(2026-01-07) If I Were Building Mindvalley Again In2026

If I Were Building Mindvalley Again in 2026… It took me 20 years to build Mindvalley. If I were starting today, in 2026, I could build the same company in 12 months, with one-twentieth the people, and with far less friction, stress, and pain.

I’m actually building this way right now.

We are now in an era where one person with clarity, systems, and social media can outpace entire teams from ten years ago.

Not by working more hours or posting more content.

But by letting identity, systems and content compound your effort.

Leverage Speed comes from two pillars:

• Cloud coding — building technology lightning fast
• Social media — building trust at scale

I’ll talk about cloud coding in a future newsletter.

Today, I want to talk about the second pillar, because this one is wildly misunderstood.

Ten years ago, trust came after the product.

Trust now comes first.

And when trust exists before you launch:

• customers say yes faster
• advertising costs drop
• partnerships appear without chasing

The Dubai government understands this shift.

They know that dominating social media isn’t about influencers or vanity metrics.

It’s about strategic advantage.

For businesses. For cities. For entire countries.

Because social media created PROOF.

And in a world of AI fakery - PROOF matters more than ever.

You no longer need years to build trust.

You need clarity + consistency + content distribution.

In 2026, social media isn’t a marketing channel. It’s a growth multiplier.

It can recruit customers, attract partnerships, and build credibility before you even “launch.”

And it can do it fast.

Don’t Think of Social Media as Content. Think of it as Proof.

Proof that: you’re real, you’re building something, you believe in what you’re creating

Do not clone yourself.Do not hide behind AI.
Do not outsource your humanity.
Humanity is developing a deep distrust of anything that feels fake.

How Founders Are Building Faster Than Ever

This is why building in public is no longer optional.

The IKEA Effect: Let People Build It With You

There’s a principle called the IKEA Effect:

People value what they help build. A psychologist noted that people grew attached to the IKEA furniture because they helped create and assemble it.

Stop Trying to Be a Content Creator

Here’s the identity shift founders need to make:

You are not a content creator. You are a founder using social media to build trust.

If you want to move faster in 2026:

• Pick one platform you actually enjoy
• Share the journey, not the highlights
• Let people give feedback while you build