StarZero All shows Try the podcast clipper →

Feb 26, 2016 · 15m · top-founders

The Smart Way To Quit Your Corporate Job with Kevin Lavelle Ep 7

Kevin Lavelle · 7m spoken Nathan Latka · 6m 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 Top,' host Nathan Latka interviews Mizzen+Main founder and CEO Kevin Lavelle about turning a simple menswear observation into a rapidly scaling performance apparel brand. Lavelle breaks down his early customer acquisition tactics, strict no-discounting pricing policy, and dedication to American manufacturing and veteran hiring.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 44.5% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 1.8 Guest teaching 1.2 Guest disagreement 0.4 Nathan pushing back 0.8
05100:0010:000:30–2:36 · Nathan as informed peer 1/10 Episode Recap and Introducing Kevin Lavelle Nathan introduces Kevin and spends time reminiscing about how their families met at a dude ranch, establishing a warm and friendly rapport.2:36–5:56 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 The Genesis and Value Proposition of Mizzen+Main Kevin explains the value proposition of performance dress shirts and high growth rates while Nathan validates the product through his own wearing experience.5:56–9:29 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Securing the First Sales and Advice on Starting Small Nathan probes for initial sales metrics, which Kevin answers vaguely while sharing tactical advice on validating demand through friends and avoiding discounts.9:29–12:52 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Mid-Show Break: Upcoming Episode Preview and Contest Nathan asks about unit economics and margins. Kevin politely deflects exact costs but breaks down industry standard Asian manufacturing costs versus US production and veteran employment.12:52–14:23 · Nathan as informed peer 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Q&A Nathan moves through the Famous Five rapid-fire format smoothly, with agreeable and concise responses from Kevin.0:30–2:36 · Guest teaching 0/10 Episode Recap and Introducing Kevin Lavelle Nathan introduces Kevin and spends time reminiscing about how their families met at a dude ranch, establishing a warm and friendly rapport.2:36–5:56 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Genesis and Value Proposition of Mizzen+Main Kevin explains the value proposition of performance dress shirts and high growth rates while Nathan validates the product through his own wearing experience.5:56–9:29 · Guest teaching 2/10 Securing the First Sales and Advice on Starting Small Nathan probes for initial sales metrics, which Kevin answers vaguely while sharing tactical advice on validating demand through friends and avoiding discounts.9:29–12:52 · Guest teaching 3/10 Mid-Show Break: Upcoming Episode Preview and Contest Nathan asks about unit economics and margins. Kevin politely deflects exact costs but breaks down industry standard Asian manufacturing costs versus US production and veteran employment.12:52–14:23 · Guest teaching 0/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Q&A Nathan moves through the Famous Five rapid-fire format smoothly, with agreeable and concise responses from Kevin.0:30–2:36 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Episode Recap and Introducing Kevin Lavelle Nathan introduces Kevin and spends time reminiscing about how their families met at a dude ranch, establishing a warm and friendly rapport.2:36–5:56 · Guest disagreement 0/10 The Genesis and Value Proposition of Mizzen+Main Kevin explains the value proposition of performance dress shirts and high growth rates while Nathan validates the product through his own wearing experience.5:56–9:29 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Securing the First Sales and Advice on Starting Small Nathan probes for initial sales metrics, which Kevin answers vaguely while sharing tactical advice on validating demand through friends and avoiding discounts.9:29–12:52 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Mid-Show Break: Upcoming Episode Preview and Contest Nathan asks about unit economics and margins. Kevin politely deflects exact costs but breaks down industry standard Asian manufacturing costs versus US production and veteran employment.12:52–14:23 · Guest disagreement 0/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Q&A Nathan moves through the Famous Five rapid-fire format smoothly, with agreeable and concise responses from Kevin.0:30–2:36 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Episode Recap and Introducing Kevin Lavelle Nathan introduces Kevin and spends time reminiscing about how their families met at a dude ranch, establishing a warm and friendly rapport.2:36–5:56 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 The Genesis and Value Proposition of Mizzen+Main Kevin explains the value proposition of performance dress shirts and high growth rates while Nathan validates the product through his own wearing experience.5:56–9:29 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Securing the First Sales and Advice on Starting Small Nathan probes for initial sales metrics, which Kevin answers vaguely while sharing tactical advice on validating demand through friends and avoiding discounts.9:29–12:52 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Mid-Show Break: Upcoming Episode Preview and Contest Nathan asks about unit economics and margins. Kevin politely deflects exact costs but breaks down industry standard Asian manufacturing costs versus US production and veteran employment.12:52–14:23 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Q&A Nathan moves through the Famous Five rapid-fire format smoothly, with agreeable and concise responses from Kevin.

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

0:00 · Nathan 68.1% · guest 31.9%0:00 · Nathan 68.1% · guest 31.9%3:00 · Nathan 25.1% · guest 74.9%3:00 · Nathan 25.1% · guest 74.9%6:00 · Nathan 18% · guest 82%6:00 · Nathan 18% · guest 82%9:00 · Nathan 48.3% · guest 51.7%9:00 · Nathan 48.3% · guest 51.7%12:00 · Nathan 54.1% · guest 45.9%12:00 · Nathan 54.1% · guest 45.9%15:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%15:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 10:28 Polite boundary setting on proprietary unit costs

Kevin politely refuses to disclose exact manufacturing margins, noting he hates to be coy but will only speak in broad industry comparisons.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 7:48 Host presses for historical revenue figures

Nathan acknowledges Kevin's refusal to share current revenue but insists on getting concrete numbers or shirt volumes from the first year.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 10:35 Breakdown of apparel manufacturing economics

Kevin educates Nathan on apparel margins, contrasting five-dollar Asian supply chains used by mainstream brands with higher US manufacturing expenses.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 9:07 Host synthesizes core pricing principle for listeners

Nathan quickly extracts Kevin's operational choice to never discount into a broader strategic lesson for his audience on maintaining premium brand positioning.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Episode Recap and Introducing Kevin Lavelle 1000 Nathan introduces Kevin and spends time reminiscing about how their families met at a dude ranch, establishing a warm and friendly rapport.
The Genesis and Value Proposition of Mizzen+Main 2100 Kevin explains the value proposition of performance dress shirts and high growth rates while Nathan validates the product through his own wearing experience.
Securing the First Sales and Advice on Starting Small 3212 Nathan probes for initial sales metrics, which Kevin answers vaguely while sharing tactical advice on validating demand through friends and avoiding discounts.
Mid-Show Break: Upcoming Episode Preview and Contest 2312 Nathan asks about unit economics and margins. Kevin politely deflects exact costs but breaks down industry standard Asian manufacturing costs versus US production and veteran employment.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Q&A 1000 Nathan moves through the Famous Five rapid-fire format smoothly, with agreeable and concise responses from Kevin.

Statements from this episode (5)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mizzen+Main has grown 4x to 5x year-over-year since inception
“We to give some concrete numbers, and we don't disclose exact revenue figures, but just to give some concrete numbers, we've been growing four to five acts a year on year since we started, and as of, The first week of June, we had surpassed all of 20 fourteen'…”
Kevin Lavelle Feb 26, 2016 ▶ 4:59
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Lavelle: Mizzen+Main Sold Roughly 20 Shirts on Launch Day
“That first day, I think we sold probably 20 shirts which was huge, right?”
Kevin Lavelle Feb 26, 2016 ▶ 6:43
Insight
Founders unable to sell 10 units to friends likely have bad ideas
“Can you sell 10 of them to your friends and family? Because if you can't sell 10 to your friends and family, you might not be on to something.”
Kevin Lavelle Feb 26, 2016 ▶ 7:33
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Kevin Lavelle estimates Brooks Brothers shirts cost $5 to $10 to make
“What I can say is you know, the cost of a dress shirt for Brooks Brothers is going to be, and I don't know their actual numbers, but from doing a lot of industry research, they're between five and 10 dollars a shirt.”
Kevin Lavelle Feb 26, 2016 ▶ 10:36
Opinion
Military veterans have more valuable workforce skills than most MBA graduates
“Just because you don't have a set skill set or a college degree in many cases that would allow you to go into the true corporate world, you've got more skills than most people that I know that got maybe even an MBA. Because of the discipline and rigor of the m…”
Kevin Lavelle Feb 26, 2016 ▶ 12:12
Made with StarZero

Turn any episode into a week of clips.

This entire site, over 2,600 episodes transcribed, diarized, checked and made playable, runs on the StarZero media pipeline. Drop in your own episode and the podcast clipper finds the moments worth sharing, cuts them, captions them, and reframes them for every feed.

Try the podcast clipper Learn more