Four Years On. Four Years Strong.
Four years ago today, I hit publish on MizzenAndMain.com with the goal of building the next great American brand. It has been a truly extraordinary four years.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to every single person who has paid us with their hard earned dollars. We would not be here without you.
Thank you to all of our wholesale partners who allow us to be a part of their lives and the relationships they have built with their customers.
Thank you Brooks Powell for being our first customer (I still remember). Sam Silverlieb, Jeff Walker, Greg Lavelle, Justin Goerke, Andrew Baker, and Dave Oden, you were only a few minutes behind Brooks. Thank you.
The Team
Thank you to my bride, Jen Blackman Lavelle, for every part of our life together. This journey would not have happened without your support. It has been the most difficult and rewarding years of our lives, but none of it would have been worth it if not by your side. The strategy and execution you have brought to Mizzen+Main as its CMO have made us who we are.
Thank you to Kristin Smith, our first employee. She searched “fashion startups in Dallas” and while I’m certain she didn’t know what she was in for, she has become a most trusted leader, advisor, business partner, and more importantly friend.
Thank you Lindsey Sullivan for agreeing to do “everything” and demonstrating commitment beyond all expectations, every day. Thank you Jordan Nixon for the professionalism and steady hand in customer service. Thank you Gus Harris for showing up on one of the hardest days and staying 12 hours every day since (go home!). Thank you Mike Rainier for believing in a new opportunity and pushing West. Thank you Lacy Murt for doing so much more than asked all the time. Thank you Ryan Kent for trusting me and being a right hand man that every CEO in the world would hope to have by his or her side. Thank you Jaclyn Bishop for your outstanding performance every day. Thank you Byron Bradshaw for your willingness for big changes. Thank you Justin Feagin for your commitment and happiness in becoming a part of our team. Thank you Brandt Reilly for the trust I have in you already. Thank you Rachel Boynton for ensuring we are ready for the road ahead. Thank you Blake Bishop for a willingness to jump in on everything.
Thank you Steven DeWitt for creating the Mizzen+Main brand. Thank you Web Smith for the influence and impact you had early on. Thank you Joe Lafko for the passion and the love for what we’re doing here.
What We Have Accomplished
- 400% year on year growth
- Operating profitably in 2016
- 17 team members
- 225 retail locations
- Tens of thousands of customers and growing every day
- 2016 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Winner
- 2016 Retail Innovator
- 2014 Men’s Fitness Game Changer
- 2014 Dallas’ 40 Under 40
- J.J. Watt as the face of Mizzen+Main
- Partnerships with Jake Arrieta, Jason Khalipa, John Isner, Brian Hartline, and Thomas Morstead
- A Tim Ferriss endorsement (trust me… it means a lot)
- Tens of thousands of dollars in donations to the Navy SEAL Foundation and several other veterans’ initiatives, including being the largest donor to the Dallas VA’s breast cancer group
- Press coverage in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Esquire, WWD, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, The Today Show, Inc., Entrepreneur, Dallas Morning News, D Magazine, D CEO, AdWeek, CNBC, Glamour, Dallas Business Journal, and dozens more outlets.
- I’m definitely forgetting a myriad of other accomplishments our team is responsible for!
Additional Thanks
I know I won the parent lottery. My mom and dad instilled in me a drive and sense of self (sometimes overinflated…) that has enabled me to not only survive the last four years of this entrepreneurial journey but build Mizzen+Main to a real business. My most heartfelt thank you to Lauri and Stewart for every single thing they have done.
Thank you Andy Shah for being the first investor. Everyone says they want to invest in the next huge thing. You did. I think!
Thank you Ian Desmond for changing the course of Mizzen+Main.
Thank you David Schottenstein for the most intense obsession and belief in Mizzen+Main I think I’ve ever seen.
Thank you Brian Hartline for being the first professional athlete to invest and commit to what we’re building.
Thank you Tim Ferriss for the ringing endorsement that altered our trajectory and taking the time, as we all know how valuable that is, to talk me through a tough decision that turned out to be one of our best decisions.
Thank you J.J. Watt for believing in us. Million dollar contracts are easy (maybe?). Taking a stake for the long term requires much more.
Thank you to all of our investors many of whom will remain generally anonymous. While I am extremely grateful to every single one of our customers, they get something immediately when they send us their money. You believe in our vision and are willing to wait. I think about this faith and patience every single day. Trust me, I do.
What’s Next
Our team is firmly aligned and ready for the challenges ahead.
Thank you to every person who has been a part of it.
Four Years On. Four Years Strong.
Onwards.
