OWM’s first $1M. What comes after SaaS and DTC?

I need your help. Giving creators equity is a big decision, so we built the most intelligent decision engine in creator marketing, but it’s way too powerful to keep it just to founders and startups.

I’d like to talk to 10+ influencer marketers who use discovery and analytics tools, to understand what they like and don’t, and what dream state products they’re looking for to solve problems they face. I’d like to see if we’ve already built it and, if not, go build it.

If you’re down to chat or can intro me to someone, reply here. Here’s a quick slide deck on what we built.

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

What you learn in life comes from the people you spend the most time with, and when they’re gone, what will you remember?

That’s what happened with my best friend. He didn’t teach me quantum mechanics or how to tie my shoes, but through his energy and joy of life, he taught me what it meant to live, and for that… I am grateful.

11:11 is a number I didn’t understand. I never gave it meaning or had a reason to take notice, but once he was gone, it started to appear in places. Maybe I was searching for something. Maybe it was more than that. Whatever it was, I welcomed its appearance as it forced me to remember.

Because life is too fast. Memories too short. My father passed over 10 years ago, and he no longer shows up in my daily life as he once did when he used to drive me to work. And like any muscle, the less you use it, the more it fades.

I don’t want to forget the people who made me the man I’m proud to be.

On this day, 11/11, you can remember the Veterans for the sacrifices they made defending this great nation, or you can remember the people you wish you could have just one more conversation with.

Whoever it is, use this as your sign to remember them.

They say 11:11 is the synchronicity with the universe. I’m no man of faith, but I am a student of science. And if we’re all just energy, little carbon atoms held together by covalent bonds, then somehow, somewhere, just maybe….there’s something more to this whole “consciousness” thing.

So take the moment to remember someone you haven’t thought of in a while. Find the memory that makes you smile. That person made you a little bit better, and they'll fade if you don't make the time to keep them close.

I bet you if you opened your eyes in the chaos of our attention economy, and started to see the world for what it is, this 11:11 thing wouldn’t be your religious justification for a higher power, but a simple gesture that life is about living, not surviving.

So here's to remembering someone you haven't thought of in a while. To search for the signs. Just be open to them finding you.

– Jeff

📆 WHAT WE WILL HIT ON THIS WEEK:

→ Every founder must know: creator-led enterprises, the next company type after SaaS and DTC

→ OWM first month live: deals closed, $1 million in gross volume

→ Steven Bartlett is building the Disney of the creator economy: Steven.com hit a €365M valuation by turning influence into infrastructure

→ Adobe just confirmed the AI tipping point: 86% of global creators now use generative AI in their workflow

Creator-Led Enterprises: The next company type after SaaS and DTC

“Creator-led enterprise” will become a standard company type in the next decade, much like SaaS or DTC before it.

They’re moving faster, operating leaner, and capturing more cultural attention than traditional brands can afford to buy.

For years, creators were treated as the final stop in the marketing funnel. Today, the most sophisticated creators have stopped waiting for brand deals. They’re raising capital, hiring operators, and building systems around their belief. They already own what every company is chasing: distribution, narrative, and trust.

At its core, a creator-led company looks familiar, but the operating system is different.

• Core IP: The creator’s story or worldview acts as the brand’s foundation.

• Audience: A community built on shared belief, not algorithmic convenience.

• Commerce: Products, brands, and ventures that extend the story into everyday life.

• Platforms: Owned media, data, and tools that remove dependency on algorithms.

• Capital: Investors who understand that conviction can be more valuable than cash.

It’s influence turned into infrastructure.

This shift represents more than a new business model, it’s a new kind of entrepreneurship. When a creator launches a company, they don’t start at zero. They already have a brand, trust, and distribution, 3 of the components most founders dream of launching with.

Creator-led enterprises will define the next decade of growth. They merge the efficiency of startups with the cultural fluency of media. They prove that ownership, when tied to audience and conviction, compounds faster than paid growth ever could.

The companies that last won’t be the ones that shout the loudest, they’ll be the ones that build belief together.

💥 Huge Month for OWM

One month live. $1 million in Cash & Equity Deals.

Lots of founders want creators on their “cat” table 😂, and we’ve already hit our first milestone. 50 meetings a week with deals getting done is certainly a sign of momentum, but no one is high-fiving yet, just heads down building.

Some proud clients are Hundred, Vybes, and Lucy — seeing what invested creator partners can do for their business and what it means to have distribution built inside the company.

💸 Steven Bartlett isn’t the story, the creator economy is

Everyone is talking about Steven Bartlett because big numbers always command big attention, but they should really be talking about Slo Ventures. Traditional VC looks at the venture scale business to back that can attack the consumer or enterprise from a specific lens. But Megan and the team at Slo were looking for something different.

They see creators as the new “at-scale” vehicle, and a bet on trust and distribution isn’t a bad one to make. Your favorite brands have incredible products that catapulted their rise and distribution, and their brand followed.

But what if what was reversed? What if a creator with mass fandom (not followers) could leverage that IP to build something at scale? Mr. Beast is showing that audience and money can build anything (rollercoasters, really?), but maybe at a scale that will disenfranchise the people who originally got behind the daily poster.

So is Steven different? That’s the question. Will he fall victim to the venture demands of scale and returns that can sometimes force a brand like his to lose focus and force fans to question motives?

Why this matters: Creators aren’t just producing content anymore, they’re producing companies. They’ve gone from selling attention to owning the ecosystem around it. But we’re still in the early days. We know the celebrity grand slams, but long-lasting creator-led businesses still have a test with time.

The creator economy is maturing fast, moving from sponsorships and campaigns to equity, IP, and brand universes. Creators are building worlds people want to live in, not just content people want to scroll through.

I’m rooting for what comes next, and I’m a believer that a great operator with an incredible story to tell needs an incredible storyteller. So if Steven finds his story, I think he can deliver the next Airbnb or Disney or whatever he’s dreaming in the green room of his podcast studio.

🧠 Adobe Confirmed It: 86% of Creators Are Using AI

Adobe’s new global report found that 86% of creators now use generative AI to produce content. Do not experiment with it — use it daily.

Why this matters: The creator economy is entering its “AI leverage” phase. Tools are getting smarter, workflows are getting shorter, and the line between creator and company is disappearing.

Hollywood is jumping into the “creator” game. IP is the new moat. Ownership is the name of the game. Own your brand. Own your voice. Own your audience.

AI is making it easier to tell stories, but people follow people, and the best storytellers will win in the new ownership economy, where AI slop is just noise.

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