This week I chat with Merrill Charette a long timer listener to the podcast (and a podcaster himself!) about his upbringing, experiences and how he ended up in the maritime industry. I really enjoyed chatting with Merrill who is a fascinating character and a great raconteur. In this interview we cover; How he grew up the '6th child' with his other …

Bruce Johnston has been helping people use LinkedIn™️ more effectively for the last 13 years and I've been a follower for 8 years. Bruce is a great wordsmith and one of the more original thinkers out there when it comes to LinkedIn™️ so I thought it was about time to bring him onto the show to share some of his insights.…

LinkedIn™️ seem to love it, more and more posts are created by it and comment threads are becoming infested with it...so I thought it was time to revisit the topic of AI and try to answer this important question... Can AI be used in a credible, authentic and ethical way on LinkedIn™️? That plus... New - Company page premium inc' Who viewed your com…

This week in the podcast I complete my review of Uplift Live with the speakers from the afternoon sessions Gillian Whitney Kevin D. Turner Tiina Jarvet Richard van der Blom Also in this edition; New ‘Takeaways’ on Articles & posts New video feed on mobile An excellent example of brand partnership with influencer Post of the week…

Welcome back folks. A few washed up podcasters Mark and Joe dust off their mics and are joined by a true friend in Marnus. We talk Paris, South Africa and hype up the pending solar eclipse in Kingston. Thanks for listing --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/best-friends-catching-up/message…

My thoughts and feedback on Uplift Live UpLift Live is an in-person, LinkedIn-focused conference that took place for the first time on 21 March 2024 in Birmingham, UK.

Dean Wegner is the Founder and CEO of Authentically American, a veteran-owned American-made premium apparel brand. He founded the brand in 2017 to bring manufacturing jobs back to America. As a seven-year veteran with expertise in the apparel industry, Dean is a passionate and value-driven servant leader. In this episode… While passion is integral …

With the demise of Creator mode, or the opening of creator mode to everyone (however you wish to view it!) imminent, it probably opens up the possibility of all LinkedIn™️ users having the opportunity to create their own newsletters. So it seems a good time to have a new look at this feature so that you can decide whether you will be be going down …

Mark Stoner is the Founder and President of Ashbusters Chimney Service, a Nashville-based multimillion-dollar chimney sweep business. As a serial blue-collar entrepreneur, he is the past President of the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), an industry-renowned, nonprofit organization that educates chimney professionals and homeowners about …

This month we will see Creator mode disappearing and with it, the obligation to have 'Follow' as the primary option on your profile so I thought it was worth revisiting the persistent question...Connect or Follow? That plus; New Recruiter & Learning tools that assist retention but might also have the the polar opposite impact! New Privacy setting N…

Aaron Wenzel, MD, is the Founder and CEO of Brentwood MD, a members-only concierge medical practice. As a private physician, he specializes in providing personalized healthcare for entrepreneurs and executives. Aaron is an American Board of Family Medicine Board-Certified Physician and a member of ROAMD, a curated physicians network. In this episod…

Has your feed changed recently? Are you seeing posts from people who are unfamiliar to you? This may be due to LinkedIn™️ deciding that they know what 'quality' content looks like. Not you...you are clearly not in a position to decide this for yourself! This week I discuss what we can do to fix this. That plus; AI comments are getting very annoying…

Are you sure you want to be providing LinkedIn™️ with your hard earned knowledge for a badge? Do the benefits of collaborative articles add up? That plus; An update on the revamped Services section A voice message tip Sales Navigator improvements New profile photo feature Another new 'Pay to spam' feature update B2B Deep sales playbook. Useful or a…

It's that time of the year when the legend that is Richard van der Blom publishes his LinkedIn™️ algorithm insights report so in this episode I discuss some of the highlights, what we can learn and why we need to treat the results with caution. Also covered; Services page gets a makeover Creator mode is going Is profile verification enough?…

This week I find out about the 'person behind the profile' with the LinkedIn content Queen herself Nanna Sondrup Nanna was very open and honest in this chat where she describes a troubled childhood experiencing terrible bullying and parents distracted by her brother who had severe ADHD challenges. She herself was later diagnosed with Dyslexia and A…

Leon Leinbach is the Founder of Keystone Construction, a post-frame construction company helping owners build their dream structures. He is also the Founder and CEO of Blue Jay Garage Doors, which provides and installs garage doors, openers, and springs for homeowners and businesses. With 16 years of experience in the pole barn building industry, L…

LinkedIn™️ is primarily a B2B networking platform but that doesn't mean that a B2C (business to consumer) business can't succeed. This week I talk with Anna Williams about how she recently relaunched her coffee shop on LinkedIn™️. That plus; How I became a LinkedIn 'Top voice' An update on profile verification with Persona More on how to get a comm…

Danielle McGee is the Founder of Black Business Boom, a social enterprise supporting entrepreneurship in black communities. She is also a professor at Tennessee State University and the Founder of Black Owned Nashville, a network of thousands of Nashville-based Black entrepreneurs. As a certified digital marketer and passionate business leader, Dan…

Big news this week...The LinkedIn Corporation are attacking me and I need some creative ideas from you to be able to move forward. More of that later, also included in this episode I talk about; Uplift Live conference - I can offer you a discount. Profile custom buttons are really good but are they too effective? Verification issues and privacy con…

Bill McCleskey is the Founder of Mitech, a telecommunications company allowing IT consultants to earn income in business and residential telecom. While working as a Business Account Executive at Comcast, he founded Mitech, which attracted over 70 referral partners and 300 clients within the first year. Bill has been a board member and EO Forum Grou…

Welcome to the first edition of interesting People, a new type of show for the LinkedInformed podcast. We often come across people on LinkedIn™️ who look interesting and produce content we find valuable...so we follow or connect and over time we feel as though we get to know them better. But do we REALLY know them? interesting People interviews are…

Dan Manson, CADC-CS, is the Co-founder, President, and Chairman of Elevate Addiction Services, a residential drug and alcohol rehab program that treats addiction using a holistic approach. With over 25 years of experience in the substance abuse treatment industry, he is a Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor (CATC) and a Certified Alcohol & Drug…

Every year I dust off my LinkedIn™️ crystal ball and look at what changes I think we will see on the platform over the coming year...every year I get it spectacularly wrong! I like to think I'm ahead of LinkedIn Corp' with my thinking because often my predictions eventually come to fruition a few years later! Either way, it's always fun to do and g…

Jennifer Ghanem is the Founder, Owner, and Attorney at The Row Title & Escrow, LLC, a boutique real estate settlement services company. She is also a Founding Partner at Keller, Turner, Andrews, and Ghanem, PLLC, a boutique law firm catering to the needs of entertainers, athletes, and entrepreneurs. As a licensed lawyer, Jennifer represents develop…

Matthew Charette is a serial entrepreneur and restaurateur who sold three restaurants in 2023. With many years of experience in the hospitality industry, his skills include management, strategic planning, leadership, public speaking, and team building. Matthew is also a former US Marine Intelligence Analyst and Operator. In this episode… It’s natur…

In this episode, I talk through the following topics; LinkedIn™️ ran a Christmas poll INteresting profiles 2024 Issues with post drafts and article analytics Spot a pod New WVYP filters - are they useful? The new 'create an image' feature for Articles using Microsoft designer 50+ factors that can impact the performance of your posts Post of the wee…

Michael Ramsey is the Clinic Director at We Grow Hair at PAI Medical Group, a clinic offering hair transplants and non-surgical hair restoration. After receiving a failed hair transplant, he partnered with the PAI Medical Group to open its first US-based hair restoration clinic in Nashville. As a senior medical consultant, Michael has specialized i…

When your company page content consistently fails to engage an audience what can you do to make your brand more visible? That plus; Profile verification finally comes to Europe Skill assessments A new feature on profiles A new content newsletter from LinkedIn™️ - is it any good? How to report spam Post of the week…

Robert Hartline is the Founder and CEO of CallProof, a company that helps B2B sales teams manage their customers using a sales activity reporting system. He has been a member of EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization) for about eight years. He is also a Professional EOS Implementer for EOS Worldwide, where he shares his experience using the EOS (Entrepren…

Last week I shared a message I received from Sandra Long (AKA East coast 🇺🇸Sandra) about collaborative articles where she shared that she finds them very useful asked me to have another look at them...so I did! I will share the results of my findings later but first, here's what else I cover in this weeks episode... Feedback on company page competi…

Eric Jackson is the Founder and CEO of Element 47, a web design and marketing agency that helps businesses reach their marketing goals and connect to their next customer. Eric has been a member of EO for about 15 years. Before Element 47, he was the Founder and Managing Partner at Keystone Business Solutions and the President of the EO Nashville Ch…

I'm back from the trip of a lifetime! And I got married as well! This week I catch up on what has been happening on LinkedIn™️ while I've been away; Collaborative articles improve but become more like Q&A's rather than articles LinkedIn™️ break links with X (Twitter) accounts Several changes to company pages Profile videos are going to disappear Pr…

Joe F. Brannon III is the Founder and CEO of TL Connects, which helps businesses increase revenue by building stronger relationships with their customers. He is also the Founder and CEO of textLiving, a customer loyalty and text marketing platform. As a servant leader, Joe focuses on building his company, team, customers, and software. In this epis…

Deeannah Seymour is the Co-founder and CEO of pH-D Feminine Health, an independently held and certified women-owned and operated business providing health and wellness products for women struggling with feminine health issues. With a biology background and 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Deeannah partnered with the healthcare…

Hey folks, we are back with another classic ep of BFCU. Mark and Joe discuss laptop sabotage, recap the RWC France trip and the intricacies of playing a game of Wizard in Kelowna. We love each and every one of y'all. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/best-friends-catching-up/message…

Why do men approach women on LinkedIn when they would never act that way in real life? Why do people send a sales pitch DM immediately after connecting? People seem to act in strange ways with a keyboard, often very differently to the way they would in person. In this episode of LinkedInformed I had the pleasure of chatting with Jacob Elton about t…

Robert Hartline is the Founder and CEO of CallProof, a company that helps B2B sales teams manage their customers using a sales activity reporting system. He has been a member of EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization) for about eight years. He is also a Professional EOS Implementer for EOS Worldwide, where he shares his experience using the EOS (Entrepren…

Part two of my chat with Karen Tisdell about LinkedIn™️ profiles. In this final part we discuss... 🔶 Experience section 🔶 Recommendations 🔶 Skills 🔶 Background image 🔶 Pronouns and there misuse 🔶 Name pronunciation Thanks again to Karen for helping out with not just the recording but also helping me put together this summary of the podcast.…

Sherry Deutschmann is the Founder and CEO of BrainTrust, a company dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Before founding BrainTrust, she was the Founder and CEO of LetterLogic, which she scaled to $40 million before selling it in 2016. LetterLogic was named an Inc. 5000 company for 10 consecutive years and was featured in …

Profiles are the bedrock on which everything else you do on LinkedIn™️ is built. So why do we sometimes take them for granted ❓ Perhaps it's time to take a closer look at your profile? This week I chat with Karen Tisdell, who is a professional profile writer about what makes a great LinkedIn™️ profile. We don't agree on everything but I think you w…

Business development on LinkedIn. Some focus on inbound whilst others cold approach multiple prospects (knowing they will mainly get rejected). Luis Báez 🇵🇷🏳️‍🌈 has a different approach...one that is more targeted and highly personalised. This week I chat with Luis, a sales enablement strategist and coach dedicated to online business owners and B2B…

Amy Tanksley is the Owner of Uncle Classic Barbershop, an upscale, full-service barbershop with seven locations. She was named one of Nashville Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and was awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Nashville Post in 2012. In this episode… Most small business owners strive to leave legacies, usually through community imp…

Eva Angelina Romero is the Owner and Principal Broker at Century 21 Capital Partners, where she focuses on residential sales, real estate development and investments, property management, and luxury real estate. With over 10 years of real estate experience, she sold her company Evaco Properties to the Century 21 Real Estate brand. In this episode… …

When pods combine with auto-commenting tools, we have a problem ❗ But is it right to publicly expose people who we believe are cheating in this way ❓ That plus; - A new Chrome extension - My thoughts on LinkedIn™️ AI enhancement tools - A great AI talk from Mo Gawdat - A brilliant post of the week

Adam Capps is the CEO and Managing Partner at ACS Commercial Roofing, which he transformed into one of the premier temporary and emergency repair companies in the Southeast. Under his leadership, ACS was recognized as a 2021 Inc. 5000 company. Adam is also a Partner at ReDry, which offers roof insulation. With 20 years of entrepreneurial and busine…

LinkedIn restricts customised invitations to just 10 a month❗️ I examine why they are doing it and why it's such a bad idea. That plus; ✅ New message inboxes 👍 ✅ New content search filter 👍 ✅ Added feature to new custom buttons 👍 ✅ Name pronunciation goes backwards 👎 ✅ Does verification make you more visible? 🤔 ✅ Added value author comments 💡 ✅ 'To…

Joe Freedman is the Director of Fluid Capital, which converts unpaid invoices into cash — the Founder and Director of EventWorks, a leading event service business — and Joyride, the nation’s largest micro-transportation company for B2B and B2C businesses. As a serial entrepreneur, Joe has experience launching, growing, and exiting companies in exec…

There are 5 key questions to ask yourself before you post on LinkedIn™️ If you can consistently deliver on these points, you are much more likely to reach more of the right people on LinkedIn™️ Before that though... NEW profile 'goals' Connections vs followers - your feedback How to promote a podcast, or anything else on LinkedIn™️ A Hashtag u-turn…

Dr. Douglas (Doug) Brackmann is the Founding Partner of The Brackmann Group, a highly specialized performance consulting group. He is also the co-author of Driven, which teaches driven individuals to master their unique gifts. With two PhDs in psychology, Dr. Doug has spent over 15 years working with top performers like CEOs, entrepreneurs, and ath…

This week, I sat down for a chat with the relentlessly helpful, and all-round top bloke John Espirian about the exciting news that there will be a conference for LinkedIn™️ enthusiasts in Birmingham, UK next year...How exciting! More on that later but here's the other things I covered in this weeks podcast Are search filters going to become a premi…