The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

Why Mizzen+Main’s $100M Founder Left to Build a Baby Monitor

Episode Summary

w/ Kevin Lavelle, founder of Mizzen+Main and Harbor

Episode Notes

Kevin Lavelle’s got a knack for big ideas and starting fresh. First, he took on menswear with Mizzen+Main, bringing performance fabric to dress shirts and making them a hit with pro athletes and office rebels alike. Now he’s back with something new—a baby monitor. Yep, from dress shirts to baby tech. In this episode, he breaks down the whole journey: the wild beginnings, early mistakes, and how he built a brand from scratch, twice. It’s a sharp take on the wins, the losses, and why some ideas just stick around until you finally make them happen.

Episode Highlights:

1. How Kevin’s “aha” moment led to Mizzen+Main’s success.
2. The surprising lessons from scaling a DTC menswear brand.
3. Transitioning from clothing to tech: Why Kevin started Harbor.
4. Kevin’s experience with early product mistakes and customer trust.
5. The power of influencer partnerships and wholesale growth.
6. How a Tim Ferriss podcast ad skyrocketed Mizzen+Main’s sales.
7. What it takes to launch a product parents trust with their kids.

Mentioned in This Episode

Brands & Businesses

• Mizzen+Main
• Harbor
• Shopify
• Sage 50 Peachtree
• Epicor ERP
• Hawk Search
• Faire

People Mentioned

• Tim Ferriss
• JJ Watt
• Phil Mickelson
• Damon John
• Simon Sinek

Sponsors

• Zipify
• Cleverific
• Omnisend

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