Advice Line with Lyndon Cormack of Herschel Supply Co.

Intro

Guy Raz welcomes Herschel Supply Co. co-founder Lyndon Cormack back to the Advice Line for a second round of founder coaching. The conversation opens with brand storytelling: Lyndon explains that Herschel’s retro, travel-inspired identity wasn’t an accident, and that the best brands find macro themes—quality, sustainability, consistency—that cross demographics without trying to be everything to everyone. He stresses authenticity and time, noting that Herschel is fifteen years old and still learning what story resonates most.

Caller 1: Lauren Befus & Memory Lane Jane

Lauren Befus calls from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she runs Memory Lane Jane, a bespoke commemorative book service for families. After working as a newspaper reporter, she turned her experience hearing untold veteran stories into a luxury business that charges $25,000 and up per book, with a pipeline of fifteen active projects. Her question is how to market a product that is both private and extremely expensive to prospects who have never seen a finished book. Lyndon’s advice is direct: act like a luxury brand. Study LVMH and other heritage companies, hire a publicist who can place your story in Forbes, Robb Report, and city magazines, and target high-net-worth lookalikes through wealth managers and estate planners rather than broad social campaigns.

Caller 2: John Thurding & FloorDrobe

John Thurding is in London, originally from Johannesburg, and his startup FloorDrobe is a wall-mounted ladder with miniature coat hangers designed for the clothes people don’t want to fold or hang properly. After a successful Kickstarter, he’s selling slowly and wants to know how to get people to experience the product before buying. Lyndon points to boutique hotels, consignment partnerships with cool London shops, and Pinterest-ready before-and-after content. He also suggests populating the brand’s own photography with different consumer personalities—streetwear, sport coat, thrift—so buyers can see themselves using it.

Caller 3: Virginia Lynn Peterson & SWOOP

Virginia Lynn Peterson is an Anchorage emergency-room nurse who started SWOOP after she couldn’t find a comfortable wireless bra for twelve-hour shifts. The brand now makes bras, tunics, and loungewear, with roughly a third of sales from its website, a third from local Alaska markets and REI, and a third wholesale. She asks whether trade shows are worth the cost from Alaska and whether leaning into her nurse story limits the brand. Lyndon says the nurse angle is the strongest asset she has, especially against a market of 3.4 million female nurses in the United States, and that Alaska should be a supporting detail rather than the headline.

Final Thought

Lyndon closes by looking back at Herschel’s early manufacturing failures and how those scars built the resilience that made the brand. He encourages the callers to embrace the messy middle, invest in brand before chasing scale, and remember that the people buying their products are the real stars of the story.