LA PLATICA – “Making Millions Selling Hats, Landing a Collab with Canelo and Insane Car Collection ft. Dandy Hats”

Date: August 25, 2025
Hosts: Sebastian “Sebas” Robles, Josh Leyva
Guest: Leonardo “Leo” Sandoval – Founder of Dandy Hats

Episode Overview

This episode of LA PLATICA dives into the entrepreneurial journey of Leo Sandoval, the creative mind behind Dandy Hats, a brand that’s made waves in streetwear and Latino culture. The hosts and their guest explore the reality behind “overnight success,” the hustle of building a multimillion-dollar business, collaborations with icons like Canelo Alvarez, and the branding philosophy that defines Dandy’s rise. Listeners also get personal: Leo’s family roots, pivotal moments of doubt and breakthrough, and an inside look at his wild car collection and passions outside of fashion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Leo’s Entrepreneurial Background & Humble Beginnings

Timestamps: 05:43 – 08:41

• Leo’s parents owned a lunch truck and later a restaurant; he worked with his father from age 9 through his mid-20s.
• That experience ignited his entrepreneurial mindset, but he always wanted to carve his own path.
  • “I grew up… my parents love me, you know what I mean?… My dad comes from the gutter, too. He just kind of passed me the torch…” (Leo, 06:41)
• Inspiration for Dandy Hats came after meeting a successful hat seller (JC Hats) who pulled up looking fresh in a fancy car.
  • “He sells hats. And you get… famous off selling hats? I’m like, damn, I want to do that too.” (Leo, 09:22)

2. Building Dandy Hats: The Grind & Breaking In

Timestamps: 08:42 – 14:32

• Dandy Hats started in 2015: Leo would drive across LA to hand-deliver one hat, make $25 profit, and repeat.
  • “I would drive from my house to LA to drop off one hat and make 25 bucks… I was grinding.” (Leo, 10:01)
• Influenced by Gary Vee and various podcasts, Leo kept hustling, designing, and learning the entire business from manufacturing to marketing.
• Real turning point arrived in 2021, during the corridos tumbados wave and with the rise of TikTok.
  • “I was one of the first, first hat brands on TikTok.” (Leo, 13:55 & 14:01)
• COVID forced him to be creative with colors and limited drops, which accidentally birthed a hype-driven, high-demand, scarcity model.
  • “That’s how this whole hype thing happened… I had to start switching the colors. That kinda… light bulb in my brain popped out.” (Leo, 16:02)

3. Philosophy: Scarcity, Branding, & Culture

Timestamps: 16:32 – 19:00

• Leo stuck to his vision: Limited drops, never flooding the market.
• Customers unfamiliar with hype still questioned why he wasn’t making more, but scarcity “creates demand.”
  • “If it’s done, it’s done… If you didn’t get it, that is what it is.” (Leo, 17:01)
• Brand name “Dandy” drew from corrido lyrics and old-school meaning; it wasn’t always cool, but Leo made it aspirational.
  • “You’re the one that’s gonna put that respect behind that name… You’re gonna make that name cool.” (Ramon, 18:13)

4. Canelo Collab: How It Happened & Impact

Timestamps: 19:00 – 24:50

• Leo’s collab with boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez was completely organic, built on reputation and word-of-mouth.
  • “Anything I’ve done—meeting people, doing collabs—it’s been crazy… everything happens so organic.” (Leo, 20:01)
• Canelo gave creative freedom; Leo designed the hats, which sold out in under an hour.
  • “One hat sold in four minutes… the other hat took eight minutes… the other 40 minutes.” (Leo, 19:17)
  • “Canelo was looking for someone… and this guy vouched for me, said, ‘He’s the guy, he’s straight, he’ll pay you, no dumb stuff.’” (Leo, 20:09)
• Meeting Canelo gave Leo both business inspiration and a glimpse into true leadership and team loyalty.
  • “Just seeing—what a true leader really is… This guy that is way bigger than me, I shouldn’t be acting like this.” (Leo, 23:41)

5. The Man Behind the Brand: Humility, Family, & Mindset

Timestamps: 24:54 – 29:00

• Despite the ostentatious image online (cars, jewelry), Leo describes himself as regular, humble, and private.
  • “People think that you are show off, the Yaro. So when they meet you… you switch it on them so hard, they like you even more.” (Leo, 28:40)
• His branding borrows from the “coolest kid at school” theory—a blend of authenticity, aspirational style, and relatability.
  • “That’s how I play my brand… I want to be the cool person. And the cool person always has nice things.” (Leo, 30:19)

6. Learning, Team Building, and Scaling

Timestamps: 29:24 – 34:44

• Leo emphasizes the importance of building a strong, prepared team—hiring designers and creatives “before you need them.”
  • “I like to get people before I need them… I wanna be prepared ’cause when you need to make a decision right then and there, you might make the wrong one.” (Leo, 33:34)
• Dandy Hats is moving into American streetwear, with multiple big brand collabs pending.
  • “I wanna get in this realm… these big brands… I thought I’d be asking them for advice, but they’re asking me questions. Wow.” (Leo, 34:44)

7. Lifestyle: Cars, Travel, and Personal Habits

Timestamps: 36:01 – 54:02

• Leo’s known for his massive car collection, but prefers driving his Mercedes for daily life (“I don’t like all that attention”).
• Admits to being fearful and anxious growing up (scared of dark, flying, driving)—only recently has he started flying for business, finding joy in new experiences and travel.
  • “I was scared to sleep by myself… I didn’t get my license till I was 21 ‘cause I was scared to drive.” (Leo, 36:28)
  • “I tricked myself: you’re going for a good reason, you went out with a good heart.” (Leo, 38:43)
• Favorite car: Lamborghini SVJ, which he considers a “you made it” car.
  • “My favorite car is my SVJ. That was my ultimate like, you made it car.” (Leo, 48:13)

8. Goals, Relationships, and Advice

Timestamps: 53:53 – 75:14

• Dream collab: Cites Drake as the ultimate aspiration, with Lil Baby collab already in the works.
  • “We have a collab next month with Lil Baby… one of the hats is right here.” (Leo, 49:37)
• On relationships—credits his long-term girlfriend for supporting his grind, saying that the right partner is a key to making dreams possible.
  • “When you have the right girl and she lets you do your dreams… your dreams come true.” (Leo, 41:09)
• Relationship with parents: Some tension when he left the family restaurant to go all-in on hats, but now they’re proud and supportive.
  • “My mom tells me when I really want to see you, I go on YouTube…” (Leo, 46:35)

9. Rapid-Fire Q&A: Fun Facts

Timestamps: 56:13 – 75:13

• Favorite movie: Nacho Libre (“That’s my favorite movie, comfort movie”)
• Favorite hat: Project 001 – “the one with little metal things”
• Guilty pleasure: Eating (food is Leo’s “crazy” indulgence)
• Fast food: Wienerschnitzel (surprising everyone) and Wing Stop as runner-up
• Bad habit: Biting nails (“Maybe it’s a nervous tick”)
• Best advice: “Do what you love. If you do what you love, you’re going to succeed.”
• Biggest drop so far: $4.5–5M on a single drop (“But it brings more stress—not hype.”)
• Most rewarding moment: Seeing people, especially kids, wearing his hats and giving a hat, seeing them cry.
  • “Sometimes I even try to get close to them: ‘I like your hat bro,’ and keep walking… When I meet little kids, I take my hat off and give it to them.” (Leo, 63:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the “overhyped” image:
  “People see the jewelry, the cars, and think they know me. It’s all branding. If you meet me, I’m regular, I’m chill.” (Leo, 28:57)
• On his team:
  “I like to get people before I need them… instead of making a bad decision in a crunch.” (Leo, 33:34)
• On driving past old memories:
  “Every time I come on that freeway… I never forget, bro. I’m like, I would drive through this to go work for my dad. I was heated… Now I’m driving my Lambo.” (Leo, 08:31)
• On staying hungry:
  “Yeah, you made it, you have 14 cars—but I gotta pay for 14 cars.” (Leo, 53:13)
• On Dandy’s deeper meaning:
  “Dandy is a guy that knows how to dress, has money, has style… now it’s created a movement.” (Leo, 17:59)
• On impact:
  “When you see someone in your hat… that’s dope. It feels good. That’s one of the coolest feelings.” (Leo, 62:52)
• On advice:
  “Do what you love. If you do what you love, bro, you’re gonna succeed, man… that’s why it goes so good.” (Leo, 59:19)

Timeline of Key Segments

• 00:00 – 01:12 — Ads/Announcments (skipped)
• 05:43 – 08:41 — Leo’s childhood, family business, entrepreneurship seed
• 08:42 – 14:32 — Starting Dandy Hats, grind years, TikTok breakthrough
• 16:32 – 19:00 — Scarcity model, hype marketing insight
• 19:00 – 24:50 — Canelo collab: story, impact, and what he learned
• 29:24 – 34:44 — Team building, creative process, moving to American streetwear
• 36:01 – 54:02 — Cars, daily life, conquering fears, travel, new experiences
• 53:53 – 75:14 — Rapid-fire Q&A: movies, food, family, advice
• 75:06 – end — Wrap-up, shout-outs, next Dandy Hats drop (Sept 14th), sentimental goodbyes

Overall Tone

Warm, candid, and motivational. Leo’s authenticity and the hosts’ chemistry make the episode equal parts funny, relatable, and truly inspiring. The focus is on humble origins, clever business strategy, Latino pride, and the reality of success beyond the Instagram highlights.

For New Listeners

This episode is a must-listen if you’re interested in entrepreneurship, culture-driven branding, or just want to be inspired by a story of hustle, humility, and the quirky realities behind the “millionaire lifestyle.” Leo’s journey proves you can rewrite the rules—hat by hat.