Braveen Kumar

Growing Up

I used to write my letters backwards when I was a kid. According to my mom, it was a struggle for me to learn how to write right.

Poor penmanship didn't stop me from experimenting with nearly every genre and medium I came across. Poems, plays, blogs, social media comedy accounts, short stories, coding projects, YouTube sketches, satirical essays—all in the name of exploring my creativity.

I got my first paid gigs in high school and university, writing essays for rich kids with loose change (and loose morals). Eventually, people started to approach me with legitimate work, like resume writing, grad school applications, and freelance copywriting.

I even helped a friend go viral with a poster idea for his VP of Student Life campaign (to be fair, I pitched it as a joke and said, "No, that's stupid. Please don't do that.").

By the time I finished school, I didn't have a 4.0 GPA. But I had a portfolio and that trade-off paid off.

Early Career

As soon as I graduated, I managed to get my foot in the door of the tech industry with an entry-level sales job. I'd actually gotten an offer to intern at Panasonic as a Content Coordinator, but I chose a role that had nothing to do with writing at an unknown startup because I hated tucking in my shirt.

I joke about being the worst rep they ever hired. Because the only thing I ever "sold" in my one-week sales career was why I should be on the marketing team.

I was quickly recognized for my easy-to-read long-form content, off the wall angles, and consistent track record for getting engagement.

But even though I was marketing to marketers, I was still more writer than marketer.

Mid Career

That's when I landed a role at Shopify in 2016. I didn't know it at the time, but it would later become one of the most valuable companies in Canada, as well as my career. It was there that I developed a more intentional approach to content marketing that made me a top performer known for my versatility.

During my tenure, I produced some of the most-read content on the blog.

I learned about SEO, social media marketing, product marketing, UX, and other disciplines that overlapped with content. I helped grow a podcast from ~600k to ~1.4m downloads, and shape narratives for big releases like AR shopping and new sales channels.

Being surrounded by high-achievers came with its stresses, but I owe the environment and the people I met for making me the creative doer and strategist I am now. One who can see the big picture of the business too.

Still Writing the Rest

Today, I work with B2B SaaS brands and founders to help them show off what their products can do for customers and get traction for ideas on the internet. Case studies, product-led content, messaging campaigns—stuff like that.

I'm also trying to create more stuff for myself too. Like The Tumblr Poet, The Starbucks Order Generator, and whatever topics tickle my brain on my blog.

If you ever want to drop me a line, hit me up at hey@braveenkumar[dot]com or through my contact page.