June 6, 2025

Reader,

I’ve been watching Aaron Marino since 2012.

Back when he was filming YouTube videos in a dimly lit room, giving guys advice on style, grooming, and confidence. Nothing fancy.

Just a guy who cared enough to put himself out there.

Twelve years later, I met him in person.

And the first thing I realized? None of what I thought his story would be actually matched what he shared on that stage.

He didn’t start out trying to be an influencer.

Or build a personal brand.

Or pull in over $250 million through businesses tied to his name.

He just wanted to own a gym.

That was the dream since he was twelve years old.

The gym gave him a sense of self-worth when life at home was anything but stable. It gave him purpose. So he chased it with everything he had.

And he got there. He opened a facility. He was living "the dream".

Until he wasn’t.

It failed hard.

Legal issues. Burnout. Bankruptcy. He was driving a beer cart just to put gas in his car and help his girlfriend cover rent.

That’s when it clicked for me.

He wasn’t there to tell us how to follow the dream.

He was there to show us what happens when the dream fails.

Because it’s easy to stay committed when things are going well. But what about when the thing you built your identity on falls apart?

That’s where most people stop.

But Aaron didn’t.

He followed a thread. He remembered helping a guy at the gym get dressed for a date. He liked it. So he explored it. No money. No plan. Just curiosity.

Then his wife gave him a video camera. It sat in a box for a year (he hated tech).

Eventually, he opened it. Recorded a video. Uploaded it to YouTube.

​"Men's Eyebrow Grooming Tips" (1.3M views)

Someone commented. “What should I wear? I’m a bigger guy.”

And that single question changed everything for him.

He kept posting. Not to go viral. Not to get rich. Just to keep feeling that connection.

He didn’t make a dollar for five years.

Five years of showing up! Speaking directly to the camera. Figuring things out. Sharing what he knew.

That was the real foundation, just identity and consistency.

And when people started to trust him, everything changed.

That trust turned into a skincare brand doing $25M a year.

A grooming line bringing in $11M annually.

Two Amazon businesses at $500K a month.

TikTok Shop scaling past $80K monthly.

All of it came from the same place: one guy, sharing who he really was, over and over again.

If he had stayed fixated on the gym, he would have missed everything.

That’s what stuck with me.

We think the goal is clarity. A perfect plan. The niche that will finally work.

But maybe it’s not.

Maybe the plan is just a starting point. Something to let go of when it’s no longer serving you.

Maybe the real work is trusting that your identity, your actual voice, values, and instincts, is the thing you’re supposed to go all in on.

That line still echoes when I think about where I’m headed.

So if you’re feeling like your original dream is falling apart… maybe that’s not the end.

Maybe that’s the moment your personal brand begins.

Chat soon,

Seb & Jaz