The Importance of Creating 'Authentic' Content Online
Welcome to the Dave vs. Startups.
The biggest mistake founders make is consuming startup content made by people who've never actually built anything.
After exiting my startup, I was shocked to discover how much terrible advice is marketed to founders.
I'm now on a mission to cut through the BS.
Here's my battle-tested approach to creating authentic content that actually helps bootstrapped entrepreneurs scale to $5M:
First, I had to realize something counterintuitive:
Selling my company DIDN'T automatically give me credibility.
I thought that after I sold my company, I'd have more credibility. It doesn't really work that way.
Founders and people coming up in the entrepreneurial world care about value, not an exit.
LinkedIn is filled with strange, self-aggrandizing posts that provide zero actual value.
I decided early on that I wanted to be providing real value to real, engaged people.
Not just broadcasting startup hype that sounds good but helps no one.
The turning point in my content strategy came when I completely repositioned my brand.
After a year of being too vague, I narrowed my focus specifically to "bootstrapped B2B startups going from $0 to $5M."
Because specificity breeds authenticity.
However, my biggest challenge as a creator is building out content that actually matters to them.
Not what I think they need or what sounds impressive.
But what genuinely helps someone grow their bootstrapped business.
This requires actual research and conversations, not just recycling startup platitudes (you know exactly what I’m talking about).
I've learned that a lot of conventional wisdom around startups is just flat-out wrong.
That's why I focus on busting "startup myths" with content that's backed by:
Real data (not internet BS)
Personal experience (including my failures)
Proven strategies (not theory)
Authenticity means showing your screwups, too.
I openly share stories like when I prematurely put a major potential client's logo on our website before they signed and had to embarrassingly remove it.
Lesson learned…
It's uncomfortable, but that vulnerability creates the trust that generic content never will.
My approach to content is fundamentally altruistic.
I'm genuinely motivated to pay it forward.
I want to help with real advice, so people can avoid the biggest mistake I made, while doubling down on my biggest wins.
That mission keeps my content grounded.
When we tried to create content that wasn't authentic to us, it completely failed.
The same principle applies to any founder:
The more authentic you are, the easier it is to do everything else. Your culture will flow naturally from that.
Content included.
Two concrete ways I ensure my content actually provides value:
Every piece addresses specific challenges for bootstrapped B2B founders
I use real stories filled with humility, both wins and times when we really screwed something up
Startup founders are already drowning in "pump it full of money and hope it works" content.
What they actually need is practical insight from someone who's been there and can share both successes and failures honestly.
That's the content gap I'm working to fill.
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