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Reproductive health and money are two things you’re not supposed to talk about in polite conversation. But Empify founder and CEO Ashley M. Fox and Wisp CEO Monica Cepak built businesses that do exactly that—and they’re marketing them by cultivating passionate communities around their businesses. Atlanta-based Empify is an app focused on bringing financial wellness and investing advice to everyone. It placed No. 145 on the Inc. 5000 this year. In 2024, it had $8.1 million in revenue and 300,000 email subscribers. “If you don’t come from wealth, chances are you don’t feel like you deserve a seat at the table,” Fox said at a panel at the recent Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala in Phoenix. “I wanted to create a company that translated Wall Street knowledge into a language that an everyday person could understand and make them a part of a journey.” San Francisco–based sexual and reproductive telehealth startup Wisp serves close to 2 million women and takes its name from the word “whisper,” as in women should not have to whisper about their health needs and concerns. “We’re uniquely positioned to help destigmatize conversations around sexual and reproductive healthcare,” Cepak says. “We really lean into our community as a way to help break through the noise that destigmatize taboo topics.” Featured Video An Inc.com Featured Presentation Cepak notes that the company has raised just $2 million in funding to date, so “we had to make our marketing dollars work harder and smarter,” Cepak says. That’s meant a focus on community building and conversation-starting social media posts. And it’s working: Wisp placed No. 2,611 on the Inc. 5000 this year, with annual revenue of about $100 million, and more than 100,000 followers on TikTok. Here are Fox and Cepak’s top marketing tips for building buzz and a community around your brand. Get Personal Fox, a former Wall Street trader, lost everything when she set out to build Empify. Hit with unexpected costs, she had to give up her New York apartment and move in with her parents. She doesn’t shy away from telling that story—in fact, she thinks revealing the “uncomfortable pieces” of her backstory makes her more relatable to Empify members who may have had their own money struggles. “I found a way to meet my customers where they were, and I brought them into a space of empowerment,” says Fox. “People say, ‘Okay, she knows what it feels like to not be able to have $80,000 in debt, but she also has figured out how to pay it off.’” Deploy Humor with Care Wisp is known for its bold marketing and social media choices—and for being the first brand to use the word “vagina” on a billboard. Often, the company relies on humor as a way into awkward topics. The company worked with two comedians to create Bill, a recurring character in the company’s TV and TikTok videos. He’s a father of three daughters trying to navigate having conversations about health with his daughters. Despite good intentions, humor can be tricky: What seems hilarious in a boardroom may not travel, and some jokes may inadvertently offend people. Cepak says Wisp tests ads on platforms like TikTok or Meta and solicits feedback before putting major dollars behind TV marketing. “We want to make sure that it resonates,” says Cepak. “We also build focus groups and ask our patients directly, ‘Hey, what do you think about this? Do you think your friends would like it?’” In some cases, customer feedback has changed the direction of ads. Make Customers the Center of Attention Wisp’s focus on customers extends to bringing them into conversations and even featuring them in online spots and ads—a smart strategy as influencer and celebrity endorsements are becoming less effective. “People feel like they can trust their peers,” says Cepak. “You want to hear from someone who’s been in your shoes, another woman who got stuck with a UTI in Vegas for the weekend and was in a bind but managed to get fast, affordable care. It starts with those micro conversations.” When Wisp does work with influencers, it ensures that they have already used its services. As for Fox of Empify, she says she’s also beginning to tell the stories of her members, 94 percent of whom are first-time investors. “My video editor produced a video of an 80-year-old woman on camera with her daughter talking about she didn’t have her money in order, but now not only is she investing, she’s passing down this knowledge and her daughter is next to her and her daughter has two children,” says Fox. Pick the Right Channels TikTok is a great way to amplify your marketing message without a lot of work, says Cepak. “You can produce a few videos a day and very quickly iterate, test and learn, see what works. Maybe one of them goes viral, might take you a week or a few months, but that viral video puts you on the map in a way that is very difficult to replicate on other channels.” Wisp is also investing in creating content likely to be picked up by generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude—dubbed GEO (generative engine optimization) or AEO (answer engine optimization). In fact, in her experience, the conversion rate for GEO is about five times that of traditional search engine optimization. Fox found Empify gets the most traction on Instagram. And she says she hires younger people who can advise her on what’s doing well online and sample scripts. “I am allowing myself to trust the younger generation because I don’t want to master social media,” she says. “I want to be talent, wear the clothes, get the makeup done, and go back to running my business.” Move the Conversation Offline Customers increasingly want opportunities to build offline connections and have in person experiences, and both Wisp and Empify are working to fill that demand. “I go to as many of those events as I can. It’s a moment for real talk,” Cepak says. In some cases, people she has met have gone on to appear in Wisp ads or help with product development. “It doesn’t have to feel super produced,” Cepak adds. “You don’t have to spend $50,000. We can literally be at a coffee shop, and I typically bring some stickers and some swag. It can feel more genuine and authentic that way as well.” Fox is beginning to explore setting up chapters around the country and hosting events where members can sit around a table discussing how to build wealth. “People do want that human connection, even though they can learn on their own,” Fox says.
