Episode 2

Rustler Hat Co.

Two jobs. One newborn. No time to waste. Alex Samuels left a fast-paced commercial real estate career to take a big risk at the most hectic time of her life. Her drive to chase her dreams by starting Rustler Hat Co. paid off. That’s because her custom hatmaking business’ core value of listening to its customers has become its biggest selling point.
May 21, 2025 — 17:28 min

About the series

The Way Up: A Series by Square and Guy Raz
The way up is never a straight line. Hear the country’s most iconic business owners reveal how they overcame the odds. They dug into data, took menu items on trial runs, and eyed razor-thin margins. But they never forgot what matters most.
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About this business

Business Type

Luxury retailer Locations: 1

Location

Nashville, TN
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“When I told them I was opening a hat store, people would say, ‘How many hats does one person really need?’ And my response is, ‘But it’s not about the hat. It’s about the experience and the memories.’ Then you start thinking, well, if it’s not about the hat, you could have a million experiences. And so that’s been the coolest part, watching people continue to come back for their fifth, sixth, seventh. I mean, we’ve had people that probably have 15 hats from us.”  — Alex Samuels, founder and CEO of Rustler Hat Co.

 

Rustler Hat Co. was compensated for their time and participation by Square.

More about this business

Discover how Rustler Hat Co.'s personalized service and unique in-store experience have led to explosive growth and events for Fortune 500 companies, all without traditional marketing

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