Slow Growth. The Secret to their Success.
Religious Jewish men wore hats for centuries as a sign of respect for God’s presence and reverence. Some Jewish woman, after marriage, also cover their hair to appear modest. The origins are not precisely clear.
To the general population, hat wearing may have gone out of style when in 1960 JFK didn’t wear a hat to his innauguration. Fedoras, and similiar hats have made a comeback with artists, musicians and hipsters leading the way.
Brothers Levi and Yossi Chayo, Chassidic Jews made it their philosophical ambition to provide a contrasting narrative about hats for the discerning consumer.
This is a story where tradition meets innovation. (Cue the song Tradition from Fidler on the Roof)
These Jewish brothers thought when quality could meet affordability, they would have a thriving hat business.
Together they started Bellissimo in 2017 with a mission to fashion exquisite hats at affordable prices for the modern man and woman.
They partnered with some of the most skilled milliners at their factory, with techniques going back over a hundred years, to create inexpensive hats without compromising quality.
They carefully apply skilled craftsmanship to choose materials such as wool and fur felt to yield an impeccable product inspired by the ‘40s.
What started as a hobby quickly became a passion, and now Bellissimo hats are sought after by some of Hollywood’s top fashion icons like Jamie Fox. It is not unusual to find high-profile personalities and celebrities visiting their state-of-the-art flagship store in Brooklyn, New York City.
HT to Slow Growth
I’m not a hat guy.
I’ll wear a baseball-style cap to walk or go to the beach. I once bought a fancy hat to wear but I felt silly. Just wasn’t me.
But what struck me about the Bellissimo story wasn’t their hats; they ran a million-dollar business with one employee for several years. They double clicked on slow growth.
They recently hired a few more people as demand exploded, and they opened a few stores and are making their hats.
But they did something fundamentally smart that is a powerful lesson for any entrepreneur.
They wanted to have a robust, rigorous and working understanding of every job that must be done.
They intentionally grew slowly and didn’t take any outside investment. They allowed the business to grow cautiously expand so they knew what each brother should focus on and for what jobs they should hire help. They often asked, what is the best use of their time for which role.
Their mantra was:
- Slow growth.
- No outside investment.
- Never compromised on quality.
- Find pleasure in their efforts.
- Priced their hats to signal the craft and quality but never exorbitant.
So many starts – up want to hit $100M or $1B and sell. Levi and Yossi Chayo kept their eyes focused on delivering a unique product of value and made sure every customer was delighted.
Wisely, they focused on the next step ahead of them each day.
Measuring Success
Since they sell most of their hats online, they created a fun way to measure for a perfect fit here.
This whiteboard video is a valuable tool since growth came from exploding online sales and most folks are clueless about hat sizes.
Slow growth. One step at a time. Protect quality and service.
My hats off to the brothers.
Photos courtesy of Bellisimo Hats
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