320 | Turning Customers Into Your Best Marketers | with Brandon Horoho

Brandon Horoho is a brand builder, e-commerce strategist, and the driving force behind one of the most innovative American-made knife companies. As the Co-Founder, VP, and CMO of Montana Knife Company (MKC), he has transformed a niche product into a multi-million dollar brand with a cult following. Before launching MKC, Brandon spent decades in e-commerce and product marketing, overseeing the launch of 1,500+ products across the outdoor and fitness industries. His expertise in community-driven marketing, scarcity-based sales models, and direct-to-consumer growth strategies has helped MKC scale rapidly—without relying on traditional advertising. Today, Brandon is on a mission to redefine American-made manufacturing in the digital age. Under his leadership, MKC has built a passionate audience of hundreds of thousands, mastering sellout product drops, a unique VIP program, and customer-first engagement strategies. By focusing on transparency, quality, and people-first branding, he’s proving that DTC success isn’t just about sales—it’s about creating a movement. In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:41] Intro[00:56] Exploring the evolution of product lines[01:56] Building a brand during the COVID lockdowns[05:05] Scaling from custom batches to forecasting demand[08:48] Mentoring young talent to grow the business[09:38] Using Instagram content to build brand recognition[12:30] Episode Sponsors: StoreTester and Intelligems[15:42] Managing a high return customer rate challenge[16:41] Turning loyal customers into brand ambassadors[19:32] The power of surprise in building brand loyalty[20:38] Scaling product drops with lean manufacturing[22:36] Forecasting product drops 8 months ahead[23:13] Avoiding pre-orders to build trust with customers[24:35] Leveraging American-made for authentic marketing Resources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeWorking Knives For Working People montanaknifecompany.com/Follow Brandon Horoho linkedin.com/in/brandonhoroho/Book a demo today at intelligems.io/Done-for-you conversion rate optimization service storetester.com/ If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!