POV: You turned transparency into a $25M business advantage

There’s a new wave of Gen Z founders who aren't your typical "hustle harder" entrepreneurs.

They're successful entrepreneurs who are deliberately documenting their journeys, turning their real everyday work into must-watch YouTube content.

I’ve picked out Daniel Dalen's story because it captures this perfectly 👌

Imagine growing up in the Netherlands but spending your teenage years in China...

Living out of a suitcase.

Learning Mandarin ~7 hours a day.

Hustling as a freelance designer.

All the while immersing yourself in Chinese shipping and manufacturing - so you could understand it at the deepest level.

That's exactly what Daniel did.

And now?

That deep understanding + cultural immersion became the foundation for his company Ecomflow (a centralised supply chain that's dramatically improving how e-commerce brands work with Chinese manufacturers).

But how did I find all of that out you ask?

Well, it’s because he’s methodically building something that could be even more valuable than his business - an audience that gives him leverage and manoeuvrability.

Every week, Daniel documents the actual work of scaling a global company and uploads them to YouTube as his signature "POV" style vlogs with hooks like “pov: a realistic week as a 26 y/o founder”.

He’s grown from 0 → over 150K subs in just over a year.

Each video has 10/10 music, clean editing, cinematic videography and seriously aesthetic colour grading.

But they also include what most founders keep behind closed doors:

• Real negotiations with suppliers

• Raw conversations about failure

• No sugar coating

• No "everything's amazing" facade

Just honest insights into what building looks like.

His videos create these perfect story arcs - each one ending with just enough tension to make you want more.

Which is why his videos get a an average of 100K views consistently, from his very first upload 🤯

Now not only does building in public give Daniel infinite leverage and manoeuvrability for the future…

But it also comes back around to his businesses today:

When he films factory walk-throughs discussing potential new partnerships, suddenly existing suppliers become much more flexible with their terms (things change when there's over 150K people watching).

Another example is his recent move into eyewear.

For over a year, Daniel noticed thousands of people asking about the transparent-rimmed glasses he wore in his vlogs.

They had became part of his signature look, this subtle symbol of his focused entrepreneur aesthetic.

So what did he do?

He went back to those same manufacturers he'd built relationships with in China and created LENSE - his own eyewear brand.

But instead of some big flashy launch, he just kept wearing prototypes in his videos.

Made them part of the story.

Let his audience feel like they discovered something special.

Then when he finally announced them?

Sold out in just a couple of days, maybe less.

The majority of buyers likely purchased because they trusted Daniel's taste.

Not because of aggressive sales tactics.

While other founders are obsessing over keeping everything secret, Daniel's using radical transparency as a competitive advantage.

But he’s far from alone…

Take Zach Yadegari, who at just 17 has built Cal AI into a $1M+ monthly revenue business.

He's building an audience by sharing exactly how he develops new features.

When he launches new features, his audience is testing, giving feedback, and becoming paying customers.

For me, this shift is much much much bigger than simply "building in public" or personal branding.

These founders are creating real optionality for themselves in a way the previous generation never could.

In 2025 - markets will change. Technologies will evolve.

Even successful companies can become obsolete.

But when you build an audience that trusts you? That's an asset that moves with you.

Want to launch a new product? You've got built-in distribution.

Need to pivot? Your audience follows you, not just your current business model.

Looking to raise money? VCs are literally tracking "founder-YouTuber" metrics now as part of their investment criteria.

The old advice was to protect your secrets and stay quiet until you've "made it."

These founders are proving that transparency, done strategically, creates more opportunities than it risks.

Now there are a ton more great examples of this movement and I couldn’t talk about them all - but this Twitter/X thread has a curation of some of the best in the game. Check it out here.

Remember, the creator mindset is all you need to grow 🌱

Jordan

P.S. Want to learn more about thinking like a creator? Join our private community of business owners and entrepreneurs on the same journey.

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