#164 — How Coach Went From $6M to $5B Without Losing Its Soul

#164 — How Coach Went From $6M to $5B Without Losing Its Soul

From Outthinkers by Outthinker

April 7, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

Lew Frankfort discusses his journey in scaling Coach from $6M to $5B while maintaining its core values.

New on Outthinkers Podcast, supported by LHH, host Kaihan Krippendorff speaks with Lew Frankfort about how Coach scaled while building trust, durability, and emotional connection with customers. During the conversation they unpack what scaling really requires when growth threatens to dilute what made you successful in the first place. Lew Frankfort reflects on spotting Coach’s early cult following, why direct-to-customer channels became a strategic turning point, and how bra...

People in this episode

Guest: Lew Frankfort

Topics covered

  • business growth
  • leadership
  • affordable luxury
  • consumer-first approach
  • scaling companies

Keywords

  • Coach
  • Lew Frankfort
  • business scaling
  • affordable luxury
  • leadership

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Coach, Head Start, New York City

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