In the excellent Netflix Martha Stewart doc, Martha, the voiceover called Martha “the original influencer.” She built a billion dollar company on her advice, her image, and her taste. If you think about it, every lifestyle brand that followed walked a similar path: Joanna Gaines, Gwyneth Paltrow, Oprah.

We want to buy what they’re selling because it gets us closer to them.

Women’s stories Matter, and so do their freak flags

2025 is the eighth year of Popa & Associates. We’ve told a lot of stories, mostly for women. A few years ago, we implemented our voice questionnaire as part of the onboarding process (you can get yours without becoming a client here).

The main concern we’ve fielded?

“It’s just so awkward talking about myself.”

And my response is always, “But you must!”

We ask questions about your fun facts, your sparklers, the things people made fun of you for in high school because those are the things that make you interesting. Those are the things that make you sticky. Those are the things that make you memorable. In a sea of noise and options, people really do want to buy from people, and they want to buy from people they know they like (most of the time. Lots of people didn’t like Martha, per se, but she had something they didn’t that they wanted access to. That counts, too. She brought us into her world and we wanted to live there with her, didn’t we?)—even if they haven’t met you.

But First: WHat Is a Founder Story?

A founder story is the story of your business told through you. You were compelled to create something bigger than you. Tell us why. Help us get to know you. Make us feel something.

As one of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott says about good writing: “Tell us a story. Make us care.”

That’s it.

Whether its a 500-page memoir (please don’t do this, at least not on your company website) or—as my uncle would say—”a couple few” paragraphs, bring us into your world through story.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to be floral. If you’re the face of your business, it just has to include you.

And, please, PLEASE, include a photo of yourself, even if it’s a baby picture. You’d be amazed how many people show up to meet their new lash artist or accountant and have no idea what that person looks like.

How to Write a Founder story

There are tons of ways to write your founder story, and it certainly doesn’t have to be long. I’d aim for a few paragraphs, but I wouldn’t limit myself because of any shoulds. Many people, parroting that same old line from above (“I hate writing about myself,” “No one cares,” “This isn’t interesting,” bs bs bs), don’t write enough.

That’s why I always make our clients write a list of at least half a dozen seemingly “random” facts. They are points of connection for your readers (and potential customers). For a simple structure, consider:

Introduction sentence: “Hi, my name is X and I [ACTIVE VERB LIKE HELP, SUPPORT, BRING, ETC.] to Y [YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER] so they can Z [free up time, make more money, etc. etc.]
Your why: “I founded my business because…..”
Any supporting data, education, or credentials. but please don’t be exhaustive if you have a ton of letters or certifications. <<For my doctors, we have created accordion sections for you that people can expand if they want to read the whole list. Here is an example. Yes, I wrote this website, too>>
YOUR SPARKLE. You can do this in sentences or a bulleted list. Here’s an example with bullets. Here’s an example that includes a large team.

If you want DIY your founder story, you can get my full how-to guide here.

Why I love my celeb-owned brands

I have three Skims sweatsuits. I like to know where my money is going. I also know that Kim doesn’t need my money at all, but I buy her sweatsuits over the competition because I watched the whole company get built on The Kardashians. I respect the family’s business sense and willingness to try something new.

Sure, they started on 3rd base, but I don’t care. I like them. I feel like I know them. I’ve seen so many of their freak flags and I want more. Kim doesn’t have to write much about herself on the Skims About Page, but I’d love it even more if she did.

I also love big-time lifestyle influencers who did the opposite of what Kim did. Many of them happen to be Mormon. They grew huge social media followings by showing us their lives, we wanted in, and then they created companies based on their biggest interests with raving fans ready to buy in. Amber Fillerup’s dae is a great example (she got big sharing beautiful hair tutorials).

YOU NEED A BETTER ABOUT PAGE THAN KIM HAS

But if you’re not as globally known as Kim and her family are, you have an obligation to help us get to know you. When we know you better, we start to like you. Liking leads to trusting and trusting leads to buying. That’s why I wrote so much about myself on my About Page and why I made sure each member of my team included fun facts in their short bios on the P&A site.

Plus, when you give us some good detail about yourself on your website, you can repurpose that language in social media posts, in your bio for your next speaking engagement, and so many other places.

Here are some more About Pages we’ve written with founder stories at the center:

But, What if there is no “face” of your company?

Businesses have personalities, too. They sparkle just like humans do. The best ones sparkle, at least. Think of your business as a person with preferences, favorite colors (e.g. branding), and dreams, and you’ll be well on your way to establishing its personality.

Take Workhorse, for example. The founders don’t necessarily want to be front and center, but we still mention them on the website. And, the business has a big enough personality that the founders can sit back if they want to and let the business’s personality speak for them.

Taste Edmonds is a great example of a local business that doesn’t have a founder around, but it still has lots of freak flags to fly.