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

We built the first Founderland in 10 weeks.

And almost died.

This past year we gave ourselves 6 months and built an external team to do it and it still wasn’t enough time.

So for next year’s event we decided to make the build a year-round affair…

And are focused on making Founderland a brand that lives throughout the year, not just as once-every-October event.

It’s funny to see how random ideas become full-time jobs lol

Took a quick trip to NYC this week to discuss Founderland ‘26 with one of our top partners J.P. Morgan  

The verdict?

It’s going to be big. 

Perhaps not as big as JPM’s new $3B global HQ at 270 Park Ave (most spectacular office I’ve been in w/ a Warhol or Jasper Johns around every corner)…

But still pretty big and lots of fun with a yuge amount of deals commenced (misspelling intentional)

Thanks for the tour Michael Conte you’re a legend and friend.

And glad to see you’re carrying Ancient Crunch Inc. MASA chips in all of your shops!

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Current health travel stack:

Zoomed off to NYC, Philly and Austin this week.

Back to back meetings all day, late dinners and sports games at night, and planes trains and automobiles like we all know.

Seems like 1/2 of the people I’ve met have a cold.

Here’s what I take on the road to feel good while away…

and do my best to arrive home feeling not-dead to the fam. Works most of the time ;)

 - Sinus rinse bottle filled with filtered water, betadine and salt/baking soda (use after every flight, likely illness prevention tactic #1)

- Zinc acetate lozenges if I’m feeling worn down or fatigued

- KetoneIQ every morning when I wake up to get that cognitive boost

- Momentous whey protein, plant protein, and creatine (10g) + Supergut fiber blended 1-2x per day to supplement diet

- Momentous Sleep pack + medical mouth tape + sleep mask every night

- Metal shaker bottle that doesn’t get gross

- Some type of hydration packets 2x/day minimum (right now using Dry Water)

- WIP 100mg energy pouches for a little boost early in the day usually before workout

- Another ~20 or so supplements in my vitamin case that I pre-fill for each day prior to the week

Sure, sleep/nutrition/exercise are essential and the most  important…but it’s near impossible to not sacrifice them a bit while playing the part of road warrior…so at least for me, travel supplementation is key.

Momentous Ketone-IQ DryWater Supergut

Evan Nierman

Red Banyan

Red Banyan is a strategic communications firm specializing in public relations, crisis management and marketing.  Red Banyan Group combines creative thinking, steady judgment shaped by experience and a relentless commitment to achieving results for its clients.  Red Banyan offers a wide array of services, including: media relations, crisis management, marketing, corporate communications, litigation support, social and digital media, copywriting and editing and media training.

Founder and CEO

Entrepreneurs'​ Organization

Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) Member 

Green Bullion Financial Services

Director of Public Relations

Saylor Company

Principal

AIPAC

Editorial Director and Executive Editor of Near East Report

Communications Associate and Managing Editor of Near East Report

Communications Assistant

Founder & CEO, Red Banyan PR | Author of Top-Rated Newsletter on Communications Best Practices

My team and I are focusing on STRATEGY and RESULTS. I lead an international PR and crisis management firm that exists to press the truth.  We empower clients to achieve business goals using strategic communications. We specialize in crisis management, high-stakes PR, and complex assignments requiring creative thinking, steady judgment shaped by experience and a relentless commitment to exceeding expectations.

Red Banyan Group is a strategic communications firm specializing in public relations, crisis management and marketing.  Red Banyan Group combines creative thinking, steady judgment shaped by experience and a relentless commitment to achieving results for its clients.  Red Banyan offers a wide array of services, including: media relations, crisis management, marketing, corporate communications, litigation support, social and digital media, copywriting and editing and media training.

Titles change. Companies reorganize. Projects end.
But your mission is what stays.

I see this every day in crisis PR.

People who attach themselves to roles, personalities, or status lose direction the moment pressure rises.

People who attach themselves to a mission stay steady even when the narrative falls apart.

In high-pressure situations the difference is striking:

a.) Leaders who cling to titles look for protection.
b.) Leaders who cling to purpose create solutions.

When a leader centers their compass on a goal instead of ego, the team immediately knows how to respond under pressure.

This shapes reputation from the inside long before the outside world sees it.

If you want stability in difficult moments, start here:

Anchor yourself to values, not positions.

Positions shift. Integrity remains.

Focus on mission, not personalities.

Preferences crack under pressure. 

Mission keeps direction.

Build a culture where purpose leads and titles follow.

This creates a team that holds together even when the silence gets uncomfortable.

In crisis PR, purpose is the most reliable navigation tool.

Reputation begins at the point where you choose to attach yourself.

Follow Evan Nierman for insights on crisis PR, leadership under pressure, and reputation management.

A reality check for any leader: 
Your crisis plan is only as strong as the person who goes first.

Most teams assume a crisis will activate responsibility automatically.

They think the plan will guide everyone.

They expect people to step in at the right moment.

But crises do not work that way.

The real breakdown happens when every person waits for a signal that never comes.

Hesitation does more damage than the crisis itself.

A crisis-ready team runs on four behaviors:

1. Awareness → People notice early signs instead of assuming “it will pass.”
Awareness stops problems before they spread.

2. Initiative → Someone steps forward even if it is not part of their role.
Initiative prevents escalation.

3. Communication → Information moves quickly and clearly.
No gaps, no guessing, no confusion.

4. Follow-through → What starts gets finished.
No loose ends for the public to fill with their own narrative.

Without these behaviors, plans stay on paper and the crisis gains control.

With them, the team acts with clarity and the situation stabilizes before it spirals.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis leadership and responsible communication.

Reputation is what people believe about you. 
Character is who you are when no one is watching.

You can shape reputation.

You choose your message, control the narrative, and manage how you appear in public.

Character is different.

It is built in the unseen moments.

In choices that cost you something.

In how you treat people who cannot offer you anything in return.

Here is the truth many leaders learn late:

Reputation without character looks strong until pressure hits. 

Then it collapses.

Reputation is external. 

Character is internal.

When they do not align, that gap becomes the crisis.

You can polish reputation.

You cannot fake character.

People may believe the image for a while.

But character shows itself over time in patterns and consistency.

Character is what survives the crisis.

If it is real, you rebuild.

If it is not, everything falls apart.

Leaders who last are not the ones with the best PR.

They are the ones whose private behavior matches their public words.

Reputation may open the door.

Character is what keeps you in the room.

Follow Evan Nierman for weekly insights on leadership, integrity and what endures.

In every crisis, the same problem appears:
everyone waits for someone else.

Most crises don’t escalate because of external pressure.

They escalate because of internal silence.

In organizations without a clear chain of responsibility, the same pattern emerges: everyone assumes it’s “someone else’s job.”

And while that pause drags on, the internet becomes the spokesperson.

A vacuum in a crisis never stays empty.

If you don’t fill it, the narrative will.

Leadership in a crisis isn’t delegation.

Leadership means the first sentence, the first move, and the first signal come from you not from the chaos around you.

The most dangerous phrase in crisis PR is: “I assumed.”

When a crisis hits, it must be unmistakably clear who speaks, who leads, and who owns the response because while the team hesitates, the reputation burns.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis PR and reputation management.

Most leaders think crises are created by events. 
They’re not.

They’re created by reactions.

I’ve seen smart, capable people escalate a small issue into a headline simply because they responded from emotion, not intention.

In crisis PR, the situation is rarely the real problem.

The perception of the situation is.

And perception is shaped by how you respond under pressure.

Here’s the truth:

Calm is a strategy. 
Composure is communication. 
Your reaction becomes the story.

Leaders who pause, reframe, and respond with clarity protect their credibility.

Leaders who react impulsively hand their narrative to others.
Your reputation isn’t defined by what happens to you —
but by how you handle it.

Steady leadership keeps small problems from becoming public ones.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis PR and reputation management.

Inter Miami didn’t just get a superstar when Messi arrived.
They also got a masterclass in leadership.

Five lessons from “Professor Messi” that translate far beyond the pitch:

1. Vision comes first.

Miami's ownership had a clear vision before Messi showed up.

Talent works best when the direction is already set.

2. The right team changes everything.

Messi didn’t win alone.

He won with players who complemented him, and created chemistry.

Organizations succeed the same way.

3. Consistency creates excellence.

Messi's greatness isn’t just magic.

It’s also years of disciplined habits, consummate preparation, and daily repetition.

Teams rise when leaders model that level of commitment.

4. Standards shape culture.

When expectations rise, performance rises.

Shared accountability—not slogans—builds winning environments.

5. Calm leadership inspires confidence.

Messi doesn’t lead with the volume of his voice.

He leads with composure and action.

His presence settles pressure instead of adding to it.

These lessons apply to any leader in any industry.

Clarity, consistency, culture, and calm decision-making—
those elevate teams and transform organizations.

Follow for weekly insights on leadership and performance under pressure.

They didn’t just launch a musical.
They launched a movement.

When Wicked: For Good broke box office records, it wasn’t just the loyal fanbase driving sales—it was the strategic PR and marketing plan that turned the show into a cultural event.

Here’s what I see happen all the time:

Brands invest heavily in product or service, but fail to recognize that storytelling is what transforms a campaign into a movement.

The Wicked success didn’t happen by chance. It happened because the PR strategy didn’t just tell a story—it shaped the narrative.

The lesson? 

Great PR doesn’t just follow trends. 

It creates them.

In a media landscape that’s constantly shifting, brands need to understand that perception is reality.

When you control the narrative, you create buzz. 

You drive engagement. 

You spark conversations.

But waiting for the perfect moment to launch, or refining a campaign until it’s “just right,” can leave you trailing behind. 

The best marketing strategies are those that take action before perfection.
Take action. Shape the conversation.

In the case of Wicked: For Good, it was the PR strategy that got them to the top.

The verdict doesn't matter if you've already lost in the court of public opinion. Litigation PR has changed.

It used to be simple: Don't comment on pending litigation. 

Let the lawyers handle it. 

Stay quiet until the judge rules.

That strategy doesn't work anymore.

Because while your legal team is preparing motions, the other side is shaping the narrative on social media, cable news, and in the press.

And by the time the case settles or goes to trial, public perception is already locked in.

Here's what's different now:

The court of public opinion moves faster than the courtroom.

A lawsuit gets filed. 

Within hours, it's trending.

You can't wait 18 months for discovery to tell your side of the story.

The damage is happening now.

Silence reads as guilt.

"No comment" used to be safe.

Now it looks like evasion.

If you're not telling your story, someone else will and their version will stick.

Juries Google.

Even when judges instruct them not to, jurors search for information.

What they find online influences how they interpret the evidence in court.
Settlements don't erase headlines.

You can settle the case. 

You can't settle the reputation damage.

If the narrative is "they did something wrong and paid to make it go away," that story lives forever.

What effective litigation PR looks like today:

1. Legal and PR working together from day one. Not as adversaries. As partners with a shared goal: protect the client.

2. Proactive messaging that tells your side without compromising the case. You can communicate strategically while respecting legal boundaries.

3. Stakeholder management beyond the courtroom. Employees. Investors. Customers. They're making decisions now based on what they see—not waiting for a verdict.

4. Digital reputation management. Ensuring your narrative isn't buried by the opposition's spin.

The goal isn't to win the PR battle and lose the legal one.

It's to protect your reputation while you fight the case—so when it's over, you still have a business to run.

Litigation PR isn't optional anymore.

It's essential.

Because even if you win in court, losing in public can cost you everything.

Follow for weekly insights on litigation communications and reputation protection.

Five words that never work in a crisis:
"It was just a joke."

I’ve heard this defense after an offensive tweet, a tone-deaf comment, or a video that “wasn’t meant seriously.”

Every time, it makes things worse.

Intent doesn't matter. Impact does.

You may have meant it as humor, but if it landed as hurtful or dismissive, that is what counts.

Explaining your intent doesn't erase the impact. 

It only sounds like avoiding accountability.

Humor doesn't land the same for everyone.

What is funny to you may be insulting to someone else.

Sarcasm gets lost. Tone gets misread.

And you do not get to control how people receive it.

"Just joking" sounds like minimizing.

People hear:

"You're overreacting."
"You're too sensitive."
"I'm not responsible."

That never ends well.

The internet doesn't care about your intentions.

A joke that fails in a room is awkward.

A joke that fails online is permanent.

Screenshots keep the words, not the tone.

What to do instead:

Own the impact.

"I meant it as humor, but I see how it landed, and I'm sorry."

Skip the justification.

Don't explain why they shouldn't be offended. 

Acknowledge that they are.

Know your audience.

Not every joke fits every context.

The best communicators understand this:

You don’t decide how your words are received.

You only decide whether you'll stand by them or own the mistake.

Follow for weekly insights on communication, accountability, and reputation.

Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights, but in our lifetimes, there has not been a darker time for the Jewish people. Thankfully, light and hope will never be extinguished; and we see flashes of this truth every day.

At Bondi Beach in Australia a courageous man named Ahmed al Ahmed risked his life to disarm one of the shooters and prevent further loss of life when sick terrorists targeted innocent Jewish people celebrating their faith.

This man’s heroism was on full display, captured on video. He was himself shot and underwent surgery successfully. The fact that he is Muslim is important. It is proof positive that there is good and evil in this world and that heroes and humanitarians exist within every faith, despite the attempts by some to impugn entire religions, creeds, backgrounds, races, etc.

Hanukkah celebrates that strength of the Jewish people to fight back against those who wished to destroy them. It recounts the rededication of the Holy Temple that their enemies sought to permanently destroy.

The Jewish people, including and especially the ones living in the Jewish state of Israel, do not deserve the vitriol and violence that is continuously foisted upon them. There is never a justification for terrorism.

In a world with endless room for debate, there can never be any acceptance whatsoever of the hunting down of innocents and their cold-blooded murder. According to the Torah/Bible Jews are commanded to be “a light unto the nations.” We take that duty seriously, and it will forever shine brighter than those who are doomed to fail in their attempts to spread darkness.

The crisis could have been prevented.
If someone had just listened six months earlier.

 The warning signs were there.
 An employee raising concerns in a team meeting.

 A customer complaint that felt "off."
 A partner expressing frustration in a casual conversation.

But no one really listened.
 
They heard the words.

But they didn't hear what was underneath.
 
And six months later, those ignored signals became a full blown crisis.
 
This is the pattern I see over and over:
 
People talk.
 
Leaders wait for their turn to respond.
 
Listening isn't just being quiet while someone else speaks.

It is actually trying to understand what they are saying and what they are not saying.

Most leaders are already formulating their response before the other person finishes.
 
That is not listening.
 
That is preparing to talk.
 
Early warnings get dismissed as complaints.

 "They are just venting."
 "It is not that serious."
 "They will get over it."

 Maybe.
 
Or maybe that complaint is the first sign of something bigger.

 And ignoring it means you will deal with it later when it is louder, messier, and public.

Listening is crisis prevention.

Most problems do not explode overnight.

They simmer.
 
And the people closest to them usually see it coming.
 
If you are actually listening and not just hearing, you can intervene before it becomes a headline.

The hardest part about listening?
 
It requires setting your ego aside.
 
Because sometimes what you will hear is uncomfortable.
 
Criticism.
 
Frustration.
 
Truths you would rather not face.
 
But that discomfort is the early warning system.
 
Ignore it and you will face a much bigger discomfort later.
 
Everyone wants to be heard.
 
But the leaders who prevent crises?
 
They are the ones who actually listen.

You can't see your digital reputation.
But it's there.

Decaying or building. Every single day.

I call it reputation radiation.

It's invisible. Persistent. And measurable.

Like actual radiation, your digital presence doesn't just exist in one moment.

It accumulates.

Every search result. Every social mention. 

Every review. Every archived article.

They don't disappear when you stop thinking about them.

They compound.

And just like radiation exposure, the effects aren't always immediate—but they're always there.

Here's how reputation radiation works:

It's invisible to you, but visible to everyone else.

You don't see what people find when they Google you.

But they do.

And what they find shapes their decisions before they ever meet you or call you back.

It has a half-life.

Some content fades. Other content persists for years.

That article from 2015? Still ranking. 

Still shaping perception.

Old social media posts? Archived and searchable.

It accumulates over time.

Every piece of digital content adds to your total exposure.

Positive content builds protective layers.

Negative content increases your risk profile.

It's measurable.

You can track it. Monitor it. Quantify it.

Search rankings. Sentiment analysis. Mention volume.

Your digital reputation isn't abstract—it's data.

Exposure has consequences.

Low exposure? You're invisible. 

Opportunities pass you by.

High negative exposure? 

You're radioactive. People avoid you.

Managed exposure? 

You control the narrative.

How to practice digital hygiene:

→ Monitor your exposure levels.
Set up alerts. Track what's being said. Know your baseline.

You can't manage what you don't measure.

→ Build protective layers.

Create authoritative content that ranks. Interviews. Articles. Thought leadership.

Positive content doesn't erase negative—it dilutes it.

→ Address contamination early.

The longer negative content sits unchallenged, the more it spreads.
Early intervention limits long-term damage.

→ Audit regularly.

Your digital reputation changes constantly.

What ranked last year might not rank today.

Quarterly audits catch problems before they become crises.

→ Understand what can't be removed.

Some content is permanent. Court records. News archives. Public statements.
If you can't remove it, your strategy is to outrank it.

Your digital reputation is like radiation:
You can't see it. But it's always working.

Either for you or against you.

The question is: are you monitoring your exposure?

Follow for weekly insights on digital reputation and strategic visibility.

The video went viral within hours.



Erratic driving. Swerving across lanes. 

Tailgating. Confused explanations.

Britney Spears is struggling and the people who should be protecting her brand either can't reach her, or aren't there.

This is what happens when crisis management fails before the cameras start rolling.

Her family, once accused of micromanaging under conservatorship, is now reportedly uninvolved. She's entirely on her own.

That absence is a brand liability playing out in real time.

For public figures, a functioning support system is essential reputation management. Without close advisors and a competent crisis team, minor incidents escalate into viral PR disasters.

What every crisis team should learn:

1. Act before the cameras roll.

Warning signs were there—erratic posts, fractured relationships, behavioral shifts insiders likely noticed months ago.

Waiting until damage goes viral is a fatal mistake.

2. Build a network, not an audience.

Fans aren't advisors. Real stability comes from legal, emotional, and strategic professionals who can say "no."

If no one in the inner circle has that role, the inner circle is the problem.

3. Control the narrative—or be controlled by it.

Her Instagram follow-up was confusing, rambling, unsupervised. It made things worse.

Messaging needs to be intentional. Not every thought belongs online.

4. Understand the cost of visibility.

Britney Spears is a brand with cultural equity, legacy value, and commercial interest.

When celebrities become unstable in public, they jeopardize the long-term viability of their brand.

5. Have a comeback plan before the crisis hits.

Image rehabilitation must begin in calm moments, not after public collapse.

The Reality:

Once the video goes viral, you're not managing a crisis.

You're managing the aftermath of one that's been building for months.

When public figures lack a clear PR strategy, one misstep becomes an irreversible spiral.

Public life offers rewards, but also risk.

When the spotlight turns toxic, survival depends on having the right people, the right plan, and the ability to act fast.

Because if you don't manage your reputation, someone else will.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis intervention and reputation protection.

The House passing the Epstein files bill 427 to 1 is not the headline.
The real headline is what happens next.

Many people assume the release will simply reveal names and fuel public outrage.

They think the narrative will unfold on its own, driven by the documents alone.

It won’t.

The truth is that the decisive moments will unfold in the first 24 to 48 hours.
 
That is when teams move, stories shift and reputations are either protected or permanently damaged.

Here is the pattern that crisis professionals recognize immediately:

• rapid distancing from implicated networks
• controlled statements designed to anchor early perception
• coordinated messaging to shape how the public interprets new information
• quiet legal positioning before narratives harden

With preparation, reputations can be stabilized.
 
Without it, the public forms conclusions that become nearly impossible to reverse.

For a fuller breakdown of what the next phase will look like, see my crisis communications analysis on CBS LA:

https://lnkd.in/eNcjD88i

Excited to be a guest speaker at Broward College today. Sponsored by Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society in education, this event highlights the importance of kindness in our lives and the impact each of us can make. #guestspeaker #browardcollege #education #kindnessmatters #leadership

Even the most successful entrepreneurs have blind spots. 
I wrote this piece for Entrepreneurs'​ Organization's Inc. Magazine channel after seeing how often leaders overlook issues that quietly grow beneath the surface—especially when things are going well. Big takeaway? Success doesn’t erase your weaknesses. It often hides them. Staying aware is what separates leaders who grow from leaders who stall. 
Read the full article here:
https://lnkd.in/ei3ysW-x
#Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Growth #ReputationMatters

Open article: 5 Blind Spots That Sneak Up on Successful Entrepreneurs by inc.com

5 Blind Spots That Sneak Up on Successful Entrepreneurs

It’s not every day your work helps put a client in the dictionary. 
But that’s exactly what Red Banyan did.

Through focused media relations and strategic advocacy, our client’s insights were quoted by Merriam-Webster and cemented into the official definition of “radicalism.” A defining voice on a defining issue—with national impact.
This kind of influence doesn’t happen by chance. It’s the result of precision, consistency, and the right message delivered at the right time.

This is the power of strategic communications.
This is the power of Red Banyan.

See the dictionary citation: https://lnkd.in/eFzcmDE7
#StrategicComms #MediaRelations #ThoughtLeadership #CrisisPR #ReputationMatters #Authority

When a crisis occurs, customers shouldn’t be left to solve it themselves. 
As I shared with Business Insider, hospitality companies earn goodwill by removing the burden, not adding to it. Relocation, refunds, and clear guidance aren’t perks. They’re the basics. Read the full story:

Open article: Hilton's CEO says problem-solving keeps guests coming back by businessinsider.com

Hilton's CEO says problem-solving keeps guests coming back

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The Battle

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