I’ve been working in and alongside this industry for over 15 years, witnessing firsthand how the rise of SaaS has transformed entire business ecosystems. And while growth has brought extraordinary changes, it’s also bred challenges that are surfacing with more clarity now than ever before. For SaaS providers, the message is clear: Those who can adapt will flourish, while those clinging to outdated models may be left behind.

Marketing may seem like a “nice to have” instead of a “need to have,” but we’ve worked with enough companies to know the ROI of well-executed campaigns firsthand and can tell you that cutting your marketing budget is usually not the best decision for your business when it comes to building or maintaining your bottom line.

Not every business is going to be built upon a specific worldview or set of values. But the ones who stand the test of time certainly do– they are centered around a vision for a better future and are clear about the role the organization plays in creating that better future.

“Since day one, Seeav has been all about our dedication to cleaner oceans. Whomever you bring into your business, they’ve gotta have the same core values or it just doesn’t work and you’re not able to grow together and build.”

How many times have you heard SOME version of the “lean in” model of leadership? Women should speak up more. Women should ask for more money. Women should be more assertive. But why aren’t men told to listen more, to be more thoughtful in their approach to resource generation, or to be more humble?

At Fearless Foundry, we are deeply dedicated to increasing equity and accessibility in the world of entrepreneurship. According to the most recent Census Bureau data, only 3% of businesses in the United States were operated by a majority of Black owners, and those businesses only accounted for 1% of gross revenue generated per year. This number is by no means reflective of the power and potential of Black-owned brands, it is reflective of the inequity that persists in the business community and is predicated by the history of racism and generational wealth inequality that has always been a part of America. But the past does not have to be our future.

We have the power to change these statistics. 

Fearless Foundry's partnership with Tanmeet Sethi, MD, exemplifies our commitment to crafting custom brand and marketing strategies that resonate deeply with our clients' visions, propelling them towards greater confidence, visibility, and impact in their respective fields.

The holiday season is here. While consumers are already getting their shopping underway, many of our DTC brands are still considering the best strategy to market to their people. While some strategies remain steadfast and usable year after year, we at the Fearless Collective always like to communicate the trends working in the current market.

Here are our Top 5 Do’s and Don’ts for your DTC marketing during this holiday season.

When it comes to business, we’ve often found women do it better- and the cannabis industry is no exception.

With the full legalization of cannabis for recreational and medical use in 24 states and 15 more states for solely medical use, we’ve seen an influx of straight, middle-aged, white-dude owned dispensaries. And while the suburban moms and young urban hipsters flock in hoards to get their fix, many of us are left wondering if there’s a better way, a more ethical way, a more economical and intentional way to embrace the cannabis industry.

With a true sense of both style and sustainability, from excellently curated design to ethically sourced ingredients, each of these eight femme-owned cannabis businesses is leaving its mark on this industry, one flower at a time.

Regardless of spiritual beliefs, we all agree any conversation with Caroline Hill means going to church. Highly educated and around 10 steps ahead of most people when it comes to building community in the digital universe, Caroline has a way of connecting with people at a soul level. This is how the Fearless Team knew she was an absolute fit for the co-creation of her brand and marketing strategy. 

She came to us for help with her mission-driven organization, 228 Accelerator. 228 focuses on equipping educators and school leaders with the tools, resources, and community support they need to become experts in designing at the margins and drive equity-centered change in their schools and communities.

If you’ve spent even 5 minutes of time reading or listening to anything by Glennon Doyle, you’ll know who “Sister” is. I remember hearing Glennon speak years ago during her book tour for Carry On, Warrior. She talked about the elusive- “Sister” and how without her, pretty much nothing could happen.

Beyond being Glennon’s actual sister and the anecdote for many of her stories, Amanda Doyle is truly Glennon’s right hand woman. She listens to all her ideas, fears, hopes and dreams and helps ground Glennon in what is possible, what could be possible, and what is genuinely a “hell no what are you even thinking?” Sister get’s shit done while also tending to the more unique and nuanced side of Glennon as a person, brand and business owner.

As creative consultants, we appreciate the innovative marketing strategies deployed by the Barbie brand. It’s everywhere isn’t it? The only way you haven’t heard of the Barbie movie is if you’ve literally not had access to the outside world in any way, shape or form.

An article in Marketing Week states, “The brand has thoroughly got ‘out of [its] comfort zone’ to create this film” says Lisa McKnight, Mattel’s global head of Barbie and dolls portfolio.

We tend to agree. They really have reached the masses with their messaging. And while we’re excited by the innovation and mass marketing, we find ourselves pondering a crucial question: Who is the Barbie movie really for?

From the outside looking in, it seemed like everything was running smoothly for Avanti’s business, but the truth is, she was struggling to turn the countless hours she was putting into her work into tangible revenue. She was churning out top-notch content for her podcast, blog, newsletter, and social media channels, but no matter how valuable and insightful it was, people who didn’t know her were having a hard time finding it online.

Avanti knew there was a problem with the backend of her marketing, but was having difficulty fitting her various content pillars together. Above all else, she felt frustrated her work wasn’t reaching the people who needed her guidance most.

The brands that leaned into relationships and good customer care were the ones that still exist and are thriving today. The pandemic really brought to light those businesses who were only in it for the money and didn’t really care about their customers beyond those dollars.

The challenge for us as CEOs is that, in essence, we are the creators of our companies. 

We're responsible for guiding them and for shaping them into their next era of evolution. For me, the biggest challenge of being a CEO is not usually the creation part. I live for that part of the work. I love making new things that didn't exist before. I love bringing them to light and life in the world. 

The challenge for me sometimes is carrying out that vision, holding true and fast to it, even as the company evolves, as things grow, and as people join the organization or leave it. That vision needs to stay true, regardless. But I know that it is my responsibility as CEO to be the keeper of that vision and to make sure that my team understands it, owns it, and can be accountable for bringing it to life in everything that we do.

Every June brings about mixed emotions for members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community as a flurry of pride themed posts and pieces of merchandise make their way into the market. As valuable and vital as it is to acknowledge and celebrate the community, it’s equally important we talk candidly and critically about the ways some brands get it wrong when it comes to marketing or showcasing their support for queer and trans folks.

In honor of pride month, and in celebration of our newest addition to the Fearless Team, we are passing the mic this week to Jamie Engelhardt, our new Creative Services Manager to share more about her journey of understanding the necessity of feeling safe and learning what it means to truly belong.

If we claim to be companies focused on equity, we need not only for queer humans to feel accepted, we need them to belong. We need them to have no question, whatsoever, they are in the right space.

Albeit hard to describe, it’s similar to the difference between the CEO of your company saying it’s a safe space and the employees saying it’s a safe space.

SCHO Private Wealth is a team of next-era financial professionals operating within Merrill Lynch's private wealth group. They specialize in challenging the status quo by providing financial advisory services to ultra-high-net-worth individuals, with a focus on impact-oriented wealth management strategies.

SCHO was established in 2021 by Kanwar Singh, who leveraged his 17 years of expertise in the industry to reimagine how money moves through the world. Although Kanwar was clear about the work his team is meant to do in the world, on the surface they were hard to distinguish from other high net worth advisors. As a result, SCHO was not bringing in the kinds of clients they feel most called to serve—-clients who want to create conscious momentum with their money and tip the scale toward a more equitable society.

A two-time Forbes-SHOOK Best-in-State Wealth Advisor, Kanwar knew the disconnect between SCHO’s existing and ideal client base wasn’t coming from a lack of expertise or competence. It was coming from something so simple: an outdated narrative about the work SCHO can do for ultra-high-net-worth clients.

Can AI be leveraged to create human-centric marketing? Businesses are constantly looking for innovative ways to connect with their target audience and create meaningful customer experiences—AI might be able to help create impactful marketing campaigns in unique ways.