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.

The Grace of Jesus feat. Peter Louis