Description

Make 2026 the year you promote the absolute heck out of yourself 👌

This time, I’m joined by Gus Bhandal to talk about ways you can build up some good old fashioned hysteria for your personal brand and your business.

Gus is a LinkedIn expert. I have an unhealthy relationship with LinkedIn. So of course we gave the platform some air time :)

But we also talked about…

how speaking at events has grown our profiles

the time Gus was a pub landlord (I didn’t ask if he ever got to shout “get outta my pub!”)

stuff we see other people post online that makes us go “oh noooo” 😐

why it pays to be positive when you’re putting yourself out there

getting famous (in our tiny bubble)

And your friend and mine Will Slater is back with more bizpiration in #WillsBookClub

Sidenote

On the topic of LinkedIn, I did a poll this week asking “If you know something was written by AI, do you keep reading?” Depending on what time you read this email, you might still be able to vote. But if you’re too late, you can at least see what the final tally was by clicking the picture below.

I find it so interesting that despite all the hype around AI and how we’ll get “left behind” if we don’t use it, 57% of this sizeable sample of humans finds AI generated writing a major turnoff. Something to bear in mind when deciding whether to a) get a robot to do it or b) bring in me and Dave at Copy Or Die copywriting agency to get some squidgy human brains on the project.

About my co-host - Gus Bhandal

Back to the episode, and my guest co-host Gus. He’s a marketing strategist, social media specialist, LinkedIn trainer, and founder of The M Guru. He recently launched The Squeeze, a LinkedIn focused membership for freelancers and founders who want to get more out of the platform. Gus also co-created the LinkedIn focused conference UpLift Live.

Find Gus on LinkedIn (chronically, like me) and on Instagram.

Next steps…

If you want to take LinkedIn more seriously, get yourself to UpLift Live to hear from the world’s leading LinkedIn experts and influencers. Including your friend and mine Dave Harland, who’s speaking at this year’s event. The full line-up is on the Uplift Live website.

It’s in Birmingham on Thursday 26th March and you can get £20 off your ticket right here by using the code MELB. I get a few quid when you use the code, which will go on paying sound guy (and sound guy) Ant’s next invoice.

Tracklist

BTW, today’s episode name is Hysteria, a single by Muse from their 2003 (whaaat?!) album, Absolution. I picked it because as business owners we need to hype ourselves up and whip our clients into a frenzy of hysteria, so that they’re uncontrollably excited to work with us. Also coz Muse were the first band I saw live when they supported Skunk Anansie at Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1999. Good times.

Let me know, how are you going to hype up yourself and your business this year?

I’m going to try and bag a couple of speaking gigs, run more workshops (IRL and in person) and get onto more podcasts as a guest (it’s less work than making my own episodes) 😉Speaking of workshops…

Freelancer Magazine Masterclass Series

Freelancer Magazine is running a two-day masterclass series on 4th and 5th March. I’m running a workshop called “How to be lucky and win the freelance lottery” along with a tonne of other freelancer experty people talking about topics like branding, onboarding, tone of voice and PR. More info right here (my affiliate link, where it costs you the same as it would if you bought it anywhere else, but I get a bit of cash for aforementioned sound guy).

You get 14 practical workshops designed by experts especially for freelance business owners, with recordings to watch back whenever you like. My talk is called ‘How to be lucky and win the freelance lottery’ (no lotto win guaranteed).

Also speaking are…

​Alex Thompson - ‘Go from order taker to trusted partner: earn more by doing less’.Amy Nolan - ‘Amy’s lunchtime doodle creative livener’.Alastair Thomson - ‘Getting funky with finance’.Angela Lyons - ‘Create a memorable freelance brand across all platforms’.Anita Ellis - ‘First contact to signed contract – take control of your sales and onboarding process’.Eman Ismail - ‘Turn followers into clients: how to turn your newsletter into a lead machine’.Gus Bhandal - ‘The LinkedIn content superstar strategy’.Heather Murray - ‘Reach new revenue levels (without hiring) with AI’.Jess Bruno - ‘F*ck the algorithm – how to build a personal brand and double your visibility’.Lucy Werner - ‘Using your personal stories to get PR’.Penny Brazier - ‘Write like yourself (everyone else is taken)’.Ryan Percival - ‘Create a LinkedIn profile that works while you work’.Tamu Thomas - ‘Impossible to ignore: 3 steps to get paid to speak and build a magnetic expert profile’.

The value is ridiculous so get your ticket here (again, there’s recordings, so don’t worry if you’ve got other stuff on that week).

Byeeeeeee,

Mel

Find my producer, theme composer and certified grownup Ant Henderson on LinkedIn.

And listen to indie business club wherever you cast your pods.

🎙️ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indiebusinessclub.substack.com