The Long Build with Sara Lawhead

Sara Lawhead has spent her career building things. Teams, products, brands, strategies. She has worked inside large public companies, navigated private equity environments, and managed multiple brands at a pace that left little room to think. Now she is leading Thacker NYC, a founder-led brand going after a consumer the outdoor industry has largely ignored.

"We think of life as a sport. No one is really talking to the everyday person. The outdoor industry tends to go after the core, the hardcore, the top of the mountain. But it is the everyday people that still want to get outside, still want to look the part. That is a big, unmet opportunity."

That shift, from managing six brands and fifty-plus products a year to building one brand with intention, is the backdrop for this conversation.

We cover what the outdoor market actually looks like right now, from trade show floors to retailer meetings. We get into tariffs and supply chain, and how the brands that came out ahead were the ones that started diversifying manufacturing before the pressure hit.

One of the more interesting threads is pattern recognition across categories, and what happens when private equity acquires founder-led brands.

"Once that special sauce, once that DNA has really left the business, it gets harder and harder to continue that passion and excitement. The DNA isn't there anymore. It gets sucked out."

Sara has a clear point of view on where brands lose the thread, how innovation is misunderstood, and what real partnership with specialty retail actually requires. She also talks about the BIRDS communication framework, a tool she uses with every team she joins.

"As a leader, you have to have the awareness of who you are talking to and how they receive information. The more you understand who you are talking to and how they operate, the better the business will go. Once you know it, you actually have to do it. That is the second battle."

We close on what Sara would tell someone early in their career.

"Figure out what you are good at. Not what you think is cool, not what everybody else is telling you to do. Chase that."

A conversation about building something real, reading the market honestly, and knowing when to move and when to wait.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:07 Founder Led Pace Shift

04:04 Trade Shows And Market Signals

06:15 Life As a Sport

08:41 People-first Building Blocks

11:02 DIY Mindset No Roadmap

12:33 Athlete Pressure Lessons

15:32 Compassionate Leadership Birds

18:42 Top to Top Retail Strategy

20:47 Tariffs and Supply Diversification

23:36 Pattern Recognition In Categories

26:52 Winning Retailer Confidence

29:28 Partnership with Specialty Retail

30:25 Staying True to Brand

31:29 Compromise Without Dilution

33:10 Redefining Innovation

34:22 Colorways That Sell

35:21 Decide and Ship

37:16 Pleasant Persistence

39:58 Follow Up Early

40:48 Relationships Beat Automation

41:28 Hiring a Sales Agency

42:36 Conviction Without Playbook

47:13 Slow Build Strategy

49:45 Healthier Leadership Mindset

51:53 Entrepreneurship and Expansion

52:35 Fashion Meets Function

57:25 Books That Shape Focus

59:22 Advice for Year Two

01:02:19 Go Until Stopped

01:03:24 A Good Life Vision