Personal Branding: Lessons from Top Founders

Want a cheat code for building a successful brand? Look no further than founder-led content. This stye of marketing has blow up in the last 2 years and there are some great up and coming brand using this to stand out.

Three examples of up and coming brands killing this style right now are:

1. Melbourne design duo. House of Boring

   
   

   

   
   

2. Patrick H Williams from his youtube channel 

   

   
   

3. Sam Saluk from Hosstile.

   

All three of them are making these life of a founder videos. And format is great way to create a loyal following.

So, why does this work?

For brands, the tipping point for long-term conversion happens when customers genuinely want to be part of your mission—when they believe in your vision and want to see you succeed. That’s the key. Long-term loyalty isn’t just about cool products; it’s about inviting people into a shared purpose.

Founder-led content is one of the most effective ways to do this. When people see the founder actively living the mission, they’re more likely to feel connected and invested. Sure, you can sell slick PowerPoint decks as one-offs, but to build lasting relationships or an engaged community, people need to buy into the mission driving the brand.

For example, I watched Patrick H. Willems’ recent video, where he announced he’s finally getting the chance to make a feature film. In it, he simply sits and talks about how difficult the journey has been, how much he loves what he does and how grateful he is to be doing it. And I was genuinely bloody stoked for the guy —a guy I’ve never met, whose channel I only very recently discovered.

The content doesn’t even have to be original; people just want stories and a chance to connect. Look at Sam’s grocery shopping video—4.2 million views.

Spoiler alert: he buys steak.

But if you watch one of these founder videos and you actually care what they're talking about, all of a sudden you're ready to start buying merch or get a Nebula subscription. It’s wild how quickly people go from interested to invested.

This approach can take off quickly when it’s authentic.

But that’s also what makes it difficult. If you’re building a brand, you need to genuinely live and embody your mission—you can’t fake it. People will see through inauthenticity and call it out. But when there’s a true alignment between you and your brand, this format can be incredibly powerful.