What I Learned After 23 Years of Building Brands (and Burning a Few Down)

I’ve been building brands on the internet for 23 years.

Some of them took off. Some of them flopped.

Some were ahead of their time. Others were pure survival.

And a few… were beautiful enough to die for.

I carry the logos of two of them — Raw Attraction and Heart Initiation — tattooed across my neck, back, and arm. Because some brands don’t just live on websites. They live in skin, story, and sacrifice.

I’ve built newsletters, magazines, marketplaces, education platforms, and communities before “community” was a buzzword. I’ve edited late-night podcast rants, published physical books, recorded an audiobook, and sent emails that reached millions.

I’ve been viral. I’ve been cancelled.

I’ve been in meetings with global tech execs and dealt with many legal proceedings.

And here’s the truth:

Building something real in this world takes more than complex strategy. It takes soul.

And the more “successful” I became, the more I realised how rare that really is.

Because most of what we call “business” today is still just performance.

And performance is exhausting.

I’ve watched too many brilliant people lose their voice in pursuit of traction.

I’ve worked with founders whose nervous systems were wrecked from launch cycles and fake urgency.

And I’ve seen what happens when good people outsource their integrity to “growth experts.”

I’m not interested in any of that anymore.

What I care about now is simple:

🛠 Building systems that reflect the truth

⚔️ Architecting brands that don’t betray their founders

🕊 Designing businesses people can actually relax inside of

This isn’t some new rebrand or clever funnel.

It’s a return.

A return to rhythm.

To resonance.

To brands that breathe.

Something new is coming — but it won’t look like what you’ve seen before.

Because I’m not operating from the old energy anymore.

Not chasing.

Not posturing.

Not performing.

Just building — quietly, sovereignly, cleanly.

More on that soon.

– SJ