What do you do when wholesale feels like success but starts killing your brand? For the founders of Mestiza, it meant rewriting the playbook. In this episode, they share how they survived COVID, pivoted to DTC, and built a multi 7-figure fashion business - while raising kids and refusing VC money.

Jim is joined by Luisa Takas and Alessandra Perez-Rubio, the powerhouse duo behind Mestiza - a New York-based fashion brand worn by celebrities and loved by loyal customers. The two dive into how they broke into Neiman Marcus early on but quickly realized wholesale wasn’t sustainable. From there, they detail how COVID forced a DTC pivot, how their hero product (“The Shimmy Dress”) became a game-changer, and how they’ve grown profitably while bootstrapping. This is a behind-the-scenes look at resilience, customer obsession, and building a brand with values.
 
TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE

• Why wholesale nearly derailed their brand vision
• How COVID forced a DTC rebirth that changed everything
• The power of flagship products like the Shimmy Dress
• Tactical tips for customer feedback, crowdfunding, and growth
• How they raised a friends-and-family round and used SBA loans
• Why being moms made them better founders
• The co-founder dynamic that’s lasted longer than most marriages

If you’re building a brand and wondering whether to go DTC, how to grow without VC money, or how to survive the messy middle - this episode is pure gold.

Resources:

• Mestiza
• Jim Huffman website
• Jim's Twitter
• GrowthHit
• The Growth Marketer's Playbook

Additional episodes you might enjoy:

• Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)
• Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)
• How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)
• Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)
• How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)