How Smart Creators Are Engineering Their Own Exits

THE DROP

_{Insights, launches, and strategy from inside the creator economy.}

NOTES FROM THE EDITOR

The Drop is coming strong for Week 5, and we’re zooming out. This edition is all about brand evolution, big exits, and the backend moves powering creator empires.

• In terms of influencer news, Hailey Bieber just sold a minority stake in Rhode to e.l.f. Beauty — a deal that reportedly values the brand at $200M+. It’s not just about celebrity clout; it’s about building with structure, margin, and a clear lane.

• Meanwhile, Selery Fulfillment Inc. acquired the logistics arm of Fan of a Fan, scooping up three warehouses and a proprietary system to fuel a new fulfillment hub in Ontario, CA. Infrastructure is the new flex.

The takeaway? Creators who treat their brands like real businesses — with scale, ops, and IP — are the ones getting the exit. Let’s break it down.

Just In

Hailey Bieber Sells Rhode in $1 Billion Deal With E.l.f. Beauty

One hour ago, influencer news broke that’s already shaking the industry.

E.l.f. Beauty is acquiring Rhode, Hailey Bieber’s skincare line, in a massive deal valued at $1 billion — marking one of the biggest influencer acquisitions to date. The move signals a major step deeper into premium skincare for E.l.f., a company best known for TikTok virality.

But Rhode is different. Launched just three years ago, it’s done $212 million in direct-to-consumer sales with just ten products — no retail footprint, no paid media blitz. It was built on focus, margins, and Bieber’s cultural capital. Now, that focus is going global.

The deal includes $800 million in cash and stock, with another $200 million on the table if Rhode hits performance targets. Bieber will stay on as Chief Creative Officer, steering product innovation and branding — the very engine that got Rhode to this level in record time.

E.l.f.’s CEO Tarang Amin summed it up best: “In 34 years, I’ve never seen anything scale like this.”

This isn’t just a win for celebrity brands. It’s proof that creator brands need to prepare for exits.

Major Company Exit

Fan of a Fan Built the Machine — Now They’re Passing the Keys

It’s official. Fan of a Fan, the quiet powerhouse behind some of the creator world’s most iconic merch brands, just sold its entire fulfillment arm to Selery Fulfillment Inc. in a multi-million dollar deal.

It all started with Yes Theory. A group of creators chasing discomfort who didn’t just launch a movement — they launched a merch empire. When Seek Discomfort took off, the challenge wasn’t content. It was fulfillment. So they decided to build it themselves.

That behind-the-scenes engine became Fan of a Fan — a creator-founded company that quietly powered some of the most iconic drops in digital media. Channel 5, Colin & Samir, Kelly Wakasa, Divorced Dads — all shipped through Fan of a Fan.

Now, after years of bootstrapped growth and millions of orders, Fan of a Fan is selling its entire fulfillment division to Selery Fulfillment Inc. in a multi-million dollar deal. The acquisition includes three warehouses and a proprietary logistics system — all set to fold into a brand-new, state-of-the-art hub in Ontario, California launching this month.

But, Fan of a Fan isn’t going anywhere. The agency side stays independent, with founder Ryan Westberg remaining at the helm and joining Selery’s C-suite. This is less of a goodbye and more of a baton pass: the ops go to Selery, the storytelling stays in-house.

It’s a rare thing — a creator-born company scaling real infrastructure without outside capital. And now, with Selery running fulfillment and Fan of a Fan back in the lab, both sides get to go faster, sharper, bigger.

Opinion Piece

Everyone Wants the Drop. Few Prepare for the Exit.

It’s easy to glamorize the headline: $1 billion for Rhode. Multi-million sale for Fan of a Fan. But those exits didn’t just happen — they were engineered.

Creators often obsess over the launch — the hype, the product, the moment. But the ones getting real buyouts are playing a longer game. They’re building with clean books. Protecting their IP. Systemizing the chaos. Making sure the brand can stand without them, even if it was built because of them.

An exit isn’t a surprise party. It’s a result. And the sooner creators start building like someone else might want to buy it one day, the more options they’ll actually have when that day comes.

Creators need to start building their brands with a long-term framework in mind. By prioritizing the brand beyond their own personality, they’re planting real roots in a system that can continue to grow — even after the channel fades.

The biggest flex isn’t a sellout. It’s a sale. And Donavelli is working with creators to achieve this.