Why you must focus on the 2-3% of your customers to power your brand narrative and overall growth
Before I co-founded The Honest Company, I was deep in the trenches of the non-profit world, running an organization called Healthy Child Healthy World. My roots are in environmental science, and my life’s work has been obsessed with the integrity of what goes in, on, and around our bodies.
In the world of advocacy, we had the science, we had the data, and we had all the content. But we weren't always moving the needle. I realized a fundamental truth that changed my entire professional trajectory. The key to achieving real influence and driving change is not the data itself. It’s not about content, it’s about context.
How do you tell that essential, often scary, story? Who is the trusted messenger? How is it emotionally delivered? That's the definition of Brand with a big 'B.' It means we weren't just focused on a logo or a cheesy slogan, but on building the fabric of emotion (the conscious and compassionate connection) that you wrap around your product.
For instance, I strongly promote communicating your story in your company’s “About Us” page. That page should be so rich and so deep that it should move you. Telling your story is an intentional connection and the foundational act of building trust. When people know your story and relate to it, that’s when business happens. As you connect to more and more people, you start moving the market.
Building Radical Connection
We knew that establishing context over content and connecting with customers required us to be relentlessly relational from day one. This became our strategy for growth.
My co-founders and I built the company to solve the confusion and fear articulated by Jessica Alba, "What do I need to buy?" We realized the market didn't just need better products but a trustworthy source. This is why we launched with 17 products, aiming to be a comprehensive portfolio of trust right out of the gate.
But the products alone weren't enough. We needed to embed human connection into our core principles. As a co-founder and Chief Product Officer, I did something unconventional to solidify this bond. I personally committed to taking 30 to 50 customer calls per week.
This intense focus was on the most critical segment, which are the passionate 2-3% of our customers. This group includes both the highly aggravated customers (the "fires") and the ecstatic early adopters (the "ignite" element). This was essential because the feedback from this small, powerful base provided the fastest, most effective mechanism for correcting flaws, fueling product innovation, and amplifying our authentic mission to the wider market.
As we grew, my availability became limited, but I always maintained a rotation:
Five Happy Customers: To celebrate, amplify our story, and understand what was working.
Five Unhappy/Churned Customers: To learn exactly where we failed. You must talk to the people who just cancelled.
Five New Customers: To hear their "why" for choosing us and build immediate rapport.
If you’re a founder or an executive and you’re not talking to customers, you’re missing the point. You are in the people business first. This connection is the persistent act of listening that validates the customer and builds that unshakeable connection. We made them feel seen and part of the family.
Empowering Customers to Outsource Their Trust
The personal phone calls and the creation of our portfolio were the very mechanisms by which we built connections that allowed us to earn customer trust.
Our deep listening gave the customer a voice and positioned us to be the resource they could trust. Parents didn't want to be "weekend toxicologists." They needed to be empowered and feel safe to outsource their trust. By creating a trustworthy product suite, we committed to being the knowledgeable standard bearer so that the customer could focus on their family, not the ingredient labels.
Hearing them, understanding them, and solving for their deepest pain points are what earned us a seat at their kitchen table.
Education-First: A Safe Space to Learn and Trust
We didn't just sell safe products but we also built a movement through education. We leveraged powerful human emotions as a catalyst, starting with moms, who are a great force on the planet.
Why moms? Because they are an incredible voice box and amplification mechanism. They can tell the story and showcase the integrity of the science and standards. My job is to teach moms so they could validate and accelerate our mission.
We also cast a shadow on the incumbents, like when we pointed out that major baby shampoo brands contained known carcinogens. We were provoking and prodding them, but we were also shining a light on a positive solution. That it's possible to do better.
Crucially, we spoke to our customers like they were taking a collegiate-level course. I didn't water down the science. I taught them about parts per billion and why that amount (equivalent to a drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool) still matters in toxicology.
This level of transparency and respect creates the deepest possible connection and validates total trust. If your brand doesn't have a science-based mission, find the deepest possible truth in your purpose, whether it’s craftsmanship, sourcing, or ethics, and teach that. When you share the rich science behind your standards or the truth in your purpose, your customers become powerful advocates, helping you achieve our mission to change the market.
Focus on the Mission, Not the Competition
We weren't built to worry about who our competitors were. We were built on a mission to connect and collaborate. Our victory wasn't just sales but watching massive incumbents like Pampers and Huggies create internal SWAT teams dedicated solely to copying us. They were forced to change their standards because of the standard we set.
The biggest unlock for our growth was getting the customer's permissibility to expand into new categories. People trusted us with their baby wipes, so they granted us the right to enter beauty and infant feeding. Trust is the key to brand extension.
As a founder, while doing all the connection and trust-building with customers, it’s also important to recognize the team. Remember the wisdom of my father: Be team-focused. Your team is grinding hard, and they need to be seen and honored. Build that internal kinetic energy, because a brand's mission is only as strong as the people driving it.
When you ensure your team is valued and consistently pursue that deep, consistent relationship with your customers, you create a loyal community. This connection built and trust earned is a relationship for life.
Trust is Your Most Important Asset
At the end of the day, connection is what generates trust, and trust is the currency that drives successful mission-driven commerce.
Trust is not given. It is earned over time and consistency. People are naturally drawn to those who are obsessed and passionate, even borderline fanatics, because they are seen as someone who is caring so deeply about something. This level of unrelenting commitment piques curiosity and, more importantly, grants you their trust. When people trust you, they don't just buy your product—they become advocates, fight for your brand, and grant you the permission to extend into new categories.
Take the connection and trust to heart, and value your team for lasting impact. Don't be afraid to lead with your conscience, to show the gritty, imperfect truth, and to acknowledge that you are also always learning. When you consistently honor that human connection where you make everyone feel seen, heard, and respected, you can achieve the goal of transforming the marketplace for the better, one loyal, trusting customer at a time.
