10 Years of Organic Growth. How???

Hey there,

Welcome back for another bite to chew on.

In this week's newsletter, we're discussing one of the most exceptional entrepreneurs we've ever met. Her name is Adriana Carrig, founder of Little Words Project.

We featured her on the Chew On This podcast for the second episode of Season 3, and wow - she really impressed us.

So, in this newsletter, we'll share a fraction of the insights you can gain from Adriana.

So without further ado, let's dive in.

Quick backstory;

• Little Words Project sells customized bracelets, that each has a unique word beaded to it

• She was only 23 years old when she started Little Words Project from her parents basement, 10 years ago 

• Although her product can easily be copied, she has managed to outgrow and outcompete everyone who's tried to copy her product- through authenticity & community. 

• Her AOV is $50 - so Paid Advertising is extremely difficult for her company

Bite #1; Slow & Steady Wins The Race

Little Words Project began over ten years ago.

In the past decade, Adriana has consistently grown the brand every year.

Not just for one, two, or five years - but for a full decade.

How?

The answer lies in community.

Most brands build a community to drive organic sales and growth.

They often view the community as a nice-to-have or a part of the business.

For Adriana, community is the business.

Let's illustrate what this means.

Many brands treat their community as a performance channel, losing some authenticity in the process.

In contrast, using your community as a Real community means genuinely caring about each member and sharing your authentic story daily...

Not out of obligation but because it embodies everything your brand stands for.

The result? Ten years of sustainable, gradual growth.

According to Adriana, organic and word-of-mouth have been their primary growth drivers until they recently increased their focus on performance marketing.

Bite #2 - Opening their own store.

In 2023, Little Words Project opened its first store on Bleecker Street, Manhattan.

Since then, they've opened nine more stores and aim for a total of 50 by the end of 2024.

Why this heavy investment in physical stores?

Here are two reasons:

A) It builds incredible trust and credibility, making the brand appear more "legit" to consumers.

This is evident in their growth since opening the first location.

B) The in-store experience is unparalleled, embodying the brand's essence. Customers can create their bracelets while sharing stories and making friends.

There’s a clear trend in our industry of DTC-First brands starting to go into retail or opening up their own stores - and that’s no coincidence.

Speaking from our own experience with Walmart, retail can have a pretty significant impact on your business in almost every aspect from customer acquisition to retention.

Bite #3 - Hiring, Ops, and Management.

How do you grow a team from 0 to 50, and what lessons come with it?

That's what we asked Adriana...

We’ll mix this section up a bit, and write it in a Q&A style format - to make it feel as though she is writing this (or… maybe she is???)

Here are her three golden nuggets for hiring, ops, and management:

Hiring & Training vs. Hiring an Expert?

Initially, being scrappy is key, so hiring someone less experienced and training them, or outsourcing, makes sense.

However, as you grow, you need people smarter than you, ready to hit the ground running.

So, past the initial traction stage, it's time to bring in experts who can teach you.

How do you know if someone is the right fit?

The truth is, you don't.

There's no surefire way to predict a perfect fit.

During interviews, everyone presents their best selves, and founders often need to fill roles quickly.

To gauge cultural fit, we use various tools to provide an indication, though it's not always accurate.

Remote vs. In-office?

In-office, four days a week.

The creativity in-office compared to remote is unmatched.

Comment; We at Obvi follow the same approach and feel similarly.

What are your thoughts on the remote vs. in-office debate?

Hire Slow Fire Fast vs. Hire Fast Fire Fast?

Hire slow, fire fast.

Although you may need to fill a role urgently, rushing the hiring decision can be VERY costly in both time and money.

Instead - take you time to make sure you fit the right candidate who’s both a cultural fit + has the right skillsets needed for the job.

On the flip side, you should always fire fast - if you find out that someone is neither a cultural fit nor a skill-fit.

Tool of The Week

For DTC brands like us, site speed has always been—and always will be—our friend. 

Faster sites lead to more seamless experiences for visitors. That means more (and happier) customers, especially given ever-higher expectations for nearly instantaneous responsiveness in digital experiences.

Which is why we use Nostra.

Nostra gives our sites a strong speed boost and leaves us saying…

With Nostra:

• Get same-day boosts to your site speed

• Lower your CPMs & CPCs

• Increase CVRs

• Integrate with other tools, like Gorigas

Visit Nostra now and say #notoslow. 

#ProudPartner

Thanks for reading along.

Thanks for reading along.

I appreciate you spending a few minutes of your Sunday evening with us.

We hope you enjoyed this newsletter - and we look forward to serving you again on Wednesday

All the best
Ron & Ash