Building a business on LinkedIn isn’t easy. It’s frustrating, confusing, and at times, you’ll wonder why it’s working for everyone else but not you. I’ve spent years going round in circles, trying to figure out what others were doing right while I felt stuck. But eventually, I learned some tough lessons that saved me a lot of time and hassle, and I’m sharing them with you so you don’t have to make the same mistakes. If you want to save time, avoid burnout, and build a business that actually works, you need to start making smarter moves. These seven lessons will help you do exactly that. 1. Don’t let fear of being 'salesy' hold you back When I first started using LinkedIn for business, I was terrified of looking desperate or salesy. I was going through a really tough business split (some of you know the story), and everything felt up in the air. I needed business, but I didn’t want to come across as that pushy person. But here’s what I learned: it’s not about being salesy, it’s about being personal and relevant. I made the mistake of lumping all outreach into one category - the bad, the annoying, and the irrelevant. But I realised, after a lot of time wasted, that it’s not about the outreach - it’s about how you do it. When you research someone, understand what they do, and craft a personal message, people appreciate it. Once I understood this, I started getting better responses. So, don’t be afraid to reach out. Just be targeted. If you do it right, it’s a game-changer. If you want to get clients, stop hiding behind your fear of looking desperate. Take the time to research and reach out in a personal way, and watch the doors open. 2. You don’t need a huge following to get clients I spent a long time thinking that if I could just get more followers, I’d start getting more clients. But the truth is, that doesn’t work. Sure, having a large following looks nice, but what does it matter if most of those followers aren’t interested in what you do? I’ve seen influencers with massive followings struggle because their audience just isn’t the right fit. More followers won’t fix a strategy problem. Focus on getting the right followers. I’d rather have 500 followers who are perfect for what I offer than 50,000 who are just there for motivational quotes. It’s not about numbers - it’s about quality. Stop wasting time trying to reach as many people as possible. Focus on the people who are actually interested in what you offer, and you’ll start getting the results you want. 3. Clarity is everything At first, I thought I was clear about what I was offering. But when I looked at my profile and content through the eyes of a potential client, I realised I wasn’t being clear at all. I was trying to appeal to everyone - business owners, marketers, sales teams. The problem was, each group had different needs and perspectives. I learned that to really speak to someone, I had to be specific about who I was talking to. So, I started tailoring my messages for specific groups. The result? A massive improvement in engagement and responses. If you want to attract clients, you need to make it clear what you do and who you do it for. The more specific you are, the more you’ll stand out and attract the right people. 4. Engagement doesn’t equal success Likes, comments, shares - they all feel good. But I’ve learned that they don’t always lead to clients. I’ve had people with 200,000 followers tell me they’re making no money. I’ve seen people with huge engagement numbers still end up going back to a regular job because they couldn’t convert the engagement into business. The real question is: are the right people engaging with you? If your likes and comments aren’t coming from your ideal clients, they don’t mean much. Engagement isn’t the goal - it’s a tool. Focus on getting the right people to engage with your content, and you’ll see more clients in your pipeline. 5. Content isn’t king - systems are For a long time, I thought content was the key to everything. Post enough, and clients will come to you, right? Well, I learned the hard way that content alone won’t bring in the clients. Sure, content helps you build your authority, but you need a system to convert that content into leads. Without a system in place to handle the inbound interest, content is just fluff. Systems are what bring in the business. The content is just the tool to get you noticed. If you want predictable results, stop relying solely on content. Build a system that converts your content into clients, and you’ll see steady growth. 6. LinkedIn is just a room full of people It’s easy to forget that LinkedIn is full of real people with real needs. When I first started, I focused too much on the numbers and forgot to treat LinkedIn like a room full of people. The best outreach I’ve ever done is when I’ve focused on the individual, taken the time to understand them, and made the ...
