Paid ads vs. earned media

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What's up Rock Nation! Today we're joined by Marcus, founder of Minted New York, a brand that went from side project to full-blown fashion business built entirely in public. Zero investors, no shortcuts. Just documenting the journey and betting on himself before he felt ready. Marcus has built his brand on one core principle: respect for the time and effort people put into earning the money they spend on your product.

In this episode, we break down why documenting beats perfection, why entrepreneurship is never easy even when you're winning, how integrity builds a brand people actually care about, and what it takes to build something real without waiting for permission. Let's get into it.

Check out Marcus here:

https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@marcusmilione1⁩ 

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Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro

1:12 – Paid Offer Playbook

1:26 – Getting started before the money makes sense

3:13 – Early belief vs external validation

5:26 – Running a brand with no safety net

7:48 – Cash flow stress and staying in the game

10:43 – Bootstrapping realities and investor pressure

14:01 – Artlist

15:10 – Content as leverage not just creativity

16:49 – Talking to camera vs polished production

20:30 – Finding formats that don’t burn you out

23:35 – Consistency beats novelty

25:20 – When content finally compounds

27:17 – Endurance over overnight success

28:21 – Running as a metaphor for business

30:53 – Long timelines nobody talks about

32:02 – Training patience and discipline

34:50 – Reflecting on growth without losing momentum

36:41 – Luck vs work and acknowledging both

39:51 – Increasing surface area for luck

42:13 – Posting volume and probability

44:55 – Creating opportunities before they appear

46:32 – Saucony Collab

49:38 – Brand alignment over quick wins

52:32 – Saying no to the wrong partnerships

53:22 – Capital isn’t evil but terms matter

56:55 – Why bad money kills good businesses

58:32 – Credit cards cash flow traps

1:01:09 – Paying everything off and staying liquid

1:04:29 – Negotiating manufacturer terms

1:06:22 – Relationships as leverage

1:07:38 – Stress nobody sees

1:09:10 – Running accounts down to survive

1:14:04 – Why most people quit too early

1:18:26 – Momentum comes after commitment

1:20:17 – Playing the long game on purpose

1:21:55 – Building something you can live with

1:29:29 – Looking back at what’s been built

1:33:53 – The After Party

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