The Fort - An Entrepreneurship Podcast

#376 - Kevin Lavelle - Building Mizzen+Main, Influencer Partnerships, His New Startup Harbor

Feb 3, 2025

Kevin Lavelle, CEO and co-founder of Harbor and founder of Mizzen+Main, dives into his entrepreneurial journey. He shares the inspiring story behind launching the world’s first performance dress shirt and the challenges of building a successful brand. Lavelle discusses the intricate dynamics of celebrity partnerships, including memorable moments with athletes like Phil Mickelson and J.J. Watt. He also reveals the innovative vision behind Harbor, a new product aimed at enhancing nighttime parenting with professional support.

01:24:37

Episode guests

Kevin Lavelle

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Kevin Lavelle emphasizes the importance of creating physical products like performance fabric dress shirts, shifting focus from purely digital innovations.

Strategic partnerships with influencers like Phil Mickelson can significantly enhance brand visibility and drive sales in competitive markets.

Harbor aims to address baby monitoring challenges by merging innovative technology with personal safety, catering to modern parental needs.

Deep dives

The Call to Build

Many entrepreneurs harbor a desire to create something tangible that provides value to others. The narrative in Silicon Valley has shifted towards a critique of the past decade's focus on writing code rather than constructing physical products. Influencers like Elon Musk have highlighted the importance of building, exemplified by achievements such as SpaceX successfully capturing a rocket in space. This moment served as a motivating reminder of the simplicity of the challenges faced in product creation compared to monumental technological feats.

Intro

3min

From Energy to Elegance: The Shirt Story

11min

Navigating Podcast Sponsorships for Growth

7min

The Journey of Naming Mizzen and Main

2min

Navigating Inventory and Athlete Endorsements

23min

From Sports to Startup: The Harbor Journey

9min

Revolutionizing Nighttime Parenting with Remote Support

4min

Innovative Night Nursing for New Parents

20min

Navigating Influencer Partnerships and Endorsement Contracts

4min

Kevin Lavelle is the CEO & Cofounder of Harbor. He’s also the Founder and Chairman of the Board at Mizzen+Main, where he invented the world’s first performance fabric dress shirt, ultimately driving it to hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.

He successfully raised a growth round from L Catterton and established partnerships with athletes like Phil Mickelson, JJ Watt, and dozens of others. Today, Mizzen+Main has more than ten of its own stores with 1,000 retailers also carrying its products.

We discuss:

- Starting and growing Mizzen+Main

- The intricacies of celebrity-equity deals

- The inspiration for founding Harbor

- The realities of building physical products vs. software

- Stories with Phil Mickelson and J.J. Watt

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Links:

Mizzen+Main - https://www.mizzenandmain.com/

Harbor - https://harbor.co/

Kevin on X - https://x.com/kevinslavelle