How do you build a wildly successful e-commerce brand when you can’t even run ads?
In this laugh-out-loud, no-holds-barred episode of SHE-talks, Lisa sits down with Viv Conway, co-founder of Girls Get Off – a trailblazing brand that’s flipping the script on female pleasure and what it means to be bold in business.
From gin-fuelled startup chats on a driveway to viral vagina suits on Bondi Beach, Viv shares how she and co-founder Jo created a community-first brand that’s cracked 7-figures, without relying on paid ads.
Whether she’s testing new products in a bathtub or co-creating sex toys with influencers, Viv is living proof that leaning into your niche (and not taking yourself too seriously) can be the key to explosive growth.
From Gin and Driveways to a 7-Figure Disruptor Brand
Girls Get Off didn’t start with a VC pitch deck. It started with two friends, a lockdown, and a conversation about how awkward and overwhelming it was to buy a vibrator. Viv and her co-founder Jo saw a gap in the market between the sleazy, outdated sex shops and the overwhelming 7,000-product online stores. So they set out to make it better: simpler, funnier, and more welcoming.
And it worked. Girls Get Off became a viral success – not because of paid traffic, but because of clever content, community connection and Viv’s willingness to get awkward on the internet.
“Someone commented, Oh, you’re kind of awkward. I’m kind of awkward watching this. I’m like, I know. I’m taking one for the team.
Zero Ads, Big Growth: The Power of Organic Marketing
Blocked from using Meta and TikTok ads, Viv turned to humour, authenticity, and clever collaborations. She shares how her team grew a community-first brand using weekly emails and storytelling, used Linkby and listicles to generate click-through PR and even turned direct mail into a thousand-product pre-sale with a fake bank statement.
“We take everyone on the journey the whole time. And that’s what our competitors haven’t done and what they can’t replicate. They’re never going to be as agile as us.”
The Algorithm Can’t Stop the Girls Who Get Off
Viv gets real about creating content in a restricted niche, what she’s learned about customer psychology (hint: they want the quickie, not the slow burn), and how AI is opening up even more opportunity for small brands like hers to outsmart the big players.
From SEO hacks to automated customer service flows to voice dictation that works with her Kiwi accent, Viv’s approach is all about being lean, smart and scrappy.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✨ How Viv launched a brand in a taboo industry without paid ads
✨ The power of humour, honesty and being your own avatar
✨ Why co-branding with influencers can outperform paid campaigns
✨ Clever marketing hacks that turned a restricted niche into a cult brand
✨ Viv’s take on AI, SEO, and staying ahead of slow-moving competitors
✨ The behind-the-scenes lessons from building Girls Get Off into a household name
This episode is as hilarious as it is strategic. If you’ve ever struggled with marketing restrictions, felt like the underdog, or wondered how to make people give a damn about your product – this one’s for you.
