Why should startup founders build a personal or company brand — and how do you do it without burning out or breaking the bank?

In this episode, Julia (Mia) Bastos and Will dive into what it really takes to build a brand as a startup, especially when you're starting from zero. They discuss smart content strategies, mistakes to avoid, and how to build trust without chasing vanity metrics. Perfect for SaaS founders, solo entrepreneurs, and anyone trying to build visibility online.

💡 Key Topics:

- The difference between personal and company branding

- What to post on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok & LinkedIn

- The truth about viral content vs content that sells

- How to choose the right channels for your startup

- Leveraging UGC and archetypes to scale faster

- Why consistency beats perfection

- Paid ads vs organic growth for early-stage startups

#StartupBranding #ContentMarketing #SaaSFounders #PersonalBranding #SocialMediaGrowth

Connect with Julia (Mia) Bastos:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mia-bastos/

https://www.auroramusic.space/

📚 Book Mentioned:

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon – A powerful read for any founder or creator. This book explores how to embrace influence, remix ideas, and find your own voice by learning from others — perfect for anyone building a brand or creative strategy from scratch.

We are online:

➧ Website - https://masterful.info (get a marketing checklist at no cost)

➧ Podcast - https://podcast.masterful.info/

➧ LinkedIn of Will (Host) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilhelmlaubach

➧ LinkedIn of Chris (Host) https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruehringer/

➧ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/masterful.info

➧ Email - wl.interwebs@gmail.com

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction to Building a Brand as a Startup

00:41 The Power of Content Creation

01:30 Building Trust Through Online Presence

03:59 The Importance of Community

05:21 Choosing the Right Channel for Your Product

07:04 Adapting Content for Different Platforms

09:57 Leveraging Influencers and UGC Creators

14:53 Consistency and Overcoming Challenges

17:27 Modeling Successful Brands

20:29 The Value of Authenticity

22:33 Exploring Different Content Types

24:26 Utilizing Data and Ads on Instagram

27:52 Understanding User Experience in Ads

28:40 Creative Ad Strategies and Examples

29:19 Targeting Audiences Effectively

30:31 YouTube vs Instagram Ads

34:44 The Power of TikTok

37:28 Challenges and Strategies for Content Creators

44:09 Building a Brand and Startup Tips

48:15 Final Thoughts and Connecting with Mia

What’s the real value of a startup accelerator - and how do you get in as a student or teen founder?

In this episode, Remus shares how he and his co-founders joined a startup program at just 17 years old, built a cybersecurity startup from scratch, and landed a €150,000 investment. From business mindset shifts to learning the hard way why user interviews matter, this is a raw and insightful story for early-stage founders.

🔑 Key Topics 🔹 What startup accelerators really offer (besides money) 🔹 How to prepare and get accepted - even as a student 🔹 Why a strong team beats a "genius idea" 🔹 What they did with €150K in funding 🔹 Customer interviews: what they got wrong and how they fixed it 🔹 Learning to prioritize business outcomes over technical perfection 🔹 How to talk to users without selling 🔹 Why it’s better to ship an imperfect product than wait too long

📚 Books Referenced in the episode:

The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you by Rob Fitzpatrick

👉 A practical guide on how to talk to customers and learn if your business is a good idea - when everyone is lying to you.

Start With Why by Simon Sinek 👉 A bestselling book about the power of purpose in business and how successful leaders inspire action by starting with the “why.”

The One Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan 👉 A productivity and focus book that teaches how to prioritize what really matters and avoid being overwhelmed by too many tasks.

📢 Get in touch with Remus or check the product:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/remus-rughinis-3ab35a2a1

https://pendra.ai

#StartupJourney #StartupAccelerator #InnovationLabs #StartupMindset #TeenEntrepreneurs

Two startup accelerators in Romania:

https://www.innovationlabs.ro/

https://www.howtoweb.co/

We are online: ➧ Website - https://masterful.info (get a marketing checklist at no cost) ➧ Podcast - https://podcast.masterful.info/ ➧ LinkedIn of Will (Host) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilhelmlaubach ➧ LinkedIn of Chris (Host) https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruehringer/ ➧ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/masterful.info ➧ Email - wl.interwebs@gmail.com

Timecodes: 00:00 Intro 00:20 Founding a Startup 01:01 The Innovation Labs Experience 01:41 Winning the Prize 03:33 Building Connections in Cybersecurity 04:20 Investment and Equity Distribution 07:23 The Importance of a Strong Team 08:58 Adapting and Evolving the Business Idea 12:42 Challenges of Being Young Entrepreneurs 14:06 Balancing Technical and Business Roles 15:39 Developing a Business Mindset 22:32 Validating Your Startup Idea 24:07 Customer Interviews: The Right Approach 26:33 Learning from Mistakes 28:31 Connecting with the Target Audience 31:47 The Reality of Entrepreneurship 32:42 Final Advice for Entrepreneurs

Is launching a dating app with no big budget even possible? In this episode, Jesse Hayward shares his raw, unfiltered journey of building a dating app startup driven by network effects. From getting banned on Tinder to creating his own platform and learning marketing the hard way, Jesse opens up about guerrilla tactics, early mistakes with agencies, and what really moves the needle in local user growth. If you're a startup founder navigating matchmaking apps or any platform that requires both sides of the market, this conversation is packed with gold.

📌 Learn how to grow in local markets 📌 Guerrilla marketing hacks for small teams 📌 Why most agencies won’t help early-stage founders 📌 How Jesse got 40% of users from one unexpected hack

🔗 Connect with Jesse & the Hookd app below.

https://hookd.app/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesserhayward/

#StartupJourney #NetworkEffect #DatingAppStartup #GuerrillaMarketing #BootstrappedFounder

We are online:

➧ Website - https://masterful.info

➧ Podcast - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/masterful-info

➧ LinkedIn of Will (Host) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilhelmlaubach ➧ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/masterful.info

➧ Email - wl.interwebs@gmail.com

00:00 Introduction to Network Effect in Startups

00:44 Challenges in Building a Dating App

02:24 Importance of Local Focus and Marketing

05:04 From Idea to Launch

07:34 Initial Launch and Unexpected Hurdles

09:02 Learning from Marketing Mistakes

12:24 Exploring Effective Marketing Strategies

24:51 Balancing Campaigns Organic vs Paid Strategies

25:51 Creative Tactics for Organic Reach

28:18 Guerrilla Marketing Success Stories

34:27 Advice for Startup Founders

37:30 The Role of Agencies in Startup Marketing

39:41 Learning and Adapting in Marketing

48:29 Connecting with the Audience