Building a Brand Through Scarcity

In this episode of The DTC Insider podcast, Brian Roisentul sat down with Brandon Horoho, co-founder of Montana Knife Company, a 30-year overnight success—that’s how this company’s explosive growth story begins.

Brandon and his co-founder, Josh, launched the company in 2020, but Josh had been crafting custom knives since he was 11. The idea? Mass-produce high-quality knives that could reach a wider audience while still maintaining craftsmanship.

The results? From low 7 figures in 2021 to 8 figures in 2024.

Their products sell out in minutes. They’ve built an email list of over 1 million customers. And now, they’re focused on becoming a household name—expanding beyond their niche with paid TV ads, podcasts, and influencers.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• The founding of Montana Knife Company and its rapid growth.

• Josh’s journey to becoming the youngest master bladesmith at 19.

• The role of quality craftsmanship in customer loyalty and retention.

• Building direct customer relationships and owning their data.

• Leveraging organic social media to grow without paid ads initially.

• The first knife drop selling out in 14 minutes and what it revealed about demand.

• The impact of email marketing as a core strategy with high engagement.

• The VIP program and how it strengthens customer loyalty.

• The focus on building a long-term legacy brand over short-term gains.

• Expanding manufacturing capabilities to support continued growth.
  

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• BSR Digital

• Subscribe to The DTC Insider weekly newsletter

• Brian Roisentul on LinkedIn

• Brandon Horoho on LinkedIn

• Brandon Horoho on Instagram

• MKC website

  
  

Sponsor for this episode:

This episode is brought to you by BSR Digital.

BSR Digital helps e-commerce brands that want to scale their business to the next level through paid ads & email marketing.

To learn more about BSR Digital, visit their website or book a call here.