Limited Supply – S14 E4: "From Failure to a Billion Dollar Brand"

Guest: Danny Winer, CEO at Hexclad Cookware
Host: Nik Sharma
Date: October 22, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Nik Sharma sits down with Danny Winer, CEO and co-founder of Hexclad Cookware—a now-billion-dollar DTC (direct-to-consumer) brand that redefined the cookware category with a blend of innovation and relentless storytelling. The frank, behind-the-scenes conversation moves through Danny’s history (failures included), his philosophy on branding, lessons from spectacular misreads, and how the iconic Gordon Ramsay partnership elevated Hexclad to a household name. If you want to understand how authenticity, quality, and long-term thinking can create generational brands, this episode is a masterclass.

1. The Origins: From Family Table to Brand Table

Timestamps: [03:42] – [05:22]

• Danny's Upbringing: Raised in a food-centric Italian and Jewish household, food and community were fundamental.
  • "Food was central to, to my family's life. We did everything around a table." [04:04]
• Family Inspiration: His grandmother was the first female head chef in Buffalo, NY, instilling passion but also showing perseverance in a male-dominated world.
• Transition to Cookware Entrepreneur: Learned the industry at another cookware company but sensed the shift to digital early on.
  • Key Decision: Recognized the importance of community-building through Facebook early (2010), but was dismissed:
    “Trust me, kid, this Facebook thing, it’s never going to last.” [05:05]
• The dismissal by leadership pushed Danny and his co-founder to strike out on their own.

2. Building a Brand, Not a Commodity

Timestamps: [06:14] – [08:10]

• Brand Storytelling: Danny’s core strength. Hexclad was never about utility alone; he wanted a narrative.
  • Brand Positioning:
    “In 2015, 16...I’m like, this is badass cookware. That’s what it is.” [06:43]
  • The “badass inside” theme became a unifying rally point for customers of all backgrounds—from grandmothers to kids.
• Memorable Quote:
  “There’s a badass inside all of us. And I wanted to be the cookware for those people.” [07:29]

3. Lessons from Failure: The Juicer Flop

Timestamps: [08:17] – [11:35]

• Before Hexclad, Danny ran a juicer business that flopped spectacularly:
  • “It was this quick. Like, it went Tuesday at 5pm I was in the juicer business. Wednesday morning at 8am we were out of the juicer business.” [09:32]
  • The embarrassment and humility from this “failure” became invaluable.
  • Core Lesson:
    “What I did was I was going to try to impose my will on the consumer. And you can’t. You can't do that. You have to respect the consumer.” [10:25]
• Takeaway: Deep consumer understanding, instead of founder ego or guesses, is essential.

4. The Role of Novelty & Product Launches

Timestamps: [11:35] – [11:58]

• Hexclad’s approach: Each product launch must either:
  • Reinvent the category (e.g., the pepper mill—“It’s a weapon” [11:35])
  • Or elevate the product’s design and appeal (“Our knives...they’re sexy, they’re badass. They just look great in your kitchen.” [11:50])
• If a new product doesn’t fit one of those, it stays on the drawing board.

5. Becoming a Media (Lifestyle) Company

Timestamps: [11:58] – [14:04]

• From Product to Lifestyle Brand: Hexclad invested in content, aspiring to “be a media company that sells cookware.”
• Influencer and celebrity marketing (Michelin-star chefs, sports venues, TV shows) played a central role, but always felt authentic.
  • “I want to work with the best chefs in the world. I really don’t see too many cookware companies actually doing that.” [13:05]
• Key Partnership: Danny describes crashing Michelin events to get in the right circles, which eventually paid off with their partnership with Gordon Ramsay.

6. The Gordon Ramsay Effect

Timestamps: [14:04] – [17:19]

• How it Happened: Ramsay followed Hexclad on Instagram, which led to direct outreach.
• The partnership was not transactional—Ramsay wanted involvement beyond just a paid commercial.
  • “Gordon’s very hands on. He goes, when Gordon gets involved, you’re going to get more than you bargained for…Is that a promise or a threat? He goes, both. And I’m like, and it kind of is.” [14:45]
• Ramsay’s full-hearted endorsement was a “pinch me” moment for Danny. Ramsay remains highly invested, demanding real numbers and personally using the pans.
• Impact:
  “Where would we be? I think we’d still be a big company without Gordon…But I think that’s because of the association and the…great partnership of Gordon.” [16:30]

7. Promotional Strategy – Promotions Without Cheapening the Brand

Timestamps: [17:55] – [21:25]

• Hexclad does time-limited, substantial promotions especially in Q4 (November–December)—but avoids “discount culture.”
  • “Discount reminds me of like, like bruised fruit at the market, you know. So we come up with a strategy early on...” [18:20]
• They trust their high average order value (AOV) and lifetime value (LTV), so bringing customers in via compelling (but controlled) promotions doesn’t devalue the brand.
  • Notable Quote:
    “I do feel that without cheapening your brand, compelling promotion will bring somebody into the fold. And now I want to own that.” [19:32]
• Focus on creating a legacy product that people trust for life; no planned obsolescence.

8. Scaling: How to Find New Audiences at Billion-Dollar Scale

Timestamps: [21:25] – [25:07]

• Hexclad’s continuous growth, even at massive scale, comes from three main strategies:
  1. Acquire new customers (often with hero products)
  2. Retain and cross-sell to existing customers
  3. Enter new geographies
• The average customer is over 35, but Hexclad’s reach is getting younger (via media, MasterChef Junior, influencer marketing with kids).
  • “Somebody’s becoming 35 every day. I need to start interacting with that person at a young age.” [22:10]
• Relentless customer service—Danny still responds personally via DM or email sometimes.
• Global expansion has accelerated—UK, Australia, China, Japan, Middle East, South Africa, and potentially India.
  • “It doesn’t hurt that they know Gordon everywhere…He showed up in Korea and it was like the Beatles going to Shea Stadium.” [24:36]

9. Q4 Tactics: Owning the Relationship

Timestamps: [25:07] – [27:25]

• Q4 is Hexclad’s biggest season, and the focus is on driving customers to Hexclad.com, where they own the customer relationship.
• Amazon spend is reduced during this period. Costco.com, however, is getting more attention as its ecommerce business grows.

10. The Power of Patience & Planting Seeds for Q4

Timestamps: [27:35] – [30:06]

• Danny’s Main Takeaway for Seasonal Brands:
  • Q4 is a 12-month process; seeds must be planted all year through content, nurturing, and engagement.
  • “If you’re going to be a company that does 30, 40, 50, 60% of your revenue in Q4, you have to start planting the seeds early for that.” [28:01]
  • Short-term thinking kills brands; patience and consistency are required to be a “generational” business.
  • “If you don’t play the long game you will wind up probably failing at some point because if you’re just here for today, the customer can smell that…” [29:20]

Memorable Quotes

• Danny, on storytelling:
  “I’m not the best numbers guy in my company by far, but what I’m good at is storytelling.” [06:46]
• On consumer respect:
  “You cannot impose your will on the consumer. You have to respect the consumer.” [10:27]
• On partnerships:
  "When Gordon gets involved, you're going to get more than you bargained for... He goes, both. And I'm like, and it kind of is." [14:45]
• On promotions:
  “Discount reminds me of bruised fruit at the market…we want to come with something that's very compelling.” [18:19]
• On long-term thinking:
  “Always be playing the long game, that's the only way you retain a customer, that's the only way you build a brand.” [29:13]

Notable/Memorable Moments

• Danny referring to his disastrous juicer business as "my dirty little secret" [08:41], and the humility of flopping overnight.
• The hilarious behind-the-scenes with Ramsay and the Hexclad team, including how Ramsay started promoting Hexclad even before a contract was signed [14:55].
• The CEO of a billion-dollar brand still personally emailing angry customers—“The CEO reached out to me!” [23:08]
• Lighthearted banter about Costco’s cult following and its uncool-yet-cool status:
  “Costco is the oddest, like oddest bird to me because like, it should not be cool. It's like the least cool thing, but it's kind of cool.” [26:21]

Key Takeaways

• Authentic storytelling, not just PR, builds brands that last generations.
• Learning from failure (especially in DTC) is essential—listen to your customer, not just your gut.
• Becoming a lifestyle/media company is a competitive advantage in consumer goods; content and partnerships are everything.
• Treat promotional events as relationship-building, not as brand cheapening.
• Long-term brand-building is a 12-month (and lifelong) practice, not a seasonal scramble.
• Never lose touch with the customer experience, no matter how big you get.

For listeners and DTC founders, this episode delivers a masterclass in humility, long-game thinking, and how authenticity—not just hype—can build a billion-dollar brand.