As a bootstrapped e-commerce founder, if you're asking where to focus your time and effort to acquire customers and build your brand—without relying heavily on expensive paid ads—my answer is vertical videos.

You can post them on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.

If They Can Do It, So Can You.

The Woobles

https://www.instagram.com/thewoobles

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3_F4lhuGLV/

D. Louise

https://www.instagram.com/d.louise/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6Tzy3zIu82/?hl=en

Studio Bumi

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHWLzMGOCBq/?igsh=eHd6bXM5cHBpZnJi

SOBER(ISH)™

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9IEYiRRZ-9/

Midday Square 🍫

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cn2y3uZJdsD/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Frost Buddy

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGzB7QSMVfR/?hl=en

Social Commerce - Snowball Effect

Being authentic and unfiltered on social media builds trust and connection with customers, creating a unique selling proposition beyond just selling products
Customers naturally begin participating in the brand experience by posting content and increasing their engagement
Creators, influencers, and affiliates actively seek partnerships with the brand
The user-generated content (UGC) library continuously expands
This content is integrated into the website through tools like Tolstoy, enhancing social proof and improving conversion rates
The growing collection of founder and UGC content serves as the foundation for diverse, distinctive video advertising
Finally, this engaged community comes together in a Facebook group, transforming into "more than customers" for "more than a brand"

"But I'm camera shy. I don't feel comfortable putting my face to my brand."

In today's market, where countless brands compete even in hyper-specific niches, your story and personality can become your strongest differentiator. This authentic approach might even shape your entire business model.

I understand your hesitation—many founders share these same concerns.

As a bootstrapped e-commerce founder, you're likely seeking ways to grow your business and improve its efficiency and profitability.

I believe you're ready to overcome this challenge head-on. Taking this step will help you reach those goals.

<aside> 🎉

I'm so proud of Kara (Creative Energy Candles) and Ryan (Brooklyn Bicycle Co)!

They've become increasingly consistent with their vertical videos, despite their initial hesitation when we first started working together.

</aside>

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKVVjsWCP4q/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJC3q6kvbJU/