What if two broke brothers with just £18 between them could build a multi-million pound agency in under three years, almost entirely through LinkedIn?

I sat down with Niall Ratcliffe, 24, who along with his brother Morgan did exactly that, starting from a spare room in Burnley with no investors, no fancy degree and no safety net. 

In this episode Niall pulls back the curtain on the exact LinkedIn strategies the fastest growing B2B brands in Europe are quietly using behind the scenes, and nobody is talking about online. We also do a live profile roast, and yes, my own LinkedIn takes a few hits along the way.

Five reasons to listen:

Niall reveals the three step revenue system that took his agency from £18 to a six figure run rate in just 11 days, and why most people are treating LinkedIn like the wrong platform entirely

He breaks down the secret shift happening inside B2B marketing right now, including how leading companies are using AI and automation to steal competitor leads and trigger conversations at exactly the right moment

Learn why posting more content does not mean earning more leads, and how to split your strategy between growth content and nurture content to actually drive revenue

Niall shares the single highest converting LinkedIn message his agency has ever sent, and it is far simpler than anyone expects

The live LinkedIn profile roast gives listeners a rare, unfiltered look at what a top agency founder would fix first on any profile, from banners and headlines to the most underused piece of prime real estate on the platform.

Enjoy the show? Please subscribe/ follow the show and leave a 1 or 5 star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-business-strategist-with-adam-strong/id1518654325

Chapters

00:00 The Rise of a Multi-Million Pound Agency

02:43 From Working Class to Entrepreneurs

05:38 Discovering the Power of LinkedIn

08:50 Identifying Market Gaps and Opportunities

11:34 Debunking LinkedIn Myths

14:23 Building Authority vs. Driving Revenue

17:24 The Three-Step LinkedIn Strategy

20:15 Engagement and Intent on LinkedIn

23:21 B2B Strategies and Market Shifts

26:31 The Rise of AI in B2B Conversations

31:10 Understanding Sales Signals

34:58 Cutting Through the Noise on LinkedIn

40:18 Coaching and Profile Optimisation

50:31 Optimising Your LinkedIn Profile

53:38 Crafting an Effective About Section

56:50 The Importance of Authentic Content

01:00:16 Balancing Broad and Narrow Content

01:04:32 Key Takeaways and Upcoming Masterclass

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it? Book a call with the founder of Xentum Dominic Baldwin, limited spaces! 

Website: https://www.xentum.co.uk/

ABOUT THE GUEST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niall-ratcliffe/

Join us for this FREE workshop on B2B marketing: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7432705315810410497/

ABOUT THE HOST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong

Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever noticed how your leadership style flips under pressure—sometimes you micromanage, sometimes you retreat, sometimes you charge ahead like you're putting out fires? 

That reaction isn’t random. It’s driven by an invisible operating system that's been with you since birth.

In this eye-opening episode, I sit down with Rory Kilmartin—relationship researcher and founder of the Archetypal Relationship Academy to explore a groundbreaking framework for decoding human behaviour through four archetypes: the gorilla, the wolf, the fox, and the sheep. 

Rory’s 19 years of research reveals how your dominant archetype influences your leadership, relationships, and even who you hire (or fire).

If you’re serious about improving the way you lead, communicate, and understand your team—and yourself—this one’s a game-changer.

Ready to exit your business but not sure where to start? Take the exit readiness diagnostics test and find out the gaps of what you need to do to plan your exit strategy confidently. Click on the link here: ⁠https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com⁠

Chapters

00:00 Understanding Leadership Under Pressure

05:45 Introduction to Relationship Archetypes

11:07 Exploring the Four Archetypes

22:20 The Origins of Archetypal Nature

34:17 Applying Archetypes in Leadership

36:11 Navigating Business with a Long-Term Vision

38:32 Understanding Archetypes in Business

42:17 Case Studies: Transforming Teams through Archetypal Wisdom

45:10 Dynamic Nature of Archetypes in Personal and Professional Life

48:47 The Importance of Self-Awareness and Transitioning Roles

51:26 Leveraging Archetypes for Effective Leadership

56:18 Building Trust and Understanding in Teams

01:01:03 The Heart of Business: Understanding Team Dynamics

01:02:48 Conclusion: The Power of Relationships in Success

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it? Take the cash out with confidence assessment to see how close you are to your dream exit number. 

Visit: https://cash-out-with-confidence.scoreapp.com

Website: https://www.xentum.co.uk

ABOUT THE GUEST

⁠https://www.facebook.com/rorykilmartin⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/rorykilmartin/⁠

⁠https://www.youtube.com/rorykilmartin⁠

⁠https://x.com/RoryKilmartin⁠

ABOUT THE HOST

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The LinkedIn Top Voice badge is the most addictive distraction on the platform. The real question is how much time, energy and opportunity have you already lost chasing it?

I held the LinkedIn Top Voice badge for over two years and recently lost it. My first reaction? It felt like my credibility had been stripped away overnight. 

But then something unexpected happened. My business grew. Better clients, more conversations, more revenue. 

So I started asking myself whether being part of the top voice programme had any real benefits at all.

In this episode I pull back the curtain on the biggest myth in LinkedIn marketing and share exactly what I've been doing instead to turn organic content into real business growth.

Five Takeaways

Learn why the LinkedIn Top Voice badge attracts cold spammers far more than it attracts your ideal clients

Discover how LinkedIn's new 360 Brew AI system actually works and how to use it to get miles ahead of the badge chasers

Improve your content strategy with a proven framework covering which days to post, how often and why quality will always beat quantity

Understand how staying in your lane and speaking directly to a specific pain point converts far better than broadcasting to a wide audience

Learn how to split test your content using real metrics to identify exactly what is driving revenue and what to cut immediately

Enjoy the show? Please subscribe/ follow the show and leave a 1 or 5 star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-business-strategist-with-adam-strong/id1518654325

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: The Badge and Credibility Myth

00:26 Adam's Experience with Losing the Top Voice Badge

00:52 Why the Badge Doesn't Boost the Algorithm

02:09 Myth: More DMs from Potential Clients

03:01 Myth: VIP Treatment for Top Voices

03:57 The Badge Is Not a Lifetime Achievement

04:53 The Small Pool of Top Voice Holders

06:14 The Distraction of the Badge and Better Prospects

07:59 The New 360 AI System on LinkedIn

09:19 Profile Optimisation Tips: Headlines and Photos

14:06 Posting Frequency and Content Quality

16:21 Using Personal Stories to Engage Audience

17:27 Staying in Your Niche and Focused Content

18:45 Experimentation and Content Testing

20:27 Creating Content that Sparks Discussion

21:48 Articulating Your Value and Contrarian Content

23:35 Final Thoughts: Quality Over Quantity

24:29 Join the Community and Final Remarks

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it? Take the cash out with confidence assessment to see how close you are to your dream exit number. 

Visit: https://cash-out-with-confidence.scoreapp.com

Website: https://www.xentum.co.uk/

ABOUT THE HOST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong

Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the reason you are not growing has nothing to do with your product and everything to do with the fact you sound like every other business in your space?

In this episode, I sit down with my good friend Les Evans, who I have called the marketing disruptor for years. He has spent two decades transforming misfits, mavericks and outsiders into businesses that cannot be duplicated. 

We unpack why most founders have nothing new to say, why shouting louder is not the solution, and how one small distinction can change how the market experiences you. 

If you feel like the best kept secret in your industry, this conversation will challenge how you think about differentiation, positioning, and building a true category of one business.

Les Evans is a former CEO of a 9 figure investment fund, strategic advisor and author of ‘Uncopyable’. 

Five Reasons to Listen

Discover the shift that stops you competing on better and puts you in a league of your own

Hear the uncomfortable truth behind why most founders blend in, even with a great offer

Learn the simple distinction that can make your business instantly more memorable

Unpack the psychology that makes your audience feel seen without you trying to be controversial

Steal the pitch approach that sparks tell me more and turns attention into real demand

Enjoy the show? Please subscribe/ follow the show and leave a 1 or 5 star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-business-strategist-with-adam-strong/id1518654325

Chapters

00:00 The Unreplicatable Business Model

02:14 Les Evans: The Marketing Disruptor

02:54 Personal Evolution and Transformation

04:30 The Biggest Mistake Business Owners Make

04:47 The Importance of Originality in Business

07:41 The Challenge of Differentiation

09:56 Creating a Category of One

11:33 The Misconception of Leads Problems

12:42 Understanding Why Customers Choose You

16:38 Positioning vs. Authority in Business

21:13 Critique of the Coaching Industry

25:16 Neuroscience and Pattern Recognition

31:06 The Origin of Uncopyable Methodology

32:19 Transforming Commodities into Unique Offerings

33:40 Defining the Best: A New Perspective

35:31 Creating Your Own Landscape

36:49 Harnessing Constraints for Creativity

38:15 The Fear of Judgment in Business

39:02 Audacity in Entrepreneurship

40:57 Making Boring Businesses Memorable

48:14 Mindset Shifts for Business Growth

53:35 The Challenge of the 29-Second Pitch

56:53 Understanding Human Communication in Networking

58:16 Creating Curiosity and Humor in Introductions

01:01:31 Crafting Unique and Engaging Openers

01:05:00 The Psychology of Decision-Making in Business

01:07:23 The Importance of Playfulness in Professional Settings

01:09:48 Embracing Originality and Authenticity

01:13:50 Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it? Talk to Xentum financial planning to get your exit number. 

Visit: https://cash-out-with-confidence.scoreapp.com/

ABOUT THE HOST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong

Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

ABOUT THE GUEST

https://www.linkedin.com/in/les-evans-uncopyable/

https://www.facebook.com/LesEvansOfficial

https://reallesevans.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are we buried in Slack messages and back-to-back Zooms but feeling lonelier than ever? Dr. Michelle K. Johnston just co-wrote a book with Marshall Goldsmith that exposes the hidden crisis destroying teams—and it starts with you.

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston's back with a warning: we're going down a dark path. She just co-wrote The Seismic Shift in You with legendary executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, and they reckon most leaders are sleepwalking into disaster.

This isn't about work-life balance or time management. It's about why your best people are quietly quitting, why you're knackered despite smashing targets, and why technology is making us lonelier whilst pretending to connect us.

5 Reasons to Listen

The disconnection epidemic - why scrolling hits dopamine but starves you of oxytocin (and why that's making you physically ill)

The "what vs who" trap - how achievement addiction leads to premature death, heart disease, and leaders who feel empty at the top

The 7 necessary shifts - including the one that makes successful executives defensive because it threatens their entire identity

Real cost of disconnection - the executive whose doctor said he'd die young, and why his company's about to lose him to burnout

Practical tools for tomorrow - connection walks, calendar audits, and why your Friday afternoon Zoom meetings are killing creativity

Enjoy the show? Please subscribe/ follow the show and leave a 1 or 5 star review

Chapters

00:00 The Paradox of Connection and Disconnection

02:52 The Seismic Shift in Leadership

05:41 Understanding Loneliness and Its Impact

08:39 Generational Perspectives on Work and Leadership

11:04 The Courage to Connect

13:58 Shifting Beliefs in Leadership

16:52 The Importance of Individual Responsibility

19:55 The Shift from Achievement to Relationships

22:36 Creating a Culture of Connection

25:31 Practical Steps for Connection

28:24 The Cost of Disconnection

31:06 Final Thoughts on Connection and Leadership

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it? Talk to Xentum financial planning to get your exit number. 

Visit: https://cash-out-with-confidence.scoreapp.com

ABOUT THE HOST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong

Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

ABOUT THE GUEST

Website: WWW.MICHELLEKJOHNSTON.COM

Amazon: https://a.co/d/00XEIBBn

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-johnston-ph-d-0264b5b/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the thing making you feel most needed in your business is actually the thing stopping it from growing?

I sit down with Bill Flynn, someone who's survived IPOs, acquisitions and proper business chaos, to unpack the hero trap. If you're the one who fixes everything, closes every deal and makes every decision, this one's for you. 

It feels productive. It feels like leadership. But it quietly turns you into the bottleneck. 

We talk about why leaders default back to control mode when pressure hits, why most leadership advice doesn't work in the real world, and what it looks like when your team stops waiting for permission and starts running things without you.

Bill is the the Author of the best selling book 'Further, Faster' and is part of the Marshall Goldsmith's 100 coaches community.

Five Reasons to Listen

Learn how to spot when you've become the answer to everything and what that costs your team

Improve decision making so people can move fast without needing you in every conversation

Break the firefighting cycle and stop being the centre of every problem and approval

Build simple structure that makes your business feel calmer, sharper and easier to scale

Get your time back by cutting the work that drains you using a simple love and loathe filter

Want to exit your business but unsure where to start?

Take the ‘Exit readiness assessment’ and find out the gaps of what you need to do to plan your exit strategy confidently. Click on the link here: ⁠https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com⁠

Chapters

00:00 The Hero Trap: Understanding Leadership Challenges

09:36 The Shift from Controller to Builder

18:42 The Importance of Self-Awareness in Leadership

27:53 Breaking the Cycle of Hero Addiction

33:41 Transitioning into Marketing Leadership

35:04 Creating Structures for Effective Leadership

38:49 The Importance of Meeting Protocols

39:53 Influential Voices in Leadership

42:22 Defining True Leadership

43:03 Coaching Session: Shifting Mindsets

45:39 Crafting a Compelling Vision

49:36 The Art of Storytelling in Vision

55:17 Energy Management for Leaders

59:11 Preview of Upcoming Book

ABOUT OUR SPONSORWorried if your exit number is enough to fund your lifestyle after exiting your business? Take the cash out with confidence assessment and identify the gaps in your wealth plan. Go to: 

https://cash-out-with-confidence.scoreapp.com

ABOUT THE HOST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong

Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

ABOUT THE GUEST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billflynnpublic/

Full CBA assessment for facilitators and leaders - https://catalystgrowthadvisors.com/cba-assessment-download-enter-email-here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most founders are wasting a fortune on tools promising to shift the needle but instead it is quietly killing their growth.

This episode exposes why personality testing, competency models, and culture fit interviews often fail and what to replace them with if you want a team that actually delivers.

In this episode, I sit down with Barry Wolfe, an HR veteran with 30 years in the trenches helping founders and CEOs solve the people problems that stall growth. We go beyond generic HR and get into why businesses keep hiring great people who still do not perform, why teams break at certain revenue ceilings, and how leaders accidentally become the bottleneck.

Barry shares his value centric leadership approach, showing how to define roles by outcomes, improve hiring interviews, and align performance to the results that drive business growth. If you want to build a high performing team, improve employee retention, and scale without everything running through you, this conversation will challenge how you think about talent management.

Five takeaways: why you should listen

Why great CVs and strong interviews still fail and the real reason good people do not work out after 6 to 8 months

The most expensive hiring mistake founders and CEOs make and why smart leaders keep repeating it

The one thing to define before the interview starts: the 3 to 5 value added deliverables you need in the first 12 months

How to shift from managing actions to rewarding outcomes so roles are defined by what people deliver and performance becomes measurable

The first document to create if you are the bottleneck: define your key value drivers and business results so the whole team aligns and execution stops running through you.

Let’s be real — if you’re drowning in day-to-day crap, you’ll never scale or exit. Learn how to stop being your own bottleneck and start leading like a boss. Download this playbook for free, no email required and no BS.

Grab it now: https://adamstrong.notion.site/The-Exit-Playbook-Shift-from-Operator-to-Visionary-Leader-220f5f71e63b80bc91a0d7e0ca050c82?source=copy_link

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it? Talk to our financial planners to get your exit number. 

Visit: https://www.xentum.co.uk

ABOUT THE HOST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong

Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

ABOUT THE GUEST

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

www.argoshr.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s be real for a second: Law school, the accounting bodies, the professional exams they never actually taught you how to run a business. They taught you how to be a technician.

Now, you’re stuck in the trading time for money trap, thinking that being hardworking and professional gives you an edge over the competition. It doesn't. That’s just the baseline. 

In 2026, relying on those standards is the quickest way to get left behind.

I joined Dan Warburton to talk about the shift from being a late-stage service provider to an early-stage strategic partner. We’re moving past the ego and getting into why your clients really buy from you—and it’s probably not what you think.

In this chat, we cover:

The Holiday Test: Why your inability to let go is capping your revenue and killing your culture.

Standards vs. USPs: Why telling people you're "punctual" is a waste of breath (and what to say instead).

The Ferrari Specialist: How to stop being a "generalist garage" and become the only logical choice for your ideal client.

Dinner, Drinks, and Real Data: My simple way to get your best clients to hand you your unfair advantage on a silver platter before the weekend hits.

AI vs. The Clock: Why billing by the hour is a losing game when tech can do your 8-hour task in 20 minutes.

If you’re tired of staying stuck, this is for you.

Want to exit your business but unsure where to start?

Take the ‘Exit readiness assessment’ and find out the gaps of what you need to do to plan your exit strategy confidently. Click on the link here: ⁠https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com⁠

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it? Talk to our financial planners to get your exit number. 

Visit: https://www.xentum.co.uk

ABOUT THE HOST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong

Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

ABOUT THE GUEST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/investordanwarburton

Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2430923

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fine is the most expensive word in your business.

When your team tells you they’re fine, they aren’t being polite. They’re checking out. 

We’re in a Relationship Recession, and it’s the silent tax stripping productivity, slowing decisions, and shaving value off your company from the inside.

In this episode, I sit down with Morag Barrett, leadership expert, member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches, and the person CEOs call when trust is breaking and performance is slipping. 

Morag explains why transactional leadership fuels burnout, how digital noise has replaced real connection, and what to do about it if you want a high trust culture that scales.

If your engagement is dipping or your business is being impacted by quiet quitting, this is the episode for you.

We discuss:

How to spot the “I’m fine” trap before turnover hits

How to identify allies, rivals, and hidden adversaries inside the Relationship Ecosystem

How to use a 60 second pulse check to measure trust fast

How to schedule spontaneity so remote teams feel like a community

How to shift from transactional to transformational leadership without more meetings

Want to exit your business but unsure where to start?

Take the ‘Exit readiness assessment’ and find out the gaps of what you need to do to plan your exit strategy confidently.

Click on the link here: ⁠https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com⁠

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it?

Visit: https://www.xentum.co.uk

ABOUT THE GUEST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moragbarrett/

Website: https://skyeteam.com

Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cultivate-Winning-Relationships-Morag-Barrett-dp-1936487292/dp/1936487292/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

ABOUT THE HOST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong

Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I spent years chasing the myth that the harder you work the bigger the rewards. I was obsessed with growing my company to find freedom but it was a failed experiment. My business was scaling while my body was screaming a question I could not answer: how long can you actually sustain this for? I was winning on paper but my biology was being liquidated behind the scenes. Can you relate?

I used to treat my health like a cost centre I could manage after the next milestone. 

In this episode I sit down with triple board certified physician Dr Amy Loden Tiffany to look at the metabolic crisis I was heading toward. We discuss the biological data points I was ignoring and why my desk was more dangerous than a smoking habit. This is a raw look at the hidden tax on success and why your current lifestyle is secretly draining your cognitive edge. If you have ever woken at 3am with your brain on overload this is an episode you cannot afford to skip.

Five reasons to listen

The Sitting Death Trap Discover why prolonged sitting is more lethal than smoking and the specific protocol to reverse the damage in weeks.

Hidden Mortality Markers The laboratory metrics most doctors ignore that predict early mortality and how insurance companies use them against CEOs.

The IQ Connection How metabolic health directly dictates decision making ability and why a compromised state leads to million pound mistakes.

Peak Energy ROI The three high impact micro habits that deliver maximum energy for founders working 12 hour days with zero gym time.

Biological Burnout Why burnout and metabolic disease share the exact same root causes and how fixing one automatically solves the other.

Want to exit your business but unsure where to start?

Take the ‘Exit readiness assessment’ and find out the gaps of what you need to do to plan your exit strategy confidently. Click on the link here: ⁠https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com⁠

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it?

Visit: https://www.xentum.co.uk

ABOUT THE GUEST

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-loden/

YouTube: @dramytiffany

Instagram: @dramytiffany

TikTok: @dramytiffany

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vitalitymwc

ABOUT THE HOST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong

Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices