Your story should be your first piece of content.

👋 Welcome back to Content to Commas, your weekly playbook for turning content into authority, consistency, and growth.

Last week I sat down with a VC founder of a $23M Fund named Jenny.

Former Google. Former Facebook. Built a Silicon Valley career. Founded her own fund and has been deploying it for three years and planning her “next”.

She has 85,000+ people on her email list and 200K+ followers on social and the ear of so many movers and shakers.

We talk content strategy and halfway through the conversation, she said something so sobering to me.

"I don't know if my story is interesting enough to build content around."

This is a woman who has access to billionaires and CEOs. Who has seen inside hundreds of startups. Who knows what kills companies.

And even she is questioning her content and positioning.

This issue is about how to set yourself apart and how to avoid building the wrong content foundation entirely.

📌 In this issue:

Let’s get to work.

— Brandon Smithwrick

_{FROM OUR FRIENDS @ HUBSPOT}

For the past few months, I’ve been quietly building something behind the scenes with HubSpot.

It’s a free playbook that breaks down the exact system I use to turn LinkedIn into a sales engine to grow my business.

no cold DMs, spammy outreach, “post more”, or awkward selling.

Just not me ... sorry

It’s about building a content engine that works for you:

This playbook shows you how to design that outcome intentionally.

If you enjoy Content to Commas, this is the deeper, more tactical version of everything we talk about here each week.

I'm not saying this should be post #1, but I'm telling you don’t wait too long.

There are thousands of marketers. Thousands of founders. Thousands of VCs. No one else is you.

When Jenny and I mapped out her content strategy, I kept coming back to her story.

She went from representing Google to Facebook to raising a fund to deploying capital into startups for three years while building an audience of 235,000 people.

The path? Those lessons? That's hundreds of pieces of content. Thousands if you break it out (part 1, 2, & 3).

Your resume is a collection of perspectives no one else has.

I didn't study marketing. I didn't have a mentor. I learned it in fashion, tech, media, and fundraising. I know it from both sides, creator and corporate.

That's my edge.

Jenny was hired by 2 powerhouse tech giants. Raised $23M dollars. While being a creator, running a newsletter, a community, being a partner and new mom.

That's her edge.

So many people keep this question when thinking of content … "What have I seen that other people haven't?"

Skip the vlogs, GRWM, Q&As, and first lay the foundation with your story.

Here's where the conversation got wild.

Have you heard of Slow Creator Fund? It's a VC fund specifically made for content creators. They have over $60 million to give out.

The issue is that not many creators meet the qualifications.

This is partly because there aren't enough creators, and partly because many creators are simply sharing their work online.

They're not building real businesses.

Slow Ventures isn't looking for someone with a million followers. They're looking for someone who has:

They built an audience, not a company.

Learn from this lesson.

Stop thinking like a creator. Start thinking like a CEO who uses content.

Here’s the blueprint.

Jenny isn't "a VC." She's someone who has deployed capital into startups while building a 235K+ audience and can speak to an intersection most people can't touch.

What intersection do you own?

Your story is your superpower. Stop looking for a better angle when you're already standing on one.

Posting gets attention. Plan the next step.

"Fundable" doesn't mean you need VC money.

It means if someone handed you $10K tomorrow, could you use it in your business and get a return?

If the answer is no, you don't have a business yet.

If the answer is "I'd just post more," you're building the wrong thing.

The goal isn't to raise money. The goal is to build something so solid that money would actually make it bigger.

The creator title is holding less weight today.

You're Not a Creator. You're a Business Owner Who Creates.

Jenny and I talked about this too. "Creator" is a mindset. It's how you move through your business. It's not your identity.

I speak to marketers and entrepreneurs. I also happen to create content. But at the end of the day, I'm still a marketer.

Jenny speaks to founders and investors. She also happens to create content. But at the end of the day, she's still a VC.

You don't need to anchor yourself in being a creator.

You need to anchor yourself in the value you actually deliver.

If "creator" is the only thing you call yourself, I’m scared you might being building a persona.

Each week, I share tips on branding, monetization, growth, and useful tools that you might have missed. You can catch up in just a few minutes.

These posts did numbers for a reason. Worth a reread.

The stack I keep coming back to in my own business.

The gear I actually use to capture clean, usable content without overthinking it.