Avni Barman: The LinkedIn Strategy That Made Her a Full-Time Creator

40 million LinkedIn views a month. Two to three videos a day. And she built it after returning venture capital money because she realized she hated the company she was building 😲
In this week's episode, I sat down with Avni Barman, founder of Gen She, creator, speaker, and one of the smartest people I know when it comes to audience building and career leverage. She started with a two-minute cold outreach habit in college and turned it into a network, a business, a media brand, and a global community for women in tech and entrepreneurship.
We get into the exact outreach system that helped her land opportunities before she had experience, why most people overcomplicate networking, and how she grew LinkedIn into a platform driving 40 million monthly views. She explains why virality is overrated if it’s not converting into real community, why she stopped chasing a million followers, and how she thinks about building content that actually gets people to care.
If you’ve been waiting to feel qualified before you start posting, networking, pitching, or building something, this is your wake-up call!
📘 Career Cheat Codes — IT’S OUT!!!
My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.
Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/
03:01 The survival strategy that turned into her networking system
04:22 The two-minute cold outreach routine that changed her career
09:24 Speaking at Harvard Business School changed her perspective on entrepreneurship
10:17 She ran a 16,000-person paid virtual conference during the pandemic
17:28 She flew to India without sponsors or an event plan, and Microsoft joined the day before
28:14 How she hit 40 million LinkedIn views a month with video
29:17 “I’d literally rather die than get a job”
About Avni Barman
Founder & CEO of Gen She, a media platform and fund shaping the next generation of female founders. With 1M+ community, 400M+ views, and a 150K+ subscriber base, she has built one of the fastest-growing platforms for the next generation and is a leading voice on personal branding, virality, and building in the modern digital economy.
Connect with Avni
👍 Instagram: @avnibarman_
💼 LinkedIn: Avni Barman
🎙️YouTube: @avnibarman
🌐 Website: generationshe.co
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co
👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson