Helping Founders Become Thought Leaders | Founder of Cue Studios

You’re already sitting on a goldmine (your personal brand). Let’s unlock it.

I never set out to "build a personal brand." I just started sharing what I knew.

And then, something unexpected happened. Opportunities started coming my way. Clients. Speaking invites. Partnerships.

That was my first “aha” moment. This isn’t just posting online. It’s a growth engine.

Most founders ignore their personal brand. Here’s why that’s a mistake.

Right now, you’re running a business. You’re solving problems. You’re having conversations every day that could be turned into valuable content.

But instead:

• You don’t know what to talk about
• You’re not sure how you want to come across
• You’re not leveraging your experience to attract the right people

What if I told you you don’t have to do anything extra?

Your daily insights are already content. You just need the right strategy to get it in front of the right people.

This is where I come in.

I help founders turn their expertise into authority without wasting time or chasing vanity metrics.

What I do:

• Define your personal brand. Who you are, what you stand for, and how you should show up online
• Create the right content for the right audience so you attract clients, investors, or opportunities
• Develop a system so your brand runs without taking over your life

And here’s what happens when we get it right:

• Speaking engagements on top-tier stages
• Inbound leads and investment opportunities
• Industry recognition that makes you the go-to name in your field
• A network of high-value relationships that drive your business forward

I’ve helped tech founders, Web3 builders, and executives grow their influence and I can help you do the same.

So, what’s your next move?

You can keep letting others control the narrative about who you are.

Or you can start shaping it yourself and attract the kind of opportunities that change everything.

DM me or book a call. Let’s make your brand work for you.

Is it just me, or does the “Support” reaction on LinkedIn feel a bit condescending?

I’ve never really understood why it exists.

If you like a post, that’s already support.
So when you click Support, what does that actually mean?

You don’t like the post but like the person?
Or it’s meant to be deeper than a like, like “I’m with you”?

I honestly can’t tell.
Sometimes it even feels a bit condescending, like a polite pat on the head that says, “good job.”

To be clear, I don’t think people mean it that way.
It just feels like the one reaction without a clear purpose.

Maybe I’m overthinking it.
Or maybe there’s a certain type of post where it makes sense.

Do you actually use the Support reaction?
And if so, when?

Byron Grealy

Talks about #web3, #starting, #copywriting, and #personaldevelopment

I mentioned the idea of moving to Dubai in an off-handed way.

She didn’t blink. She just said: “Hell yes. Let’s do it.”

That moment says everything about the way she backs me.

I was already confident in the plan.
But having someone who immediately matches that energy is huge. 

She quit her job, moved countries, and didn’t turn it into a drama.
She saw the vision and doubled down with me.

And day to day, she still does the same.
She talks through growth plans with me.
She helps me organise whatever nonsense is in my head.
She believes in the goals we’ve set.

Plus, she knows I run on tough love.
So she gives it straight.
No hand-holding. Just the truth I need to hear to get things done.

So here’s the thank you.
For putting up with me.
For pushing me.
And for backing the life we’re building without hesitation.

I may be biased, but I truly believe that everyone needs someone like that in their corner.

This is how I found the "right" path.

2016: Finished uni, no clue what I wanted to do
2017: Worked at a startup, realised it wasn’t the right fit
2018: Moved to Hong Kong to teach English
2019: Invested in myself for the first time, bought a laptop, learned to edit
2020: Bought my first camera
2021: Started a blog
2022: Moved to London, started again, posted on LinkedIn to find a job
2023: Left my job and pivoted into personal branding
2024: Started a podcast
2025: Started my own business and moved to Dubai

There isn’t a single “right” path.
There’s just the one that starts to feel right once you’re on it.

To get there, it’s usually messy.
You bump into things.
You try stuff you don’t like.
You say yes before you know why.

Most of life is ruling things out.
That’s how you get closer to what fits.

You ever pause and wonder how someone comfortably puts “visionary” in their LinkedIn headline?

I try to picture what they see when they look at themselves.

Because when I think of a visionary, I think of people who changed the course of humanity.
The ones who obsessed over the work, not the title.
The ones who never once introduced themselves as a visionary.

That’s the thing.
If you’re going to claim that label, the work needs to justify it.
And the bar isn’t low.

So here’s a simpler approach.

Say what you actually do.
Say the impact you make.
Say who you help.

Then let everyone else decide if the word applies to you.

Titles don’t make the person.
The work does.

Gemini 3.0 is the first update in a while that’s actually worth your time.

I know you've heard that before, but hear me out.

It’s rare that a new model drops and immediately overtakes everything else in almost every test.

There's a lot of noise out there, but the output is insane. 

If you haven’t tried it yet, spend an hour this weekend running a couple of real tasks through it.
Actual work you’d normally do yourself.

See where it helps.
See where it saves you time.
See where it changes your workflow.

Remember, it's multi-modal, so you can input video or images and generate text.
Huge for things like video scripting. 
I even saw someone vibe coded a sign language coach, where in real time it can tell you if you're doing it right and test you on letters. 
Crazy. 

Give it a go. I mean, what do you have to lose?

Lose a couple of hours or save hundreds. 
Pretty good trade-off. 

Happy Friday!

If all you do is scroll, you’re building someone else’s life.

Not your own.

Content has moved fast.

Feels like five minutes ago we were just liking our friends’ weekend photos.
And you could actually reach the end of FB or Instagram. (Remember that?!)
Now it’s infinite.

And naturally, two types of people appeared:
the creators and the consumers.

Both spend a lot of time online.
Only one turns it into something useful.

Creating puts you in front of people who matter.
It gets you clients, conversations, and opportunities you’d never plan for.
You hit publish and the right person can find you.

Consuming does the opposite.
You compare yourself to strangers, feel shitty about yourself, and lose hours without even noticing.

I know which side I'd pick. 

If you’re not posting, nobody knows you.
And when you start posting, it might still feel like nobody knows you.
But you get better.
You figure things out.
And eventually you stop scrolling so much because you’re too busy making something.

That’s the side that pays.

“I don’t know what to post.”

I hear this a lot.

From smart founders and operators doing meaningful work but barely showing up online.

Not because they lack ideas.
But because they second-guess everything or wait until it feels “good enough.”

The thing is, originality isn’t the problem. 
Recall is.

You’ve already had the conversations.
Solved the issues.
Explained the same point ten different ways.

You just didn’t grab the moment when it was useful.

So here are 6 ways to make content ideas obvious.
Even on days when your brain says you’ve got nothing.

Simple. Practical. Repeatable.

Let me know if it helps.

Content Idea carousel

Nothing kills credibility faster than promising value you never deliver.

And people remember it for way longer than you think.

You know the format:
“I’ve distilled years of work into a simple resource... comment X and I’ll send it.”

It works.
But only if you actually deliver on two things.

1. The resource has to be useful.
If someone comments, opens it, and realises it’s just recycled advice, you’ve lost them.
Talking a big game is easy.
Backing it up is where most people fall short.

You lose trust fast when the “value” doesn’t match the promise.

2. You have to send it.
If you ask people to comment a word, respond.
If the post blows up, be ready.
Missing people or ignoring half the thread looks sloppy.
For a lot of leads, this is their first interaction with you.

I comment on these posts when the topic’s relevant, mostly to see who’s actually done the work and who’s running the script without thinking.

People get told to push this format hard, but your reputation is worth more than inflated engagement and leads who don’t trust you.

Anyway, that’s my take.
What's the most valuable resource you've got from one of these?

566k impressions. 
339k reached.
One post.

A client took a break from posting.
But only after a few posts back, one took off.

That’s the upside of LinkedIn, but you've got to stop doing what everyone else is doing.

I never thought we’d reach the point where elements of YouTube start showing up here, but we’re there.

The visual hook is now part of the game.

LinkedIn used to be simple.
A decent carousel or a photo of your pretty little face would grab attention.
Not anymore.

Creation has become easier, which means attention has become harder.
Images do take up the most space on the timeline, so you have to use them, but creatively.

What made this post work:

• We used AI to support the story, not replace it
• The image acted as a second hook
• It leaned into drama without being cringe
• It gave visual readers context instantly
• And the humour fit the client’s voice

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but there’s a trend on here right now.
People who don’t take themselves too seriously are winning.

So why did it spread?

• It was niche
• It used the right industry language
• It hit the ICP quickly
• It opened with a clean hook
• The visual created curiosity
• And the angle sparked debate

That’s what it takes.
Good positioning, fresh storytelling, and a reason to stop scrolling.

You’re selling features.

Your ICP is buying the solution.

Founders get this wrong all the time.

You spot a real problem.
You’ve lived the pain.
You know the product inside out because you’ve been buried in it for months.

But when you talk about it, people tune out.
Not because the idea is bad, the explanation is.

Most of the time it happens because you’re trying to sound clever.
Or you’re adding layers you think are “important.”
Or you slip into investor mode instead of customer mode.
Or you assume people have the same context spinning around your head.

They don’t.

And if the average reading age is around grade 7, you should be able to explain what you do to a 12-year-old without them zoning out.

If you can’t do that, you either don’t understand it well enough, or you’re overcomplicating it.

Focus on why it matters.
Focus on how it helps.
Keep it simple.

Drop the performance and people will finally pay attention.

If no one disagrees with you, your content is forgettable.

And forgettable content doesn’t build a personal brand.

As you grow, you attract more attention.
More impressions, more reach, more people with opinions about what you say.

That also means more pushback.
Haters, trolls, or just people who see the world differently.

The first time it happens, it feels like a crisis.
Clients panic. Friends panic. I’ve panicked too.
You feel exposed because you’re still finding your voice.

But the reality is, strong personal brands don’t come from trying to please everyone.
They come from having a stance and holding it when someone challenges you.

Look at the comments under any big creator.
Disagreement everywhere.
Some of it useful, some of it pointless.
But they keep going anyway.

Your job isn’t to avoid criticism.
Your job is to say things that matter and own it, even if some people push back.

If everyone agrees with you, you’re not saying anything worth remembering.

You already have a personal brand.

You’re just leaving it up to everyone else to define.

You're always pitching your brand.
You’re doing it on dates, in meetings, in interviews, you just don’t call it that.

Founders forget this.

They treat “personal brand” like an extra task they’ll get to once the product is perfect, the team is bigger, or things finally slow down.

But the real issue is, if people don’t get what you do, they can’t buy it, join it, or care about it.

And most founders stay stuck because their positioning is unclear and they’re not sure what’s worth sharing.

The simplest fix is to document what you actually do all day.

Not the highlight reel.
The decisions, the dead-ends, the small wins, the things you’re still figuring out.

When you do that, you stop running out of ideas, because your work creates them for you.
And the more you show up, the faster the market learns who you are and how to think about you.

You don’t need to become a creator.
You just need to stop hiding the parts of your work that would make people trust you faster.

Because you’re already selling every time you show up.
You may as well decide which version of you people remember.

It’s wild how convincing your excuses can sound in your head.

Turns out, “I’m not ready yet” was just my way of avoiding starting.

My biggest blocker has always been myself.

I’ve talked myself out of more things than I can count, starting a business, launching a podcast, getting into photography, even just posting on LinkedIn.

And every time, I had a reason that felt completely logical.
“I’m not ready yet.”
“I’ll start once I buy that piece of equipment.”

But looking back, none of those were real barriers.
They were just safer stories I told myself to avoid the discomfort of starting.

The truth is, you’re never ready.
You just get context as you go.
Each step gives you the information for the next one.

If you’ve been sitting on an idea, work backwards from the goal and find the smallest possible next step.
Then do that.
That’s what helped me close the gap between wanting to start and actually starting.

You don’t overcome hesitation by waiting for confidence.
You build it by acting before you feel ready.

The best-performing content on LinkedIn right now?

Posts that sound like real people talking about real things.

And I don’t mean the heavy, personal-life stuff.
Or dramatic updates.
(I’ve shared a few of those over the years, guilty.)

I mean the real side of building something.

The decisions you’re making.
The things you’re trying to figure out.
The lessons that only make sense after you’ve lived through them.
And even the uncomfortable parts that don’t fit neatly into a “win.”

For a long time LinkedIn was all company announcements, new hires, off-sites, and funding rounds.
There’s still a place for that, but the shift is obvious.

You’re seeing people talk about a product that didn’t land.
Or the months they spent working on something that never saw the light of day.
Or the version of their life before the one you see now.

It’s not oversharing.
It’s just honest context, and people are responding to it because it feels real.

I’m not saying put everything online.
There are things you should sit with before you talk about them publicly.
But sharing parts of the process, the thinking, the lessons, and even the stuff you’re still working through, it does something different.

It makes people feel like they actually know you.
Not the curated version.
Just the human behind the post.

We all know social media lets you choose what people see.
So the posts that cut through now are the ones that show a side people didn’t expect, the part that makes you relatable.

That’s the content I enjoy on here. 
And it’s the content people trust.

This is a pic of me working on a box before our furniture arrived.

The companies that changed everything were ridiculously simple.

Airbnb: stay in someone’s spare room.
Uber: tap a button, get a ride.
Dollar Shave Club: razors delivered.
Warby Parker: affordable, quality glasses online.

That’s it. 

They didn't have a big pitch or a complicated story. 
Just a clear problem solved in one sentence.

And it’s what I think about whenever I talk to founders.

You've got a solid product and a clear vision.
But the explanation is… a lot.

Not because there's no value, but because it’s buried under all the features, the winding narrative, and intricate details no one asked for.

If someone can’t repeat what you do, they won’t remember it.
And if they don’t remember it, they won’t care.

Simple doesn’t mean basic.
It just makes your value obvious.

Most companies would grow faster if they focused on that.

Netflix doesn’t care what you say you like.

It cares what you actually watch.

You can tell it you love documentaries, but if you’re binging trashy reality TV, that’s what it’ll serve you.
Because Netflix doesn’t listen to opinions.
It watches behaviour.

What you click.
What you finish.
What you rewatch.

That’s how it became one of the best personalisation engines in the world.
And you could swap in any social algorithm; they all work the same way.

I’ve seen it with clients. And with my own content.
When you start tracking what people actually respond to, saves, comments, DMs, patterns show up fast.

Some topics get bookmarked every time.
Some lines get quoted back to you.
Some formats just work better.

And it’s not just about metrics.
It’s about understanding your audience, what they really value, not just what they say they want.

Netflix knows most people are watching on their phones while half-distracted.
That’s why some shows now spell everything out.
It’s sad. But it’s true.

Founders make the same mistake with content all the time:
They post what they think people want, not what their audience has already proven they engage with.

But the signals are there.
You just have to pay attention.

Netflix uses that data to feed you your next show.
You can use it to decide your next post.

Most of us don’t struggle with the work.

We struggle with starting the thing we know we should be doing.

I’m no different, so this is mainly a reminder to myself.

There’s this pattern I fall into more than I’d like to admit.
I’ll have something important I want to work on.
I know it matters.
I know it’ll make things easier or push the business forward.
But I tell myself I’m too busy right now, so I’ll get to it “later.”

And then later becomes this weird loop where the task gets heavier the longer I avoid it.
Not because it’s actually hard, but because I’ve built it up in my head.

Eventually, I sit down, do it, and realise it took about 40 minutes
and solved something I’d been carrying around for weeks.

Right now that thing for me is working on the business.
Client delivery always gets done, but the stuff that makes the next six months better lives in the unsexy tasks we delay.

Cleaning your CRM.
Fixing a funnel.
Building a system.
Creating something new that actually helps people find you.

None of it feels urgent today.
But all of it compounds.

So this is me giving myself a nudge to stop avoiding the things
that actually move the business forward.

If you’ve been doing the same, take the nudge too.

“Agree?”

One of the best CTAs… or one of the worst?

I can never tell.

Some days it feels like it belongs on the midwit meme.
Beginners default to it.
Creators in the middle call it lazy.
Then someone with a million followers uses it again and pulls 800 comments.

So which is it?

From what I’ve seen across clients:

Specific CTAs work when you want a clear action
Open CTAs like “Agree?” work when you want raw engagement

Both perform… depending on the post, the audience, and how much effort the reader feels like putting in

I’m starting to think it’s preference more than anything else.

How important have CTAs been for you?
Have you seen any that consistently outperform?

Agree? 😉

What is a “futurist,” exactly?

Every time I see it in a headline, I check out their profile.
To try to work out what it actually means.

Half the people using it don’t seem too sure either.

And what’s the opposite description?
“Against-the-future-ist”?
“Tech-is-a-phase-ist”?

If that’s the alternative, calling yourself a futurist feels like a decent gamble.

To be fair, some people genuinely break down the science and tech shaping where things are going.

But if you’re not living in the weeds, there are better ways to describe what you do than a word that sounds like it belongs in a sci-fi credits list.

Maybe I’m wrong.
Maybe “futurist” is the new “thought leader.”

What do you think, am I being unfair?

LinkedIn is popping off right now. 

Rewarding the ones who show up consistently, even posting multiple times a day. That wasn't a thing before.

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