This week, I sat down with Tom Havens — founder of Catalyst and former creative lead at HALO — for one of the most honest convos we’ve had yet.
We talk about what it really looks like to scale a design-led company, the painful missteps of selling too soon, and what every founder needs to know before merging with a larger player.
In this episode, we dive into:
✅ Why Catalyst won brands like Nike, Starbucks & Southwest by leading with design
✅ The real story behind merging with HALO—and why it nearly broke the business
✅ What happens when culture and operations don’t align
✅ The emotional weight of selling, losing team members, and rebuilding from the ground up
This one’s packed with raw lessons, perspective, and wisdom that only comes from doing it the hard way.
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