At Female Founder Collective’s The 10th House, we focus on giving founders practical clarity on what actually works—not just what sounds good in theory. In our conversation with Electric Picks founder MJ Carlson, we unpacked how she built a $70M+ brand by turning social media, influencer relationships, and partnerships into a true growth engine.
MJ’s experience spans 15 years of building in consumer—from starting at her dining room table to leading a 25-person team and scaling through multiple phases of the digital landscape. Her biggest insight? Growth today doesn’t come from one channel—it comes from building a system where content, creators, and partnerships compound over time.
With social media now serving as the primary acquisition channel for many consumer brands, founders need to move beyond posting randomly and start thinking in systems: what content drives connection, what partnerships drive reach, and how those efforts translate into consistent revenue.
MJ broke down her full marketing engine into four core pillars: founder-led content, influencer strategy, affiliate platforms, and brand partnerships. Each plays a distinct role, but together, they create compounding growth.
Founder-led content builds the foundation of trust.
Before paid ads or influencer deals, MJ focused on showing up consistently as the face of the brand. Behind-the-scenes office moments, product development, and everyday work content created a sense of connection that turned customers into a community. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s relatability. Content should either educate or entertain, but most importantly, it should make people feel like they know you. As MJ emphasized, if your brand is just a product with no story, customers have no reason to choose you over the next option.
Influencer strategy works best when you treat it as a spectrum, not a single tactic.
Many founders think influencer marketing means paid partnerships—but MJ outlined four distinct layers: organic gifting (seeding), affiliate relationships, contracted deals, and full collaborations. Each serves a different purpose. Seeding builds awareness at scale, affiliate links drive performance-based sales, contracted partnerships offer predictable campaigns, and collaborations unlock shared audiences. Understanding when to use each is what turns influencer marketing into a repeatable system instead of a one-off experiment.
Organic gifting is still one of the most powerful entry points—if done correctly.
Early on, MJ spent just one to two hours per week reaching out to creators with short, thoughtful, no-strings-attached messages. About half would post, which was enough to build momentum. The key wasn’t volume alone—it was personalization. Short, intentional outreach consistently outperformed long, generic messages. The takeaway: you don’t need a large budget to start, but you do need consistency and thoughtfulness.
Affiliate platforms turn creators into a scalable sales channel.
Platforms like LTK and ShopMy allow brands to reward creators based on performance, not just upfront payment. This creates alignment—creators earn when they drive sales, and brands can scale partnerships without massive risk. MJ highlighted that even gifted creators now expect affiliate access, making it a foundational part of modern influencer strategy.
Flexible partnerships are outperforming rigid contracts.
One of the biggest shifts MJ shared was the move toward more flexible, lower-cost partnerships through platforms like ShopMy. Instead of locking into expensive, highly structured deals, brands can work with many creators at once, allowing them to post on their own timeline and in their own style. This not only reduces costs but often leads to more authentic content—and better performance.
Brand partnerships expand reach faster than paid ads alone.
Whether through giveaways, collaborations, or event gifting, partnerships allow brands to tap into adjacent audiences. The most effective partnerships aren’t random—they’re aligned. When two brands share a similar customer but offer different products, the result is mutual exposure without direct competition. These collaborations act as growth shortcuts when done thoughtfully.
Content and distribution need to be planned, not reactive.
MJ’s team plans content three months in advance and reviews it weekly. Every channel—social, email, SMS, web—is mapped out with intention. This structure allows the brand to stay consistent while still adapting in real time. The takeaway: consistency doesn’t come from posting more—it comes from planning better.
For early-stage founders, the biggest shift isn’t just adopting social media—it’s understanding how to use it strategically.
MJ’s approach reinforces a key reality: growth doesn’t come from a single viral moment or one successful partnership. It comes from building a system where each piece—content, creators, platforms, and partnerships—feeds into the next.
If you’re just starting out, focus on showing up consistently, building real relationships, and testing what resonates. If you’re further along, the opportunity is in refining your system—turning what’s working into something repeatable and scalable.
The brands that win today aren’t just posting more.
They’re building engines.
If you want access to more conversations like this—plus the frameworks, resources, and community to help you build a fundable brand—head inside The 10th House.
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