We recently connected with Sarah Hardwick and have shared our conversation below.
Sarah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.
After running a marketing agency for 20+ years, I found a company that I believed in so much that I sold my business and joined the team full-time. The company was Aptera, a radically new vehicle that was powered by the sun.
I was inspired by the mission of the company, and I knew there were others who believed that Aptera had the potential to change the world. However, the idea of solar mobility didn’t exist and it seemed like an impossibility to most. In order to bring Aptera’s vehicle to market, we had to attract people who shared our values and motivate them to create a future that would benefit the planet and future generations.
One of the most impactful ways we brought the community together was through our ambassador program, which included 800 volunteers from around the world. While they ranged in age from high school to centenarians (100 years old!), they all shared a common vision and we mobilized them to action.
When Aptera first launched, the goal was to achieve 5,000 vehicle reservations. We achieved that goal in a few short weeks after our YouTube launch video went viral and had over one million views. Seeing the huge potential, we restructured the company with the goal of making solar mobility a reality for all.
Realizing the power of the community, Aptera launched a crowdfunding campaign that has raised over $100 million. The company currently has over 47,000 vehicle reservations valued at over $1.6 billion, 17,000 investors and 800 global ambassadors.
Leading the marketing and crowdfunding for Aptera has inspired me to realize that anything is possible, and I am excited to take that expertise to other deserving companies working to make the world a better place.
Sarah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Sarah is a dynamic entrepreneur, agency owner and digital marketer. She blazed her own trail for 20+ years as the founder and CEO of Zenzi Communications, a groundbreaking firm that reshaped the way brands connect with audiences. Under her leadership, Zenzi became synonymous with creative disruption, pushing the boundaries of traditional marketing to build authentic and engaging values-based connections.
After selling Zenzi in 2022, Sarah was hired as Chief Marketing Officer at Aptera Motors, where she led a movement towards more efficient transportation — giving people the freedom to do more with less impact on the planet.
Sarah’s grassroots, community-based marketing approach established a highly engaged audience of over one million fans including 800 loyal brand ambassadors who represent Aptera worldwide on lobbying efforts, events and communications.
As CMO, she helped Aptera raise $100+ million privately and through its Regulation A+ crowdfunding campaign, making it one of the most successful in history. Aptera has been featured in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN and many other media outlets.
In 2023, Sarah launched her own consulting training firm to help deserving, ethical and innovative technology companies successfully raise equity crowdfunding.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
After my experience with Aptera, I realized that the best way to attract clients, supporters and investors is connecting with the values of the community. That is something that can’t be faked. As such, I only work with clients that are here to benefit the world, be a catalyst for good and have deep meaningful values that will resonate with other people and can be cultivated into a community and a tribe. I find that living that philosophy pushes away clients that don’t share my values and attracts other likeminded people who care about making the word a better place.
After 20 years in marketing and branding, I can tell you that everyone is looking for the trick or “secret sauce.” What I’ve realized is that what most people can’t understand isn’t your tech stack or your AI, it’s connecting with people on an emotional level and understanding their heart and values. To stand out, you have to stand up for what you believe in, and others will find you without having to lift a finger or do a thing.
As Emerson said, “Who you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear a word you say.” When your values are your message, that’s all that’s necessary.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
When I started as CMO of Aptera, there were many options for raising money for the business. Most traditional avenues of fundraising meant giving away control to large institutions who perhaps didn’t understand or align with our mission.
We were introduced to equity crowdfunding as a new opportunity for raising funds, which allowed our community of reservation holders to share in the investment of the business and scale quickly in a very organic way. We tapped into our fans and their passion for the company and they became our advocates and shared our message far and wide.
Through equity crowdfunding, we were able to align the mission, vision and incentives of the company with our customers and created a new opportunity for growth and scalability and long term loyalty. Without any paid advertising, our first campaign raised over $5 million, and we went on to raise over $100 million. Aptera’s fans continue to be dedicated supporters and lead our movement forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: sarahhardwick.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhardwick/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahZ