Why LinkedIn Might Be the Founder’s Greatest Asset

For founders carving their path in Scotland’s vibrant startup ecosystem, there’s a tool that often gets under-estimated, used half-heartedly, or only for job-hunting: LinkedIn. But at SIW25, the talk “Why LinkedIn Is the Founder’s Greatest Asset”, led by Fraser Morrison (CEO & Founder, 1000 Steps) and Russell Dalgleish (Chair, Scottish Business Network), argues it’s much more than that. This is a platform that, when used strategically, can move markets, attract investment, amplify credibility, and accelerate growth.

Why LinkedIn is the Founders Greatest Asset

What the Session Covers

On 22 September 2025 at 09:00 AM, Morrison and Dalgleish will lead a discussion about how entrepreneurs can unlock the full power of LinkedIn. Attendees will get practical tips for:

• building visibility in noisy markets
• connecting with investors, partners, and collaborators
• attracting high calibre talent
• establishing (or cementing) their status as thought leaders
• generating business opportunities, not just posts

It’s not a marketing 101 session. It’s about how to turn that profile, those connections, and that steady stream of content into real-world business development, international recognition, and credibility.

Why LinkedIn Equips Founders What Other Tools Don’t

To understand why this matters now, it helps to think about what founders need: visibility, trust, networks, and proof. Here’s how LinkedIn delivers those better than almost anything else:

1. Credibility & Reputation, Built Publicly
   Startups and scale-ups are often in emergent fields, AI, fintech, healthtech, sustainability. Investors and partners need to assess not just the idea, but the person behind it. A well-curated LinkedIn profile, regular thought leadership posts, case studies, client/partner testimonials, project updates, these all contribute to a founder’s public reputation.
2. Network Access Beyond Local Boundaries
   Scotland has strong clusters, but the biggest opportunities often lurk in intercity and international networks. LinkedIn lets founders transcend geography: identify and reach out to investors in London, collaborators in Europe, mentors across borders. It’s a way to scale your reach without packing your suitcase.
3. Talent Attraction
   Many founders struggle to hire people who are both skilled and culturally aligned. When you post about your vision, your challenges, your wins (and failures), you attract people who resonate with what you’re building, often more so than through ads or formal hiring channels.
4. Investor Conversations Before Formal Pitches
   Investors often do lots of homework before a meeting. They check a founder’s LinkedIn profile, observe how they engage with their network, check for consistency, voice, credibility. A founder who has been sharing insights, participating in conversations, connecting thoughtfully, will come into those meetings already partially vetted. That shift in perception can be massive.
5. Thought Leadership as Differentiation
   In sectors crowded with competition, showing point-of-view is powerful. Founders who share analysis, opinion, or lessons, not just product announcements, can stand out, build communities, gain respect, and get inbound interest (from potential customers, collaborators, press).

Where Scotland Adds Huge Value & Opportunity

Using LinkedIn well is one thing. Using it in Scotland’s specific environment, with its strengths, offers even bigger opportunity.

• Strong Institutional Reputation
  Scottish universities, research institutes, and public organisations (NHS, for example) already carry weight internationally. Founders aligned with them, or using data & research from them, can reflect that credibility on LinkedIn.
• Tight-knit Clusters, Fast Word-of-Mouth
  Scotland’s startup/scale-up ecosystem is relatively compact. When someone has a strong presence on LinkedIn, mentions or endorsements ripple quickly. A good recommendation from someone in Edinburgh or Glasgow can be noticed in London or beyond.
• Diaspora & International Bridges
  Many Scots live, work, or have roots across Europe, North America, Asia. LinkedIn gives founders a way to tap into those networks, reconnect, cultivate partnerships, invite investment or collaboration from people who already have affinity with Scotland.
• Cost Efficiency
  For many early-stage founders, every marketing dollar or pound matters. Using LinkedIn strategically, creating content, engaging with posts, building relationships — costs time more than money. For modest cost, the returns (visibility, warm leads, credibility) can vastly outstrip ad spend or participation in large conferences.
• Amplifying Under-represented Voices
  Founders in smaller, regional, or non-traditional tracks often lack access to mainstream investor networks. LinkedIn is one of the best equalisers: a platform where writing good content, connecting authentically, and being visible can open doors that geography or background might otherwise limit.

What Good Use Looks Like

From what Morrison, Dalgleish, and other savvy founders do, here are signals of strong LinkedIn usage (not just posting, but impact):

• Frequent posting of value: lessons learned, case studies, reflections, rather than only product launches.
• Consistent personal branding: profile that clearly states who you are, what you build, who you serve. Visuals, banner, tagline, etc.
• Engagement, not broadcasting: interacting with others’ posts, meaningful comments, resharing content with added perspective.
• Networking with purpose: not simply increasing connection numbers, but building relationships with people who might invest, partner, mentor, or refer.
• Using LinkedIn features: newsletters, articles, live video, LinkedIn groups. Experimenting to see what format resonates with your audience.

Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

Making LinkedIn work takes effort. There are mistakes founders often make:

• Inconsistency: posting once in a blue moon isn’t enough. It’s somewhat like watering a plant only once a month and expecting it to flourish.
• Over-selling: if everything is a pitch, people tune out. Being generous with insights, even with sharing failures, builds trust.
• Ignoring branding: messy profile, no visuals, vague descriptions, little sign of who the founder is. Those small signals matter.
• Not following up: you connect with someone, they like your post, but then nothing. The follow-through (message, offer of help, scheduling a call) is where opportunity comes.

What to Expect at the SIW25 Session

When Fraser Morrison and Russell Dalgleish take the stage, expect more than theory. They’ll likely share:

• Real examples of founders who used LinkedIn to find investors or partners they never could have met locally.
• Stories of how visibility on the platform unlocked international opportunities.
• Actionable tactics, content strategies, networking approaches, and connection frameworks.
• Probably even some “what we tried and what flopped,” because learning from mistakes is exactly part of what builds credibility.

Why This Event Is Timely

Because the founder market is saturated. Every founder has a website, some have a product, many attend events. What distinguishes you often becomes: who knows you, what they think they know you for, and how visible you are.

Especially in Scotland, where many founders are proud, humble, and quietly focused on product, the leap from “good product” to “recognised leader” depends heavily on how well LinkedIn is leveraged.

Conclusion

LinkedIn isn’t just the place for resumes. It’s the place where trust is built, credibility is earned, and opportunity is unlocked. For founders, it might just be the single asset that compounds most reliably over time.

If you’re building something in Scotland, a tech start-up, a health innovation, a sustainable business, don’t treat LinkedIn as optional noise. Treat it like a strategic part of your growth engine.

And if you want to see how it’s done, or pick up some real practical tools, join Morrison & Dalgleish on 22 September 2025 at 09:00 AM for “Why LinkedIn Is the Founders Greatest Asset”. Use that wisdom, start lifting your platform, and watch how visibility changes opportunity.