Produced By - The Storytold Method: Turning Stories Into Authority | 163: Jack Dyer

Starting point is 00:00:00 My history has always been about communicating, helping others to communicate better. So graphic design has always been a big part of that. And a natural extension to communication is writing online. It's evolving your branding and your messaging. It's a more focused way of doing things. You can't nowadays just post something. Every post has to be really carefully thought about and it has to position you as a leader. It has to be visual, be authentic, to have so many elements to it.

Starting point is 00:00:28 and has to make sure that what you're talking about is helpful to the audience, but it can't just be helpful to them because people don't like being told what to do. It has to help them in a way that it tells a story, it creates an emotional connection, and then it provides that value through storytelling, and then they connect and they understand and they buy from you. And there's a whole art and science to it, and a lot of the crossover is in design. So there's so much art and science to design and like visuals and user experience. 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.

Starting point is 00:01:09 Hello Jack, thank you for joining us today and welcome to the show. Thank you very much. Yeah, good to be here Thomas. So Jack, for those who don't know you, can you please introduce yourself? I can. I am the CEO of Story Told. We are a a growth agency that specialises in LinkedIn for business owners who want to take their business to the next level, but don't want to have to become content creators. We do all of the strategic writing, engagement and design that makes you successful online without you having to do it. And most people, it's a weird catch-22 now. You have to be, in order to run a business, you have to

Starting point is 00:01:48 be visible, you have to grow your authority, you have to be known as a category of one. There's so much work that we're not taught in schools. that people just don't, they aren't prepared for. And you can be the best at running your business, but if no one sees you online and if no one knows you as a trusted authority, you're never gonna get customers unless you spend 40 to 80 hours a month on LinkedIn

Starting point is 00:02:10 and doing all the hard grind and the unsexy work that actually works. So we do that for you so that you don't have to. And I know you asked about me by the way, but that's my company, that's what we do. So yeah, feel free to ask me more personal questions about me. I was going to ask you, as you mentioned this, do you work with boring people as well?

Starting point is 00:02:30 We do, yeah. My link at the top. I know exactly. On the top of LinkedIn, I have a link to get in touch with me and it says don't click if you're boring. But it's a good one, honestly. I find it when it's funny, when it's unique. It just, it stands out and it's fun. It does.

Starting point is 00:02:45 And that's exactly you nailed it. When you're funny, when you're unique and you stand out, that's when people get in touch because they connect with you. And if you're the same as everyone else, then no one. is going to connect with you. So we help people, even if they think they're boring, we help them not be. And I think people also often think that they are boring, but they just need someone to help them to find something unique, some strengths, and just something to stand out because people think they have like no stories or nothing, but everyone has something. They just might need someone help them to find it. It's true. Yeah, it could be something as simple as what you wanted to

Starting point is 00:03:20 be when you were six years old or an experience you had at age 10. Like maybe you jumped in a big puddle. You know, you learned something from like the fact that you didn't think you'd get as wet as you did. And then you had to spend all day in wet clothes. And then you actually realized you didn't quite like it. It wasn't worth it. So you could have taken that life lesson forward and could have affected you in different ways. But we help you get to the bottom of that.

Starting point is 00:03:44 It's almost like digging into elements of your past that you've just forgotten about, helping bring them to the surface, tell those stories in a unique way. and then realize actually, yeah, we can use those lessons and apply them to business. And our goal is that our clients, our partners, because I don't like the word clients, because that implies that we're like, it's a transactional relationship. What we have is partners. You know, we work with people. And if something's not working for them, we jump through hoops and go above and beyond to make it work. And we probably make sure that we're always there for them.

Starting point is 00:04:18 You know, if they text us at two in the morning in America, and we get it at seven the next morning, then fine. You know, that's okay because we're a partnership. But, you know, there'll always be a little bit of us being there for them whenever they need. But yes, it's helping them to align their business as well to their personality. Sometimes some people come to us and they realize things aren't really working and they don't know why. We help them figure out why, but also be happier in their work. And you can't really put a price on that.

Starting point is 00:04:49 That's kind of a unique thing and we really love doing it. And I think that's also what's fulfilling for you or for the company, since we're helping with them and it's not just obviously to get results, but also to enjoy and have fun and make them happy. Exactly. Yeah. Then is there a specific niche that you work with or any specific demographics, background or anything, or it can be pretty much anyone? It's, I mean, the work we do is quite niche.

Starting point is 00:05:18 it's quite specific, but we can apply it to any person in any industry. So male, female, like at any age from, well, I mean, you have to have some experience in business. So I was going to say from 8 to 80, but probably you want to start working with us at least like 30 years old. And then you go from there all the way up to, well, I think we spoke to someone who is, yeah, in their 70s. So it's a lovely thing to be able to serve as many people as possible. I'd like to niche and grow down into a specific audience. But because what we do is quite specific, we make that person the ultimate authority in their industry and we get their story told, which is why I came up in the name of the company.

Starting point is 00:06:02 But it's the idea that we try not to have too many people in the same industry. So if we had, say, a mortgage advisor, we wouldn't then go and seek out another mortgage advisor a client because we would be conflicting with ourselves. So that's interesting approach because I'm sure that you can see on LinkedIn. I think it's quite a popular topic where people say you should niche, you shouldn't niche, everyone says something different. So I like what you said that it's kind of different and it actually is an interesting angle, you know, that it shouldn't be conflicted. And I think at the same time that's what might make it more interesting that it's like a different area,

Starting point is 00:06:41 different focus and just a kind of new challenge. It's true, yeah, we have one day we're writing about sports tech for a lady in America. The next we're writing about high performance coaching. The next is a creative agency in the middle of the US. Yeah, there's all sorts. So, yeah, it's really exciting. Is there then specific area that you maybe enjoy the most or the area? It's one question that you enjoy the most.

Starting point is 00:07:07 And another one may be the one that you haven't worked with, but would like to work with. Oh, okay, one area that I enjoy most is the stuff that is more creatively challenging. So the stuff that we haven't, I actually, there's a bit of an overlap. I like the stuff that we haven't done before because it's more challenging because we get into it, we learn as much about it as we can. And we don't come in with any preconceptions. We don't like, we're not jaded and we're not cynical about anything. We can learn about an industry as much as possible and apply our system to that industry. and the system is what works and then that's how we help that industry and that person within that industry grow.

Starting point is 00:07:48 So we don't need to be experts in a particular field, like in a particular industry, because we've created this story-toldic system that we can apply and add to that expertise. And it's, I like to stress as well when I say system, I don't mean like AI tools or anything. It's not like a plug-and-play thing. We use AI in the background, but it's all human writing, human engagement, human design. I make a point of saying that my team are all human because that's what people buy. That's why people work with you because you're human. And we help the other business owners to get AI to do the boring stuff, but never replace

Starting point is 00:08:25 their voice and to be creative. Yeah, we really enjoy the creative side of things and using our human brains to be creative. I've seen that in some of your recent posts that you also mention it with AI. I'm saying like you that, of course, I use it to make it faster, do the boring stuff, but at the same time, don't let it to outsource you, to replace you. And I think you shared some good posts, for example, with super AI commands or outreach or something like that. So for people out there, creators, and we can see that. So do some work.

Starting point is 00:09:02 I looked at a piece of writing the other day that I thought had been written by a human because I didn't take a quick look. I only took a quick look. And after actually reading it, I then realized it had the rule of three, about six or seven times in the same post. And this was written by someone who supposedly writes everything herself. And it turns out it was mostly AI. So it's like there's so much stuff out there that is quite deceptive and can be AI. And if you know what to look for, it's really easy to spot.

Starting point is 00:09:34 And most people can tell these days. So that's why we write everything from scratch. It's what I find funny that I think this kind of buzzword on LinkedIn sometimes is authenticity. So everyone speaks about it. But what's the truth actually? What is it like behind the scenes? Authenticity is, again, I really like the word, but it's been so overused that it's become a bit of annoying now at this point. But for me, to be authentic means to stay true to what you believe in, stay true to yourself,

Starting point is 00:10:06 from what you're trying to do and your mission, having a clear vision and having integrity. Like one of our core values is, I've literally built it into the employee handbook, like the core values of the company is authenticity and integrity. And if something doesn't feel right, we're not going to do it. You know, if, say, someone came to me tomorrow and said, hey, Jack, I'm going to give you 10 million to work on a contract for, I don't know, war or light tobacco or, you know, burning down the rainforest or something. I'd be like, well, no, 10 million's nice, but I need to be able to sleep at night. And if I, if I ask my team to write things that would harm other people,

Starting point is 00:10:46 that's me with all my integrity gone, you know, so I just wouldn't do it, literally. And people would be like, but it's 10 million, you're mad. Like, yeah, but you've got to, you only get one life on earth, you've got to be able to live it, being happy that you are who you are. Yeah. I agree. I feel the same. And all I can say is that I wish, Or I hope that there are obviously more companies and more businesses like that. Hopefully. But then it's all hypothetical, right? I might get the offer and then go, but it's 10 million. So who knows? And then you post that you reject it and behind the scenes are working on it and then

Starting point is 00:11:22 you see Jack posting picture with Ferrari or something. It's like, oh yeah. That would be a disconnect. It wouldn't be very awful. Yeah, yeah. So Jack, we've been now discussing what you do into your company, but actually we haven't discussed more about yourself. And I know that before starting StoryTolt, you actually had career in design, right? So can you tell us more about your previous career? Because then I would like to know how or why you actually transitioned to StoryTold. Nice.

Starting point is 00:11:55 Yeah, so the bit about me. Okay, so why did I transition from design? I spent my career trying to be a designer and succeeding. You know, I, when I was 20, about 19, I got a design job, and that was 15 years ago. And before that, I was designing posters and scrapbooks all throughout school, did graphic design in school, and loved it. You know, so technically I've been designing for half my life, which I'm 34, 17 years ago. Yeah, it's a cooling. But at the heart of design is communication.

Starting point is 00:12:30 It's just visual communication. And so when I was younger, I realized I really wanted to do creative writing. I loved writing. I loved music, writing, anything that expresses creativity, it makes people actually feel something. So that was a natural extension to go, you know what? I've always been entrepreneurial. I've always thought differently and done things differently. I like the idea of running my own team.

Starting point is 00:12:54 The only thing separating me as an employee who does design to me as a CEO, who now runs a team of four, could be, I could be, you know, an accountant or a lawyer or anything, I guess. If I'm not, I'm not nearly intelligent enough to do those things, but, you know, pretend. But to be able to make that decision, it's just a decision. You just decide to go and create a company and then do it. But if you, if you never have that decision process, where you go, you know what, I can plan this all out, I've got enough in savings to sustain this, I can make it work, I can get funding. I haven't yet, thankfully.

Starting point is 00:13:32 I've done it all bootstrapped. So plan things out. It all starts with that key moment of like, I want to do this, so I'm going to do this. Whereas most people, myself included for 17 years, just go into the 9 to 5. They just do the job and go home at night. And that's fine.

Starting point is 00:13:49 You know, if that's what you want to do, then that's totally fine. And that was me for 17 years. But finally, I realized actually it doesn't really suit me. So, and I want to do something for myself, want to build my own company. And we're still a very, we're what Lara Acosta would call a baby startup, which is very, very teeny tiny, but we're growing, you know. I'd never thought by 2026, I'd have a team of four people. It's really exciting. And was there, Jack, like a specific moment that made you to decide or stop 95 and do this, or was it kind of gradual process?

Starting point is 00:14:25 Yeah, it's always been there, I think. So my career path was like I've always been heading towards this point without realising, I think. When I was eight years old, I decided to pick apples from an apple tree in my parents' garden, take them down to the local pub in a basket and sell them. And I tried to sell them for five for a pound or six. Oh no, sorry, 20 p each. So you'd get five for a pound or six for a pound. So I think it was a great deal.

Starting point is 00:14:54 And people were like, yeah, that's really cool. I love it. But I thought they'd just like apples. What I didn't realize was really loved a kid selling apples. It was being different. He was being an entrepreneur. So they probably walked home with like a big bag of apples they didn't need or want, but they were just like, wow, you know, I supported this kid. So it's good. And I think that's that attitude has always been there. Like going freelance, being a freelance designer and being a contractor, I've done that for like nine years, going in and out of design jobs, working in different industries. But all, always being true to myself, I guess, which is that element of helping other people communicate better, whether it's visually or with writing.

Starting point is 00:15:36 It's all about graphic communication and all about sharing someone else's message and propping them up. And, you know, I don't need the accolades. I'm quite happy sitting in the sidelines. But that's what design is about is just being in the background, helping other people to communicate better. A quick note before we continue. One of the things I've realized from hosting this podcast is that I spent a lot of time thinking about the conversations long after they end. That's one of the reasons I started unproduced, a solo podcast where I share ideas, lessons, observations and questions I'm still figuring out myself. If you'd like to check it out, you'll find a link in the description. Now, back to the episode.

Starting point is 00:16:21 So Jack, and with what you said, you could have chosen like any type of creative industries or type of businesses. So why actually did you pick this one with the focus on LinkedIn or brandy? Yeah, I think my history has always been about communicating, about helping others to communicate better. So graphic design has always been a big part of that. And a natural extension to communication is writing online. and it's evolving your branding and your messaging. It's a more focused way of doing things.

Starting point is 00:16:55 You know, you can't nowadays just post something. Every post has to be really carefully thought about and it has to position you as a leader. It has to be visual. It has to be authentic. It has to have so many elements to it. And it has to make sure that what you're talking about is helpful to the audience.

Starting point is 00:17:17 But it can't just be helpful to them because people don't like being told what to do. It has to help them in a way that it tells a story, it creates an emotional connection, and then it provides that value through storytelling, and then they connect and they understand and they buy from you. And there's a whole art and a science to it. And a lot of the crossover is in design.

Starting point is 00:17:38 So there's so much art and science to design and like visuals and user experience. I evolved from being a junior designer to an app designer to user experience designer. understanding the psychology behind even like why a simple color change on a button can increase conversions, that kind of thing. But why LinkedIn specifically? I think it's an underlook platform. Most people are on Instagram and TikTok and Facebook's pretty much dead, so there's no point going there. We see all these businesses make transactions through LinkedIn. You know, one post can become your next

Starting point is 00:18:18 multi-million pound deal. You could have a post about a certain thing that you did that someone else in your industry goes, I've done something similar, I'm going to message them. That conversation could become a new partnership. You could found a company together. It's a wonderful networking tool that is, it's kind of unlike anything else because everything else feels a lot more superficial. You know, Instagram is very like, I know, it feels really transactional, lots of people taking pictures of themselves and it's very look at me, whereas LinkedIn is a business networking platform. It's not social media. And everything you put out on there has the power to change your entire life. Like just, for example, we would never have met less through LinkedIn

Starting point is 00:19:03 because I did a bunch of stuff. You saw it and I think we got in touch. I might message you or you message me. But somehow this conversation happened, now we're doing a podcast. And that can be the same for, yeah, creating company, signing your next, like, million pound payday. It's a really exciting place to be to have that opportunity. And I want to help people to achieve that. Ultimately, yeah, I want to help my own team to achieve that and to grow as a team and that we all benefit from it. But I also want to, the whole point is that I want to help businesses to become better on LinkedIn because I see so many people being rubbish at it. And I know that I can help. Yeah, that makes sense and I agree whether it's with the platforms.

Starting point is 00:19:46 Like for example, on Instagram, I think it would be pleasure to share the polished side of things when everything looks beautiful, you know, positive life and everything, but you know what's the whole picture behind it and agreed with LinkedIn and the power function. I know it's kind of obviously it's a networking platform, but yes, it's a networking platform, so take advantage of it because you can't really cheer with anyone. I think what's powerful or great is that you can post, it can reach people beyond your network and you never know who it might reach so there is like a really big potential. Yeah, it's true. It could be the possibilities are endless.

Starting point is 00:20:24 And when did you actually Jack start on LinkedIn or what was the reason to start there? So I had a full-time job until March 2025. So I started posting on LinkedIn officially January 2024 and I just thought you know what I'm I'm not planning to leave my job I'm I like it here but I see all this stuff I mentioned that LinkedIn is a great tool and I'm going to post I'm going to commit to posting once a day every single day and for the first six months I was terrible I was crap I burst open a bottle of champagne if I got five likes on post it is rubbish do you remember what you were posting about loads of random stuff like because I love design I would post hey I'll do your website for like an

Starting point is 00:21:14 entire website for a thousand pound and people were like well that's some people were thinking whoa that's way too much you know and most people are going hang on that's way too low like because a thousand pound there's so much work that goes into your website as well but yeah I and I've worked on company accounts where the companies have charged like 200,000 pound for a website and that's actually still okay you know the value they get is actually pretty good. But I, yeah, I was posting all kinds of stuff about design, about what I, like, not necessarily something personal

Starting point is 00:21:48 like what I had for dinner, because it's a business platform. But like a lesson I learned from something simple I did last week, you know, and again, it wasn't wrapped in value, it wasn't telling a story. It was just, here's something I learned, blah, blah, blah, and then you hit post and nobody cares. So you have to have the right structure.

Starting point is 00:22:06 There's like 50 different elements that go into a LinkedIn post. And maybe I should write a guide on this and publish it. I might do that. But all the different elements that go into a successful post. And I didn't know what they were. So I spent six months doing my job, nine to five, and waking up in the morning at seven, doing a bit of research, having breakfast, going off to work, nine to five working in a company. And then in the evenings, five until nine p.m. at night, I would be working again on understanding LinkedIn, posting stuff, trying to get this right. And all because I committed to myself, I'm just, all I've got to do is post every single day. That's it. And my posts were terrible, but I did it.

Starting point is 00:22:46 And I learned how to do it badly so that I could learn how to do it well. And after that, you know, I got, I went from 740 followers up to 1,000. That was the hardest. That was really tough. Like just getting those extra 200 people. And that took like two months to get 200 people. It's crazy. But as soon as I started gaining traction, then it went up to like 5,000, 10,000. Now we're up 58,000, something like that. It's really gratifying to see, you know, all this stuff that we do, it actually works. And it pays off and I actually managed to build a business out of it. So when March came last year, I couldn't do both anymore.

Starting point is 00:23:24 I had to leave my job and do story told full time. I'm of course glad to hear that. And I like that if you want, no excuses about. the time because as you just said, even with 9 to 5 forget to do it. And you often hear people, oh, I don't have time to post every day. First, you don't have to post every day. You can post three times a week or what works for you. And secondly, I think one of the best ways, how to figure things out, what works for you,

Starting point is 00:23:54 what doesn't work is, you know, just do it. As you said, you were posting. I've got my own experience as well that, you know, posting just rubbish or some random stuff. but it's much better than if someone who doesn't start at all. Yeah. If you wait to be perfect, then you're always going to be waiting. That's the key because perfect never comes. Just get out there, do it, even if it's rubbish.

Starting point is 00:24:14 The most important thing, though, isn't to do it and then just think it's rubbish and then just keep doing the same things and thinking, oh, there's some reason. Like, I spoke to someone a while ago who said, oh, our website is perfect. And I'm like, I've looked at it. It's not. But I didn't want to send her. So I said, okay. You know, like, what do you mean? Perfect.

Starting point is 00:24:35 And, well, like, the design's good. We worked on it for ages. We spent lots of money on it and it's perfect. But we're not getting any clients through it. And I'm thinking, it's not perfect then. The whole website is to get it. You just answered to herself. Yeah, but she still believed it was perfect.

Starting point is 00:24:52 And I'm baffled by that. So it's the ability to remove your own ego and go, okay, I might have invested a lot of time in something, doesn't make it good. So I invested lots of time in LinkedIn, but I kept getting no results. So I didn't think it was perfect. I thought, I'm doing something wrong. I need to fix it. And that's a really powerful thing to recognize when you're doing something wrong,

Starting point is 00:25:17 not in a I'm going to beat myself up kind of way, but in a what can I do better? What can I do right? How do I improve? That mentality is kind of vital because otherwise you're always going to think, no, I'm perfect. No, everyone else is the problem. It's not me.

Starting point is 00:25:31 It's like really important. Yeah, I agree and understand. And as we're posting Jack, did you have already some kind of like a bigger plan in mind that one day it may turn into something more into business or whatever or we're just posting, you know, because we enjoyed it or what was your plan? My plan was to challenge myself to get better at something I wasn't very good at because yeah, because I'd never tried it before. I'd never done it and I saw people doing getting.

Starting point is 00:26:02 getting all these opportunities. And I thought maybe that would be nice for me. You know, I didn't have a goal specifically. It was my goal was to just do the thing every day. And then, yeah, then it grew. And I made lots of nice connections and we've worked with 19 clients over the last like year and a half, which is awesome because it's only the first year of business. But my goal, I never really had one. I was, I just sort of did the thing every day. And eventually it meant, you know, became something something tangible, but I'm still realising the value of having a goal. If you don't have a goal, if you don't set a vision and where you want to go, then you'll just sort of drift along. I was, I wouldn't, I would somewhat lucky, I guess. I wouldn't say too lucky, but I committed to myself to do

Starting point is 00:26:49 the thing, which is what created that luck. But that's not enough. You know, once you then have that momentum, you need a goal to then channel it and focus. And yeah, after, while I was posting, I didn't have a goal, but then after like six to 10 months and I started to think, right, companies growing now, I'm actually getting some clients on board, I need to get some team members on board. I need a designer, a writer, an engagement specialist. You know, I've got those three people now and it's brilliant. But I, in order to sustain that and in order to grow the team, I then had to come up with goals. Right, okay, where do I want to be in five years? In five years, I'd like a team of 10. No more. I'm not going to go crazy, but I'd like to be able to finance and help 10 people

Starting point is 00:27:36 not just feed their families and to be able to bring income in, but also to grow and to do what they want. If one of my team, say my designer says, I want to go to a conference, a design conference in Barcelona, because there's one every year and it's brilliant. Or Copenhagen. I want to go, yep, let's do it. You know, the company can pay for it and you can go, I would love that to able to give my team opportunities like that. You know, say there's extra training and writing and stuff, like my writer wants to do a bunch of stuff. Yeah, no problem.

Starting point is 00:28:07 I'll pay for it. And that brings me so much joy thinking about that to be able to provide that level of stability, but also that level of opportunity where my team can say, I'm going to create my own job. And what about if my job evolves into this? I'm like, yeah, great, let's do it. I guess that's one of my goals is to create an environment where people can, you know, can create their own roles that yeah sure it helps our clients and helps us grow but ultimately it's what they want to do i hope they listen to this and see what kind of founder and CEO they have

Starting point is 00:28:41 it's very nice happy to how do you then check kind of balance your work you know as obviously you are founder and ceo so there must be some admin staff management organization everything and then the same time be creative or should do into work on LinkedIn here we've got some kind of balance or you do on the one or how does it work for you? I don't, yeah, I don't really have a work life balance as such, but both me and my partner work quite a lot. So we're up from 8 a.m. and we finish work at 8 p.m. because we're both building our own businesses. So yeah, it's a lot of work, but it's also kind of who we are. And then we spend time with each other after that and, you know, the weekends and stuff. And it's

Starting point is 00:29:21 lovely. But we both have this drive. And there's, I definitely would love more time off. But I also know that time off when you're building a company is not something that successful companies have. You need to do the groundwork. I'll have time off in like five years. Four years, you know, 20, 30. I'm going to work solidly until then and then maybe scale back to four days a week, you know, and just have a four day a week in a few years. But yeah, ultimately, it's you've got to put in the work now. Otherwise, I'll always regret it, right? Need to make some sacrifices. Exactly, yeah, like you sort of make the sacrifices now so that your future you can thrive. Like I've read this in a book about maybe 10 years ago and it stuck with me.

Starting point is 00:30:11 You are, everyone on the planet is in a relationship with their future self. And you can either choose to take away from that future self by doing something selfish in the moment or you can give to that future self by doing hard work. And it's like if you, you know, if I have, let's say I have a hundred pound in my bank account, right? And I, that's all I have, just 100 quid. And I know that in the future, I want that to grow and invest and I want more money so that I can have more security. But I really want a massive takeaway. I'm going to buy a big box of pizza, you know, like that's really expensive. All of a sudden I've got 50 quid left. And I've taken away 50 quid from. my future. So, like, I don't want to do that. Instead, I'll be like, no, I'll just have a bowl of soup or something and, you know, I can benefit more in the future. So thinking like that has really helped. It makes it hard, you know, you cut back and you sacrifice in the moment and sometimes you go, you know what, I really want a coffee out and about. And I'll have that coffee because actually, I don't do it very often and I kind of want it and that's it. But yeah, like, as long as you're,

Starting point is 00:31:24 you're seeing your future as something that you can give to instead of take away from. That's what I try and do. I agree and try to have it the same like short time versus long-term mindset because Gorsa Bistress like to eat, for example, nice food or something, but then thinking a long time or bigger picture, want to be healthy. Of course, we need to reward yourself once in a while, but at the same time, what you do regularly, ultimately, make you do a good picture. the result, doesn't it? So it makes sense. I understand. And then Jack, with the company, how do you actually balance, not balance, palat, like, what's the divide of your work itself?

Starting point is 00:32:04 Like, if you're actually still that great person doing LinkedIn, I don't know, design, content, etc. Or if you are that founder, that CEO is like overlooking, supervising and this and that. I've had to step back in recently because one of the team is, you know, head off on holiday, which is really pleased for her, but at the same time, I then have to take on more of her role because everyone else has a role. Because we're so small right now, that's going to be the case. I have to jump back in every now and then. I have to do admin, wear a bunch of hats,

Starting point is 00:32:36 understand everyone's role enough to do it if I need to. Luckily, I'm good at design. So if my designer goes off, I can do that. But if my writer goes off, I'm good at writing too. That's why I create the company. So there's a whole... And if you'd have asked me, like, what, many, many years ago, I would never have said I'm good at stuff. You know, I would have been very shy and, like, I don't think you're very good at anything.

Starting point is 00:32:59 It's kind of building, being able to do this has built that in a confidence, which is quite nice. But, yeah, it's, I think what else builds the confidence is that ability to go around and do lots of things. You know, handle the admin, do a bunch of creative work. Spend every day not really knowing what you're doing on a daily basis. You can have a plan and my calendar is always 110% full. It's always like chock a block. I'm looking at it right now and I'm thinking, Christ, I've got to do this, this, this.

Starting point is 00:33:29 What is coming today? Exactly. So many things. I've got four other meetings later today and seven tasks that I haven't done for the last two weeks that I've got stacked up today. Plus a whole bunch of actual client work. I'm not going to get it done. I'm just not.

Starting point is 00:33:46 But it will push out until tomorrow and I'll keep going. But I think there's a whole mix right now. And until when the company grows a bit more and I can step back a little bit more, then it'll become more, okay, I can do big picture thinking. But right now it's there's, there's, you know, admin, there's everything to do. It's exciting, but it is also quite busy. And you can probably see some bags under my eyes as well. Yeah. No, no, I mean, not the bags, but did I understand?

Starting point is 00:34:14 It's obviously pros and comes as with everything, but what I like, or I think is, you're going to be. It's good like when founder or boss CEO or something, actually has experience with specific tasks, roles, and work inside of the company because then it makes you actually realize and understand those people under you actually the work they do. Because it will be completely different if they're trying to advise them or tell them what to do, but having no experience about that specific task. Yeah, and that feels like probably not a good thing a manager should do. But I'm sure that happens quite all.

Starting point is 00:34:48 Yeah, I've definitely experienced it. And that's one thing I wanted to, one of the reasons I wanted to create a company is because I've seen what not to do. And I've experienced bad management and I know now what to avoid, which is good. I'm not going to be perfect. And I'm always going to make mistakes. But I always want to provide an experience from my team where they can tell me if I, you know, do things wrong. And I can improve, you know, so that would be nice. Yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:35:15 I agree. I understand that way. So Jack, just to be aware of time, I want to ask you kind of lighter questions at the end of the recording. So what are some of your hobbies or the things that you like to do in your free time? My favorite one, which I don't get very often to do is go-karting. Just yeah, really exciting. Oh nice. Love it. I've got a friend who loves it as well.

Starting point is 00:35:38 I'm actually going to see him this weekend. So hopefully we'll go get to do that. No, there's a... Sorry, why don't you do it as much because of time? Oh, yeah, time, money. like it costs a bit and it's also just yeah running a business it's trying to arrange to do it with a friend as well and they have their own schedules and you know just life gets in the way but yeah and also right now it's boiling hot outside and i don't want to be sat in a tiny little car with a massive heat engine oh my man

Starting point is 00:36:03 yeah but it's really really fun if you ever get a chance to go to lanzarotti by the way they have the best outdoor go-carting track it's like 15 euros for half an hour so super cheap actually really really good. And it's, you get up to like 50 miles an hour on outdoor track and it's beautiful. It's just, yeah, Lanzerotti has the best go cutting track. But I did it once when I was, when I was a kid, it's a child, I'm a god, but now you brought me to my mother's. So that's a good one, actually. Nice. Yeah, hopefully, well, maybe this chat will inspire you to go and go and do it again because it's really fun. But yeah, other hobbies, swimming. Me and my partner go swimming as well. So she's really good. I'm not as good, but I just sort of, I'm right. I'm right.

Starting point is 00:36:46 I mostly just rest. A really nice thing about it is that when you are underwater, like I spend a lot of my time going in the pool going from like end to end. Instead of doing backstroke or front crawl or something, I go right under the water and sort of like, you know, almost like a fish. I mean as much time underwater as I can. And I think the reason for that is because it means I can't look at a screen. I can't like do any work.

Starting point is 00:37:10 I can't pull out my phone. I'm literally encased in water and there's no distractions. It's just, okay, I'm just going to be here, I'm going to rest, and it's great. It's really nice. But yeah, that's a couple of hobbies. Yeah, that's interesting hobbies. And I like what you said with just women, because I find the same with some exercise that I knew as well. Because of course, not every exercise is the same.

Starting point is 00:37:36 Like, for example, if you go to gym, the phone is different, but there are other sports or something. When you are in and you just don't have access to phone or anything, and you just don't have access to phone or anything. and you have to do it. So I like it and I can do it too. Nice. It is good. What about you? What are your hobbies?

Starting point is 00:37:54 Like the one that I was just talking about, like with the sport, I like to train Jiu Jitsu. And it reminds me because with Jiu Jitsu as well, you are on the mat. You are practicing technique or sparring or doing something. And you just don't have the phone with anything. So it's like a great break as well. And I'm like, okay, I'll focus on this. Now I'm going to learn the technique. I don't know.

Starting point is 00:38:19 Roll with someone and most great. So that's a great point. That's what you need. Yeah, you can just focus and enjoy life rather than being on your phone. Yeah. Exactly. Then, Jack, do you read books? And if so, we've got any recommendations?

Starting point is 00:38:34 I actually forgot. Yeah, I do read books. So, oh, so many. Right. Rich dad, poor dad is a classic. Oh, you know what? That was like one of the first. one than I read. And one of, I think because back then I went just to Amazon to look at the,

Starting point is 00:38:51 the right, because I wanted to start, I know how to start. And I think it was the first one with maybe the most reviews or the most popular. So I just bought it. It's been like one of the most new wage one because it was the first one. So sorry for interruption, but it was a good thing. No, no, it's a great interrupt. I'm just actually going to go on to my Amazon audience and I'll read them out because I, yeah, I absolutely love. reading. So there's a, well, one of my favorite TV shows, Firefly, cancelled in 2002 at like one series and absolutely brilliant show. But there's a whole series of books that have come out in the last few years based on the show and it's really good. So it reminds me again at the show,

Starting point is 00:39:31 what is it? It's called Firefly. It was... Oh, Firefly. I haven't seen it, but I heard of it. Yes. It's very good. So yeah, I recommend it. It's a sci-fi western, which nowadays is sort of like, like the Mandalorian or something, you know, it's quite common. Or like a Westworld, maybe. Yeah, a little bit. Actually, yeah, a little bit like that. But like this was way before any of that, you know, this was quite revolutionary, a bit of ahead of its time.

Starting point is 00:39:58 And it's such a shame, but it got cancelled. So I read a bunch of books based on that. Ah, yeah, there you go. I just found one. When I was a kid, I read a book on Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire and all of this. And it was a historical fiction book. It was about his life and it tracked him from like being a 10 year old all the way up until he was stabbed and betrayed.

Starting point is 00:40:20 But the historical fiction is amazing. You know, learning about someone's life in history through storytelling. That's again, that's a big part of now what I do is helping business owners to tell their story and you connect with them more. But yes, there are so many great books. So Con Igolden, fantastic author. He does those books. There's a whole bunch of Star Wars books as well. Casino Royale, that's obviously a very good book, the James Bond one. Play bigger, that's a great one.

Starting point is 00:40:48 Atomic habits, so many. But rich dad, poor dad, the richest man in Babylon as well. And if I can give you anyone to look up, it would be Earl Nightingale and the strangest secret. Because the way the Earl Nightingale talks about a mindset shift and how to actually achieve your goals is superb. Some great tips. I know some. I know some. I don't know. Some other. I'll have blue and I like it also mix both like personal development, long fiction and that is like that fiction so it's interesting mix and some great ones. Glad to hear you. Then Jack, can you please summarize where people can find you, follow you and promote

Starting point is 00:41:29 any of your services? Sure, yeah. So I'm not, I mean we are we are on Instagram and TikTok. I think we have an account but we have like two followers. There's no point. We do LinkedIn. We help business owners to get more authority on LinkedIn. So you can find me on there. My name is Jack Dyer, and I've got the little dancing man emoji in my name. And I took that away one time, actually. I removed him from my name for four days, no, three days.

Starting point is 00:41:55 And four people message me saying, you know, people I'd never heard of. They just messaged with one of the music and Jack, where did the dancing man go? So, you know, Easter egg. The Tomlin Heck you. Yeah, exactly. They thought that someone were taken away, like, or identity theft or something. But, yeah, people can find me on LinkedIn. That's where me and my team live. We help business owners to be better on there as well.

Starting point is 00:42:17 A great case study, by the way, if you're interested is in the last year, we've worked with someone in Florida, and we got her from 1,300 followers up to 30,000 in the last year. So it's not all about the followers, but that is a good way to tell a metric of success, and we're making her successful. So we've created, she had a new startup, we've got her more visibility. we've basically got her to the point where opportunities are coming through her door every week, which is amazing. And she's now acquired a new company because of some conversation she had on LinkedIn. So we've done all this for her, and it's brilliant. She obviously does everything, the important bits herself, but we get her to the door. And that's really cool. So yeah,

Starting point is 00:43:03 find me on LinkedIn. And if you want to grow your LinkedIn and become an authority in your space, then let me know because that is exactly what me and my team do. Happy Thursday, I will as always add analytics to the showman. And just as you mentioned, check the dancing man. Is it just part of the branding or something to make people curious or I mean, cool story behind it? Yeah, so it was actually psychologically chosen. The reason that I picked him, I was looking for an emoji because I saw a bunch of people

Starting point is 00:43:30 had them and I thought, I recognized those names because there's something visual to go with them. And every time I see them in my feed, I see, oh, yeah, that person, it's that person. it's that person because they've got that emoji. So I thought, right, there's an association there, like a branding. And I wanted something similar. So I looked for one that looked almost as if people were saying, choose me. And the little dancing man, he's literally putting his hand up saying, hey, you should choose this guy, choose me.

Starting point is 00:43:54 And it works, you know, psychologically, it feels a bit tricky, but it works. Like people are looking at my name and they see a hand going up and there's a psychological thing to say, hey, let's pick Jack. So it was a smart thing with and I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or if I'm broke now but I believe that he's got a suit that is purple isn't it or dark blue and your brand in and sorry oh my god it's so smart I like yeah it matches cheers no yeah I chose the branding and then I found the I created the branding because I'm a designer and then found the little dancing man as soon as I did I thought yes

Starting point is 00:44:35 It's got to be him. Yeah, I agree. I understand. Then, you called us before about your ambitions, how to grow the company. But besides that, have you got any other goals or ambitions or anything you want to achieve in like coming months, weeks, years, and to be willing to share with the audience? Yeah. So one, yeah, good question.

Starting point is 00:44:58 I've been so focused on work and, yeah, where the company's going, that I sort of don't really think about this long term for life, but I know I need to change that. One goal would be to, and this is company again, but one goal would be to have an office in America and an office in the UK. So that's part of my lifestyle. I can work three days, maybe four days a week, but also go and travel between the two countries and go and see clients and just have a lot of experiences, like go, you know what, I'm going to go and travel all around the USA for a month. or one thing in life I really want to do is fly to Vancouver, no, fly to Calgary in Canada, and then drive all the way up through the Canadian lakes, all the way across to Vancouver on the

Starting point is 00:45:47 West Coast, and then drive down to Oregon and San Francisco and Los Angeles, and then fly home from there. But spend at least a week or two driving across the Canadian wilderness and looking at all the beautiful scenery. That would be incredible. That's been too like something great for me as well. And I even liked the idea about having the offices. It's ambitious. I hope it works out, but it's also a really cool part. So we'll be cheering for that.

Starting point is 00:46:16 So then, Jack, very last question. Is there anything I should have asked you in the dot or any final message to leave the audience work? And my final message would be to be authentic on LinkedIn. Now, I know LinkedIn, other word authentic. has, you know, lost some of its meaning because everyone says it. But be authentic in a way that actually is real. You know, not performative, not like you're trying to look better,

Starting point is 00:46:42 but just be yourself and people will be able to tell. Tell real stories. Be more vulnerable. We work with a client who, sadly, her husband is going through something incredibly difficult. He's been diagnosed with something. And she is amazing because she started talking about it on LinkedIn. And since then, she's gotten more engagement with her community. She's gotten more clients, more business as a result, because people are connecting with her.

Starting point is 00:47:09 And she's being real. She's not this perfect, polished leader. She's someone who is really good at what she does, but she's struggling in her life. And we relate to that. You know, we want her to succeed. And so we get in touch with her and we buy from her and we, you know, we sign up to her things because we are on her team and we support her. When I say we, I mean, you know, people. So my biggest advice would be be real, be yourself, and give as much value as you can,

Starting point is 00:47:38 because then those three things combined will position you for massive, massive success. I like it. I agree. Great point to finish with. And also it comes from some of my experience, not from someone just saying it for the sake of it. So I think we can finish check. Thank you so much for your time for the audience. has been quite challenging recording with the conditions that it's a super warm but we made it

Starting point is 00:48:04 really enjoyed it so thank you jack not only enjoy what you're building like your content but i also like the mindset and your plan so i genuinely hope that it works out we'll keep following and support in and once again thank very much for our time amazing thank you thomas really appreciate the podcast thanks for listening to produce by with toman check the show notes for all the the links and don't forget to subscribe, like and share your feedback. Speak soon.

Produced By - The Storytold Method: Turning Stories Into Authority | 163: Jack Dyer

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