#319 - From Building a 9-Figure Menswear Brand to Redefining Baby Monitors

In our conversation with Kevin Lavelle, he shares his ingenious approach to building his company, Mizzen+Main, into a fashion industry success. Initially, Kevin recalls the brute force marketing efforts that shaped the early days of the brand, from going door to door to attending events to get the product in people's hands. As their digital marketing and PR strategies matured, Kevin leveraged the power of strategic partnerships and influencer collaborations. Specifically, he cites the company's visibility boost through sponsorship deals, like the one with Tim Ferriss's podcast, and endorsement deals, like with athlete J.J. Watt. Looking into the future with his new venture, Harbor, Kevin discusses the strategies his team is taking to enter the market of baby monitors and pediatric telehealth. Episode brought to you by More Staffing Join 15k founders and marketers & get our pod highlights delivered directly to your inbox with the DTC Pod Newsletter ! On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover: 1. Influential Partnerships for Brand Growth 2. Sustainable Growth Strategies 3. Influencer and Celebrity Collaborations 4. The Tim Ferriss Effect 5. Retail Strategy Insights 6. Prelaunch Strategies and Inventory Management Timestamps 02:13 Transitioning from Mizzen+Main to Harbor 07:20 Lessons from building a customer base for Mizzen+Main 12:42 The Tim Ferriss Effect, how a podcast propelled Mizzen+Main 14:15 Signing an endorsement deal with J.J. Watt 16:36 The necessity of authenticity and passion in successful partnerships 20:06 Making personal connections for business success 26:00 Creating technically complex, life-critical electronics 29:03 Growing Harbor by creating valuable content for parents 32:36 Wholesalers and their impact on business growth 37:11 Preparing for the pre-launch of Harbor 38:45 Building a waitlist with a refundable deposit to gauge demand 42:17 Harbor’s vision to transform sleep and wellness for parents Show notes powered by Castmagic Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more. Additional episodes you might like: • #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth • #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content • #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views • #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands • #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook • ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands ----- Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further? Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you. Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox? Check out our newsletter here . Projects the DTC Pod team is working on: DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internet Olivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplement Castmagic - AI Workspace for Content Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates! DTCPod Instagram DTCPod Twitter DTCPod TikTok ----- Kevin Lavelle - CoFounder and CEO at Harbor , Founder and Chairman of the Board at Mizzen+Main Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic

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