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Feb 27, 2025 · 46m · how-i-built-this

Advice Line with Lyndon Cormack of Herschel Supply Co.

Guy Raz · 14m spoken Lyndon Cormack · 14m spoken Lauren Beefus · 4m spoken Virginia Lynn Peterson · 4m spoken John Therling · 3m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of the Advice Line on How I Built This Lab, host Guy Raz and Herschel Supply Co. co-founder Lyndon Cormack coach three emerging entrepreneurs on luxury branding, experiential marketing, and wholesale expansion strategies.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Guy holds 36.7% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Guy as informed peer 5.8 Guest teaching 0.6 Guest disagreement 0.2 Guy pushing back 0.8
05100:0015:0030:0045:001:05–5:13 · Guy as informed peer 5/10 Welcoming Lyndon Cormack and Discussing Brand Storytelling Guy Raz welcomes Lyndon Cormack and demonstrates deep familiarity with Herschel Supply Co.'s founding history and brand narrative. The tone is entirely collegial as Cormack elaborates on storytelling and maintaining multi-generational relevance.5:14–17:30 · Guy as informed peer 6/10 Advice for Memory Lane Jane on Luxury Marketing Guy and Lyndon advise caller Lauren Beefus on positioning her $25,000 bespoke commemorative books. Guy brings up luxury retail psychology, comparing the pricing strategy to LVMH and Hermes, while advising on targeted PR and high-end regional publications.17:31–30:07 · Guy as informed peer 7/10 Debriefing Memory Lane Jane and Mid-Show Break Guy and Lyndon mentor John Therling regarding his furniture product FloorDrobe. Guy demonstrates sharp business expertise by citing a case study on Priority Bicycles placing products in boutique hotels and explaining why home try-on logistics like Warby Parker would fail at this unit margin.30:09–41:50 · Guy as informed peer 6/10 FloorDrobe Discussion Recap and Second Break Virginia Lynn Peterson seeks advice on expanding her bra company Swoop outside Alaska. When Guy and Lyndon suggest scrub retailers, Virginia explains why retail scrub shops previously rejected underwear, leading Guy and Lyndon to push back on her trade show reluctance and advocate for in-person wholesale networking.41:51–44:46 · Guy as informed peer 5/10 Swoop Debrief, Founder Retrospective, and Archival Sample Story Guy and Lyndon debrief Swoop's branding balance before transitioning into a founder retrospective on navigating early operational failures. The dynamic is supportive and reflective.1:05–5:13 · Guest teaching 1/10 Welcoming Lyndon Cormack and Discussing Brand Storytelling Guy Raz welcomes Lyndon Cormack and demonstrates deep familiarity with Herschel Supply Co.'s founding history and brand narrative. The tone is entirely collegial as Cormack elaborates on storytelling and maintaining multi-generational relevance.5:14–17:30 · Guest teaching 0/10 Advice for Memory Lane Jane on Luxury Marketing Guy and Lyndon advise caller Lauren Beefus on positioning her $25,000 bespoke commemorative books. Guy brings up luxury retail psychology, comparing the pricing strategy to LVMH and Hermes, while advising on targeted PR and high-end regional publications.17:31–30:07 · Guest teaching 0/10 Debriefing Memory Lane Jane and Mid-Show Break Guy and Lyndon mentor John Therling regarding his furniture product FloorDrobe. Guy demonstrates sharp business expertise by citing a case study on Priority Bicycles placing products in boutique hotels and explaining why home try-on logistics like Warby Parker would fail at this unit margin.30:09–41:50 · Guest teaching 2/10 FloorDrobe Discussion Recap and Second Break Virginia Lynn Peterson seeks advice on expanding her bra company Swoop outside Alaska. When Guy and Lyndon suggest scrub retailers, Virginia explains why retail scrub shops previously rejected underwear, leading Guy and Lyndon to push back on her trade show reluctance and advocate for in-person wholesale networking.41:51–44:46 · Guest teaching 0/10 Swoop Debrief, Founder Retrospective, and Archival Sample Story Guy and Lyndon debrief Swoop's branding balance before transitioning into a founder retrospective on navigating early operational failures. The dynamic is supportive and reflective.1:05–5:13 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Welcoming Lyndon Cormack and Discussing Brand Storytelling Guy Raz welcomes Lyndon Cormack and demonstrates deep familiarity with Herschel Supply Co.'s founding history and brand narrative. The tone is entirely collegial as Cormack elaborates on storytelling and maintaining multi-generational relevance.5:14–17:30 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Advice for Memory Lane Jane on Luxury Marketing Guy and Lyndon advise caller Lauren Beefus on positioning her $25,000 bespoke commemorative books. Guy brings up luxury retail psychology, comparing the pricing strategy to LVMH and Hermes, while advising on targeted PR and high-end regional publications.17:31–30:07 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Debriefing Memory Lane Jane and Mid-Show Break Guy and Lyndon mentor John Therling regarding his furniture product FloorDrobe. Guy demonstrates sharp business expertise by citing a case study on Priority Bicycles placing products in boutique hotels and explaining why home try-on logistics like Warby Parker would fail at this unit margin.30:09–41:50 · Guest disagreement 1/10 FloorDrobe Discussion Recap and Second Break Virginia Lynn Peterson seeks advice on expanding her bra company Swoop outside Alaska. When Guy and Lyndon suggest scrub retailers, Virginia explains why retail scrub shops previously rejected underwear, leading Guy and Lyndon to push back on her trade show reluctance and advocate for in-person wholesale networking.41:51–44:46 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Swoop Debrief, Founder Retrospective, and Archival Sample Story Guy and Lyndon debrief Swoop's branding balance before transitioning into a founder retrospective on navigating early operational failures. The dynamic is supportive and reflective.1:05–5:13 · Guy pushing back 0/10 Welcoming Lyndon Cormack and Discussing Brand Storytelling Guy Raz welcomes Lyndon Cormack and demonstrates deep familiarity with Herschel Supply Co.'s founding history and brand narrative. The tone is entirely collegial as Cormack elaborates on storytelling and maintaining multi-generational relevance.5:14–17:30 · Guy pushing back 1/10 Advice for Memory Lane Jane on Luxury Marketing Guy and Lyndon advise caller Lauren Beefus on positioning her $25,000 bespoke commemorative books. Guy brings up luxury retail psychology, comparing the pricing strategy to LVMH and Hermes, while advising on targeted PR and high-end regional publications.17:31–30:07 · Guy pushing back 1/10 Debriefing Memory Lane Jane and Mid-Show Break Guy and Lyndon mentor John Therling regarding his furniture product FloorDrobe. Guy demonstrates sharp business expertise by citing a case study on Priority Bicycles placing products in boutique hotels and explaining why home try-on logistics like Warby Parker would fail at this unit margin.30:09–41:50 · Guy pushing back 2/10 FloorDrobe Discussion Recap and Second Break Virginia Lynn Peterson seeks advice on expanding her bra company Swoop outside Alaska. When Guy and Lyndon suggest scrub retailers, Virginia explains why retail scrub shops previously rejected underwear, leading Guy and Lyndon to push back on her trade show reluctance and advocate for in-person wholesale networking.41:51–44:46 · Guy pushing back 0/10 Swoop Debrief, Founder Retrospective, and Archival Sample Story Guy and Lyndon debrief Swoop's branding balance before transitioning into a founder retrospective on navigating early operational failures. The dynamic is supportive and reflective.

speaking balance: gold is Guy, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Guy 89.8% · guest 10.2%0:00 · Guy 89.8% · guest 10.2%3:00 · Guy 25.4% · guest 74.6%3:00 · Guy 25.4% · guest 74.6%6:00 · Guy 28.4% · guest 71.6%6:00 · Guy 28.4% · guest 71.6%9:00 · Guy 26.5% · guest 73.5%9:00 · Guy 26.5% · guest 73.5%12:00 · Guy 21.5% · guest 78.5%12:00 · Guy 21.5% · guest 78.5%15:00 · Guy 41.9% · guest 58.1%15:00 · Guy 41.9% · guest 58.1%18:00 · Guy 49.7% · guest 50.3%18:00 · Guy 49.7% · guest 50.3%21:00 · Guy 27.2% · guest 72.8%21:00 · Guy 27.2% · guest 72.8%24:00 · Guy 22.8% · guest 77.2%24:00 · Guy 22.8% · guest 77.2%27:00 · Guy 31% · guest 69%27:00 · Guy 31% · guest 69%30:00 · Guy 53.3% · guest 46.7%30:00 · Guy 53.3% · guest 46.7%33:00 · Guy 26.9% · guest 73.1%33:00 · Guy 26.9% · guest 73.1%36:00 · Guy 10.5% · guest 89.5%36:00 · Guy 10.5% · guest 89.5%39:00 · Guy 36.2% · guest 63.8%39:00 · Guy 36.2% · guest 63.8%42:00 · Guy 37.4% · guest 62.6%42:00 · Guy 37.4% · guest 62.6%45:00 · Guy 100% · guest 0%45:00 · Guy 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 37:15 Virginia explaining scrub shop retail resistance

Virginia firmly pushes back on the assumption that scrub stores are an easy distribution channel, recounting dismissive industry reactions and an 'old boys club' mindset.

 Hardest push from Guy ▶ 39:09 Pushing past hesitation on trade show travel

Guy Raz challenges Virginia's hesitation regarding trade show costs, arguing that physical presence is an unavoidable and essential investment for breaking out of regional wholesale.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 37:11 Virginia explaining scrub retail buyer dynamics

Virginia educates the hosts on the unexpected structural barriers of medical uniform retail, correcting the assumption that specialty apparel easily enters scrub stores.

 Guy holds their own ▶ 26:20 Guy citing Priority Bicycles hotel partnership model

Guy displays deep entrepreneurial case knowledge by detailing how Priority Bicycles scaled through hotel room placement, directly applying it to FloorDrobe's distribution puzzle.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicGuy as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementGuy pushing backWhy
Welcoming Lyndon Cormack and Discussing Brand Storytelling 5100 Guy Raz welcomes Lyndon Cormack and demonstrates deep familiarity with Herschel Supply Co.'s founding history and brand narrative. The tone is entirely collegial as Cormack elaborates on storytelling and maintaining multi-generational relevance.
Advice for Memory Lane Jane on Luxury Marketing 6001 Guy and Lyndon advise caller Lauren Beefus on positioning her $25,000 bespoke commemorative books. Guy brings up luxury retail psychology, comparing the pricing strategy to LVMH and Hermes, while advising on targeted PR and high-end regional publications.
Debriefing Memory Lane Jane and Mid-Show Break 7001 Guy and Lyndon mentor John Therling regarding his furniture product FloorDrobe. Guy demonstrates sharp business expertise by citing a case study on Priority Bicycles placing products in boutique hotels and explaining why home try-on logistics like Warby Parker would fail at this unit margin.
FloorDrobe Discussion Recap and Second Break 6212 Virginia Lynn Peterson seeks advice on expanding her bra company Swoop outside Alaska. When Guy and Lyndon suggest scrub retailers, Virginia explains why retail scrub shops previously rejected underwear, leading Guy and Lyndon to push back on her trade show reluctance and advocate for in-person wholesale networking.
Swoop Debrief, Founder Retrospective, and Archival Sample Story 5000 Guy and Lyndon debrief Swoop's branding balance before transitioning into a founder retrospective on navigating early operational failures. The dynamic is supportive and reflective.

Statements from this episode (6)

Insight
Cormack: Brands should act as co-stars to their customers
“We've always wanted to be sort of a co-star in the movie. We didn't want to be the star of the movie, and we wanted the individual to be the star”
Lyndon Cormack Feb 27, 2025 ▶ 4:57
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Memory Lane Jane charges a base price of $25,000 for family books
“So it's, our base price starts at 25,000. And then, honestly, it just goes up from there.”
Lauren Beefus Feb 27, 2025 ▶ 7:43
Assertion Supported
FloorDrobe generated £18,000 in Kickstarter presales against a £4,000 target
“We wanted to pre-sell about 4000 pounds worth, and we sold about 18,000 pounds worth.”
John Therling Feb 27, 2025 ▶ 22:07
Assertion Supported
Priority Bicycles built US awareness through boutique and chain hotel partnerships
“Their whole strategy was to work with hotels. There are hotels all over the United States That have priority bicycles. You know, when you want to borrow a bike, they've got like six of them. And so that's how they built awareness.”
Guy Raz Feb 27, 2025 ▶ 26:31
Disclosure
Trade shows were Herschel's entire initial retail launch strategy
“Our whole strategy was definitely going to trade shows. And it's where people congregate. It's where people after the trade shows have drinks at the bar if they drink or dinners. There's conferences around there. There's thought leaders in the space that usual…”
Lyndon Cormack Feb 27, 2025 ▶ 39:52
Insight
Regional origin should be a secondary story for emerging apparel brands
“I would say Alaska is probably good. I would move it down to a secondary or third story and figure out what the story one and story two are, and then have that as the foundation or background for it.”
Lyndon Cormack Feb 27, 2025 ▶ 42:32
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