In partnership with
Hey honeys and hustlers,
Founders are no longer just CEOs—they're media brands. Marcus Milione of Minted New York, Sahil Bloom with his newsletter empire, Rachel Rodgers building We Should All Be Millionaires, and Luvvie Ajayi Jones expanding her media presence beyond being a 4x NYT Best Selling Author. These entrepreneurs understand that their personal platforms aren't just nice-to-haves; they're strategic business assets. But here's what most people miss: personal branding isn't just about customer acquisition anymore. It's become essential for recruiting talent, maintaining company culture, expanding revenue streams, and building resilient businesses that can pivot when needed. Vanity metrics don’t matter nearly as much as having a loyal audience who will share, recommend, and engage with your posts every chance they get.
Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Marcus Milione
People following Marcus Milione's journey with Minted New York aren't just potential customers (which by itself would still be great, considering the following he’s built). They're cheerleaders, early adopters, and brand ambassadors who feel personally connected to the company's success. This transparency creates what traditional marketing can't buy: trust at scale. When Sahil Bloom shares his thought process on business decisions, or Luvvie documents the creation of her new membership for authors, they're building a moat around their businesses that competitors can't easily replicate. There are also hybrid models, such as the Nothing CEO, whose team often posts videos featuring the CEO on the company's YouTube channel rather than on a dedicated personal channel.
The evolution of personal branding has become interesting: your personal brand might be your best recruiting tool and a driver of business revenue diversification. When potential employees can watch your content, read your newsletter, or follow your journey, they're self-selecting. They know your values, communication style, and vision before they submit an application. Rachel Rodgers doesn't just hire people to work for her company—she attracts people who already believe in her mission because they've been following her work. The onboarding process starts long before the job posting goes live.
This creates several advantages:
Candidates come in already aligned with your mission and values
People who resonate with your message self-select into your hiring pipeline, providing more qualified candidates
New hires already understand your communication style and philosophy
Employees feel connected to a larger mission and ecosystem, not just a paycheck, and are more likely to stay with the company longer
Perhaps the most underrated advantage of founder-as-brand is its ability to diversify revenue. No, not just personal revenue diversification. Speaking, coaching, and advisory work are great for solopreneurs and solo creators, but what about businesses with more than one worker? When you've built brand trust and authority through your personal platform, you can expand into new areas with lower risk.
Consider how this plays out:
New product launches: Your audience is primed and ready to support new offerings because they trust your judgment
Partnership opportunities: Brands want to work with other brands that elevate their credibility. The Senja integration with beehiiv or the Kit integration with Right Message doesn’t happen without all of those founders being online and sharing the progress of building their companies.
What’s noticeable is how seamlessly they integrate their personal story with their business narrative. It's not about constant promotion—it's about making your business journey an authentic part of your personal story. Marcus Milione doesn't just promote Minted New York—he shares the challenges of building an athletic apparel company, wears his own brand while documenting his progress as a runner, and shares his personal journey of living in New York (an expensive but highly accessible city with tons of running infrastructure). Business promotion becomes a natural byproduct of sharing valuable insights and has led to partnership opportunities with Nike and Saucony (including a collaboration shoe, which is wilddddddd).
The question isn't whether founders should be the face of their brand. In 2026, the question is: how can you leverage your face to not just grow your own income, but the revenue of an entire company?
What founder-led brands are you following?
P.S. The Anti-Grifter Virtual Summit has been postponed to April 16th and 17th. New dates + the lineup will be revealed soon. RSVP to the current event listing to be the first to get updates on our speakers!
🎧 New Episode on Honey & Hustle
I read a few chapters of Opinions by Roxanne Gay for you
I first read Roxanne Gay’s writing in Hunger, and I’ve been hooked ever since. In this episode, I'm diving into Opinions by Roxanne Gay—a collection of essays that challenges us to think critically about the world around us. Opinions doesn't shy away from complexity—it embraces it, giving us permission to hold nuanced views in a world that often demands binary thinking. This book challenged me to think more carefully about my own choices—from the platforms I support to how I define success. If you're looking for thought-provoking commentary that will make you pause and reconsider, Opinions delivers. I focused on three powerful sections that really resonated with me.
Why she took her podcast archive off of Spotify
Can We Separate Art from Artist?
Your Job Matters, But It's Not Everything
and my thoughts, reactions, and reflections to all of the above.
💡 You’re a great fit for CommunityOS
In 30 days, this course will help you:
Build deeper connections with your audience through structured community engagement
Streamline your community management with templates and proven frameworks
Turn subscribers into active participants and collaborators
Scale your community without losing the personal touch
Access tools and strategies used by successful community builders
Join creators who are transforming their audiences into thriving communities.
This post is supported by our sponsor.
Your Entire Business Should Work as One
Most experts aren't limited by their expertise. They're slowed by scattered tools that don't connect. Starter platforms, point solutions, and mismatched workflows create chaos, cap revenue, and dilute credibility.
Kajabi is the operating system for human expertise. Identity, strategy, products, marketing, payments, and client transformation all working together in one place.
No more guessing. No more fragmentation. No more ceiling on your growth.
Clarity replaces confusion. Simplicity replaces complexity. Growth becomes intentional.
You move faster because everything connects. Built to scale, not stall.
If your expertise is real, your system should be too.
If you’d like to sponsor editions of Please Hustle Responsibly and reach {{active_subscriber_count}} marketers, creators, and entrepreneurs, you can respond to this email or visit our media page below.