When growing her underwear brand, Woxer, Alexandra Fuente knew that she wanted to foster inclusivity and promote diversity. So when it came to her marketing strategy, she realized that she had to think outside of the box, instead of following typical industry practices. That led her to an unexpectedly effective casting strategy--one that ultimately helped Woxer land on the Inc. 5000 list last year at No. 99. --As told to Rebecca Deczynski

"For our first six months of business, we were on a shoestring budget," she says. "We found models by sending Instagram DMs to locals--but we soon ­exhausted that method. So, my girlfriend, Steph Fuentes, who is our art director, got on Tinder."

"Her first image showed her with a camera, and her bio said she was looking for models for the brand. She got about 100 ­matches; 60 were very responsive and 20 participated in photo shoots, in exchange for free product. That brought diversity to the brand and helped us create a sense of community. Now, we do open-call auditions for paid talent."