Ep 638: Life After the $260M Exit: Hiya's Adam Gillman on USANA, Target, and Going Global
DTC Podcast · with Adam Gillman · August 17, 2026 · 40 min
Summary
This episode offers a deep dive into how Hiya Health, a bootstrapped DTC brand, scaled to a $260M exit without external funding. Learn the strategies behind their initial single SKU focus, effective influencer marketing, strategic product line expansion, and successful transition into retail giants like Target. It's a must-listen for founders building subscription DTC brands aiming for sustainable growth and a lucrative exit.
Key takeaways
Prioritize a focused 'single SKU phase' to validate product-market fit before expanding your catalog, ensuring new SKUs are accretive, not cannibalistic.
Leverage long-term influencer partnerships as a core growth engine, aiming for consistent creator relationships over 3-4 years to drive significant month-over-month growth.
Design packaging strategically to build enterprise value; consider how your product presents itself in the customer's home to foster brand connection.
Execute brand collaborations by reinventing the entire customer experience for each license, which can even drive existing subscribers to repurchase.
Plan for retail expansion early, understanding the considerations for moving from a successful DTC model to brick-and-mortar stores like Target.
Bootstrapped growth is achievable for significant scale and valuation by strategically reinvesting and optimizing core channels without venture capital dependence.
https://directtoconsumer.typeform.com/DTC-Brand?utm_source=podcast-636&utm_medium=podcastSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdam Gillman co-founded Hiya Health (hiyahealth.com), the kids' vitamin brand that launched in March 2020, stayed bootstrapped, and sold to USANA at the end of 2024 at a reported $260M valuation. He and his co-founder Darren still run it, and 2026 is the year Hiya finally hit retail shelves at Target.If you're a founder or operator building a subscription DTC brand, this episode is a start-to-exit walkthrough from someone who did it without a single VC check.What's inside:The "single SKU phase": why Hiya sold one multivitamin for 2.5 years before launching anything else, and what had to be true before product twoAttacking gummies head-on: porous form factors that kill vitamin content, and sugar as "candy in disguise"How new SKUs stayed accretive instead of cannibalistic as the catalog grewWhy influencer was the backbone of a channel mix that hit 25% month-over-month growth in stretches from 2023 to 2025, including creators Hiya has worked with for 3 to 4 years"We want this to sit on your counter, not inside of your cabinet": the packaging and sticker-pack decision that quietly built enterprise valueDisney, Barbie, and Marvel collabs done properly: rebuilding the entire customer experience per license, to the point that existing subscribers repurchased product they already hadThe exit itself: open bidding process, why he can't imagine doing it
Prioritize a focused 'single SKU phase' to validate product-market fit before expanding your catalog, ensuring new SKUs are accretive, not cannibalistic.
What does this episode say about influencer & creator?
Leverage long-term influencer partnerships as a core growth engine, aiming for consistent creator relationships over 3-4 years to drive significant month-over-month growth.
What does this episode say about product & merchandising?
Design packaging strategically to build enterprise value; consider how your product presents itself in the customer's home to foster brand connection.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Execute brand collaborations by reinventing the entire customer experience for each license, which can even drive existing subscribers to repurchase.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Plan for retail expansion early, understanding the considerations for moving from a successful DTC model to brick-and-mortar stores like Target.
