The Blank Canvas of a LinkedIn Profile Can be Terrifying.
For Nana DelRay, Founder of ContentFlowz, LinkedIn was a paradox: Despite building a thriving career in content creation, she found herself avoiding LinkedIn altogether, paralyzed by the platform’s corporate reputation.
Nana started her career working in private equity, and created financial literacy content for women on social media as a side passion. As her content gained traction, she consulted for brands on their social media strategy. This success ultimately led Nana to quit her finance job and take the leap to found ContentFlowz, a content agency managing influencer campaigns for CPG and tech brands.
While confidently creating personal content across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, Nana hesitated to share anything on LinkedIn. "I was super scared of mixing my content with a place that was more career-focused," she admits.
The root of her fear? The vulnerability of merging personal content with professional connections, as she explains, that she “thought those are supposed to be bifurcated." This hesitation, common among founders, kept her LinkedIn profile dormant and her business growth potential for ContentFlowz untapped.
Overcoming the Mental Hurdle to Post: Just Do It.
Nana’s hesitation to leverage her personal brand on LinkedIn is common among founders.
Why? Because truthfully, it’s difficult to be personal and feel vulnerable on a public platform.
Windmill Growth helped Nana reframe her perspective on LinkedIn, as she describes Windmill as both an engagement catalyst and a safety net. She explains, “knowing that I had the support of the Windmill community with their engagement, made me 10 times more likely to post.”
In the 4 months since working with Windmill’s Growth Service, Nana saw explosive growth in her LinkedIn performance:
✓ 30 Million impressions across LinkedIn
✓ From 0 to 7,000 followers, establishing her industry authority
✓ 18,000+ engagements on her content
“I think it’s wild seeing 26+ Million views in the first month,” Nana remarks, highlighting her powerful engagement metrics. For Nana, these metrics have transformed into crucial business development opportunities, as she explains, "the biggest thing is that I've made so many new connections with founders and people who are decision-makers at brands that I want to work for." As a direct result of investing in her personal brand on LinkedIn, Nana has experienced tangible growth in her business, achieving:
✓ Significant increase in qualified inbound leads
✓ Extensive connections with brand decision-makers
✓ Invitations to exclusive industry events
✓ Expanded partnership opportunities
Nana also explains that “social proofing is massive” on LinkedIn – “When you establish your presence and are looked at as an authority figure, it gives you an edge” over those who do not effectively leverage their professional expertise and personal brands publicly.
Take It From Nana:
Nana’s LinkedIn journey offers critical insights for founders nervous about personal branding:
1. Vulnerability is Your Strength:
Your authentic story is your most powerful marketing tool. Don’t fear sharing your professional journey on LinkedIn.
2. Leverage Platform Dynamics:
LinkedIn is consistently pushing new trends among users. For founders willing to experiment, this presents a unique opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
3. Personal Brand = Business Asset:
Your content doesn’t just attract customers – it builds a network of potential collaborators, partners, and supporters that will directly grow your business.
Her advice to other founders is now clear:
“You get disproportionate gains as someone who puts themselves out there on LinkedIn… People will refer you, even if they don’t personally know you, simply because they like your content.”
With Windmill’s Growth Service, Nana turned her fear of LinkedIn into a powerful growth engine for ContentFlowz.
