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

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2017-03-14
- Length: 49m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani
- Listen: https://theproductstartup.com/044-elyse-daniels-exodus-wear/

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani#t=0) Introduction: Elyse Daniels and Exodus Wear
- [4:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani#t=271) Origin Story: From Marketing Job to Custom Jackets
- [5:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani#t=358) Product Strategy: Hand-Drawn Designs vs. Online Tools
- [13:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani#t=808) Supply Chain: Building a Factory Network in China
- [17:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani#t=1031) Quality Control: Samples, Inspections, and Payment Terms
- [25:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani#t=1558) Entrepreneurship Reality: Mistakes and Iteration
- [28:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani#t=1701) Sales Tactics: Cold Calling and Objection Handling
- [37:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani#t=2245) Growth and Future: Limited Runs and Community Design
- [40:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani#t=2452) Scaling: Transitioning to Full-Time and 40% Growth

## Topics

- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [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)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Exodus Wear (company)
- Mako Design + Invent (company)
- Macy's (company)
- J.C. Penny (company)
- mfg.com (company)
- Botanium (product)

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- [HIBT Lab! Universal Standard: Polina Veksler](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-11-hibt-lab-universal-standard-polina-veksler) (How I Built This)
- [Primary: Christina Carbonell and Galyn Bernard](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-01-15-primary-christina-carbonell-and-galyn-bernard) (How I Built This)
- [Aden + Anais: Raegan Moya-Jones](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-07-17-aden-anais-raegan-moya-jones) (How I Built This)
- [Beyond Yoga: Michelle Wahler](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-02-10-beyond-yoga-michelle-wahler) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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