QUICK WIN: The Biggest Brands Started With the Simplest Strategies. Here's Proof.
And marketing strategies you can use right now.
If you have ever looked at a wildly successful female-founded brand and thought, “How did they do that?” I want you to read this carefully.
Because this week on the Dear FoundHer… podcast, I am replaying four of my favorite episodes, and will be dropping a behind the scenes look at my own marketing process. I could have shared so manny more conversations that have already been had on the podcast (NOTE: Go back and check out some of the episodes you’ve missed!) But, what struck me as I was pulling them together is this: the founders behind some of the most beloved brands you know built everything with strategies so simple, so accessible, so completely within reach, that there is truly no reason you cannot do the same thing.
Don’t believe me? Here are ten quick wins pulled straight from the two episodes we’ve already dropped this week with Susie Sarich of Susie Cakes and Peloton’s Jenn Sherman. You can implement in your business right now.
THIS WEEK’S QUICK WINS:
1. Get your product into as many hands as possible, for free if you have to. Susie Sarich built Susie Cakes by catering events for free, handing out cupcakes in traffic, and getting her product into the homes of the right people. You don’t need a marketing budget. You need to let people experience and try out what it is that you do.
2. Ask your customers where they are, and show up there. Susie would ask every single customer that walked into her store where their kids went to school, what church they attended, what charities they supported. Then she showed up there with dessert. Know where your people are and meet them there.
3. You don’t have to start big. You have to start. Susie opened one location in a neighborhood she believed in, with a product she believed in, and let the community do the rest. Starting small and doing it well will always beat starting big and doing it badly.
4. Word of mouth is still your most powerful marketing tool. Before Instagram, before TikTok, before influencers, Susie built a celebrity clientele through old school word of mouth. One great experience leads to another. Focus on making every single interaction count.
5. Being the face of your brand is not optional, it’s essential. Susie resisted putting herself out there for years. Her marketing team finally convinced her otherwise. The brands that win are the ones where the founder shows up. Your community wants to know who you are.
6. Consistency on social media is non-negotiable. Jenn Sherman, one of the most beloved figures in the Peloton community, admitted when we recorded this episode a few years back that she had never made a reel and would disappear from social media for weeks at a time. The number one thing that changed her results? Simply showing up consistently. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be present.
7. Start banking your content now. You don’t have to post everything in real time. Start capturing video and photos wherever you are, at work, at events, behind the scenes…and save it. Having a library of content means you will never be starting from scratch.
8. Be social on social media. Posting and ghosting is not a strategy. Commenting, liking, engaging, sharing other people’s content and tagging them, this is how you grow. Social media is a two way street and the founders who treat it that way are the ones who win.
9. Share your community’s content. When someone tags you, shares your product, or posts about their experience with your brand, reshare it. Thank them. Celebrate them. It takes two seconds and it makes your community feel seen, which makes them want to do it again. This is also the #1 way that you can turn your audience into an actually community, which is essentially what you want in your business.
10. You don’t need to know everything to start. You just need to start. Jenn Sherman was intimidated, overwhelmed, and convinced she was too far behind to catch up. A few weeks after committing to show up on social media, her community was going wild. An recently she’s done it again with her latest content strategy: The Back Nine Era. The hardest part is always the first step.
The common thread through every single one of these wins? None of them require a big budget. None of them require a big team. None of them are out of reach for you, right now, today, exactly where you are in your business.
This is what I call SWEEP in action. And this week I am bringing you five episodes that prove it.
Listen to Dear FoundHer all this week for more real founder stories and simple marketing lessons you can apply to your own business immediately. We’re re-dropping some of our favorite episodes M-Th and will have a brand new episode on Friday. Find us wherever you podcast and hit follow so you don’t miss a thing.
And then on April 9th, I want you to join me for a free live SWEEP Workshop where I will take everything you are hearing this week and show you exactly how to build it into a simple, repeatable marketing plan for your own business. Can’t make it live? Register anyway and I’ll send you the replay.
Because if Susie Sarich can build a 26-location empire by handing out cupcakes in traffic, and if Jenn Sherman can go from never having made a reel to showing up consistently and watching her community explode, you can absolutely do this too.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of the episodes this week. And I’ll see you on April 9th. 💛
Lindsay Pinchuk
Host + Founder of Dear FoundHer…
CONNECT WITH THE DEAR FOUNDHER… COMMUNITY
March 31, 11am CT VIRTUAL FORUM WORKSHOP From Strangers to Buyers: How to Craft a Funnel that Actually Converts with Samantha Fine, Founder of Samantha Fine Digital REGISTER HERE (P.S. If you’re in the Forum, please login and get the code before registering as this workshop is included in your membership.)
April 9, 11am CT FREE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP: The No-Fluff Marketing Framework for Small Business Owners Join Lindsay Pinchuk for a FREE workshop to learn the system that helped her build a7-figure business without a marketing budget Introducing the SWEEP Method, a simple framework to help you stop guessing, start showing up, and finally grow your business on your terms. REGISTER HERE
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FEMALE FOUNDED BRANDS + PRODUCTS WE LOVE THIS WEEK
Coco + Eve Daily Essentials Set: Me and my girls used this shampoo, conditioner and leave in conditioner every day while on vacation last week. We loved the smell and it made our hair feel so soft after long days at the beach and pool.
Welleco’s Super Elixir: From supermodel, Elle McPherson, this is Australia's original daily all-in-one greens powder that enhances energy, improves gut health and clears skin. I’ve been putting it in smoothies and I do think it’s helped with gut health. I plan to keep using it to see if I notice any more changes.
ESW Lip Treatments: Another product me and my girls have all been using religiously since they arrived in the mail. We can’t get enough of these lip glosses. And the best part is that at $11, they won’t break the bank. Stock up on every flavor.
Heart the Lover, by Lily King: I loved this book and read it in two days over vacation. If you’re looking for a good read for your next vacation or just for that time before bedtime when you put your phone away…look no further. Also, someone asked me if you had to read the first book first. I didn’t even know there was a first book, so hopefully that clears things up.
Taja Custom Candle: I just sent a giant custom Taja candle to someone who did me a giant favor. This is honestly one of my most favorite gifts I’ve ever received and I love to pay this one forward.