Creating Companies with Purpose: Kevin Lavelle on Innovation, Family, and Leadership

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.