On TikTok, transparency is like a fast pass to internet superstardom. The more open and candid you are, the more your audience can relate to you, leading to dedicated viewers and a fiercely loyal following. And if you’re building a brand, this following almost always translates to customers.
But what happens when the tide turns and that dedication turns to resentment? This has been something founder-facing brands like Hanifa and Ami Colé have been grappling with in the media.
Sharing your journey as a founder through vlogs, Q&A’s and even live-tweeting is a great way to garner audience support. This transparency allows viewers to feel like they’re a part of the entrepreneurial journey as well.
@officialhanifa A personal update regarding Hanifa Friday/Black Friday orders. I wanted to sit down and speak to you directly. We take full accountability for the frustration caused by recent delays. For any order related questions, please email us at info@hanifa.co #hanifa ♬ original sound – Hanifa
This is especially advantageous for Black founders since Black women as a demographic are categorically underrepresented. So, when we see creators that we can identify with, we latch on, but what happens when the grip gets too tight?
On its face, the concept of an audience developing a strong, albeit digital, bond with a founder sounds like a great thing. Sharing the real, raw and vulnerable aspects of entrepreneurship is a great way to get people emotionally invested in your brand, which often translates to sales or, at the very least, great word-of-mouth. This was especially true for Diarrha Ndiaye, the founder of Ami Colé, who used her heritage and culture to create a community that instantly rivaled the brand identity of much stronger beauty houses. But when your story is the brand’s story, the lines get blurred and a sense of entitlement starts to build when decisions about the business are made. From well-needed pauses to indefinite hiatuses, these choices are treated like personal affronts.
This creates a parasocial dynamic where viewers effectively become judge, jury and executioner, leaving the founders at the whim of public favor.
@intothegloss Let’s talk about: Black Beauty Founders! PT 2 featuring Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye. Not only is she the founder of cult fave makeup brand @byamicole , but she is also one of our fav Top Shelf interviewees! #blackfounders #blackbeauty #thingsyoushouldknow #greenscreen ♬ Rust Shop (60s) – Joshua Williams
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong… eventually
Regardless of what is being sold, there is one trusted and true constant in all businesses: things will go wrong at some point. As we saw with Hanifa, timelines get delayed, manufacturing errors occur, and Murphy’s Law is always ready to make an appearance. Anything that can go wrong will, at some point, go wrong. When this inevitably does happen, consumers often feel slighted and personally affronted. Even when this isn’t the owner’s fault, they bear the brunt of all of the negative feedback. The reactions can start to feel like personal attacks, rather than constructive feedback.
Naturally, this is a huge downside for all parties involved. Customers don’t get the pieces they spent their hard-earned money on, and founders are left to deal with all of the backlash, even if the issues were out of their control, which they often are. In an instant, these fostered connections are turned into pointed vitriol. When bigger brands have issues, the backlash is directed at the brand and whatever operating associate is on the other end of those heated emails. For forward-facing founders, though, there is no hiding.
@presh_is My review on Samaria Leah sweats #Samarialeah #review #fyp ♬ original sound – sweet p ✿
Founder-facing brand content is a double-edged sword
It’s like the transparency that built your brand has been weaponized against you overnight, and the very thing you were using these connections to try and build is at risk of digital destruction.
In a perfect world, founder-first content creation would be a symbiotic relationship between creator and viewer. Founders get to build a brand around being themselves, which breeds authentic connections, and viewers get a level of transparency and connection that’s unheard of from bigger, more established brands. But in practice, it seems like there are still a lot of kinks to be worked out as it relates to managing expectations on both sides.
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