This strategy drives startup success: Founder-led marketing

Do you know who created your favorite brand? What is their story and does knowing it make you believe them more? Today, more entrepreneurs are pulling back the curtain on their business journeys, sharing not only the finished product, but also the process of building it. This openness shifts the customer-brand relationship from transactional to a partnership that emphasizes transparency and authenticity. Done well, founder-led marketing brings customers into the heart of design and development, turning them from passive buyers to invested participants with a stake in the brand’s success.

This build-to-public movement is redefining how brands engage with customers, creating a two-way relationship that goes beyond transactions. A well-done audience-building strategy can be a deciding factor—when two brands stand side by side, the one that invites its audience on its journey will win every time.

The rise of founder-led marketing

Founder-led marketing, where founders openly share their journey with the public, brings a personal touch to brand building that goes beyond traditional advertising. By revealing their process—often through social media—founders allow clients 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 drawn to the authenticity of a founder simply telling their story. Eric Wei, co-founder of Karat and host of the JOMO podcast, sees founder-centric storytelling as the future of brand engagement: “There’s an explosion of founder-led marketing right now because it’s coming from a real place, Wei explained. “People want to know the real story and see the faces behind the brands they support.” For Wei, this shift reflects a broader trend — one where people connect more with individuals than with faceless companies. “That’s why companies started working with creators in the first place — to bring a human voice to their mission.”

Cassey Ho, founder of fitness brands Blogilates and POPFLEX with over 15 million followers on 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, captured in her “design with me” series. In these videos, she opens up about feedback and decision-making about materials, cuts and colors, often polling her followers and incorporating their input to refine fashion designs for her activewear brand POPFLEX. And when a design isn’t resonating, she goes back to the drawing board to make adjustments based on what her community wants: “When I started telling people the reason for the design, it really changed the game because people like to understand the journey and the product,” said Ho. This continuous feedback loop has become a hallmark of her brand. Cassey’s approach underscores her commitment to design with the customer in mind; the opinions of her audience are not only welcome but essential.

Ho’s short-form video storytelling style is specifically designed for vertical video-dominated platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Her videos have an organic feel that blends seamlessly with viewers’ feeds, making them feel more like updating a friend than a brand promotion: “It’s so much more than just selling a product; it’s about creating a community,” Ho said. Cassey’s videos don’t look like marketing; rather, they feel like a shared journey, deepening the bond between her and her clients from the first sketch to the final product trial.

The pitfalls of founder-led marketing

While founder-led marketing brings authenticity and trust, it is not without its challenges. Opening the journey to the public can expose founders to intense scrutiny, online criticism and the risk of competitors copying their ideas. “Building in public means every success and setback is visible,” said Nadya Okamoto, founder of period care company August, which has over 5 million social media followers. “When you build in public, you win really publicly and you lose really publicly. . . While transparency builds community, it also invites constant feedback, which can be challenging in sensitive industries like menstrual care.

This level of visibility requires a careful balance between openness and strategic discretion, as founders navigate how much to share without compromising their vision or mental well-being. “The pressure is real and the criticism can feel overwhelming,” Okamoto said, stressing the need for resilience to manage public scrutiny. Ho echoed that sentiment, describing how her viral designs on TikTok and Instagram have led to fast fashion giants replicating her work: “I knew in my bones that if something went viral, it would be copied. “. While building in public presents obstacles such as vulnerability to criticism and idea theft, it also opens the door to powerful real-world results.

Real world results

Building public isn’t just about storytelling—it can also drive instant sales. When Cassey Ho shared her process of designing the “perfect” POPFLEX shoes, she didn’t just post a product; it created a sense of shared ownership. The result was a viral video that received over 25 million views and a product that sold out within hours – proof that when audiences feel genuinely involved, their support goes beyond likes and comments, translating into real demand and direct investment.

Similarly, my sister Jean Luo and I have seen the benefits of this approach with Sisters Matcha, our tea brand built with a series of behind-the-scenes videos. We take a phone-and-answer approach, with each new video inspired by comments and questions from previous audience engagement. In this way, our followers shape our product and content direction, making them an integral part of the creative process. “We are in constant dialogue with our community,” Jean Luo said. “By taking on roles as founder, product developer, content creator and customer service representative, we’re co-creating a brand with our community that feels as much theirs as ours,” Luo concluded.

We are also putting together the Sisters Matcha journey on LinkedIn, which allows us to connect with a wider audience, including potential investors and industry supporters who may not be featured on other social platforms. LinkedIn’s professional focus gives us the opportunity to showcase our process and engage with those most aligned with the entrepreneurial side of our journey. For investors, especially in early-stage ventures, having a clear picture of a founder’s values ​​and work style is invaluable. By building publicly, Jean and I are not only inviting customers into our brand story, but also giving potential investors a rare, unfiltered look at parts of the founder’s journey that are usually hidden away.

Another example of founder-led marketing that stands out is Eric Wei’s frequent meetings in Los Angeles for creators, hosted by his company Karat. Unlike typical feedback sessions where companies bring in paid attendees for structured insights, Wei’s events have a more personal vibe: Creators show up, much like a group of friends, to bond over a game or two with ball. There is no formal compensation or feedback process; instead, the recurring nature of these meetings fosters community. Over time, this approach keeps creators coming back, drawn by a 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 really understand what it takes to succeed,” explained Wei. He finds that creators thrive in environments where they can openly share not only successes but also struggles. This relaxed environment fosters a sense of trust and camaraderie as creators discuss everything from content strategy to burnout—conversations that directly impact Karat’s offerings in meaningful ways.

Public building like this yields results that reach beyond basic engagement; it deepens trust and turns casual customers into loyal stakeholders. Founders like Cassey Ho, Nadya Okamoto, Jean Luo, and Eric Wei show that by making customers part of their journey, brands don’t just get feedback—they cultivate invested communities that believe in the brand’s long-term success.

How to Get Started

Engaging in founder-led marketing doesn’t require an elaborate plan or a massive following; instead, it starts with a commitment to transparent storytelling and a willingness to bring people into the inner workings of the brand. This process involves actively sharing wins and setbacks, building a real-time narrative that invites customers to see the decisions, pillars, and motivations that shape the product. By letting customers witness these moments, founders can foster a sense of ownership and loyalty within their audience. Ho, for example, often polls her audience directly on Instagram Stories about design choices and even goes back to the drawing board when feedback suggests a change. This creates a direct line between the voice of the customer and the product, creating trust that is difficult to achieve through traditional marketing.

While building in public can be challenging, especially in times of crisis or uncertainty, the approach is uniquely suited to today’s consumer landscape, where authenticity is essential. This engagement model not only builds a loyal customer base, but also allows founders to stay in tune with the real needs and wants of their audience. For those willing to commit, founder-led marketing is more than a strategy; it’s a long-term investment in creating a brand that truly connects with its customers.

Questions for reflection

• If you were building your brand in public, what aspects of your journey would you feel comfortable sharing or not?
• How do you think showing your wins and challenges can affect how people perceive your brand?
• How can interactive challenges or decision-making opportunities encourage your customers to feel more invested in your brand?

gratitude

Special thanks to Jean Luo, Nadya Okamoto, Cassey Ho, and Eric Wei for their contributions to this conversation.

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