When I started my own business in October 2014, I asked myself a tough question: "How can anyone hire me if nobody knows I exist?" So, I set up my LinkedIn profile and began writing. I knew I had to build my visibility, credibility, and professional network as a digital marketing specialist, and LinkedIn was the platform to do it.

Although I stepped away from entrepreneurship a year later, I continued creating content on LinkedIn. Since returning to it in October 2017, I've achieved significant results on the platform. This time, I decided to share the LinkedIn knowledge that helped me build my career. I am living proof that LinkedIn works. Meanwhile, I also embarked on a journey to visit and explore lakes.

Discovering a love for lakes

To be honest, I am still searching for the true answer to my connection with lakes. The more I work on the Moja Jezera project, the more personal it becomes. In short, I'm at my best when I'm by a lake, and even more so when I'm standing in one. They give me a sense of peace and calm. What started as a simple project with a website and social media presence has grown into a lifelong journey of exploring lakes and discovering the deepest depths of myself. Lakes have helped me build a relationship with myself, while LinkedIn has taught me about business relationships. As a big introvert, my lake project reflects my nature. However, for my LinkedIn business, I had to learn how to network, step outside my shell, and become a speaker. I love the latter, though. It's like two sides of me: naturally, I love to be alone by a lake, but I also have a passion for stepping onto the stage and sharing my LinkedIn knowledge.

Merging passion with career

I can't truly claim a direct link between spending time by lakes and my LinkedIn business. However, visiting lakes and researching water science has undoubtedly helped me shape my overall personality. The lake project has cultivated my courage, independence, and confidence. When you find yourself alone in the middle of a mysterious forest searching for a lake, you realize you can do pretty much anything. These traits certainly benefit my business and entrepreneurship. I don't come from an entrepreneurial family; I just followed my intuition to build my own business, and it worked. I should also mention that my lake project has been featured in countless Slovenian media outlets, and I've published three books about lakes, which have tremendously helped build my brand. Before my workshops and talks, I always present myself through my lake project, too. It is a significant and essential part of who I am.

Leveraging authenticity in business

Writing books and countless social media posts about lakes has improved my writing skills for LinkedIn, and vice versa. I feel that both LinkedIn and lakes have contributed to my personal development, making me a better lake researcher, a more effective LinkedIn trainer, and a better partner in life. While I believe confidence is the biggest driver of my business, I don't see a direct link to innovative LinkedIn strategies. For those, I follow trends and best practices, choosing the ones that align with my values and personality. Certainly, the stories of Slovenia’s lakes enrich my business content by adding a layer of personal narrative and authenticity. Although I don't often write about my lakes on LinkedIn, when I do, it's to reveal my personality. I strongly believe that in B2B, we do business as humans. As I mention on my LinkedIn profile, I focus on helping you build your business by being personal. By "personal," I don't mean sharing details about personal life, but showing our true personality and vulnerability, rather than just the business mask we tend to wear. A client once hired me for LinkedIn services because they knew me through my lake project. I was thrilled when she told me this. It seems that others might find connections between lakes and LinkedIn more easily than I do. In fact, my favorite moments are when people approach me at business events with questions about my lakes. When we start talking about them, you can see how my energy changes—I feel like I'm melting with joy. This is who I truly am: discovering new lakes, experiencing them, and inspiring others to visit. LinkedIn has a different vibe; it's all about business, corporate culture, networking, sales, and marketing. While I love these aspects, my true essence lies in lakes. When it comes to connecting my two passions, this is the best explanation I can offer: it's like two sides of me—my natural state of being by a lake and my role as a performer on stage or a conductor of LinkedIn workshops. And I'm always happy to explore the link between them with the people I meet.

Photo credit: Jurij Pelc