPT. Best of luck."

This appeared in my DMs recently. And I love responding to this because this mindset is exactly why so much executive content sounds the same right now.

AI is obviously a powerful tool. But there's a massive difference between using AI to skip the thinking and using AI to sharpen it.

The executives who treat AI as a shortcut, i.e. paste a prompt, publish the output, move on, are flooding LinkedIn with content that reads the same. 

Same structure, same tone, same safe ideas and their audience can feel it.

The ones gaining ground are doing the opposite. They're bringing genuine points of view, real experience, and a voice that's unmistakably theirs and then using AI to refine and elevate that work, all of which TAKES TIME.

AI is the most powerful writing tool we've ever had. But a tool is only as good as what you bring to it.
 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

How are you using AI to elevate and sharpen your thinking? And what's your favorite tool right now?

I work with executives on their writing every day. And I'm observing two distinct behaviors:

One group uses AI to skip the hard part —> prompt and publish. The other uses AI to sharpen a point of view.

The gap is becoming obvious to everyone except those doing it wrong. AI made content production nearly free, so volume isn't a reliable moat anymore. 

What separates a valuable post from the noise now is whether there's a real judgment call behind it, i.e., specific (lived) experiences, or earned opinions.

For example: 

• If you use AI like an intern and publish "write me a post about leadership," you get intern-level output. Generic and forgettable. 
  
• If you use it like an operator and feed it your raw perspective and let it help you organize, then polish, the output sounds like you, only tighter.

The executives gaining ground with AI are the ones who brought something worth saying before they opened a chat window.

What's the sharpest distinction you've noticed between AI-assisted content vs. AI-slop?

"Should I start posting videos on LinkedIn?"
 
I get this question all the time. The short answer is, "Yes," but only if you want to.  Don't do it because you think that's what the algorithm wants.  

Here's why:

So there's a handful of really smart people who study this in much greater depth.  Richard van der Blom immediately comes to mind :).  He publishes an annual LinkedIn Algorithm report that is highly informative - go check that out.  

My interpretation of his research is that the format matters far less than most people think. That's because LinkedIn's new algorithm (360 Brew) only cares about whether your post generates a real conversation. 

It's working hard to put subject-matter experts in front of engaged readers.

LinkedIn's distribution increasingly 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 and post reactivation, meaning a post that sparks substantive back-and-forth for a day or more gets pushed back into feeds, while a post that collects passive likes and goes quiet gets buried (regardless of format).
 
If you pick the wrong format, you might lose a marginal amount of reach - not the end of the world. If you post something too generic to generate a real response, you lose the 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 advantage that makes LinkedIn worth an executive's time.
 
So, bottom line: Start with a single, clear idea. Make it specific enough to invite a knowledgeable response. Publish it with whichever format you're most comfortable with.  I don't have a face for video, otherwise I'd consider it myself lol.

Be generous with your content, stay active in the comments, stay consistent, and let the algorithm do its job.

Have you started posting video?  I'm curious - has it had the impact you were expecting?  I'm getting mixed revews...

====================
If this post was helpful, consider reposting ♻️ and follow me for more tips like this.

The hardest part of ghostwriting isn't the word assembly anymore. 

Yet most assume that's where the value is. 

The real value is surfacing the ideas, stories, and perspectives most assume are worthless. 

It never ceases to blow my mind.  The best material I've ever published for a client came from something they said, buried in a random thought—like a tangent they almost didn't finish, or an observation they dismissed as obvious.

None of that shows up from stock interview questions. It shows up when you sit with someone, ask the right questions, and actually listen.

AI can produce a LinkedIn post in 30 seconds, sure. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 

The value is sitting across from a CEO, pulling out insights they didn't know they had.

Ghostwriting in 2026 requires much greater levels of active listening, discernment, taste, storytelling, and clarity (thinking). 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Have you ever had someone pull an idea out of you that you didn't realize was valuable?

Execs -> everything you say is analyzed and evaluated by everyone. 

And yes, that includes conversations around the campfire at the company retreats—esp if alcohol is involved. 😢

And this "create a safe space to encourage feedback" stuff is far-fetched.

You will never make someone feel comfortable enough to have a casual conversation with them - especially the 'A' team. Why? Because they instinctively listen, interpret, and act.

It's happened to me a handful of times.

"Tom, what did you say to Terry??"
"Uh.. that I hope he has a nice 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 vacation??"
"Well, whatever you did, he seemed a bit anxious when he left today."

Eliminating "overtalking" or keeping quiet is especially tough for extroverted execs who enjoy camaraderie and the feeling of being part of the team. (ME)

Master the art of saying as little as possible. Even a casual comment on the way to the bathroom can cause a domino effect that you might have to unwind later.

Yes, try to create a culture that encourages healthy debates, but never expect to get the full picture. 

Choose your words wisely. Make each one count - esp the ones that seem the most harmless.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Can you think of a time a harmless comment turned into a fiasco you had to unwind later?

In 1963, Avis created one of the most studied campaigns in advertising history. 

For years they'd been trying to compete with Hertz by acting like they were just as big and established, and wasn't working. They were number two, and everybody knew it.

So they stopped pretending and decided (against every ounce of logic) to run an ad that opened with "Avis is only No. 2 in rent a cars. So why go with us?" They made their biggest weakness the entire basis of their positioning. 

Being smaller meant they had to try harder, couldn't afford dirty cars or bad service, couldn't take customers for granted. The honesty was disarming, and it literally transformed the company.

It's a simple lesson.

So many of us wait for perfection before we put ourselves out there. But if you start telling the truth (especially about the parts you'd rather hide), people lean into it. 

A polished story might look impressive, but it doesn't build a connection. 
 
If there's something in your own story you've been downplaying or leaving out, consider leading with it instead. That might be the most compelling thing you've got.

"If AI can write in my voice, why would I pay someone to do it?"
 
Because producing words in your voice is now the easy(ish) part. Finding what's worth saying (and how to say it) is the hard part.
 
Knowing what NOT to say and developing a higher level of discernment about what actually lands are more important now than ever before.
 
And I LOVE AI. Train it on a person's posts and transcripts, and it produces content that mimics their cadence and vocabulary. For basic content, it works.
 
But "basic" is what's flooding the feeds. AI defaults to what's already been said.
 
Ironically, it's much harder in 2026 to make the right person think, "I need to talk to this person," than it was pre-AI. Those words are built from insights the executive didn't know they had, surfaced by someone with the editorial judgment to recognize which experiences carry weight.
 
So you pay a great writer to find the idea hiding in a throwaway comment, a career-long observation, or a frustrated aside during a call, then write it in a way that cuts through the slop.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

What's something you've read recently that made you feel like, "This person gets me"? 

What was it about the writing that created that connection?

Guess which burger is trending on social media?  

Well done Chris Kempczinski.

No alternative text description for this image

Most people leaving corporate think they need to invent something new to build a business.

They spend months trying to figure out what to offer and how to position it, convinced that what they did for the last 20 years isn't specialized enough on its own. 

So they go looking for some new angle or framework that nobody's thought of yet.

That's corporate conditioning talking.

Here's the thing -> there are no new business offers. Not 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. 

Every consulting offer, every coaching program, every advisory service has been done before in some form.

Besides, a business model isn't what sets you apart. It's your specific approach to a problem, i.e., what you've seen work, what you've watched fail, and the particular way you think about solving it. 

Oh, and stop assuming everyone else already knows what you know. This one's a killer and blocks so many exceptionally smart people from taking action.  

The problem + YOUR approach is all you need. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Now, without thinking, what's the one business you'd start RIGHT NOW if you had unlimited capital and unlimited time?

I help agency founders build empowered, in-demand businesses that scale to seven figures.

Most founders try:
- Following other agencies' playbooks without a strategy
- Building a business they think they should have but don’t actually want 
- Adding more services and hiring as a way to scale
- Investing in lead gen that delivers low-quality prospects

Instead, I focus on:
1. Strategic positioning that sets you apart
2. Profitable, scalable offers 
3. Relationship-driven growth

REAL CLIENT RESULTS:
* 2.5X revenue growth: scaling from $400K to $1M+ within one year
* Tripled monthly recurring revenue
* Closed $100k+ of new business in less than 90 days
* Two clients join the top 2% of women-owned businesses ($1M+) in 2024

My long-story short?

I spent 13 years working in-house at agencies in every position from Receptionist to Account Manager to Executive Director of Growth. 

After burning out, I became obsessed with finding ways of improving the agency model - building empowered and in-demand agencies with the Founders that lead them.

Work with me:
* Growth Incubator 📈 (intimate community + masterclasses + office hours support)
* Seven Figure Consulting 👩‍💻 (1:1)
* Agency Community 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 (curated events, retreats, roundtables)
* Agency Darlings Podcast 💁🏼‍♀️(weekly conversations to support your growth - listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more)

Get in touch: Melissa@waverlyave.com

Melissa Lohrer

I'm so bored of growth stories that make sustaining and growing a business seem so easy.

Just do these 3 things and within <unrealistic time period>, you'll have a $10M agency too. 

It's clickbait designed to make you feel like you're a complete idiot for not having figured it out sooner. And worse, when you try to apply the formula to your business, it doesn't work, making you feel like you're the problem. 

In reality, you didn't have the same inputs they did.

All of this noise has made it so important to me to share the real stories of agency owners who are sustaining and growing their businesses...and sharing the inputs that got them there.  

So this week, Lauryn Warnick came on Agency Darlings® to chat about her journey taking her agency from six to seven figures. And she openly and generously shares her doubts, the hard lessons, and the wins along the way. 

THIS is who I want you to look to as an example - and not be distracted by the inflated stories that make you feel like you're the reason it isn't working. 

We can take pieces from each of these stories and apply them to build our own formula for success. 

🎧 Agency Darlings Episode 48: How I Doubled My Agency By Doing Less is out now. 

(I'll link in comments below 👇 )

And if Lauryn's story inspired something for you, please share ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Growth Strategy for Creative Agencies | Niche Positioning, Scalable Offers & Relationship-Driven Sales | Host of Agency Darlings 🎙️

If clients keep pushing for “just one more thing”…

the problem usually isn’t your scope doc.

It’s your positioning.

Because:
> When the value is fuzzy, clients negotiate
> When you show up as a vendor, they treat you like one
> When your role feels flexible, so does the line

Clear value creates trust.
Trust creates boundaries.
And boundaries create sustainable client relationships.

(If you're interested in more on this...go listen to Agency Darlings Ep 12 Non-Negotiable Boundaries That Accelerate Growth)

Things agency founders say when they’ve been avoiding doing BD...


- “Most of our work comes from word of mouth.”
- “We’re slammed right now. I’ll focus on outreach once this project wraps.”
- "We just need one project to land so I can breathe.”

Most of you didn’t start an agency to be in a “sales” role.

You built a career on a skill - design, brand strategy, copywriting, creative direction.

Then you built an agency.

And now your primary job as CEO is growth.

It feels good to say “we’re referrals only.”
It says quality work. Solid reputation. In-Demand.

And sometimes, it’s even true.

But here’s the part that doesn’t get said:
When referrals are your only source of business development, you have zero control over timing.

Which means:

Revenue spikes.
Then big dips.
Your team expands.
Then contracts.
Cash flow surplus.
Then you're in the red.

And over time, you start taking on projects you wouldn’t choose — simply because they showed up.

Not because they’re aligned.

And it’s killing your business.  

Not overnight though… it's more like a slow erosion.

I love helping agency owners break that cycle.

And you don’t need to be a salesperson - in fact, I think it’s better not to be.  

You need to be:
- Genuinely curious about your ICP / niche
- Interested in building relationships over time 
- Clear on the value you bring and your ability to solve problems

That’s it.

The rest is a mix of strategy, structure, and showing up.

I’m opening 15 seats inside The Growth Incubator this month.

It’s built for women-led strategy and creative agencies who are done riding the feast-or-famine cycle and ready to build predictable growth with structure.

Spring enrollment opens soon but DM me or comment if you want more details.

Agencies are making changes right now.

They’re adjusting offers.
Reworking messaging.
Exploring new channels.
Tightening ops.
Looking for momentum.

But making changes isn’t the same as progress.

Progress comes from:
> Knowing what problem you're actually solving right now
> Being clear on who you’re not for anymore
> Making fewer decisions — and standing behind them

I see founders exhaust themselves trying to “do growth right” —
instead of slowing down long enough to choose what kind of growth
they actually want to build toward (or what's right for their business)

Because without that clarity:
- Every new idea feels urgent
- Every dip feels like failure
- Every opportunity feels hard to say no to

Real progress looks quieter.
More intentional.
But the progress compounds FAST and returns in the form of growth. 

If you're doing a lot of change right now, make sure you know WHY.

You're not bad at business development. You just only do it when you're desperate.

Most agency owners I work with aren't lazy.

They're stuck in the messy middle.

You know the stage:
→ Referrals used to be enough. Now they're not.
→ You try outreach, but it feels salesy so you stop.
→ BD only happens when the pipeline is empty and panic sets in.
→ Some things work. Nothing works consistently.

Sound familiar? You're not alone.

This is where most agency owners stay stuck—not because they can't do it, but because no one taught them how to build BD into the rhythm of their business.

Stage 1: Referrals carry you. You're busy, grateful, figuring it out.

Stage 2: Referrals slow down. You start resenting the small-budget, high-maintence clients. You post on LinkedIn but hesitate to actually sell. Nothing sticks.

Stage 3: You decide to run BD intentionally. You build a system. You stop waiting and start choosing.

Most of the agency owners I work with are in Stage 2.

What's missing: the strategy, structure, and rhythm to make BD consistent and not chaotic.

That's exactly what my BD accelerator is built for.

We kick off April 1 with a sprint to build momentum for Q2.

13 spots left. If you're curious, send me a DM for the overview + application. 📩

The moment business development becomes urgent, you’ve already waited too long.

Not because you’re bad at business.
Not because you’re bad at sales.

But because urgency changes how you show up.

When a project pauses.
When a proposal gets ghosted.
When your Q3 + Q4 forecast looks leaner than you expected.

That’s when business development becomes the priority.

BUT going from zero to momentum is hard.

Because when you haven’t been planting seeds, everything suddenly matters too much.

You negotiate differently.
You say yes faster.
You convince yourself a “good enough” project will do.

Not because you want to.

Because you feel vulnerable.

Business development feels important - like the gym.
Until it becomes urgent - like the doctor.

You don’t need urgency.
You need strategy, structure, and accountability.

I’m officially opening a BD accelerator this week for agency owners looking to create and sustain momentum towards business development - in a fun and creative way.

More details tomorrow (DM me if you’re interested and I’ll send you info first!). 📩

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The Battle

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