Sean Kelly

Founder & Investor. Building companies at the intersection of health, media & founder performance.

Hey there, I’m Sean. I play at the intersection of investing, media and human performance.

I’m a three-time INC 500 founder & entrepreneur with businesses in eCommerce, SaaS, media and B2B services that have collectively generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Right now, I serve as a General Partner at The Family Fund and am the CEO of Significant Publications, a B2B digital media holding company.

I'm particularly passionate about our brand FounderIV in support of today's founder-athletes. We help today's top entrepreneurs achieve breakout performance in their personal and professional lives.

I co-founded and led multiple other companies, including SnackNation, a health-centric foodservice and brand discovery platform that served 20,000 businesses across the US. 

Under my leadership, SnackNation was honored as one of the country’s Best Workplaces by Inc. Magazine, recognized for Top Company Culture by Entrepreneur Magazine, and certified as a Great Workplace by Great Place to Work®.

Forbes listed me as one of the top 30 leaders under 30 and one of America’s most promising CEOs under 35. Comparably also ranked me among the country’s top 50 small-to-medium sized business CEOs multiple years in a row. 

Outside of the business world, I’m a two-time national medalist in freestyle snowboarding, hold an advisory role at the growth capital firm, Meaningful Partners, have a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University and am an avid sports fan of all Michigan sports teams (especially the Wolverines).

I currently live in Venice, CA with my wife and college sweetheart, Shannon, and our goldendoodle, Jameson.

Chairman

Sprouts Farmers Market HQ visit was 🔥

A core tenant of ours at The Family Fund is to create partnerships and collaborations with the most influential people and businesses within the consumer ecosystem.

Those folks who can most move the needle for the founders and companies were fortunate enough to support.

And Sprouts is at the top of this list.

Not sure if any other retailers care as much about helping emerging brands succeed…

And being the first to do so.

When brands partner with Sprouts correctly, king and queen-making can occur.

Thanks to Kim Coffin Scott Romano and Brody Burk for the hospitality, and much more so…

For caring so damn much about the work you do. 

Josh Wand and I loved jamming with you.

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Too may legends too little time.

Such is life at Expo West.

Loved seeing each one of you.

I continue to be inspired by the better-for-you consumer ecosystem.

Most importantly the founders that are battling each and every day to solve problems that they deeply care about.

We are in the golden age of CPG.

AI ain’t removing our need for atoms and physical goods.

And with the OpEx reduction automation will allow us to experience…

Better margins…

Higher enterprise valuations…

And entrepreneurship will continue to explode.

Love where we’re at!

Will Nitze 
Stephen Ellsworth 
Michael Brandt 
Josh Wand 
Morgan Buehler Zanotti 
Jack Savage 
Gulrez Arora 
James Boyd 
Taylor Griffin 
Steve Young 
Colleen Kang

Some guys have all the luck.

Just ran into Livio (Italian for “Living Legend”) at Expo West.

He somehow got his hands on a Founderland golden ticket!!

Tried to buy it off of him but he refused.

An early access, VIP ticket to the top B2B consumer health event in Malibu, CA on October 1st!

“Where founders have fun AND deals get done.”

1,000+ of today’s top founders, retailers, strategics and investors…

A B2B festival where value and serendipity reign and transactional behavior is lame.

If any of you know Livio Bisterzo please advise because I am willing to go to incredible lengths to get my hands on of these.

A Founderland.us golden ticket!!!

Shannon Kelly 
Josh Wand  
Seth Gusow

First Founderland Adventure trip in the books.

Yellowstone Club was 🤯

The founder crew we put together was even better.

I don't believe there is a better way create meaningful relationships then getting off of screens, away from the norm and experiencing 3 days of new challenges & outdoor adventure together.

Thanks to our friends and legendary co-hosts:

- Matthew LaCasse Ethan Greaves and Lizzi Ackerman LaCasse from E+PATROL (and our beautiful hosts at YC)

- Kristofer Reddaway, CEPA® from Citizens 

- Gareth Domingo from AppLovin

And to Stephen Ellsworth from poppi for inspiring me to put this ski trip together when we were hanging at Founderland last year.

Pumped (and already planning) the next one... 
 (Have a feeling these adventure trips will be another key way we bring founders together in a differentiated way at The Family Fund & Founder Community)

And thanks to the phenomenal leaders, founders and friends who made this experience OTT:

Josh Wand
Michael Brandt
Jack Savage
Morgan Buehler Zanotti
Adam Goldberg
Tyler Ricks
Josh Deemer
Jeff Mroz
Giancarlo Maniaci
Curtis Christopherson
Wes Van Dyk
Dave Clark

Let’s roll!

Chase Dimond

Top Ecommerce Email Marketer & Agency Owner | We’ve sent over 1 billion emails for our clients resulting in $200+ million in email attributable revenue.

I help brands make more money with email marketing.

I’m a Co-Founder of Structured, an ecommerce email marketing agency. Since launching in 2018, our team has helped brands send billions of emails and generate over $200M in email-attributable revenue.

We’re a top agency partner for platforms like Omnisend and Klaviyo.

Shopify featured me as a top email marketing influencer. I’ve also received LinkedIn’s Top Voice Award for Email Marketing, and Favikon has ranked me as the top email marketer across social media.

Some of the brands we’ve worked with include:

Poo~Pourri
Eight Sleep
Health-Ade
Mixtiles
Vessi

If you’re looking to hire an experienced email marketing agency, you can reach me here:

chase@chasedimond.com

——

Outside my agency, I run a number of other fast-growing businesses. I’m fortunate to have over 750,000+ followers and subscribers across my social channels and email newsletter.

I’ve worked with companies including:

LinkedIn
Amazon
TikTok
Gamma
Alibaba
Zapier
ClickUp

I work with a small number of paid sponsors and partners each year.

If you’re interested in exploring a potential fit, please email me with details:

chase@chasedimond.com

Founder

My newsletter is your no BS guide into what's working in email marketing - I'll give you the latest tips + tactics to help you drive more revenue from your email marketing channel. 

Sign up (it's free) here: https://chasedimond.com/chase-email-newsletter

Leadership isn't climbing the ladder. 

It's pulling others up with you.

But here's what most managers get backwards:

They serve upward, not downward. 
They protect their own reputation, not their team's. 
They take credit for wins and deflect blame for losses.

The best leaders flip this entirely.

Here's how to lead from beside, not above:

1️⃣ Share the risk, not just the reward 
↳ Put your reputation on the line for their ideas 
↳ Take accountability when experiments fail

2️⃣ Learn in public alongside your team 
↳ Admit when you don't know something 
↳ Show growth happens at every level

3️⃣ Fight battles together, not for them 
↳ Teach them to advocate for themselves 
↳ Stand shoulder-to-shoulder in tough conversations

4️⃣ Celebrate their wins as team victories 
↳ Amplify their voices in leadership meetings 
↳ Make their success the team's success

5️⃣ Build their confidence, not dependence 
↳ Ask "What do you think?" before giving answers 
↳ Help them trust their own judgment

Great leaders don't just reach the top.

They clear the path for their team to get there too.

Defend your people. Develop your legacy.

♻️ Repost to inspire someone 

Сredit: Carmen Morin ( go follow her )

Top Ecommerce Email Marketer | $200M+ Generated via Email

Take the risk.

Because here’s the math:

If it works → Happiness.
If it fails → Wisdom.

If you do nothing → Stagnation.

Why smart founders take bets:

• Action produces data
• Data reduces fear
• Experience builds judgment
• Judgment compounds

Example:

Apply for the stretch role.
Pitch the bigger client.
Ship the imperfect version.

Worst case?
You gain feedback most people never see.

Best case?
You change your trajectory.

Risk is a teacher.

Silence is not.

Next time you hesitate, ask:

What do I gain if I try?

Credit: TheArtidote on Twitter/X

Most people quit right before it works.

Because effort and reward do not move at the same speed.

Years 1 to 2:

You are bad.
You know it.
Everyone else knows it.

Good.

You are building muscle.

Year 3:

You are decent.
Still invisible.
Doubt gets louder.

This is the danger zone.
Most people exit here.

Year 4:

Your skill is real.
Your voice is clear.
Your network trusts you.

Now one catalyst matters.

A post.
A partnership.
A product launch.

And it looks sudden.

But here’s what really happened:

You compressed 4 years of learning into 30 days of output.

Example:

Builder ships 50 small tools over 4 years.
None break 1k users.

Tool #51 solves the right pain at the right time.
Hits 100k users in 2 months.

People call it overnight.

They did not see the first 50.

The playbook:

1. Treat early years as paid training.
2. Ship in public.
3. Build assets, not moments.
4. Stay until the math flips.

The lag is the price.

Pay it.

If you are in year 2 or 3, this is your sign to keep going.

Great leaders don’t need fans. 
They need challengers.
Fans protect ego. Challengers protect future.

(Credit: Mike Leber)
(Image credit: Eric Partaker)

Early in my leadership journey,
I mistook quiet rooms for strong alignment.

No pushback.
No friction.
Nodding heads.

I thought I was leading well.
I wasn’t.

People weren’t aligned.
They were careful.

And careful teams don’t build bold companies.

If no one challenges you,
you might not be respected.
You might be avoided.

That’s not leadership.
That’s authority on paper.

The higher you rise,
the less truth you automatically hear.

People filter.
They soften.
They protect ego instead of mission.

And slowly ...
you start believing your own narrative.

That’s how smart leaders become stagnant.
And confident leaders become fragile.

Strong leaders design for challenge 👇

1. Seek truth, not comfort
→ Surround yourself with thinkers, not echo chambers.

2. Ask open questions
→ “What am I missing?” is a power move.

3. Stay curious, not defensive
→ Curiosity signals strength. Ego signals fear.

4. Reward dissent
→ Publicly thank the person who challenges you.

5. Model vulnerability
→ Admit mistakes. It opens the door for honesty.

6. Celebrate better ideas
→ Especially when they replace yours.

7. Promote the brave, not the agreeable
→ Advance the voice that risks friction for progress.

8. Hire for courage
→ Skills matter. So does backbone.

9. Put data above hierarchy
→ Let evidence outrank seniority.

Policies shape culture.
But your reaction reveals it.

Here’s the real test:

When someone challenges you,
does your body tense ...
or does your curiosity rise?

Great leadership isn’t about agreement.

It’s about being brave enough to be wrong.
And smart enough to grow from it.

If no one challenges you, 
you’re not leading. 
you’re just managing an echo.

Be the leader who can handle the truth.
And build teams brave enough to offer it.

Perfection is just fear in a nice outfit.

Make it exist first.
Make it better later.

Image credit: itsme_urstruly on Twitter/X

Most of what you fear will never happen.

And what does happen is survivable.

Break fear down:

Fear of death
Out of your control.

Fear of shame
People forget fast. They move on to their own lives.

Fear of losing everything
You rebuild. Humans are wired to adapt.

Here is the 3 Step Fear Audit:

1. Define the worst case clearly
Not vaguely. Specifically.

2. Ask, can I recover?
In most business and career decisions, yes.

3. Calculate the cost of inaction
Regret compounds. Avoidance compounds.

Example:

Launch the idea.

Worst case
Low traction. Public flop.

Reality
You gain feedback. Improve. Try again.

Fear says permanent damage.

Reality says temporary discomfort.

Keep climbing.

Most ceilings are mental.

Image credit: iamfearlesssoul on Twitter/X

A fake caring culture is worse than a toxic one.
At least with toxicity, you know where you stand.

Fake caring hides behind smiles.
It says "we care", but means "please don’t make this uncomfortable".
It praises your work in meetings...then ignores your feedback after.

It’s leadership with empathy in words,
and apathy in action.

Here’s how fake caring shows up at work:

1️⃣ "We hear you" → but nothing changes.
2️⃣ "We’re like a family" → until KPIs drop.
3️⃣ "We value feedback" → unless it’s critical.

The result?
Distrust. Burnout. Quiet quitting.

Because pretending to care kills trust faster than open conflict ever could.

Real care isn’t a slogan.
It’s honesty, follow-through, and doing the right thing even when it’s inconvenient.

What’s one small action leaders can take this week to show they genuinely care? 👇


Image credit: Lorenzo D.

Sometimes we underestimate the quiet power within us.

We look at challenges and think
this might be too much.
Too difficult.
Too far beyond what we can handle.

But often the real limit is not the challenge.

It is the story we tell ourselves about what we are capable of.

(Credit: Christian Kampf)

Courage rarely arrives as a loud moment of strength.

More often it is something quieter.
A small inner voice that says
try one more time.
take one more step.
keep going.

And step by step we discover something remarkable.

We are far more resilient.
Far more capable.
Far stronger than we ever believed.

Sometimes courage is simply the decision to believe in that possibility.

Can I share something uncomfortable?

Doubt is louder than effort.

I’ve seen talented people stall
because they kept second-guessing every move.

And I’ve seen average ideas succeed
because the person behind them believed hard enough to execute fully.

Belief doesn’t guarantee results.

But hesitation guarantees small ones.

Here’s the shift:

Stop asking, “What if it fails?”
Start asking, “How would I move if it succeeds?”

Because you make different choices from belief:

• You follow up.
• You raise your rates.
• You apply anyway.
• You speak up in the room.

Momentum favors the committed.

Not the cautious.

You don’t need blind faith.

You need aligned action.

Are you building from belief…
or protecting yourself from disappointment?

Quote Credit: Leadersonlyco

The most influential leaders aren’t the loudest in the room.

They’re the ones who make others feel seen and respected.

Your communication style, empathy, and respect for others don't just shape your reputation.

They build bridges, foster collaboration, and create a positive work environment for everyone.

Active listening makes others feel valued.
Constructive feedback shows you care about growth.
Kindness and respect build trust and rapport.

It’s in the words you choose and the way you treat people.

That’s where real influence starts.

Quick thought:

The dream isn’t the hard part.

The discipline is.

Anyone can imagine the outcome.

Few commit to the inputs.

Big results are built quietly.

Early mornings.
Tight standards.
Consistent reps.

And humility?

That’s the anchor.

It keeps you learning.
It keeps you improving.
It keeps you coachable.

Ego stalls growth.

Humility accelerates it.

Dream big.

But work in silence.

Image credit: Daily__wisdom_ on Twitter/X

Most ads fail for one simple reason:

They focus on the product instead of the person.

Great copywriting flips that.

It’s not about sounding clever.
It’s about making people feel understood.

Here are a few timeless copywriting principles that still drive results today:

1️⃣ Sell what people want. Deliver what they need.
People buy the promise first.
But they stay for the real value.

2️⃣ Features tell. Stories sell. Emotion closes.
Listing features informs people.
Stories help them see themselves using it.

3️⃣ Every word should connect to the customer’s problem.
Your product isn’t the hero.
Your customer is.

4️⃣ Good copy pulls, it doesn’t push.
Curiosity is one of the most powerful marketing tools.
Make people want to keep reading.

5️⃣ Your CTA should feel like a reward.
Instead of: “Submit form.”
Try: “Get your free strategy.”

6️⃣ People don’t read ads.
They read what interests them.
Your job is to make the message about them.

There are also proven frameworks that simplify writing:

• AIDA – Attention → Interest → Desire → Action
• PAS – Problem → Agitate → Solution
• FAB – Features → Advantages → Benefits
• 4Cs – Clear, Concise, Compelling, Credible

You don’t need to reinvent marketing.

You just need to understand how people think and decide.

Because the best copy doesn’t feel like marketing.

It feels like someone finally understood your problem.

👉 Which copywriting framework do you use most often?

Most people treat Claude like a writing partner.

I’ve started treating it like a proposal team.

Once Gamma is connected, you can build full presentations without leaving the conversation.

Here’s the flow I’m running:
• connect Gamma
• connect Gmail
• connect Notion

Then prompt:

“Pull the discovery call. Grab the project brief. Create a campaign proposal.”

Claude finds the context.

Gamma outputs the deck.

Budget, milestones, deliverables. All there.

If I refine the strategy in chat, the slides will evolve as well.

No copy-pasting.
No version chaos.
No losing momentum between idea and output.

One more thing that makes a big difference:

Set up your brand style in Gamma and tell Claude to use it.

Now, everything generated is already client-ready.

This is what AI should feel like.
You think, it builds.

Give Gamma a spin inside Claude. 

https://lnkd.in/eUJ-Skh3

Brand partnership • Top Ecommerce Email Marketer | $200M+ Generated via Email

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The Battle

Sean Kelly

Chase Dimond

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Engagements

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sean Kelly's LinkedIn Performance

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