How This Solo Founder Created A $5K/Month Sportswear Brand Without Previous Experience
Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?
My name is Brandon Rogers and I am the founder of LVLS Sportswear (pronounced levels). Simply put, LVLS is the first sportswear brand devoted to asymmetrically designed athletic apparel.
Our target market is athletes between the ages of 12-35 who value their sense of style, both on and off the court/field, but also want to feel comfortable wearing new, unique, never-before-seen garments that help them stand out in a crowd.
The fashion and sports industries are continuing to grow evermore intertwined and I plan to position LVLS at the forefront of this intersection by continuously releasing products that are certain to turn heads.
Our capstone product, the Men’s & Women’s Single Leg Tights, was first to market and offered athletes a longer-lasting alternative to cutting their full-length compression tights with scissors. They also serve as a far more functional option over leg sleeves. We beat Nike to market with our Single Leg Tights by 17 months (but who’s counting)!
In late January of this year, we released our second breakthrough product, the Ace Compression Shirts, designed in two styles - sleeveless and short sleeve.
It’s also important to note that just weeks before the Ace Compression Shirts went live on our site, Steph Curry made his return to the NBA, sporting a similarly constructed garment that has led to a surge in sales for our product as we are currently the only sportswear brand on the market with this style of garment for sale to consumers.
As a one-man operation (I say ‘we’ as a force of habit to sound like a larger company than I am) I’ve been able to scale this business to $5,000 a month in recurring revenue, get capstone products on athletes in the NBA, WNBA, G-League, PLL, & NLL, gain a social following of over 24,000, and have just started to receive interest from several national retailers.
I think the most important trait a founder can have is their hunger for continued education. Never stop learning.
It’s also important to note that as a recent college graduate, I have no prior fashion or entrepreneurial experience, on top of minimal funding, so this has been the most stressful learning experience that I’ve loved every minute of.
What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?
When I tell most people that I was born in Malaysia and grew up in Tokyo, Japan, they don’t believe me, but it’s true. My parents were Midwesterners who became international teachers - a profession they enjoyed for about 30 years. They started in Rome, Italy, moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a few years, had me, and when I was less than two years old, moved to Tokyo.
I mention my upbringing because when most people think about Tokyo, they think about the culture and how much fashion plays a role in everyday life. Well, I’d love to hit the reset button and get a do-over because when I was growing up, I was hands down the worst-dressed member of my friend group. I look back at the photos and just laugh at myself. If you would've told me at that time that I'd be running a fashion-forward sportswear brand after college, I'd laugh even harder!
Fast forward to college graduation and I got a job working for an international basketball recruiting agency that would run camps and clinics all over the world. For the next two years, I was traveling the globe coaching basketball and recruiting some of the top talent to come to a summer academy for further exposure to US colleges.
Throughout my travels, I started to notice a lot of athletes cutting their compression gear with scissors for an asymmetrical, leg sleeve-like style. They hated wearing leg sleeves because they constantly required readjustment as they ran around, and Single Leg Tights had yet to be invented. Then the pandemic hit…
I obviously couldn’t travel at all, so I returned to my parent's house (they had since retired to Minnesota) and began working on what would become LVLS Sportswear with about $3,000 in my savings account and a little extra that I was receiving from unemployment checks.
It took 11 months, 8 prototypes, and 7 different manufacturers before I found a factory that could make the product I was hoping for, at the cost and MOQs I could afford, and most importantly, with the highest quality possible.
You can listen to as many business podcasts, read as many books on startups, or talk to as many successful entrepreneurs as you want who all preach the importance of having patience throughout your journey, but until you’re forced to endure true patience for yourself, you won’t understand how immensely important it is.
The whole time I’m working through modifications with a factory or waiting for the next round of samples to arrive, I was drafting mockups for future product lines, creating content, ensuring my accounting and finances were in order, continually educating myself on what tools to use, doing business outreach and networking - basically anything and everything I could think of to position myself as best as possible so when the bulk order arrived, I’d know exactly what next steps to take.
What made this prototyping process both reassuring and agonizing at the same time was that every time I turned on my TV to watch a basketball, lacrosse, or football game, I’d continue to see more and more athletes wearing cut compression tights. I knew the product would be a hit because it solves an obvious problem, but I couldn’t stand the wait.
Take us through the process of building the first version of your product.
Fortunately, my mom loves to sew, so my very first prototype was an old pair of Under Armour ¾ length compression tights that she helped me hem. I was so excited and thought I looked so cool in them, I wore them around the house all afternoon. I like to imagine Bill Bowerman did the same thing with his waffle trainers.
To save you the boring details of all the factories I struck out with, this story gets a lot more interesting when I was told to check out a popular fashion blog that had some great articles on sourcing your first products overseas. I soon realized that a number of the blogs I thought were incredibly helpful were all written by the same agency - Alice James Global.
After reaching out to AJG, they quoted me at a reasonable price to help me source, design, and manufacture my prototypes. Fast forward a few months and quite a few iterations later, I received the first bulk order of 200 units at my door.
When things looked like they were just starting to pick up, the factory then announced it was shutting its doors due to COVID-19 complications and we had to go through the whole process all over again with a new manufacturer.
At the same time, (have patience but never sit still remember) I signed up to receive a mentor from SCORE and was connected to a gentleman who was kind enough to give me the contact information of a manufacturer he'd worked with in the past. I took everything I had learned from working with AJG - the tech packs, fabric swatches, stitching patterns, and shipping details - and reached out to this new factory all on my own to pursue development of the Ace Compression Shirts.
Additionally, I had been teaching myself how to use Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and After Effects, which have become integral in both communication with manufacturers and social media content creation.
Now with proper knowledge, tools, and ability to navigate the process, I was able to cut the manufacturing time in half and I’m currently in the process of cutting that down even further with the new products I’m actively working on. Never. Stop. Learning.
From a design standpoint, I’m a big fan of simplicity and minimalism. If you think about most products you wear on your body that eventually break down, do they come apart in the middle of the fabric or at the seams? What is stretchier, a polyester/spandex blend or the actual thread in a seam?
99% of the time, products get destroyed at the seams - especially with compression gear. Yes, I know that there are stitching patterns that allow for an increased stretch, but you get my point. Thus, I thought, why not keep the product simple, yet elegant with only one seam down the inner thigh to allow for increased longevity, stretch, and comfort?
I had also gone to Dick’s Sporting Goods a few times during these prototyping months and tried on several compression tights for guidance. I'd grab a handful of tights from different brands, head into the fitting rooms, try each one on, and take notes on what features I liked most. Product research doesn't have to cost anything if you're creative and smart about how you go about it! The pairs that I found the least comfortable were the Nike full-length tights with all sorts of crazy seams down the leg, which looked cool, but served only that purpose in my eyes. I continually found that the most comfortable tights were the ones with a single seam down the leg that allowed the fabric to fully work its magic.
Don’t overcomplicate something to the point of ruining its intended purpose. Shoutout to Steve Jobs.
When it comes to branding LVLS products, I want to take you quickly back to when I was a high school basketball player. For years I wore my favorite pairs of black and white Nike compression tights for home and away games. I loved them.
When I got to college, Marymount University was sponsored by Under Armour, so I was forced to go out and purchase a whole new set of compression gear because of the big fat logo on the back calf of both pairs of tights.
I couldn’t stand being prohibited from wearing a product that was comfortable for me just because of a logo, so when I was deciding how to brand LVLS tights, it was an easy decision. I can still remember the day I was asked if I wanted the logo on the back calf, front shin, or the front thigh and I said, “Nowhere, it should only go on the waistband where it can be easily covered up.”
Every game-worn product LVLS designs and sells, now and in the future, won’t run our athletes into sponsorship conflicts. Wear what YOU want to wear. Wear what makes YOU comfortable. To me, being forced to wear a specific brand because of a team or school sponsorship elicits the same feeling as an influencer spitting out the food they’re promoting after the cameras stop rolling.
Describe the process of launching the business.
When the first bulk order arrived, I quickly brought a few pairs to the athletes I was training at the time and held a little photo shoot to facilitate the construction of my Shopify site. I was extremely tight on capital at this point, so I just used a free Shopify template and built it myself, hoping revenue from the initial bulk order would help me save up to eventually pay for the custom site we have today.
If you don’t hear a definitive no, keep being persistent. You never know what could happen.
Most of those athletes who wore the product during the shoot also ended up buying a few pairs for themselves, which was exciting and reassuring to experience.
I had also been building up a following on TikTok, which delivered an enormous amount of initial traction for the brand. Some of my early videos received millions of views and the initial bulk order sold out in a few months.
Complications with the pandemic made reordering difficult, but by the time my second bulk order arrived, I had figured out a unique plan to get the product into the hands of more professional athletes and influencers.
Firing off a cold DM to a pro athlete isn’t going to yield great results. I eventually noticed that most of the top athletes that I was hoping to get my product in the hands of had personal photographers and trainers who were far more likely to open a random message from a small sportswear brand.
Building the right relationships, I was eventually able to get Single Leg Tights to Javonte Green, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan on the Chicago Bulls as well as Dhane Smith on the Buffalo Bandits, just to name a few.
Throughout this whole process, I had to be incredibly detailed with my accounting and finances. The apparel business is capital-intensive, so I have to be very selective with where I allocate my funds. It did help that in early 2022 I was able to secure a job as an SEO Analyst working remotely for a marketing agency based in NYC - Amsive Digital. If I’m not using my income to buy groceries or gas, you best believe it’s going to LVLS!
Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
As a small business with minimal funds to allocate towards paid media campaigns, you have to get creative with customer attraction and retention.
TikTok and SEO have been my saving grace. Without TikTok as a social media platform, I definitely wouldn’t be here typing this right now. If you are a small business owner and you’re looking for the easiest and cheapest way to attract new customers, TikTok is a no-brainer.
Can you imagine how much it would have cost me in PPC ads or FB ads to receive the same amount of viewership as the TikTok screenshot I shared above? I made that video in 30 seconds, hit post, and reached 4.7 million people.
From an SEO standpoint, it’s incredibly helpful that my full-time job is in SEO and I’m able to use all the keyword research and analytics tools that I use for my 9-5 on my 5-9.
There are so many Shopify sites out there that can easily rank for niche keywords or utilize the product, FAQ, video, or article schema to improve CTR from organic traffic and they’re just not aware of the missed opportunities.
The first two blog posts I wrote, simply identifying what Single Leg Tights were now yield 50,000 impressions a month, all because I was early to a trend and was able to capitalize on niche keywords.
If you don’t have the capital or are hesitant to risk pursuing paid media right away, find ways to creatively raise awareness for your brand or mission. Never. Stop. Learning.
When it comes to retaining customers, the market is so incredibly saturated with different apps, plugins, and tools, it becomes very easy to throw capital out the window. When I said earlier that I believe in minimalism and simplicity, that doesn’t just carry over to product design, that affects all aspects of the business.
At the end of the day, humans are humans. We all want fast response times, minimal difficulty, and a great experience. Find the one or two tools that help you solve your customer’s worst problems and only add more as the business grows or new employees can own certain tools that truly deliver value.
Recently, I've reached a point where I have the consistent revenue flow and profit margins to begin paid media campaigns, which I'm very excited about! I've also been accepted into a DTC accelerator program that is guiding me through the whole paid media process and ensuring my site, content, and retargeting strategies are all ironed out before hitting the launch button.
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
As a bootstrapped apparel business that sells highly unique and customized products, I knew going into this that it would be some time before LVLS saw profitability. The growing interest from retailers and online sales channels keeps me confident that that moment is coming sooner rather than later.
I’ve been able to negotiate with manufacturers to keep MOQs low and costs minimal to allow me to test several products in a very affordable and efficient amount of time.
Taking into account the typical 50% margin that most sporting goods retailers require and the expected cost to initiate a paid media campaign, LVLS is positioned very well to capitalize on this next stage in the business and continue to grow!
I’m also very excited to release the next round of products that are in production and continue to disrupt the sportswear industry with never-before-seen styles that continue to help athletes stand out.
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
I was incredibly fortunate to receive a great education in high school and a BA from Marymount University, but I have easily learned far more by starting and building this business for the past few years than I ever did in school. The best way to learn is by doing.
I’ve thrown together some quick hitter’s below that I’ve learned along the way, but it’s important to note that I’ve only been a business owner for a few years. I’m sure this list will continue to grow as I experience and fail more in the future.
- Sometimes conflict can be the best driver of virality. TikTok videos often go viral because consumers both call the product dumb and back its validity. Your product isn’t unique enough or doesn’t challenge the status quo enough if everyone loves it.
- Even Phil Knight made terrible products here and there. Iterate and keep pushing. Every single one won’t be a bestseller.
- Screenshot the rude or mean comments on social media. Screenshot the DMs you get from customers asking for handouts because you're a startup that 'needs' their publicity. Screenshot the rejection emails you get from retailers. These will all help motivate you, but more importantly, they will be great additions to your autobiography once your business takes off.
- Ask for help when you need it, but try your best to rely on no one. Keep your options open so that if someone doesn’t pull through, you aren’t completely hung out to dry.
- If you don’t hear a definitive no, keep being persistent. You never know what could happen.
Most importantly, in a world of copycats and phrases like ‘It’s Airbnb but for X’, make sure the products or services you are working on are genuinely unique, deliver real value, and bring a sense of excitement to your life. You only get one.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
The major tools that I use to run LVLS are Shopify, Adobe Suite, the G Suite, SEMRush, Google Analytics, Search Console, UpWork, Anchor, Quickbooks, Klaviyo, ChatGPT, and social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn.
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
Hands down the best book any entrepreneur can read is Start With Why by Simon Sinek. Every founder needs to constantly be questioning 'why' in all aspects of the business. Businesses solve problems, so continue to remind yourself what problems yours solves and WHY. This also makes for a great source of content.
A close second is The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz. It’s not an accident that LVLS only sells our capstone products in black and white. The custom product builder on our website makes ordering a pair of Single Leg Tights like ordering from Chipotle. Black or white? Right or left leg longer?
Third is Linchpin by Seth Godin. “When we find the empathy to say, ‘I’m sorry, this isn’t for you, here’s the phone number of my competitor,’ then we also find the freedom to do work that matters.” Athletes continue to message me on social media wondering when LVLS will release regular compression tights and I continue to respond by telling them that Nike and Under Armour make excellent compression tights if they’re interested. LVLS will only ever make unique apparel that stands out in an overcrowded sportswear industry.
As far as podcasts, I think I’m a little weird in that I listen to podcasts more often than music - even when working out. I plan on being a lifelong learner and with so much information to take in in just one lifetime, you have to find ways to educate yourself while multitasking. Nothing beats maxing out on bench press while listening to Guy Raz talk about the journey of building Spanx with Sara Blakely.
My top podcasts include:
- How I Built This with Guy Raz
- My First Million with Sam Par and Shaan Puri
- Founders by David Senra
- Wisdom From The Top with Guy Raz
- The Next Big Idea with Rufus Griscom
- Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman
- Startup Stories with Andrew Warner
- The a16z Podcast
- The Tim Ferriss Show
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting?
My mom had this magnet on our fridge growing up and I used to read it every time I went into the kitchen to steal snacks late at night. It said, “Parenting is the toughest job you’ll ever love.”
I later learned that the same phrase applies to entrepreneurship. Building a business is the toughest job you’ll ever love.
There will be days when it seems like everything is going wrong or your self-doubt is just taking over and you can’t believe how much time and money you’ve invested into this stupid idea. Then, in a day or two, you’ll wake up and think your products are so great they’ll change the world by next week. Do your best not to get too high or too low.
I know I've reiterated this a lot already, but I also think the most important trait a founder can have is their hunger for continued education.
Never. Stop. Learning.
I said that a few times in my answers above for a reason.
I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t teach myself how to use the Adobe Suite.
I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t read every business book I could get my hands on or listen to every podcast I thought was valuable.
I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t teach myself how to create content, both for social media and SEO.
I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t question the status quo and learn how to build products that were truly different.
Never. Stop. Learning.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
I am always looking for interested investors, mentors, or individuals who can help me take LVLS to the next level!
I don’t have the capital to take on a full-time employee, but if anyone reading this feels passionate about the apparel space, hates scrolling through the endless amount of ads for another pair of athletic shorts or ‘performance’ t-shirts, and wants to help me genuinely shake up the sportswear industry by delivering never-before-seen products, please please please reach out.
I’m also always open to networking! If there is someone you know who may be able to provide some insight on the retail space or has prior experience running a successful e-commerce business, forward this to them and have them contact me.
I’ve been ignored a lot in life, left on read, and ghosted, so if there’s one thing I can promise, it’s that if you reach out, and you’re not soliciting or asking for business, I will certainly do you the courtesy of responding!
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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