Ep 333: Three Years to 8 Figures with Brandon Horoho - Montana Knife Company
DTC Podcast · with Brandon Horoho · August 28, 2023 · 50 min
Summary
Montana Knife Company scaled to 8 figures in three years by mastering a product-focused drop strategy, meticulously planning product releases a year in advance across all channels. Despite advertising restrictions for knives, they leveraged organic reach, community building, and an intimate understanding of their niche hunting demographic to drive explosive growth and customer loyalty, resulting in customers owning multiple knives. This episode is a masterclass in growing a DTC brand in a challenging product category.
Key takeaways
Implement a meticulously planned, year-long product drop calendar to build anticipation and drive consistent sales, especially for restricted categories.
Focus on deep niche understanding and community building to overcome advertising restrictions and foster strong customer loyalty.
Invest in genuine craftsmanship and brand storytelling (e.g., Master Bladesmiths) to differentiate products and create a legacy brand appeal.
Analyze customer purchasing behavior (e.g., average knives owned) to understand drivers of repeat purchases and lifetime value.
Explore diverse top-of-funnel strategies and consider platforms like Amazon for future growth, even if initial focus is on direct sales.
To Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signup Welcome to DTC Podcast, I'm Eric Dyck. Today's podcast is with Brandon Horoho, CMO and Co-founder of Montana Knife Company, makers of high quality steel hunting and now culinary knives. Knives being a restricted category on all ad platforms means Brandon's had to be very strategic to drive the 1600% growth since starting the business with Master Bladesmith Josh Smith in 2020. This podcast breaks down his product focused drop strategy, in which every week is planned out over a year in advance across all channels. You'll learn:
What someone has to do to become a bladesmith...yes it involves cutting things!
The secrets behind why the average MKC customer has 2.5 knives
And you'll hear the ins and outs of an 8 figure product drop model, along with the challengers of selling to hunters this way... And lots more! Ready to sharpen your blade? on with the show! Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to Montana Knife Company and its journey
09:25 - Forging knives and collaborating with popular knife makers
18:45 - Overcoming challenges and expanding beyond their niche
27:50 - Strategies for expanding top-of-funnel reach
37:20 - Exploring Amazon and future growth plans Hashtags: #KnifeIndustry #HeirloomKnives #Craftsmanship #HuntingCommunity #LegacyBrand #Entrepreneurship #OutdoorLifestyle #DirectToConsumer #PodcastInterview #MontanaKnifeCompany Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signup
Advertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/ad
Implement a meticulously planned, year-long product drop calendar to build anticipation and drive consistent sales, especially for restricted categories.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Focus on deep niche understanding and community building to overcome advertising restrictions and foster strong customer loyalty.
What does this episode say about product & merchandising?
Invest in genuine craftsmanship and brand storytelling (e.g., Master Bladesmiths) to differentiate products and create a legacy brand appeal.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Analyze customer purchasing behavior (e.g., average knives owned) to understand drivers of repeat purchases and lifetime value.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Explore diverse top-of-funnel strategies and consider platforms like Amazon for future growth, even if initial focus is on direct sales.
