Kevin Lavelle’s got a knack for big ideas and starting fresh. First, he took on menswear with Mizzen+Main, bringing performance fabric to dress shirts and making them a hit with pro athletes and office rebels alike. Now he’s back with something new—a baby monitor. Yep, from dress shirts to baby tech. In this episode, he breaks down the whole journey: the wild beginnings, early mistakes, and how he built a brand from scratch, twice. It’s a sharp take on the wins, the losses, and why some ideas just stick around until you finally make them happen.

Episode Highlights:

1. How Kevin’s “aha” moment led to Mizzen+Main’s success.
2. The surprising lessons from scaling a DTC menswear brand.
3. Transitioning from clothing to tech: Why Kevin started Harbor.
4. Kevin’s experience with early product mistakes and customer trust.
5. The power of influencer partnerships and wholesale growth.
6. How a Tim Ferriss podcast ad skyrocketed Mizzen+Main’s sales.
7. What it takes to launch a product parents trust with their kids.

Brands & Businesses

• Mizzen+Main
• Harbor
• Shopify
• Sage 50 Peachtree
• Epicor ERP
• Hawk Search
• Faire

People Mentioned

• Tim Ferriss
• JJ Watt
• Phil Mickelson
• Damon John
• Simon Sinek

Sponsors

• Zipify
• Cleverific
• Omnisend

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“We’re doing about 1,500 pairs a day… we’re gonna hit eight figures this year, probably next year for sure.”

You know that favorite pair of sunglasses you can’t throw away? Brandon Dill turned that frustration into an 8-figure business. He’s the founder of Fuse Lenses, a brand built on bringing those scratched shades back to life.

In this episode, we trace Brandon’s journey from side hustle to scaling a manufacturing business, built on curiosity, ingenuity, and a lot of hustle. But it’s not all smooth sailing—Brandon dives into the realities of cash flow struggles, seasonal peaks, and the surprising challenges of bootstrapping. And as his company grows, he reflects on what success truly means when passion becomes a job.

• Fuse Lenses - Replacement lenses for name-brand sunglasses
• Brandon Dill - Founder, Fuse Lenses

Tech Stack:

• Shopify - E-commerce platform
• Klaviyo - Email marketing and SMS platform
• Attentive - SMS marketing platform
• Okendo - Reviews and ratings app for e-commerce stores

• Zipify
• Cleverific
• Omnisend

• Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group
• Leave a review
• Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

• See our recent work at Ethercycle
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

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• Join Kurt's newsletter

Tired of logging into five different portals just to make a return? Shopify says enough. Patrick Millegan joins Kurt Elster to talk about the new customer account extensions, designed to simplify logins, reduce support headaches, and make online shopping enjoyable again. It’s a step forward for UX that proves e-commerce should be easy for everyone.

Get all the info on what's new: Shopify Editions Winter ’25

More people & links:

• Patrick Millegan (Senior Product Lead, Shopify)
• Kurt Elster (Host, The Unofficial Shopify Podcast)
• Keap Athletics
• Cleverific
• Shopify Flow
• Sufio
• Upro
• Shop Pay
• Hydrogen

• Zipify
• Cleverific
• Omnisend

• Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group
• Leave a review
• Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

• See our recent work at Ethercycle
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

• Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts
• Join Kurt's newsletter