Why Founders Should Act More Like Their Audience. Top 5 Ways To Activate Leading Like A Customer.
The best founders don’t just analyze their customers—they live like them. They wear what they wear, shop where they shop, and share the same values that shape their choices. The closer a founder gets to thinking, buying, and behaving like their audience, the sharper their instincts become. It’s how the best lifestyle brands stay relevant without chasing trends or losing their soul.
The Modern Customer. Smarter, Tired, Selective.
Today’s customer doesn’t want to be convinced or sold, or pitched. They want to be understood, heard, and engaged with meaning. This is especially true in lifestyle categories, where the product is rarely about utility alone. It’s about identity, how it looks, feels, and fits into the story they’re telling about themselves.
This customer is informed. They’ve compared materials, read reviews, seen the influencer campaigns, and are asking one simple question. Is this me?
When founders immerse themselves in their customers’ world, they stop guessing what people want. They start intuitively knowing.
The Difference Between Male and Female Buyers
Men and women both value connection, but often arrive at it differently.
For men, purchasing is about function meeting form. He wants to justify the buy. It has to work hard, look good, and last. He typically appreciates substance, consistency, and expertise. Brands that earn his trust tend to do so by being dependable and quietly confident, not loud or overly emotional.
For women, buying is more often an act of storytelling. She looks for brands that represent something, community, care, meaning. The experience matters as much as the product. Female buyers respond to how a brand makes them feel, the values it aligns with, and the lifestyle it supports.
Understanding these nuances helps brands speak clearly to both, without falling into tired stereotypes.
Brands That Lead Like Their Customers
Patagonia
Yvon Chouinard didn’t just build Patagonia, he built an ethos, a culture. The brand reflects his own life as an outdoorsman and environmentalist. Every decision, from materials to messaging, reinforces that identity. Patagonia customers buy more than gear, they buy alignment with their values. Chouinard’s decision to donate the company to fight climate change wasn’t a PR move, it was consistent with decades of walking the talk. That’s what real authenticity looks like.
Aimé Leon Dore
Teddy Santis designed for his own world, Queens, New York. His collections pull from the intersection of basketball, hip-hop, and heritage tailoring. He didn’t try to invent cool; he simply reflected the one he grew up in. That honesty is why Aimé Leon Dore connects so strongly with men who see themselves in the story. This then resonated with a wider circle of men who identified with this persona. The brand is aspirational but never detached.
Stüssy
What started as a surfboard label became a global style language. Shawn Stüssy was his own customer, a surfer who liked to move between subcultures. The brand’s evolution across streetwear, skate, and fashion circles mirrors the crossover nature of its audience. It still speaks to people who live on the edge of mainstream culture but want authenticity over hype. Stussy is one of the few brands to remain relevant through time, particularly from the surf market.
Glossier
Emily Weiss created Glossier by listening, literally. She turned the comments section of her blog Into The Gloss, into a feedback loop that shaped her products. The brand made beauty conversational and user-led, reflecting a new generation of female consumers who wanted inclusion and transparency. Weiss didn’t just market to her audience, she built with them, established in community as the foundation.
Rhude
Founder Rhuigi Villasenor turned his personal story, immigration, ambition, and West Coast culture into the foundation of Rhude. His brand connects with men who see luxury as self-made, not inherited. Rhude feels like rebellion wrapped in refinement. That tension resonates because it’s real to him, and to the men buying it. Cooping culture design references and making them relevant to today identified with a customer.
Aesop
Aesop built its empire not on flashy marketing but on ritual and restraint. Its packaging, tone, and store experience are all exercises in minimalism and respect. The brand never shouts, it invites. That quiet assurance resonates deeply with customers who value refinement and simplicity. The founder’s obsession with the sensory experience of everyday life mirrors the mindset of its audience, mindful, intelligent, discerning.
Top 5 Ways Leaders Can Lead Like Their Customers
1. Spend Time Where They Are
Get out of the boardroom. Immerse yourself in your customers’ world, physically and digitally. Visit stores, attend the same events, follow their favorite creators, and spend time in their communities. Watch how they talk about your category, what excites them, and what annoys them. Real understanding comes from observation, not surveys. When founders are present in their customers’ spaces, they develop instinctive awareness of what feels authentic and what doesn’t.
2. Use Your Own Product Religiously
If you wouldn’t buy or wear what you sell, something’s off. Founders who live with their products every day find the friction points faster and the magic moments more deeply. This firsthand experience builds conviction and humility. You’ll know when something feels off before a customer ever tells you, as long as you're honest with yourself. It’s not just quality control, it’s emotional intelligence. When leaders personally rely on what they create, they stop thinking of it as a commodity and start seeing it as part of a common lifestyle.
3. Hire People Who Reflect the Audience
A team that mirrors your audience will naturally speak their language. Bring in people who genuinely live the lifestyle you’re selling, they’ll catch shifts before they trend. This doesn’t just mean hiring for demographics, but for mindset and worldview. If your brand’s target is adventurous, curious, or style-conscious, your team should embody that energy. Those internal voices will keep the company grounded in reality rather than assumption.
4. Build Feedback Loops, Not Focus Groups
Don’t just test products once and move on, create ongoing dialogue. The inputs and data evolve over time. Use social media, email, and customer communities to collect insights continuously. Ask questions that invite honesty, not praise. Glossier built its success this way, but the principle applies to every brand. A continuous loop of feedback helps refine not only the product but also the storytelling around it. It keeps your audience invested, turning customers into collaborators.
5. Lead with Empathy, Not Ego
When founders start to see themselves as above the customer, they lose the ability to connect. Leading like a customer means staying curious and humble. Ask questions. Admit when you’re wrong. Seek understanding before direction. Leadership in lifestyle brands is emotional work, it’s about feeling your audience’s rhythm, not dictating it. Empathy allows brands to adapt gracefully and stay human in a world of algorithms and automation.
Knowing your customer is not just a marketing exercise, it’s the foundation of leadership. When founders lead like their audience, they create brands that feel alive, relevant, and real.
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