From Jewelry Brand to Growth Machine: Building Heart with Curry Haggerty, CEO of HART Jewelry
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My conversation with Curry Haggerty, CEO of HART Jewelry, dives deep into what it really takes to scale a modern DTC brand. Curry joined HART in 2020 to help transform a beloved creative business into a data-driven, multi-channel brand—and the evolution has been remarkable. From implementing EOS and building a marketing team to running 30 new ad tests a month, Curry shares the systems, creative philosophies, and retention tactics driving HART’s growth.
Building Systems Before Scaling
Curry’s first move wasn’t about campaigns—it was about structure. Working with a business coach, she and founder Hart Hagerty implemented EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to give the business a clear accountability chart and measurable scorecards.
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
That framework allowed HART to evolve from a founder-led marketing operation into a team with defined roles across digital, brand, events, and content—culminating in the hire of a Director of Marketing to carry the brand forward.
Creative as the New Growth Lever
Curry has seen the shift firsthand: optimization alone won’t fuel sustainable growth—creative does.
HART now runs 25–30 new ads per month, testing variations across Meta with ROAS-based scaling thresholds.
“We let the algorithm decide what it likes versus what we like—and we never turn off the ads that don’t perform. We just keep learning.”
The biggest unlock? Authenticity. Some of HART’s best-performing creative comes from whitelisting real customers and internal creators, not major influencers. “It doesn’t have to be a mega influencer,” she said. “It just has to feel real.”
Direct With, Not To, the Customer
HART’s marketing philosophy mirrors a “Direct With Consumer” mindset—building conversations with customers rather than broadcasting at them. Every team member spends time working in the store to hear feedback firsthand.
The brand also uses Instagram Broadcast Channels for community interaction, sneak peeks, and product input—one of the ways HART’s new engraving line was born.
Klaviyo as the Mothership
For Curry, Klaviyo isn’t just an email tool—it’s the central nervous system of HART’s marketing.
They use it for SMS, campaigns, reviews, events, and even retail pop-up automation.
“We’ll run Meta ads to collect city-specific emails before a trunk show. Once they sign up, they enter a Klaviyo flow with details, reminders, and post-event follow-ups.”
It’s a perfect example of using paid media to grow owned channels.
Holiday Strategy Without Discounts
As a non-discount brand, HART takes a deliberate approach to Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
This year they’re testing a two-phase sale—a private “Friends & Family” pre-sale via Klaviyo and SMS (to handle engraving orders early), followed by a broader sitewide sale over the weekend.
The focus: maintain brand integrity, protect operations, and reward existing customers.
Smarter Attribution with Triple Whale
HART recently adopted Triple Whale for cross-channel attribution and cohort analysis.
“I never trust Meta,” Curry laughed. “Triple Whale helps us see what’s actually working and evaluate spend across Meta, Google, Pinterest, and Klaviyo.”
The brand invests heavily in new customer acquisition—90% of ad spend—while staying realistic about platform data: “Context is everything. You can’t look at ROAS in a vacuum.”
Preparing for the AI-Driven Future
Curry’s team is embracing AI thoughtfully—using Shopify’s built-in tools for data analysis and testing Daydream.io, a new AI shopping platform built by the original Pinterest team.
“I think AI is going to be the next wave of influencer shopping—prompt-based discovery instead of personality-based recommendations.”
Key Takeaways for DTC Founders
Structure before scale. Build frameworks like EOS to clarify accountability and growth priorities.
Creative beats optimization. High-velocity testing and authentic content drive performance.
Email is gold. Own your audience, automate flows, and let pop-ups fund your list growth.
Operations matter. Plan for fulfillment realities before scaling demand.
Measure contextually. Attribution tools like Triple Whale reveal true performance.
Embrace curiosity. Stay adaptable with AI and new channels—but don’t lose your brand’s human touch.
Curry’s story is proof that the best DTC operators are both analytical and creative—balancing data with intuition, systems with soul, and scale with authenticity.