episode 0016- how tenacity turned a real estate agent into a luxury hat entrepreneur with max nelson

In this episode, we witness the passion of a luxury real estate agent turned luxury hat entrepreneur, and unpack his journey into entrepreneurship. When Max Nelson noticed a hole in the hat market, he took it upon himself to pivot his career and provide a solution: Hoot Hat.

Initially facing rejection by Shark Tank producers, Max's resilience and determination landed him an appearance on the show a few years later. How do you get an idea out of your head? How do you survive when you haven't turned a profit? How do you continue to learn, grow, and pivot to get your product in front of the right people? Join us as we dive into all of this and more.

Show Highlights:
1- Where did the idea for Hood Hat come from, and how did you get started? (7:00)
2- The best thing you can do is take action, and pivot as you go. (13:00)
3- Mistakes along the way that Max was able to learn from and adjust. (17:00)
4- Navigating around copyright and trademark law. (20:30)
5- What was Max’s background and day-to-day like when he was building this? (21:45)
6- The importance of being part of the community you are selling to. (22:30)
7- Profit margins with how expensive wool is. (27:00)
8- The importance of passion and loving what you do. (33:00 & 37:20)
9- Why Max doesn’t sell a cheaper hat as well, and some discussion around deleted scenes from his Shark Tank episode. (34:15)
10- Who are your business inspirations to help you stay the course? (38:55)
11- What happened between having too much inventory, and then landing an appearance on Shark Tank, and the power of audacity. (41:10)
12- Where can we find you and your products and learn more? (46:55)
13- Listener question: If you had to wear one hat for the rest of your life, which had would you choose? (47:50)

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Follow Hood Hat on Instagram: @hoodhatusa

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