Produced By - LinkedIn Success: Build a Presence That Commands Attention | #97: Beatrice Vladut

Starting point is 00:00:00 What you have to remember is that there are two sides of this. The one side that I feel people talk about too much is it's a platform and it has an algorithm. So bearing in mind these nuances of what can help you push your content forward, it's great to know to kind of help yourself that way. However, that is just a very small part of it. The most important part is what you write and how you write it. And so what helped me was really to understand the people they're following me, why they're following me, how do I want to show up, and the main reason I'm writing content.

Starting point is 00:00:34 And so that started with gaining clarity on who they are and also what they need and want. And my strategy is simple. It's not a blueprint of anything. It's just focusing on the audience's problems and giving solutions and solving these problems in the content and speaking to them and really crafting every single post to help them. Before we dive into today's episode, please hit that subscribe button. Your support helps us grow and inspire more people on their journeys. Thank you. Hello, Beah.

Starting point is 00:01:10 Thank you for joining us today and welcome to the show. Thank you for having me. Pleasure to be here. So Beah, something that I've been curious about this, actually, if you can tell us more about your background, because I know that when we spoke, you said I think we are based in Spain, then I saw that you are a highly ranked creator in Romania. And on LinkedIn, I can see that you are in London.

Starting point is 00:01:34 So can you tell us where we're actually from or where you are based? Confusing, yes. I say I'm a citizen of the world. I'm originally from Romania. This is where I grew up. And then I've lived in different countries. I lived in the UK. I lived in Spain.

Starting point is 00:01:50 I lived in Bali for a while. And now I'm back in Spain, at least for now. so I'm based in Barcelona. Oh, nice. So even more than I thought, Bali on top of it. Yes. And why is it actually? Are you someone who likes to travel or to live like a digital nomad or different reasons?

Starting point is 00:02:13 Yeah, I mean, when I started my business, that was the ultimate and the primary goal, which was freedom. And that was freedom of career, freedom of time, of location. And I always wanted to be location independent. and I think the world is so beautiful and there's so many beautiful places to see and it's hard to just choose one so I do what I call slow traveling so wherever I go I'm based there for at least two months

Starting point is 00:02:39 and so that gives me the time to build a routine and not be in a rush so what's your next destination good question well for now it's going to be Barcelona for maybe the next foreseeable future a few months and then I don't know

Starting point is 00:02:59 I really liked Bali looking forward to to going back there for a while just kind of like flicking between places maybe South Africa maybe Mexico I guess there are too many to choose from exactly yeah too many places in such a little time

Starting point is 00:03:15 and what place did you enjoy the most so far I really liked Bali and that was firstly because of the community the type of people it attracts there, but as well, the locals. Everyone is very friendly and you see so many positive people. They have so little and yet they're much happier than people in the West or than we are here in Europe. So it's really, really nice to have that positive energy around all the time. I guess there's some truth to that saying that the people you surround yourself with, that it impacts you a lot.

Starting point is 00:03:54 Yeah, absolutely. They say you're the average of the five people you're surrounded by, and I think that's very true. The moment you build a community with people there above your level and that inspire you, it's so much easier to grow and the speed of growth increases as well. Yeah, I can't stress that enough. Your environment is extremely, extremely important. Yeah, I spoke with a few people lately as well, whether it was from Thailand or Bali. and whenever I speak with someone it makes me excited or just want to go there and experience it as well so now I speak with you and it makes me feel that way again. Totally, you should definitely give it a try.

Starting point is 00:04:37 Yeah. And do you still go back home to Romania? I do. I do go to see my family. I try to make it at least once or twice a year and it's always nice to go back to, you know, like the nostalgia of the place. the people, yeah.

Starting point is 00:04:55 And I would regret not asking you for your opinion on UK or London, because as I live here now, I would be curious to hear about your experience. Yeah, I mean, I think London is great in terms of opportunities, in terms of business, you know, the people you make connections with and networking as well. There are a lot of amazing events and plenty of places to see. However, for me, I'm not a big. fan of big cities and also sun it's an important element to my environment and happiness yeah so apart from that you know i believe london is great to to grow but when it comes to when it comes to community

Starting point is 00:05:41 and overall you know lifestyle experience in my opinion and just this is just my personal view on it there are other places that I would prefer. Yeah, totally. And I guess you cannot really compare the weather in London to where you are either now or when you are in. So it makes sense. Yeah. You know that first hand. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:06:07 And then coming back to when you are younger or before you started or before you moved out, is that something that you've been always dreaming about, like to travel the world and be free and have this freedom of living from anywhere you want? To be honest, I've never imagined, you know, the word would change the way it did now and how the whole, you know, creators economy enabled all this freedom and kind of like you build your lifestyle

Starting point is 00:06:37 and you craft, you know, the life you want to live, you don't live a life that you are given, you are the creator of it, speaking of creators. And so I don't think I even knew this is possible when I was when I was young or younger. But definitely I'm extremely grateful for the life I'm able to live with what they do. So how did you actually discover this, whether a type of career or the whole creator economy or the potential in that?

Starting point is 00:07:09 Yeah. It's funny because if you look at most creators now, you realize that you can build your career. You can do something that is not, you know, written in the traditional way of working, I would say. And I think COVID was a big change with that. And around then, I also started looking at freelancing. And this is the very first thing I did. I started freelancing maybe five years ago, a bit longer than that. And I started as a conversion copywriter.

Starting point is 00:07:42 I only did an internship. I've never had like a proper, you know, work contract. and just going in that internship, I was like, I don't want to go to an office every day. I don't want to wake up at a certain time a day to have lunch at a certain time of day, to ask permission for holidays or for my birthday. And very soon I realized that I just don't feel comfortable in that type of environment and lifestyle. And so I kind of took a leap of fate with, you know, when you're 20, you don't really think much about the risks, right? know if I would do it the same way now, but I just quit my job and I got my first client and I

Starting point is 00:08:23 kind of like all went all in and I started focusing on that. But the whole LinkedIn journey came a bit later for me where I started posting on LinkedIn, had no idea I was doing. I didn't even know that people like, yeah, exactly. And it was very early days like there were not a lot of creators. I didn't even know that, you know, LinkedIn is not that CV, display place anymore. Before that, I've only used it for looking for a job or an internship or, you know, sharing something from work that my manager told me to do. And I remember it was one day when I just posted something around failure and something that it was just more personal. And there were so many people that resonated with it. I've got so much engagement, so many people

Starting point is 00:09:13 messaging me, they have the same story. And, That kind of made me see the potential in this platform. And I've never been a video person. I love writing. And so it was a perfect space to share ideas. And from there, there were some people who messaged me and they asked me, oh, can you write the same for me? So this is how my first ghost writing project went to life.

Starting point is 00:09:40 And from there, I've built my ghost writing agency, which is now phased out and closed. I focus on coaching, but yeah, it started from really just putting myself out there and that brought in a lot of opportunities. And do you remember roughly how long ago was it? I think it was two years and a half. Mm-hmm. Wow. Yeah, it's pretty cool and you never know.

Starting point is 00:10:05 Of course, I assume it takes some courage to write first post like this, especially if it's something kind of vulnerable or opening, like to open about your feelings. but then if you don't do it, you never know what reaction you may get and where it may lead. So I think it's a perfect example. Exactly. And, you know, sadly now it all became kind of over-engineered and, you know, looking for the quick way to do it, looking for a trick, looking for the magic feel you can take, right, to get you to the top.

Starting point is 00:10:39 But in reality, if you are just creating content because you have to, it would never be as powerful as creating content because you have something valuable to share that is worth your audience to know. I'm glad we can hear it from someone like you because I can often see that as well. Or sometimes people send you a DM like, what's the secret or what's the shortcut? So I assume that you get such messages as well. So if you do, what's your answer? I would be curious. Yeah, I do.

Starting point is 00:11:10 I get them every day. And the truth is for everyone out there. There is no secret. There is no shortcut. The principles are timeless, and they're the same principles that philosophers and great orators and communicators were using in the past, in the ancient times,

Starting point is 00:11:28 which is the power of communication and persuasion and understanding how to write and how to use words to move masses, essentially. And I believe that the focus should be on that, rather than how can I trick the system? Yeah, and I often think that it gets discussed a lot, such as these things that you can say, that it's kind of routine or regular or nothing extraordinary, such as build a community, show up consistently, deliver value, but in the end, that's actually what is true.

Starting point is 00:12:03 That's how it works out, and don't look any overnight success or any shortcuts. Because even when I speak with people, there is like never secret sauce like, or overnight success, you can always see. It's like a consistency over a long time and just showing up and improve it. Yeah, and everything that helped me grow, it's the things that I'm talking about in my content. I always share what works, what to do, what not to do based on my experience and what I've experienced firsthand. But at the end of the day, the thing is that if you're rushing to get the outcome, you are not focusing on the input, and the input is far more important to outcome.

Starting point is 00:12:45 Because during this input and during this journey, you're actually growing and you're evolving as a person. So your personal brand, essentially, when you start creating content, it goes beyond the professional world. It's actually also at a personal level where a self-actualization progress, right? You're becoming a better version of you and you're learning on this journey and you're helping others learn with you as you're documenting that journey. But if you're looking to skip all the steps, then you are actually, you know, overlooking and missing out on the most important part of your brand, which is your growth as a person and your evolution. And that's when you look back at your first post and cringe what it looked like compared to now.

Starting point is 00:13:35 Yes, exactly. If you don't look back at your previous work and you don't cringe, then you're doing something wrong because every day we progress, every day we become better. And it took me lots of time to actually find my voice. It took me maybe a year to really feel confident in the way I write that is true to myself. And it's aligned with who I am and how I want to be seen, right? And I feel like people need to understand that. You cannot just start writing and you get it perfectly. Or, you know, you feel 100% confident in what you're doing. Because at the end of the day, it's a new skill.

Starting point is 00:14:12 It's just like learning a new language or going to the gym. You're going to suck at it in the beginning. But the more you do, you become better at it and you become more comfortable with it. Totally. And of course, by practice, it's actually the best way how to find out because it may not work out. But at the same time, you at least find out that that's not the way to go and shows you, you know, the other way to go with. So just practice and that's how you find out. For sure.

Starting point is 00:14:43 It's a lot of testing as well. And the more you practice, the more you understand what works, what doesn't, what needs improvement. But I'm never going to say that this is an easy journey. It's simple. The principles are not hard. Everyone can do it. Everyone can understand it.

Starting point is 00:14:57 But the hard part is to stick with it and to keep moving forward, even when you're not getting the outcome you want exactly in the moment. Because it's all compound. and it's a buildup of success that only shows up over time. If you give up in day due or you give you give up on, you know, the first week, the first month, and you say, I tried it doesn't work, you actually haven't tried it enough. Yeah. You never see the whole story or how long journey there is behind it.

Starting point is 00:15:28 Yeah. And with your learning experience, do you remember maybe some creators who are your inspiration or any other resources that helped you to learn and improve? Yeah, totally. The very, very first person I came across was Dan Co. And even today, I really love his philosophy around the whole content creation industry, the creator's economy. And it's all about, you know, building that's life that you want to live.

Starting point is 00:16:02 And of course, all my friends on LinkedIn that I've learned a lot. from like just min alick lara costa richard more as well they all have been my mentors and my good friends yes it's great um so i feel like you know the content we're exposed to like everyone is creating content nowadays everything is content online and it's so much noise right it's so much a i content and content that is boring it's it's lacking substance it's lacking value and so it's super important to to nurture your feed and curate your feet and search for the people that they're actually good at it and and they share value and feed yourself with that just like you know you eat let's say healthy and organic food and not so much process right is the same i heard this

Starting point is 00:16:56 analogy and i thought it was such a good analogy with you know processed versus organic content same with the food right you always find more quality in the organic one Yeah, I think it perfectly comes back to what we discussed before, that again, it's about the people that you surround yourself with. Because if you follow the right people, obviously it will influence you positively, whether it's your mindset, the stuff that you learn, anything that you consume, or if it's, I don't know, for entertainment or any other content that it's not maybe valuable, then it's really up to you what you consume. So I really like what you said, and it's a great point. Absolutely, and it's not like valuable, you know, I mean, you can find value in content that is not only educational. Maybe it's inspiring, it's empowering, and there are different functions of content, maybe it's entertaining, and that is still valuable for the reader. It just has a different purpose, right?

Starting point is 00:17:51 The whole idea is to find the people that they're sharing similar values with you. They are maybe to a point in life where you want to be and you can learn from them. And I feel like a lot of people don't realize the luxury and the luck we have in our generation and to live in these days. Because before, as I said, you know, great teachers like Seneca, right, and philosophers, they surrounded themselves with great teachers, but these teachers were not accessible to everyone. And so now the teachers we have today, they are most likely in the online environment and all this content is free. and we can learn so much. The only thing is that, you know, it's important to see who are these people that you look up to and really consume that content just like you would learn anything else, like a source of information.

Starting point is 00:18:46 But, yeah, I think we're living in some great times and the fact that you can just, you know, go out there on the Internet and learn any skill you want and, you know, block your next six months or 12 months to perfect something and you become great at it simply because you have access to disinformation and resources. I can only agree, and especially with LinkedIn, that you can literally connect and maybe even chat with pretty much anyone who is there, which is like the person on the other side of the world, completely different industry, much way ahead of you, but still LinkedIn allows you or usually allows you to chat with such a person, learn from them and connect with them, which I think is a great potential.

Starting point is 00:19:28 of such a platform. Yeah, absolutely. I always say it's like having access to the biggest networking event in the world without needing to fly on the other side of the world without buying a ticket for it. And you can connect with people that can essentially change your life

Starting point is 00:19:45 or become great mentors, great friends, great investors, employees, you know, partners. And so it just goes beyond just, you know, pushing a piece of content because you have to be consistent and post every day. but really is the connections you're making, the relationships you're building with people that maybe 10, 20 years ago would have been impossible to reach just over the internet. And I think the accessibility of those connections and network gets absolutely, it's huge,

Starting point is 00:20:15 you know, and also it brings so much value to everyone who can see this and take the advantage of the times we're living in, especially on LinkedIn, which is essentially a networking platform. me was designed to do that and you know is still the primary reason that people spend time there yeah never forget it's networking club and when you were starting out did you ever imagine or did you have idea or a goal that you would become such a big creator such as for example before you were looking up to people for inspiration and now people are looking up to you for inspiration it's like a like a full circle moment to be honest with you no i had no idea i also had no expectations and i also didn't know where this can go i experienced a very very quick growth especially

Starting point is 00:21:08 the first months i started showing up and i think i reached like 15 000 followers in three months or something like that which was a record time and i never had no reminder in mind yeah so now I never thought this will happen. Also when I saw I became, I was ranked the first content creator in Romania. That was also a huge, you know, a huge achievement for me, but also a huge surprise because, again,

Starting point is 00:21:37 my goal was not working towards becoming the biggest creator. I was just sharing my insights, my ideas, and hopefully value to others. And yeah, it just turned out great, but it was never a goal. Yeah, it sounds like, I mean, it's a proof that you are doing something right. So I guess we'll deserve. Thank you.

Starting point is 00:22:00 Are you struggling to stay consistent on LinkedIn? Create high-quality posts in minutes with penpost. Write faster, show up more, and stressless. Try free and fanpost.com. And then can you tell us more about, let's say, your strategy on LinkedIn? Because obviously, throughout the whole time, you've explored whether, it's different posting times, frequencies or post formats. You need to ask what worked for you, what didn't,

Starting point is 00:22:31 what's your approach like to try the new stuff and maybe help people to craft their strategies? Yeah, what you have to remember is that there are two sides of this. The one side that I feel people talk about too much is obviously it's a platform and it has an algorithm. So bearing in mind these nuances of what can help you. push your content forward, it's great to know to kind of help yourself that way. However, that is just, you know, the very small part of it. The most important part is what you write and how you write it. And so what helped me was really to understand the people they're following me, why they're following me, how do I want to show up, and the main reason I'm writing content.

Starting point is 00:23:17 And so that started with gaining clarity on who they are and all. also what they need and want. And my strategy is simple. It's not a blueprint of anything. It's just focusing on the audience problems and giving solutions and solving these problems in the content and speaking to them and really crafting every single post to help them. And that helps you position yourself as an expert, as a leader. But essentially, the best strategy is your audience problems.

Starting point is 00:23:52 to solve them, write it in a way that is clear and understandable for everyone. Don't try to sound fancy. Don't try to sound who you're not. And kind of, in a way, be humble the way you write. Because, you know, the best way to deliver an idea, it's the simple way that everyone can understand and actually give value and benefit from that piece of information. And so, yeah, that was my strategy.

Starting point is 00:24:18 I don't know if carousels work better. I don't know if you should do video. or infographics, just find what works for you in your industry and the type of information you're sharing. If it's too complex, then yeah, use some visual aids and help yourself with that. If you're the type of person that likes to put your face there and, you know, you enjoy having photoshoots, like a lot of people tell me, like, oh, when do you have time to do that?

Starting point is 00:24:42 It's simply because I enjoy doing it. It doesn't mean you need to do that to grow. What it means is that you need to understand how to write effectively, to understand digital writing and to deliver your ideas to your audience in a way that they can understand it and they can action on it. So actionable advice, it's the best strategy you can use. And I think just try to experiment to find what works the best for you and then find the one and it can make you like to stand out if that's the one that people associate you with and you become the professional in the specific one. So don't have to follow anyone. Just, you know,

Starting point is 00:25:19 try and find what works the best for you. Yeah, absolutely. And you can obviously get inspiration from people that already made it to the top. And if this is where you want to go, absolutely learn from them. You know, I would say like the best way to create something new is to imitate something that was already there and just improve it or add your take on it. And there's nothing wrong with that. However, you should always bear in mind that not every industry is the same. Not every business is the same.

Starting point is 00:25:47 and obviously not every person is the same. So maybe your stories are just getting a lot of traction because they're interesting and people resonate with them. But, you know, we don't have the same stories and you're not me and I'm not you. And so I believe this is the most important thing. Don't lose sight on the fact that not everyone is the same and what worked for one person. Maybe it's not going to work for you. But there are other things that you can do that will help you grow.

Starting point is 00:26:17 and rather find these than trying to replicate step by step what someone did. I agree. And I think it's also important to find something that you enjoy because not going to lie sometimes it might be hard to show up consistently, but I believe that if you find something that you enjoy, that you are excited about or just makes it easier to show up, it just makes everything more easier and more enjoyable. Yeah, absolutely.

Starting point is 00:26:45 I mean, at the end of the day, you have to remember that when you start on this journey, again, it's not a quick win and he's not a sprint, it's a marathon, put it this way. And so to do that, you need to find something that you can stick to and you can show up consistently to. And if, you know, filming a video takes to three hours and editing it's another two hours, then maybe that's not the right way to show up just because videos are trendy now. you know, they get pushed by the algorithm doesn't mean that you need to do that and, you know, spend all your time on crafting those unless you enjoy that and you want it and, you know, it's what you like to do. But if not, just find a different way to share that information because that's far more important than just doing it in a way that is correct or it should be.

Starting point is 00:27:40 Yeah, or trying to chase every trend out there, whether it's carousalus or. videos just because everyone said that doesn't mean that it will necessarily work or that it's something that will work for you. Exactly. Yeah, you need to try things out and see. Also, if you are, you know, a lawyer or if you are in a different industry, maybe your audience is just not consuming the content the way that is trendy, right? So always bear in mind who is your audience and how do they like to consume your content and deliver it that way? Because at the end of the day, are creating the content for them, not for you, not for you to do good, but for them to get value from and just give them what they need the way they need it.

Starting point is 00:28:25 Yeah, I agree. And very big topic is obviously AI. So I would be curious for you, both how you use it, if you use it, and then your usage when it comes to obviously write in your post, because I assume that you use it to help you, but at the same time, you cannot use it to outsource your work. if you know what I mean. Yes. So I'm glad you touch up on this topic because I do have a lot to say about it.

Starting point is 00:28:55 The thing is that AI content will not be good if you are not a good creator. If you don't know what good looks like, you cannot quality check ads. If you don't know how to tweak the content that you're getting, AI is simply a tool. It's simply look at it as a ghostwriter, as a helper. if you're writing codes you can have a ghost coder right however it's never you and you still need to to build a narrative you still need to quality check you still need to tweak and to add the human touch and so you cannot get a good AI content if you are not good content like that needs to be to be clear and absolutely AI saves a lot of time and I'm using it every day and every single

Starting point is 00:29:44 I do. However, if I were just to, you know, copy paste a chatypity generating post, then, then, you know, the impact will never be the same. People would not resonate with it the same because it doesn't have depth, it doesn't have the values you have, right? And so, even though it's helping you tremendously with the time that you're saving and with the speed of, of, you know, ideation, research, like maybe gives you some great. ideas to start from. However, is never the answer. But I'm glad you asked this because I'm actually working on a very new project that is called Flow OS and we just released the waiting list for the beta testers and it's more than just an AI tool because as I said, I don't believe that AI is the

Starting point is 00:30:36 answer. However, I believe it's a great help. What most creators find difficult is having a system, staying consistent, having the ideas to execute on when it comes to content. We're exposed to so much information, so much idea, and we get inspiration from everywhere. And so having a place to store these ideas and a system that helps you go from idea to content that is worth reading, worth sharing, and has an impact on other people, it's a process. And so that's why we've built this tool to help creators organize their ideas better execute on them and not find themselves in a place where they're slacking anymore because

Starting point is 00:31:19 they don't have the consistency or they get the writer's block. So, yeah, that's going to be... I think you posted about it today or didn't you? I did yesterday, yes. Yesterday, okay, yeah. That's going to be essentially the new way of creating content and how I see it more it's a movement rather than just a tool. And as I said, it's no secret sauce, no magic trick.

Starting point is 00:31:46 It's just having a system in place and a strategy that works for you. And this is what flow is it's all about. And what is it going to be released? So it's already released. It's open for the first 50 people. The first 50 people that join, they have some extra benefits. They get to test the tool. They get early access before the actual launch.

Starting point is 00:32:09 and also their feedback will be applied in the next features that we're building. They also get access to community and to us, the founders. So it's already available to register for the pre-launch. That sounds exciting. Was it your idea or your partners or who came up with the idea? It's actually a funny story because David, my co-founder, cake to me with the tool. He essentially wanted to while-label it in the beginning.

Starting point is 00:32:42 And when I saw his idea was essentially the idea I had in mind on creating this content system, this brain where you can store your ideas, I basically stopped him and I suggested we do this together because it was very aligned with the vision I had. And I believe for both of us was the best decision because he's the technical person. he's the one that makes things happen. I'm the more person with a vision and with the new ideas. The one giving order. No, not at all, not at all.

Starting point is 00:33:19 Just, you know, like putting together the creative mind and the technical mind. And obviously, I couldn't do it without him. And the other way wrong because we just have complementary skills. And I believe this is very important when you build any type of product, especially in tech you always need to have a tech founder, co-founder, and then a more marketing and creative founder. So I think we just found each other very nicely combination. It's like Steve Jobs and Steve Bosniak, isn't it?

Starting point is 00:33:57 I think any great business out there has both because you do need both. So is that like the project something? that you plan to work on, keep improving in the future? Something that you are excited about and your focus for now? Yes, of course. I mean, I'm working with a lot of people helping them to write content, to build a personal brand, to strategize. And if it's something I've noticed in every single person I've helped in the last two years,

Starting point is 00:34:26 is that they're all lacking a system, they're all lacking structure in their ideas and also how to take that and make it a piece of content that is not just, you know, filling their calendar or taking the box for posting today, but it's actually delivering value. It's actually positioning themselves as leaders, as experts. And that is not so straightforward as just writing anything you have in mind or just posting. It's what you write and how you write it. So as I was building the system, you know,

Starting point is 00:34:57 kind of more in a manual way with the clients I'm working with, having David coming in with this type of solution, and then it was really the perfect time and the perfect match. So, yeah, it's a project that's very dear to me, and I know it's going to be really big. Yeah, and fingers crossed. Because I remember that in the beginning you mentioned, if I'm not mistaken, that you had agency.

Starting point is 00:35:21 So does it mean that you still have it or that you closed it to focus on this project, or am I wrong? You're almost right. So in the beginning, I started with ghost writing. So I was the one writing the content for clients. But then I realized that first is very hard to scale. And also it was not something I was enjoying very much. I love writing.

Starting point is 00:35:43 But again, I feel like empowering people to write their own content. It's far more powerful than writing it for them. Because I'm not them. I can be the best writer in the world. But I haven't experienced firsthand their transformations, their stories. You know, they know better their why of why they started a business. And so these things can't be replicated the same unless it comes from them. And so I've had an agency for maybe six months and then I closed it down and I started moving towards coaching.

Starting point is 00:36:16 So I've built my coaching program, which I still have it up and running today. It moved from a group program to a one-to-one type of support. So now I work one-to-one with founders, with entrepreneurs, with coaches and consultants and I help them build their own presence. They all seek great results by having more opportunities, by being seen by the right people in the right way, getting the right attention, which translates in more business opportunities, more clients and a rapid growth and more trust for what they do and who they are. Yeah. And that's what is on simply branding, right? Yeah, correct, yes. Yeah, nice. Well done. And if you don't mind, just to

Starting point is 00:37:02 come back to the AI discussion that we had. If you can tell us just the tools that you use or that are your favorite? So I now mostly use FlowOS, which is what I'm building with my co-founder, because again, I find it the most complete system that is not just helping you with the research or with an idea, but it helps you with the very first step until the very last step of you posting. So that's the primary tool I'm using. and I'm still using chatypity and clots sometimes for ideation.

Starting point is 00:37:35 The only thing is that flow always learns who you are. And it's kind of like a second brain for you, especially tailored to the ideas that you're saving. And so that helps me much more because the tone of voice, the style, and everything is tailored to me. And it does that for every user. That sounds smart. You sold it.

Starting point is 00:37:59 so. Great. And mission accomplished. And are you someone who's actually interested in the topic of AI in general or not really? I mean, I'm not an expert in AI. I'm never going to claim that. I think it's a very new technology and just like everything new that holds a lot of power. With a lot of power comes a lot of responsibility, right?

Starting point is 00:38:26 And I believe that, you know, it's really important. to understand how to use it in your benefits and how to make the most of it rather than be something that you want to, you choose to deny, ignore or be afraid of. And so it's definitely a topic I'm interested in because it's linked to all the industries nowadays, right? It's something that facilitates every single industry out there, every single career, and something that I personally believe everyone should look into and use it to facilitate your work. However, not an expert in it and I don't know all the in and else.

Starting point is 00:39:05 But that's why it's great to collaborate and to partner and to connect with people that know it better, understand it better. And so, yeah, I'm always looking to learn more about it. I feel like I share pretty much the same view. Kind of interested in it, but I know there is so much stuff. So follow the right people on LinkedIn who educate me and help me to keep up to date. Yes. And we've been discussing LinkedIn, but what about other social media platforms? Do you use any other,

Starting point is 00:39:36 or have you got any plans for the future? I don't. I'm only on LinkedIn at the moment. I'm planning to get started with YouTube at some point this year, but my main focus is on LinkedIn and it's the platform I enjoy the most, the platform I feel the most comfortable with. As I said, I'm more a writing person,

Starting point is 00:39:57 not so much a camera, person and then you know I feel it's it's the best platform to show up in the business world in entrepreneurial world but at the same time it's a platform where there is not so much noise like TikTok or Instagram where you know everyone is there and there is no sole goal however people on LinkedIn they are on LinkedIn either to do business or talk business or you know to learn from other people in the industry and I just prefer prefer this from the standpoint of what's the goal of the platform. Yeah, but I would maybe then assume that you would be using any newsletters,

Starting point is 00:40:40 unless I did the wrong research and haven't noticed that you've got one. But for example, sub-tech, isn't it something that you're interested in since you like writing? Newsletters, yeah. So I do have an email list that I haven't yet started a newsletter with. however is something I'm still working on and it's going to be released very soon but yeah the newsletter is also something that I want to start I haven't I haven't considered it's another another channel essentially because I was thinking more social media but you're right and do you know what newsletter platform you're going to use yeah be hive and out of curiosity why have you chosen

Starting point is 00:41:22 this one because that's something that I've been also thinking about before so I'm just curious to hear your opinion or decision in the end. Well, just like I was telling you earlier, I'm not a techie person. And the simplest platform in effective that is, I'm going to be happy to go with minimal effort on, you know, the tech and design part. I don't really care much about that. What I care about is the value that the reader gets.

Starting point is 00:41:49 And for me, you know, the less clicks and less, less technicality to it, the better. No, it makes complete sense. And on LinkedIn, it probably changes once we release this episode. But now as of the recording, you're pretty close to hitting beautiful milestone when it comes to the followers. So when it happens, are you going to celebrate?

Starting point is 00:42:13 Or have you got any plans once you reach it? Because obviously, it's a big achievement. You're right. And, you know, it's so easy to overlook these things. Like, I've never celebrated my milestones in the past, and I always promise myself that I'm going to be better this and, you know, celebrate small wins, big wins and everything, because at the end of the day, you know, it's, I've come a long way and sometimes lose track of the journey I've been on and I'm only focusing on what's yet to come. But if I can send

Starting point is 00:42:52 this message to everyone out there, it's so important to stop. And celebrate yourself, celebrate your goals that you have achieved. And it doesn't matter how small it is. You know, the fact that you've you've had a breakthrough this week, this month, this year, make sure you take the time to give yourself the credit you deserve. So to answer your question, I don't know how I'm going to celebrate that. I'm definitely grateful for every single person that is there every day and is reading my content and is in my community. And I value them all dearly. When I reached 40k, my partner actually took me, took me out for dinner in this really bougie place. And, you know, it kind of reminded me that I should celebrate this more.

Starting point is 00:43:39 So now you, with your question, you remind me that again. So, yeah, I'll take a moment to be grateful. Yeah. And it will be obviously something bigger because it's a higher number. And then the stakes will be increase it so once you reach 100k it must be something really big so good luck to your partner well thank you well he already said the bar high because it was a michelin star restaurant but oh okay okay yeah to you know like to to tell you more why actually i don't tend to to celebrate this is because i'm not so stuck on on the numbers right as i said i'm grateful for every single person that is there every day and is, you know, is helping me be in front of more people and deliver more value to more people.

Starting point is 00:44:30 But at the end of the day, numbers are just numbers. I'm not stuck on that. It's more having the right attention from the right people rather than just, you know, hitting 100K or 200K in the time, you know, record. No, I totally understand. And I like the message to celebrate smaller rewards because I think also it's important. and something that I think I don't do much either, so it's a good reminder for me as well.

Starting point is 00:44:55 Yeah, good. You should do that as well. And, you know, like a win, it doesn't mean like hitting 50K or, you know, signing 10 clients this month. A win can also be saying no to a client that you feel is not the right fit or to, you know, take some time for yourself to recharge. Or, you know, these wins can look at something different,

Starting point is 00:45:16 you know, something different for everyone else. And as I said, so easy to forget about this and just focus on the things that we don't have or things that we should be better at. But if we stop and look, there's so much we have, so much we've reached. And I'm sure that applies to every single person in the world. It's just a matter of perspective and seeing these things or, you know, wanting to see them. Yeah, I agree.

Starting point is 00:45:41 It can be like, for example, even putting out your very first video because obviously that is something that people are uncomfortable with, but when you overcome it, it's definitely they were celebrating and, you know, makes it easier next time. Exactly, yeah. And we discussed obviously your plans with your project, but have you got any other, like, plans, goals or ambitions when it comes to LinkedIn, something that we haven't discussed? Yeah, so my plan with it is to launch a community as well.

Starting point is 00:46:13 This is something I've been working on the background to and still keep my one-to-one clients still being open for one-to-one consultancy because I do enjoy working with people this way. I also like the fun of, you know, jumping call with hundreds of people at the same time. So I feel like I'd like to still keep both. And I'm going to be launching a community soon. It's coming with my newsletter. So more news and communication on that will be there. But it's definitely going to be this year in the next few months.

Starting point is 00:46:46 It's like a lot of exciting things. yeah, we'll be following and looking forward to it. And then we obviously discussed LinkedIn a lot and social media and stuff, but what about when it comes to your free time? Of course, we discussed traveling, but what is it that you enjoy doing in your free time? What are your hobbies or what you like to do? What free time?

Starting point is 00:47:09 I'm joking. Of course, it's important to create that time. The thing is, like, I always hear people saying, I don't have enough time. Look, we all have 24 hours, right? It's about what do you prioritize in your time, right? And I used to make this mistake, especially when I started my business, you know, not taking any time off, working 24-7 all the time.

Starting point is 00:47:34 And I saw how that is not sustainable and you need space to create, especially in a creative industry when you're a content creator, when you work with anything that requires inspiration. It cannot come from frustration. And so what I enjoy doing my, what I enjoy doing in my free time, I'm quite a social person. I'd love to spend time with friends,

Starting point is 00:47:58 but I also love solo time. So I'm quite outdoorsy. I like going for a run. I enjoy yoga, Pilates, or the girly sports. I love hiking. Being here in Barcelona, it's a lot of nature around. I like to be outside and, you know,

Starting point is 00:48:17 enjoy the sun, enjoy the views. So yeah, these are the main things I do every time. And they help me a lot with getting the inspiration for my work and for creation. Yeah, I totally agree for me also like sports or switching off from work or like LinkedIn stuff and that and doing some physical activities. It really helps to recharge, be more creative and, you know, just come back kind of recovered. So I agree and I think those are great points. Yeah, we're made to move.

Starting point is 00:48:52 Like, look at our ancestors, right, hunter-gatherers. They were not in front of a computer the whole day. They were running, walking, right? And this is what still helps us to, you know, recalibrate our mind. And as I said, to come back with more power. And I feel every single time I go for a walk, even if it's like 10 minutes, 20 minutes, I listen to a podcast or I'm just, you know, with my idea. And there's so many ideas that come up.

Starting point is 00:49:19 And that's actually how I create the content and the inspiration for what I do. If I don't do that, I just feel like I'm stuck. Yeah, me too. And maybe one thing that I'm jealous of is that weather. You mentioned you like the nature around Barcelona. It's unfortunately not like that in one. I feel you. And then before we finish, do you read any books?

Starting point is 00:49:47 And if so, have you got any recommendations or any books that were impactful to you and you would recommend? Yeah, for sure. I actually don't read books. I listen to books and I find it much more effective for me personally. There are so many books. I think the latest one I've read, I'm actually still reading now and I can recommend it, is called 10x. It's easier than 2x. I can't remember the author, but this is the book. Another really good book that I've, read. It's called Peach Anything. It's a very short book about sales. I really recommend Dan Cole's book as well. I believe it's called Focus and is the only book he released. So if you look for it, it's going to come up. And obviously, this is not a book I've read now. It's a book I've read a few times. And I know everyone talks about it, but it's a really, really good book and really powerful.

Starting point is 00:50:40 And that's Robert Chaldini, The Psychology of Persuasion. I'd recommend that to any writer, anyone that writes content online or wants to understand persuasion and communication. Some great tips. I think I haven't read any of those first three. So definitely check it out. And I think I read the last one, but I probably forgot that. So I need to check that one. So great tips.

Starting point is 00:51:03 You need to refresh, yeah. Then before we finish, can you summarize any places where people can find you, follow you, or promote any of your services, like what we discussed? Yeah, so I'm on LinkedIn, mostly. Find me in the DMs. Find me mostly, mostly there. I'm the most active. I'm not on any other social platform, really.

Starting point is 00:51:28 So LinkedIn is the place I live on. You can find me there. I like when it's simple. Yes, exactly. One platform. And in there, you can also find my website for Simply branding. You can understand more about. it you can book a call I'm in the DMs very easy to reach I'm always reading them and

Starting point is 00:51:47 yeah that's that's where you can find me and then the last question is there something that I should have asked you and did not or any final message that you would like to share any message I like to share or any piece of wisdom or something anything piece of wisdom I think this is more a message for anyone that's looking to create content or it's hesitating to do it or they're just starting out and maybe they're not seeing the results. Remember it takes time and the sooner you start, the more advantage you have. LinkedIn is still a platform that it's not so crowded and it can offer you a great return on your time. But remember that as I said, you know, it's just like planting the seed and having the

Starting point is 00:52:38 patience for that tree to grow. You can't skip it, you know, skip the process. You cannot push it. And it's, it all comes and it finishes with you. So you are the most important person in this journey. I'm trying to outsource this journey to someone else or an AI tool. It will never be as great as you can be at doing it. So if you're looking to start, just start, just do it. There's no better time than now. You know what they say? The best time to start was yesterday. And if I look at my journey,

Starting point is 00:53:14 one thing that I wish I would have done was to start earlier. Yeah. I think that's what we all think. And I don't agree with what you said. I think that's a perfect message to finish with them. I want to say a big thank you, Bea. I really enjoyed it. I only encourage people to follow you.

Starting point is 00:53:33 We'll be excited about any stuff that you mentioned that is coming. Wish you good luck. And thank you very much for joining. Thank you so much for having me. Yes, this was really fun and lovely to speak to you. And I really enjoyed the questions as well. Thanks for listening to Produce by with Tomer. Check out show notes for all the links.

Starting point is 00:53:53 And don't forget to like, subscribe and leave your feedback. Speak soon.

Produced By - LinkedIn Success: Build a Presence That Commands Attention | #97: Beatrice Vladut

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