Hardware Podcasts

How I Built Resilience: Live with Sarah LaFleur

How I Built This · 23 May 2020 · 17m

What this episode covers

Sarah LaFleur, founder of MM LaFleur, discusses how her women's workwear brand pivoted during the pandemic as customers shifted to remote work. She explains recontextualizing inventory, such as renaming 'origami suiting' pants to 'joggers,' and launching virtual styling appointments that now drive significant revenue. LaFleur also details the acceleration of their 'power casual' category and the importance of maintaining a supportive executive team to navigate leadership stress.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
MM LaFleur, Rent the Runway, U.S. Bank
Products
Colby pants
Also
Miyako

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 1h 03m

    Leading Your Team in the New Normal | Sales & Marketing Game Changers Mini-Series | Ep. 4 of 4

    Chris Lukey hosts the final episode of the Sales & Marketing Game Changers mini-series on Manufacturing Happy Hour, joined by panelists Ben Baker (Your Brand Marketing), Mark Roberts (OTB Solutions), Ray Ganto (Lenare International), Alison de Ford (Felt Marketing), and Mark Mitchell (Wizard Strategy). The group discusses leadership qualities such as empathy, trust, adaptability, humility, and confidence, emphasizing the shift from management to true leadership during the pandemic. They share specific stories of leaders at companies like Legal Toolworks and unnamed manufacturing firms who succeeded by pivoting quickly, fostering vulnerability, and focusing on customer-centricity. The panel concludes with actionable advice for stepping up as a leader, including embracing mistakes, asking for forgiveness rather than permission, and prioritizing the success of others.

    Leadership, teams & culture
    6 chapters

  • Product Startup · 49m

    006: Customizable swimwear with Kelsey Duffy of Versakini

    Kelsey Duffy, CEO of Versakini, explains how she pivoted from the failed Mix Bikini to launch her own interchangeable swimwear brand after appearing on Shark Tank. She details the challenges of manufacturing, including early errors with overseas factories and the importance of building personal relationships with reliable partners in Colombia. Duffy also discusses her strategy of collaborating with Project Runway alumna Amanda Perna to design collections while maintaining a lean team and focusing on direct-to-consumer sales to control brand identity.

    Industrial & consumer product designManufacturing partners & offshoring
    8 chapters

  • Being an Engineer · 50m

    S6E29 Joshua Tarbutton | Lessons From the Military Applied to Engineering

    Joshua Tarbutton, founder of Bravo Team, discusses applying military leadership principles to build a product development firm that restores dignity and psychological safety for engineers. He details the company's rapid scaling from a solo consultancy to a 50-person firm, highlighting the critical role of a major partnership with Siemens and the challenges of managing cash flow during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tarbutton also shares how the company pivoted to manufacturing face shields during the crisis and emphasizes the importance of core hours and vulnerability in fostering an innovative engineering culture.

    Leadership, teams & cultureScaling production
    7 chapters

  • Product Startup · 49m

    044: Turning customizable jackets into a multi-million dollar business, Elyse Daniels of Exodus Wear

    Elyse Daniels, founder of Exodus Wear, explains how she turned a niche idea for fully customizable senior jackets into a multi-million dollar business by rejecting online customization tools in favor of hand-drawn student designs. She details her bootstrapped journey from a $6,000 investment to scaling production, emphasizing the critical importance of maintaining a diverse network of manufacturers in China to mitigate risk and negotiate better terms. Daniels also shares her sales strategy, which relies on aggressive cold calling and a premium pricing model that avoids discounting to preserve brand value and customer loyalty.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    9 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 1h 00m

    #59 Welcome to the Oat Haus! Celebrity Collaboration, Sprouts Launch, and Mental Health with Ali Bonar

    Ali Bonar, Co-Founder and CEO of Oat Haus, discusses the evolution of her oat-based spread brand from a side hustle to a national retailer presence. She details the strategic launch of the Brownie Batter flavor in collaboration with Jameela Jamil, the challenges of securing a national Sprouts Grocery launch, and the importance of hiring scrappy early employees like VP of Sales Todd and VP of Marketing Lisa. Bonar also opens up about her mental health journey, the isolation of scaling a business, and her methods for maintaining founder wellbeing.

    Direct-to-consumer & e-commerceRetail, wholesale & distribution
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.