Sacha Awwa

With rising costs and delays from overseas support teams, I identified a more innovative, mission-aligned alternative: building a US-based customer service arm by hiring stay-at-home moms. Through a personal connection, I tapped into a network of talented women seeking flexible remote work.

I created onboarding and training systems, integrated CRM tools, and built a collaborative team aligned with our brand voice and customer expectations.

In less than a year, this model helped us reduce customer support resolution times from several weeks to just under seven days while also contributing to over one million followers’ growth across social channels due to faster, more authentic engagement.

This community-powered strategy improved brand loyalty, retention, and team morale, proving that the right people can be your strongest marketing asset.

While at The New York Times, I was tasked with evaluating the underperforming wine club, which was at risk of shutting down. By conducting a full funnel audit—from the initial ad click to purchase to final box delivery—I uncovered friction points in the customer journey that contributed to drop-off.

My strategic pivot was simple yet powerful: I introduced NYT Cooking recipe pairings, thoughtfully included inside each wine box, reinforcing our brand voice and giving subscribers a reason to stay engaged. This shifted our positioning from “selling wine” to “curating experiences,” aligning with our core identity as a media brand.

The change revitalized the program, boosted renewal rates, and tied the offering back to seasonal, story-driven value. It became less about the product and more about the experience, rooted in education, discovery, and trust in the NYT brand.

As part of the founding team for a direct booking startup in the hospitality space, I led the go-to-market strategy focused entirely on community. From day one, we prioritized 1:1 engagement—joining host forums, showing up in Facebook groups, and listening closely to what vacation rental hosts wanted: a platform that cuts out the middleman, saves them money, and puts them back in control. Instead of scaling with paid ads or flashy campaigns, we invested in authentic conversations that helped us build trust and traction.

I organized weekly Lunch & Learns and created low-lift onboarding experiences that made hosts feel heard and empowered. This resulted in a high signal of product-market fit, strong early engagement, and hosts literally saying, “We want you to succeed because this is what we’ve been waiting for.” We’re proving that platforms built with the community, not just for them, are built to last.