Zuricka - A Minimalist Entrepreneur

Through this project, I share the exact steps that have been documented and practised through ancient history and that I find useful. Topics include
-- the power of reprograming the mind
-- how to declutter and let go of Chaos
-- How tp set goals and achieve them

At the end of the day, to transform your life as a professional/ business owner/founder or a self-employed professional, strategies and tactics can only work if we figure out what we want at a deep inner level.

Founder

StraightUp

http://www.straightup.net.nz is where you can learn about how we operate as software tech recruiters.

🚀The core purpose of StraightUp is to enable New Zealand companies to find talented software engineers and at the same time to enable software engineers to find companies that are worth investing their careers with. We only get involved when they are unable to find the right talent or workplace.

We span the globe for software engineers with the rare skillset that New Zealand software teams require to stay ahead in the market.

🔥We solve one problem in a very competitive marketplace: That problem is finding talent for hard-to-fill software engineering roles and workplaces that are stable, financially strong and a joy to work at.

I feel grateful that I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented software engineers from all over the world who wish to contribute to the New Zealand economy.

Our software engineering clients are down-to-earth, driven and with a mission that is clear and measurable. They look after their people and their suppliers, and I am grateful to work with them.

CEO - Software Tech Recruiter

Defense Task Force

Being an Indie team, we have to wear various hats. My role at Defense Task Force is to make sure we get our Tower Defense PC Game across in front of Game Publishers, News and media personnel, to raise funds through crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter to get the game to its finished stage. The end goal is to have a successful launch on the Steam Gaming Platform. Day to Day my work involves connecting with Media Personnels, YouTube Gamers, Kickstarter Backers, Social Media Planning, Advertising and Project Managing our Game Development Cycle.

Marketing Director

Worked on Commission only with a Recruitment Firm

The job market is going through a complete change. My role as a Recruiter is to work with High Tech Cloud Companies, Software Development teams to find their next developer, tester, lead developer, software development manager, business analyst. If you are looking to work with a company that values you for you, gives you flexibility, understands work life balance then drop me a line and I shall seek to place you in some of New Zealand's thriving workplaces. If you are working for an amazing company that values their people and if you are seeking to fill a role with exceptional talented human beings, then I may be able to connect you with that person you are looking for. You will never know until you seek.....

IT Technical Recruiter

Zap Strategy Ltd

Zap has been an amazing place for me to work with. Having started this business with my best friend, it was fun and our sole purpose was to find consulting work. Zap had no big Vision or mission. It was setup with the prime motive to find contract jobs.

Today after so many years I am thankful that I went down the consulting path as it taught me what to do and what not to do in business. It enabled me to appreciate that working long hours and thinking I will be able to live my life of abundance is folly. Consulting gave me insights that I have everything right in front of me, it taught me when to walk away from toxic environments and who not to work with. Through this experience Zap began to change in personality and values.

Today Zap Strategy for me is not an entity it's my virtual friend who offers very specific services:
Internet Marketing for Entrepreneurs and medium size businesses
Cloud Computing business applications
Coaching for Small to medium size businesses on setting up businesses the right way
Finding the right talent for Entrepreneurs who are seeking staff

What's my Role:
I am involved in being an enabler for my entrepreneur buddies and small to medium size owners. I hire the right talent that will enable me to move forward in life and train my team to handle a large portion of the day to day activities.

I also reach out to find the right partners to partner with so that we are not reinventing the wheel to offer business mentorship to our clients

Director

ChillX Limited

When we started down the path to create a social network presence in India, it was patriotism and giving back to my nation that got me on this journey to start ChillX. It was to connect fellow Indians to their roots. I did not realize the competition we would have with the mighty gods. I would just be another small fish. When we launched most people who came across us laughed and said why should we be part of your social network when all our friends are already on a different network. We got into the circle of being compared. It's amazing how emotion can take the better of us. Having an MBA and having done the right steps in a business plan the numbers for ChillX as a social network were not massive for a country like India. 

This created a flow on effect to attract advertisers and ChillX was suffering in the early stages for 2 years.As a team we had a choice to downscale our dream or to move forward. We took the path to move forward and re brand our service with a purpose. We accepted that we could not serve those who laughed at us or who wanted us to prove our worth especially for a free service. We embraced those members who took time to register and communicate with others on the network. Today ChillX enables people in India who may be introverts, shy and struggle to find friends. It enables people who struggle to move out of their villages to the metros for a better life. It enables people who are being abused to seek help.

So what's my role at ChillX

Understanding the needs of our members.
Researching what personality books could help our members to change their mind perception
Find out what areas our members struggle with e.g. relationship issues, toxic marriages, finding a job to pay their bills, self confidence, communication etc
Providing customized tailored solutions to our members to uplift their lives by partnering with people around the world who have in depth knowledge in their respective field e.g. clinical psychology, marriage counselors, etc

Director - User Experience

Express Couriers

Business Analyst

Sovereign

Ferrit.co.nz

E-Commerce Business Analyst

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

Played a significant role in the Online Trade Portal for the government. This Trade portal allowed buyers to submit tenders and enquiries to Exporters of New Zealand.
Generated new development deals, Comprehensive database management, capturing business requirements, etc

Online Service Consultant

My mission is to spread one simple concept: keep life simple, enjoy life while building wealth. There is power in designing a life that you truly enjoy. 

If we know the kind of lifestyle that makes us happy, then re-engineering exactly the career/ business that can support that lifestyle  becomes simple👋 

I have adopted a Minimalist Life and document what I learn along the way. These are topics on the power of the subconscious mind, habits, and self-discipline. 

These are learnings that ancient minds in history practised to build empires, conquer battles, and build wealth with clarity.

I document these learnings as short videos or written posts for another fellow being who may be on the same path.

As Buddha graciously defined, " What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.😊 

For work, I run 2 ventures.

❤️Zuricka - A Minimalist Entrepreneur - Through this initiative, I enable a solopreneur/self-employed professional to design their life and then re-engineer how to structure work that makes that lifestyle possible. I share how to reprogram the subconscious mind and build a working schedule to make this happen.

❤️StraightUp Tech Recruitment - This project enable software engineers aiming to live + work in New Zealand to find meaningful work with thriving New Zealand tech teams. Instead of the vanilla recruitment model, I share with software engineers how to market their skills to find work in thriving, happy workplaces. I work with a selected few tech teams .

In my personal life, I have adopted the core principles of 
❤️Minimalism - For me, minimalism is having more peace, focus, and wealth & less worry, confusion, and overwork. That, to me, is power.

🚀 My ultimate aim is to unlearn chaos and let go of superficial metrics. Through living this way of life, I hope to inspire others too. 

🔥Some Work Accomplishments so far :
- Failed in 5 business initiatives that allowed me to pause and rethink
- Bootstrapped a recruitment software firm from scratch to making it profitable in 3 years as a 1-person business with 2 freelance team members.
- Enabled 80+ global software engineers to find work in awesome workplaces within New Zealand.
- Enriched 100+ professionals, solopreneurs, small business owners, startup founders, to go from inconsistency to having a clear execution plan.
- I am a daughter, sister, partner + friend and animal lover.

*For Software Dev Recruitment visit www.straightup.net.nz
⭐If you need help with simplifying your professional work life, or goal setting - you are welcome to message me.

Zuricka Azavedo

SUSANCK

Going remote was the best decision we ever made for scaling our agency.

Not because it’s trendy.
Not because it cuts costs.
But because it removed limits.

No more talent pool defined by ZIP codes.
No more 9-to-5 bottlenecks that slowed decisions down.

We built a team that runs around the clock, brings global perspectives to every strategy, and operates with more focus and ownership than we ever had in-office.

Yes, it takes stronger systems. 
Clearer communication. 
More trust.

But the trade-off?

A business that scales without borders.
And a team truly built for growth.

If you’re still in-office, what’s holding you back from going remote?

Susan Coelius Keplinger

CEO at Force of Nature | Performance Marketing at Scale

No alternative text description for this image

We honor those who’ve served — and continue to serve. 🇺🇸

The strength.
The discipline.
The quiet commitment that never wavers.

Today’s a reminder that leadership starts with service.

Thank you, veterans!

force-o-nature

susanck

(62) Notifications | LinkedIn

li_at

JSESSIONID

I am Susan Coelius Keplinger, a San Francisco Entrepreneur and avid athlete.

I help companies use data to tell stories and grow their business through quantitative marketing.

Previously I was Founder and President of Triggit, an ad technology company.  Triggit helped big brands like Booking.com, Home Depot, and Walmart leverage customer data to serve personalized ads.  Triggit was sold to Gravity4 in 2015. Prior to Triggit, I co-founded Votes For Students, a Pew Charitable Trusts funded non-profit dedicated to measuring the efficacy of Internet and Email marketing as a Get-out-the-Vote technique.

I earned my BA from Northwestern University, where the USA Today named me one of the nations top college students in 2004.   The Fortune Most Powerful Women Community recently named me a top emerging entrepreneur.

Beyond my entrepreneurial forays I love to sport and can be found chasing the wind and waves while kitesurfing or hurling down the sides mountains on skis or downhill bike.

I used to think intent only showed up once someone clicked.

AI proved me wrong.

We started spotting patterns before people ever took action (hover time, scroll rhythm, return visits), and most of those turned into sales.

It changed how we market — now we retarget earlier, personalize sooner, and shift budgets before making a decision.

Crazy how much clarity you get when you stop chasing clicks... and start noticing what happens before them.

Apple’s “Share Your Gifts” ad is one of my favorite holiday campaigns — and it barely shows a single Apple product.

No flashy features.
No tech specs.
No hard pitch.

Just a story about creativity, connection, and putting your work into the world.

That’s the genius of it.

Apple doesn’t sell you the gadget — they sell you the feeling of being creative. The device just happens to be the bridge.

Most brands already know emotion matters.
Few have the patience to build it.

What’s your favorite emotional campaign of all time?

It’s officially campaign crunch time.

Some teams locked plans in back in August.

Others are still finalizing ad creatives this week. 😅

There’s no single “right” answer — but the brands that win seasonal traffic usually do one thing well:

→ Some hunt for gifts before Halloween.
→ Others wait for Black Friday madness.
→ And plenty don’t shop until mid-December.

So, I’m curious:

How early do you start planning your holiday campaigns?

🗓️ 3+ months out
🗓️ 1-2 months out
🗓️ Just before Black Friday
🗓️ Still pulling it together now

Fun fact: The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days back in 1621.

Proof that some things are just worth taking time to celebrate.

Here’s to good food, good company, and the kind of gratitude that lasts all year long.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 🍁

Nike’s “You Can’t Stop Us” hit in all the right places.

You didn’t need to love sports to get it.

That split screen of people pushing through?
It really got everyone.

It wasn’t selling sneakers.
It was reminding us what we’re made of.

Even when the world hit pause, people didn’t.
We still showed up. We still moved.

That’s why it stuck.

Because the best ads don’t talk AT you, they talk TO you.

What’s a campaign that still gives you chills when you see it?

LinkedIn

Talks about #dtc, #startups, #marketing, #mediabuying, and #performancemarketing

Same problem.
Different day.

You can switch clients, jobs, even cities..
But the lesson follows you until you face it head-on.

It’s not bad luck. 
It’s the universe on repeat.

The loop doesn’t break on its own.
You break it.
By doing something different this time.

The loop breaks when you do.
Until then, it just wears a new mask.

What loop are you breaking this week?

Every year, it sneaks up on us.

You’re scrolling through YouTube or watching TV...

And then you hear it — that “Holidays are coming…” jingle 

The Coca-Cola trucks roll in, and suddenly it feels like the holidays.

No big reveal. 
No surprise offer.
Just that familiar red glow that says, “It’s time!”

That’s the power of showing up the same way, year after year.

You don’t need to shout when people are already listening to you.

Some ads grab attention.
Others build tradition.

Coca-Cola did the latter — and it worked for decades! ❤️

What brand triggers your holiday nostalgia?

BFCM is coming to a close, and hopefully, your numbers crushed it! People are still shopping online though, so don't stop now. 

Keep up the good work and finish strong! BFCM has been a great opportunity for businesses to SCALE. 

What did you do differently this year that you'll continue next year? The coming weeks are a perfect time to try new things and see what works.

In the meantime, congrats on surviving another one 🍻

Gucci doesn’t do “flash sales”

Every holiday season, they drop their “Gucci Gift” stories — cinematic mini-films that feel more like art than ads.

No flash discounts. 
No panic countdowns.

Just beautiful storytelling and design that remind people why the brand matters.

Here’s why it works — and why your brand should reflect, not copy:
✨ Gucci is Gucci — they’ve earned that space.
✨ Their audience cares about identity more than deals.
✨ They’ve built desire first, so demand follows naturally.

If you’re leading a brand this BFCM, this is your cue:
Use emotion to elevate value.

Match storytelling to your brand’s identity, not someone else’s.

Your strength may not be the boldest sale — but it could be the strongest message.

Who does emotion-driven marketing best?

5 competitor signals worth watching 👀
(and what to actually do with them)

Watching is easy. 
Winning means acting on what you see.

Here’s what to watch:

1️⃣ When they launch campaigns

→ Are they always early? Try going live before them (or right after) to grab attention they miss.

2️⃣ New product drops

→ See what gets traction. If something takes off, think about how your next offer can solve the next problem.

3️⃣ How their messaging changes

→ New words = new direction. Use it as a hint to update your own story.

4️⃣ Price changes

→ Discounts, bundles, premium moves: they all show how they’re positioning value. Check if your pricing still makes sense.

5️⃣ Spikes in engagement

→ Big jumps in likes or shares mean something worked. Break it down and see what part you can learn from.

It’s not about copying.

It’s about seeing the patterns they’re showing you — and making smarter moves because of it.

Which of these signals do you watch most closely? 💭

5 competitor signals worth watching

Over 80% of brand discovery now happens through AI-powered feeds.

And here’s the kicker: if the platforms don’t get what you do, they’re not going to put you in front of the right people.

Think of it like this:

AI is like a friend recommending you to someone new. But if you keep changing your story every time you talk, they’re never sure who to introduce you to.

✅ Keep your messaging consistent.
✅ Repeat what you stand for across every channel.
✅ Make it easy for the AI to connect you with the right people.

Clear signals = better reach. 
Better reach = better revenue.

How consistent is your messaging across platforms right now?

💭

Timing is everything. 

The product can be solid.
The offer can be great.
The creative can hit.

But if you show up at the wrong time... it all lands flat.

Right now:
People are searching, scrolling, and adding to carts.

They’re not just browsing. 
They’re buying.

Hitting that window makes everything you’re doing work harder.

So before you launch anything this season, ask yourself:
👉 Are we showing up when people are actually in “buy” mode?
👉 Are we syncing our drops with peak search and spending windows?

Because in Q4… timing is the multiplier.

How are you timing your campaigns this Q4?

In 2025, AI is at the center of how we run performance marketing.

We predict winning campaigns before launch.
We personalize messaging based on real behavior.
We build new creative variations automatically.
We shift budgets in real time as signals change.

The edge comes from how well we teach it — with our data, our insights, and our goals.

That’s how we scale faster, waste less, and make smarter moves.

Humans still steer the ship. 
We set the direction. 
We show the machine what “great” looks like.

The real question now: 
Are we letting AI drive growth — o r just letting it ride shotgun?

When was the last time you checked your search trends? 👀

We track revenue.
We track CAC.
We track every KPI under the sun.

But do we know if people are looking for us?

Search trends are early signals!

They show when curiosity is growing.
When awareness is fading.
When it’s time to get louder.

Example:
→ A spike after a podcast mention = brand buzz building.
→ A dip after a product launch = messaging missed.
→ A rise in searches from a new region = expansion clue.

If you’re only measuring after the click...
You’re missing what happens before it.

Be honest: how often do you check yours? 💭 

Weekly? 
Monthly? 
Almost never?

Everyone talks about growth. But not enough people talk about what makes that growth sustainable.

Most teams think scaling means more:
More tools.
More hires.
More meetings.

But real scale happens when the engine runs without you watching every move.

It’s when:
→ Campaigns launch smoothly — no 2 AM fire drills.
→ Decisions are driven by data, not hunches.
→ The team moves fast and stays in sync.

The truth is, ideas rarely hold companies back.
Messy operations do.

Tighten the backend, and growth stops feeling like luck.. it starts feeling like a system.
 
Drop the first thing you’d optimize below 👇

If you’re throwing money at ads and hoping for the best... this is for you.

If results feel off, here’s what’s probably happening:

🚩 You’re spending the same amount every month — even when buyer behavior changes.
🚩 You’re ignoring November search spikes and gifting season.
🚩 You’re splitting budget evenly — even for products no one’s looking for.

Here’s how smart brands are moving now:

→ Shifting spend week by w eek based on demand.
→ Leaning into seasonal momentum instead of guessing.
→ Fueling top-performing products instead of spreading too thin.

Brands that do this cut wasted spend by up to 30% before BFCM.

How will you stretch your ad dollars in this kind of season? 💭

Dear Founders: reward yourself for surviving this weekend, you did a great job! 👀

Had a chat with a CMO spending $2M/month on ads... without a data warehouse or CDP 😳

My take?
If you’re past $1M/month, it’s time.

These tools aren’t just “nice to have” 

They centralize your data, unlock deeper audience insights, and let ad platform AI do its best work.

More clean data → smarter targeting → stronger returns.

If you’re scaling fast, this is the move that takes you to the next level.

Is your data setup built for scale?

taplio

The Battle

Zuricka Azavedo

SUSANCK

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taplio

The Battle

Zuricka Azavedo

SUSANCK

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);}SUSANCK's LinkedIn Performance

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