Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lindsey Tague. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lindsey, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

If I were starting over, I would believe and trust in myself a lot more—and care much less about what others think.
In my first two years of building my business, I hit many layers of imposter syndrome and had countless moments of “I have no idea what I’m doing.” Those experiences often left me sinking into a puddle of overwhelm, frozen on what to do next or how to show up.

I had made the scary leap into self-employment and was trying to build a business and life by design—but I didn’t realize that leap wasn’t a one-time thing. You have to keep leaping. And you have to trust that you’ll find your footing each time.

Now, six years later, I can look back and say: belief in myself and trust in my abilities are the foundation for everything else. Knowledge and skills can be learned. Values are innate. But perseverance—the ability to keep going despite fear and uncertainty—is what sustains you when you’re building something from scratch.

Lindsey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a fractional content marketing consultant, thought partner, and brand storyteller, working primarily with B2B tech founders and company brands. I help them develop bold narratives that highlight their expertise and cultivate deeper connections with their audience.

Essentially, I come in from a holistic point of view to identify the gaps in their messaging, find their competitive edge to position their brand in the marketplace, deeply understand their customers to create content they care about, and grow their business effectively and sustainably with organic content marketing strategies.

My favorite part of my work is helping clients bring their story to life—especially when I get to partner with purpose-driven brands. There’s something deeply rewarding about translating a founder’s vision into content that connects. When an audience feels seen, inspired, or understood through content, that’s when trust is built. That’s when real growth happens.

I started in traditional marketing roles, but after years of climbing the corporate ladder, I realized that I wasn’t meant to fit in a box. In 2018 after a tough year that resulted in a layoff and with six weeks of severance pay, I decided to go all in on launching my freelance business. I had many friends already freelancing or were agency owners who helped me with things like building my website and the moral support needed to get things off the ground. I took a part time job at a coworking space to pay the bills, while I built my then offering – social media content creation and management. Within a year I had worked my way up to 4-5 clients from various sources, mainly referrals, and was able to support myself without a job.

Today, after a few pivots, I help clients in various ways but the core of what I do is high-level content strategy, brand narrative development and thought leadership ghostwriting. Many of my clients know they have something powerful to share but don’t know how to say it. I come in and help them make sense of their ideas, package their knowledge, and show up in a way that feels authentic and strategic.

What sets my approach apart is that I don’t just deliver content—I embed myself into the business to understand the full context. Whether I’m working with a solo founder or a lean team, the goal is the same: to create content that’s meaningful, sustainable, and deeply aligned with the brand’s identity—so they can show up with confidence and consistency, no matter the platform.

My philosophy is that I don’t believe in content for content’s sake. My work goes deep into brand identity, founder vision, and customer psychology—because real authority isn’t about shouting the loudest, it’s about saying something meaningful and saying it well. I also help my clients strategically repurpose content they already have for maximum efficiency.

Some of my proudest moments have come from clients telling me they finally feel seen in their content—or that they landed a dream client because of a post we worked on together. I’ve helped startups clarify their voice before big product launches, supported CEOs stepping into the public eye, and brought consistency to brands that were ready to grow but didn’t know how to show up.

If there’s one thing I’d want people to know, it’s that building your brand or business doesn’t mean becoming someone you’re not. As I was building my own business and client roster, I too put myself in the spotlight by going on podcasts, virtual events etc. Not just to ‘grow my business’ or generate clients, but for myself first; to practice the art of communication and self expression and to be comfortable with being seen and sharing my value. This only snowballed into feeling more at ease showing up online, creating community and landing more opportunities.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Two years into my business, I hit a wall.

I was managing multiple B2C Instagram accounts, creating content nonstop, and constantly trying to keep up with trends and engagement. On the surface, it looked like creative, exciting work. But behind the scenes, I was completely burnt out. The pace wasn’t sustainable, and I wasn’t fulfilled by having to always be online.

That’s when I knew it was time to pivot.

I had worked for startups in the past, so I knew shifting to B2B would not only be more aligned but higher level work.
I had been chasing down a contact in my network who was a VC that I had met once or twice to see if he would be open to trialing us working together. This partnership ended up continuing for four years. I helped shape their ideas, craft meaningful narratives, and position them as a credible voice in their industry.

That project became a turning point. It gave me a glimpse into the kind of work I really wanted to do—deeper, more strategic, and more aligned with my strengths. From there, I started working with founders and startups in fractional roles, helping them clarify their voice, build trust, and grow their brand with thoughtful, consistent content.

Burnout pushed me to reevaluate what I wanted and how I wanted to work. That pivot opened the door to a more sustainable business and more fulfilling client relationships—and I’m grateful every day that I made the leap.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Pure grit and consistency. Unfortunately, there are no major shortcuts, even if you have a post go viral. (This happened to me once with 16K views). I’m also a digital nomad. For the last four years I have been working abroad from various countries. I am currently in Lima, Peru. And when I inevitably share details of my journey. From corporate burnout to full-time freelance and then building my life by design and a business that supports my lifestyle, these posts usually do extremely well.

So I would urge anyone to get right down to their story. A framework to follow would be the hero’s journey. How you went from A to B. Everyone has a story about how they overcame something. Do not be afraid to share the vulnerable parts. And that doesn’t mean getting too personal. It just means sharing honestly about how you were feeling during a challenging time and how you overcame it. For me, this is visceral, whether it’s the pain of being chewed up and spit out of the corporate machine or the burning desire to travel abroad and work from my laptop.

The few things you need to get started so you’re not all over the place: your story (which will evolve over time), your big WHY, and your key differentiators (what makes you unique/different) and what I like to do is always have a notes tab available to jot down inspiration, new thoughts and micro-stories that occur in my day to day with clients etc., to write about.

Then commit to showing up and being ok with no one liking your posts for awhile. And always have a mindset of experimentation. If something isn’t working after you’ve given it good effort and time, try something new, whether it’s a platform, a content type – written, audio or video. Just stick with 1 or 2 at a time.

Currently I write on LinkedIn and Substack as a place to build my brand and tell my story. I also accept interviews, do podcasts and submit writing to guest sites.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsey_tague/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-tague/
• Other: Substack: https://substack.com/@alifebydesign