7 DAYS OF MONDAY
The Stink on Running a Footwear Company
By Jay Taylor
CEO / LALO Tactical
jay@lalotactical.com
7 days of Mondays…
Startups aren’t for the faint of heart and certainly not for those that are used to a set work schedule. Job descriptions are broad and all encompassing and the workdays start, but never seem to have a set end. One week quickly flows into the next and then before you know it you are 6 months into getting a “Brand” off the ground and functioning in the market. If you thrive on adversity, have a tolerance for risk, and believe failure is not an option, then a startup company is for you.
Startups usually come with some bumps in the road and LALO was / is no exception. No matter how good a plan you have, people you have, and story you have, expect the unexpected. Stuff happens, it has to us. Development delays, factories missing deadlines, and manufacturing problems are all part of the headaches I deal with on what seems to be a daily basis.
Footwear is a capital-intensive business start. Development molds, production molds, materials, material overage charges, sample rounds, freight bills…the cash outlay never seems to stop and all the while you need to have a dedicated group of people to make it all happen. LALO is extremely fortunate to have a mix of veteran footwear people and young ambitious go-getters. Then…there is me, the middle aged serial entrepreneur, arguably the least talented and most expendable guy in the room; Jack-of-all-trades and master of none, happy to be in the mix with a great group of people who love what they do and are really good at it.
LALO was founded in 2009 with the vision of putting purpose built tactical boots on Naval Special Forces Operators or SEAL/s as they are more commonly known. The product was developed by deep collaboration with the SEAL/s, active duty and a few who had recently left the TEAMs. The feedback was invaluable when it comes to designing and developing products. If you ever want to know if your product is deficient or needs to be improved, ask a Special Forces Operator…and be prepared for the feedback, it is detailed and awesome.
None of what we do would be remotely possible without the people that support the LALO brand. In my experience they are gracious, kind, generous and forgiving. Every single one of us at LALO Tactical is forever in their debt. I would like to tell you about a few of them that I have been fortunate enough to meet along the way.
Scott Wood was introduced to us by Austin Weiss. Scott is a veteran who has given much to his county and has not been on the right side of the ledger for the sacrifices he has made. We are always humbled when Scott takes the time out of his day to engage with us. He has a very inspirational story and he motivates all of us at LALO to bust our asses every day to do a better job to help support those that have served.
We sent out one of our first email newsletters and wanted to check if anyone actually received it, let alone opened it. This is how we met Michael Brown. I am not sure which one of us was more surprised on the phone, me for the fact that Michael was kind enough to answer, or him for getting a call from a random stranger. Michael is a veteran who embodies the spirit of what we do at LALO. He is a proud father of 2 beautiful girls, a husband to a fantastic woman, and an advocate for bringing awareness and support to prevent Veteran suicide. He is relentless in this pursuit and we support his efforts in any way we can. You can follow him at Team Arise https://www.facebook.com/TeamAriseLLC - support them, we do, and every little bit helps.
I have no clue what its like to deal with constant pain and PTSD, but I get a glimpse of what the challenges are on a day to day basis from Brendan Fitzgerald. Brendan is a proud Marine veteran, husband and half of the Brendan and Russell (his service dog) team. Brendan shares with us some of the challenges he goes through on a day-to-day basis and most importantly the day-to-day victories. He is an all star and I look forward to the updates I get from him. They are nothing short of awesome. Russell is a rock star too and the two of them raise awareness around service dogs and PTSD.
It’s rare in life to meet someone as generous with their time and support as Mr. Fletcher. A Texas native and busy executive, he finds the time to train everyday. Mr. Fletcher was one of the very first people we were able to get a pair of LALO boots to. I dare say he may have the largest quiver of LALO product outside of our sample room. Read into this he is an excellent negotiator and has a very tolerant wife. Support and generosity come in many forms, but Mr. Fletcher embodies them all. I think its fair to say he has become our very first official product tester. We love working with him and are humbled by the time he takes to give us feedback on our products and branding. It is invaluable to us and we listen very carefully.
There are a lot of components that go into having a successful business. The most important in my opinion are the people. It's the people that have chosen to interact with the LALO Brand. As a team we are grateful for the airtime and mindshare we get.
I think the people we attract share the same values we do as a company:
• LALO exists to elevate the standard against which all other Tactical and Athletic brands are measured – in product design, content authenticity, customer service, and social stewardship.
• We engineer gear that solves problems, moves the bar forward and ultimately improves the performance of our end users.
• We have a collaborative process for product design and development that we follow with discipline.
• Corporate excellence is in every interaction.
• Excellence is never an accident – we work towards it every day.
• Attracting, retaining and developing the best talent for our business matters.
• Our customers define us and the products we will put through our process to bring to market
• We are one TEAM. No Exceptions. We are unified by a clear common purpose.
• We take risks and confront failure openly. Success is repeated aggressively.
On behalf of all of us at LALO I would like to personally thank you for being part of our TEAM – it means the world to us.
My goal is to write a new post every month as we get a lot of questions about what a startup is like. I will do my best to describe the trials and tribulations, successes and failures. Some of these we can tell you about and others…well they are classified.
If you are interested in seeing some of the new concepts we are working on and some behind the scenes photos of our world…jay_taylor5 @ Instagram is the place to find them. Or you can always reach me at jay@lalotactical.com
Until the next installment of 7 Days of Monday…
About LALO Tactical:
LALO was founded to serve the needs of Special Forces Operators. LALO uses top tier materials to create some of the best and hardest working tactical boots and athletic footwear for those that rise to the toughest occasions. The LALO Shadow, the ultimate Special Forces tactical boot, features a unique patent including a drainage system, a composite forefoot plate, a fast-dry component and the lightest weight materials on the market. The LALO Athletic line is a direct result of briefings received from Special Forces Operators. The need was to build a lightweight, packable, breathable shoe they could cross train and run in – a shoe they could count on, whether training or deployed. LALO’s designs put an emphasis on noise reduction, support and game day performance; gear that hits the mark time after time. Whether your path leads you to a career in the military, competing in an adventure race, cross training, tackling an urban athletic workout, or running a 5K, LALO has the shoe for you. www.lalotactical.com
LALO TACTICAL is privately held wholly by LALO LLC, a California LLC.
CEO / LALO Tactical
jay@lalotactical.com
7 days of Mondays…
Startups aren’t for the faint of heart and certainly not for those that are used to a set work schedule. Job descriptions are broad and all encompassing and the workdays start, but never seem to have a set end. One week quickly flows into the next and then before you know it you are 6 months into getting a “Brand” off the ground and functioning in the market. If you thrive on adversity, have a tolerance for risk, and believe failure is not an option, then a startup company is for you.
Startups usually come with some bumps in the road and LALO was / is no exception. No matter how good a plan you have, people you have, and story you have, expect the unexpected. Stuff happens, it has to us. Development delays, factories missing deadlines, and manufacturing problems are all part of the headaches I deal with on what seems to be a daily basis.
Footwear is a capital-intensive business start. Development molds, production molds, materials, material overage charges, sample rounds, freight bills…the cash outlay never seems to stop and all the while you need to have a dedicated group of people to make it all happen. LALO is extremely fortunate to have a mix of veteran footwear people and young ambitious go-getters. Then…there is me, the middle aged serial entrepreneur, arguably the least talented and most expendable guy in the room; Jack-of-all-trades and master of none, happy to be in the mix with a great group of people who love what they do and are really good at it.
LALO was founded in 2009 with the vision of putting purpose built tactical boots on Naval Special Forces Operators or SEAL/s as they are more commonly known. The product was developed by deep collaboration with the SEAL/s, active duty and a few who had recently left the TEAMs. The feedback was invaluable when it comes to designing and developing products. If you ever want to know if your product is deficient or needs to be improved, ask a Special Forces Operator…and be prepared for the feedback, it is detailed and awesome.
None of what we do would be remotely possible without the people that support the LALO brand. In my experience they are gracious, kind, generous and forgiving. Every single one of us at LALO Tactical is forever in their debt. I would like to tell you about a few of them that I have been fortunate enough to meet along the way.
Scott Wood was introduced to us by Austin Weiss. Scott is a veteran who has given much to his county and has not been on the right side of the ledger for the sacrifices he has made. We are always humbled when Scott takes the time out of his day to engage with us. He has a very inspirational story and he motivates all of us at LALO to bust our asses every day to do a better job to help support those that have served.
We sent out one of our first email newsletters and wanted to check if anyone actually received it, let alone opened it. This is how we met Michael Brown. I am not sure which one of us was more surprised on the phone, me for the fact that Michael was kind enough to answer, or him for getting a call from a random stranger. Michael is a veteran who embodies the spirit of what we do at LALO. He is a proud father of 2 beautiful girls, a husband to a fantastic woman, and an advocate for bringing awareness and support to prevent Veteran suicide. He is relentless in this pursuit and we support his efforts in any way we can. You can follow him at Team Arise https://www.facebook.com/TeamAriseLLC - support them, we do, and every little bit helps.
I have no clue what its like to deal with constant pain and PTSD, but I get a glimpse of what the challenges are on a day to day basis from Brendan Fitzgerald. Brendan is a proud Marine veteran, husband and half of the Brendan and Russell (his service dog) team. Brendan shares with us some of the challenges he goes through on a day-to-day basis and most importantly the day-to-day victories. He is an all star and I look forward to the updates I get from him. They are nothing short of awesome. Russell is a rock star too and the two of them raise awareness around service dogs and PTSD.
It’s rare in life to meet someone as generous with their time and support as Mr. Fletcher. A Texas native and busy executive, he finds the time to train everyday. Mr. Fletcher was one of the very first people we were able to get a pair of LALO boots to. I dare say he may have the largest quiver of LALO product outside of our sample room. Read into this he is an excellent negotiator and has a very tolerant wife. Support and generosity come in many forms, but Mr. Fletcher embodies them all. I think its fair to say he has become our very first official product tester. We love working with him and are humbled by the time he takes to give us feedback on our products and branding. It is invaluable to us and we listen very carefully.
There are a lot of components that go into having a successful business. The most important in my opinion are the people. It's the people that have chosen to interact with the LALO Brand. As a team we are grateful for the airtime and mindshare we get.
I think the people we attract share the same values we do as a company:
• LALO exists to elevate the standard against which all other Tactical and Athletic brands are measured – in product design, content authenticity, customer service, and social stewardship.
• We engineer gear that solves problems, moves the bar forward and ultimately improves the performance of our end users.
• We have a collaborative process for product design and development that we follow with discipline.
• Corporate excellence is in every interaction.
• Excellence is never an accident – we work towards it every day.
• Attracting, retaining and developing the best talent for our business matters.
• Our customers define us and the products we will put through our process to bring to market
• We are one TEAM. No Exceptions. We are unified by a clear common purpose.
• We take risks and confront failure openly. Success is repeated aggressively.
On behalf of all of us at LALO I would like to personally thank you for being part of our TEAM – it means the world to us.
My goal is to write a new post every month as we get a lot of questions about what a startup is like. I will do my best to describe the trials and tribulations, successes and failures. Some of these we can tell you about and others…well they are classified.
If you are interested in seeing some of the new concepts we are working on and some behind the scenes photos of our world…jay_taylor5 @ Instagram is the place to find them. Or you can always reach me at jay@lalotactical.com
Until the next installment of 7 Days of Monday…
About LALO Tactical:
LALO was founded to serve the needs of Special Forces Operators. LALO uses top tier materials to create some of the best and hardest working tactical boots and athletic footwear for those that rise to the toughest occasions. The LALO Shadow, the ultimate Special Forces tactical boot, features a unique patent including a drainage system, a composite forefoot plate, a fast-dry component and the lightest weight materials on the market. The LALO Athletic line is a direct result of briefings received from Special Forces Operators. The need was to build a lightweight, packable, breathable shoe they could cross train and run in – a shoe they could count on, whether training or deployed. LALO’s designs put an emphasis on noise reduction, support and game day performance; gear that hits the mark time after time. Whether your path leads you to a career in the military, competing in an adventure race, cross training, tackling an urban athletic workout, or running a 5K, LALO has the shoe for you. www.lalotactical.com
LALO TACTICAL is privately held wholly by LALO LLC, a California LLC.