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Growing Exponentially After Product-Market Fit: Who to Hire First, Spend Vs Grow, and How You Lead Before You Scale
You’ve done the hard part: built the MVP, tested it, found signs of product-market fit. Maybe your early customers love it, you’ve got...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Sep 228 min read


The 68 vs. 1 Rule: How Leaders Handle Outlier Feedback Without Losing the Plot
It was 2:07 AM and I was staring at the ceiling, replaying two paragraphs of feedback in my head for the hundredth time. Earlier that...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Sep 85 min read


Why More Executives Are Choosing Portfolio Careers Over Traditional Corporate Ladders
How diversification, flexibility, and strategic design are redefining executive careers. When I shared recently that I'd taken on a...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Sep 16 min read


The Great Corporate Exodus: Why Senior Executives Are Trading Corner Offices for Kitchen Tables
Inside the accelerating trend of C-suite leaders becoming entrepreneurs—and what it means for the future of work At 2:47 PM on a Tuesday,...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Aug 257 min read


You Don’t Need a CxO — Until You Do
Startups are built on extremes.  You’re either scrappy or bloated.  You’re doing it all yourself or over-hiring too soon.  You’re...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Aug 34 min read


Leading on Low Battery: Why It Doesn’t Work
I have been working with a brilliant CRO of a fast-scaling tech company for the last 2 years. Sharp as a tack. Big vision. Hired well....

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jul 214 min read


The Questions Executive Coaches Ask (That You Can Ask Yourself)
Last week, I was having drinks with a friend who's spent 20+ years climbing the ladder at the same company - a global giant with great...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jul 216 min read


When Anxiety Isn’t the Problem —But the Signal
I coach high-performing leaders. People who’ve built companies, managed global teams, survived reorgs, scaled revenue, raised kids,...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jun 304 min read


How to Be More Decisive Without Being a Jerk
Most people think there are only two types of decision-makers: → The bulldozers  who steamroll everyone in their path → And the  wishy...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jun 304 min read


How to Build a Business While Raising Small Kids as an Expat: Juggling ambition, identity, and nap time
When I launched my coaching business, I had two things on my mind: Â How to make it successful. Â How to not miss the moments that...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jun 95 min read


Will AI Take Over Our Jobs? What the Rise of AI Means for Senior Leaders and Middle Managers
You’ve seen the headlines. You’ve heard the hallway whispers. And if you’re a senior leader or middle manager, you’ve probably asked...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
May 265 min read


Should You Bootstrap or Fundraise? It Depends — But One Thing Always Matters
As a startup coach and  Loyal VC  advisor I spend a lot of time with founders. Some are knee-deep in pitch decks. Some are wondering if...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
May 84 min read


How to Use Storytelling to Lead, Inspire, and Win in Business
In one of the most iconic storytelling examples from Mad Men , Don Draper faces a tough task: Sell a slide projector from Kodak — the...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Apr 264 min read


Scaling Your Business Without Losing Soul
What if success didn’t have to look loud? There’s a particular brand of business success we’ve all been conditioned to admire: 📈...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Apr 214 min read


The Skills Shortage Is Real—Here’s How Smart Companies Are Responding
Many of the leaders I coach are facing the same challenge: their workforce isn’t keeping up with the pace of change. The skills that were...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Mar 165 min read


International Women’s Day: The Unfinished Business of Equality
Early in my career, I approached a female manager I looked up to, hoping to learn from her experience. She was a few steps ahead of me,...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Mar 107 min read


What's in a Name? Reflections on Diversity, Inclusion, and the World We Live In
I grew up in a monocultural environment. Most of my friends were Turkish, from a similar middle-class background, and I attended Turkish...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Mar 27 min read


How High-Performing Leaders Reclaim Their Time Before It’s Too Late
How High-Performing Leaders Reclaim Their Time Before It’s Too Late

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Feb 84 min read


Spaciousness: The Leadership Superpower We've Forgotten
At the start of 2025, I set an intention that might seem counterintuitive in our hyper-connected, hyper-busy world: to feel more spacious...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jan 314 min read


Rising Above The Great Frustration: How To Thrive in a Downturn
The job market is undeniably challenging right now, even for those at the peak of their careers. If you’ve been feeling stuck, uncertain,...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jan 185 min read
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