Build a Brand That Lasts – What Justin Serra and Shaun Tomson Can Teach Founders
Mike Falkow is the CEO of Meritus Media, a PR and digital marketing agency based in Los Angeles. He is also known for his work as a creative director in former roles at Falkow Creative and Rogue Magazine. He's a published author of the novel Desert Storm, released in 2025, and host of the ProActive Podcast.
Brands grow when vision meets repeatable practice. Two leaders illustrate that balance in real time, Justin Serra at MAKE Wellness and world champion surfer Shaun Tomson with the relaunch of his heritage label, Instinct. Serra shows what it looks like to operationalize a science-driven promise inside a fast-moving company. Tomson shows how purpose and narrative can power a brand across decades.
Justin Serra and the fundamentals of execution
Justin Serra’s leadership profile is not about flash. It is about systems that keep promises. His work highlights a builder’s mindset, translating vision into action and motivating teams to push boundaries with discipline, not chaos. That shows up in how MAKE Wellness frames product, science, and culture as one operating unit, then measures progress against that alignment.
“Your brand is a promise people can verify and a practice they can use.” – Justin Serra
What to notice
Clear operating thesis, wellness as an integrated system, not a single SKU or slogan.
Senior attention on the details that compound, supply chain, evidence, customer experience, and internal culture.
Language that invites accountability, results plus meaning, so teams know what good looks like and why it matters.
Brand takeaway: Your message is only as strong as the mechanism that delivers it. Put a senior operator close to the work, write down the proofs you can show now and the proofs you will earn next quarter, then build your internal rhythm around producing those proofs.
Shaun Tomson and the power of purpose, story, and renewal
Shaun Tomson founded Instinct in Durban, South Africa in 1979 while competing on the world surf tour. The idea came from a vivid moment in surfing, the clear, flowing state inside the tube, which he translated into a brand and a logo that spread to multiple countries. After selling the company in the 1990s, he reacquired rights and has been guiding a purpose-led relaunch with sustainability commitments and a mission tied to his leadership work on The Code.
Alongside the apparel story, Tomson’s books and workshops turned The Code into a portable leadership framework, twelve short promises that people write in their own words. That content fuels the brand’s purpose narrative and keeps it relevant as Shaun presents keynote talks to corporate teams, schools, and communities, not just surfers.
What to notice
Origin clarity, a founder’s vivid moment translated into a name, mark, and ethos.
Courage to evolve, a heritage label relaunched with modern sustainability choices and a broader social mission.
Content as operating system, a simple, teachable method that travels beyond product and keeps the brand useful.
Brand takeaway: A strong why does not replace product, it energizes it. Write your purpose in plain words, pair it with one signature behavior or practice your audience can try today, then keep teaching it.
What both leaders do right
They anchor the brand in a real problem and a real promise: Serra frames wellness as a system that blends science and behavior. Tomson frames personal agency through short promises that people write themselves. In both cases, the brand exists to solve a meaningful problem, and the solution is framed in terms that people can use.
They build simple, repeatable mechanisms: Serra’s mechanism is senior-led execution across product, proof, and culture. Tomson’s mechanism is The Code, a lightweight practice that creates participation, not just consumption. Mechanisms are what scale when the founder is not in the room.
They turn narrative into measurable action: Both leaders connect the story to the steps. MAKE’s communications echo product and scientific progress. Instinct’s purpose shows up in materials, packaging, and programs, not just a tagline. If you cannot point to a calendar block, a checklist, or a line item in the budget, the story is not operational yet.
How you can apply these lessons
Ask whether you can tell the brand’s origin in thirty seconds and whether it points to a problem people recognize. Define one clear promise a buyer can verify within a week. Identify three proofs you can show now and the next three you will earn. Choose one practice your audience can try in ten minutes. Pick a hero product that delivers the promise, plus a helper that increases adoption. Keep a senior operator close to the work that touches customers and partners.
Brands that last feel personal and make a huge difference in the customer experience. Justin Serra shows how to bind science, operations, and culture so the promise gets delivered. Shaun Tomson shows how a vivid origin and a simple practice can carry a label from one generation to the next. Put a clear purpose in plain language, give people a practice they can try today, then build a mechanism that ships proof on a rhythm. That combination, heart plus habit, is how a brand becomes a keeper.
Read more from Mike Falkow
Mike Falkow, Strategist, Creative Director, and Writer
Mike Falkow is the CEO of Meritus Media, a PR and digital marketing agency in Los Angeles. He helps founders and brands turn expertise into coverage, thought leadership, and measurable growth. Previously a creative director at Falkow Creative and Rogue Magazine, he is the author of the 2025 novel Desert Storm and host of the ProActive Podcast.
