What is Founder Marketing?
Founder marketing is critical to the success of any startup or scale-up.
The Founder Journey
Everyone loves a great story. We all aspire to lead wealthier, more fulfilling lives. For some, wealth is becoming a celebrity. For others, it is building a family — and for many, it is seeking business success.
Those chasing business success can choose entrepreneurship or climbing the corporate ladder. Your personal experiences will make you a great leader in whatever you try to achieve. For entrepreneurs; your employees’ lives, investors, and stakeholders weigh a heavy toll on your personal and professional existence.
From your journey comes your ‘founder story’ — everyone has one. Even Donald Trump, who got a measly million dollar loan from his Dad, still rides on this challenging existence. The New York Times reported more like £60 million, which adjusted for inflation would be worth roughly $186 million today.
It’s all about positioning.
The Founder Pains
Life’s a bitch! Someone said this; and I sometimes agree with them. Life is difficult, but life as an entrepreneur is nigh on impossible.
Founders juggle everything from HR, marketing, finance, logistics and a sea of admin work. Part of becoming a founder is that you are the business, and the company becomes an imitation of you.
Tesla only has the share value it does today because the world believes in Elon Musk’s vision for it. Elon has come through against all odds. He dreams, delivers and finds solutions to the most complex business problems. People have to aspire to greatness, and Elon is not only breaking through ceilings, he is heading to Mars.
Sharing Founder Success
Everyone loves a success story — David vs Goliath, Wall Street Bets vs Wall Street, Man vs Food. All these things share one outstanding feature; hope — hope against adversity. Whether it be a towering giant, Wall Street bros on their yachts or the biggest chilli dog in the world, we all want to see someone overcome tremendous odds and aspire to do it ourselves. (I do not endorse Man vs Food!)
One such David and Goliath story is rolling out in the eCommerce world. Inspirational British founder Cas Paton is creating a new marketplace experiencing explosive growth, thanks to innovative technology, creative nous and a team of eCommerce geniuses. This company is currently taking a small, but impressive bite out of Jeff Bezos and his ever-growing tentacles enveloping the modern retail landscape.
Cas Paton and his team have created a well-oiled machine, powered by genius marketing, a steady flow of press releases, and a fantastic founder profile that plays up the OnBuy vs Amazon battleground’s underdog nature.
The Power Of Founder PR
Chamath Palihapitiya is going to become the world’s richest man at some point in the next 30 years. Founder of VC Fund Social Capital, he is a one-man money-making machine, but it hasn’t been plain sailing. Chamath is one of the best examples of how to use PR to your advantage. After hundreds of interviews on TV, articles, news stories and more, he has created a highly successful VC fund. He has launched four SPACs (Special-purpose Acquisition Companies), which have a combined valuation of $15,4bn.
The Art Of Founder Positioning
Look at any great founder of our era — Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, Mark Cuban or Steve Jobs. Besides being high performers, each created a narrative around their success and had great products and expertise to back them up.
I believe that in most companies, creating a narrative around one core figure is essential to business success. Most people in the world know the names of industry pioneers — not by accident, but because behind the scenes, a brilliant group of marketing strategists, PRs and content writers build their profiles.
About The Author — Alex Lawford
I unlock the potential of your SME, startup or scale-up; building and scaling brands. I work directly with founders, CEOs and senior leadership teams to craft strategies, implement marketing and unlock opportunities utilising technology.
