Latest / Community Marketing with Fexingo: Discord, Slack Groups, and Brand Communities / How a Pet Supply Brand Built a Community That Competes With Chewy
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this pet supply brand called Bark & Beyond. Started in 2022 by a woman named Mia Torres in Austin, Texas. It's a small operation — maybe 30 employees — and they sell dog food, leashes, beds, that kind of thing. Luna: And I'm guessing the big competitor is Chewy. Which is basically the Amazon of pet supplies. How do you even start to compete with that? Lucas: Exactly. Chewy is dominant — they had over $11 billion in revenue last year. But Bark & Beyond did something Chewy can't easily replicate. They built a community. And it's not just a Facebook group where people post cute puppy photos. It's a structured, multi-platform community on Slack and Discord that now has 120,000 members. Luna: Wait — Slack? I usually think of Slack as an internal work tool. How does a brand use Slack for a customer community? Lucas: That's actually how it started. Mia Torres was part of a local dog owners meetup in Austin, and she created a Slack workspace to coordinate walks and share vet recommendations. It was just 50 people at first. But then she started Bark & Beyond as a side business, and the Slack group became the testing ground for product ideas. She'd ask members what kind of harness they wanted, what flavors of treats, and then she'd make it. Luna: So the community literally designed the products. That's a powerful feedback loop. Lucas: Right. But the real turning point came in 2024, when the group hit 10,000 members. Slack wasn't cutting it anymore — the free tier limits you, and the paid tier gets expensive fast. Plus, Slack's not great for large, public-facing communities. So they migrated the main community to Discord. They kept a smaller Slack for their 'pack leaders' — that's what they call their power users. Luna: Pack leaders. I like that. So what's the structure on Discord? Lucas: It's surprisingly organized. They have channels by pet type — dogs, cats, reptiles — but also channels by topic: nutrition, training, product feedback. Then they have a private channel for pack leaders only. Those are the people who've been most active, who've referred the most sales, or who've contributed product ideas that actually launched. There are about 200 pack leaders, and they basically act as moderators and evangelists. Luna: And they do this for free? Or is there some incentive? Lucas: They get early access to new products, a monthly pack leader box with free stuff, and a 20% discount on everything. But Mia told me in an interview that most of them don't even use the discount. They're genuinely passionate about the brand. One pack leader, a guy named Dave in Portland, has referred over 500 customers. He does it because he loves the products and feels ownership over them. Luna: That's the holy grail, right? Customers who market for you because they want to. Lucas: Exactly. But here's the specific mechanism that made it scalable. Every month, they run something called 'Bark Tank' — like Shark Tank for dogs. Members submit product ideas in a dedicated channel. The community votes with emoji reactions. The top three ideas go to a Google Form where members can give detailed feedback. Then Mia picks one to actually manufacture. That product is then sold as a limited edition with the member's name on the packaging. Luna: So you get a co-created product, a built-in launch audience, and a story. That's brilliant. Do you have an example of a product that came out of Bark Tank? Lucas: Yeah, one of their bestsellers is the 'Trailblazer Harness' — it has a built-in handle and reflective strips. That was designed by a member named Sarah from Colorado. It sold out in its first run, and Sarah became a pack leader. She now runs the hiking channel on Discord. The harness alone has generated about $400,000 in revenue. Luna: Wow. So that's a direct line from community idea to revenue. And I imagine the members who voted on it feel invested too. Lucas: Completely. And that's how they've been able to scale without a huge ad budget. According to Mia, about 40% of Bark & Beyond's revenue now comes from community referrals — either through a formal referral link or just word of mouth. Their customer acquisition cost is a fraction of Chewy's, because they're not buying Facebook ads. They're relying on organic advocacy. Luna: But let's talk about the downside. Obviously not every brand can replicate this. You need a founder who's genuinely community-oriented. And there's a risk of the community turning toxic or becoming a complaint forum. Lucas: That's a real concern. Mia told me they had a major moderation challenge in early 2025. A pack leader was spreading misinformation about grain-free diets, which can actually be harmful. They had to remove that person from the pack leader program and issue a public correction. It was messy. But they turned it into a trust-building moment by being transparent about why they did it. Luna: So they had to establish clear community guidelines and enforce them consistently. That's hard for a small team. Lucas: It is. But they have a dedicated community manager now — they hired her in 2024. She's one of the 30 employees. And she spends about 20 hours a week just on moderation and engagement. That's a real cost. So the community isn't free — it's just a different cost structure than advertising. Luna: But if it works, it's a moat. Chewy can't copy this because they'd have to change their entire business model. They're built for scale and efficiency. Bark & Beyond is built for intimacy and co-creation. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the lesson for any brand thinking about community. It's not about having the biggest group. It's about having a group that's actively shaping your product and bringing in new customers. Bark & Beyond proves you can compete with a giant if you're willing to build something they can't. Luna: Speaking of building things that matter — if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own work, that's exactly the kind of impact we hope for. And listener support is what keeps this show ad-free and focused on stories like this one. Lucas: Yeah, if you find value in these deep dives, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to help us keep doing what we do. Luna: And we genuinely appreciate it. Now, back to Bark & Beyond — one thing I want to ask: what's next for them? Are they planning to expand the community internationally? Lucas: Great question. They've actually started a pilot in the UK with a small Discord group. The challenge is that local pet needs vary — UK dog owners are more concerned with wet weather gear, for example. So they're using the same model: find local enthusiasts, start small, and let the community shape the product line. If it works, they'll roll out to other regions. Luna: So the community playbook is replicable, but it has to be adapted locally. That makes sense. Lucas: Exactly. And that adaptability is what makes the community such a durable advantage. Chewy can't easily do that because their model is one-size-fits-all. Bark & Beyond's community is inherently local and specific. Luna: Alright, so what's the one takeaway for our listeners? If you're a small brand trying to compete with a giant, what's the first step? Lucas: Start with a group that already exists. Mia didn't create a community from scratch — she joined a local dog meetup and built from there. Find the place where your potential customers are already gathering, whether it's a subreddit, a Facebook group, or a local club. Then ask them what they need. Don't start with a product and try to sell it. Start with a conversation and let the product emerge from it. Luna: That's a solid blueprint. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. That's all for this episode of Community Marketing with Fexingo.