This week, I talk with my friend Kevin Lavelle, founder of Mizzen+Main, a company that revolutionized the dress shirt industry. We talk about how Kevin built Mizzen+Main into a successful brand, and why he ultimately decided to step back and bring in a CEO. We dive into Kevin’s early career in management consulting and the journey to his prior role at Stand Together, a nonprofit backed by Charles Koch, including how he navigated the challenges and opportunities that came with that. We also explore Kevin’s new venture, Harbor, and the lessons he’s learned as a second-time founder. Kevin has a lot of insight into what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and how to become the kind of leader capable of building deeply meaningful companies where people love going to work. Let’s get to it!

In this episode:

• (00:00 ) - Intro


• (04:20 ) - A Valentine’s Day story


• (07:10 ) - Kevin’s early career and experiences in the Middle East


• (22:01 ) - Global Shapers and Stand Together


• (32:13 ) - Complexities of societal issues and solutions


• (36:00 ) - The importance of nuanced conversations


• (39:10 ) - Building bridges across political divides


• (45:52 ) - The power of personal engagement in business


• (50:30 ) - What Kevin is doing differently as a second-time founder


• (01:01:45 ) - The art of storytelling in business


• (01:09:23 ) - Marketing and educational content at Harbor


• (01:12:34 ) - Innovating baby monitors


• (01:22:58 ) - Competitive positioning and market strategy


• (01:31:34 ) - Kevin’s beautiful future

Get full show notes and links at https://GoodWorkShow.com.

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@barrettabrooks.