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- She decided to bet everything on coffee
She decided to bet everything on coffee
Jordan Schwarzenberger
July 10, 2025
Most people know Emma Chamberlain as the girl who made awkward YouTube vlogs somehow entertaining (genuinely impressive tbh).
But back in 2019, despite having 9+ million subscribers and probably more brand deals than she knew what to do with, she felt... empty.
So naturally, she decided to bet everything on coffee.
Because that's what you do when you're 18 with zero business experience, right? 🤷♂️
But here's where it gets kinda cool...
Emma didn't just slap her name on some beans and call it a day.
She decided to treat every product launch like she was directing the next Marvel movie.
Her matcha launch looked like a Studio Ghibli film.
Her cold brew drop had more cinematic value than most Netflix shows.
She's literally creating visual universes for... coffee beans.
I know how this sounds.
Trust me.
But Forbes estimates her brand has brought in over $20 million.
Without spending a penny on traditional advertising.
Their drops sell out in minutes because people aren't buying coffee.
They're buying into this whole lifestyle Emma's created.
And honestly?
The strategy is kind of genius.
While every other brand is hiding behind polished corporate websites, Emma's out here filming herself figuring things out in real time.
She shows you the whole process.
Bean sourcing?
There's vlogs about it.
Packaging design?
You watch her make decisions.
Recipe testing?
She's literally spilling coffee and making faces at the camera.
It's chaos.
But it works.
But wait, it gets better.
Most brands treat customers like walking wallets.
Emma treats them like her creative partners.
She's constantly sharing these random recipe combinations, and then her customers try them out and post about it.
Suddenly everyone's creating content for her brand.
Without her having to pay anyone.
The community basically markets itself now - thousands of posts every month of people making elaborate coffee creations.
Emma cracked the code as a teenager.
While Starbucks has armies of marketing teams and million-dollar budgets, this girl with authenticity and genuine enthusiasm just... won.
The secret sauce? She stopped trying to be a "professional business" and started being herself.
The playbook is embarrassingly simple:
Make your launches feel like cultural events
Show them everything (yes, even the mistakes)
Turn customers into your creative team
Sell the lifestyle, not just the product
And maybe most importantly - have fun with it.
And that's what keeps me thinking...
How many businesses are sitting on opportunities but they're too scared to be this real?
Too worried about looking "unprofessional" to let people see the actual process?
Emma just proved that thinking like a creator isn't just trendy business advice.
It's literally the competitive advantage.
From YouTube vlogs to a $20M coffee empire with a physical store in LA.
Not bad for someone who started making awkward videos in her bedroom.
Remember, the creator mindset is all you need to grow 🌱
P.S. If you're sitting on a business idea but not sure how to apply creator strategies to make it work, I've got slots open this week for strategy calls.
From quick 15-minute brainstorms to full rebuilds.
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