# Tecovas: Paul Hedrick

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2025-05-19
- Length: 1h 12m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick

## Summary

Paul Hedrick, founder of Tecovas, explains how he identified a gap in the cowboy boot market for premium, attainable pricing and launched the brand directly to consumers in 2015. He details his obsessive product development process in León, Mexico, including designing boots in Microsoft Paint and negotiating with factories to prioritize comfort and quality over cost-cutting. Hedrick also describes his strategic bet on brick-and-mortar retail, opening over 40 stores to create a hospitality-driven brand experience, and his transition to executive chairman after scaling the company to over $300 million in annual sales.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick#t=0) Introduction: Paul Hedrick and Tecovas
- [4:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick#t=246) Early Career: Consulting, Private Equity, and the Sandwich Idea
- [11:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick#t=701) Brainstorming Coffins and Identifying the Boot Opportunity
- [19:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick#t=1148) Sourcing in León, Mexico and Designing in Microsoft Paint
- [28:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick#t=1692) The 'Client from Hell': Prototyping and Factory Relations
- [34:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick#t=2060) Bootstrapping, Funding, and Branding Tecovas
- [43:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick#t=2592) Launch Strategy: Email Lists, Pre-orders, and First Sales
- [47:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick#t=2875) Direct-to-Consumer Growth and Digital Marketing
- [53:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick#t=3219) The Bet on Brick-and-Mortar Retail Stores
- [57:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick#t=3462) Navigating the Pandemic and Leadership Transition

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Tecovas (company)
- Paul Hedrick (other)
- León (other)
- Microsoft Paint (tool)
- Ferrara Candy Company (company)
- Warby Parker (company)
- Batesville (company)
- Shopify (company)
- Lululemon (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [044: Turning customizable jackets into a multi-million dollar business, Elyse Daniels of Exodus Wear](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani) (Product Startup)
- [Founder Feature: Maria Covarrubias of Cien Chiles](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-06-21-founder-feature-maria-covarrubias-of-cien-chiles) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [026: Developing Shoes with Removable Heels, Tanya Heath of Tanya Heath Paris](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-11-08-026-developing-shoes-with-removable-heels-tanya-heath-of-tanya-heath-paris) (Product Startup)
- [Founder Feature: Bar Bruhis of Boostcous](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-07-24-founder-feature-bar-bruhis-of-boostcous) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [002: Prototyping, Manufacturing & Selling a Men's Shirt Accessory](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-03-09-002-prototyping-manufacturing-selling-a-mens-shirt-accessory) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-19-tecovas-paul-hedrick. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.