# Advice Line with Kenneth Cole

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2026-07-16
- Length: 45m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-07-16-advice-line-with-kenneth-cole

## Summary

Guy Raz and Kenneth Cole advise three founders: Matt Jacobs of Pedestrian Project on destigmatizing foot care and balancing category education vs. conversion; Emefa Fakwade of ISRAELLA KOBLA on leveraging wholesale partnerships like Nordstrom to build a direct-to-consumer brand without losing control; and Levi Case of Swing Sculpt on expanding from custom golf sculptures to broader sports memorabilia and reducing purchase friction for a novel product.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-07-16-advice-line-with-kenneth-cole#t=0) Introduction and Kenneth Cole's Philosophy on Branding
- [6:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-07-16-advice-line-with-kenneth-cole#t=393) Matt Jacobs of Pedestrian Project: Destigmatizing Foot Care
- [18:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-07-16-advice-line-with-kenneth-cole#t=1109) Emefa Fakwade of ISRAELLA KOBLA: Wholesale vs. Direct-to-Consumer Strategy
- [31:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-07-16-advice-line-with-kenneth-cole#t=1916) Levi Case of Swing Sculpt: Novel Product Marketing and Expansion
- [44:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-07-16-advice-line-with-kenneth-cole#t=2651) Kenneth Cole's Advice on Listening to Customers

## Topics

- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Kenneth Cole (company)
- Pedestrian Project (company)
- ISRAELLA KOBLA (company)
- Swing Sculpt (company)
- Nordstrom (company)
- Hudson's Bay (company)
- Gold Bond (product)
- Dr. Scholl's (product)
- Gentle Souls (company)
- Claude (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Founder Feature: Matt Jacobs and Kristen Doyle of Pedestrian Project](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-07-12-founder-feature-matt-jacobs-and-kristen-doyle-of-pedestrian-project) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [078: Selling Products Direct to End-Users via Shopify](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-06-02-078-selling-products-direct-to-end-users-via-shopify) (Product Startup)
- [013: From Kitchen to Amazon, Launching All-Natural Cake Mix for Dogs with Kelly Costello of Puppy Cake](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-07-26-013-from-kitchen-to-amazon-launching-all-natural-cake-mix-for-dogs-with-kelly-co) (Product Startup)
- [#232 - 2026 Brand Resolutions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-01-20-232-2026-brand-resolutions) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#258 - How Dossier Disrupted the Fragrance Industry](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-07-21-258-how-dossier-disrupted-the-fragrance-industry) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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