Focus is a serious flex.

Effort isn’t your problem. In fact, most of us burn ourselves out thinking more effort is the answer.

You’re working late nights, posting, “doing all the things” … but it feels like pouring water into a bucket with a hole at the bottom.

Earlier this week, I had an advising call with a longtime friend from college who’s now the founder of her own agency with big clients and bigger wins.

But she admitted something I’ve been preaching for years:

“I’ve only posted on LinkedIn maybe three times this year. One of those was just my capabilities deck and it brought in 5-figure clients. It’s like the message just lands with the right people on LinkedIn.”

The results from a few posts now make her want to post more. But she doesn’t have a website. No contact form. No clear process. Just word of mouth. And she’s not the only one.

So let me hold your hand for a second as I say this … most entrepreneurs are focused on the right things in the wrong order.

You’re asking what content to post before you’ve built any pipelines to convert attention.

You’re stuck creating instead of calibrating.

Let’s fix that, so here’s what you’ll get this week:

— Brandon Smithwrick

Taplio is the ultimate LinkedIn tool powered by AI trained on over 500 million top-performing posts. Whether you're a founder, creator, or professional, Taplio helps you write content that gets attention — fast.

✅ Pick the perfect hook and post format

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✅ Edit, refine, and schedule without ever leaving the platform

No more staring at a blank page or guessing what works. Taplio’s smart tools and data-driven insights take the guesswork out of content creation, so you can stay consistent and grow your audience with confidence.

Use the code ‘COMMAS1X1’ to have one month for $1!

I started using Taplio when I first got serious about LinkedIn 3 years ago and funny enough, so did half the creators I looked up to.

It’s built for founders, creators, and professionals who want to actually show up online.

It sharpens your content strategy, saves you time, and now this community gets access for just $1.

So if LinkedIn is even on your radar, there’s no excuse not to try it for a dollar. Get in, test it out, and thank me later.

When your brain is juggling invoices, client fires, content calendars, and 73 unread emails, the last thing you want to do is “audit your priorities.”

If you’ve been feeling behind, disorganized, or like you’re doing a lot but nothing’s actually moving … I’m writing this strategy for you

At dinner a few months ago, Jack Appleby (shoutout to one of the realest LinkedIn creators out here) told me he once missed out on a six-figure brand deal because the email got lost in his inbox.

He’s not alone. Most creators have a “leaky pipe” somewhere:

[…we listen, we don’t judge]

This is the boring, unsexy, admin-y stuff you keep telling yourself you’ll “fix later.” But later never comes.

This is no different than when our parents told us to eat our broccoli before we could have ice cream.

You’re chasing the sweet stuff (likes, followers, visibility) without doing the foundational work first.

If someone found your content today, would they know how to hire you?

Handle the boring. Then earn the buzz.

I recently hired a video editor because … I hate editing.

I have the vision. But I was spending hours bouncing between tools and getting nowhere.

In your own business, there are things you’re doing right now that don’t need your fingerprints.

If it’s repetitive and it makes you sigh every time you do it, I want you to write it down. Then think; would I pay someone $50 an hour to do this?

This is where creators get stuck … they think delegation = full-time hire.

Nope. Delegation can look like:

Free your brain. Buy back your creativity.

Tell me if this sounds familiar … something starts working (maybe it’s a tweet, a lead magnet, a video that pops off), and instead of building around that, you get distracted by what isn’t working yet.

Maybe that dopamine detox TikTok is pushing is accurate but I just want you to stop having shiny object syndrome

If something is driving emails and invoices, that’s not just “working.” That’s a signal to say no to more so that you can focus.

That thing is now your zone of genius.

Instead of trying something else, just work to improve the system that’s already bringing people in.

Sustainability isn’t about having 10 things half-working. It’s about having 2 things that run like clockwork.

You don’t need to “do more.”

You need to do what matters, in the right order.

One of my favorite parts of building Content to Commas is getting to talk with you … for real.

Whether it’s over email, a DM, or an IRL convo, I love hearing your stories and helping where I can.

Earlier this month, I posted on LinkedIn saying I wanted to spend more time in August helping others. Ten minutes later… 30 of you had booked chats with me. I even opened extra spots as a courtesy (because y’all don’t play when it comes to taking action 👏🏾).

I might open up more slots in September exclusively for this newsletter community, so if you’re down to chat IRL or virtually, just reply to this email and let me know.

Here’s where you can catch me over the next few months:

If we’re in the same city, come say hi.

I’ll be around, probably with a coffee in one hand and way too many open tabs on my phone.

Hope to meet a bunch of you soon 👋🏾

I post a ton and let’s be real; the algorithm isn’t always on our side. So in case you missed it in your inbox or on your feed, here are a few gems to carry you through the week.