Keep an Eye on the Customer: Interview with Whitney Bansin, Founder and CEO of The Wild Collective

I recently went one on one with Whitney Bansin, founder and CEO of The Wild Collective.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Whitney: I started when I was like 16 years old, I had always wanted to go to fashion school and to be able to create my own fashion collection, but I was really young when I graduated high school. I knew I was never going to be able to just take off to London and attend central Saint Martins and become this amazing fashion designer at 16. So, I ended up going straight to college and I majored in business. While I was finishing my degree, I was actually making part of a set at Mac cosmetics where I started to learn the ropes of the makeup and beauty world. Two years after I graduated from college, I left there and I started an agency. I created One Luv Agency, a hair, makeup and styling agency, out in Las Vegas and I put together a team of artists, stylists and makeup artists, and we would do commercials, TV shows, red carpet appearances by celebrities and anything e-commerce related that was happening in Vegas. Most notably, I ran and oversaw all beauty creative direction for Zappos retail for 7 years. Since 2014, I’ve been designing unique fashion pieces and accessories, working with major resorts like MGM Resorts and Caesar’s on the Las Vegas Strip. When the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights came to the city in 2017, I was tapped to create fashion-forward apparel that complimented the fan merchandise. I quickly saw the opportunity: fan sports apparel was expected, limited and lacked fashion appeal. This insight led to the launch of The Wild Collective, fashion-forward, licensed sports apparel. My fashion and styling background provided the foundation for my know-how with apparel. 

In terms of challenges and setbacks, when I started designing in the sports industry, I got “no” a lot. And I was generally dismissed for bringing fashion into the sports realm. “Who is this girl thinking she knows this sports retail industry?” I might not have known the ins and outs of the industry, but I know the consumer – and I knew that they were being underserved. That insight kept me down the path of making it better.  And after getting no after no but continuing ahead and showing what I could do, I got a lot of yeses that turned into bigger and bigger conversations.

Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas?

Whitney: As an entrepreneur, I like to find the “gaps” in the market and identify the areas that are operating, but could be enhanced in some way. I like to fix and finesse those areas to create something unique and desirable to consumers, and since I started my career in styling and makeup, I tend to have an eye for finding little ways of making changes to make a big impact over time. 

Basically, I noticed the lack of fashion-forward sports and lifestyle apparel options, whether you’re a die-hard fan or a plus-1 fan. A few years ago, I had started a retail private label program for resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. I was approached by Caesars to design some unique black and gold-colored pieces for the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who were new to the city at the time. They felt like what they had was a little boring and could’ve been more appealing to consumers. This led me to really look at what was in the market. Sports teams tend to design for the die-hard fans. But what about the Plus-1 fan? The fan that cheers on their local teams, but also attends sporting events to socialize. They may not want to invest in the official jersey, but want to subtly represent their team while still expressing their individual style. 

My designs for the Golden Knights sold out and sold quickly. But, at the time, I wasn’t a designer officially licensed by the league. When I started trying to become licensed, I received a lot of “nos”, but I continued to press and finally got a local license. This led to me designing more collections that were more successful than the first. Now, I’m licensed across the NBA, WNBA, MLB, MLS and multiple college teams and I create men's, women's, and unisex pieces in my collections. really just did it differently.

For others, don’t give up on your idea. Once you’ve made sure it’s a unique opportunity that you can capitalize on the market, push through, and trust your gut through the process.

Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea?

Whitney: Once I identified the gap in the market, I did things that no one else was doing. When my first collection took off like wildfire, I knew it was an idea worth pursuing. After selling out so fast, I got a ton of press and notoriety in the industry for my ideas. Then, I had to see if I could scale my idea, if this was just an opportunity I had already capitalized on for hockey or if the gap in the market was wider and existed across other sports leagues.

Once I had gained a little momentum with the Golden Knights, I wanted to see what else was possible so I attended the Tailgate licensing trade show in Las Vegas. At the trade show, I secured a booth to show my designs and talk to various leagues and teams about their needs. Being present at that show catapulted us into a different realm that I didn't even know existed. At one point, I had the New York Giants, the Houston Astros, the Golden Knights, the Boston Bruins, and the Capitals in our booth at the same time. They were able to see and interact with my designs and I got a lot of comments saying they've never seen a product like this before. No one was creating leather bomber jackets or sequined jackets like I was. It allowed this really unique opportunity where I was able to create strong leads with different leagues, solidify our role in the industry and what The Wild Collective stood for.

Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level?

Whitney: Growing a business is an ongoing process. My advice would be to identify the roadblocks and find ways to get over them or around them. At each step of the way, I am diligent to find the answers to the questions I have and move forward. It’s up to you as the business owner to find the answers you need and make headway.

During the pandemic, I saw the opportunity to grow my business and diversify my revenue stream by shifting from solely selling to the leagues directly (B2B), to also being able to capitalize in the online space and sell directly to the customer (D2C). This insight led me to create wearethewildco.com and sell merchandise online directly to the customer. It was an aha moment for us to identify and seize this opportunity to create an e-commerce platform that really drives consumers to our platform. While we’ll still do our B2B business, taking our business online also allows us to create a rapport directly with our consumers that are dying for all of our designs. This opportunity also gives us a bit more control and not be so reliant on those B2B orders. 

Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips?

Whitney: Keep an eye on the customer – what is it that your customer needs or wants? What would enhance their experience? Where are they purchasing? How are they purchasing? Understand trends and be mindful of the market shifts. The best marketing efforts are devised out of a keen understanding of the customer – we need to be relevant, authentic, and meet the customer where they are and where they’re purchasing.

We’re selling a vibe. We show up in a way that shows who we are. Our brand is a lifestyle brand born out of the desire to design for the individual. It’s critical we show that vibe and be relevant to our audience.  

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Whitney: I've never let anybody define my path for me, I've always forged my own way and I work to figure out the pieces of the puzzle I don’t know. I've always loved managing tasks, managing the output according to the end goal or the vision, I’m constantly trying to innovate and I’m always moving a million miles an hour. Some skills I’ve identified as a leader, I've always just naturally had. I'm Scorpio so I'm very intense, but also very direct and to the point. My intensity and directness have helped me as a leader in the way I communicate with others and problem solve. Overall, it is important to remember your vision and remind those you work with what that vision is so the work remains consistent and true to what the consumers admire most about us. 

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?

Whitney: Part of leading is being an example for your team. By setting a standard and leading by example, your team will understand what your expectations are and perform the same caliber of work. Know yourself and the strengths you possess. Then, surround yourself with others who have different strengths and perspectives so your team has a robust skillset. By understanding yourself and your qualities, you are better able to make big decisions for your business. 

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?

Whitney: Staying true to self and your vision, and being consistent in your actions. Having a clear vision for what it is I want to accomplish helps me identify what smaller actions I need to complete every day to achieve that larger vision I have. It also helps me communicate my vision and what I need from others so we can hit our goals and build the brand we are all working relentlessly to do. 

Along with the tip above, have compassion. Having compassion for others will help you build stronger relationships with others and your operations will run smoother when your relationships are stronger because your team feels more connected to the brand and what it does. 

I strongly believe in listening to yourself and what your gut tells you. I've had to make some tough calls regarding whether or not to place an order or how much inventory we should have on hand for the websites. Right now, shipping is a huge situation across the world. Everyone's dealing with this massive supply chain issue so being able to navigate that and knowing when it's smart for you as a business to take a hit, and when it's smart for you to be able to take an opportunity and seize it is crucial. So I think that listening to my gut and looking at the facts during these unprecedented times has really defined my leadership with The Wild Collective and continuing to build on that. I also think that the relationships I carry are relationships that people believe in not only us, but I do believe that they believe in me as an owner and leader and that they believe in the vision.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Whitney: The best advice I’ve ever received would be to remain flexible and open. Both personally and professionally, it is important to be able to keep an open mind and be able to shift gears when you need to so that you can conquer any situation life throws at you.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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