What happens when a professional writer who finds AI-generated content "quite horrific" decides to build an AI writing platform to help people show up more authentically on LinkedIn? With AI as his development team?

Nigel Jay Cooper found himself in exactly that position. He'd spent a decade training professionals and teams in employee advocacy to create authentic LinkedIn content and was determined to fight the flood of ‘beige’ content generated by ChatGPT et al - thoughtless, generic posts lacking personality and spark.

His first instinct was to fight against AI. But when everyone kept using it anyway, he realised he was fighting the wrong battle. The question wasn't whether people would use AI. The question was: can they use it in a way that reflects their personality, experience and humanity? So he set out to build Ghostart, even though he's not a software developer.

Listen to this episode of Curious Business as Nigel shares how he built Ghostart over the past year, and discusses:

• The beige content crisis: Why AI-generated LinkedIn posts are "soul destroying" and how people remove themselves from their own voice
• Building with AI: Using different models for different purposes, learning through trial and error, and managing the "700,000 suggestions you didn't want" that the LLMs tend to spit out
• The technical journey: From two aborted platform attempts to the approach that makes AI development productive and effective
• The Beige-ometer: Training an AI writing coach in rhythm, emotion, and storytelling - not optimising to LinkedIn's algorithm
• Why your beta test should make you feel ashamed: The essential advice that propelled the platform forward

Chapters:

0:01:06 - The Beige Content Problem

0:04:27 - Who Ghost Art Serves

0:09:10 - Building with AI - The Vibe Coding Reality

0:11:47 - Tools and Techniques

0:17:31 - Keeping AI Focused

0:21:20 - The Hardest Parts to Build

0:27:17 - The Beta Launch

0:30:53 - What Users Actually Valued

0:35:47 - Lessons and Success

Links:

More about Ghostart and try it free: https://ghostart.io

Request a demo: https://ghostart.io/teams/demo

Connect with Nigel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigeljaycooper/

-- Thanks for listening.

Curious Business is here to bring you insights, experiences and ideas from founders, leaders and experts to help you think differently about your business and its marketing. My name is Stephen Morris and I help start-ups and scale-ups get momentum in their marketing and pipeline. Like to know more? Book a discovery call: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/discovery/ Or sign-up to 'The Prompt' my monthly newsletter: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/signup/ If you'd like to talk about how podcasts can build reach, enhance authority and fuel your pipeline, visit: www.curiousbusiness.co.uk.

Imagine being told someone you love is dying, and then discovering they have been trapped in a coercive and controlling relationship. You'd turn to a number of agencies to seek help, guidance and justice. But it turns out you often need to know the 'magic words' to unlock that help. In this episode of Curious Business, Stephen Midgley recounts how he navigated those challenges and leaned on Chat GPT and his background as a systems architect, to do something about it - for his mum, and now for others too. What follows is equal parts heartbreaking and baffling, as Stephen moves between police, hospitals, the care system, and other agencies. Each has their own language, arcane forms and reasons to say no, it seems.

Upon being bounced between agencies, the compassion of frontline staff was undermined by broken processes, so Stephen turned to AI. What began as a query on ChatGPT became a practical set of tools that can help others facing the same awful challenges.

Stephen describes balancing his time between building crude, command-line tools with spending precious hours with his mother. The system he’s developing, named LINDA in memory of his mum, is a translator, memory bank, assistant and also a tool to support charities working in the space. He wants to make hidden pathways visible and give people the options they often aren't told about.

What we cover:

• What can happen when you ask for help
• The "password problem": how using the wrong words can lock you out of help
• Three patterns of broken systems
• The LINDA tools: Using AI to translate policy language, surface hidden options, and compare policies against your experiences
• Why AI should augment human support, not replace it
• The 'non-crime' database field and his campaign for more transparency

Links and Resources:

• The LINDA Project: https://www.keec.online/linda/
• Change.org petition for transparency on domestic abuse non-crime closures: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-linda-and-for-every-abuse-victim-erased-from-the-system
• Stephen's original AI for the Rest of Us presentation: https://youtu.be/CkqwNYQIh6U?si=97nHD52r_49_j2tJ

Charities mentioned:

• AAFDA – supporting families bereaved by domestic abuse: https://aafda.org.uk/

Disclaimer: Stephen Midgley is not a legal professional and nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.

Thanks to Jari Worsley for sharing Stephen's 'AI For The Rest of Us' talk with me in the first place: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jariworsley/

-- Thanks for listening.

Curious Business is here to bring you insights, experiences and ideas to help you think differently about your business and marketing. My name is Stephen Morris and I help start-ups and scale-ups gain clarity, take action and ignite momentum in their marketing and pipeline. Like to know more? Book a discovery call: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/discovery/ Or sign-up to 'The Prompt' my monthly newsletter: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/signup/ If you'd like to talk about how podcasts can build reach, enhance authority and fuel your pipeline, visit: www.curiousbusiness.co.uk.

With ecosystems increasingly outperforming standalone firms, marketing leaders’ key skills may lie in their ability to get their organisations to influence, persuade, enable, and collaborate. In an ever-noisier and more complex market, the companies that can co-create, communicate and change to bring customers value tend to be the winners - but it requires a very different approach.

In this episode, former three-time global CMO Leeya Hendricks makes the case for platform thinking in B2B marketing, where value is co-created across networks of customers, partners and complementors rather than pushed through linear channels.

She shares insights from her new book The Platform Playbook and explains why the CMO is uniquely positioned to orchestrate ecosystem growth - connecting product, technology, data and partners around shared value.

What We Cover:

• Why "platforms over pipelines" is the future of B2B marketing
• The three misconceptions holding organisations back from platform thinking
• A practical four-dimension framework for operating marketing as a platform
• Why the funnel was always just a convenient model, not reality
• How to measure ecosystem health beyond traditional marketing metrics
• The unexpected cultural transformation that happens when organisations embrace co-creation

Key Takeaways

1. Platforms aren't technology - they're business models and systems of value creation
2. Customers trust ecosystems, not isolated brands
3. Sharing multiplies value in ecosystems, even though leaders fear it dilutes value
4. The CMO's role is to make silos more permeable, not destroy them
5. Think long-term stickiness, not short-term campaigns

About Leeya Hendricks

Leeya is the author of The Platform Playbook (Palgrave Macmillan), Managing Director of Hark Consultants, and has served in three global CMO roles across major technology companies including IBM and Oracle. She lectures in digital ecosystems and orchestration, and runs My Barre Vibes, a digital-first fitness platform.

Connect with Leeya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-leeya-hendricks-120b95a/

Order The Platform Playbook (affiliate link): https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15792/9783032080301

Find out more about My Barre Vibes: https://www.mybarrevibes.com/

-- Thanks for listening.

Curious Business is here to bring you insights, experiences and ideas from founders, leaders and experts to help you think differently about your business and its marketing. My name is Stephen Morris and I help start-ups and scale-ups get momentum in their marketing and pipeline. Like to know more? Book a discovery call: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/discovery/ Or sign-up to 'The Prompt' my monthly newsletter: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/signup/ If you'd like to talk about how podcasts can build reach, enhance authority and fuel your pipeline, visit: www.curiousbusiness.co.uk.

What’s it like to be a real legacy business? One with a heritage going back over 100 years? How do you navigate new methods, classic products and changing tastes? This is a masterclass in knowing who you are, who your customers are and what you’re about.

Andy Valentine is a food industry veteran who now feels like the proverbial "kid in the sweet shop". He’s responsible for developing direct, B2B and private-label channels for a business that combines traditional handcrafted techniques with state-of-the-art facilities.

Stockley's was founded in 1918 in Accrington, Lancashire and has managed to navigate tastes, trends, the second world war, the demise of Woolworths and, more recently, a number of different owners. But how far and fast should you go to open up new channels in a £6bn market dominated by multinationals?

Listen to this episode to discover:

• The journey from humble premises to 21st century manufacturer
• The channels and formats bringing new customers to Stockley's
• Where and what the biggest opportunities are, and how to prioritise
• Why being a relative minnow might just be their greatest advantage
• What’s the most divisive product in confectionery

Find out more and buy online: https://stockleys-sweets.co.uk

Connect with Andy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-valentine-1752671/

-- Thanks for listening.

Curious Business is here to bring you insights, experiences and ideas to help you think differently about your business and marketing. My name is Stephen Morris and I help start-ups and scale-ups gain clarity, take action and ignite momentum in their marketing and pipeline. Like to know more? Book a discovery call: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/discovery/ Or sign-up to 'The Prompt' my monthly newsletter: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/signup/ If you'd like to talk about how podcasts can build reach, enhance authority and fuel your pipeline, visit: www.curiousbusiness.co.uk.

After eight years as Head of Marketing for Red Bull UK and Europe, Huib van Bockel walked away to build something the industry told him couldn't work - an energy drink made entirely from nature, with 60% less sugar, and no artificial ingredients. Every manufacturer he approached said it wasn't commercially viable, but he found one willing to try. Today, Tenzing is the third-biggest energy drink brand in Tesco, and number one in London universities and climbing, proving that you can take on the "big dogs" of the soft drinks world.

Former Red Bull marketer Hub Van Bockel tells the story of founding Tenzing, the low‑sugar, all natural ingredient energy drink inspired by Himalayan brews and named with the blessing of Tenzing Norgay’s family. The episode covers Huib's idea, starting-up, early business development and pivoting on flavour, building and growing with communities, retail partnerships, winning major listings (including Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, ASDA) and minority investment by Heineken.

Listen to this episode to find out:

• Why every soft drink from apple juice to Red Bull has 11% sugar — and why Huib refused to follow the formula
• The overlooked advantage small brands have that Coca-Cola and Monster can never replicate, no matter what they spend
• How Tenzing grew by embedding in communities and the next-generation for who believe that "run clubs are the new nightclubs"
• The winning go-to-market approach Huib wishes he'd used far more when starting out

Find out more about Tenzing, buy online: https://tenzingnaturalenergy.com/

Connect with Huib on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/huib-van-bockel-8454834/

Books mentioned and recommended in this episode (affiliate links):

Daniel Kahneman ‘Thinking Fast and Slow’ https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15792/9780141033570

Richard Branson ‘Losing my Virginity’ https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15792/9780753519554

Phil Knight ‘Show Dog’ https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15792/9781471146725

-- Thanks for listening.

Curious Business is here to bring you insights, experiences and ideas to help you think differently about your business and marketing. My name is Stephen Morris and I help start-ups and scale-ups gain clarity, take action and ignite momentum in their marketing and pipeline. Like to know more? Book a discovery call: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/discovery/ Or sign-up to 'The Prompt' my monthly newsletter: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/signup/ If you'd like to talk about how podcasts can build reach, enhance authority and fuel your pipeline, visit: www.curiousbusiness.co.uk.

How much can we influence people with advertising? What’s the best way to understand and model buyer behaviour? How should we set about growing market share?

James Hankins has worked in agency, consultant and client roles, tackling these very questions. In this episode, he challenges marketing myths and woolly thinking, and explains why understanding your market matters more than chasing funnels. The conversation blends practical strategy with behavioural insight to help marketers - and leaders - make better decisions.

I worked at the same media agency as James in the 2000s (Walker Media). Since then, his insights have regularly appeared in the marketing press, at the IPA, and in my LinkedIn feed. He’s a veteran of the UK's major media and advertising groups and, more recently, Global VP Marketing Strategy and Planning for Sage. He’s also the creator of the Share of Search and Hankins Hexagon models.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• Why market dynamics are the gravity upon which strategy and execution must be built
• How Share of Search works and how it gives the rest of us valuable market share data
• Why funnels are misleading and how the Hankins Hexagon is better for marketers looking to influence buyers
• The impact of slowing SaaS growth on businesses like Sage
• How brands, influence and ‘share of model’ will likely play out in the world of ChatGPT

All that, and this episode features the podcast’s first mention of devil worship.

The Hankins Hexagon: https://www.marketingweek.com/forget-funnels-new-model-path-to-purchase/

If you’re a WARC subscriber, the full paper is here: https://www.warc.com/content/paywall/article/warc-exclusive/the-hankins-hexagon-a-new-practical-model-for-the-path-to-purchase/en-gb/137888?

More about Share of Search and how to calculate yours: https://www.myshareofsearch.com

Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-cp-hankins/

Read James' blog: https://theeqplanner.wordpress.com

-- Thanks for listening.

Curious Business is here to bring you insights, experiences and ideas to help you think differently about your business and marketing. My name is Stephen Morris and I help start-ups and scale-ups gain clarity, take action and ignite momentum in their marketing and pipeline. Like to know more? Book a discovery call: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/discovery/ Or sign-up to 'The Prompt' my monthly newsletter: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/signup/ If you'd like to talk about how podcasts can build reach, enhance authority and fuel your pipeline, visit: www.curiousbusiness.co.uk.

Chris Brogan shares some brutally honest insights about leadership, growth and being helpful. He's a self-proclaimed expert at failing, but what does that mean? And how can leaders learn from it to keep their organisations flexible and effective even as they grow at speed?

Ten-time author, executive coach, strategic advisor, writer, photographer and co-host of the internet’s Backpack Show and Playing For Time, Chris is a master communicator. As Chief of Staff at Appfire, he most recently helped steer the B2B SaaS company from $10m to $275m of ARR (annually recurring revenue). Despite this, he claims he's never been ‘capable or qualified’ for anything he's done professionally.

This is a conversation packed with wisdom, experience and smart thinking. And a very dry reference to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers that went right over my head at the time. Listen to discover:

• what Chris thinks is crucial about failure and failing,
• the traits that make for great (and not so great) leaders,
• why companies lose their elasticity as they grow - and what you can do about it,
• what he wants to do for the rest of his life,
• why he’s learning to code,
• some excellent tips for cold email marketing, and
• the philosophical lessons we should take from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbrogan/

Sign-up for his newsletter: https://chrisbrogan.com/#newsletter

Check out that Anthony Kiedis/Red Hot Chilli Peppers reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DyziWtkfBw

The report about the gender difference in confidence when it comes to apply for roles: https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified

And due credit to The Adaptavist Group's Jari Worsley for the story about his dad training spreadsheet users back in the day. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4onTjXJ

Further reading:

Chris Brogan ‘Social Media 101’ (affiliate link) https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15792/9780470621004

Chris Brogan & Julien Smith ‘The Impact Equation’ (affiliate link) https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15792/9780670922406

Ryan Holliday ‘ Ego Is The Enemy’ (affiliate link) https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15792/9781781257029

Chris Whipple ‘The Gatekeepers’ (affiliate link) https://amzn.eu/d/1m2wNHl

-- Thanks for listening.

Curious Business is here to bring you insights, experiences and ideas to help you think differently about your business and marketing. My name is Stephen Morris and I help start-ups and scale-ups gain clarity, take action and ignite momentum in their marketing and pipeline. Like to know more? Book a discovery call: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/discovery/ Or sign-up to 'The Prompt' my monthly newsletter: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/signup/ If you'd like to talk about how podcasts can build reach, enhance authority and fuel your pipeline, visit: www.curiousbusiness.co.uk.