Alina Vandenberghe 🌶️’s Post

There’s one sign that’ll prove that you’re truly successful- You’ll be missed. Last week I took a break from writing on LinkedIn. And so many people reached out to ask why. That’s when I knew I had made it. Similarly, this is what your brand needs. Because if Domino’s shuts down tomorrow, I’ll just go to some other pizza place. Answer this honestly- If your company were to stop running, Would people miss it? It’ll give you an idea if you’re easily replaceable or not. If the answer is No, You probably need to make some changes. You don’t need a billion dollars to be successful. You can be an irreplaceable local business, And be just as successful. P.S. How do you measure your success?

MakeMyProductOfficial The Art of Winning: How Strategy Transforms Every Game In every competitive field, from business to sports and beyond, winning isn’t just about showing up—it’s about playing with purpose, discipline, and strategy. Strategy is often the invisible hand that guides great success stories, acting as the framework that determines outcomes. Without a clear strategy, the path to victory can be fraught with missteps, wasted efforts, and missed opportunities. This article delves into how strategy really works, offering actionable insights into how you can develop and execute winning strategies that will set you apart from the rest. What Does It Mean to Play to Win? Playing to win isn’t just about competing. It’s about positioning yourself to achieve the best possible outcome. It’s about understanding the playing field, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and making deliberate decisions that move you closer to victory. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an athlete, or a professional, your strategy is the blueprint for success. The Building Blocks of Strategic Success Clarity of Purpose Every winning strategy begins with a clear purpose. What are you aiming to achieve? Defining your goal is crucial because it provides direction for all the actions you will take. Whether it’s launching a product, winning a championship, or advancing your career, your strategy should have a single, focused objective. Without clarity of purpose, it’s easy to be distracted or swayed by external factors. Competitive Intelligence To craft a winning strategy, you must know your competition inside and out. Analyze the strategies of competitors, identify their strengths, and understand their weaknesses. This information helps you spot opportunities where you can gain a competitive advantage. In sports, this could mean studying an opponent’s tactics; in business, it involves market research and competitive analysis. Leveraging Strengths and Managing Weaknesses A successful strategy capitalizes on strengths while minimizing weaknesses. This requires a deep understanding of your unique capabilities. In business, these strengths could be technological expertise, brand reputation, or customer loyalty. In sports, it could be the skillset or team cohesion. Aligning your strategy with your strengths ensures you’re playing to your advantages, while weaknesses should be managed and mitigated. Strategic Flexibility No matter how well you plan, things will go wrong. Flexibility is an essential element of strategy that allows you to adapt to changing circumstances. It’s about maintaining the ability to pivot when needed without losing sight of your overall objective. A rigid strategy can become a liability in unpredictable environments, while flexibility ensures long-term success. #GratienMukeshimana #28COE #28coeecosystem #mmp #winning https://lnkd.in/dRuVNxfb

Empowerment is a Decision You know that moment when a client walks in, shoulders tight, carrying the weight of the world? And by the time they leave, they’re lighter, breathing easier and feeling amazing. That’s what empowerment feels like. Not just for them—for you. Because showing up in your marketing isn’t about waiting until you feel empowered. It’s about deciding to step forward, even when self-doubt is whispering, Who do you think you are? You are a healer. A guide. A light. And someone out there is waiting for you to show up. Decide. Step forward. Let them find you.

Keep Strategy Simple

A little afternoon treat... Today’s takeaway: It’s not always about winning or losing, sometimes it’s just playing. Not everything we do will be a home run. Most of the time, we’re in the grind, doing what we can to keep showing up, giving our best even if our best fluctuates each day. But the important thing is that we keep moving forward, we keep playing. Every single thing can change, the players, the way you play, even the game itself, but remaining consistent is the absolute. Success isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about playing. Consistency, perseverance, and creative thinking keep us focused yet flexible, disciplined yet inspired. Keep pushing and look for the small wins because every day that you get to play is a win in and of itself. --------------- Market insight: “80% of success is showing up." – Woody Allen "It’s not about winning now. It’s about building the habits that lead to winning in the future." – James Clear --------------- Know any future brand foodies craving bite-size content? Forward to friend or share on social.

"𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗗𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀? 𝗜 𝗗𝗶𝗱. 🚀 You know how sometimes you get it all wrong, and it just kind of blows your mind? Like, I used to think spending endless hours perfecting every detail of my marketing plan was the best approach. I’d spend hours and hours doing minor tweaks to my content even though I could see it wasn’t working. Still, I kept doing it anyway because I thought it was supposed to work! And if I’m being really honest, I didn’t want to give up the satisfaction of staying busy even if it meant being inefficient. Flash forward six months and I finally get it! Understanding the power of focused action and consistency changed everything for me. There’s no way around it! Creating a clear, actionable strategy is pretty much a non-negotiable if you want to build a successful coaching business and enroll your dream clients consistently. You’ll learn and improve faster from adopting a daily routine that includes strategic planning and reflection than continually trying to perfect every minor detail without a clear direction." have you had a similar experience?

Not for recognition, but driven by the urge to express myself, here’s some food for thought from my marketing diaries: about the illusion of opportunity. When we’re kids, anything can be everything – “boom” and we’re princesses in castles, knights fighting dragons. As adults, we think we’ve outgrown illusions, but marketing knows better. Social media sells us new fantasies, dressed up as “opportunities.” This illusion, sold as a fast path to success, is especially strong in the pursuit of one goal I hear again and again from potential clients: “I just want to get recognition.” But recognition without substance is risky, and here’s why: #Chapter1. The pressure of constant visibility Recognition sounds harmless, even inspiring, like who doesn’t want to be seen? But once you’re visible, you’re in a race to stay that way. The market moves fast, and if you’re not constantly working to hold attention, someone else will. It’s not a gentle aspiration; it’s an exhausting, uphill battle for relevance. Chasing visibility without a solid foundation is draining. You end up scrambling to keep up, without building anything truly sustainable. #Chapter2. Greed, shortcuts, and the slippery slope Visibility alone breeds a second danger: greed. Greed for likes, for followers, for validation. Greed tempts you into shortcuts – read “fake it till you make it” concept.  Fun fact: it was Alfred Adler who taught “acting as if” as a tool for real personal growth. The concept is rooted in self-awareness and ethical integrity, rather than pretending to be something you’re not. The modern “fake it” mentality often skips this. Its surface without depth, and visibility built on shortcuts is very fragile. #Chapter3. The trap of “recognition before product” One of the most common missteps I see is the belief that “if I can get recognition first, then I’ll think about my core product.” This approach almost never works, and yet it persists. Launching with visibility as your only goal (before you have a strong product or clear message) shows a lack of respect for the market, you know? Visibility without value won’t just fail; it’ll alienate your audience. If you want to share something with the world, make sure you’re passionate about it, and have something meaningful to back it up. Have a demo, know your market, and know how you’ll serve it. *** In the end, real ideas and ethical marketing win (#I_hope) Illusions are tempting, but they’re hollow. Building recognition on a solid foundation is possible, but it takes more than good marketing or a few viral posts. Strong ideas, backed by genuine, ethical marketing, will always stand the test of time. So before you dive in, remember: a solid foundation isn’t a barrier to success; it’s the key to lasting impact.

A new era of embracing the cringe begins. I have it on good authority that personal brand is pretty beneficial, so it seemed time to overcome my own hang ups, and make a start. Working in marketing can be very noisy. I've always been mindful not to add to the noise unnecessarily, or undermine the work I've done to build trust in my expertise. But running a business can also be isolating. It's easy to get caught in your own echo chamber, which for me can reinforce perfection paralysis and has often stopped me sharing things that could offer value on all sides. So, inspired by the likes of Grace Appleby , Chris Reeve & Damon Claxton, it was time to stop throwing up these self imposed barriers and make a bloody start! After all, if no one shared their expertise and experiences, I would be no where near this place in my career. If Ritson wasn't as immutable in his march on marketing BS, if Andrew Tindall wasn't as authentic in his take on advertising effectiveness, if Romaniuk kept distinctive assets in the dark, I wouldn't be the marketer or managing director I am . So it's my hope, with this cringe inducing introduction, I can share some personal insight that sets other business owners and marketers up for success, standing on the shoulders of those that continue to support me. And as for me, walking out of 2025 with more confidence, more connection and less cringe can only be a good thing. (check back with me on that last on) #Marketing #Business #Leadership Image Experiential Image Development Eleanor Loveday Denise Burnett Iain Cosham

Transform your mindset, transform your agency. Discover the secrets to peak performance...👇 Unchecked leashes can hold you and your marketing agency back. In "Mindset of a Sales Warrior" by Jason Forrest, the Performance Formula is: Performance = Knowledge - Leashes Four Types of Knowledge You Need: 1️⃣ Brand Knowledge → Know your unique value. 2️⃣ Product Knowledge → Understand your services and their benefits. 3️⃣ Financial Knowledge → Explain financial aspects and ROI clearly. 4️⃣ Leadership Skills → Use a defined, science-based approach. Four Types of Leashes: 1️⃣ Self-Image → Example: “I’m not a good enough leader.” 2️⃣ Stories → Example: “Clients won’t value my services.” 3️⃣ Reluctance → Example: Fear of delegating tasks. 4️⃣ Rules → Example: “I must handle all client communications.” Boost Your Performance: → Increase your knowledge. → Confront and eliminate your leashes. For marketing agency owners, this means overcoming fears around delegating, embracing leadership, and tackling limiting beliefs. What leashes are holding you back? Confront them to lead your agency to success. Thanks Kameron Conley for the book recommendation.

Recently came across this (not mine, so if you know the owner, do mention them to give proper credits) It goes on to show how some minor changes can bring about great results. 📈 I used to think scaling was all about me doing all the heavy lifting, it's not. There comes a time when you must leverage others (first your employees and then your customers) and this is how you scale effectively. But it all, ultimately, comes down to a single parameter; Trust. ✅ Building an effective brand or a company is completely dependent on how much Trust people have on you.