Beyond the Brand: How Founders Are Sharing Their Creative Voices through Content Creation
With the constant conversation around how to define a 'creator' or 'influencer,' I started seeing a trend of even founders becoming creators online.
As a Millennial, I formed my career by watching the “Girl Boss” era unfold. A time when female-founded brands, like Outdoor Voices and Glossier, were on the rise, and social media offered a behind-the-scenes look at every phase of growth—not only for the brands, but for the founders themselves. While being the face of a brand had its difficulties, the access to these founders helped curate a sense of intimacy between the brand and the consumer, growing a loyal, cult-like following.
And now 10-12 years later, with Ty Haney completely separated from OV and Emily Weiss pulling back from her CEO role at Glossier, the brands—and the term “Girl Boss”—aren’t what they used to be.
Ultimately, the promises of working in a “Girl Boss" environment (i.e. more supportive, more inclusive, less toxic), fell short, and the narrative surrounding many female founders changed. While a lot of these conversations were necessary, they also led other successful women to hide behind their brands out of fear of being scrutinized.
More recently, however, I've seen a resurgence in female founders making themselves accessible to consumers again. In the past year, with the rise of Substack, there has been a parallel trend in founders turning into lifestyle creators.
of Crown Affair, of Loeffler Randall, of Ghia and of Saie Beauty are a few I’ve been following. While I still initially view each of these women as founders, I also view them as influencers in their own right. While I love the products they’re creating, I also love the products they recommend.When asking writer + brand consultant
why this resurgence is happening on Substack, she said it’s mostly a creative endeavor. “This isn't ever a sales-first channel for the founders I work with,” she explains, “it’s more of a chance to engage in the worldbuilding they brought to their brands years ago. The founders I work with operate large teams and want the chance to get back into the creative everyday.”I not only follow Dianna Cohen for her air dry hair tips with Crown Affair products, but I also adore her Substack,
. I took notes on her vision boarding post and actually took the time to create my own at the start of this year. I also purchased the Kule tote she recommended on her Instagram stories. It’s a genius carry on hack as you can stuff an extra coat, two books, a laptop, an ipad, a notebook, your toiletries and probably a bit more in there.
Laney has started a GRWM series in the same spot in her home to keep consistency. In addition to fashion and beauty, she also posts healthy recipes, really leaning into the lifestyle vertical.
Melanie’s Substack is focused on fashion and travel. She makes beautiful shopping guides, showcasing what she is wearing and loving as well as roundups of sales she is browsing. In addition to her Substack, she partners with brands like Christofle (an ad I adore) and Sezane.
With the influencer industry evolving, founders are also having to evolve with it. Not only are all of the above brands teams building out their influencer community, they are becoming a key archetype for their casting strategy. Content creation on personal channels is an easy way for founders to show the product in use, directly answer questions about products, and tease upcoming launches. It’s a great way to invest in your community and make the brand feel more personal.
Of course, running a brand and pursuing your own creative endeavors is a lot to juggle. “Bandwidth is essential to evaluate,” Veurnik says of founders who may be interested in personal content creation. “Can you commit serious time and, in some cases, capital to pursuing this project? And are you committed to its ongoingness?” she posits. “It's not a product launch you build toward and then release once and for all. If the space is there, I'd suggest hiring a partner to help you structure the endeavor/serve as a sounding board.”
When it’s done right, I appreciate seeing a layer peeled back from these founders and getting an insight into their creativity outside of just product design and advertising for their own campaigns. I admire their recommendations and in turn it makes me more invested in their brand and business. A win/win.
I loved this article. As a creative consultant, I’ve been offering Substack support specifically for female founders who can build additional revenue streams, build brand partnerships, have a creative outlet, and build their own community outside their brand. It’s genius and we need more of it!
This was incredible — thank you for sharing!!! 🩷🩷🩷