Why I Stopped Checking My LinkedIn Inbox | Week 7 Founder Vlog

Founder Journey

About this week's journey

In Week 7 of the Founder Journey, Chris and Helen Butler turn their attention to LinkedIn and a change they have both noticed in their own behaviour. Chris has historically been a fan of the platform, but the volume and style of unsolicited sales messages has started to make the inbox feel less like a place for professional relationships and more like an online sales showroom. Connection requests are often followed almost immediately by a pitch, then by increasingly pushy follow-ups if there is no reply. For Helen, that constant bombardment has made opening LinkedIn feel less appealing, even though both of them still see genuine value in the platform.

Their issue is not with businesses trying to win work. Chris is clear that social media, including LinkedIn, can form part of a sensible business development strategy. The frustration is with outreach that shows no research, relevance or patience. He gives the example of receiving messages from videographers offering landing-page videos despite his own profile making it obvious that his business already creates films for companies. For Chris and Helen, that kind of approach misses the point of networking. Their preferred order has always been to add value, build a relationship and only then ask for the business when there is a genuine fit.

That thinking was reinforced by a prospecting exercise for Two Krakens. Chris used Apollo to identify roughly 600 to 700 West Midlands companies that fitted the type of business they believe they can help most, including larger organisations with around £2 million plus turnover and 25 or more staff. He then looked at the first 50 to 70 companies on LinkedIn, starting with the largest by turnover. Although the people were present on the platform, he found that none of that initial group appeared to be posting regularly, with some accounts showing little or no recent activity for six, nine or even 12 months. It made him question the assumption that every worthwhile prospect is actively participating on LinkedIn just because the platform is popular.

The bigger lesson is about relationship-led sales rather than abandoning LinkedIn altogether. Helen has successfully used the platform to make genuine contact with future podcast guests, and both hosts still read and engage with useful content. What they are resisting is the race for immediate conversion. Chris recalls a point from a previous Built Not Born conversation with Mark Sweeney, where a relationship built many years earlier eventually became a customer. That long-term view is much closer to how Chris and Helen say they have built their own businesses: speaking to people, making phone calls, being useful and allowing trust to develop before trying to sell.

The rest of Week 7 shows the workload behind that philosophy. Chris and Helen are preparing to film podcast guests in London, getting ready to speak at Ideas Fest, rolling out new Built Not Born clothing, preparing the next version of the Built Not Born In Business website and community, and continuing to edit their own content. Helen has been developing her editing style, while both of them are fitting work around family commitments and an early start for London. The week is a reminder that founder life is rarely as polished as it can look online. Their conclusion is simple: digital platforms can help create opportunities, but human connection is still at the centre of how they want to do business.