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The algorithms are shifting. So are expectations — from how you grow social engagement, to how AI tools surface your brand, to what leadership looks like when no one’s in the room. This edition of The Growth Mindset explores what visibility, influence and confidence really mean in 2025 — whether you're a founder, freelancer or quietly ambitious operator. Fewer hacks. More substance

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Your Linkedin reach is down. Here’s why

If tumbleweeds now follow every LinkedIn post you do, you’re not alone. Across the platform, reach is shrinking – but the reasons are bigger than bad content. In a straight-talking piece, B2B social expert Tommy Clark breaks down what’s really going on (from an algorithmic shift towards interest-based feeds, to the sheer volume of B2B posts flooding the platform) and lays out a new playbook for staying visible: tighter hooks, meatier posts and turning your whole team into creators. Get the insights here.

Why employee voices outperform brand messaging

One of the smartest takeaways from Clark’s article is the shift from founder-first to team-wide content ecosystems. A wave of B2B brands are now leaning into employee-generated content (EGC) to counteract falling reach and build broader trust. Posts from employees consistently outperform brand accounts on social, especially when they’re rooted in expertise, not polish. The companies winning here are backing the people already close to the customer conversation – and giving them the tools to speak credibly and consistently. Find out more here or, for further proof if it were needed, check out Digiday’s take on it here.

What a DoorDash exec’s README tells us about modern leadership

This week, a tweet went viral sharing the personal README of Keith Yandell, Chief Business Officer at DoorDash. It’s a concise guide to working with him – clear expectations, no micromanaging, radical feedback and a ‘no throwing people under the bus’ policy. It’s not just a Silicon Valley quirk. The rise of manager READMEs reflects a deeper shift: leaders are being asked to codify how they work, communicate and lead under pressure. Also worth reading is this HackerNoon round-up featuring manager READMEs from top tech companies like Slack, Netflix and Shopify.

Build the brand, not just the logo

Early-stage teams often delay brand work, assuming it starts and ends with colour palettes and font choices. But as the GV team (formerly Google Ventures) argues in their now widely shared Three-Hour Brand Sprint, the smartest founders treat brand as a strategic shortcut – not a surface-level asset. Their sprint exercise forces teams to articulate the “why”, “how”, and “what” of the business, map competitive positioning and define personality traits long before anyone opens Figma. Begin your branding journey here.

Freelancers, here’s how to be an ‘opportunity hound’

If you’re waiting for dream clients to come knocking, you’re already behind. The smartest freelancers and consultants don’t wait to be briefed – they pitch big ideas, spot gaps before clients name them and propose solutions that feel like common sense in hindsight. In a piece for Freelance Cake, one writer turned a casual remark into an $81k retainer by proactively suggesting a new role. In another example, shared by solopreneur expert Justin Welsh, a cold DM that offered no pitch and zero pressure eventually led to a $50k contract – just by being helpful, personal and well-timed. Lead with generosity, is the message, and the right clients will follow.

Why your feelings make terrible business partners

You know that moment when you say yes, and then immediately wonder what you were thinking? That’s the affect heuristic at work – the brain’s tendency to let emotion call the shots before logic has even left the house. It explains everything from bad hires to ill-advised pivots to panic selling stocks. The fix isn’t to ignore your gut, but to slow down long enough to question it. Step back. Sleep on it. Write a list. Decisions made in calm daylight tend to age better than the ones made in emotional fog. Find out more in this Forbes piece.​

Stop before you sprint: is your AI idea actually any good?

In a hype cycle, speed feels like an asset. But when it comes to AI products, it’s just as often a liability. As seasoned angel investor Stella Garber argues in Every, founders need to stress-test their ideas before defaulting to build mode. Her five-part filter cuts through the noise: what painful workflow are you transforming? Where’s the customer frustration? Do you have a unique data edge? Can you build trust from day one? It’s a sober lens on a space flooded with me-too apps and shallow solutions. Not every problem needs AI. And the best founders know when to walk away from an idea – not because they’re scared, but because they’re thinking clearly.

AI prompt of the week: the invisible competitor detector

You’re convinced your idea is fresh. Maybe even category-defining. But what if someone’s already solving the same problem better, faster or with a better distribution hook? This month’s prompt is designed to help you surface hidden threats – before investors or customers do it for you.

Use this persona:

You are a stealth-mode startup founder obsessed with competitive strategy. You’ve spent the last five years tracking overlooked players, obscure pilots and edge-case launches across (your sector here). Your job is to:

• Identify potential competitors the user may have missed – even those still in beta or pre-launch
• Analyse how they’re solving the same problem differently
• Flag positioning, pricing or distribution strategies that could outpace the user’s idea
• Suggest ways to build defensibility – through brand, community, data advantage or speed

Start here:

“Here’s my product idea and target user. Who else might be solving this in ways I’m not seeing? Where am I most vulnerable?”

Use this when:
You’re pitching, refining your USP or writing copy that must stand out in a crowded space. Because in startup land, “no competitors” isn’t a strength – it’s a red flag.

If AI is the new homepage, how does your brand show up?

As I’ve previously noted, search is shifting – and your brand might already be showing up in AI results, whether you’ve optimised for it or not. As Alli Berry writes in Search Engine Journal, generative platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini are starting to influence how people discover, compare and decide. Want to be cited well? Start by asking AI tools what they know about your brand – and note what they’re referencing. Often, it’s your About page, legal disclaimers or third-party sites like Wikipedia and Reddit. That’s your real-time brand presence. To improve it, invest in better citations, richer About content and – crucially – visibility across forums, reviews and credible sources. Because today, AI isn’t just scanning your site – it’s scanning your ecosystem.

Confidence doesn’t always shout

Introverts don’t build trust by working the room — they do it through calm clarity, strong prep and thoughtful follow-through. This quick guide reframes confidence through an introvert’s lens: less about being loud, more about being consistent and deeply attuned. Sometimes, the quietest person in the room is the one everyone should listen to.

Drop me a line

That’s all for this edition. If there’s a thread running through it, it’s this: the old signals of authority – volume, velocity, visibility – aren’t enough anymore. What cuts through now is clarity and the courage to think slowly when the world’s speeding up. Thanks for reading – and if something here sparked a thought, feel free to pass it on. See you next Sunday.

Cheers!

Adam

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