🎙️How to find creators worth giving equity to

📔 Jeff’s Diary (yes I’ll let you read it)

Tech week gave me two powerful points from two incredible people you should follow and listen to:

“Curiosity is just courage in disguise.” When Harpreet Singh Raj, previous CEO of Oura Ring said this. It hit hard. Most people never ask why. They never look under the hood. They remain constant in a world that evolves around them and never affecting change. I think this is the most powerful trait of an entrepreneur: curiosity. I knew nothing about equity. I bootstrapped my last business to exit, never raising from investors, so how could I build an influence for equity platform with no experience? Well, I’m one curious kitty…..🐱

The other was from Saj Cherian, Chief of Staff for Michael Rubin at Fanatics (easy job getting coffee surely, as what most people think a CoS does). He said “athletes want to be artists, and artists want to be athletes, but both want to be entrepreneurs.” That’s the ownership economy. It’s not just about the outsized returns that being an owner gives you a swing at, but the feeling of pride you get when building something. He mentioned a meeting with Kevin Hart at the infamous white parties and how all he wanted to talk about was the company he was building. Sure he flung some jokes in here and there, but the excitement of progress, of solving problems, of seeing something flourish in the real world… that’s what he was spending his time on.

I talk to founders daily. Some new to the pain, others on their 3rd exit. My takeaway; builder build. So if you sense the calling, don’t hide from the curiosity. Have the courage to lift the hood and see if maybe how you thought it worked, could be done better- your way.

– Jeff

📆 WHAT WE WILL HIT ON THIS WEEK:

→ How to spot real influence vs. fake followers - The 4-step framework for identifying creators who actually move the needle

→ Creator Spotlight: Jay Clouse - Why this founder teaches creators to think like CEOs, not influencers

→ Steven Bartlett's $30M bet - How he became co-owner of Stan Store instead of just taking a sponsorship check

→ Hailey Bieber's billion-dollar exit - Rhode's $1B sale to ELF proves creator brands can scale fast with the right strategy

A creator co-founder or a creator you're considering giving equity to, needs to have real influence. Because anyone can buy followers, BUT you have to EARN fans.

Sure we can "oooo" when seeing someone with 500k+ followers but are those followers just followers or real fans?

This is a very Important metric you need to consider when choosing creator partners.

And what are real fans? They’re the audience you want. They're the people who actually care about what the creator says and will act on their recommendations.

So how do you know if a creator has an actual high value audience?

STEP 1: Find creators who match your brand (either vibe or science)

STEP 2: Go to their profile and look for content where they asked their audience a question - something simple like "What's your biggest challenge with X?"

STEP 3: Look at comments (not just likes)

STEP 4: Analyze - are people giving thoughtful answers or just dropping generic responses?

What you're looking for: Real fans participate with genuine responses. Followers just scroll to the next dopamine hit and hit like. ****

An extra point? If fans are asking questions. That means they trust the answer.

Authority is the most valuable, under appreciated metric.

The bottom line: When building a company, your product solves customers' problems - that's why they buy! Why wouldn't you want the person your customers look to for answers telling them why your product is the solution?

Get a creator co-founder who has authority, or build a Creator Advisory Board with people your customers trust.

P.S: Be on the lookout for our Creator Advisory Board Matcher

📈 Steven Bartlett just became co-owner of Stan Store

A creator platform generating $30M annually. Instead of just taking a sponsorship check, he's betting his influence on ownership.

Bartlett's actively involved in product strategy and helping Stan's 70,000+ creators build real businesses through one streamlined link. He's backing "the creator middle class" - educators, coaches, consultants building lean businesses without massive teams.

His take: "Stop doing everything yourself and use tools that give you time back."

💰 Hailey Bieber's $1B Exit Shows Creator Brand Power

Hailey Bieber just sold Rhode to ELF Beauty for $1 billion after just 3 years. The skincare brand hit $212M in sales with only 10 products, proving focused creator brands can scale fast.

Rhode nailed the "affordable luxury" sweet spot - $18 lip tints that feel premium but accessible to Gen Z. Bieber didn't just slap her name on products; she created the "glazed donut skin" trend and turned skincare routines into viral content that actually moved product.

ELF gets access to the prestige skincare market and Gen Z credibility. Bieber stays on as Chief Creative Officer with a billion-dollar payday.

💼 Creators Back Creators in FanBasis $20M Series A

FanBasis just raised $20M with creators as lead investors. The Sidemen and Ryan Serhant backed the creator business platform alongside Left Lane Capital.

This is Creator Economy 2.0: moving away from fan monetization and more focused on creators as founders - building actual businesses and funding other creators' companies.

Bottom line: The ecosystem is evolving from fan engagement to creator CEOs building durable businesses.

🗓️ Check Out the Full Calendar Here

Have an event we should know about? Stop hoarding all the good stuff for yourself! Submit the details here!

Andy's here. Waiting to answer the questions you're afraid to ask in public (and yeah, he's actually NOT a paid spokesperson but our network of badass execs open to answering questions...for free).

Every week, Andy's ready to tackle the real shit that keeps founders up at night. No sugarcoating, no PC answers – just the truth.

Andy's sitting here with his mustache twitching, ready to drop knowledge bombs about creator equity that would cost you thousands with a consultant.

So drop your questions below. About valuations, term sheets, creator contracts, whatever keeps you up at 3am. The more uncomfortable, the better.

He loves this country and wants to bet on what makes it great – ownership and the generational wealth it creates.

He wants you to win, but he wants you to have fun doing it.

Got a question for Andy 😉? Drop it here — nothing is off limits. Trust us, he’ll GET the answer.

Found this valuable? Don't hoard the knowledge.

➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for the unfiltered takes I can't fit in this newsletter.

➡️ Forward this to another founder who's struggling with creator partnerships. Ownership spreads one conversation at a time.

➡️ Need 1:1 guidance? Block time with me any Friday here. No pitches, just real talk.