Storytelling and short video

Member lesson

The founder story, and when to tell it

Lesson 2 of 11 in Storytelling and short video.

Checked against the makers' documentation on 9 October 2026.

Lesson

A founder story is the account of why the person who started the company started it. Told well, it works as proof. A founder who has spent years doing the thing the product does is telling the viewer something about the product, and a viewer can usually tell real knowledge from an actor reading lines. Told badly, it turns into a biography. The childhood, the corporate job, the leap and the garage have all been heard before, and none of them says anything about what is in the bottle.

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  1. Question 1, locked

    When does the lesson say a founder story works as proof?

    • When it covers the founder's childhood and the leap from a corporate job
    • When the founder has spent years doing the thing the product does
    • When the founder is famous outside the category
    • When it is saved for the last seconds of the film
  2. Question 2, locked

    A brand that hopes to be sold one day puts its founder at the centre of every reel. What risk does the lesson name?

    • Key person risk, because when the face leaves much of the trust leaves too
    • A trademark clash with the founder's own name
    • Higher production costs for every film
    • A legal duty to label the founder's posts as advertising
  3. Question 3, locked

    What did Michael Dubin tell CNBC his Dollar Shave Club launch film cost to make?

    • $45,000
    • $450,000
    • $4,500
    • Nothing, because he filmed it on a phone

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