LinkedIn Content Strategy for Exit-Focused Founders | Netwarm
LinkedIn playbook · Case study
LinkedIn content strategy for exit-focused founders: how a Doncaster founder and investor reached 85 business owners in one month
We read every reaction on 28 posts from a Doncaster founder, investor and author. 537 people, 85 founders and business owners. Here is what brings buyers, what brings peers, and the 5 posts we’d publish next.
Max Sawyer · Netwarm··11 min read
The creator in this case studyA Doncaster founder, investor and author who sold a software business
Followers29,963
Posts~6 a week
SellsHelp for founders to scale, systemise and sell: the Grow Fast, Exit Big book, podcast, talks and investment
PeriodOct 9 – Nov 8
Ideal client: founders and owners of growing businesses who want one that runs, and sells, without them.The challenge: The founder launched a podcast this autumn and posts most days: episodes, the exit story, mindset, business ideas. Coaches, consultants and advisors read along too. Which posts reach the owners who want to build to sell?
Key takeaways
These numbers are from 8 November. Your audience has already moved.
New founders and business owners turn Hot every week and others go quiet. Run your free scan to see today’s version, with the names.
1 in 6 readers is a founder or business owner.85 of the 537 people who reacted in a month. 165 more are coaches, consultants and advisors.
Podcast posts bring 2x more owners than business ideas.24.8% founders and business owners on podcast posts, 12.4% on business idea posts.
6 owners are Hot right now.They reacted to 5 posts or more. 18 came back 3 times or more.
01
Who actually reads you, and what the LinkedIn algorithm changed
The founder posts almost every day about building a business that can be sold: the new Grow Fast, Exit Big podcast, the story of a failed company and an 8-figure exit, culture and leadership, mindset, and business ideas spotted in the wild. 28 posts between 9 October and 8 November.
The LinkedIn algorithm shows a post to the people who reacted to the last ones, then to people like them. A founder with nearly 30,000 followers reaches a lot of people who sell advice to founders. Reach can’t tell them apart. Who reacted can. We looked at the first 100 people who reacted to each post and sorted them by role.
28posts in a month
537people reacted
85founders & business owners
18came back 3+ times
Audience by roleThe 537 people who reacted, by roleFree
Peers are the largest group: 165 coaches, consultants, advisors and speakers, almost 2 for every owner. Many sell to founders too. They push reach, and they rarely become clients.
85 founders, owners, CEOs and managing directors reacted in a month: about 1 in 6. Many run accounting and finance firms, the world the founder sold software into. Those are the people a book, a talk or an investment is for.
SeniorityAll people who reactedFree
Founder, owner, C-level30%
Director, VP9.1%
Manager13.2%
Independent8.6%
Other39.1%
IndustriesFounders and business owners onlyNetwarm
Accounting, tax and finance30.6%
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See all industries and company sizes in your free scan.
Core audience18 founders and business owners engaged 3+ times · 6 engaged 5+ timesNetwarm
18 founders and business owners keep coming back. One of them reacted to 9 of the 28 posts.See your regulars
Engager company sizeEveryone who reacted, by company sizeNetwarm
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See which company sizes your founders and business owners work at.See company sizes
02
What to post on LinkedIn to reach founders and business owners
Most founders judge a post by its reactions. A founder who sells should judge it by who reacted.
We tagged each of the 28 posts by topic, then measured the share of founders and business owners among the people who reacted.
Your topicsWhat your 28 posts were aboutFree
28posts
Podcast launch and episodes6
Mindset and life lessons6
Business ideas and marketing5
Leadership, culture and customers5
Building to sell4
TEDx and speaking2
Topics that attract founders and business ownersShare of each topic’s reactions from founders and business ownersNetwarm
Podcast launch and episodes24.8%
Leadership, culture and customers21.8%
Building to sell21.1%
TEDx and speaking19.0%
Mindset and life lessons14.9%
Business ideas and marketing12.4%
One topic brings 2x more founders than another. See which.See which topics
Podcast posts bring 2x more founders and business owners per reaction than business idea posts: 24.8% against 12.4%.
Posts that brought the most founders and business ownersShare of founders and business owners in each post’s reactions1 of 5 open
#1Most business owners think they understand culture46.2%
#2Your launch isn’t as important as you think33.3%
#3As a founder, your most important role is in conflict with your team’s31.8%
#4You’re not too busy. You’re saying yes to the wrong things30.8%
#5Your idea isn’t valuable just because you think it’s great28.6%
For comparison, the Starbucks shack post reached 519 reactions on LinkedIn, but only 8% of its first 100 reactors were founders or business owners.
6 rules for LinkedIn engagement from founders and business owners
These rules come from what worked on the founder’s own profile, and from the best-performing posts by founders, investors and exit advisors on LinkedIn over the last 3 months.
1
Name the founder in the first line. “Most business owners…”, “As a founder…”: the owner sees the post is about them before the lesson starts.On this profile: the two posts with the highest owner share both name the reader in line one: 46.2% and 31.8%.
Lead with the lesson, then the episode. An episode announcement asks for 40 minutes. A lesson from the episode gives something in 10 seconds, and the link can follow.On this profile: “Your launch isn’t as important as you think” brought 11 owners (33.3%). The book-and-podcast announcement of 18 October brought none of its 5 reactors.
Put the big stage on the feed. A talk, a stage, a hometown moment: owners react to proof that the founder is the real thing, and those posts reach the most of them.On this profile: the two TEDx posts brought 16.5 owners per post, against 6.3 for podcast posts and 4.4 for business ideas.
Open on the loss, then the exit. Founders trust the person who failed first. A liquidated company in line one makes the 8-figure sale believable.On this profile: “I lost everything. Then I built a business I sold for 8 figures.” brought 13 owners, 25% of its reactors.
Show the numbers a buyer looks at. Profit, multiple, recurring revenue, the biggest client: owners save the post that tells them how a buyer will price them.Across the niche: Sir Richard Harpin’s “two numbers” post drew 73 comments on 128 likes.
Tell it from the buyer’s side of the table. Most owners have never sat on the other side of a deal. The founder has: what the buyer saw is the content no one else can write.Across the niche: Nick Bradley’s buyer’s-side post drew 35 comments on 99 likes.
When founders and business owners read: the best time to post on LinkedIn for exit-focused founders
We compared the share of founders and business owners by the day and the UK hour each post was published. There were no Monday posts, and only one on a Thursday. Hours are 2-hour slots with 3 posts or more.
Share of founders and business owners by posting dayAmong the people who reacted to each postFree
23.7%
Tue
24.7%
Wed
15.4%
Thu
11.0%
Fri
22.3%
Sat
17.4%
Sun
Best time to post, by hourShare of founders and business owners among people who reactedFree
16.9%
6:00
11.4%
8:00
28.4%
10:00
24.5%
18:00
Wednesday (24.7%) and Tuesday (23.7%) brought the highest share of owners, Friday the lowest (11.0%). Tuesday brought the most owners in total: 40 across 5 posts.
Most posts go out at 8 a.m., the slot with the lowest owner share (11.4%). The 10 a.m. slot reached 28.4%: try moving the posts that sell the work there, Tuesday to Wednesday.
05
5 posts ready to publish to target founders and business owners
Each post follows the rules above, in the founder’s voice. Swap in your own details before posting: the real story is what makes it land.
1Ready to postLesson + question
Your business is worth two numbersRules 1 and 5: name the founder in line one, then show the numbers a buyer looks at. Modelled on Sir Richard Harpin’s “Two numbers” post.
Hook
Most founders think their business is worth what it makes. A buyer doesn’t.A buyer looks at two numbers.Your profit.
And the multiple they’re willing to pay for it.Most founders spend 100% of their energy on the first one.And almost none on the second.But the multiple is where the life-changing money is.When we built GoProposal, I learned this the hard way. Profit got us noticed. The things that pushed the multiple up got us sold.Here’s what moves it:* Recurring revenue, not one-off sales.
* No single client big enough to hurt you if they leave.
* A team that makes the decisions, not you.
* Numbers you can show, not numbers you remember.
* A business that runs for a month without you in it.Same profit. Very different cheque.So here’s my question.If a buyer looked at your business tomorrow, which of those five would they knock the price down for?
Visual · Single imageTwo identical bars for profit, side by side, with very different bars for sale value above them. Labels: “Same profit. Different multiple.”Check before postingKeep the GoProposal detail to what you’re happy to share publicly. Swap any of the five for the one you see most in your own work.
I liquidated my first companyRule 4: open on the loss, then the exit. Modelled on Logan Merrick’s “lost $334K” post and the founder’s own “I lost everything” post.
Hook
I liquidated my first company. I sold my second for 8 figures.People only ever ask about the second one.But the first one taught me everything.My marketing company did everything through me.Every client relationship. Every decision. Every sale.When it got hard, there was nobody else to carry it.So when it went, it went completely.When I started GoProposal, I made myself a promise.Build it so it could run without me.Not one day. From day one.* Systems before staff.
* Staff before scale.
* A leadership team that could make the calls I used to make.It took years.It was uncomfortable.And it’s the only reason anyone wanted to buy it.The business you build around yourself is a job.The business you build to run without you is an asset.Which one are you building right now?
Visual · Single imageA plain photo of you from the early days, if you have one. Otherwise text only.Check before postingUse your own real details of the first company and the years it took. Keep the numbers you have already shared in public.
The three exits before the saleRules 2 and 6: the lesson first, from the buyer’s side of the table. Modelled on Brad Sugars’ “four exits” post.
Hook
You don’t exit your business once. You exit it four times.The sale is the last one.And it’s the easy one, if you’ve done the other three.1. EXIT THE TOOLS.
Stop doing the work. If you’re still delivering, nothing else moves.2. EXIT THE DAY-TO-DAY.
Build managers who run the week without asking you. Meetings, numbers, decisions.3. EXIT THE DIRECTION.
Build leaders who own where the business is going. Not just their job description.4. EXIT THE BUSINESS.
Now a buyer can see a future that doesn’t need you standing in it.Skip the first three and you’ll find out at the negotiating table.That’s the most expensive place to learn it.I learned it before we sold GoProposal. My leadership team took me out of the day-to-day entirely. That’s what made the sale possible.Which exit are you on right now?It’s time to crank the handle 💥
Visual · CarouselFive slides: the hook, then one slide per exit with a single line, then the closing question.Check before postingCheck the order matches how you teach it in Grow Fast, Exit Big. Use your own words for each stage.
What I said on the TEDx stageRule 3: put the big stage on the feed. Modelled on the founder’s TEDx post, the one that brought the most founders.
Hook
A month ago I stood on the red circle in my hometown. Here’s the one idea I wanted people to take home.Most business owners don’t own a business.They own a job.A job that pays well, maybe.But a job that stops the minute they do.The idea I shared on that stage is simple.Build a business you could sell.Even if you never sell it.Because a business that can be sold is a business that runs without you.And a business that runs without you gives you back the one thing money can’t buy.Your time.The day after the talk, three business owners came up to me with the same question.“Where do I start?”Here’s what I told them.Write down every decision only you can make.Then give one of them away this week.Then do it again next week.That’s how you crank the handle.What’s the first decision you’d give away?
Visual · Single imageA photo from the TEDx stage, you on the red circle. No text overlay.Check before postingUse the real idea from your talk and what people really said to you afterwards. Replace “three business owners” with the true number.
Could your business survive 90 days without you?Lead magnet: a scored test, offered at the end of a lesson. Modelled on Samuel Knight’s 12-question test post.
Hook
Could your business survive 90 days without you?Not a week. Not a holiday where you check your emails every night.90 days. Phone off.Because that’s the question every buyer is really asking.And most owners have never tested it.So I turned what I learned building and selling GoProposal into 10 questions.* Who signs off the big decisions when you’re not there?
* What share of your revenue comes back every month?
* How many clients would leave if you did?
* Could someone else read your numbers and know what to do next?And six more.Each question gets a score.Add them up and you know how sellable your business is today.And which part to fix first.It takes five minutes.Comment SCORE and I’ll send it to you.
Visual · Single imageThe scorecard itself: 10 rows, a score column and three bands (job, business, asset).Check before postingBuild the scorecard before you post (the assessment tool you recommend on thank-you pages works). Put your Netwarm Reveal link in the reply so you can see which owners open it.
Free forever: unlimited scheduling through LinkedIn’s official API, with images, video and PDF carousels.
06
LinkedIn lead generation: lead magnets that work to target founders and business owners
Reactions show interest. A download shows intent. The fastest way to find out which owners are serious about selling is to give them something useful and see who takes it.
For founders and owners, these formats get the most requests:
Format 1The scored testA short set of questions with a score, so an owner knows where they stand and what to fix first.
Format 2The checklistEverything to have ready before the moment founders dread: the raise, the due diligence, the sale.
Format 3The one-page templateThe document the founder’s business already uses, cleaned up and given away.
Our pick for you: “The Run-Without-You Scorecard”10 questions from the Grow Fast, Exit Big method (decisions, recurring revenue, client spread, numbers, team), scored into three bands: a job, a business, an asset. The founder already recommends an assessment on the thank-you page: this is the one. Offer it in post 5.With a Reveal link, every person who downloads it is shown by name, with their role and how warm they are. Your first Reveal link is free.Create your free Reveal link
07
From reactions to clients
Content brings owners to the profile. It doesn’t say when to reach out. Most never comment, so they stay invisible, and an owner reading every episode post in October may have picked another advisor by January.
On LinkedIn, the right moment to start a conversation is when someone keeps coming back. We call that Hot: 5 or more points over 90 days, where a reaction counts 1, a repost 2, a download or a reply 4.
Hot right now6 founders and business owners · not contacted yetNetwarm
6 founders and business owners are Hot. See who to message first.See who’s Hot
First messageAn opener for each Hot person, based on the posts they readNetwarm
Hi Sam, you’ve been reading the Grow Fast, Exit Big posts for a few weeks. Is selling one day part of your plan?Hi Alex, I saw you reacted to the culture episode. Is your team running the day-to-day without you yet?
A first line for each of them, ready to send.See the openers
Netwarm sends nothing for you. It tells you who and when, and you write the message. It also works inside Claude and ChatGPT: ask “Who’s Hot today?” and get the list.
08
FAQ
Lessons a founder can use today, with the episode or the book as the link at the end. Here, podcast posts brought 24.8% founders and business owners, against 12.4% for business ideas. Name the reader in line one, and tell the loss before the exit.
For this founder, Wednesday brought the highest share of owners (24.7%) and Tuesday the most in total (40 across 5 posts). Friday was the lowest (11.0%).
This founder posts about 6 times a week, and 18 owners came back 3 times or more in a month. Daily works when each post gives owners something to use. Keep the posts that sell for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Look at who reacts, not how many. Group reactions by role, measure the share of your ideal clients per post, and follow the people who keep coming back. A free Netwarm scan does this for you.
Yes. Netwarm only reads public reactions to your own posts. It never logs in as you, never asks for your password, and never messages anyone for you.
How we made this playbook
We read the public reactions on 28 posts published between 9 October and 8 November 2026 (the first 100 reactors of each post), and sorted the 537 people by role. Two posts written by other people were left out. Comments were not counted, so engagement figures are a floor.
Niche rules come from top posts by founders, investors and exit advisors over the last 3 months. Role groups are approximate, and some owners sell to the same audience; a Netwarm scan matches people to your own ideal client.
