Why You Need to Be 'Delusional' to Build a Million-Dollar Athleisure Brand
Executive Summary
A Shopify Masters interview in which host Adam Leter talks with Lanny Smith, founder of the athleisure brand Actively Black, about building an audience before launching a product. Smith describes his path from basketball to apparel, a launch on Black Friday 2020 that he says made 55,000 dollars on day one, selling out inventory far faster than planned, and why he warns people about the apparel business. Sponsor: Shopify, which presents the show (a free Shopify trial is linked in the description). PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, the audience-building section, a middle section on belief and the apparel business, the closing and the description, and does not cover every exchange in the roughly 33 minute interview. All numbers and views are the speakers' own claims and are not independently checked.
Key Takeaways
Demand first, product second
Smith says before any product was on the website he spread the concept and mission through social media to build an audience.
The audience at launch
He says he had about 10,000 Instagram followers, a similar number of email subscribers and about 3,000 on a text list.
Launch day results
Smith says Actively Black launched on Black Friday 2020 and made 55,000 dollars on day one, compared with about 100,000 in the first year of his earlier brand Active Faith.
Inventory sold out fast
He says inventory he expected to last three months sold out in three weeks.
Reverse engineering the brand
Smith says most entrepreneurs build the product first and then look for buyers, while he did it the other way round.
Why belief matters
He says founders need a vision that others cannot shake, but work ethic has to match it, and a vision board is not enough.
A warning about apparel
Smith says he would never advise anyone to get into the apparel business and that many people underestimate how many items must sell to reach a million dollars in revenue.
The Conversation Breakdown
Demand first, product second
⏱ Untimed topicSmith says before any product was on the website he spread the concept and mission through social media to build an audience.
The audience at launch
⏱ Untimed topicHe says he had about 10,000 Instagram followers, a similar number of email subscribers and about 3,000 on a text list.
Launch day results
⏱ Untimed topicSmith says Actively Black launched on Black Friday 2020 and made 55,000 dollars on day one, compared with about 100,000 in the first year of his earlier brand Active Faith.
Inventory sold out fast
⏱ Untimed topicHe says inventory he expected to last three months sold out in three weeks.
Reverse engineering the brand
⏱ Untimed topicSmith says most entrepreneurs build the product first and then look for buyers, while he did it the other way round.
Why belief matters
⏱ Untimed topicHe says founders need a vision that others cannot shake, but work ethic has to match it, and a vision board is not enough.
A warning about apparel
⏱ Untimed topicSmith says he would never advise anyone to get into the apparel business and that many people underestimate how many items must sell to reach a million dollars in revenue.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Demand first, product second - Smith's playbook
Build the audience and message before the product exists.
Reverse engineer the launch - Smith's description
Start from who will buy, then build for them.
Match belief with work - Smith's view
Vision only counts if effort and sacrifice follow.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Start sharing your brand's mission publicly before you have a product to sell.
- ✓Build an email and text list so launch day has an audience ready.
- ✓Work out how many units you must sell to reach your revenue goal before committing to a product line.
- ✓Treat all figures as the speakers' own claims and check them before using them in plans.
Notable Quotes
“And with Actively Black, we did 55,000 the first day of of Actively Black.”
“Have you built an audience first?”
“I would never ever tell anybody to get into the apparel business.”
The One Thing to Remember
The founder of Actively Black explains, in his own words, why he built a following first, how that led to a sold-out launch, and why he calls the apparel business a long shot.