This strategy drives startup success: Founder-led marketing

Do you know who created your favorite brand? What is their story? Does knowing it help you trust them more? Today, more entrepreneurs are starting their business journey. Open and share not only the finished product but the process of building it. This openness moves the relationship between customers and brands from transactional to partnership that emphasizes transparency and trust. When done well, founder-led marketing can bring customers into the heart of design and development, transforming them from passive buyers to invested participants in the brand’s success.

This movement toward building public spaces is redefining how brands interact with customers, creating a two-way relationship that goes beyond transactional. A successful public facility construction strategy may be the deciding factor. When two brands sit next to each other, the one that takes the audience on a journey always wins.

The rise of founder-led marketing

Founder-led marketing allows founders to openly share their journey with the public, bringing a personal touch to brand building beyond traditional advertising. Founders often make their processes public through social media, allowing customers to experience the real ups and downs of business development. This transparency fosters a level of intimacy and trust that is difficult to replicate with faceless brands.

Today’s consumers, especially social media natives, are simply drawn to the authenticity of founders who tell their stories. Eric Wei, co-founder of Karat and host of the JOMO podcast, believes founder-centric storytelling is the future of brand connectivity. “There’s an explosion of founder-led marketing right now because it’s coming from an authentic place,” Wei explained. “People want to know the real story and see the faces behind the brands they support.” For Wei, this shift means people are connecting more with individuals than with faceless corporations. , reflecting broader trends. “The reason companies started working with creators in the first place was to bring a human voice to their missions.”

Cassey Ho, founder of fitness brands Blogilates and POPFLEX, with over 15 million followers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, is a powerful example of founder-centric storytelling. She focuses on the customer in every decision. For Ho, the design process is an ongoing conversation with her audience, which is documented in her “design with me” series. In these videos, she shares her feedback and decisions on materials, cuts, and colors, and frequently surveys her followers and uses their input to refine fashion designs for her activewear brand POPFLEX. I am. And if a design doesn’t resonate, she goes back to the drawing board and makes adjustments based on what the community wants. product,” Ho said. This continuous feedback loop is a hallmark of her brand. Cassey’s approach emphasizes her commitment to designing with the customer in mind. Her audience input is not only welcome, but essential.

Ho’s short video storytelling style is tailor-made for platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where vertical video is the norm. Her videos have an organic feel that blends seamlessly into viewers’ feeds, making them feel more like a friend update than a brand promotion. It’s about building community,” Ho said. I don’t think Kathy’s videos are marketing. Rather, it feels like a shared journey that deepens her bond with her customers, from the first sketch to trying on the final product.

Disadvantages of founder-led marketing

Founder-led marketing brings credibility and trust, but it’s not without its challenges. Revealing this effort to the public could expose founders to intense scrutiny, online criticism, and the risk of competitors copying their ideas. “Building in public means all your successes and setbacks are visible,” says Nadia, founder of period care company August, which has more than 5 million followers across social media. Mr. Okamoto says. ” While transparency builds community, it also invites ongoing feedback. This can be difficult in sensitive industries such as menstrual care.

Achieving this level of visibility requires a careful balance between openness and strategic discretion as founders decide how much to share without compromising their vision or mental health. “The pressure is real and the criticism can feel overwhelming,” Okamoto said, stressing the need for resilience to deal with public scrutiny. Ho agreed, explaining how her viral designs on TikTok and Instagram led to fast fashion giants copying her work. “I knew in my head that if something went viral, it would be copied.” Building in public places has its obstacles, including vulnerability to criticism and theft of ideas, but at the same time , it also opens the door to powerful real-world outcomes.

real world results

Building in public spaces doesn’t just tell a story, it also drives immediate sales. When Cassey Ho shared her design process for POPFLEX’s “perfect leggings,” she wasn’t just posting a product. She created a sense of shared ownership. The result was a viral video with over 25 million views and merchandise that sold out within hours. This proves that when your audience feels truly engaged, their support goes beyond likes and comments and translates into real demand and direct investment.

Similarly, my sister Jean Luo and I realized the benefits of this approach with our tea brand Sisters Matcha, which we built with a series of behind-the-scenes videos. We take a call-and-response approach, and each new video is inspired by feedback and questions from previous viewers. In this way, our followers shape both our product and content direction and become an integral part of our creative process. “We are in constant dialogue with the community,” Jiang Luo said. “By assuming the roles of founders, product developers, content creators, and customer service representatives, we are working with our community to create a brand that feels as much theirs as it is ours. ” Luo concluded.

Additionally, by syndicating your Sisters Matcha journey to LinkedIn, you can connect with a wider audience, including potential investors and industry supporters that you may not be able to reach on other social platforms. LinkedIn’s professional focus gives us the opportunity to showcase our process and connect with people who share the entrepreneurial spirit of our journey. For investors, especially early-stage ventures, having a clear understanding of the founder’s values ​​and work style is invaluable. By opening it up to the public, Jan and I not only invite customers into the brand’s story, but also give potential investors an unfiltered look at parts of the founder’s journey that are usually hidden. You can also see it from an unusual perspective.

Another example of founder-led marketing that stands out is Eric Way’s regular pickleball meetups for creators in Los Angeles, hosted by his company Carat. Unlike typical feedback sessions where companies invite paid participants to gain structured insights, Way events have a more personal feel. Creators show up like a group of friends, connecting over a game or two of pickleball. There are no rewards or formal feedback processes. Instead, the recurring nature of these meetups fosters community. Over time, this approach keeps creators coming back, drawn by the sense of belonging and mutual support. “Our mission has always been to support creators, but being able to sit down with them face-to-face allows us to truly understand what they need to succeed,” Wei said. explained. He believes creators thrive in environments where they can openly share their struggles as well as their successes. This relaxed environment fosters trust and camaraderie as creators discuss everything from content strategy to burnout. This conversation directly impacts Karat’s service in a meaningful way.

Building in public spaces like this achieves outcomes that go beyond basic engagement. It deepens trust and turns regular customers into loyal stakeholders. Founders such as Kathy Ho, Nadia Okamoto, Jiang Luo, and Eric Wei believe that by making customers part of the journey, brands not only receive feedback but also the long-term success of brands. It’s about cultivating an investing community.

How to get started

You don’t need an elaborate blueprint or a large following to go founder-led marketing. Instead, it starts with a commitment to transparent storytelling and a desire to bring people into the inner workings of a brand. This process involves proactively sharing both successes and setbacks, and building a real-time narrative that helps customers understand the decisions, axes, and motivations that shape your product. By allowing customers to witness these moments, founders can foster a sense of ownership and loyalty within their audience. For example, Ho often polls viewers directly on her Instagram Stories about design choices, sometimes going back to the drawing board if feedback suggests changes. This creates a direct connection between the customer testimonial and the product, building trust that is difficult to achieve with traditional marketing.

Building in public spaces can be difficult, especially in moments of criticism and uncertainty, but this approach is well-suited to today’s consumer environment, where authenticity is key. This engagement model not only builds a loyal customer base, but also allows founders to stay closely aligned with the real needs and wants of their audience. For those who are proactive, founder-led marketing is more than just a strategy. It’s a long-term investment in building a brand that truly connects with your customers.

Questions for reflection

• If you were to build your brand publicly, what aspects of your journey would you feel comfortable or unwilling to share?
• How do you think showing both successes and challenges impacts people’s perception of your brand?
• How can interactive challenges and decision-making opportunities increase customers’ sense of investment in your brand?

Acknowledgment

Special thanks to Jean Luo, Nadyaokamoto, Cassey Ho, and Eric Wei for contributing to this conversation.

follow me Instagram or linkedin. check mine Website.