Nepo Babies, Inc.
Episode of We Fixed It, You're Welcome · October 27, 2026 · 46 min
Aaron Wolpoff, Melissa Eaton and Chino Nnadi examine how famous names help 'nepo baby' founders and how to judge whether their businesses are actually good.
Summary
The panel discussed the advantages enjoyed by founders from famous or wealthy families, using examples including Phoebe Gates' AI shopping assistant Phia, Hailey Bieber's skincare brand Rhode, David Ellison's Skydance, Stella McCartney and the Kardashian family's brands. Melissa Eaton argued that the main advantage of a famous surname is the removal of doubt among investors, journalists and early hires, but that fame cannot fix fulfillment, customer support or unit economics.
Chino Nnadi stressed that many celebrity 'co-founders' did not start their companies from scratch, noting that Lauren and Michael Ratner were founding partners of Rhode and that Good American's business partner brought Khloé Kardashian in. Aaron Wolpoff found the practice of recruiting a famous face for an existing company somewhat cynical and highlighted the financial safety net such founders enjoy. Eaton cited the Theranos board, stacked with famous names like Henry Kissinger but lacking scientists, as a warning against trusting reputation over expertise, and mentioned she once interviewed there.
The hosts emphasized authenticity between founder and product and urged judging such companies on retention and repeat purchases rather than vanity metrics. Wolpoff closed with three rules for fair play: an authentic connection to the business, a company that could stand without the founder, and using the platform to create opportunity for others. Nnadi urged nepo babies to acknowledge their privilege rather than claim to be self-made, and Eaton recommended choosing partners carefully and rewarding retention over reach.
Chapters
- 0:01
Framing the nepo baby question
Aaron Wolpoff introduces the topic of founders born into powerful families and asks how bootstrapped founders can compete.
- 1:17
Phia, Rhode and Skydance
Melissa Eaton presents three examples and argues the real advantage of a famous name is the removal of doubt.
- 3:52
Access and the Kardashian brands
Chino Nnadi describes the access famous families provide and argues products, not names, keep brands alive.
- 6:28
Categories of nepo babies
Wolpoff distinguishes dynastic successors, those using the name in new fields, and those rejecting their legacy.
- 8:28
After the buzz fades
The panel discusses delivering on promises, succession planning and the difference between acquiring and retaining customers.
- 15:09
Safety nets and who really founded Rhode
Eaton raises the financial parachute advantage and Nnadi explains the Ratners' role in Rhode and Stella McCartney's unpaid internships.
- 20:24
Buying a famous face
Wolpoff and Nnadi discuss the cynicism of companies recruiting celebrities as co-founders, citing Good American.
- 25:16
Strip the story: partners, Kris Jenner and Theranos
Eaton argues to look at who is behind a business, praising Kris Jenner and warning with the Theranos board.
- 30:22
Authenticity between founder and product
The panel discusses why Kardashian brands like Lemme and Good American and Bieber's Rhode feel authentic.
- 37:14
Self-made labels and metrics
The panel questions co-founder titles and 'self-made' claims and Eaton urges focusing on retention and repeat purchases.
- 42:03
Fixing it: rules for fair play
Wolpoff proposes three rules and Nnadi and Eaton add advice on acknowledging privilege and rewarding retention over reach.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Melissa Eaton
Eaton argues the core advantage of a famous surname is removing doubt among investors, journalists and early hires.
“the Nepo baby advantage isn't just money, it's the removal of doubt. Investors, journalists, early hires, everyone starts with fewer reasons to say no”
- Melissa Eaton
Eaton argues that no founder starts from zero and famous families simply have a louder version of the same head start.
“Founders never start from zero. Most already know an entrepreneur, a friend, a mentor, a former boss”
- Chino Nnadi
Nnadi argues that Kardashian brands like Skims survived because of their products, not merely the name.
“the reason they stayed was because of the products that they actually had”
- Chino Nnadi
Nnadi contends nepo babies find it harder to sustain businesses because of greater public skepticism about their name.
“so it's that lasting impact that netball babies i feel it's actually a little harder for them to keep it because there's more skepticism”
- Aaron Wolpoff
Wolpoff argues that wealthy-family founders have bailouts and nearly unlimited resources when they hit financial trouble.
“But they have bailouts. You know, they have nearly unlimited resources at their disposal”
- Melissa Eaton
Eaton credits Rhode's success to repeat purchases of a good product rather than Hailey Bieber's name alone.
“it was actually because she created a product that people came back to buy time and time again”
- Aaron Wolpoff
Wolpoff recommends that celebrity-led companies plan for whether they can work without the founder or survive a scandal.
“Does this company work without this founder? Does this company work if this founder gets into trouble and their name gets tarnished?”
Linked moment · 15:57Skip to 15:57 using a listen link in the info box.
Melissa EatonEaton argues the financial parachute available to nepo babies is an almost unfair advantage because it reduces founder stress.
“it is an almost unfair advantage because that lessens the stress that somebody has to go through”
- Chino Nnadi
Nnadi points out that Hailey Bieber was brought into Rhode by founding partners Lauren and Michael Ratner rather than starting it from scratch.
“And I think again, to become a co-founder doesn't necessarily mean that Haley Bieber started this from scratch from nothing”
- Aaron Wolpoff
Wolpoff finds it cynical when companies have everything except a famous face and go out to recruit one.
“there's a formula. We've got this company, we have everything but the face. You know, who do we go out and buy?”
- Chino Nnadi
Nnadi believes Good American would not be as successful without the Kardashian name behind it.
“But I don't think if it wasn't for the Kardashians having their name behind that, it would be as successful as it is”
- Melissa Eaton
Eaton argues a famous surname helps a good business win but can also make a weak business look good.
“the advantage of having the surname helps a good business win versus it can also make a weak business look pretty good”
- Melissa Eaton
Eaton cites Theranos' board of famous figures lacking scientific expertise as a warning about trusting big names, and says she once interviewed there.
“she built this board of directors that were like Henry Kissinger, like all these amazingly famous people. And yet, where were the scientists?”
- Melissa Eaton
Eaton argues successful celebrity brands rely on an authentic connection between the founder and the product.
“finding something that you're passionate about and that you feel like I can do good here. And this aligns with who I am”
- Aaron Wolpoff
Wolpoff argues some celebrities given co-founder titles are effectively brand ambassadors, which he calls a business play.
“we call them a brand ambassador, but they get a co-founder label. And that's just a business play”
- Chino Nnadi
Nnadi questions Kylie Jenner's self-made billionaire label given the head start her family provided.
“when Kylie Jenner called herself the self-made billionaire, people have to question that with Forbes because it's like, you know, what is self-made?”
- Melissa Eaton
Eaton advises judging such businesses on repeat purchases and retention rather than discount-driven sales or founder-charmed sentiment.
“Are they coming because of discount codes? Are they coming because of the actual product, right? So surveys and sentiment can be charmed by a founder, right?”
- Aaron Wolpoff
Wolpoff proposes that privileged founders should use their platform to create opportunity for others, not just enrich themselves.
“what are you doing with it besides enriching yourself? You know, are you using it to create opportunity for others?”
- Aaron Wolpoff
Wolpoff proposes as a rule of fair play that a nepo-baby company should be able to stand on its own without the founder.
“So if you were disappeared tomorrow, is the product good enough?”
- Chino Nnadi
Nnadi urges nepo babies to recognize their privilege and be honest about how they got where they are.
“if you are a nipple baby, I think it's recognizing your privilege, figuring out what it is that you want to do”
- Melissa Eaton
Eaton recommends rewarding retention over reach and testing products without the famous name attached.
“really reward retention, not only reach. So think about the longevity of what you're trying to build and maybe even test that product without your name attached”
People
In the conversation
- Aaron WolpoffCo-host of We Fixed It, You're Welcome
- Melissa EatonCo-host of We Fixed It, You're Welcome; customer experience leader with a background in call centers and insurance
- Chino NnadiTalent strategist and entrepreneur, panelist on We Fixed It, You're Welcome
Discussed
- Phoebe GatesCo-founder of AI shopping assistant Phia and daughter of Bill Gates
- Bill GatesCo-founder of Microsoft
- Hailey BieberAmerican model and businesswoman
- David EllisonParamount chief pursuing the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery
- Larry EllisonReferenced via the Ellison family's pending control of CNN
- Stella McCartneyBritish fashion designer and daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney
- Paul McCartneyMusician referenced in Armisen's prank on Martin Short at the SNL 50th anniversary
- Kris JennerAmerican media personality and Kardashian-Jenner family matriarch
- Kylie JennerAmerican media personality
- Khloé KardashianReality TV star and host of Khloé in Wonderland podcast
- Kim KardashianReality star and businesswoman pursuing a law license
- Kourtney KardashianFounder of supplement brand Lemme
- Michael RatnerFounding partner of Rhode
- Elizabeth HolmesTheranos founder, subject of the series The Dropout
- Henry KissingerFormer U.S. Secretary of State and Theranos board member
- Meryl StreepAmerican actress who declined to co-chair the Met Gala
- Elon MuskEntrepreneur behind X, xAI and SpaceX, discussed in AI competition
Topics
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From the publisher
A famous last name can get you the meeting, the press coverage and the first check. It can't answer your support tickets, fix your fulfillment or make the unit economics work. So when a last opens every door, how can we tell whether the business behind it is actually any good? Join Chino Nnadi, Aaron Wolpoff and Melissa Eaton to unpack the world of "nepo babies" in business, which we agree is a loaded term. Using Phoebe Gates' AI shopping assistant Phia, Hailey Bieber's Rhode, David Ellison's Skydance, the Kardashian brand empire and Stella McCartney as examples, the panel breaks down what a famous name really buys: the removal of doubt, faster access to investors, and a financial safety net most bootstrapped founders never get. They also look at who's really behind many celebrity "co-founder" brands, and why the Theranos board is a warning about trusting big names over real expertise. The conversation lands on a simple test: strip away the story, look at who's actually running the company, and judge it on retention, not reach. A head start isn't the problem. Pretending it doesn't exist is. Panelists: Chino Nnadi – https://www.linkedin.com/in/chino-talentstrategist/ Melissa Eaton – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mseaton/ Aaron Wolpoff – https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketingaaron/ Connect With the Show Subscribe for more deep dives where we fix big business problems with fresh perspectives. • Website – www.wefixeditpod.com • Follow us on: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wefixeditpod LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/wefixeditpod YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@WeFixedItPod If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your friends! Keep listening to find out how we fix companies and put them back better than we found them. Disclaimer A quick disclaimer. We are going into this somewhat cold and nothing we say should be construed as legal advice, financial advice or anything that would get us in trouble. These…
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on November 3, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.