Nik Sharma

We source a nearly unlimited amount of untapped creator talent for Obvi And it all comes down to a simple, effective process while using the RIGHT tools to do it. Here’s what to avoid with sourcing creators, and how we do it with SARAL - The Influencer OS at Obvi: #proudsponsor

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"I want to invest $100,000 into Anima Iris because I believe in Wilglory. Anything she does is going to be successful." - one of the Irises I've been sharing my journey to raising Anima Iris' seed round (the days of bootstrapping are almost behind me!!) and our community is so *strong* that I've had Irises asking if they can invest $10K, $15K to $100K. Like this is nuts and completely unprecedented !! The excitement around the raise reminded me that what I'm building is something truly so special because there are people literally jumping at the opportunity to invest financially in the company and founder they deeply believe in. I'm so glad that I first bootstrapped Anima Iris to nearly $1M ARR before raising capital. It's made me an extraordinarily strong and resilient leader, taught me how to be capital efficient and how to build a product people love and want more of. I also learned how to ORGANICALLY build community. You can use VC capital to *buy* a group of followers, but community comes when you give people a reason to ~belong~ and that's something money really can't buy. I haven't publicly shared the full vision of what I'm building with Anima Iris, but it's more than just handbags. There's a larger manufacturing and logistics play fueling my desire to democratize the future of fashion for the next generation of luxury consumers. I have a ton of meetings this week with really great firms, but if you know of other firms or people that would be a good fit let me know! I'm open to meeting as many people as possible and truly finding the perfect fit for Anima Iris. Stay tuned! #raisingcapital #venturecapital

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Ecom founders…stop hiding behind your brand. (the days of corporate-only branding are over) Recognize that personal branding is the future of eCom. People yearn for connection with other people. To get started, eCom founders should: 1. Provide value through educational content 2. Showcase behind-the-scenes content 3. Create user-generated content (UGC) 4. Engage in real-time interactions 5. Start sharing their brand’s story - - - “I want more faceless corporate content” - no one ever. So stop hiding behind your brand. Be the face of it instead. P.S. What are your favorite personal brands to follow?

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Every founder has parts of the business they love working on. It could be product, growth, marketing, finance or strategizing. But the harsh truth of entrepreneurship is that you won’t be spending much time doing what you love early on. Managing cash flow, hiring and firing, dealing with legal issues – these are likely to consume a lot of your time. And they aren’t sexy. So you must do two things: 1. Embrace this side of entrepreneurship too, because it's necessary if you want to succeed. 2. Forge a path to get to a point where you spend more time doing what you love.

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As a founder, it's crucial to celebrate every small victory to maintain perspective amidst the various challenges of early-stage growth. Take yesterday, for example: We added 4 more accounts in Chicago to the LiQure roster. Are we happy? Of course! Are we content? Absolutely not. Now we need to scale up the next 40, and even the next 4,000! While it’s an exciting task to handle, getting there WILL be daunting. But with how young our brand & team is… Every account feels like the very first one. Just need to take it one (happy) hour at a time. #cpg #retail #entrepreneurship

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TryNow.com Weekly Update 5.31.24 ⚡ • From cold plunges to luxury fashion to color cosmetics, one thing is true — they all know that more trying means more buying. Had calls across 10 difference categories this week. About 4 years ago, many venture capital investors told us TryNow only worked in apparel — we firmly disagreed. And now over 50% of our inbound demand is from non-apparel. • Combat rising return rates with TryNow. That's what we've worked on with a premium mens apparel brand. We finalized the case study this week and going live next week. As return rates rose across the industry, this brand wanted to combat rising return costs and the impact on their bottom line. So they turned to TryNow to solve their sizing, style and price sensitivity issues. We drove an incremental $360 in Net LTV to pay for an extra $20 in return costs. Solve your return rate problem by leaning in. Drop me a note if you'd like our blueprint for setting up a return rate task force and actually combatting rising return rates. • We're hosting some Netflix comedians at the TryNow.com Loft on Abbot Kinney in June. #TryNewThings If you'd like to apply, leave a comment or send us a message. More details to come! #TryBeforeYouBuy #Shopify

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Are we done manufacturing authenticity? Influencer marketing, as we marketing folks have grown to know it,  evolved on the premise that brands deliver an experience or message through a creator who is perceived as more valuable than traditional advertising. But as new social media platforms emerge, so have new influencers. And with them, the rise of marketing gimmicks and packaged promotions. The market is becoming oversaturated, and consumers are growing wary. Is the era of the influencer coming to an end? Possibly What’s in? ✅ Niche, influencer-led private communities. ✅ Personality over gimmicks. ✅ Micro-influencers are now the real deal. People who might have less than 5k followers can still close deals with brands that genuinely love and support them. It’s about authenticity, honesty, and real, raw content—real skin, real people, real talk. We’re seeing an apparent shift. Employees are becoming the new faces of brands, especially on platforms like LinkedIn. Users crave organic authenticity rather than visibly curated content.  Founders and CEOs as well as key company figures create more content on social media. User-generated content (UGC) is taking the lead over traditional influencer campaigns. Nurturing niche micro-influencer communities (even on platforms like WhatsApp) can help brands gather useful organic data for more targeted marketing. And let’s not forget technology’s role—HypeAuditor predicts AI-powered influencer selection will grow by 25% by 2025. So, are we done manufacturing authenticity? Maybe. But what’s coming next is even more exciting. 🔥 Real connections. 🔥 Real stories. 🔥 Real impact. Ready to embrace the future? #InfluencerMarketing #MicroInfluencers #Authenticity #DigitalMarketing #MarketingTrends #AI #Metaverse #BrandStrategy #FutureOfMarketing PS: I coach entrepreneurs and business owners on using storytelling to amplify their brand and grow their business. Interested? Send me a DM to book a free call.

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Science-backed products will reshape wellness. Osman Khan of Squared Circles is revolutionizing how consumer health brands are built and scaled. On the Fitt Insider Podcast, we discussed the venture studio’s $40M funding round, AI-powered ideation, and the playbook for launching successful companies. We also cover: Conscious Maximalism A growing demographic of 43M Americans seeks long-term optimization without sacrificing indulgence. Science as the Differentiator Leveraging novel IP and unique ingredients allows brands to deliver superior products in a crowded market. Data-Driven Conviction Using large sample sizes, clear thresholds, and multiple data points ensures ideas have market potential before launch. Iterative Testing Leveraging AI tools allows for faster iteration and testing of concepts, brands, and marketing materials before significant investment. Future Focus  Niche microbiomes, destigmatizing men's health, and "picks and shovels" for the GLP-1 wave represent major opportunities for innovation. 🎧 Listen to the full conversation https://lnkd.in/emPeiXNP 💪 Presented by EGYM

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All founders are the same! I said what I said... As a content creator for founders on LinkedIn, I've had the privilege of working with incredible leaders from across industries – eCommerce, health and wellness, cosmetics, and D2C. Despite their diverse journeys, industries, and personalities (narcissistic tendencies aside!). I have realized all of them do the same thing when they are stuck and nothing seems to work, That is- return to fundamentals. There's a powerful truth here: success isn't about constant innovation or chasing the next shiny object. It's about mastering the groundwork. These brilliant founders remind us that entrepreneurship, for all its challenges, offers a consistent path. The key lies in getting the basics right. This principle applies universally.  Whether you're a startup or an employee, focusing on basics is always a good idea. Can you recall any founder who lacked basics but did great in startup ecosystem? #startups #founders #fundamentals

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(Saturday Thoughts) - Reflecting on Gratitude: A Key to Sustaining Success As a designer and entrepreneur, getting caught up in the whirlwind of big projects and the fast-paced startup life is easy. We often find ourselves so focused on future goals that we lose sight of our past wins and the present moment. During my time at Prana, we had a unique practice: ring a gong (yes, really a gong) to signal a pause, allowing everyone to take a few minutes to be present and reflect. This simple act of taking stock was transformative, grounding us in gratitude and enhancing our collective well-being. I’ve carried this practice into my daily life. Whether in the car or sitting in my backyard, I take five minutes each day to be present and reflect on what I’m grateful for. No emails, no texts, no scrolling—just being present. It’s a moment to appreciate the family, home, health, and other blessings that enrich our lives. In the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to lose sight of all the great things we have. But by making a habit of gratitude, we honor our past achievements and nurture our mental and emotional health, paving the way for sustained success. Take a moment today to reflect on what you are grateful for. It may be the reset you need. #Gratitude #Mindfulness #EntrepreneurLife #Reflection #WorkLifeBalance

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Great post! ROAS is designed to give agencies a return! For many emerging CPG brands, even a ROAS of 5 is completely deceiving if you look at the low gross and sales contributions margins that persist. ...especially if you over-attribute to get to a ROAS of 5. Looking at ROAS without considering the actual margin achieved is sheer top-line hubris. ROAS then comes an agency-enriching way for your brand to execute a very expensive sampling program. https://lnkd.in/gaMPcmUn

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Key Insights by Goldman Sachs & Linktree 🚀 The creator economy is booming, and here are some key facts to understand its impact and future potential: 🌍 There are 200 million content creators worldwide, growing at a rate of 10-20% per year. 📈 Over the past four years, brands have tripled their investment in influencer marketing. 🌐 On average, social media users maintain seven social media profiles. 👩‍🎤 Over 50% of Gen Z would pursue a career as an influencer if given the chance. 🤝 Approximately 70% of a creator's income comes from brand deals. 💸 72% of creators made less than $500, 17% made between $500-$5K, and only 2% earned over $50K annually. 📊 75% of all creators who received a click on their Amazon link had less than 1K total Linktree views. P.S. We are in the final stages of releasing the demo of our discovery phase product for the creator economy, designed to help brands find authentic yet underestimated creators and facilitate brand deals. Message me for more details!

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Today is my 29th Birthday! Give the gift of investing in my brand KIN Apparel 🥳 With 1 day left before our crowdfunding campaign ends, we’ve raised over $280,000! Help us get to $300,000! 🥰 Link to invest: https://lnkd.in/e7SkW6rj Last day to invest is tomorrow, Friday, May 31st @ 11:59pm. The minimum investment is $250 and your support will help us invest into larger marketing campaigns and retail expansion. 💯 I firmly believe in sharing wealth, particularly in spaces where people who look like me are often overlooked. Y'all helped bring KIN Apparel this far and I want you to share in the rewards if we ever sell the company. Why invest in KIN Apparel? Over the past 4 years we've generated $8M in revenue, half bootstrapped with no outside investments. We've been on Shark Tank, won $225,000 in non-dilutive grants, and in just 6 months, we've received an investment from Pharrell William’s Black Ambition Prize, made the Forbes 30 under 30 list, were featured LIVE on Good Morning America and starred in a 360 Chase for Business campaign! KIN Apparel is blessed and destined for greatness! I'd love to welcome y'all as KIN investors! 🥰 Link: https://lnkd.in/e7SkW6rj

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Master content batching for Instagram to save time and boost productivity. ⏳ Plan ahead and watch your efficiency skyrocket. By organizing your content creation process, you can focus more on engagement and growth. 🌐 www.thebrandwell.com #TheBrandWellAgency #SmallBusinessMarketing #EntrepreneurialJourney #DigitalMarketingTips #GrowYourBusiness #SocialMediaStrategy #ContentMarketing101 #SEOforSmallBusiness #EmailMarketingSuccess #BrandBuilding #OnlineAdvertisingTrends

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How did you get meta-verified on Instagram? We've been trying to get meta-verified on Instagram for a year now, but it's been a struggle with constant rejections. We have almost 30K followers and already verified as a business. Any tips, fellow founders, on how to get it verified? We'd love to hear your insights! P.S - Reecha Singh #meta #verification #instagram

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The world of influencer marketing can be a double-edged sword for startups like us. On one hand, collaborations with passionate creators can generate incredible brand awareness and engagement. Seeing genuine influencers showcase our products with creativity and enthusiasm is truly rewarding. However, the reality is, influencer partnerships aren't always sunshine and rainbows. Here's the not-so-glamorous side: The Ghosting Game: Some influencers, despite initial interest, go completely silent after receiving products. Communication becomes a frustrating one-way street. Engagement Enigma: We've encountered influencers with inflated follower counts and questionable engagement metrics. Their posts might look pretty, but the analytics reveal a different story – one of potentially fake followers and spam-boosted engagement. This hurts our brand more than it helps. The Block Party (We Weren't Invited): A few influencers have even blocked us after receiving products! Trust me, this one leaves you scratching your head. Coordinating with influencers often feels like navigating a maze. It takes significant time and effort to sift through countless proposals, verify authenticity, and manage expectations. So, what's a startup founder to do? Here at La Fiza, we're learning and adapting. We're focusing on building genuine connections with creators who share our brand values. We prioritize engagement metrics over follower count and actively seek out long-term partnerships. Do you have any tips for navigating influencer collaborations? Share your experiences in the comments! #InfluencerMarketing #StartupStruggles #BuildingRelationships

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Stop relying on cold outreach to crack freelancing success! It's not a numbers game. It's about BUILDING. Focus on building a network, creating irresistible offers, optimizing social media, and mastering job markets. Take real control of your destiny!  Which strategy interests you the most? Share below! #Freelancing #SuccessTips #Networking #SelfEmployed #Freelance

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Use fads to build on trends. Fads get the attention and virality. Trends are evergreen and offer stability.

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