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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 21, 20258 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 8, 20255 min read


The First Five Minutes Rule: Why Day One Sets the Tone for Years
Eight years later, she still remembered the message. It was 2016, and I was preparing to welcome a new hire to our team at Google. She...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Sep 8, 20257 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 25, 20257 min read


The Red that Made Billions: What McDonald's Color Psychology Teaches Leaders About the Science of Influence
How a simple color choice became one of the most powerful influence experiments in business history—and what Robert Cialdini's research...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Aug 18, 20259 min read


What Money Can't Buy
Why the most successful leaders I coach never mention salary first Last weekend, I found myself at a dinner table with six accomplished...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Aug 11, 20255 min read


Where to Find Great Talent
(And Why You Might Be Looking in the Wrong Places) Whether you're a founder building from the ground up or a corporate executive scaling...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Aug 4, 20254 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 3, 20254 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 21, 20254 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 21, 20256 min read


How to Show Executive Presence in Leadership Interviews (Without Faking It)
Leadership interviews aren’t just about ticking boxes. They’re about signaling who you are and what you are capable of delivering. Are...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jul 7, 20257 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 30, 20254 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 30, 20254 min read


Authenticity Fatigue: When "Be Yourself" Becomes Exhausting
I was sitting in a coffee shop last week, eavesdropping on two women at the next table (don't judge me—it's occupational hazard as a...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jun 19, 20257 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: How to make it successful. How to not miss the moments that...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jun 9, 20255 min read


What I’d Do Differently If I Were Starting My First Job at Google Today: 10 Lessons for Leaders Entering Big Tech
When I got my first job at Google, I was ecstatic. I’d made it. An MBA in hand, consulting experience under my belt, and now a seat at...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jun 2, 20255 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 26, 20255 min read


Eurovision, Leadership, and the Power of Polarizing Presence: Reflections After Eurovision 2025
As the final notes of Austria's "Wasted Love" still echo in my mind, I find myself processing the whirlwind of emotions, controversies,...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
May 19, 20255 min read


What's the Story with Dubai Chocolate? And What It Teaches Us About Marketing, Soft Power, and the Psychology of Hype
Some trends build slowly. Others gather pace quietly, then seem to be everywhere all at once. That’s what happened with Dubai chocolate....

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
May 15, 20255 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 8, 20254 min read
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