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In this episode of the ASOM Pod, hosts Jimmy Kim (CEO of eCom Email Marketer & Founder of Sendlane), John Roman (CEO & Co-Founder of BattlBox), Amer Grozdanic (CEO & Co-Founder of Praella), and Bryan MacDonald (Director of eCommerce at Oma’s Pride) dive into the dynamic world of founder-led marketing, unraveling its influence on brand success and exploring real-world examples like MailChimp, Barstool Sports, and Tesla. They discuss the unique advantages and challenges of founder-led branding, compare it to traditional marketing approaches, and examine the trend of building in public. Along the way, they analyze how personal branding and generational shifts shape marketing strategies and contribute to business growth.

What You’ll Learn:

How founder-led marketing can build a brand’s identity—and when it can backfire
The pros and cons of personal branding and building in public
How founders like Elon Musk and Dave Portnoy shape their companies’ reputations
The challenges of scaling beyond a founder’s influence
Creative debates about leveraging mascots versus human faces in branding
A behind-the-scenes look at Barstool Sports’ founder-driven growth
Key strategies for transitioning from founder-led marketing to scalable systems

The episode wraps up with a lively “Buy or Sell” segment, where the hosts debate hot takes on founder-led marketing strategies. If you’re curious about how founders influence modern brands or want actionable tips for leveraging personal branding, this episode is for you!

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00:00 Teaser Trailer
00:16 The Success and Pitfalls of Founder Led Brands

00:59 The Slack Notification Dilemma

02:09 Welcome to The ASOM Pod

03:13 Deep Dive into Founder Marketing

08:47 The Barstool Sports Story

22:47 Building in Public: Strategy or Trend?

25:32 Purpose of Building in Public

25:53 Different Strategies of Building in Public

26:04 Critique of Founder-Led Public Building

26:25 Consumer Connection and Organic Social

27:16 Examples of Successful Public Building

27:52 Challenges and Misconceptions

33:14 Scaling Beyond Founder-Led Marketing

33:36 Barstool’s Talent and Growth Issues

40:25 Buy or Sell: Marketing Strategies

45:56 Future Topics

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Follow Jimmy Kim at: 

X:  https://www.twitter.com/yojimmykim 

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/yojimmykim

IG: https://www.instagram.com/@yojimmykim 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yojimmykim

Follow Bryan MacDonald at:

X: https://www.twitter.com/bryanomaspride

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-macdonald-ct

IG: https://www.instagram.com/@anythingbutasalad

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anythingbutasalad

Follow John Roman at: 

X: https://www.twitter.com/@JohnMRoman

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-roman/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/@johnnyromes

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmroman

Follow Amer Grozdanic at: 

X: https://www.twitter.com/@AmerGrozdanic

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amer-grozdanic

IG: https://www.instagram.com/@amergrozdanic

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amergrozdanic

Contact us at [email protected] for sponsorships, appearance requests, interviews, or general information!

Subscribe to our newsletter! We drop weekly hot takes, totally unfiltered. Join us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://asompod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠