Adi Suja

I ran the most badass experiment in LinkedIn history.

And I learnt that social media can get nasty for women.

I wanted to test our LinkedIn growth process on new profiles with small networks.

I used a test profile of a woman:

A 1 day old profile. 27 connections. Zero published posts.

I then posted one of my own posts from a year back.

Boom.

100,000 views in 20 hours. 1000 comments. 200 connection requests. 2 sales enquiries.

I was happy:

This case study proved the effectiveness of our LinkedIn growth hacking process.

And then the real fun began:

Messages from guys who wanted to meet up 'casually',

Get on calls to chat about 'life'.

Complements on my 'beauty'.

Some were even 'willing' to relocate to where I was.

I laughed at first, but then it hit me:

It's the first frigging day. The very first post.

I have 10 MN views on my LinkedIn, 20,000 followers & I've never been hit on-

Not once.

For the first time in my life, I saw what it's like to be a woman on social media.

I had to deactivate the profile.

As we celebrate women all around the world today, I hope we strive to make LinkedIn better.

And to the women hustling here amidst all this-

I have nothing but respect for you.


Don't believe me? Check the first comment.

#InternationalWomensDay #growthhacking

2 months back, I stopped posting on LinkedIn all of a sudden.

There's one area in LinkedIn marketing that we suck at-

Video content.

I've tried making videos before.

I'll be honest-

I'm inexperienced & can't spare the time needed to handle editing.

2 months back, I felt that it was time that we did something about this.

Around the same time, I met Nikhil.

What started as a random message on LinkedIn turned out to be one of the most insightful conversations I've had on video production.

And I realized one thing:

We needed help. And this guy could help.

2 days later, I presented an offer.

On the third day, he joined us as our Head of Video.

It took us two full months to put together a process-

For everything from recruiting designers & video editors to scripting, recording & promoting video content on LinkedIn.

Now we have a process. A team.

And we're starting with our very own video series on LinkedIn next week.

At times, it's okay to take a step back.

Even if that means going from 250 leads to 5 leads a month & not landing new clients.

Even if that means you're losing out on revenue.

Because great companies aren't great just because they generate revenue.

Great companies are great because they focus on getting better.

Everyday.


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I get a lot of messages from people who got laid off because of COVID.

It’s sad. It’s time we did something about it.

And no-

We won’t be selling a stupid course at a discount to ‘Help’ you.

Nor will we sell overpriced services to help you ‘get through this’.

And I don’t really want to credit 100 USD in your wallet for ‘Free’ to play rummy online at home.

But here’s what we’re going to do:

We’re going to hire.

We’re looking for badass growth hackers to join our team NOW.

I know many of you have been laid off.

And while we can't hire all of you, we can help-

If you’re having trouble finding work, drop a comment below with these:

- Explain what you do in a few words

- Add a link to your resume or portfolio

Content Writers.

Growth Hackers.

Salespeople.

Developers.

Even VAs.

You’re all welcome.

Know someone who got laid off because of COVID?

Tag them too.

And here’s where it gets interesting:

There are literally millions of badass people that have been laid off.

This IS the best time for you to hire.

If you’re looking to hire & help out, comment ‘Following’ below.

I’ll compile a list of everyone who’s looking for work & DM it to you.

Let’s use LinkedIn for what it was meant to be-

The most kickass professional networking platform in the world.

#hiring #hr

I’m the least paid member on my team.

I get by on a few hundred dollars a month.

Am I bragging?

No.

A few dollars means zero eat-outs.

Zero trips.

Zero movies.

And zero pub nights.

It’s brutal minimalism.

But why?

Because in an early stage startup, it’s not about all the vanity stuff.

It’s not about the luxury. Or the lifestyle.

It’s about cash flow, culture, and focus.

Always pay yourself as low as you can.

It’ll help you with your cash flow:

You don't have to think twice about hiring a freelancer.

Or running that experiment.

Or buying that software to speed up work.

And the best part?

It’ll also help you focus on your goals.

And when you give undivided focus to work, you’ll inspire culture.

I’m proud of the culture we’re building at Growthetics.

The processes we build every day.

The experiments we run.

What we learn.

That’s true wealth.


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We just received invitations to placement drives at 3 top IIMs across the country.

I can't stop smiling.

It's 1.44 AM as I write this and I'm sitting in my dark bedroom grinning at my LinkedIn screen.

Yesterday, I posted about how I badly wanted an MBA from an IIM.

And how I chose to start up instead, and learn how to run a business myself.

It struck a chord with many like-minded entrepreneurs and startup enthusiasts here.

The post received over 2300 likes and 180,000 views.

In one single day, we received invitations to the placement processes at IIM Indore, Lucknow and Nagpur.

Separately.

Heck- two separate recruitment coordinators reached out to me from IIM Lucknow.

All because of our brand on LinkedIn.

This platform is doing wonders for many businesses we know and work with.

The best time to start sharing your stories on LinkedIn was yesterday.

The next best time?

It's now.

Oh- and regarding the placements:

I don't think we'll be taking part.

It's a great opportunity, and I feel humbled and honored to receive the invitations.

But let's be frank - they don't teach growth hacking at IIMs.

And we don't really give a fuck about degrees.

A little over 2 years back, I was kicked out of my own company.

I have to be honest-

It's one of the most mentally devastating experiences I've been through.

But it didn't take away a dream I've had since I was a kid.

The dream of founding a successful, thriving business.

Starting up again was obvious.

The first challenge I had was deciding on a name for the new company.

I listed out some names that sounded good to me.

Added all my Whatsapp contacts to a broadcast list.

Sent everyone a message asking for their opinions.

Many chose Growthetics.

Two years and after hundreds of leads mistaking Growthetics for Growthethics,

And several experiences where I've realized that no one really gives a shit about your agency's name,

We rebranded to The Growth Club

Why?

One- well, let's face it - 'Growthetics' is lame :)

Two- we want GrowthClub. org to be first & foremost a community of growth & LinkedIn marketing enthusiasts.

Some of the biggest companies in the world grew with their communities.

It'll take time. But we'll get there.

Is that the lesson?

Nope.

The lesson is that when you start out, no one really gives a shit about what you call yourself.

Just start :)


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I used to read over 300 blogs a month.

Straight out of college, I knew I had to find a marketing job to learn the ropes.

Amidst parental pressure & a messed up degree, it took me a full year to find one.

The job was interesting, but I wanted to learn more-

Grow faster.

Courses. Podcasts. Blogs. Anything I could find-

I consumed them like crazy.

Every single day I read dozens of articles I bookmarked in my Pocket app.

My belief?

If I learnt faster than anyone, I'd be the best.

I prided myself as the 'expert' in my team.

A year into the job, I was invited by a founder to talk about inbound marketing at a gathering.

By the end of the chat, I understood two things:

1. I knew more about content marketing than many founders & marketers in the city.

2. I was still fucken broke. With a job that paid 300 dollars a month.

Here's the brutal truth:

Reading blogs, listening to podcasts & taking courses may give you confidence.

But fame, money, authority & respect can't be earned through consumption.

For that- you need to execute.

The experience changed me.

People often ask me when I became an entrepreneur.

I think I became one when I learnt a lesson:

Execution. Matters. Most.


#entrepreneurship #startups #contentmarketing

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