The Fort

#380 - Paul Hedrick - Founder @ Tecovas - How Tecovas Became A Western Wear Empire

Mar 11, 2025

Paul Hedrick, the Founder of Tecovas, unveils the captivating story behind the leading Western wear brand known for its exceptional quality and unique retail experience. He shares the journey from consultancy to establishing Tecovas, emphasizing the role of radical hospitality in building brand loyalty. Paul reveals how they navigated challenges during COVID-19 and adapted their retail strategies. He also dives into the importance of maintaining brand integrity while exploring future ventures that resonate with personal passions.

01:10:46

Episode guests

Paul Hedrick

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Paul Hedrick's entrepreneurial journey was driven by a desire for creative freedom, leading to the founding of Tecovas amidst a market gap for quality Western boots.

Radical hospitality emerged as a pivotal brand differentiator for Tecovas, fostering exceptional customer service and memorable shopping experiences to build loyalty.

The company's strategic response during COVID-19 emphasized adaptability and innovation, allowing Tecovas to maintain customer connections and emerge stronger from the crisis.

Deep dives

The Importance of Premium Quality and Trade-Offs

Businesses often face the challenge of balancing various attributes to optimize performance. A key insight is that while every business has trade-offs, they can usually only excel in a few areas. For instance, Zappos is well-known for prioritizing speed in their service, while others might focus on product quality or cost efficiency. Ultimately, to compete effectively, companies must identify their unique value propositions and excel in specific areas to set themselves apart.

Intro

3min

Bootstrapping Dreams: The Tecovas Journey

7min

The Challenges of Naming a Texas-Inspired Brand

2min

Building a Western Wear Brand

13min

Evolving Retail Strategies with Hospitality

28min

Navigating Retail Challenges in a Pandemic

8min

Maintaining Brand Integrity

7min

Exploring Future Ventures and Passion Projects

3min

Paul Hedrick is the Founder of Tecovas, the leading high-quality western footwear, apparel, and accessories brand.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

- the origins of Tecovas and early founding stories,

- what it takes to build an incredible brand

- Tecovas’ retail “moat” - radical hospitality

- how they managed through COVID

- and more

As Executive Chairman, Paul works with the Tecovas board and executive team on brand, product, and marketplace strategy so that Tecovas fulfills its mission to steward the next generation of western.

Tecovas is in its 10th operating year in business and now operates over 40 retail stores in over 30 cities and 20 states, with total annual revenue eclipsing $250 million in 2024.

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Links:

Tecovas - https://www.tecovas.com/

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:35) - Starting Tecovas

(00:13:01) - The Mission of Tecovas

(00:16:29) - Finding Manufacturing

(00:24:55) - Moving from Online to In-Person Retail

(00:32:27) - Store Design

(00:38:23) - Radical Hospitality