u/Accomplished-Menu247

Looking for a Social Media Co-Founder / Creative Partner (NYC)
Over the past year, I’ve realized something important about myself as a founder.
People constantly tell me, “You should be the face of your brand. Founder-led content works.”
I’ve tried.
I’ve recorded countless TikToks, watched the courses, studied what works, and pushed myself to get better on camera.
The truth is… I don’t enjoy it.
Ironically, I used to be a very confident person. Before starting my company, I spoke at events, appeared on podcasts, led teams, and never had a problem talking about my work.
But trying to force myself into becoming a content creator actually made me question my confidence.
Eventually I realized that maybe the problem isn’t that I’m bad at building a business.
Maybe I’m simply trying to fill a role that isn’t my strength.
I’m the person who loves building products, solving problems, thinking about strategy, running paid ads, talking to customers, figuring out growth, and making the business work.
What I’m missing is someone who genuinely loves creating content.
Not someone who just wants free products or to become an influencer.
I’m talking about someone who naturally enjoys talking to a camera, sharing opinions, experimenting with social media, documenting the journey, meeting people, attending events, and helping tell the story of a growing company.
Building a startup is so much more than making TikToks. It’s messy, uncertain, and requires wearing a hundred different hats. I’m looking for someone who understands that and actually gets excited by it.
I’m based in New York and run a clean hair care startup. We’ve already built products, generated sales, landed press, and I’m continuing to work on marketing, paid ads, wholesale, and growth.
What I’m really looking for now is someone who complements what I already do well.
Maybe it starts with grabbing coffee.
Maybe we create a few pieces of content together.
Maybe we attend a founder event together.
Maybe nothing comes from it.
Or maybe it eventually turns into a long-term partnership—or even a co-founder-type relationship.
If you’re in NYC, genuinely enjoy startups, love creating content, and have ever wanted to build something from the inside instead of just making content about it, I’d love to connect.
Feel free to send me a message.

Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time in two completely different communities.
On one side, I’m in creator communities.
Every day I see content like:
“How I negotiated a $1,000 brand deal.”
“Here’s the email template I use to land paid collaborations.”
“Don’t accept gifted collaborations.”
“How I make $10k/month creating UGC.”
On the other side, I’m in founder communities.
The conversations are almost the complete opposite.
Founders are asking:
“How do I find creators willing to work on affiliate?”
“How do I lower my customer acquisition cost?”
“How do I stop paying for videos that don’t generate sales?”
I always find this funny because both communities think they’re learning the “right” strategy, but they’re optimizing for completely different goals.
Creators are trying to maximize how much they get paid.
Founders are trying to maximize the return on every marketing dollar.
I’ve worked in PR before becoming a founder, and after working with creators from both sides, I feel like there’s a huge disconnect in how each side understands the other.
So I wanted to share what businesses are actually looking for.
**1. We don’t pay creators because they negotiate well.**
We pay creators because we believe they can sell.
When I’m looking for creators, I don’t start by asking who’s sending the best outreach emails.
I start by asking who’s already creating content that makes people buy products similar to mine.
That’s public information.
We look at brands in our industry. We study competitors. We save content that performs well. We look at the creators who consistently make people stop scrolling and actually want to purchase.
If you’re charging $1,000 for a video, there’s usually a reason. Chances are you’ve already shown that your content can influence buying decisions.
The negotiation comes after you’ve created value.
**2. You’re not just creating content. You’re the shelf.**
Think about a product sitting in Sephora.
Brands pay for good shelf placement because presentation matters.
On social media, *you* are the shelf.
If you have beautiful hair, you’re naturally a great place to showcase haircare.
If you have amazing style, you’re a great place for fashion brands.
If you’ve built a beautiful home or kitchen, you’re a great place for home products.
Brands aren’t only paying for a video.
They’re paying for the environment, trust, and lifestyle where their product naturally fits.
I think a lot of creators underestimate how valuable that is.
**3. Even if you haven’t driven sales yet, I still want to see the potential.**
Not every creator has worked with big brands, and that’s completely okay.
If you haven’t proven you can drive sales yet, I’m looking for something else:
Do you create the kind of content that *could* drive sales?
As founders, we study content that converts.
We save it.
We analyze it.
We ask ourselves why someone stopped scrolling, why they trusted that creator, and what made them want to buy.
If your content feels similar to the content that’s already converting, you’re much more likely to catch my attention.
One thing I notice is that a lot of creators are posting huge amounts of content every day, but much of it is low effort—quick unboxings, holding the product for a few seconds, or simply showing the packaging.
That type of content doesn’t sell the way it used to.
The creators that stand out are the ones who actually use the product, explain why they like it, show it naturally in their daily life, and build trust over time.
If your goal is to land more brand deals, don’t just study creators who get brand deals.
Study the creators whose content actually drives sales.
Those are two very different things.
**4. Followers matter less than people think.**
Especially after TikTok changed everything.
I spend much more time looking at a creator’s last 6–9 posts than their follower count.
If someone had one viral video with a million views but their recent content gets 100 or 200 views, I’m probably not paying for a collaboration.
I’m looking for consistency.
Can you repeatedly create content that people enjoy watching?
Can you build trust over time?
That’s much more valuable than one viral moment.
**5. Treat gifted products with respect.**
This one is especially important for small businesses.
One of my mentors once told me that sometimes you have to send out 500 products just to find the creators who actually generate sales.
Think about that for a second.
Every product we send out costs money to make.
Someone spent months developing it.
Someone packed it by hand.
Someone paid for shipping.
For a small business, every PR package is an investment.
So when a creator genuinely tries the product, gives thoughtful feedback, creates content because they actually enjoy it, or simply treats the opportunity professionally, I remember that.
Those are the creators I reach out to again.
**One last thought.**
I think sometimes both founders and creators forget that we’re actually on the same side.
Yes, creators have thousands of brands they could work with.
But brands also have thousands of creators they could reach out to.
Every collaboration is a decision based on trust.
Instead of founders constantly asking,
*“How do I spend less money on creators?”*
And creators constantly asking,
*“How do I spend two hours making a video and get paid $1,000?”*
Maybe we should both be asking a different question.
As a creator:
**“How can I genuinely help this brand grow?”**
As a founder:
**“How can I find creators I truly believe in and help them grow with us?”**
Because when a brand wins, creators win too.
And when creators consistently help brands succeed, brands want to invest in them again and again.
I’ve seen so much content teaching creators how to negotiate harder and founders how to pay less.
I honestly don’t think that’s the most interesting conversation.
I think the better conversation is how both sides can build enough trust that they actually want to keep working together.
That’s where the best long-term partnerships come from.
Anyway, this is just one founder’s perspective after sitting on both sides of the table.
I’d love to hear what other founders and creators think.

Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time in two completely different communities.
On one side, I’m in creator communities.
Every day I see content like:
“How I negotiated a $1,000 brand deal.”
“Here’s the email template I use to land paid collaborations.”
“Don’t accept gifted collaborations.”
“How I make $10k/month creating UGC.”
On the other side, I’m in founder communities.
The conversations are almost the complete opposite.
Founders are asking:
“How do I find creators willing to work on affiliate?”
“How do I lower my customer acquisition cost?”
“How do I stop paying for videos that don’t generate sales?”
I always find this funny because both communities think they’re learning the “right” strategy, but they’re optimizing for completely different goals.
Creators are trying to maximize how much they get paid.
Founders are trying to maximize the return on every marketing dollar.
I’ve worked in PR before becoming a founder, and after working with creators from both sides, I feel like there’s a huge disconnect in how each side understands the other.
So I wanted to share what businesses are actually looking for.
1. We don’t pay creators because they negotiate well.
We pay creators because we believe they can sell.
When I’m looking for creators, I don’t start by asking who’s sending the best outreach emails.
I start by asking who’s already creating content that makes people buy products similar to mine.
That’s public information.
We look at brands in our industry. We study competitors. We save content that performs well. We look at the creators who consistently make people stop scrolling and actually want to purchase.
If you’re charging $1,000 for a video, there’s usually a reason. Chances are you’ve already shown that your content can influence buying decisions.
The negotiation comes after you’ve created value.
2. You’re not just creating content. You’re the shelf.
Think about a product sitting in Sephora.
Brands pay for good shelf placement because presentation matters.
On social media, you are the shelf.
If you have beautiful hair, you’re naturally a great place to showcase haircare.
If you have amazing style, you’re a great place for fashion brands.
If you’ve built a beautiful home or kitchen, you’re a great place for home products.
Brands aren’t only paying for a video.
They’re paying for the environment, trust, and lifestyle where their product naturally fits.
I think a lot of creators underestimate how valuable that is.
3. Even if you haven’t driven sales yet, I still want to see the potential.
Not every creator has worked with big brands, and that’s completely okay.
If you haven’t proven you can drive sales yet, I’m looking for something else:
Do you create the kind of content that could drive sales?
As founders, we study content that converts.
We save it.
We analyze it.
We ask ourselves why someone stopped scrolling, why they trusted that creator, and what made them want to buy.
If your content feels similar to the content that’s already converting, you’re much more likely to catch my attention.
One thing I notice is that a lot of creators are posting huge amounts of content every day, but much of it is low effort—quick unboxings, holding the product for a few seconds, or simply showing the packaging.
That type of content doesn’t sell the way it used to.
The creators that stand out are the ones who actually use the product, explain why they like it, show it naturally in their daily life, and build trust over time.
If your goal is to land more brand deals, don’t just study creators who get brand deals.
Study the creators whose content actually drives sales.
Those are two very different things.
4. Followers matter less than people think.
Especially after TikTok changed everything.
I spend much more time looking at a creator’s last 6–9 posts than their follower count.
If someone had one viral video with a million views but their recent content gets 100 or 200 views, I’m probably not paying for a collaboration.
I’m looking for consistency.
Can you repeatedly create content that people enjoy watching?
Can you build trust over time?
That’s much more valuable than one viral moment.
5. Treat gifted products with respect.
This one is especially important for small businesses.
One of my mentors once told me that sometimes you have to send out 500 products just to find the creators who actually generate sales.
Think about that for a second.
Every product we send out costs money to make.
Someone spent months developing it.
Someone packed it by hand.
Someone paid for shipping.
For a small business, every PR package is an investment.
So when a creator genuinely tries the product, gives thoughtful feedback, creates content because they actually enjoy it, or simply treats the opportunity professionally, I remember that.
Those are the creators I reach out to again.
One last thought.
I think sometimes both founders and creators forget that we’re actually on the same side.
Yes, creators have thousands of brands they could work with.
But brands also have thousands of creators they could reach out to.
Every collaboration is a decision based on trust.
Instead of founders constantly asking,
“How do I spend less money on creators?”
And creators constantly asking,
“How do I spend two hours making a video and get paid $1,000?”
Maybe we should both be asking a different question.
As a creator:
“How can I genuinely help this brand grow?”
As a founder:
“How can I find creators I truly believe in and help them grow with us?”
Because when a brand wins, creators win too.
And when creators consistently help brands succeed, brands want to invest in them again and again.
I’ve seen so much content teaching creators how to negotiate harder and founders how to pay less.
I honestly don’t think that’s the most interesting conversation.
I think the better conversation is how both sides can build enough trust that they actually want to keep working together.
That’s where the best long-term partnerships come from.
Anyway, this is just one founder’s perspective after sitting on both sides of the table.
I’d love to hear what other founders and creators think.

I have tried posting on TikTok for a really long time. I recorded a lot of videos, tried to learn, tried to improve, and honestly, I generally hated it.
Eventually, I noticed something. I lost confidence.
As a founder, I used to be a very confident woman. I had accomplished a lot before starting this business. I’ve done public speaking, been interviewed on podcasts, attended a lot of events, and I’ve always felt confident talking about my business. Confidence was never really my problem.
But after trying to make TikTok content for a while, I started questioning myself.
Why do I look so uncomfortable on camera? Why can’t I explain things well? Why do my videos feel so forced and awkward? I don’t even want to watch my own videos, let alone have my friends watch them. And of course, I knew they weren’t performing well.
Over time, I became less and less confident. Eventually, I even started questioning things that had nothing to do with TikTok.
Am I actually good enough to build a business? Am I good enough to be a founder?
Then I had a call with one of my mentors. She reminded me of everything I \*have\* done right. Especially after becoming a mom, she pointed out how much I’ve learned, how much I’ve figured out, and how much I’ve accomplished while building a business at the same time. She basically reminded me that I was doing an amazing job.
And I realized… I had forgotten that.
Right now, one thing I’ve been thinking about is eventually finding a long-term partner. Maybe even a co-founder type of situation. Not necessarily someone who’s great at finance or product—that’s not what I’m looking for.
I’m looking for someone who genuinely loves startups, understands how hard they are, enjoys social media, loves sharing their perspective, and wants to build something together. Someone who’s excited about the creative side and the journey.
I’m based in New York. If you’re also in New York, and the idea of working directly with a founder is something you’ve genuinely been interested in—whether that’s exchanging ideas, creating content together, or eventually becoming part of a business—I would genuinely love to have a conversation.
Nothing formal. I just want to meet people who think that way.

I have tried posting on TikTok for a really long time. I recorded a lot of videos, tried to learn, tried to improve, and honestly, I generally hated it.
Eventually, I noticed something. I lost confidence.
As a founder, I used to be a very confident woman. I had accomplished a lot before starting this business. I’ve done public speaking, been interviewed on podcasts, attended a lot of events, and I’ve always felt confident talking about my business. Confidence was never really my problem.
But after trying to make TikTok content for a while, I started questioning myself.
Why do I look so uncomfortable on camera? Why can’t I explain things well? Why do my videos feel so forced and awkward? I don’t even want to watch my own videos, let alone have my friends watch them. And of course, I knew they weren’t performing well.
Over time, I became less and less confident. Eventually, I even started questioning things that had nothing to do with TikTok.
Am I actually good enough to build a business? Am I good enough to be a founder?
Then I had a call with one of my mentors. She reminded me of everything I *have* done right. Especially after becoming a mom, she pointed out how much I’ve learned, how much I’ve figured out, and how much I’ve accomplished while building a business at the same time. She basically reminded me that I was doing an amazing job.
And I realized… I had forgotten that.
Right now, one thing I’ve been thinking about is eventually finding a long-term partner. Maybe even a co-founder type of situation. Not necessarily someone who’s great at finance or product—that’s not what I’m looking for.
I’m looking for someone who genuinely loves startups, understands how hard they are, enjoys social media, loves sharing their perspective, and wants to build something together. Someone who’s excited about the creative side and the journey.
I’m based in New York. If you’re also in New York, and the idea of working directly with a founder is something you’ve genuinely been interested in—whether that’s exchanging ideas, creating content together, or eventually becoming part of a business—I would genuinely love to have a conversation.
Nothing formal. I just want to meet people who think that way.

I have tried posting on TikTok for a really long time. I recorded a lot of videos, tried to learn, tried to improve, and honestly, I generally hated it.
Eventually, I noticed something. I lost confidence.
As a founder, I used to be a very confident woman. I had accomplished a lot before starting this business. I’ve done public speaking, been interviewed on podcasts, attended a lot of events, and I’ve always felt confident talking about my business. Confidence was never really my problem.
But after trying to make TikTok content for a while, I started questioning myself.
Why do I look so uncomfortable on camera? Why can’t I explain things well? Why do my videos feel so forced and awkward? I don’t even want to watch my own videos, let alone have my friends watch them. And of course, I knew they weren’t performing well.
Over time, I became less and less confident. Eventually, I even started questioning things that had nothing to do with TikTok.
Am I actually good enough to build a business? Am I good enough to be a founder?
Then I had a call with one of my mentors. She reminded me of everything I have done right. Especially after becoming a mom, she pointed out how much I’ve learned, how much I’ve figured out, and how much I’ve accomplished while building a business at the same time. She basically reminded me that I was doing an amazing job.
And I realized… I had forgotten that.
Right now, one thing I’ve been thinking about is eventually finding a long-term partner. Maybe even a co-founder type of situation. Not necessarily someone who’s great at finance or product—that’s not what I’m looking for.
I’m looking for someone who genuinely loves startups, understands how hard they are, enjoys social media, loves sharing their perspective, and wants to build something together. Someone who’s excited about the creative side and the journey.
I’m based in New York. If you’re also in New York, and the idea of working directly with a founder is something you’ve genuinely been interested in—whether that’s exchanging ideas, creating content together, or eventually becoming part of a business—I would genuinely love to have a conversation.
Nothing formal. I just want to meet people who think that way.

One thing I’m struggling with as a beauty founder is realizing how much people trust ingredients they can’t pronounce over natural ingredients they’ve simply never heard of before.

I’m from Central Asia, and there are certain beauty ingredients and rituals that are extremely normal where I grew up. Women have used them forever. But in the US, the second people see an unfamiliar ingredient name, they immediately assume it’s fake, a scam, or just “TikTok marketing.”

Meanwhile people are completely comfortable buying products with ingredient lists that look like a chemistry final exam lol.

And honestly I kind of understand both sides.

I think consumers are exhausted from beauty marketing and everyone claims everything is a miracle now. But it’s also been interesting realizing that “unfamiliar” sometimes creates more distrust than actual harsh chemicals do.

Curious how other people decide whether they trust a beauty ingredient or not, especially if it comes from another culture and isn’t mainstream in the US yet.

Yesterday I saw a beauty brand celebrating their “2 year anniversary” while also celebrating getting into Sephora and huge growth. And honestly as a newer founder it made me feel kind of bad about where I’m at.

Then I got curious and looked deeper, and it turns out the company was actually registered like 6 years ago.

And I’ve noticed this kind of thing a lot lately. Sometimes I’ll listen to founder podcasts or see social media posts and think, wait how did this happen so fast? Then I dig a little and realize there were years in between that just never became part of the story.

I’ll admit it actually makes me feel a little better when I realize they struggled before too, just like I am right now lol.

Which I get. Nobody really wants to market the part where they had no idea what they were doing.

But I do think it messes with newer founders mentally sometimes, especially when people are sharing their “success story,” because you end up comparing your current stage to someone else’s polished version of their story.

Not even saying anyone is wrong for doing this. I think I’m just slowly realizing that a lot of “overnight success” stories weren’t actually overnight at all. Just wondering if other founders feel this too.