The Marketing Millennials How to Grow to 250k Followers in Under 3 Years with Bart Szaniewski, Founder of Dad Gang | Ep. 384
Jan 16, 2026
Bart Szaniewski, co-founder of Dad Gang and a direct-to-consumer apparel entrepreneur, shares his journey of transforming a simple hat idea into a thriving community brand. He discusses the power of social media, explaining how boosting posts helped grow his audience before focusing on conversions. Bart emphasizes the importance of a private Facebook group for gathering feedback and building loyalty. He also dives into innovative strategies like SMS marketing and app launches, showcasing how authentic engagement and a sense of urgency drove his success.
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Hats Launched From A Text Thread
- Bart and two friends ordered 100 trucker hats and sold them in under 36 hours, then repeated restocks until demand exploded.
- They reinvested profits, kept posting on Instagram, and eventually sold nearly 500,000 hats in ~3 years.
Use Boosted Posts To Buy Audience Growth
- Boost your best organic posts for profile visits to grow followers before optimizing for conversions.
- Use small daily budgets to buy profile visits and build an audience that waits for product drops.
Community Before Conversions
- Building a community first creates durable demand that ads alone won't produce.
- Bart prioritizes people and audience growth over immediate click-to-conversion campaigns.