Eagles Helping Eagles: Alum Gstaad Guy shares 5 tips for building your brand

As an ASL student, ‘Gstaad Guy’ (a pseudonym!) was a sociable young man who was on the basketball and swim teams, occasionally caused trouble and sought guidance from his teacher and mentor Mr. Gladis (ASL 1998-present)—who he asserts changed his life. From One Waverley Place, GG moved to Boston for university, pursuing an entrepreneurial course of study while founding and building a business that didn’t pan out. He eventually found his way to Apple in London, working in tech and keeping up with friends and family through FaceTime. During one of these video calls with a friend who was staying in the chic ski resort town of Gstaad, Switzerland, GG was incredulous when his friend expressed dismay that his masseuse was running late to their appointment. “You sound ridiculous!” GG laughed at his friend. “You tell him!” was his friend’s mother’s response. GG decided to show them instead. He quickly made a video impersonating his pal and poking fun of his ludicrously lavish après-ski experiences. The video went viral, and a few months later, strangers in London recognized GG on the street. “You’re the Gstaad guy!” they exclaimed. Today, GG is a luxury brand ambassador, founder of a wine company and is about to launch a charm jewelry brand. Here, he shares his top tips for honing the skills you need for your start-up ( and for your life).

1) Consider your friends carefully. When asked what he would change about his ASL experience, GG wishes he had been less influenced by the social dynamics of high school. “It’s important to interact with people who create value for you, and support you,” he explains, adding that friends shouldn’t stand in the way of your authenticity. Later on, when GG was ready to commit to his video content full time as a new career path, he heard from numerous naysayers who thought he was making a big mistake, professionally and personally. But GG stuck to his gut and resolutely ignored these critics. “Don’t listen to anyone who isn’t aligned with your vision or your path,” he advises. 

2) Be persistent. GG is now a recognizable influencer (with some celebrity cache, if the Middle School students milling around him during his campus visit is any indication). But it took years, several setbacks and a start-up that went bust before he successfully built his brand. GG recalled his initial disappointment that he was accepted to his first-choice university mid-year, meaning he would start college a semester later than his peers. He was able to use his deferment as an opportunity to start a business, however, which he continued to grow as a freshman and sophomore. That business helped him land a study program in California, where he developed important start-up skills. Eventually, his start-up became bankrupt—another disappointment for GG. But he leveraged this experience to gain employment at Apple in London. When some of his videos went viral, he reached out to the marketing team of one of the luxury brands his videos featured to request a meeting about a potential partnership. “They ignored me for a year,” GG remembers. But he didn’t give up! Eventually they took a meeting, and the rest is history.

3) Know your audience. A self-described “absurdist” in the same genre as Larry David and other comedians, GG found a niche market by appealing to a subset of people who lead an “ultra high-end” lifestyle. “This group is obsessed with excellence,” he says. By understanding their unique tastes, clothing and sensibility, GG found a way to market to them effectively.

4) Hedge the risk. While GG became an influencer by a “happy accident,” he was careful in his approach to building and monetizing his own brand. “Passion can be built,” he shares. “I saw an opportunity for impact and decided to put hours into it.” He invested his time without giving up his job or his education, however—working full-time at Apple and then using his evenings and weekends to create content. “You can take risks, and follow your heart, but you don’t have to be reckless,” GG offers.




5) Keep your sense of humor. For GG, the seed of his success stemmed from his love of a good joke. “Humor is a good way to market to others,” he suggests. “It allows people to participate. My current career is about laughing and celebrating absurd things—and I love what I do.”