Uncle Matt’s Hats: Using Storytelling, UGC, and Mission to Grow an eCommerce Brand

Steve Willicott is the founder at Uncle Matt's Hats, selling baseball caps and supporting men’s mental health. Founded in 2024, they sell via their Shopify store, and are about to launch their second range. 

 

In this episode, Steve explains how Uncle Matt's Hats has built every part of the business around its mission — from product design to packaging to customer acquisition. It’s a smart look at how purpose-led brands can create stronger differentiation, generate organic content, and grow without relying on big ad budgets. 

 

Hit PLAY to hear: 

• 🎯 How Steve Willicott built Uncle Matt's Hats around purpose — and why that makes customer acquisition easier 
• 📦 The clever packaging idea that turns every order into organic UGC 
• 💸 How a startup with a tiny ad budget gets more from every customer touchpoint 
• 🧠 Why the inside of the product matters more than most brands realize 
• 🚀 The simple customer insight that led to launching beanies and T-shirts next 
• 🔥 How storytelling can help your brand stand out in a crowded, competitive category 

 

Key timestamps to dive straight in: 

[06:38] Focusing on mission over product 

[09:27] Designing meaningful, ethical hats 

[11:34] Expanding beyond baseball caps 

[15:13] Organic UGC and giftable packaging 

[20:01] Sharing mental health stories and support 

[22:42] Reducing customer acquisition costs 

[23:54] Listen to Steve’s Top Tips! 

 

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/596

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