Lots of discourse about founder-led brands circulating in response to the Odd Muse controversy - this is my opinion #founder #oddmuse #businessowner

Should you be the face of your brand or are you just setting yourself up to be cancelled? Let's talk about it. We found her feeling the pressure to be the face of their brand right now. While that is valid, it does also put a bit of a target on your back. That's what's happening right now with Amy Smell and Audrey who are currently facing controversy after the creator please don't buy that called them out for green washing. Audrey was born from Amy posting some videos on TikTok that went viral. And since then she has built a multimillion pound business in less than five years. And that success comes directly from putting herself out there. The problem is that when a brand has a face, criticism can be amplified. With faceless brands controversy can just dissolve into the void. The founder led brand that criticism has a destination, a face, a story that people can latch on to and share. So what is the answer? We have to be real that this is still the most viable strategy for bootstrap founders. Building a faceless brand in 2025 without significant marketing budget is just going to be so difficult. I would always recommend using your face and your story aggressively at the beginning to get momentum for your business. But as soon as you're generating consistent revenue, you need to start deliberately building brand equity beyond yourself. Die first fly your content, introduce other voices, and face yourself out as the primary focus of the brand. The founder brand cannot be the end goal. It has to be the vehicle that gets you there a bit faster in the beginning.