The Secret LinkedIn Influencers Don’t Tell You

Have you found your "ride-or-die" buddies on LinkedIn?yet? Your business besties, your tribe, your crew—whatever you call them.

You know, the people who comment on your posts, share your events, give you a boost when you're feeling stuck, and who you can always count on for a good laugh or a sounding board for those frustrating moments.

And, of course, you do the same for them.

Lately, I've seen so many small to mid-size business owners stressed out, frustrated with their results, going it alone, and yet...

This is the kind of collaboration that gets you to the top on social media.?

Influencers and bloggers get it!?

Being a part of the food blogging community, I never feel alone because?we always support each other...

Yet, I don’t see small to mid-sized business owners using collaboration as a full-time marketing strategy?to their advantage.?

There’s this fear of competition?that if you share someone with your audience, they’ll steal your clients. But here’s the truth: your clients are your clients. Theirs are theirs.

Then there’s the worry that collaboration takes too much time. But actually, it SAVES time (and stress) because you’re not doing everything alone.?

Collaboration doesn’t take away from your success—it multiplies it.

Just look at how some of the top?LinkedIn?influencers do it. Jasmin Ali? , Matt Barker , Ruben Hassid , Nat Berman , Justin Welsh , Lara Acosta —are making millions of dollars (not just followers). And?none of them rose to the top, flying?solo.?

You see the same thing when TikTok and Instagram influencers team up, taking over each other's accounts.

Instead, they worked together to?support each other, share audiences, and engage with each other’s content. You’ve probably seen them commenting on each other's posts, shouting each other out, or speaking at conferences together. That’s intentional. It amplifies their reach and opens them up to a bigger audience.

And it's not just about getting more visibility.?

When I pair influencers with corporations, it is all about finding the right people to collaborate with. When influencers partnered with the right companies, their products got in front of audiences that were already primed and ready to buy.?

The result? More leads, more sales, and more growth—for both sides. And guess what, you can to EXACTLY the same with other business owners.?

That’s so much?power in collaboration.

And this isn’t just a social media trick—it’s how empires have always been built. The "PayPal Mafia"—the original crew behind PayPal—went on to create Tesla, LinkedIn, YouTube, Yelp, and more tech companies. They didn’t compete. They collaborated, shared resources, and lifted each other up.

If you?noticed that many of the examples I’ve shared—are mostly male. It’s no secret that men in business are often more willing to collaborate and pool their resources to advance, while many women tend to hold back, often out of fear of competition, lack of confidence,?being too pushy or salesy,?or being "too nice.

Now I'm not saying we need to do it like the men did it—but here’s the thing—collaboration isn’t about giving away your power or your slice of the pie...?

It’s about making the pie bigger for everyone.?

When we support each other, we grow together. The success of one person doesn’t diminish the opportunities for others—it amplifies them.

So, is it time to stop being?afraid of collaboration? And time to start finding your 'ride or die' besties in business?

Standing out on LinkedIn isn’t about posting more—it’s about making real connections and collaborating with the right people to drive business growth.

Collaboration helps you gain:

• A larger audience pool
• More leads and clients
• More visibility and conversations
• Status and credibility from proximity
• An accountability crew that keeps you on track
• Fresh ideas and feedback you can test before taking them to clients

If this sounds like the kind of business community you want to be part of, hit reply?(or DM me on LinkedIn) and let's talk—no sales, just talk. I’m kicking around?an idea for those of us—women or enlightened men—who believe collaboration is the key to success.?

Let’s rise together, Heidi