Burnout happens in my opinion when the vision is not clear; people spend time on tactics and a lot of time in meetings on tactics.
I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Henry Stafford, founder and CEO of Revtown. Born in the rust belt, Revtown stands for damn good denim and a no-frills mindset. Think incredible quality and straightforward fits at a ridiculous price. With no up charging or middleman Revtownsells directly to you and are able to pass on nothing more than the true price of the goods. Masters of craft at Italian fabric mills and denim wash houses come together with leading designers in athletic apparel to make it happen. Remember, the best fitting, most comfortable pair of pants in your closet should be a pair of jeans.
Thank you for joining us. What brought you to this career path?
I basically fell into this industry. When I was in school I thought I would end up working on Wall St. I eventually met some folks in the industry and the idea of building a product, marketing that product and selling that product was really really interesting to me. I have figured out over time that I really love what it takes to build products and market product for consumers.
Where do you find your inspiration?
The easy answer is inspiration comes from all around. I would say if I really think about it I focus in 3 areas. 1. Staying very close to the consumer. Talking to the consumer, studying the consumer and researching the brands that have great relationships with the consumer. 2. Travel in different markets, different cities, and different countries. There are a lot of amazing business models around the world and getting out and seeing how things are done is always eye opening. I always say after traveling that I need to do more. 3. Great partners to work with. I get very energized by working with great people who are very talented.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Professionally my greatest accomplishment is just getting to work with great people who have been incredibly talented. This truly has enabled me to improve in my career. There is nothing better than being part of an awesome team. Personally, I would say just being a Dad. I love it and everything that comes with it. It is an absolute blast!
Do you have a favorite piece of clothing?
I don’t have a favorite piece in particular. I have a favorite jean (Revtown which took us over a year to build). I have a favorite watch. I have a favorite sweatshirt. There is a consistent theme to all of these. They are all well made. They all have very high quality. The style stands the test of time. The brand connects with me. I feel good when I am using these products.
Was this career path a lifelong dream?
My career path has not been a lifelong dream specifically. I have learned a lot about myself over time. What I like to do, what I don’t. The type of business model I am inspired by and the type I am not. What I have learned is that whatever I do I really love making products, I find building brands incredibly exciting, working with really great people who are very talented is downright inspiring, and I like to have fun in business. What we do at Revtown is fun. We are making amazing products at a ridiculous price for the customer. We are building a really cool brand and working with really cool people. That is very fun to me.
What makes Revtown stand out?
I think we have taken an uninspired consumer in a category that has not innovated well over the past decade, and the feedback we have gotten from our customers has been awesome. The product feedback has been so overwhelmingly positive that it really feels great that the work to build our 1st pair of jeans, which took over a year, was well worth it. Also, we stand out because we just remove the noise for the customer. Don’t know your size of jeans? Tell us your height and weight and our digital tailor will tell you what size to order. Want to get in touch with customer service? Text or call us. We’ll pick up; we’ll text you back right away. We are building a brand that we want to shop. Our brand is easy, it is clear. We stand out because our experience is like talking to a friend. Easy and direct…
What are some of your funnier moments?
Honestly, the initial conversations with our suppliers. They could not understand how we could have fabrics and materials that cost us so much to make yet charge the consumer the price we do. Initially, they thought we were nuts. After walking the through our business model and how we are doing it so differently from all of the other denim brands, they got it. In the early stages, they thought we were crazy. Now, they are our biggest supporters.
How do you avoid a burn out?
The tips I would give anyone on burnout are a few. Be clear on your vision. A lot of folks spend 99.9% of their time on tactics and re-working tactics. They do this without being clear on a vision and clear objectives. Also, cut meetings by 90%. Master the art of the ‘2 minute’ phone call. Any meeting can actually really happen in a ‘2 minute’ call. Also, work with and hire very talented people. The best. Burnout happens in my opinion when the vision is not clear; people spend time on tactics and a lot of time in meetings on tactics. They also are doing a lot of things and probably doing them just ok, because they are not working with the best. It is amazing how working with great and talented people makes you so much smarter and so much more efficient, that you really can spend time on vision.
Is there something that you are grateful for?
I would say every individual at Revtown has had significant help along the way to get them to the place where they are today. Personally, I would say my family…from my parents to my children to siblings. The things I have learned from my parents and my kids have definitely helped along the way. In addition, our team at Revtown has been very fortunate to have worked with and been mentored by some of the best in business, manufacturing, fashion, finance and the military to name a few areas. I can’t tell you how important this has been and continuing those relationships as we move forward at Revtown. It is really awesome to have folks who have mentored you in the past and partnered with you in the past be your biggest supporters. They are rooting for us. They are in our corner. We would not be where we are without that.
Are the any new and exciting projects we can see in the future?
Yes we are working on a number. We just this week launched the first “khaki jean.” We sold out our inventory in 2 days. This will be a big platform for us in the coming months and years. We have other projects that are also being worked on. Some are in the R&D and consumer insight phase while others are close to market. One thing we have to balance as a relatively new business is the fine line between focus and expanding product lines. Both are necessary and there is not a book that we can pull off the shelf to tell us what to do and when. Outside of Revtown, one of the projects I am associated with is in the area of e-sports. A new franchise, The Pittsburgh Knights, was developed in the past year. I am rooting for and in the corner of the founders of this team, without a doubt. This industry is fascinating and will continue to explode. This industry is global, the following is huge around the world and as things place out and the business model is developed, there are tremendous opportunities in my opinion.
Is there a charity that has a special place in your heart?
I have very luck to serve on the Board of Directors of The Children’s Institute, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. Working with the amazing and talented team at The Children’s Institute is incredibly rewarding. The Children’s Institute serves children with developmental and chronic disabilities. There is a school, outpatient services as well as a family services division. The most dedicated folks I have ever seen and worked with are at the Children’s Institute serving 80,000 visitors to the facility each year.
What are 5 things you wish someone would have told you?
I don’t think I can answer that yet. I think we are still learning every day, every week and every month. We are learning about our customer, about our products and about our experience. I do think there are things that I knew to expect, but until you are in it you don’t know what it is going to be like. For example, I knew that building product is hard. It really is. I respect people who want to build a physical product. Starting over and building from scratch, from concept to prototype to market, it is tough. I knew it was going to be tough, but sometimes you take a breath and you say, dang, this is tough. I knew that confidence is important and our team believing in our brand. But you have to be convinced every day, every week and every month that what you are building will be successful. Doubt can kill brands and can kill companies. Of course you need to listen and you need to adapt, but confidence and conviction in what you are doing is an absolute necessity.
Is there a book or movie that has influenced you?
At Revtown, we are probably more known for our true love of movies. At our headquarters you will hear movie quotes all the time. In fact, we assign the younger folks on the team movies to watch. As far as books go. I would say the most influential book is ‘The Energy Bus’. There was a time when I we doing a poor job in leading my team at a previous company. A was in a place of driving instead of inspiring. I was tactical instead of visionary. An individual who worked for me challenged me to be better and gave me ‘The Energy Bus.’ I went home and read it that night. It hit me very hard and was one of the best points of feedback I have ever been given by anyone I have ever worked with. It taught me to be a much better listener.
What does the future hold for Revtown?
The future for Revtown is to continue to build the brand and company we want to build. Want to build a brand that connects to people. We want to build product that is extremely high quality that is accessible. Accessible because of it’s price but also because we cover your size and your body. We want to be great partners to those who work with us, particularly our manufacturing partners. We want our partners to do well because they work with Revtown. We want to have fun. We want our business model to be the smart business model; the efficient business model. That is what our mission is. When we continue to do that, everything else will fall into place.
