Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Episode Title: How Montana Knife Company Hit 8 Figures On Shopify Without Amazon
Podcast: The My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast With Steve Chou
Date: November 12, 2025
Guest: Brandon Harrah Ho, VP and Co-Founder, Montana Knife Company
Theme:
This episode dives into the journey of Montana Knife Company (MKC), an eight-figure, made-in-the-USA brand that scaled exclusively via its direct-to-consumer Shopify store—never touching Amazon. Host Steve Chou and guest Brandon Harrah Ho unpack the founding story, the philosophy around American manufacturing, bootstrapping and drop-model strategies, tactical marketing moves, community building, and long-term growth—offering actionable inspiration for entrepreneurs who want to forge their own paths outside giant marketplaces.

Origins of Montana Knife Company

Founding Story
- Co-founded by master bladesmith Josh Smith and Brandon Harrah Ho.
- Josh began making knives at age 11 and became the youngest master bladesmith at 19, holding the title for over 20 years.
- Originated from Josh’s frustration that his art-quality, custom knives (some sold for $15,000–$30,000) were mainly sitting unused as collector's items, not field tools.
- Early 2000s: Registered the brand name and domain, laying groundwork years before launching.
- MKC officially launched in early 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Quote:
  “His thing was like, I make the best using hunting knife…But I've got to figure out how to do it in mass and get that cost down so people actually use them.” —Brandon [05:43]
Founders' Complementary Partnership
- Josh: Product and craft
- Brandon: Marketing and business systems
- "It's like the rocket fuel—you got the product, you got marketing, and that's where it started." —Brandon [07:39]

Why "Made in the USA"?

Brand Ethos and Differentiation
- Commitment to US manufacturing was rooted in personal values and a desire for quality control.
- Recognized that Asian manufacturing, especially from China and Pakistan, produces quality knives at cheaper prices; MKC didn’t differentiate just on country of origin.
- Observed an industry “race to the bottom”—most existing brands prioritized cheap, disposable knives.
- MKC’s aim: Make heirloom-quality knives that are used and passed down, reviving the idea of legacy tools for families.
Industry Disruption
- Positioned themselves as the alternative—focusing on quality, durability, and American craftsmanship.
- Quote:
  “There's not a lot of things that men pass down anymore…we want people to use these in the field. One of our early sayings was, 'used, abused, and passed down.'”
  —Brandon [09:29]

Launching and Bootstrapping: Building from Scratch

Initial Operations
- Started in Josh’s two-car garage and Brandon’s home office two hours away.
- Brandon handled product photography, leveraging Montana landscapes for authentic marketing visuals.
- The first product drop: anticipated 25–30 sales; sold all 150 knives in minutes, highlighted the strength of their network and demand.
- Notable Moment:
  "His wife is helping us package them...This isn't just building an ecomm brand and drop shipping, it's, oh, we have to manufacture this product ourselves." —Brandon [13:14]
Immediate Scarcity
- Supply unable to meet initial demand, naturally led to the “drop” model.
- "We can only drop on the website what we can ship tomorrow. That's always our commitment."
  —Brandon [16:14]

The Drop Model Explained

How it Works
- MKC releases a set number of knives (“drops”) each week—whatever was manufactured and ready to ship.
- No pre-orders: only sell what they physically have.
- If you miss a drop, you may need to wait months for that model to return.
- Drop model initially arose from necessity, not as a marketing gimmick.
  - Kept excitement high and built cult demand.
  - Each drop is treated as a product launch—with full-scale marketing and email pushes.
- Quote:
  “We can only drop on the website what we can ship tomorrow. That’s always our commitment.” —Brandon [15:42]
Balancing Scarcity:
MKC is not aiming to be a pure “hype” brand—they want to keep staple products in stock, but manufacturing limits mean most models cycle in and out of availability.

Marketing: Organic Tactics & Growth

Email and Customer List Building

Owned Channels as a Priority
- Brandon leveraged his experience with Klaviyo and Shopify to build a highly engaged email list—never discounts for sign-ups.
- “If you want this knife, sign up for an email. Simple as that…We’ve never done a discount for an email.” —Brandon [21:33]
- Relied heavily on email for sales announcements, consistent list engagement, and launches because paid advertising was largely blocked for weapons/hunting categories until year 3–4.
- Focused on getting every sale, even for friends and family, to go through their Shopify store and grow the list.

Instagram and Social Media

Instagram as Brand Voice
- Brandon personally posted every day (sometimes multiple times daily) for five years.
- Leveraged stunning Montana landscapes and behind-the-scenes content to keep the feed authentic and aspirational.
- “I have not missed a single day of posting…Most days we post two or three times, depending…” —Brandon [40:05]
- Hired customer support to keep up with Instagram DMs/comments as engagement grew.
YouTube for SEO and Community
- YouTube started as an extension of the blog—informational videos on knives, sharpening, field dressing, etc, feeding Google's SEO machine with long-form, high-value content.
- Weekly behind-the-scenes vlogs showcase the personalities at the factory and foster deeper community bonds.
- “YouTube…we’re getting a much greater return because how good our organic content is. It’s one of our top four to five converting things on our exit surveys.” —Brandon [38:04]

TikTok and Short Video

Present on TikTok and Reels, but product type and price point not always suited to TikTok Shop or most viral-driven commerce.
Marketing Advice: Start where your strengths are and what you can sustain—don’t spread yourself thin too soon.
- “Whatever your strongest suit is that you’re able to do every day…that’s what I’d advise.” —Brandon [39:38]

Blogging and SEO

Weekly blog posts for five years—did not slow down even as AI and SEO evolved.
Early investment in SEO contractor who deeply understood the business.
Used blog and video to create a comprehensive “knowledge web” that powers both organic Google traffic and informs AI search agents (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini).

Community & Customer Loyalty

Metrics: Exceptionally low return rate, loyal collector base—some customers own five or more knives.
Community Building:
- Fan-created Facebook group (6–7k members) where customers buy/sell/trade, provide feedback, and interact with founders.
- Founders are active participants and use the group for product quality checks and insight into what customers want.
- “We're extremely accessible. You can, you can literally DM Josh anytime. You can DM me anytime.” —Brandon [45:33]

Wholesale vs. Direct

100% D2C: A few small retail partners for visibility, but <0.5% of sales; most competitors are 60–70% wholesale.
Wholesale/retail expansion will come later—as manufacturing capacity grows.
- For now, every unit is needed to satisfy direct demand.

Why Not Amazon?

Huge demand—people search for MKC on Amazon already.
Hired staff and acquired expertise to prepare for an eventual Amazon launch, but brand is waiting until supply can meet that channel’s scale.
- Quote:
  "We have big box stores knocking our door all the time...is that worth cutting down on our capacity to D2C to supply wholesale? It's just something we have to be responsible about." —Brandon [31:44]

Content, Energy, and Brand Voice

Secret Sauce: Relentless, authentic human energy—Brandon’s advice repeats this:
- "The only thing that's going to beat AI and really good paid ads is you being excited about your brand yourself…If you're not excited about your company, why would your customers be excited?" —Brandon [42:46]
Host Observations: Steve notes how MKC is documenting everything, sharing wins and mistakes, and “putting out tons of content”—that this, wrapped in a community-driven drop model, is how they maintain momentum and personality.

What’s Next: Scaling & Manufacturing Independence

Outgrew original 10,000 sq ft facility in less than a year—now building a 51,000 sq ft factory with a full retail store and Black Rifle Coffee café, designed as a destination stop in Montana.
Aiming for total vertical integration (all processes in-house), maximizing control and product quality, and future-proofing against tariffs and supply chain volatility.
“The goal is to be 100% self-sufficient in our manufacturing…so we're self sufficient [in] marketing, D2C, our massive email list, text message list, and then our own product.” —Brandon [45:01]

Notable Quotes

On American-Made Values:
“If we're going to do this, let's do this the right way. American manufacturing has always been true to my heart. It's always been true to Josh's heart.” —Brandon [08:47]
On Consistency:
“I have not missed a single day of posting on Instagram for five years.” —Brandon [40:05]
On Scarcity-Driven Sales:
“Our goal is to make as many knives as we can possibly think and sell, but there is a give and take that we have to account for.” —Brandon [29:31]
On Building the Email List:
“I don't care if your grandma buys a knife—she has to go through the Shopify website. And I want her email.” —Brandon [19:58]
On Community:
“We want to take this back to the older times where...you used to know the person who owned the business and it's not just a boardroom looking for bigger profits.” —Brandon [45:33]

Key Timestamps

[03:04] MKC's founding & Josh Smith's legend
[08:31] Why “Made in the USA”—values & industry context
[12:02] The challenges of entering a competitive, ancient market
[13:53] Bootstrapping: launching from a garage and home office
[15:35] The drop model’s authentic roots
[19:58] Email, list-building, and limited options for paid ads
[23:28] Planning quarterly “Black Friday” drops, building hype
[27:47] Staples vs. special drops—balancing core products and scarcity
[31:09] Why almost no wholesale; planning for future expansion
[32:45] Not (yet) on Amazon; waiting for operational fit
[35:08] Building community, fans, and collectors’ groups
[38:27] Social media strategy and SEO-driven YouTube
[40:05] Daily IG posting—never missed in five years
[41:17] Doubling down on blogging despite AI/Google shifts
[43:56] New 51,000 sq ft facility; plans for vertical integration

Final Thoughts

Montana Knife Company’s climb to eight figures—without dealers or Amazon—demonstrates the power of authentic brand storytelling, razor-sharp execution on owned channels (email, social, SEO), genuine community-building, and fierce commitment to product integrity. Scarcity, transparency, and founder-level energy set them apart in a crowded, ancient niche.

To Learn More:

Website/Shop: Montana Knife Company
Instagram: @montanaknifecompany
YouTube: Montana Knife Company
Facebook Group: [Search: Montana Knife Company BST]

Brandon:
“We're figuring this out. We make mistakes. We're very transparent about it, but we also have a lot of wins.” [45:33]

Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Origins of Montana Knife Company

Founding Story
- Co-founded by master bladesmith Josh Smith and Brandon Harrah Ho.
- Josh began making knives at age 11 and became the youngest master bladesmith at 19, holding the title for over 20 years.
- Originated from Josh’s frustration that his art-quality, custom knives (some sold for $15,000–$30,000) were mainly sitting unused as collector's items, not field tools.
- Early 2000s: Registered the brand name and domain, laying groundwork years before launching.
- MKC officially launched in early 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Quote:
  “His thing was like, I make the best using hunting knife…But I've got to figure out how to do it in mass and get that cost down so people actually use them.” —Brandon [05:43]
Founders' Complementary Partnership
- Josh: Product and craft
- Brandon: Marketing and business systems
- "It's like the rocket fuel—you got the product, you got marketing, and that's where it started." —Brandon [07:39]

Why "Made in the USA"?

Brand Ethos and Differentiation
- Commitment to US manufacturing was rooted in personal values and a desire for quality control.
- Recognized that Asian manufacturing, especially from China and Pakistan, produces quality knives at cheaper prices; MKC didn’t differentiate just on country of origin.
- Observed an industry “race to the bottom”—most existing brands prioritized cheap, disposable knives.
- MKC’s aim: Make heirloom-quality knives that are used and passed down, reviving the idea of legacy tools for families.
Industry Disruption
- Positioned themselves as the alternative—focusing on quality, durability, and American craftsmanship.
- Quote:
  “There's not a lot of things that men pass down anymore…we want people to use these in the field. One of our early sayings was, 'used, abused, and passed down.'”
  —Brandon [09:29]

Launching and Bootstrapping: Building from Scratch

Initial Operations
- Started in Josh’s two-car garage and Brandon’s home office two hours away.
- Brandon handled product photography, leveraging Montana landscapes for authentic marketing visuals.
- The first product drop: anticipated 25–30 sales; sold all 150 knives in minutes, highlighted the strength of their network and demand.
- Notable Moment:
  "His wife is helping us package them...This isn't just building an ecomm brand and drop shipping, it's, oh, we have to manufacture this product ourselves." —Brandon [13:14]
Immediate Scarcity
- Supply unable to meet initial demand, naturally led to the “drop” model.
- "We can only drop on the website what we can ship tomorrow. That's always our commitment."
  —Brandon [16:14]

The Drop Model Explained

How it Works
- MKC releases a set number of knives (“drops”) each week—whatever was manufactured and ready to ship.
- No pre-orders: only sell what they physically have.
- If you miss a drop, you may need to wait months for that model to return.
- Drop model initially arose from necessity, not as a marketing gimmick.
  - Kept excitement high and built cult demand.
  - Each drop is treated as a product launch—with full-scale marketing and email pushes.
- Quote:
  “We can only drop on the website what we can ship tomorrow. That’s always our commitment.” —Brandon [15:42]
Balancing Scarcity:
MKC is not aiming to be a pure “hype” brand—they want to keep staple products in stock, but manufacturing limits mean most models cycle in and out of availability.

Marketing: Organic Tactics & Growth

Email and Customer List Building

Owned Channels as a Priority
- Brandon leveraged his experience with Klaviyo and Shopify to build a highly engaged email list—never discounts for sign-ups.
- “If you want this knife, sign up for an email. Simple as that…We’ve never done a discount for an email.” —Brandon [21:33]
- Relied heavily on email for sales announcements, consistent list engagement, and launches because paid advertising was largely blocked for weapons/hunting categories until year 3–4.
- Focused on getting every sale, even for friends and family, to go through their Shopify store and grow the list.

Instagram and Social Media

Instagram as Brand Voice
- Brandon personally posted every day (sometimes multiple times daily) for five years.
- Leveraged stunning Montana landscapes and behind-the-scenes content to keep the feed authentic and aspirational.
- “I have not missed a single day of posting…Most days we post two or three times, depending…” —Brandon [40:05]
- Hired customer support to keep up with Instagram DMs/comments as engagement grew.
YouTube for SEO and Community
- YouTube started as an extension of the blog—informational videos on knives, sharpening, field dressing, etc, feeding Google's SEO machine with long-form, high-value content.
- Weekly behind-the-scenes vlogs showcase the personalities at the factory and foster deeper community bonds.
- “YouTube…we’re getting a much greater return because how good our organic content is. It’s one of our top four to five converting things on our exit surveys.” —Brandon [38:04]

TikTok and Short Video

Present on TikTok and Reels, but product type and price point not always suited to TikTok Shop or most viral-driven commerce.
Marketing Advice: Start where your strengths are and what you can sustain—don’t spread yourself thin too soon.
- “Whatever your strongest suit is that you’re able to do every day…that’s what I’d advise.” —Brandon [39:38]

Blogging and SEO

Weekly blog posts for five years—did not slow down even as AI and SEO evolved.
Early investment in SEO contractor who deeply understood the business.
Used blog and video to create a comprehensive “knowledge web” that powers both organic Google traffic and informs AI search agents (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini).

Community & Customer Loyalty

Metrics: Exceptionally low return rate, loyal collector base—some customers own five or more knives.
Community Building:
- Fan-created Facebook group (6–7k members) where customers buy/sell/trade, provide feedback, and interact with founders.
- Founders are active participants and use the group for product quality checks and insight into what customers want.
- “We're extremely accessible. You can, you can literally DM Josh anytime. You can DM me anytime.” —Brandon [45:33]

Wholesale vs. Direct

100% D2C: A few small retail partners for visibility, but <0.5% of sales; most competitors are 60–70% wholesale.
Wholesale/retail expansion will come later—as manufacturing capacity grows.
- For now, every unit is needed to satisfy direct demand.

Why Not Amazon?

Huge demand—people search for MKC on Amazon already.
Hired staff and acquired expertise to prepare for an eventual Amazon launch, but brand is waiting until supply can meet that channel’s scale.
- Quote:
  "We have big box stores knocking our door all the time...is that worth cutting down on our capacity to D2C to supply wholesale? It's just something we have to be responsible about." —Brandon [31:44]

Content, Energy, and Brand Voice

Secret Sauce: Relentless, authentic human energy—Brandon’s advice repeats this:
- "The only thing that's going to beat AI and really good paid ads is you being excited about your brand yourself…If you're not excited about your company, why would your customers be excited?" —Brandon [42:46]
Host Observations: Steve notes how MKC is documenting everything, sharing wins and mistakes, and “putting out tons of content”—that this, wrapped in a community-driven drop model, is how they maintain momentum and personality.

What’s Next: Scaling & Manufacturing Independence

Outgrew original 10,000 sq ft facility in less than a year—now building a 51,000 sq ft factory with a full retail store and Black Rifle Coffee café, designed as a destination stop in Montana.
Aiming for total vertical integration (all processes in-house), maximizing control and product quality, and future-proofing against tariffs and supply chain volatility.
“The goal is to be 100% self-sufficient in our manufacturing…so we're self sufficient [in] marketing, D2C, our massive email list, text message list, and then our own product.” —Brandon [45:01]

Notable Quotes

On American-Made Values:
“If we're going to do this, let's do this the right way. American manufacturing has always been true to my heart. It's always been true to Josh's heart.” —Brandon [08:47]
On Consistency:
“I have not missed a single day of posting on Instagram for five years.” —Brandon [40:05]
On Scarcity-Driven Sales:
“Our goal is to make as many knives as we can possibly think and sell, but there is a give and take that we have to account for.” —Brandon [29:31]
On Building the Email List:
“I don't care if your grandma buys a knife—she has to go through the Shopify website. And I want her email.” —Brandon [19:58]
On Community:
“We want to take this back to the older times where...you used to know the person who owned the business and it's not just a boardroom looking for bigger profits.” —Brandon [45:33]

Key Timestamps

[03:04] MKC's founding & Josh Smith's legend
[08:31] Why “Made in the USA”—values & industry context
[12:02] The challenges of entering a competitive, ancient market
[13:53] Bootstrapping: launching from a garage and home office
[15:35] The drop model’s authentic roots
[19:58] Email, list-building, and limited options for paid ads
[23:28] Planning quarterly “Black Friday” drops, building hype
[27:47] Staples vs. special drops—balancing core products and scarcity
[31:09] Why almost no wholesale; planning for future expansion
[32:45] Not (yet) on Amazon; waiting for operational fit
[35:08] Building community, fans, and collectors’ groups
[38:27] Social media strategy and SEO-driven YouTube
[40:05] Daily IG posting—never missed in five years
[41:17] Doubling down on blogging despite AI/Google shifts
[43:56] New 51,000 sq ft facility; plans for vertical integration

Final Thoughts

To Learn More:

Website/Shop: Montana Knife Company
Instagram: @montanaknifecompany
YouTube: Montana Knife Company
Facebook Group: [Search: Montana Knife Company BST]

Brandon:
“We're figuring this out. We make mistakes. We're very transparent about it, but we also have a lot of wins.” [45:33]

615: How Montana Knife Company Hit 8 Figures On Shopify Without Amazon

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Summary

Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Origins of Montana Knife Company

Why "Made in the USA"?

Launching and Bootstrapping: Building from Scratch

The Drop Model Explained

Marketing: Organic Tactics & Growth

Email and Customer List Building

Instagram and Social Media

TikTok and Short Video

Blogging and SEO

Community & Customer Loyalty

Wholesale vs. Direct

Why Not Amazon?

Content, Energy, and Brand Voice

What’s Next: Scaling & Manufacturing Independence

Notable Quotes

Key Timestamps

Final Thoughts

Summary

Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Origins of Montana Knife Company

Why "Made in the USA"?

Launching and Bootstrapping: Building from Scratch

The Drop Model Explained

Marketing: Organic Tactics & Growth

Email and Customer List Building

Instagram and Social Media

TikTok and Short Video

Blogging and SEO

Community & Customer Loyalty

Wholesale vs. Direct

Why Not Amazon?

Content, Energy, and Brand Voice

What’s Next: Scaling & Manufacturing Independence

Notable Quotes

Key Timestamps

Final Thoughts