Content @ Kurogo | LinkedIn Creator Accelerator

I just moved from Bangalore to London on a fully sponsored writing job. Here's my story so far:

Age 17: did 4 internships in a gap year before my undergrad
Age 18: started writing online on Instagram, Medium, and LinkedIn
Age 19: signed my first ghostwriting client
Age 20: graduated uni with first-class distinction
Age 21: one of the youngest members of LI's creator accelerator, got paid lakhs to write here (wild)
Age 22: beat 700+ people to get my dream job in personal branding
Age 23: dropped out of a Masters degree from KCL
Age 24: moved back to London for work

I've had quite the unconventional story. 

The fact I'm the proudest of isn't any of the "achievements" but that I did it all my way.

I write mostly to my younger self. 

My journey is an example of how your life can change if you refuse to conform and earn the right to play your own game.

Today, the clients I work with at my job are multi-millionaires dominating their industries. I'm lucky I get paid to learn from them everyday.

If you'd like to get in touch with me, email me at varunkhadri@gmail.com.

Varun Khadri

Luxuries most people don’t realise they have:

1. Having your parents still alive
2. A partner who always backs you
3. A full belly
4. Clean water running through your taps
5. Enough in the bank to not worry about rent
6. Your limbs work flawlessly
7. Doing work you like
8. Paid time off

We’re all luckier than we realise.

3 simple rules I’ve set for myself for a good year:

- With a good habit you’re trying to adopt, never miss two days in a row. Once is a mistake, twice is a pattern, thrice is a new habit.

- Do what you say you’re going to do. Forget about other people, this is how you teach YOUR own mind that you’re someone worth talking seriously.

- If anything harms my health, I want no part of it. “You only live once” should never be an excuse for unhealthy coping mechanisms. You get one life, so take care of yourself.

What’s one rule you’ve set for yourself in 2026?

The older I get, the more I realise that my parents were right all along.

A good life to me today is:

- Eating more home-cooked food
- Reading/learning continually
- Playing every evening
- Using my phone less 
- Drinking less soda
- Going to bed early
- Working hard
- Being honest

All the things my parents tried to get me to do as a kid.

Funny how life comes full circle!

The superflu is no joke.

Last Tuesday, I proudly announced to Sam G. Winsbury  “I’m going to try to not take a single sick day in 2026”

Next day, I got the flu and had 104 degree fever for the whole week.

I couldn’t get out of bed for days.
I lost 4 kgs in 6 days.
I didn’t have enough strength to even stand in the shower.
I dissapeared from LinkedIn for the first time ever.

All this isn’t to say “wow pls cry for me”.

The point is that you can have the best of intentions but…

When your health breaks, when life comes for you, every plan goes out the window.

Then, you gotta adapt and readjust.

Life will never follow your script, but hey - isn’t that what makes it worth living?

14: Wrote my first words online (WordPress blog).
15: Quit my pursuit of professional Badminton in Bangalore.
16: Started making money for the first time, working for myself.
17: Did 35 model UNs in one year, won at some.
18: Took a gap year to do internships and get formal work-ex.

19: started writing on Instagram.
20: miserable in undergrad, being taught outdated stuff.
21: started writing on Medium and signed my first ghostwriting client.

22: somehow graduated with first-class distinction.
23: LinkedIn paid me $2500 to write on the platform, wild times.

24: got into King's College for post-grad and moved to London.
24: was disappointed at the calibre, dropped out, and moved back home.
24: ended a long-term relationship I knew was wrong for me.
24: started working my dream role at my dream company.

25: moved back to London for work on a sponsored visa.

29/01/26 - writing this post at 6 am before starting work in one of my all-time most hectic weeks.

Growing up, all I heard was:

"Writers are starving artists"
"Stop posting everything online"
"You'll never amount to anything if you don't study".

I begrudgingly listened for a few years.

Then I realised:
If I don't want their life, why am I taking their advice?

The takeaways from my journey:

1. Try lots of things, something is bound to stick.
2. You can have the best plan, but life will still surprise you.
3. You're capable of building the life you want - if you put in the work.

Tell me in the comments - what's the most interesting part of your story?

Every single positive outcome in my life was born out of a single decision I made.

From the job I work to the city I live in to the people I know, 

It was all shaped by one choice:
Building my personal brand.

Most people think a personal brand is about followers.
It’s not.
A personal brand is leverage.
And leverage touches every goal in your life.

➡️ Career?
Your brand speaks before you enter the room.
Opportunities find you - jobs, clients, partnerships, because people already trust your thinking.

➡️ Money?
When people know what you stand for, they’re willing to pay for your perspective.
They’re more willing to pay not just for your time.
But also your point of view.

➡️ Freedom?
A strong personal brand gives you options.
You choose who you work with, what you say yes to, and where you spend your energy.

➡️ Confidence?
When you articulate your ideas publicly, you stop second-guessing yourself privately.
And clarity creates confidence.

➡️ Impact?
Your experiences don’t just stay experiences.
They become lessons that help other people move faster, avoid mistakes, and believe in themselves.

But here’s the real truth most people miss:
You already have a personal brand.

The only question is - 
are you shaping it intentionally…
or letting others define it for you?

So build your personal brand.

Not for attention.

But for everything else - better career, higher income, more freedom, and deeper relationships, that visibility unlocks.

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As a young person, you have two choices.

Live it up in your 20s.
Travel. Party. Say yes to everything.
Stretch adolescence a little longer.

Or put your head down early.
Work when others are playing.
Build skills, discipline, and direction while you still have the most energy to do so.

Neither path is WRONG.
But they do compound very differently.

One optimises for memories now, and optionality later - often with more pressure, more catching up, more trade-offs in your 30s.

The other delays gratification.
It looks boring from the outside.
But it buys leverage: confidence, competence, and freedom that most people only start chasing a decade later.

What people don’t say enough is this:

You don’t magically “figure it out” with age.
You inherit the consequences of how you spent your time.

The real question isn’t fun vs grind.

It’s: WHEN do you want life to feel lighter?

I’m choosing to build early, so future me doesn’t have to sprint forever.

What are you choosing?

You trust the bartender to not spit in your drink.

You trust the pilot to not crash the plane.

You trust the doctor operating on you to not be a fraud.

You trust your barber to not mess up your hair.

You trust the barista to make your coffee properly.

Then tell me, my friend, why do you refuse to trust that you're capable of more?

Why do you refuse to believe you can achieve your wildest goals?

If you can trust strangers blindly, you can back yourself to build the life you want!

♻️ Share this with a friend to remind them to believe in themselves.

A day in my life as a 25-year-old in London (21/01/26) 👇🏻

- Up at 7 am, usually an early riser but it’s my first winter here and it’s been harder to wake up early lately.

- Coffee, quick meditation, and at my desk by 8.30 am

- Start my day by writing my LinkedIn content before anything else and commenting on the team’s posts

- Leave from home as we’re having a co-working day in Paddington, 35 mins on the tube door to door

- Get to the coffee shop at 10 am and meet a couple of colleagues, we work remotely, but it’s always nice to catch up in person, the vibes are good, plus working in person pushes me to work harder

- I’m nervous to take a client call at 11.30 because it’s a new client and I usually avoid doing meetings when I’m working out of public spaces, thankfully the cafe wasn’t too noisy so the call went well

- Break at 12.30 for lunch with my colleagues, over lunch we talk about workout routines, the company's 2026 strategy, a few problem clients, and where we see the industry heading - we’re all obsessed with what we do

- Back to work at the restaurant we were lunching at, it’s a nice quiet spot and we were the only ones there, so it was the perfect spot to work from

- Around 4.30 pm we wind up for the day to avoid the rush hour on our way back home, on my way back I do a food shop because the nice supermarket I like getting my groceries from is closeby. I also grab a quick pain au chocolat as a pre-workout snack

- Back home an hour later, quick call to catch up with family and then it’s time to get a lift in with my friends, it’s super convenient having a gym in my building so no excuses of “I’m too tired to get out of the house”.

- Dinner at 8 pm, my friend made curry so I shamelessly steal some from her and heat up frozen naans

- 9 pm: I do the dishes, watch a little bit of Netflix (just finished a show called Run Away), and in bed for 10 pm

📷 On days that I feel a little homesick, happening days like these make me glad I took the leap of moving away from my hometown. Still hard being away from my loved ones though.

But that’s a day in my life, what do your days look like?

A perk of my job is I get to pick the brains of the top 1% performers daily.

A surprising pattern I’ve noticed in them is:

They have ridiculously boring habits.

They do the same things over and over again,
Longer than would be considered reasonable by most others.

The top 1% prioritise the simple things like being up early, reading, exercising consistently, and so on.

From the outside, it’s easy to assume your idols live a super happening, exciting life.

And maybe they do - at times.

But most of their days, and how they got where they were in the first place, is by doing the boring things right consistently.

Excitement is overrated in the pursuit of excellence.

I’ve never been told by someone more successful than me to have more work life balance and take it easy.

I’ve never been told by someone fitter than me that I need to let loose and eat out more and drink more with them.

I’ve never been told by someone wealthier than me that I need to buy more designer brands and spend more than I make.

Coincidence? I doubt it.

I can’t believe I’ll log into work on Monday and not see a familiar face.

We’ve never agreed on everything but we’ve never had to.

I’m going to miss us bickering so much!!! 🫣😆

We’re sad to be losing you Megan Bishop but also so happy for you as you head off on your next adventure. You’re doing something equal parts terrifying and exciting. We know some days are sh!t and chaotic but we’re so proud of you - now and always ❤️

This isn’t goodbye but an “until next time” 🥂

The fastest hack for behaviour change is controlling your environment.

If you don’t get liquor home, you’re less likely to drink.

If your friends work out, you’re more likely to go to the gym.

If you hang around smokers, you’re more likely to smoke.

Control who and what you allow around yourself.

Behaviour change is downstream from the right environment.

I’ve been so much better with my habits once I got clear on what my bare minimum looks like.

When I’m sick and can’t get to the gym, I try going on just a short walk after a meal.

When I’m unmotivated and don’t feel like creating content, I fire off a quick tweet and I’m done for the day.

When I’m tired and don’t feel like doing my skincare routine, I just put moisturiser and call it.

When I’m lazy and don’t feel like working, I do the tasks that HAVE to get done that day and finish up.

The goal isn’t perfect consistency.

It’s to have no zero days.

What version of the habit can you manage to do even on your worst days? 

That’s what you’ve to figure out to make a habit stick.

📷 - is it socially acceptable to still use Christmas pics?

Sunday reminder: do hard things to feel good about yourself.

My 2026 motto: say yes more.

Last year was a lot - I moved countries, juggled a demanding job with hobbies like sports and content creation, as well as maintained my existing close relationships.

As a consequence, however, I said no to most other things.

Going to events, meeting new people, travelling more, new interests - everything took a backseat.

And I’m glad I did that and narrowed my focus to prioritise the most essential.

But saying no to everything won’t serve me well in this next phase.

I didn’t move to London to be in a shell.

So I’m saying “yes” more this year.

I’m realistic though, as an introvert, most things still don’t appeal to me.

I like my own little world and simple daily routine.

But every now and then, I’m pushing myself to do new things, meet new people, and have new experiences.

I’m more open to widening my perspective and changing my opinion on things.

Let’s see how it works out.

What are you saying yes to more this year?

Being healthy is actually really simple: 

Sleep enough, drink less and don’t smoke, eat nutritious food, do work that fulfils you, and stay away from toxic people. 

Doing just these basics right will already put you ahead of 99% of the crowd. 

Don’t overcomplicate it.

📷 - having an active Sunday here in London, what are you doing today?

January was the longest 6 months of my life.

I start every week by studying virality on LinkedIn.

Every Monday on our team standup, Bruce Martinus and I break down a high-performing post for the rest of the team.

We do this because:

- It teaches the rest of the team at the agency how to reverse engineer viral content, even if that might not be their core role.

- It keeps us sharp and helps us keep our ears close to the ground.

- Social platforms are constantly evolving, what worked last week might not work this week, so if you're not keeping up with the platforms, you'll get left behind.

I've been in the personal branding space for years and have written thousands of posts, hundreds of viral ones.

Yet I still learn new things about LinkedIn every single day.

Always a student of the game :)

We turn entrepreneurs into credible thought leaders through personal branding so they can scale their businesses, unlock untapped opportunities and outlast their competition.

If you’re anything like our clients, you’re an expert in your field. One of the best. 

But you just don’t seem to have the reputation you deserve. 

You want to be the go-to authority in your industry and become an opportunity magnet. 

That way you could… 

- Generate inbound leads consistently 
- Win clients and customers with ease 
- Attract media features 
- Attract top talent 
- Speak on stage 

The list is endless. 

We help our clients do just that through the power of personal branding, by: 

1. Giving them clarity on their brand and positioning them as industry leaders.
2. Blowing up their social profiles and landing them high-profile media features.
3. Helping them convert their new-found reputation into meaningful opportunities and ROI

And having built 150+ personal brands, we’ve got quite good at it, achieving results like these in the process: 

🚀 Jack generated 2.5M views and 6 figures in revenue in 90 days with us 
🚀 Joe and Olly generated millions of views and saw a record month
🚀 Guy added 5 figures of pipeline value in a matter of months
🚀 Olie added £50K of inbound revenue to his pipeline
🚀 Sue generated over 8.3 million views in 4 months
🚀 Jemma increased her views by 51,347%
🚀 James became an Amazon Best Seller 
🚀 Tom generated 5M views in 3 months 

Your reputation is your biggest asset. 

Take control of it! 

If you want to see how we could help you build your personal brand, shoot me a dm saying ‘Personal Brand’

If you're not quite ready yet, I post daily content on here showing you how to do it yourself

Charlie Heritage

I’m 29. I’ve worked in sales for 10 years.

If I could teach sales to 19 year old me, I’d say:

1. Confidence comes from preparation, not pretending
2. Objections are information, not rejection
3. Discovery matters more than the pitch
4. Silence is one of the most powerful sales tools
5. What you do daily matters more than what you do occasionally
6. How you sell matters more than what you sell
7. Patience is a competitive advantage most people ignore
8. Long-term relationships are worth more than short-term wins

PS. Every one of these came from getting it wrong first.

We Create Thought Leaders Through Personal Branding - Growth Manager @ Kurogo

I’m 29. I run sales at a remote agency.
This is a rough outline of my day:

5am: Wake up. Water. Coffee.
6am: Gym or run.
8am: Breakfast. Review my diary. LinkedIn.
9am: Outbound and discovery calls.
11am: Client confirmation calls.
12pm: Pipeline review.
1pm: Lunch and a walk.
2pm: Sales calls and presentations.
4pm: Create content. Clear inbox. Plan tomorrow.
5pm: Time with my wife and kids.
7pm: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Muay Thai.
9pm: Dinner. Wind down. Bed.

Of course, sales days are never identical & this varies. But I like having some sort of structure & always try to plan my day in advance. 

Simple. But for me, it works. 
I value simplicity and routine.

PS. What time are you up in the morning?

6th January. One year at Kurogo.

My year, in numbers:

578 coffees
16 studio visits
2 team socials
71 new clients
300 sales calls
278 LinkedIn posts
7,000+ new followers

My first year working fully remote.

Proud of what we achieved this year.

Looking forward to year two, it's going to be even better.

The real job of sales is not closing.
It is being the obvious choice.

The people who win today are not the loudest.
They are the most visible and trusted.

That is why I post every day.

One post reaches more qualified buyers than I could in weeks of outreach.
And every post does three things for me:
• Educates
• Builds trust
• Positions me as the answer

So by the time someone books a call, the sale is already half done.

They are not asking “can you help?”
They are asking “how do we work together?”

That is the power of content.

Your brand is either doing the selling for you
or you are doing it the hard way.

Who is building theirs?

If you’re early in sales, this will save you years.

Over 10 years in sales taught me this:

1. Preparation creates calm
2. Calm creates confidence
3. Discovery creates authority
4. Authority reduces objections
5. Silence increases leverage
6. Leverage shortens cycles  
7. Consistency compounds skill
8. Skill earns trust
9. Trust deepens relationships
10. Relationships outperform short-term wins

The basics win.
Every time.

👉 Which one are you underestimating?

“Just start posting” is terrible advice.

Not because you should stay quiet.
Because speaking without strategy will get you nowhere. 

Most people who follow that advice end up with:
- Random topics
- Inconsistent messaging
- Zero commercial leverage
- Maybe some decent engagement

They mistake activity for progress.

If you do not know:
1. Who you are for
2. The problems you solve
3. What outcomes you drive

Then every post reinforces the wrong positioning.

That is how you become “visible” and still invisible to the right people.

The real work happens before you post:
• Choosing a clear ICP 
• Packaging your point of view 
• Designing an offer that gives your content a job

Only then does consistency compound.

Otherwise you are not growing a business.
You are just creating content.

If you are posting but not converting, this is why.

The fix is not more content.
It is better positioning.

Agree or disagree?

12 months ago, I committed to building my personal brand on LinkedIn.

Not posting when I felt like it.
Not testing endlessly.
Committing.

The biggest lesson?

Visibility creates demand.
Trust converts it.

And here’s the part most people miss:

If people don’t know you, they can’t buy from you.
If they don’t trust you, they won’t work with you.

This is the exact framework I’ve used over the last 12 months to turn content into revenue (and what we implement for clients):

1️⃣ Build a profile that sells without selling
Your profile is not a CV.
It’s your landing page.
• Lead with a clear value proposition in your headline
• Use Featured for proof, not opinions
• Write your About section like a sales letter

2️⃣ Post content that positions you as the expert
Generic advice gets ignored.
• Share “How I” instead of “How to”
• Turn real client conversations into posts
• Talk about failures and lessons learned
• Teach what you wish someone had told you earlier
• Track what resonates and double down

3️⃣ Create a repeatable cadence
Consistency beats intensity.
• 2 posts/week to grow
• 2 posts/week to build trust
• 1 post/week to convert
• Stick to 3–5 core content pillars

4️⃣ Use engagement as a growth lever
Posting is only half the job.
• Reply to comments in the first hour
• Message people who view your profile
• Follow up with people who engage

5️⃣ Write so people actually read
The hook decides everything.
• Write like you speak
• Cut corporate language
• Turn lessons into simple frameworks

Some client results in the first 6 months:

→ One confirmed £120,000 of new business.
→ One generated 2 leads from just 2 posts.
→ One gained 14,000+ new followers.

If you too apply this for 12 months:
• Authority increases
• Opportunities multiply
• Inbound becomes predictable

So here’s my challenge to you:
1. Stop hesitating.
2. Use this gameplan.
3. Commit to it for a year.

Worst case?
You build a high-value network.

If this helped:
💾 Save it
♻️ Repost it

PS: How long have you been posting consistently on LinkedIn?

If people don’t know you, they can’t buy from you.
If they don’t trust you, they won’t work with you.

After 12 months of building my personal brand & advising business leaders on how to build their own, I've learnt this is what actually matters:

• Proof > opinions
• Process > theory
• Consistency > intensity
• Conversations > impressions
• Clarity > cleverness

That’s how personal brands turn into revenue engines.

Doesn't happen overnight.
But with the right strategy, success is predictable...
And your personal brand becomes your competitive advantage. 

How long have you been posting consistently?

Selling remotely doesn’t reduce trust.
Unclear value does.

When you sell remotely, one thing becomes obvious quickly:
buyers don’t need to be in the room to decide.
They need to understand what changes if they say yes.

Every remote deal comes down to a few simple questions:

• What problem are you solving right now?
• Why is this the right solution?
• What’s the cost of not moving forward?

If those answers aren’t clear on a video call, they wouldn't be clear in person either.

Strong remote sellers don’t try to “build rapport” harder.
They explain value better.
They guide the decision.
They make next steps clear.

If a deal slows down remotely, it’s rarely a trust issue.
It’s a clarity issue.

Fix the clarity and remote selling stops being a problem.

People book meetings because they already trust you. 
Stop wasting time trying to ‘build rapport.’

Here’s the thing about sales calls nobody tells you:

You don’t need to dance around small talk or “warm up” the room. 
They’re already here. 
They want a solution. 
Your job is to help them get from A to B.

Here’s how I approach every call:

→ Assume trust is already there. 
No need to force it. 
If you’re on the call, you’ve passed the first test.

→ Drop the endless rapport-building questions. 
You don’t “build” rapport. 
You prove you’re the best solution. 
Clients mirror your conviction. 
If you believe you’re the answer, they will too.

→ Focus on the problem, not the pitch. 
Discovery is for them to realise how bad their problem is. 
Use the PIC framework (Problem, Impact, Cause). 
Articulate their problem better than they can. 
Now you’re the expert.

→ If you get short, closed answers? 
Use TED: Tell me, Explain, Describe. 
Open them up. 
Get real insight.

→ If they’re comparing agencies, they’re logical buyers. 
Show them your process. 
Speak in frameworks and systems, not feelings.

→ Emotional sale? 
Frame it as “I NEED this,” not “I want this.” 
Conviction sells.

→ Always follow up. 
70% of deals close after the fifth touch. 
Build a system. 
Don’t rely on memory.

→ Set boundaries. Define deliverables, timelines, responsibilities.
Retainers break without them.

Most salespeople overcomplicate the call. 
They try to “win” trust that’s already there. 
You’re not auditioning. 
You’re confirming.

Image Credit: Haris Halkic

I’ve learned in sales that most stress comes from trying to control the wrong things. So I anchor my day around one question: 

“What’s actually in my control right now?”

Not everything happening around me.
Only what I can move forward today.

Sales gives you plenty of distractions:
- Competitors.
- Budgets tightening.
- Prospects going quiet.
- Markets doing what markets do.

You can burn a lot of energy reacting to all of it.

What helped me was drawing a clear line between effort and outcome.

My effort goes into:
• Preparing properly
• Asking better questions
• Following up clearly and on time
• Showing up with consistency, regardless of yesterday

My attention goes into influencing:
• The quality of conversations
• Alignment across the deal
• Buyer confidence and momentum

Everything else gets parked.

Not ignored emotionally.
Just not allowed to run my day.

This mindset didn’t make sales easier overnight.
But it made my performance more predictable.

Progress in sales rarely comes from doing more.
It comes from putting energy in the right places.

Control your inputs.
Apply pressure where you can influence outcomes.
Let the rest stay where it belongs.

💾 If this resonates, save it.
♻️ If your team needs it, share it.

Image: Haris Halkic

My 2026 ins and outs 👇 

Ins
• Doing fewer things exceptionally well
• Treating training and recovery as equals
• Systems over willpower

Outs
• Ignoring early warning signs
• Low-ROI commitments
• Conversations without decisions

Has anyone else used a cryo chamber for recovery?

P.S. Whats your ins and outs? Let me know in the comments!

Every executive needs a personal brand.

But most never build one that actually drives opportunities.

Why?

Because visibility without positioning doesn’t convert.

You won’t build a profitable personal brand unless you:
• Position yourself as a clear expert
• Share a distinct point of view
• Back your claims with proof, not opinions

The strongest executive personal brands do this differently:

1. They have clear and authoritative positioning 
2. Articulate their value clearly to their audience 
3. Prove the expertise with irrefutable evidence 
4. Optimise their online profiles to reflect 1-3 
5. Publish content that connects with strangers 
6. Publish content that proves their expertise 
7. Publish content that generates opportunities/leads 
8. Create a compelling reason to hire them (and only them)

Executive Personal Brands will dominate in 2026.

So we built a blueprint to help leaders get ahead:

'How to Build an Executive Personal Branding Program'

Inside, we cover:

• How to plan your executive branding strategy
• How to build authority on LinkedIn
• The systems and workflows that make it sustainable

Plus the exact frameworks we’ve used to build 350+ personal brands for leaders from McKinsey, Salesforce, KPMG, and beyond.

If you want a copy, comment GUIDE or DM me.

And if this is useful, hit repost so others can build theirs properly too ♻️

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