Bandit Running grew its apparel brand by putting the vibrant New York running community first. That focus on community helped them become one of the most engaged with running brands on Instagram and raise a $14 million funding round.
Here’s how they did it.
Organic Growth from the Start
Bandit focused on organic, word-of-mouth growth rather than paid ads in their first year. Co-founder Tim West explains: “I was never going to push the product on anyone. And I wasn’t going to take out a paid ad for the first year.”
While slower, this approach built an authentic foundation. “It’s actually a lot scarier to try to build an iconic brand than to try to build a marketing funnel,” says co-founder Nick West. “Building all of these emotional connections in person doesn’t pay off immediately.”
Showing the Real Running Experience
Bandit’s content captures the full spectrum of the running experience, from the mundane to the magical. “We’re really good at Bandit at taking the mundane moments of running and showing you actually how special and lovely and elegant and fun they are,” Tim says. Even the grittier side makes an appearance.
Their Williamsburg storefront serves as a hub, with a water jug for passing runners and weekly group runs that draw 100+ people.
Scaling Sustainably
The West brothers believe in “jogging before sprinting” when it comes to growth. They hosted more than 10 pop-ups in the 12 months before the city’s biggest running event of the year—the New York City Marathon.
This taught them how much to spend, how many staff they’d need, and how many sales they could expect online and in-person.
By capturing the real running experience, Bandit built a brand that stands out from the crowd.
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