The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan
Episode 575: Ty Haney on Being Ousted From Her Own Company: The Lessons Learned & How to Bounce Back
Release Date: August 1, 2025

Introduction

In Episode 575 of The Foundr Podcast, host Nathan Chan engages in a candid and insightful conversation with Ty Haney, the visionary founder behind the now-iconic activewear brand Outdoor Voices. Haney shares her journey from building a multi-million-dollar brand to experiencing a public downfall, and how she has leveraged those experiences to forge new paths with her latest ventures, Tyb and Joggy.

Ty Haney’s Journey with Outdoor Voices

Ty Haney founded Outdoor Voices at the young age of 23, driven by her passion for an active lifestyle and a desire to create apparel that inspired movement. Reflecting on her early success and subsequent challenges, Haney states:

“Our mission at Outdoor Voices was to get the world moving. And I think in a lot of ways, a lot of people were touched and kind of part of that movement.” (01:59)

Under her leadership, Outdoor Voices quickly grew into a recognizable direct-to-consumer brand, amassing a cult following and substantial revenue. However, as the company scaled, Haney encountered the common pitfalls faced by first-time founders transitioning into the CEO role.

Challenges and Ousting from Outdoor Voices

As Outdoor Voices expanded, Haney struggled with the evolving demands of leadership and governance. The introduction of experienced board members and senior leadership led to divergent visions for the company's future. Haney recounts:

“We had a pretty strong board... Mickey was pulling us more kind of to the traditional big box, flagship, expensive retail kind of growth strategy.” (09:16)

This misalignment culminated in a power struggle, where Haney found herself increasingly out of control both in ownership and influence, ultimately leading to her resignation. Reflecting on this tumultuous period, she shares:

“As a CEO, your number one job is to... relationships with the board. And that's a hard thing to do when you're in the weeds operating.” (09:16)

The public nature of her ousting added to the emotional strain, prompting Haney to express her lingering connection to Outdoor Voices even after leaving:

“I remember, like, commenting just like, the Fabric's backwards... the engine turns off for a lot of these consumer brands.” (15:45)

Public Response and Emotional Impact

Haney was candid about the emotional toll her departure took. She openly discussed her struggle with distancing herself from a brand she had invested her life into:

“It took many months to kind of unpack that or figure out how to be okay with that and with myself.” (16:40)

Despite the pain, Haney remains proud of what Outdoor Voices achieved under her leadership and views the experience as a pivotal learning moment that has sharpened her business acumen.

Building New Ventures: Tyb and Joggy

Post-Outdoor Voices, Haney has pivoted to new endeavors — Tyb, a community commerce platform, and Joggy, an organic energy brand. Drawing from her Outdoor Voices experience, she emphasizes the importance of product excellence and community building in brand success.

“Product is the number one most critical piece... community can have massive impact on brands.” (18:17)

With Tyb, Haney aims to provide brands with tools to harness community as a growth channel, integrating seamlessly with platforms like Shopify. Joggy, her latest venture, reflects her commitment to creating products that resonate deeply with personal needs and market gaps.

Product Development and Customer Engagement

Haney underscores the significance of understanding personal pain points and engaging directly with customers to refine product offerings. She shares her approach to developing Joggy:

“There is like, I think people who do this best, like, it's in their DNA... deeply understanding of a personal pain point or need that's unaddressed in the market.” (26:40)

By immersing herself in university campuses and gathering direct feedback, Haney ensures that Joggy meets the specific needs of its target audience, resulting in products that truly stand out in a saturated market.

Rebuilding with Vulnerability and Transparency

In rebuilding her career, Haney emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and self-accountability. A pivotal moment for her was authoring a piece for Inc. where she took full responsibility for her role in Outdoor Voices' challenges:

“That was the most freeing moment... I've shed myself of kind of the, just pressure of that kind of intense, very intense moment with Outdoor Voices.” (36:26)

This transparency has not only liberated her but also set the foundation for her future ventures, allowing her to lead with greater insight and resilience.

Lessons Learned and Advice to Founders

Drawing from her extensive experience, Haney offers valuable advice to early-stage startups:

1. Prioritize Product Excellence: Invest time in developing a product that truly solves a problem. Haney notes, “Product is the number one most critical piece” (18:17).

2. Engage with Your Community: Foster a strong, engaged community as a sustainable growth channel. She elaborates on her community building formula, highlighting mission clarity, activation rituals, connections, and incentives.

3. Embrace Unscalable Actions Early On: In the nascent stages, prioritize high-touch, personalized interactions with customers to build deep relationships. Haney illustrates this with her practice of sending handwritten notes:

   “It's like a high touch element that we'd then like pack into each of the shipments... It meant so much to people who received it.” (44:08)

4. Maintain Ownership and Control: When raising capital, be mindful of maintaining sufficient ownership to retain control over your company's direction. Haney reflects on her own dilution experience:

   “I've become obsessed with ownership and ultimately, like, underestimated how much that matters.” (36:26)

5. Persist Through Challenges: Resilience and adaptability are crucial for overcoming setbacks. Haney advises:

   “Persistence and determination is just absolutely required. And perseverance... wake up, it's a new day.” (47:08)

Future Aspirations and Success

Looking ahead, Haney is driven by ambitious goals:

“I really want to build and am obsessed with building a billion dollar business... motivating and kind of being a good role model for the next generation of female founders.” (49:41)

Her focus remains on world-building under the recreation umbrella, integrating her personal life as a mother with her professional aspirations, and continuing to inspire and support aspiring female entrepreneurs.

Conclusion

Ty Haney's journey encapsulates the highs and lows of entrepreneurial leadership. From the triumphs of building Outdoor Voices to the lessons learned from her public ousting, Haney embodies resilience and strategic reinvention. Her current ventures, Tyb and Joggy, are testaments to her evolved approach to business, emphasizing community, product excellence, and sustainable growth. Aspiring founders can draw inspiration from her transparency, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to her vision.

Notable Quotes:

• Ty Haney on Community Building:
  “Community has been a very buzzy, kind of fluffy term for a lot of people. And with my new venture, Tyb, one thing we've focused on is making community like a real measurable growth channel.” (21:59)

• On Product Development:
  “It's like unique personal pain point or DNA that you have a perspective that becomes your moat in a space.” (26:40)

• On Resilience:
  “What feels like such a painful experience could ultimately be our greatest opportunity.” (48:39)

This summary captures the essence of Ty Haney's conversation on The Foundr Podcast, highlighting her entrepreneurial journey, challenges, and the wisdom she imparts to fellow founders.