Genflow

How Genflow Grew into a $100M Agency by Empowering Creators

February 22nd, 2025

Founded By

Shan Hanif

Monthly Revenue

$1.92M

Founders

Employees

100 (est.)

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2016

Customer

B2B & B2C

Founded By
Shan Hanif: Monthly Revenue
$1.92M: Founders
1

Employees
100 (est.): Profitable
Yes: Year Started
2016

Customer
B2B & B2C

Who is Shan Hanif?

Shan Hanif, the founder of Genflow, hails from an entrepreneurial background, having flipped products during college before transitioning into a mundane accounting role, which he left to launch Genflow in 2016.

What problem does Genflow solve?

Genflow helps content creators turn their influence into profitable businesses, sidestepping traditional brand deals and creating authentic, valuable products for their audiences.

How did Shan come up with the idea for Genflow?

In 2016, Shan Hanif noticed that content creators had enormous influence and loyal audiences, yet they weren't effectively monetizing their reach. While working an unsatisfying accounting job, he saw this gap as a huge missed opportunity. Drawing from his entrepreneurial spirit and past experiences in selling products during college, he envisioned a way creators could leverage their audience for business ventures.

Shan's idea was to help creators sell products directly to their followers, starting with a fitness program. Before fully diving in, he tested his theory by launching a mock campaign for a well-known personality's fitness plan, which showed significant interest. This early validation confirmed his belief that creators could successfully launch their own brands.

Though Shan faced skepticism from creators who doubted their ability to sell products independently from established brands, he persevered. He refined his approach by focusing on building a community first, then addressing their needs with tailored products. This audience-first strategy became a cornerstone for Genflow, turning creators into successful entrepreneurs.

How did Shan Hanif build the initial version of Genflow?

Genflow's initial product development was centered around creating a platform to help creators monetize their influence by selling branded workout programs and other offerings. The first prototype was a collaboration with a creator to launch a workout program, leveraging the creator's existing audience for immediate reach and validation. The development process began with a mock landing page and simple Instagram ads to test interest in these creator-led products. This initial version took several months to conceptualize, build, and test before the first program went live successfully. Throughout the development phase, the challenges included convincing creators of the viability of building their own brand rather than relying solely on traditional partnerships with established brands.

What were the initial startup costs for Genflow?

Early 2017 Financial Struggle: Shan Hanif mentioned that he almost went bankrupt, indicating unforeseen financial difficulties during the startup phase.
2018 Achievements: The business hit its first million-dollar revenue year.
2020 Pandemic Funding: Genflow raised $11 million during the pandemic to adapt to changing circumstances.

What was the growth strategy for Genflow and how did they scale?

Genflow initially used social media outreach to connect with creators. Shan Hanif, the founder, sent hundreds of direct messages (DMs) to influencers on platforms like Instagram. By showcasing the potential of creator-led brands, such as a mock landing page for Kim Kardashian’s fitness plan, he demonstrated how Genflow could help creators monetize their influence. This hands-on approach built trust and proved the viability of their business model.

Why it worked: Direct engagement through social media allowed them to tap into existing creator audiences. The personalized outreach demonstrated commitment and understanding of the creators‘ potential, encouraging them to collaborate and explore brand-building possibilities.

Cold Emailing

In the early stages, Shan Hanif employed cold emailing as a pivotal strategy to grow Genflow. He reached out to over 2000 creators offering to assist them in monetizing their content. This method resulted in signing more creators and generating substantial revenue in the first year.

Why it worked: Cold emailing allowed Genflow to scale their outreach quickly, reaching numerous creators who could benefit from their services. The direct and tangible value proposition in emails convinced many creators to explore new revenue streams beyond traditional brand deals.

Audience-First Approach

Genflow’s growth was significantly driven by their audience-first approach. They advised creators to build and engage their audience before launching products. By understanding audience needs and challenges first, creators could develop brands tailored to them, ensuring a market was ready for their products upon launch.

Why it worked: This approach guaranteed initial customers, minimizing risks associated with launching new brands. By aligning products with audience needs, creators could maximize engagement and sales, creating sustainable business models from the outset.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Genflow focused on building partnerships and collaborations with notable creators and brands. By working closely with influencers who had large followings, they were able to leverage these creators' trust and reach to launch successful products and businesses.

Why it worked: Collaborations with high-profile creators provided instant access to massive audiences, driving substantial sales and increasing Genflow’s credibility and visibility in the creator economy. The established trust and rapport with these audiences helped facilitate quick adoption of new products.

What's the pricing strategy for Genflow?

Genflow uses a bespoke approach, pricing its services based on creators' brand needs and potential revenue, without a fixed pricing structure.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Genflow?

Audience is Key: Genflow proved that having an engaged audience is crucial. By building audience-first, they secured customers before the product was ready. This flipped the traditional approach and gave them an advantage.
Go All In: Shan Hanif realized the importance of full commitment. Almost going bankrupt taught him to focus entirely on Genflow, which involved reaching out to thousands of creators to sign them up.
Be Patient: Success doesn't happen overnight. Genflow's growth came from consistent effort and resisting temptations of quick wins in social media. Sticking around longer helped them outlast competitors.
Hire for Mindset: Genflow found that hiring people with the right mindset was more impactful than skill sets alone. Skills can be taught, but a strong, adaptable mindset is essential for growth.
Focus on What's Working: By 2023, Genflow focused on trimming down to what worked well. They cut clients and services that didn't align with their strengths, allowing them to grow faster by doing more of what was successful.

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