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One night last year, I was just scrolling YouTube like usual when a video caught my eye. The title? Why The World’s Biggest Brands All Go To Sri Lanka. Cool, another nice piece of content, sounded interesting, but here’s what made me click. It was posted by Ben Francis, the founder of Gymshark. Not a marketer or random influencer. The actual founder of a brand that grew from a garage startup to a $1.4 billion fitness business. It felt like I was hearing straight from the person behind the business, not just some marketing team. It felt more real, more worth my time. Well, even though I watched and then forgot that, today I realized that that’s a great example of content created by or directly shaped by the founder of a company. And that’s the power of what we call “founder-led content.” In 2025, HubSpot says founder-led content (that’s you, sharing your story) is the shortcut to building trust. Studies show that 70% of the buying journey happens before someone even talks to a salesperson. By the time they reach out, they’ve already checked you out, looked at your product, and compared you with others. The real question is, what are they seeing? If your content isn’t telling that story, then something else is doing it for you.So how do you make sure your story gets told? ➡️ Share your lessons and honest stories. Write about what you’ve learned (you can start a blog or use your social media), what you’d do differently, and even your stumbles. For example, if you just learned a better way to save time on invoices, write a quick social post or shoot a short video about what worked and what didn’t. People love seeing real experiences. (Anyway, if you’re looking for some free, easy-to-use invoice tools you can use right away, here’s a list of them.) ➡️ Make your offer simple and clear. If you’re sharing a product or service, do it in a way that helps, not sells. Even if you have a small product like a digital planner, you can explain how yours helped you organize your week instead of listing a bunch of features. When your audience knows the person behind the words, it’s easier for them to say “yes.” Check out these storytelling techniques that surely help a lot here. ➡️ Mix in personal takes on industry trends. Don’t be afraid to say what you really think about what’s happening in your space. Say, if there’s a new tool everyone’s talking about, share your honest review, good or bad. (There are plenty of free tools on Google that can help you track trends and news.) The big idea here is that if your audience sees a real person, they’re more likely to trust you. Any business can do this, but it takes consistency and honesty. Keep sharing your story. You never know who needs to hear it. Stay curious, Minosh. P.S. If you’re working on getting those first customers for your business, I wrote a step-by-step guide just for you. You can check it out here. ​ |
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