Maggie Sellers Reum and Steven Bartlett
FlightStory
In at this time’s creator economic system, virality is now not the endgame, it’s all about possession. And whereas many creators construct followings, just a few construct actions. Fewer nonetheless flip these actions into scalable media corporations. Maggie Sellers Reum is doing all three.
The founder, investor and host of Sizzling Sensible Wealthy, a breakout podcast and creator-led media model for bold girls has simply introduced a seven-figure strategic funding from FlightStory, the worldwide media and funding firm co-founded by Steven Bartlett, entrepreneur and host of The Diary of a CEO, the world’s second-largest host-led podcast.
However this isn’t a typical creator monetization story.
That is concerning the rise of the founder-creator, a brand new archetype of entrepreneurial chief constructing platforms which can be culturally magnetic, commercially viable and community-first by design.
A Strategic Wager on the Way forward for Feminine Ambition
FlightStory’s funding marks a pivotal second for Sizzling Sensible Wealthy (HSR), which has already amassed over 1.8 million downloads and 500,000 particular person listeners in below a 12 months regardless of coming into the closely saturated enterprise podcasting house.
The deal is a long-term play to “construct the largest feminine ambition model of the last decade,” with the funding earmarked for scaling content material, group infrastructure, ecommerce, advertising and marketing and crew progress throughout international markets.
“Maggie is a trailblazer who has constructed an unimaginable platform and brought a very recent method to the tradition of enterprise, entrepreneurship and wealth technology not like something I’ve seen earlier than,” mentioned Steven Bartlett. “I used to be shocked to listen to as little as 7% of enterprise podcasts are fronted by girls, and but it’s estimated that girls management an enormous proportion of shopper spend within the US. Maggie is not only filling a white house with HSR — she’s disrupting a whole trade.”
The Journey to Founderhood
Sellers Reum began Sizzling Sensible Wealthy to resolve a cultural downside. “I feel like each founder, you might be fixing an issue that you just had your self,” she informed me on my podcast. “For me, rising up, I felt that dichotomy between who I used to be 9 to five and who I used to be 5 to 9.”
“I used to be like, it’s sort of loopy that girls management 85% of shopper spend within the U.S., and we get 2% of enterprise {dollars},” she provides. “Each time I acquired into the office, I felt like I needed to depart how I discuss, how I costume, my hobbies, my passions — all on the door.”
The present emerged from a want to bridge that disconnect. What started as short-form content material designed to “really feel such as you’re at dinner with me” shortly advanced into an intentional platform for discussing cash, energy, investing, enterprise and identification, all by way of the lens of contemporary feminine ambition.
“I didn’t begin this to be an influencer. I didn’t begin this to construct content material to construct a private model,” she emphasizes. “It was pushed from a spot of like, I have to go and remedy this downside.”
Constructing in Public, Scaling with Intent
Probably the most hanging factor about Sellers Reum is her fluency in each storytelling and technique.
“I negotiated this take care of FlightStory. Like, I did it,” she says. “I’m not some creator hiding behind a crew doing offers for me. I’m the CEO.”
However she knew the place her strengths stopped, too. “I’ve all the time recognized as a fantastic chief, however not the perfect individuals supervisor,” she says. “That’s why I introduced my sister in as a 50/50 companion and made her President. She managed 25 individuals at one of many quickest rising DTC manufacturers — I haven’t.”
This degree of readability and delegation is what units founder-creators other than many different influencers.
The Way forward for Possession Is Private and Shared
At its core, Sizzling Sensible Wealthy is about rewriting the script for what feminine ambition can look and sound like.
“It’s exhausting for girls on the market,” she says. “We consistently have to decide on who to convey to the desk to really feel like we deserve a seat. I created this in order that we don’t have to decide on anymore.”
And the title? It’s not simply provocative. It’s intentional. “As you’ll be able to inform by the title, we simply aren’t afraid to go there. I would like girls to convey their entire self to no matter scenario they’re in — even when they haven’t constructed a billion-dollar firm. We encourage them to behave like angels now.”
Contained in the HSR Angels
Whereas many creators have audiences, Sizzling Sensible Wealthy has constructed one thing rarer: a world, self-sustaining group. Referred to as the HSR Angels, these girls are deeply invested individuals. And that’s precisely what drew investor consideration.
“I simply began creating content material that felt such as you had been out to dinner with me,” says Sellers Reum. “I knew that if I went area of interest and solely did one type of content material, I’d develop quick. However that’s not the place longevity is. I needed to speak about enterprise and investing and in addition about boys, and wonder and actuality TV. As a result of that’s truly what girls discuss.”
That method struck a chord, not simply in DMs, however in actual life.
“We did a stroll in Toronto that was purported to be an hour,” she remembers. “It become 5 hours. Individuals didn’t need to depart. A few of my finest buddies at this time I truly met at that occasion. These are girls who’re constructing their lives and need to do it collectively.”
And it’s not simply Toronto. HSR meetups have organically expanded to LA, New York, London, Paris, Sydney and past. “It began with a WhatsApp group,” Maggie says, “and now we’ve got 1000’s of ladies connecting globally — a few of them are founders, some are VCs, some are constructing aspect hustles.”
Maggie’s engagement fee is presently 8.1%, greater than 3x the trade common of two.4%. However the numbers solely inform a part of the story.
“A number of creators construct audiences round themselves. However I noticed we had been constructing a community and it wasn’t even about me,” she explains. “We simply did a survey in our WhatsApp group. Over 80% of ladies mentioned they joined to attach with different Angels. Solely 12% mentioned they had been there to attach with me.”
That perception, she says, was a turning level.
“That was once I realized that is larger than me. Sizzling Sensible Wealthy can truly stay on with out me at some point. And I feel that’s the true mark of a motion.”
What This Alerts for the Creator Economic system
As somebody who invests within the creator economic system and carefully tracks its evolution, right here’s what this second indicators and why it issues far past this particular person deal.
1. The following breakout creators will create corporations.
Maggie is an instance of a brand new class of operator: one who blends cultural relevance with operational ability. She did not wait to be picked by conventional media or enterprise capital. She constructed one thing magnetic from the bottom up and capital adopted her.
2. Deep group is now a funding benefit.
Most creators nonetheless chase top-line followers, however Maggie’s 8.1% engagement fee and international real-life occasions show that depth trumps scale each time. As an investor, I’m paying shut consideration to group structure excess of virality or subscriber numbers.
3. Creator-led media manufacturers are undervalued belongings.
Particularly people who serve underrepresented audiences. Girls drive 85% of U.S. shopper spend. Enterprise content material is overwhelmingly male-dominated. Maggie constructed on this white house.
4. Strategic capital issues greater than money.
FlightStory has a confirmed playbook and Maggie was already working with the self-discipline and readability of a founder. Collectively, they’re constructing a enterprise with exit potential and never only a private model.
For different creators studying this my takeaway isn’t “go get funding.” The takeaway is construct one thing actual with goal, with proof and with individuals who care. Try this, and traders will discover you.
This text is predicated on an interview with Maggie Sellers Reum on my podcast The Business of Creators.
