In today’s episode, we’re joined by Ariana Ferwerda, co-founder and CEO of Halfdays, to unpack the strategy and philosophy behind building a true community-first DTC brand, and why that approach has worked so well for them.
Ariana shares her journey of launching a brand that struck product-market fit in its first season and grew 10x from their first to second season. We dive into the how and why behind Halfdays’ community-led approach - from the early customer insight that shaped their brand mission, to how they took a different path than the typical early-stage DTC playbook, and how that thinking informs their approach to growth.
She shares what it actually looks like to operationalize community at scale, from their ambassador model to how they decide when to lean on community, and when to tap into performance or influencer marketing instead.
We also get into how they measure the impact of community-led initiatives, what brands often get wrong when they jump into community without a clear reason, and when leading with community simply isn’t the right fit - plus much more.
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
12:46 Ariana's Journey to Half Days
22:57 Product Market Fit and Growth Strategies
33:07 The Importance of Community in Brand Strategy
45:18 Activating Community: Events and Engagement
01:00:20 Measuring Community Impact and Success
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