Advice Line with Sarah LaFleur of M. M. LaFleur
Guy Raz brings back Sarah LaFleur, founder and CEO of M.M. LaFleur, to field real-time questions from founders navigating self-doubt, pricing perception, and shifting consumer behavior. Two callers pitch their businesses - a muscle-recovery soap and tick-protective socks - and Sarah offers practical, hard-won advice drawn from rebuilding her own brand through COVID, a bank collapse, and near-failure.
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Episode Recap
Guy Raz brings back Sarah LaFleur, founder of M.M. LaFleur, five and a half years after her first appearance. She rebuilt the brand through a 60% COVID revenue collapse, three rounds of layoffs, every store closing, and a near-fatal capital call in 2024. Now profitable and growing, she joins Guy to answer real questions from founders navigating self-doubt, pricing, and consumer behavior change.
Intro
Sarah describes how M.M. LaFleur evolved from office-focused dresses into a "power casual" brand for women mixing Zoom calls with school runs. The core insight didn't change: professional women want fewer, better things that move with their lives. Then the callers come in.
Caller 1: David Restiano & SORSOAP
David Restiano runs SORSOAP out of New Jersey-a muscle-scraping soap bar inspired by his physical therapist's Graston tool. Revenue spiked to $440,000 after Shark Tank and settled near $105,000 in 2025. His question: how do you keep moving when self-doubt never really goes away?
Sarah's been working with a mental strength coach for a year and credits meditation and journaling with the first real relief she's felt in 14 years running the business. Guy suggested leaning on data-repeat customers, marathon PRs attributed to SORSOAP-as the fence posts that hold you up on bad days.
Caller 2: Marnie & Tick Socks
Marnie launched Tick Socks in Australia last month-bamboo socks bonded with permethrin through 70 washes. The idea came from swatting mosquitoes off her newborn son outdoors. Roughly 20 sales in so far, and her question is sharp: how do you justify $119 for four pairs of socks when people see socks as cheap?
Sarah reframes it immediately-you're not selling socks, you're selling a summer of tick protection. Guy pushed the camp angle: Lyme disease is rampant in Connecticut and Massachusetts summer camps, and parents there would trade $119 for peace of mind. Sarah agreed DTC for a niche single product is brutal and suggested camp partnerships and outdoor store distribution.
Caller 3: David Bronke & Siblings
David Bronke co-founded Siblings with his sister in 2019-a refillable candle brand that hit over $2 million in sales last year. His question: how do you shift people away from throwaway culture when that's how they've always bought candles?
Sarah zeroed in on the vessel: the scent changes, but the ceramic container stays. Make it unmistakable. Guy compared it to SodaStream-once refilling is easier than replacing, adoption takes over. Sarah pushed for short-form videos showing the microwave refill to remove the one visible friction point.
Final Thought
Sarah's closing advice to her younger self: it takes a decade to actually learn how to be a CEO, not just a founder with a title. Give yourself grace, ask for help, and remember the confidence gap is normal-the small wins are what get you through.
Key Takeaways
- 1Manage self-doubt through small wins: Self-doubt doesn't disappear at scale—it just gets quieter. Leaning on repeat customers, testimonials, and concrete evidence that your product works is more useful than waiting for confidence to arrive.
- 2Reframe pricing with the emotion behind it: When people balk at a price tag, don't defend the cost—reposition what they're actually buying. A box of socks for $119 becomes a summer of peace of mind the moment you say it that way.
- 3Go direct to your most motivated buyers: For a niche single product, DTC is expensive and slow. Find the community that already feels the pain—summer camps in Lyme territory, outdoor stores, physical therapists—and start there.
- 4The vessel is the emotional anchor: When selling a refillable product, the thing they keep forever matters more than the thing they replace. Make the container unmistakably yours and the refill habit follows.
- 5Being a CEO takes a decade: Anyone can be a founder on day one, but running operations, people, and metrics is a craft built over years. Give yourself grace, ask for help early, and don't measure yourself against the title.
Founders Featured
Marnie
Marnie is the founder of Tick Socks, an Australian brand making colorful, EPA-registered permethrin-treated socks that repel ticks. She started the company when she wanted tick protection for her newborn son without spraying bug repellent on his skin.
1 episode
Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur
Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur is the founder and CEO of M.M. LaFleur, a women's clothing brand built around the idea that a professional uniform removes decision fatigue so women can focus on their work. She founded the company in 2013 after working as a management consultant.
1 episode
David Restiano
David Restiano is the co-founder of SORSOAP, a muscle recovery soap bar company based in Brick, New Jersey. He co-founded the company with Dr. Dan Staats and appeared on Shark Tank Season 15, where they secured a 100,000 investment from Mark Cuban.
1 episode
Related Companies
SORSOAP
SORSOAP is a wellness company that makes muscle recovery soap bars. The soap is shaped like a physical therapy tool and is used for targeted muscle relief and soft tissue recovery in the shower.
1 episode
Tick Socks
Tick Socks is a women-focused outdoor apparel company that sells fun, colorful socks with built-in EPA-registered Permethrin tick repellency. Factory-bonded treatment lasts through 70 washes, far outlasting DIY sprays. Based in Australia, selling direct-to-consumer in the US.
1 episode
M.M. LaFleur
M.M. LaFleur is a professional womens apparel company based in New York City. Founded in 2011 by Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur, the brand creates thoughtfully designed workwear and accessories for modern professional women.
1 episode