Can high-earning creators investing in Gumroad's March 2021 funding round cultivate an owner-operator mindset to enhance revenue and enterprise value?

Guest: I think certainly it could play out that way. I think it's an extremely clever strategy.

I think it's very interesting and certainly gives creators some skin in the game. It can change how they behave and change how they think about the economics of being on Gumroad versus being on other platforms. Because certainly if I'm a shareholder in a company I'm far more likely to overlook faults or overlook things that might be less than how I want them, in favor of supporting that company and increasing value for myself as a shareholder. 

My concern would be that the people who speak publicly or speak privately about being interested in investing in Gumroad are generally already pretty ardent supporters of Gumroad. Some people have been on their top 10 highest star creators list. Some people have been vocal proponents of Sahil and Gumroad.

So I'm not certain where the overlap is of creators, who like Gumroad, but might switch and creators who are interested in investing in this round. 

Of course, that could change in the future. Of course, they could raise a lot more money in subsequent rounds and capture a lot more creators who might be on the fence. Right now, my hunch is that they are essential, not preaching to the choir, but raising money from the choir. 

I'm not sure if that's going to make a fundamental difference in how those people think about their business on Gumroad, however, I think certainly what you're describing could play out if they're able to capture creators outside of that circle and get those folks to invest.