171. $100M CEO Explains How to 10x Your Brand with Storytelling ft. Heidi Somers

Collab with Artlist and get 2 extra months for free here: https://artlist.io/artlist-70446?artlist_aid=the505podcast_2970&utm_source=affiliate_p&utm_medium=the505podcast_2970&utm_campaign=the505podcast_2970 The 10 Minute Personal Brand Kickstart (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/personalbrandkickstart What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we’re joined by Heidi Somers - YouTuber, entrepreneur, and founder of Buffbunny Collection. Over the past nine years, she’s scaled her creator-led activewear brand into a movement that women around the world connect with. Heidi breaks down how storytelling became her unfair advantage - from early campaign videos that made women cry, to collections inspired by childhood nostalgia, to the inclusive sizing approach that fixed a broken industry standard. She shares why “pretty girl, pretty outfit” isn’t enough, and how Buffbunny built community by making every woman feel seen. We also dive into the blueprint any brand can use in 2025: Nail your storytelling, lean into influencer marketing, and create innovative products people can’t buy on Amazon. If you want to learn how to turn a vision into an empire, this episode is packed with lessons from one of the most successful women in fitness and fashion. Check out Heidi here: https://www.instagram.com/buffbunny/ https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@heidisomers⁩  SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs Kostas' Lightroom Presets https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresetsgreece COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.the505podcast.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:17 - Using storytelling to grow Buff Bunny 2:37 - The campaign that changed everything 5:03 - How Heidi decides which stories are worth sharing 7:07 - Measuring campaign success 8:26 - Breaking down a new campaign strategy 10:56 - Being a year and a half ahead on drops 12:47 - Pretty girl, pretty outfit, pretty photo doesn't work anymore 13:23 - The new collection content playbook 14:29 - Artlist 15:29 - Pretty girl, pretty video, pretty outfit doesn’t work 17:37 - Solving a problem in a saturated market 21:06 - How Grounds (Heidi’s fitness app) came about 23:04 - The gym can be very intimidating 24:31 - There’s always something you can improve on in business 25:58 - How Buff Bunny solved sizing issues for women’s athletic wear 28:13 - Personal Brand Playbook 28:37 - The cost of the perfect fit 29:27 - The story Heidi wants to tell with Buff Bunny 31:22 - Making clothing for every woman in every size 32:51 - The biggest lessons learned in business 35:05 - Asking Christian for advice 37:14 - Heidi’s best piece for business owners 40:35 - The 3 pillars needed to create a successful brand 42:08 - Influencer marketing 43:54 - Why TikTok is great 45:02 - Don’t overcomplicate it 46:09 - Buff Bunny ad strategy 47:51 - Heidi’s content strategy 49:46 - What Heidi has learned from her personal brand team 51:23 - Evolving YouTube content 53:25 - How to start creating content 56:34 - The future of Heidi’s personal brand 58:28 - Public speaking tips 1:05:09 - Team Trips for team building 1:07:33 - Finding boundaries with your content 1:09:09 - Boundaries as an entrepreneur 1:13:28 - Resilience 1:18:10 - How Heidi and Christian started dating 1:19:06 - The power in having a partner 1:23:29 - Hiring and firing advice 1:27:24 - Travel fitness tips 1:31:17 - Launching Grounds with multiple trainers 1:35:55 - Do it with shaky hands 1:40:33 - Relationship advice for entrepreneurs 1:44:16 - Advice to your 18 year old self If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ TikTok: Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/