Joe McKay is an Australian business coach and solopreneur mentor who helps founders and solo business owners build thriving, opportunity-generating brands.
After leaving a secure government job in Australia, Joe relocated his family to France, where he grew a six-figure solo business by overcoming his own fears of posting online and sharing his voice.
Today, he specializes in helping busy founders and consultants create high-impact thought leadership content, while coaching solopreneurs to move from content to conversations to conversions.
Joe’s clients have landed six-figure deals, booked keynote speaking engagements, guested on top podcasts, and secured board and advisory roles — all through the power of strategic content and personal brand growth.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:
00:02: Joe McKay shares how, after feeling professionally lost in 2022, he left his stable government job, relocated his family from Australia to France, and built a six-figure online business by overcoming his fear of sharing his message publicly.
01:29: Joe describes how, even with a stable, well-paying government role, he felt hollow, disengaged, and unfulfilled — realizing he was living without passion or alignment to his values.
03:40: The family’s decision to move to France forced Joe to leave his job and look for a new path; he started by securing short-term freelance marketing consulting work to cover the transition.
05:26: Joe emphasizes the importance of leveraging every available resource when making big life changes — for example, his family’s apartment in France helped lower the financial risk of relocating.
08:14: After quitting his job, Joe experienced a major mindset shift: despite uncertainty and fear, he felt excited, energized, and more aligned, knowing he was stepping into his own potential.
10:37: Joe shares that his success was driven by three key personal traits: curiosity, a strong bias toward action, and resourcefulness — especially tapping into his LinkedIn network for opportunities.
12:50: In the early stages, Joe experimented with several income paths: freelance marketing consulting, a brief attempt at life coaching, and eventually LinkedIn ghostwriting, which gained traction after positive feedback from his network.
16:32: Joe introduces the concept of FOPO (Fear of Posting Online), explaining how he hesitated to share content because of fear of judgment — specifically from two ex-colleagues — and how he overcame it.
20:17: Joe reflects that, for many people, the fear of public embarrassment and shame is stronger than the dissatisfaction of staying in an unfulfilling job, often keeping them stuck.
26:30: He explains that while writing privately is a useful first step, meaningful progress and growth eventually require sharing publicly to get feedback, refine ideas, and build momentum.
30:05: Joe outlines three essential types of posts for building an online presence:
1️⃣ Awareness-building posts (telling your personal story),
2️⃣ Trust-building posts (demonstrating expertise),
3️⃣ Call-to-action posts (inviting people to engage or work with you).
37:33: For corporate employees, Joe advises starting by sharing safe, non-controversial personal stories or general expertise — emphasizing that companies don’t own your social profiles and you can build your voice carefully.
42:06: Joe identifies common mistakes people make: never starting at all; consistently posting without offering ways for people to take the next step; and missing opportunities to invite meaningful one-to-one conversations.
44:58: He stresses the importance of keeping your message simple and clear, recognizing that most people are consuming content quickly and casually — often while multitasking or in between tasks.
46:30: Joe explains the “flywheel effect” of content: once you know what resonates, you can continuously harvest material from your business, repurpose successful posts, and create more efficiently over time.
49:16: Looking ahead, Joe’s personal and business goals focus on maintaining work-life balance, growing his LinkedIn ghostwriting agency, and helping other solopreneurs build stable, location-independent incomes.
58:50: The key question Joe asked himself that changed his trajectory was: “What would I do if I wasn’t scared?” This became his guiding compass for making big, bold decisions.
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BOOKS AND RESOURCES
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz - a book that Joe recommends
- Purple Cow by Seth Godin - another book Joe recommends
- Connect with Joe on LinkedIn or his website.
