The No-Knobheads Rule That Built a 540-Member Business Hub

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands and Links with Linkifi!
Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.

In this episode, we welcome Lea Turner, LinkedIn powerhouse and founder of The Holt—a thriving paid community with 540+ members designed to support small business owners, freelancers, and solopreneurs with affordable, inclusive, and high-impact learning and networking. Lea shares her no-fluff insights on what it really takes to build and maintain an engaged, respectful, and buzzing community from scratch—and why LinkedIn is still a goldmine for audience building if you avoid the hype.

We explore the relationship between community building and personal brand, the strategic use of LinkedIn for lead generation, and how to protect your space from salesy “knobheads” while still fostering real collaboration, connection, and business opportunities.

 

Key Talking Points:
✅ Growing The Holt to 540+ members in under 3 years—without ad spend
✅ How to build a values-led community that enforces psychological safety
✅ Why “no knobheads” is more than a motto—it’s a business filter
✅ Creating low-cost, high-value offers for bootstrapped solopreneurs
✅ Building trust on LinkedIn before you sell anything
✅ Where the real relationships on LinkedIn actually happen (hint: it’s not in the DMs)
✅ Launching with a waitlist—why audience-first always wins
✅ How Lea transitioned from LinkedIn training to full-time community building
✅ The surprising power of comments, carousels, and karaoke for business growth
✅ What happens when you give more than you ask on social media

 

Quotes from Lea Turner:
📢 “The Holt is inclusive, affordable, and built on one core value: no knobheads.”
📢 “You don’t have to be the expert—you just need to know who to bring in and what your audience needs.”
📢 “I didn’t need The Holt to work. That gave me freedom to experiment—and it exploded.”
📢 “Most big influencers on LinkedIn are shouting into a void. I built real relationships.”
📢 “Don’t start a DM with a question. Just say something kind. That’s how you start a relationship.”

 

Actionable Insights for Listeners:
🚀 Want to start a paid community? Begin with a strong audience and a clear ‘why’.
🔍 Build your email list through newsletters, lead magnets, and content that drives trust.
💬 Start in the comments—not the DMs. That’s where relationships on LinkedIn really begin.
⚡ Create automated community prompts to drive daily engagement.
🛑 Enforce your values loudly and publicly—people self-select in or out.
🤝 Leverage your network to deliver expert value—without needing to be the expert yourself.

 

About Lea Turner:
Lea Turner is a LinkedIn expert and the founder of The Holt, a vibrant online community built for business owners, freelancers, and solopreneurs. Known for her bold branding, no-nonsense tone, and radical inclusivity, Lea helps people grow with integrity—both on and off LinkedIn.

 

📬 Learn more about The Holt: https://www.the-holt.com/
🌐 Connect with Lea Turner on LinkedIn

 

🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links

At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today:

 🔗 https://calendly.com/linkifi/pr

 

👋 Connect with your hosts:
👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn
👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn

 

🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes:
🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com