How Kōv Essentials Grew From 0 to 7 Figures in 1 Year With Privy

Kōv Essentials built a seven-figure hair accessories brand in its first year by combining community-driven storytelling with email and SMS marketing. Today, Privy powers the automations, list growth, and campaigns that keep that momentum going.

The Challenge

Kōv Essentials was born out of a personal frustration. Founder Chelsea Branch couldn't find fashionable yet functional hair accessories designed with thick, long hair in mind. In 2020, she launched Kōv Essentials to fill that gap, handling marketing, fulfillment, and customer support entirely on her own.

Growth came fast. A single TikTok video generated over two million views overnight, with hundreds of comments asking where to buy. There was only one problem: the store wasn't live yet. Chelsea quickly password-protected the site to capture demand before the brand was ready to launch.

That moment made something clear. Turning social attention into revenue would require a reliable way to capture and convert it. Email marketing became the answer, and Chelsea headed to the Shopify App Store to find Privy.

The Solution: Building a Full-Funnel Marketing Engine

Kōv Essentials started with the basics and expanded quickly. After a strategy session with a Privy coach, Chelsea realized the platform could do far more than send newsletters. That conversation opened the door to cross-sell strategies, cart recovery, and email automation — and changed how the team approached growth.

Email Automations as a Revenue Foundation

Automations became the engine running in the background. Chelsea described them as her favorite way to drive revenue, noting that sales were coming in without any additional effort once the flows were set up.

To date, Kōv Essentials has generated over $143,000 in sales from email automations alone. With that revenue running on autopilot, Chelsea and her team gained time to focus on higher-level marketing work.

Consistent Campaign Cadence

The team sends an average of two email campaigns per week, covering product launches, new offers, brand collaborations, back-in-stock alerts, and seasonal promotions. Holiday campaigns are a consistent part of their calendar, used as timely touchpoints to re-engage subscribers throughout the year.

List Growth Through Displays

To fuel that email engine, Kōv Essentials uses Privy popups and landing pages to convert social followers into email subscribers. Chelsea's approach treats social media as a community-building channel and email marketing as the channel that converts that community into customers.

Privy displays have contributed to over $650,000 in attributed sales to date.

SMS for VIP Relationships

In 2021, Kōv Essentials added Privy Text to deepen relationships with their most loyal customers. The team uses SMS strategically — not as a broadcast tool, but as a way to make top-tier subscribers feel seen.

Before Black Friday, they sent a poll to VIP SMS subscribers asking for input on upcoming offers, creating anticipation while making customers feel like insiders.

The Results: Seven Figures in Year One

Kōv Essentials reached seven-figure revenue in its first year of business — a milestone Chelsea achieved while managing the brand largely on her own. Privy has been a consistent part of that story, contributing to results across every stage of the customer journey.

Key results include:

• $143,000+ generated through email automations
• $650,000+ in attributed sales from Privy displays
• Two email campaigns sent per week, sustaining ongoing subscriber engagement

Chelsea points to two reasons she continues to rely on Privy: ease of use and proven results. As a business owner with limited time, she values that she can build and send an email campaign in under five minutes.

And after two-plus years on the platform, she knows what Privy is capable of delivering for the business.

Looking Ahead

As Kōv Essentials continues to grow its team and scale revenue, the brand's foundation remains unchanged. Chelsea built Kōv around a clear story and a specific mission, and every customer touchpoint — from the website to email to SMS — reflects that.

Privy serves as the all-in-one platform that allows the team to move quickly, stay consistent, and deepen relationships with their community without losing the personal feel that got them here.

Are you ready to see what Privy can do for your email, newsletters, and SMS? Connect with our team today and start exploring.