#166 - Alex King, Founder of Terignōta

Send us Fan MailYou can feel the momentum from the first minute: a year after his last visit, Alex King returns with a bigger warehouse, a stronger brand story, and the same stubborn commitment to making trail running gear people can actually afford. We dig into the founder’s rollercoaster—$75k days, quiet slumps, and the steady routine that carries him through both—and why he refuses to chase competitors or rent attention with paid ads. Instead, Alex lays out a different model: build products that solve real problems, price them honestly, and publish your numbers so customers can see exactly where their money goes.We go behind the scenes on the Valhalla vest, from months of sampling to a six-figure production leap that could have ended Terignōta if it flopped. Alex speaks openly about risk tolerance, Shopify loans, and the constant tension between perfecting a prototype and committing to scale. He shares how tariffs factor into decisions, why bandwidth is a finite asset, and how customer service—done with patience, ownership, and a human voice—can turn a tough email into a lifelong fan. We also explore his marketing stance: no Meta, no Google, no hype tax. The payoff is trust, community-led growth, and prices that don’t creep upward to feed an ad machine.On the athletic side, Alex breaks down wins at Cirque Series Crystal and UTMB Whistler 100K, the mindset shift that helped him run free of external pressure, and the lingering realities of an old Achilles rupture that changed his body but not his ceiling. He previews restocks and launches—updated fleece with recycled polyester, a sun hoodie and long sleeve in testing, and half tights heading into production—while keeping the brand’s north star clear: useful design, fair pricing, and transparency that speaks for itself.If you believe great gear shouldn’t require a second mortgage, or you’re wrestling with how to build a brand without selling your soul to ads, this conversation will stick with you. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves the trails, and leave a review to help more runners find the show.Shop Terignōta Follow Terignōta on IG - @TerignōtaUse code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.usFollow James on IG - @jameslaurielloFollow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podFollow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa