Haamucast

What do you do when everyone is posting… but almost nobody is actually saying anything real?

You stop chasing templates, ignore the algorithm panic, and stand the f*ck out.

In this episode of Haamucast, Edward sits down with Louis Grenier, founder of Stand the Fuck Out and creator of Everyone Hates Marketers, to unpack what founder-led content really looks like when it’s driven by conviction and raw authenticity.

From killing one of the most respected marketing podcasts ever made to betting big on a YouTube format that’s deliberately hard to copy, Louis shares how personal brand, radical honesty, and real human connection compound long after tactics expire.

You’ll hear:

👻 How Louis built his entire business off his personal brand — without money, privilege, or borrowed audiences

👻 Why Everyone Hates Marketers worked so well… and why Louis chose to shut it down at its peak

👻 The real reason most founder-led content fails on LinkedIn (hint: it smells like obligation, not belief)

👻 Why “post for yourself first” beats audience research for founder brands, especially in an AI-flooded internet

👻 Louis’ contrarian LinkedIn playbook: why conversations, DMs, and generosity outperform posting more content

👻 The YouTube opportunity nobody in B2B is actually taking and why Louis is going all-in on an in-person, unreplicable format

Bonus: Louis’ core belief that what you choose not to do matters more than any channel strategy and how founders can build visibility without burning out or becoming content machines.

If you’re building a founder-led brand and feel stuck between “playing the game” and saying something you actually believe, this episode is a sharp reminder that the fastest way to grow is still the hardest: be real, be specific, and stand the f*ck out.

What do you do when you’re in a “boring” industry… but still want people to stop scrolling and actually care?

You get weird on purpose, then back it up with real expertise.

In this episode of Haamucast, Edward sits down with Sam Dunning, founder of Breaking B2B, to unpack how founder-led content turns attention into trust, trust into pipeline, and pipeline into predictable ARR.

From LinkedIn chaos to YouTube-first strategy and founder-to-founder partnerships, Sam shares the exact playbook he’s using to grow Breaking B2B without relying on a single channel or a single algorithm.

You’ll hear:

👻 How Sam went from treating LinkedIn like an online CV (and spamming cold messages) to using it as a trust engine for B2B SaaS SEO

👻 Why “get attention first” beats polished-but-boring content — and how Sam uses stunts, memes, and Nickelback covers to earn the click before delivering value

👻 The YouTube gap in B2B: why most companies treat it like a dumping ground, and how a YouTube-first approach fuels a full media flywheel

👻 How founder brand drives inbound and stays top-of-mind for prospects who aren’t ready yet, so you win when timing changes

👻 The real risks of being the face of your company (selling the business, reliance on one person, algorithm shocks) and how Sam diversifies across channels to protect growth

👻 What Breaking B2B markets under the company brand vs. Sam’s personal brand

👻 The modern partnership shift: why Sam Dunning partnering with Adam Robinson can outperform brand-to-brand deals - and how third-party validation unlocked a new growth lane

👻 The SEO/AEO/GEO ripple effect of founder-led content now that social and YouTube visibility show up in AI answers, Google results, and buyer trust loops

Bonus: Sam’s experimenter mindset — why most bets flop, a few hit big, and running the wrong tests is still the fastest path to the right playbook.

If you’re building a B2B company and want to grow past the algorithm roulette, this episode is a masterclass in using founder brand as a compounding growth asset.

Guest: Tarja Stephens, Founder @ Leaders of the Future

What happens when you ditch the corporate playbook and start treating LinkedIn like a journal instead of a billboard?

You build real relationships that turn into speaking gigs, partnerships, and a global network.

In this episode of Haamucast, Edward sits down with Tarja Stephens, who went from corporate exec to entrepreneur and built her entire thought leadership platform by sharing her journey authentically – no grand strategy required.

You'll hear:

👻 Why the next 10 years will bring more change than the past hundred – and what that means for leaders who stay silent

👻 How Tarja grew her influence by replying to every comment and treating posts as conversation starters, not announcements

👻 The simple "three C's" framework that gets overwhelmed leaders posting consistently (commit, connect, create)

👻 Why only 2% of LinkedIn's 1 billion users actively post – and why that's your biggest opportunity right now

👻 How to use AI as a thought partner instead of just a grammar checker (plus why authenticity beats volume in an AI-flooded world)

Bonus: Tarja's networking hack – reach out to anyone who inspires you on LinkedIn with a simple message. You'll be shocked how open global leaders are to connecting right now.

Guest: Marjut Sadeharju, Founder & CEO at Splendid

What happens when you stop thinking about personal branding and start thinking about what you can give?

You build a 12,000-person network that actually means something. In this episode of Haamucast, Edward sits down with Marjut Sadeharju, founder and CEO at Splendid, who went from a lonely consultant to a community-building CEO – all by focusing on giving first and building connections in Finland's tight-knit tech scene.

You'll hear:

👻 Why Marjut ditched digital learning content when she realized it wasn't her professional identity anymore

👻 How she organically discovered her content pillars by tracking engagement rates and following the conversations

👻 The "give, give, give" strategy that turned 400 LinkedIn connections into 12,000 over four years

👻 Why she thinks human connection will be "the new oil" in an AI-dominated world

👻 Her advice for scared first-time posters: "Just do it scared – as long as you do it"

Bonus: Marjut shares why she gets recognized at Reaktor ecosystem events before she even introduces herself – and how that instant connection changes the entire dynamic of business conversations.

Guest: Kira Sjöberg, Co-founder at Goodin

What happens when you hit 40, realize you're not getting any younger, and decide you need a bulletproof career strategy for the AI age?

You pick a lane – and become the expert everyone needs. In this episode of Haamucast, Edward sits down with Kira Sjöberg, who went from art historian to AI literacy evangelist by doing something most people avoid: getting really honest about what the next decade holds.

You'll hear:

👻 Why Kira chose the "expertise route" over the "run 150+ people" path – and her brutally realistic take on career options after 45

👻 How she uses LinkedIn as her learning laboratory, writing in-depth posts that actually make people think (instead of scroll)

👻 The "data empathy" concept that bridges the gap between "normal people" and "tech people"

👻 Why she deliberately ignores algorithm advice and writes long-form content that requires "brain space"

👻 Her backup plan if AI expertise doesn't work out (spoiler: it involves plumbing)

Bonus: Kira reveals why change isn't fast, AI literacy is the skill everyone needs but nobody's teaching, and how turning 45 can be the best career wake-up call you never wanted.

Guest: Erica Rankin, Co-founder & CEO at Doozi

What happens when you share the unfiltered reality of entrepreneurship – including the failures?

You build a network that outlasts any single business. In this episode of Haamucast, Edward sits down with Erica Rankin, who went from shutting down her food company Bro Dough to launching travel app Doozi.

Erica breaks down how posting vulnerably about bankruptcy, failure, and the messy middle turned her personal brand into her most valuable asset.

You'll hear:

👻 Why Erica decided to "climb cringe mountain" and share her bankruptcy story in real time (not after her comeback)

👻 How her transparent LinkedIn content attracted investors, retailers, and even a free corporate lawyer worth $20K

👻 The mental health angle that most founders ignore – and why you can't compartmentalize your life as an entrepreneur

👻 Her "museum of failure at 30" post that went viral and created a safe space for others to share their losses

👻 How building in public helped her pivot from a failed CPG brand to a travel tech startup with a co-founder she met on Bumble BFF

Bonus: Erica reveals why the people calling your content "cringey" are the same ones who secretly wish they had your courage to post.

Guest: Frida Ahrenby, CMO at Rillion

What happens when you're a marketer targeting CFOs but your finance team won't touch social media?

You flip the script. In this episode of Haamucast, Edward sits down with Frida Ahrenby, CMO at Rillion, to talk about how she got her own finance leaders posting on LinkedIn – and why that changed everything about how they understand their customers.

You'll hear:

👻 Why finance leaders are actually easier to convince than you think (once they see the business value)

👻 Frida's "never force it" philosophy – and how copy-paste content is totally allowed

👻 How targeting CFOs made her relationship with her own CFO completely different

👻 The organic guerrilla tactic that's driving branded search and pipeline growth👻 Why authenticity beats framework every single time (and how to enable without controlling)

Bonus: Frida reveals why her finance team actually wants to post now – unlike every other company where the answer was always "no, no, no."

Guest: Sebastian Mellblom, CEO & Co-founder @ Reveal

What happens when you're building in a sector where museum directors aren't scrolling LinkedIn?

You question everything about founder-led content strategy. In this episode of Haamucast, Edward sits down with Sebastian Mellblom, CEO of Reveal, who's been following founder-led content from the sidelines while building his startup in the travel and visitor experience sector – and shares his honest take on why he hasn't pulled the trigger yet.

You'll hear:

👻 Why Sebastian's co-founder told him to follow "this Samuli Salonen guy" when they were working from a basement

👻 The equation every founder faces: "If I put two hours here, what do I get back?" – and why it's not always clear with content

👻 How targeting museum directors versus VCs requires completely different messaging strategies (and why LinkedIn might not be the answer)

👻 The perfectionist trap: wanting every piece of content to have core value instead of just "posting for posting"

👻 Why Sebastian can calculate ROI on cold calls but struggles to measure founder-led content impact

Bonus: Sebastian reveals the startup reality most people miss – everyone talks about €100M rounds, but founders need help getting from 0 to 0.1, not 0.1 to 100.

Guest: Sari Venäläinen, Co-founder & CEO @ Haamu.io

What happens when you realize executive-led content isn't new at all, just newly appreciated?

You build a company around it.

In this episode of Haamucast, Edward sits down with newly announced Haamu.io CEO Sari Venäläinen to discuss her journey from marketing agency veteran to founder, why founder-led content isn't actually a shift but a recognition of what's always worked, and her vision for expanding Haamu beyond LinkedIn.

You'll hear:

👻 How a seed planted in Samuli's mind during a casual conversation turned into a business opportunity that perfectly matched Sari's own vision

👻 Why Sari believes founder-led content isn't actually new: "This is something we've been doing all the time for our customers in marketing agencies"

👻 The fascinating cultural differences in content performance (why video doesn't work as well on LinkedIn for Finnish audiences despite the platform pushing it)

👻 Her excitement about exploring platforms like YouTube Shorts, which has outperformed her expectations compared to TikTok and Instagram Reels for B2B

👻 The real-world results Haamu customers are seeing, from 80+ new connection requests per post to direct sales (though she emphasizes brand awareness over lead generation)

Bonus: Sari's "lame but essential" advice for hesitant founders: "Don't be afraid of someone not liking your content or thinking it's cringe. Your brand should be a magnet and a filter at the same time, attracting your ICP while filtering out everyone else."

Guest: Samuli, Co-founder at Haamu

What happens when a prominent journalist calls your startup a "bad idea" on LinkedIn?

You accidentally create the best marketing campaign of your career. In this episode of Haamucast, Edward sits down with co-founder Samuli to unpack how a scathing LinkedIn post about ghostwriting turned into Haamu's biggest PR moment – and sparked a Finland-wide debate about authenticity in the process.

You'll hear:👻 How one journalist's rant about ghostwriting backfired and generated 100+ supportive DMs👻 Why PayPal is hiring a "Head of CEO Social Content" for up to $190k (spoiler: this isn't new)👻 The mental rollercoaster of going from panic to celebration in 24 hours👻 Why writing for your own LinkedIn vs. writing for clients requires completely different skills👻 How to turn polarization into your competitive advantage (even when it hurts at first)

Bonus: Samuli shares why building something people hate is better than building something that's just "okay" – and how authenticity became their accidental differentiator in the ghostwriting debate.