Strategic Success Silence

Moiz Ali shares his perspective on maintaining strategic silence during Native's growth, emphasizing the importance of keeping business success private until after a successful exit. This approach helped protect the company from competition and managed potential risks of public failure.

Key Points:

• Strategic Silence During Growth:

  • Did no PR for Native until after selling the business
  • Nobody walked around with Native t-shirts until post-exit
  • Even potential investors were unaware of the brand despite being blocks away

• Motivations for Silence:

  • Fear of public embarrassment if the business failed
  • Protection from competitors copying successful strategies
  • Desire to keep the category quieter before revealing success

• Impact of Breaking Silence:

  • After selling in November 2017, a competitor sold in December 2017
  • 60+ competitors emerged in natural deodorant space in 2018-2019
  • Every brand without natural deodorant started creating one

• Business Operation Philosophy:

  • Raised only $500,000 and sold for reported $100 million
  • Operated quietly while things were working
  • Focused on execution rather than publicity

• Post-Success Strategy:

  • Only after exit did they allow the brand to exist publicly
  • Became more open about business operations and success
  • Started engaging with media and doing interviews

• Personal Philosophy:

  • When something's working, "shut the hell up"
  • When thinking about ideas, be super loud to bounce them around
  • Prefer to fail quietly if things don't work out

This approach demonstrates a deliberate strategy of maintaining privacy during growth phases while saving public visibility for post-success periods.