Read time: 3min
Today I want to talk about something deeply personal.
Authenticity.
And taking accountability.
I used to think we were in this for money.
Startups. Fundraising. Investing. Climate. Impact.
That’s the narrative.
But…
Deep down, that’s not what it is.
We’re all just trying to
matter.
Matter to people.
So our existence feels worth it.
So the anxiety goes quiet.
So we look back one day, and feel proud.
A while back, I wrote about finding my voice.
Felt like an exhale I’d been holding for years.
Why?
Because truth is, I’ve never felt fully comfortable with social media.
It feels 1% real and 99%… performance.
And my love language is quality time.
Real time.
Not likes. Not views.
But…
We don’t get to opt out of the system.
Then something shifted.
I was on a run, listening to that Naval Ravikant episode.
The one about leverage and accountability.
And I hit repeat.
Five times in a row.
Because this line cracked something open in me:
“Embrace accountability and take business risks under your own name.
Society will reward you with responsibility, equity, and leverage.”
Holy shit.
That was it.
I realized I’d spent years hiding behind “professional distance.”
No Instagram.
No posts.
Definitely no opinions.
Because the voice in my head kept screaming:
“You don’t have legitimacy. Shut up and let the experts take the space.”
“Your ex colleagues, university mates, and high school friends. They will find it so cringe!”
“Who the hell do you think you are? Some wannabe influencer…”
Sound familiar?
But 2021 hit.
And with it, a brutal truth:
All business now flows through 7 platforms.
LinkedIn, YouTube, X, TikTok, Insta, Facebook, Snap.
And they’re merging into one big algorithm, promoting the same type of content.
Viral posts that keep people stuck on their phones.
Whether you’re B2B or B2C, doesn’t matter.
Brand is what wins. It wins capital, clients, talent.
And here’s the reality:
People don’t buy from companies anymore.
They buy from humans.
That’s why personal brands outperform corporate brands.
Why avatars go viral while logos stay invisible.
So I made peace with it.
I stopped being afraid of building online.
But I also set a rule:
I’m building an avatar.
Not giving away my soul.
That’s the only way this works.
I treat my online presence like a product.
With values. A mission. A voice. A message.
And I treat me, the human, with softness.
With care. With sacred boundaries.
Because the comments, the trolls, the dopamine loops?
They’re not for me. They’re for the avatar.
And guess what?
Since I started building under my own name:
📈 Brand grew
🤝 Partnerships came
💸 Revenue followed
❤️ Real people reached out to say “thank you”
It worked.
But only because I stayed grounded.
So here’s what I’ll leave you with:
This August,
Recharge. Go deeper.
Reflect on what you want to build.
And maybe…
Try this formula:
1. Take accountability.
For what you build. For who you serve. For what you say.
2. Separate your online avatar from the real you.
You’re a human. With a soft heart. Keep it safe.
3. Build something useful. And stay authentic.
Real always wins in the long run.
4. Be gentle with yourself.
This internet game is just a game. Your life is not.
5. Connect in real life.
The whole point of building anything online is to create something better offline.
That’s it.
Take care of yourself.
Be gentle to your mind.
And if this one resonated…
Send it to someone who needs the reminder.
We’re all just trying to matter.
Let’s make sure we do.
Yoann
🎯 What’s next?
Here is what I built behind the curtain over the last months:
As a premium subscriber, you unlock:
📌 The Ultimate Investors List of Lists (12,000 VCs, FOs, Angels)
💰The Investor List No One Talks About: 140 Family Offices
🦄 40 pitch decks that built Unicorns (how Airbnb, Coinbase, Canva got funded)
⚡️ The Ultimate Notion Data Room (all key docs you’ll EVER need)
🥇 The Most Successful Investor Update Template
📊 The Only Finance Tracker Your Startup Needs
⚖️ SAFE Note Dilution Calculator & Cap Table Builder
👯 Co-Founder Agreement Templates + Legal Clauses You Can't Forget
🎁 Limited-Time Discount
To help you nail your Q4 fundraising, I'm offering a 20% discount on the annual plan.
Because let’s be real, if even one of these tools helps you close a round,
this’ll be the best ROI you make all year.
Yoann. Your insight and discoveries really resonated with me. Thanks for sharing!
Nice idea mate but you run automated responses / engagement on your LinkedIN…