Hey! It’s Doone, your hype girl in business. This week we unlocked a goal that I didn’t even know we had: we built a brand so cute our community makes fan art 🥹 Dayna blew me away with her FSC-inspired portfolio project that captured the whole journey: KINCS, Buckingham Palace, Sydney, London, Tools of Titans, and all the sparkly bits of the FSC story as a beautiful silk scarf design. Goosebumps! Let this serve as a reminder that sometimes we don’t even know the impact we’re making, but that impact can be profound.

Today we’re covering 👇

• Staying consistent with your community building

• How SKIMS became the brand all over your feed

• Huge news for Aussie founders & Stix’s rebrand

• The gener8tor accelerator investing $100K

• Last chance: Access your free 1-1 session with me [Expiring] ✨

Building your community from 10 to 26K+ 🤝

Diarrha started just like many of us, posting on Instagram to a small audience of 10 people a day. But here’s the twist: she kept at it. Every single day. Her persistence paid off, and before she knew it, she had a following of 25.7K+ 🤝. But this isn’t just about the numbers… It’s about the quality of engagement. People started to take notice. Her consistent effort turned into a magnet for opportunities - and a great reminder on the importance of talking to your community (even when that means talking to 10 people).

Especially for the introverts out there, now is not the time to be modest. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Speak directly to your community and let them know your story. Even from a humble beginning, if you stay consistent and engage directly, you are nurturing your first true fans. Every small effort counts(!!). If you’re feeling in a rut right now, I’m here to remind you:

• Consistency is Key 🐢 Post (super) regularly: even if it feels like you're shouting into the void, keep going. Your audience will grow, and so will your opportunities.

• Create Opportunity ✨ Pitch your story to (literally) anyone who will listen: send out samples to your follower list, create exclusivity, and make people excited about what you’re building. Turn every interaction into a chance to grow this community.

• Build Your Email List 💌 Social media is great, but an email list is gold: Invest time in building and nurturing your community and funnel that through to your mailing list (it’s the most valuable currency you have).

Even especially on the days that you don’t feel like it: keep pushing, keep sharing your story, and you will watch your community ✨flourish✨.

Listen to Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye on Female Startup Club →

SKIMS x Everyone Who’s Anyone 💅

Let’s be real—SKIMS has mastered the art of celebrity marketing like nobody else. Seeing Nicola Coughlan all over my feed this week was the final straw for me: this is a brilliant masterclass in picking the perfect brand ambassador at the perfect moment. So, let’s break down how SKIMS nails it every time:

What’s crystal clear is that the SKIMS marketing team are geniuses at reacting quickly to pop culture moments. They’ve got their fingers on the pulse, always in tune with who’s trending. They don’t just reach out to anyone—they go for talent that not only aligns with their customer profile but also has massive reach and influence. Alex Cooper right around the time she got married, The White Lotus stars at the peak of the show’s buzz, Sabrina Carpenter right as she became the ultimate it-girl.

The secret sauce is in smart reactive marketing that makes the brand a constant topic of conversation. Here’s how us early-stage brand can take a page from SKIMS’s playbook (without breaking the bank):

• Stay Informed 🗞️ Use social media to keep a close eye on pop culture trends and emerging influencers and stay updated on who’s gaining traction. Action: we post daily pop culture news snippets inside our Facebook Group come say hi 👋

• Engage with Micro-Influencers 💫 You don’t need a Kardashian budget to make an impact, collaborate with micro-influencers who have engaged, loyal followings. Action: start scouring your followers for smaller accounts that resonate with your brand

• Be Reactive 👀 Pay attention to what’s happening in your industry and beyond. If there’s a trending topic or viral moment that aligns with your brand, find creative ways to join the conversation. Action: a daily meeting with the team (or yourself) to cover what is happening in world and how you can find ways to join the conversation: think meme’s, newsletters, product launches, reels - get creative!

It’s all about being smart, creative, and staying connected to what’s hot right now. Check out our take on jumping on pop culture trends →

• [HUGE for Aussie founders] China’s ‘game-changing’ passport act

• Were you wondering why VC’s don’t invest in women-led startups?

• The problem with beauty's senior management level

• Also, here’s what the NSW Budget offers for startups

• Stix has rebranded as Winx Health (x Kerry Washington)

• Scrubs brands Figs hires Sarah Oughtred as its new CFO

• Melbourne-based Maxme has raised a $400,000 round

• London-based Niya raises £1.5M to build career platform

• & Andromeda Robotics raises $3 million seed round to scale

• More women lead top companies than ever (BUT…)

This week's accelerator...

Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator® powered by gener8tor invests $100,000 in up to ten companies per year | JOIN THE COHORT.

This week's lineup...

This week's recommendations...

REMOTE (in Aus) 🏝️

• Gazette News is the startup filling a critical gap in Aussie media and the founder is looking for folks who want to make an impact to jump on board as a Director of Operations or Managing Editor | APPLY HERE.

LONDON 🇬🇧 

• Health & wellness brand The Nue Co. is hiring a dynamic Head of Creative to report directly to the CEO + Founder | APPLY HERE.

LA 🌆

• Fishwife (dreamy tinned fish) is looking for Brand Ambassadors in Santa Monica, Venice & Culver City | DROP INTO THE DMs.

NYC / SF 🇺🇸

• Venture Capital firm Wischoff Ventures is hiring an experienced Associate and Principle to join the team | APPLY HERE.

That’s all for today folks! & don’t forget a life-changing intro costs just $0.00 ✨