Make 2026 the year you promote the absolute heck out of yourself đ
This time, Iâm 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 aboutâŚ
how speaking at events has grown our profiles
the time Gus was a pub landlord (I didnât ask if he ever got to shout âget outta my pub!â)
stuff we see other people post online that makes us go âoh nooooâ đ
why it pays to be positive when youâre 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 âIf you know something was written by AI, do you keep reading?â Depending on what time you read this email, you might still be able to vote. But if youâre 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 weâll get âleft behindâ if we donât 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. Heâs 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 stepsâŚ
If you want to take LinkedIn more seriously, get yourself to UpLift Live to hear from the worldâs leading LinkedIn experts and influencers. Including your friend and mine Dave Harland, whoâs speaking at this yearâs event. The full line-up is on the Uplift Live website.
Itâs in Birmingham on Thursday 26th March and you can get ÂŁ20 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) Antâs next invoice.
Tracklist
BTW, todayâs 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 theyâre 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?
Iâm 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 (itâs less work than making my own episodes) đSpeaking of workshopsâŚ
Freelancer Magazine Masterclass Series
Freelancer Magazine is running a two-day masterclass series on 4th and 5th March. Iâm running a workshop called âHow to be lucky and win the freelance lotteryâ 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 âHow to be lucky and win the freelance lotteryâ (no lotto win guaranteed).
Also speaking areâŚ
âAlex Thompson - âGo from order taker to trusted partner: earn more by doing lessâ.Amy Nolan - âAmyâs lunchtime doodle creative livenerâ.Alastair Thomson - âGetting funky with financeâ.Angela Lyons - âCreate a memorable freelance brand across all platformsâ.Anita Ellis - âFirst contact to signed contract â take control of your sales and onboarding processâ.Eman Ismail - âTurn followers into clients: how to turn your newsletter into a lead machineâ.Gus Bhandal - âThe LinkedIn content superstar strategyâ.Heather Murray - âReach new revenue levels (without hiring) with AIâ.Jess Bruno - âF*ck the algorithm â how to build a personal brand and double your visibilityâ.Lucy Werner - âUsing your personal stories to get PRâ.Penny Brazier - âWrite like yourself (everyone else is taken)â.Ryan Percival - âCreate a LinkedIn profile that works while you workâ.Tamu Thomas - âImpossible to ignore: 3 steps to get paid to speak and build a magnetic expert profileâ.
The value is ridiculous so get your ticket here (again, thereâs recordings, so donât worry if youâve got other stuff on that week).
Byeeeeeee,
Find my producer, theme composer and certified grownup Ant Henderson on LinkedIn.
And listen to indie business club wherever you cast your pods.
đď¸ Spotify / Apple podcasts / Amazon Music and Audible
