Most personas are trash.
There, I said it.
We’ve all seen them:
“CMO Carla likes HubSpot, Peloton, and Sauvignon Blanc.”
Cool. But can that get you a reply?
Nope.
Here’s what actually gets replies:
→ Knowing what tool they duct-taped to survive Q2
→ The line they just typed into a Slack rant
→ What they Google at 11:42pm and don’t tell their team
I recently built a full ICP for a sales lead named Ethan.
Not a fake one. A real person.
32. Shopify agency. Spend hours in Salesforce. Sharp as hell.
Leads a tight SDR team, but they’re bleeding hours rewriting intros.
He doesn’t want to “optimize,” he wants to stop wasting time.
When you really know your Ethan, things click:
• Your offer sounds like help, not hype
• Your copy writes itself
• Your product roadmap starts shrinking
You stop guessing. You start building.
Here’s the point:
If you’re struggling with cold outbound, slow sales, or copy that lands flat, it’s not a messaging problem.
You just don’t know your buyer well enough.
I’m documenting the whole process of our next company from zero.
Real personas. Real outreach. Real traction.
Not sure who your “Ethan” is yet?
Happy to jam on it in the comments.
@abramov_oleks Big thanks for being part of this, wouldn’t have brought the new site to life without your sharp eye and steady hand. Grateful to be building this together.
I spent the last 12 months building my UX/Dev agency. Quit my job to go all in.
But now… I’m stuck.
I love the work. But I don’t know how to bring in leads.
Cash flow got tight, so I ended up doing white-label work for big agencies instead of growing my own.
And if I’m being honest, what’s really stopping me is me.
I keep finding excuses to avoid cold outreach.
I hesitate to post.
I overthink instead of executing.
For those who’ve been through this phase…
How did you break past it? What was your game-changer?
👇 Drop your best strategy!
#buildinpublic #Entrepreneurship
4/ Activation isn’t just about flashy features. It’s about creating a journey that converts signups into loyal users.
At Aetherworks, I help SaaS startups optimize onboarding, retention, and growth strategies.
🚀 Your onboarding could be your biggest growth lever.
Ever wonder how some apps hook users from day one?
Take Headspace—96% of their users report feeling less stressed after using the app.
But it’s not just the product—it’s how they activate users. 🧠
Here’s a masterclass in onboarding and retention every SaaS founder can learn from: 🧵
3/ Pricing That Reduces Churn
For tools with high-impact but infrequent usage, monthly billing can hurt retention.
Headspace offers annual plans with extended trials, giving users more time to experience value.
📊 Align your pricing model with how (and when) users see results.
We're about to hit the biggest bull market and job market we've seen in a long time and a few people are leaving X.
Now is NOT the time to leave.
It's time to LOCK IN.
You can make $100-$1,000+/m just by posting now if your content is good. If you're not growing here, you won't grow somewhere else just because there's less people. Growing here is HARD. It is everywhere. You have to niche down and deliver everyday.
X isn't about followers though, it's about consumption. I use it for work, education, and trading and nothing beats it.
Hate is everywhere. It's not easy being a creator. Try to becoming a YouTube creator, far worse IMO. Mute, block, ignore stuff you don't like.
Create list. Like posts you want to see and bookmark those. If you don't, you'll get fed trending trash.
Anywhere you go you have to curate your content. I only see fun crypto stuff that I enjoy, design stuff, and sports. Every now and then some hateful post comes up from someone and because I have better things to do I just ignore it.
Most importantly, own your own opinions and you don't even always have to have one. Don't let anyone tell you how to think or what to do (ironic I know). Once you can do that, you'll be free anywhere you go. I wouldn't silo yourself unless you want the silence. Don't try to leave X just because someone else is. Leave because you don't need to be here, most don't, a lot do. If you're not into tech, trading, or sports (maybe trending news but yikes why?) or promoting something or have your own business then zero need to be online at all. I dream of the days we don't need to be online.
2025 is about to be the best year ever for your careers, especially for those that are LOCKED IN. Free yourself from opinion rage and learn to be YOU.
Being “busy” nearly killed my productivity 🧵
Endless meetings. Constantly responding to emails. Always “on.”
I thought being busy meant I was getting ahead.
But I was wrong.
Here’s the simple tool that changed everything for me—the Eisenhower Matrix:
Here’s how it works:
1/ Important & Urgent = Do it now. These are your crises, deadlines, or last-minute tasks that demand immediate attention.
Example: Last-minute client requests that could’ve been avoided with better planning.
2/ Important, Not Urgent = Where the magic happens.
This is where you should focus. Long-term goals, strategy, and relationship-building. I wasn’t doing enough of this—and it showed.
3/ Urgent, Not Important = Delegate or defer.
These are your distractions in disguise.
Meetings, emails, notifications that seem urgent but aren’t critical to your progress.
4/ Not Urgent, Not Important = Eliminate.
Things like endless social scrolling or irrelevant conversations. Time drains. Cut them out.
Now, I focus on tasks that actually move the needle instead of getting bogged down by urgency.
If you’re struggling with priorities, try the Eisenhower Matrix. It works.
#Productivity #TimeManagement #Focus #Entrepreneurship