You can be born shy and still become a CEO, TEDx speaker and live national television guest in your early 20s. Jahin Tanvir, the CEO of ASE Group has done just that.

He went from stacking 31 work experiences by the age of 24 (most of them unpaid) to becoming CEO of a national company as his first full-time job. After cold-emailing charities for volunteer gigs, Jahin turned lockdown into his launchpad, creating Breathe, a public speaking business that blew up on TikTok, signed clients like Canva and Toyota, and was acquired within six months.

Now he is one of the youngest CEOs in Australia, teaching life skills to over 180,000 young Australians. In this episode of ex-vicarious, Braith delved into Jahin’s mental model that reframes nerves into excitement, how Jahin overcame being told he was “too young” and why failure should never mean bouncing back, but failing forward.

Whether you love or hate it - LinkedIn video is the buzz.

📞 So I buzzed Mr. LinkedIn himself for the secrets.

Yes, I’m talking about LinkedIn News Editor, Brendan Wong.

This legend spearheaded the LinkedIn Editorial Content Program for Australia.

(i.e. He taught us how to be better at LinkedIn – based on real insights from LinkedIn itself).

Now for several months, Brendan’s actually been making some awesome LinkedIn videos of his own.

So I asked him how to truly capture your authenticity on video to share your expertise and connect with others on this platform.

We also delved into how he:

📚 was invited to MC multiple book launches,

🎤 spoke to a room of entrepreneurs at the @The ASE Group’s launch event

🗣️ overcome the sound of his own voice on video through self-imposed, exposure therapy

Brendan was even kind enough to tell me all of this at the LinkedIn HQ!

Check out the full podcast now!

— — —

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:27 Brendan's Journey and Career Insights

02:32 Overcoming Video Challenges

05:44 Tips for Creating Authentic LinkedIn Videos

06:43 Quick Fire Questions and Personal Goals

08:59 Top Book Recommendations

11:41 Daily Habits and Mindsets for Success

13:18 Message (or question) to the world

— — —

You can connect with Brendan here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendancwong/

You can check out LinkedIn News here:https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/linkedin-news/posts/?feedView=all

You can check out the books Brendan mentioned here:https://www.amazon.com.au/Productivity-Joy-Energised-Effective-Minutes/dp/1394282214https://www.amazon.com.au/Busy-Idiots-Science-Productivity-without/dp/1394282729https://www.amazon.com.au/Less-Hustle-More-Happy-fulfilled/dp/1923186175/ref=asc_df_1923186175/?tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=712376727302&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16014736875799034945&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1000286&hvtargid=pla-2336558647874&psc=1&mcid=b9758496e1d43851bc3683e8f865e837&gad_source=1

Give yourself some f*cking permission.

Harvard, McKinsey and 7-fig, bootstrapped companies will be waiting.

But that’s only scratching the surface of Stephen Turban’s life.

By giving himself permission, rather than waiting for it, Stephen has:

🎭 Convinced Vietnam’s #1 Comedy group ‘Saigon Teu’ to let him join. He’s now the #1 white guy doing stand-up in fluent Vietnamese (40M views, I’ll link it in comments).

🇨🇳 Become an internet celebrity in China while at Harvard University (yes, he also speaks fluent Chinese and did this way before everyone was flocking to Rednote).

📖 Authored a #1 Amazon bestseller in Friendship called “Your Relationship GPA”.

🍜 Acted in an advertisement for Nissin Foods (shoutout to my Asian brothers and sisters who grew up on these instant noodles).

Okay, so what does all of this have to do with permission?

Well 90% of people never do what they truly want to because their parents, teachers, employers or VCs didn’t give them the “permission” to do so.

In response, most people never learn to give themselves permission.

But Stephen’s life is a case study for everything amazing that happens when you say “f*ck it” to permission.

In high school, he was kicked out of class 64 times before he gave himself permission to drop out and live in Taiwan for a year.

He returned with a completely different attitude towards academics and landed at Harvard.

I’d love to tell you the full story but I think you’ll enjoy hearing it more from Stephen himself on the latest episode of ex-vicarious.

— — — 

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Stephen Turban

02:29 How to get into Harvard after being Kicked out of Class 64 times

04:07 Dropping out of School in the US to live in Taipei for 1 year

05:37 How Stephen became the “#1 White Guy Doing Stand-up Comedy in Vietnamese”

12:53 Organising an International Flashmob for Malaria Awareness

15:41 Balancing TWO 7-Figure Startups

20:09 Bootstrapping vs going out of business after raising $20M+

24:42 How Sam Parr’s “Hampton” community reveals the Illusion of Success and Prestige

25:52 Diverse Paths to Entrepreneurship

27:16 The Joy of Language Learning (Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Hindi)

29:18 Embracing the Underdog Mindset, Going through the Side Door

35:48 Finding Time for Hobbies

40:50 Quickfire Questions and Reflections

45:39 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

You can connect with Stephen here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenturban/details/experience/

You can check out Lumiere Education here:

You can check out Leverage Assistants here:

Christopher Chow posted a LinkedIn video every day for 30 days straight.

You always hear “people person” thrown around – so what does it mean?

Scott Harrison knows. He’s made it his superpower.

Growing up on the rough streets of  Dumbarton, Scott learned how to read people, handle pressure and talk his way out of trouble.

He NEEDED to.

But later on, he took these communication skills into his career through as  

👨‍💼 director of Hays recruitment’s Auckland office, 

🤝 a global lead boardroom negotiator, and now

💪 founder of Apex Negotiations. 

Scott’s already helped over 150 leaders across the world master the art of negotiation – but he has many more knocking on his door because he mastered another skill.

The art of LinkedIn video.

If you’re in Singapore, you may have seen Scott waltzing the streets and speaking to the camera between errands.

But if not, you’ve probably seen him on LinkedIn, as he gets a minimum of 1 million impressions on each video!

From startup founders to C-Suite execs of giants like @Unilever, many of Scott’s clients slid into his DMs after enjoying the authenticity and wisdom of his LinkedIn videos.

Last week, I slid into Scott’s DMs to learn about his process of making effective videos and being a true “people person”.

He told me the secrets in the latest episode of @ex-vicarious. 

— — — 

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Scott Harrison

01:15 Scott's Journey with LinkedIn Videos

04:28 The Evolution of Video Style

09:22 Facing Challenges and Criticism

12:49 The Power of Authenticity in Video

16:34 Navigating Stressful Negotiations

24:08 Managing Emotions in Negotiations

25:11 Creating Value Beyond Price

27:02 Contingency Planning and Communication

31:39 The Importance of Emotional Intelligence

33:00 Quick Fire Questions

34:33 Overcoming Rejection

38:12 Inspirational Quotes and Final Thoughts

— — — 

You can connect with Scott here: 

You can check out Apex Negotiations here:

So you have a podcast – but how can you turn it into a business?

That’s exactly what Michelle Akhidenor was testing when she found her answer in the inverse.

Making podcasts for businesses!

Not just any businesses though.

Through running her own BIPOC and female-led podcast – “PEERS”, it only made sense that her agency would focus on developing credibility and trust for progressive companies through podcasts.

So she founded The PEERS Project, where she’s produced chart-topping podcasts across diverse industries, including recruitment/HR (Indeed), retirement (Estia Health), energy (AGL) and Fortune 500 tech giants (Alibaba).

This landed her in both the @Forbes 30U30 and @B&T 30U30, which recognises trailblazers who dare to be different in the realm of media and advertising.

But after bringing this podcast agency model to the US, which has a market that’s “50 times bigger”, Michelle realised she needed to niche down much more “just to get meetings”.

So first she focused solely on tech, but found out even that wasn’t niche enough. A year of experimentation later, she landed on venture capital firms.

Why? Because she found that:

[1] One in ten VC firms have a podcast already,

[2] VC firms are the most engaged  segment of tech in podcasting, &

[3] The US has thousands of VC firms, with hundreds in New York alone.

It was the clear choice.

Michelle explained how she’s tackling this enormous opportunity today and delved into all the dreams and challenges leading up to it.

This episode is a must listen for anyone who wants to positively impact the world through business.

Enjoy :)

— — —

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to the Episode

00:02 Meet Michelle Akhidenor

01:43 Michelle's Early Career and BCSS

03:51 Discovering a Passion for Marketing

05:14 The Love for Languages

07:17 Cultural Immersion and Business Lessons

11:00 Diverse Career Path

13:33 Starting the Peers Podcast

19:01 Challenges and Triumphs in Podcasting

28:17 The Journey to Sponsorship

31:21 Persistence Pays Off: Landing the Shopify Deal

34:48 The Importance of Representation in Media

37:55 From Podcasting to Business: The Journey

41:53 Navigating the US Market: Lessons Learned

50:02 Quick Fire Questions and Personal Insights

54:35 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

— — —

You can connect with Michelle here:

* https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleakhidenor/

* https://www.instagram.com/michakhidenor/?hl=en

You can check out The Peers Project here:

* https://www.instagram.com/thepeersproject/?hl=en

* https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-peers-project/

* https://thepeersproject.com/

Imagine you had over 1 million followers across YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. 

CNN wants to interview you. Billboard wants to interview you.

Even Adam22 from the No Jumper podcast wants to interview you.

Oh, and the New York Times quoted you.

Well, Finn McKenty doesn’t have to imagine.

He’s built a massive following from his YouTube channel – the Punk Rock MBA.

But aside from being a creator, Finn helps entrepreneurs grow on LinkedIn and YouTube, after doing 20 years of marketing for clients including Nike, P&G, Starbucks and Microsoft.

As cool as this is, what really made me reach out to Finn was when he explained why short-form video can suck for entrepreneurs. 

(Yet, he still believes everyone should be making short-form videos on LinkedIn).

How does this make sense?!

Well, you can find out from this mini-interview now!

— — — 

00:00 Introduction to Finn McKenty

01:08 Diving into LinkedIn Video

01:30 Leveraging Diverse Audiences from Punk Rock lovers to Entrepreneurs

02:42 The Power of Short Form Video

04:48 Engagement and Reach on LinkedIn

08:06 Tips for Effective Video Content

16:28 Quick Fire Questions with Finn

18:10 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

— — — 

You can connect with Finn here: 

You can check out his services here:

This year, LinkedIn rolled out their response to Instagram reels and TikTok by adding their own short-form video section.

I bet you’re tired of spending 60+ hours explaining how tasks are done to new hires.

Finnlay Morcombe definitely was, back when he was in data analysis.

In a team of 15, he spent 4 hours individually with each consultant to manually document their steps in using Confluence, SharePoint, Word and other software.

“This has got to be a common problem.” he thought. “There's got to be an easier way to solve this.”

There was - he just had to create it.

And so, the idea for Fluency was born.

Months later, Finn and Oliver Farnill won “best pitch” at the Swinburne pre-accelerator.

They made immense progress in the 3 months that followed, and landed in Swinburne’s Accelerator as the youngest people there, amongst other founders already doing 7-figures in revenue.

Flash forward to today, Fluency is a multi-million dollar company amid their second raise 👀

I sat down with Finn and Fluency’s head of growth, Leo Roubos to chat about

☘️ growing the startup culture in Melbourne,

🌃 consecutive 2AM nights spent coding at the office, and

🧲 how they both made unique shifts from corporate into startups.

They left me with an important message - “taste them grapes”.

Want to know what it means? Then listen now.

— — —

Timestamps

00:00 What is Fluency?

00:40 Meet the Team: Finn and Leo

01:09 ex-vicarious Introduction

01:53 Finn's Idea for Fluency

03:45 Leo's Path to Joining Fluency as Head of Growth

05:14 Corporate vs. Startup Life

06:57 Achieving Goals and Overcoming Challenges

09:30 Startup Culture in Melbourne

13:36 Team Dynamics with a Gen Z Team

16:44 Fluency’s Raise and Finn’s Accelerator Experience

19:05 How to Support Fluency

20:45 Personal Dreams and Ambitions

27:02 The Turning Point: From Fun to Serious Impact

27:28 Early Coding Adventures and Fluency's Origins

29:43 Learning to Code from Nothing

32:57 Navigating Barriers and Finding Direction

35:03 Sales Journey: From Customer Support to Strategy

39:16 Work-Life Immersion, not Balance

41:59 Future Goals and Ambitions for Fluency

43:50 Final Thoughts and Reflections

— — —

You can connect with Finn and Leo here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-leo-leo/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnlay/

You can check out Fluency here:

https://getfluency.com.au/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/getfluency/

Imagine this - you’re in your early 20s, chillin’ by the beach in Vietnam, surfing, eating, and writing…

PLUS getting paid to do so.

Some may say it’s the dream life. For @Will Eisenhuth, this is reality.

He called in from Vietnam to update me on his freshly launched ghostwriting agency, where he helps founders and business owners dominate their niche on LinkedIn.

We both began our LinkedIn writing journeys last year, but I’ve loved seeing his exponential growth since (such as getting 128,709 views & 400+ leads on a single post!).

So, it was a pleasure to discuss how he:

💼 landed his (then) dream job at a top law firm before realising law wasn’t his passion

🥊 interviewed a boxing commentator on his podcast who offered him a job at Fox Sports

✍️ built unbeatable systems for working from anywhere as a ghostwriter, &

💪 believes Stoicism is misunderstood by modern society

Though all the writers will love this ep, you don’t need a pen right now.

Just grab some headphones and tune into this episode!

— — — 

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview

01:13 Will’s Journey to Becoming a Copywriter

01:19 Remote Work and Creative Inspiration

03:34 Career Pivots from Law to Sports to Copywriting

06:04 Starting a Podcast and Exploring New Avenues

07:22 Transition to Copywriting and Starting a Business

11:35 Building a Personal Brand on LinkedIn

19:04 Experimentation and Overcoming Fear of Failure

23:37 Podcasting Journey and Guest Outreach

26:28 Refining the Outreach Process

27:52 Stop Caring what Others Think

31:29 Influences and Inspirations

32:36 How Stoicism is Misunderstood 

35:10 Will’s Memorable Podcast Guests

36:13 The Fascination with Sport

38:13 Balancing Writing and Business

44:42 Learning Business from His Own Clients

46:07 Reflecting on Achievements and Future Plans

52:30 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

— — — 

You can connect with Will here: 

https://www.linkedin.com/notifications/?filter=all

You can check out Will’s Ghostwriting Agency here here:https://www.linkedin.com/company/william-eisenhuth-linkedin-ghostwriting/https://jq2z2atilzg.typeform.com/to/DQgjxwqU?typeform-source=www.linkedin.com