Why the Next Billion Dollar Business Will Come From a Creator

Just Grow With It with Natalie Barbu

Natalie Barbu

Education, Business, Entrepreneurship, How To

4.8 • 982 Ratings

🗓️ 21 January 2026

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jeff Frommer sold his bootstrapped creative media company for $75 million, and now he's on a mission to change how creators and startups work together. In this episode, we dive deep into why traditional influencer brand deals are dying and how creators can build generational wealth through equity ownership instead of one-off cash payments. Jeff shares the exact framework he used to build Malka from a two-bedroom apartment to a creative powerhouse working with celebrities and top influencers. We discuss why "impossible has many options," the importance of being famous for one thing, and how to turn your influence into actual ownership. If you're a creator tired of trading time for money, or a founder wondering how to activate the people who want you to win, this conversation will change how you think about partnerships, equity, and the future of the creator economy. 0:00 - Introduction: Why Influencer Brand Deals Are Dead 1:35 - The $75M Exit: How Jeff Built & Sold Malka Media 12:00 - Why You Can Only Be Famous for One Thing 20:45 - "Impossible Has Many Options" - Building a Problem-Solving Culture 32:45 - The Loneliness of Solo Founders & Why Co-Founders Matter 40:45 - Introducing Owm: Turning Influence Into Equity 55:00 - Why Creators + Operators = The Next Billion Dollar Brands 1:12:00 - Context Over Content: The Power of Thought Leadership 1:32:15 - How Creators Can Earn Equity (Not Just Cash) 1:57:00 - Building the Robinhood for Private Company Ownership 🔗 Want to learn more about earning equity as a creator? Visit owm.ai or email Jeff directly at jeff@owm.ai 📩 Continue the conversation on my Substack, The Growth List: https://thegrowthlist.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Get closer to the magic this summer and step aboard our three or four-night Disney Cruise Line sailings from Southampton.
0:08.0	Dance with some of your favourite characters.
0:10.0	Be enchanted by West End-style shows.
0:13.0	Become immersed in imaginative dining experiences and more.
0:18.0	Create magical family memories that will last a lifetime.
0:23.4	Book now at Disneycruise.com.uk.
0:26.6	Subject to availability and conditions, see more on Disneycruise.com.com.
0:30.1	Welcome back to Just Grow With It.
0:31.8	Today, I am so thrilled to have my friend Jeff on the podcast.
0:36.1	Jeff is a serial entrepreneur who bootstrapped and
0:38.9	sold his creative media company Malka for $75 million. After that successful exit, he's
0:44.9	angel invested and now he's gone off to start another company, Oam, which helps creators get
0:50.2	equity into startups, which is completely changing the game with how creators and startups work
0:54.9	together by turning influence into equity. We are diving deep into Jeff's entrepreneurial journey.
1:00.5	We'll talk about how he built Malka from just a two-bedroom apartment to creative powerhouse
1:05.4	working with celebrities and the top influencers. He explore the lessons that he's learned
1:09.9	along the way. And of course,
1:11.3	I had to ask him about his new company, Ome, because I wanted to know how he's turning influence into
1:17.5	equity and what that actually means. And what does the future of startups actually look like?
1:22.8	We've seen so many more creator investors, which has definitely put a spotlight on this industry.
1:27.4	But we've also seen a lot of creators branch out and partner with other operators to start their
1:31.3	own businesses. So let's dive into this episode. I've always been a little impulsive. I get an idea
	...

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