In the digital era of brand logos and marketing campaigns, the demand for authenticity has never been more prevalent. Hence, marketing has shifted drastically from larger-than-life advertisements to the age of the founder-influencer. Founder-influencers are individuals who have built successful businesses and leveraged their personal brand to become influential figures in their respective industries.
Unafraid to share their journey, triumphs, and failures, founder-influencers breathe new life into brands. By turning mere products into meaningful stories, they have struck a resonance with customers on a deeper level.
But how does this translate into a stronger brand voice and an elevated customer experience?
Sharon Pak is more than known for her top-tier products. Following Sharon and Jordynn Wynn’s successful stints at ColourPop Cosmetics, they founded Insert Name Here (INH).
Together, INH has achieved remarkable success — pulling in USD 3 million in its first year of business and hitting USD 17 million in net revenue in 2020.
Today, Sharon often shares relatable content about makeup tutorials and hair hacks intertwined with snippets of her entrepreneurial life. However, the true secret behind their success lies in Sharon’s authentic and transparent journey.
Growing up in Arizona, Sharon was a child of South Korean immigrants in a Latin-based community. Despite this, she transformed her minority status and low-income background into motivational fuel. Breaking away from the expected path of pursuing a medical career, she switched to marketing — a controversial move that ultimately led to her success. This candid admission adds a layer of relatability and determination that customers deeply connect with.
Sharon’s authenticity doesn’t stop at personal anecdotes, with her and Jordynn maintaining personal interactions with their followers wherever possible. Beyond comments and likes, they sometimes go the extra mile to reply to their followers with a personal message.
By sharing moments of vulnerability and breakthroughs, Sharon creates an emotional bond that transcends traditional marketing. Through this, she has achieved 144K followers on Instagram and over 130K on TikTok, with over 5 million likes. As a result, INH has crafted a deep strategy that uses social media to create exceptional customer experiences.
The team at INH also does not shy away from acknowledging and celebrating their community, providing customer gifts like personalised poem books. This practice proves that listening and genuine customer engagement can turn casual shoppers into brand advocates, fostering the recipe for immense brand loyalty.
For Srayva Adusumilli, Mango People Cosmetics is not just another beauty brand. For her, it is a reflection of her personal story, filled with trials and errors.
From humble beginnings as a chemistry-engineering student tinkering in her parent’s basement to founding a six-figure business, Sravya’s journey is a testament to the power of her grit, authenticity, and smart use of social media.
Driven by her personal experience, cultural roots and inspiration from her mother’s skincare guidelines, Srayva pushed past her technical background to create unique, relatable, skin-friendly makeup. As a result, she took 5 years to develop products infused with ingredients inspired by her upbringing. These ingredients contained antioxidant-rich adaptogens like ashwagandha, brahmi, and triphala.
Bootstrapping the business with $10,000 from her savings, Srayva launched Mango People Cosmetics in September 2020. At the time, there were only 3 products, including the Multistick, which became a TikTok favourite.
Through social media and word-of-mouth marketing, the pandemic-born brand achieved six-figure sales within a year. What’s most compelling is how Sravya did everything herself — from web design to filming TikTok videos. Despite limited resources, she turned to TikTok to share her story, products, and entrepreneurial journey. In one viral video, which garnered over 2 million views, Sravya candidly shared how her personal struggles with finding an appealing and healthy lipstick led to the creation of Mango People Cosmetics.
Sravya’s brand also has a strong social media presence, with over 70.8K followers and 1.9 million likes on TikTok. By sharing her behind-the-scenes struggles and triumphs, she added a layer of relatability and transparency that strongly resonated with her audience. Her journey from basement experiments to being selected for Sephora’s Incubator program further validates her brand’s credibility, making her tale even more inspiring for customers.
Customer experience today is more than just the service or the product; it’s about the story, struggles, and sincerity of those behind the brand. Founder-influencers like Sharon Pak and Sravya Adusumilli are compelling examples of how authentic storytelling can elevate brand and customer experience to new heights. By putting a face to the brand and sharing genuine narratives, other companies can seek to create a more relatable, engaging, and loyal customer base.