On today's show I sat down with Christian Resiak, founder of Indianapolis leather goods brand Howl + Hide, launched in 2014 after he taught himself leatherwork. Resiak grew up near Michigan City's Lake Michigan shoreline, moved to Noblesville, and left Purdue after six months to pursue retail management roles in Peoria, Illinois and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he learned branding, merchandising, and store operations. After returning to Indianapolis in 2012, he worked briefly at Verizon and Angie's List before discovering leatherwork in 2014, starting with hand-sewn wallets and bags, and transitioning from Etsy to his own site in 2015. He left Angie's List, bartended to pay bills, joined a Mass Ave makerspace incubator, opened early retail/workshop spaces, and used trade shows to land wholesale and corporate opportunities, including John Wayne wallets. The business expanded into retail, corporate "collab" products, and an in-house factory, working with brands like Jet Access, Wilson, and NBA teams including the Pistons and Pacers, while emphasizing culture, EOS processes, and scaling without losing the brand's soul. If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast. You are going to learn about: - The Origins of Howl + Hide - Expanding Business into Retail - Collaborating with Major Brands and Professional Teams Thank you to our partners: ClusterTruck (use code GETIN at checkout for $5 off orders of $25 or more) Kirklin Check out these great clips from the show: 01:23 Guest Introduction: Christian Resiak, Howl + Hide 02:29 Growing Up Michigan City 05:10 Noblesville High And Skate Shop 08:43 Dropping Purdue For Retail 10:33 Peoria Lessons And Growth 18:02 Sioux Falls Culture Shock 21:21 Back To Indy Verizon To Angie's List 24:48 Falling Into Leatherwork 27:00 First Wallet And First Bags 29:14 Etsy Launch And Early Sales 30:56 Scaling Mindset 80 20 31:48 Launching the Brand 32:46 Origin of Howl and Hide 34:18 Quitting for Full Time 36:09 Mass Ave Maker Space 44:13 First Storefront Lease 47:32 Trade Shows and Wholesale 51:20 Big Orders Growing Pains 53:39 First Hire and Systems 56:44 COVID Boom and Masks 59:14 Corporate Gifting Expansion 01:01:44 Content and Team Culture 01:05:14 Leadership Empathy and EOS 01:07:28 Traction and EOS Hacks 01:07:57 Meeting Culture and Board 01:08:29 Cody and Barbershop Move 01:09:37 Clay Terrace Pop Up Win 01:10:19 New HQ Build Out 01:11:22 Fountain Square Block 01:12:23 Three Revenue Streams 01:13:25 NBA Breakthrough Story 01:15:58 Pacers and All-Star Bags 01:17:42 Festivals and Big Purpose 01:18:49 Team Structure and Factory 01:20:46 Vision and Made in USA 01:22:41 Independence and Regenerative 01:27:00 New Products and Collab 01:28:30 Indiana Lightning Round 01:32:44 Hidden Gem Leather Shop 01:34:50 Hoosier Shoutouts and Wrap 01:36:27 Where to Find Howl + Hide Get IN. is brought to you by our friends at Sweetwater. Whether you are looking to start a podcast or level up your current show you need to hit them up.