How Haley Barber Built RDV NINES, The Patented Hat Solving Acne & Dirty Hats

What if one of the most common fashion accessories was secretly causing skin problems for millions of people?In this episode of The Authority Company Podcast, Joe Pardavila sits down with entrepreneur Haley Barber, founder of RDV NINES, to talk about the three-year journey of reinventing the baseball hat.What started as Haley’s personal struggle with acne and dirty hats turned into a patented product with a removable washable liner designed to keep hats clean without ruining their shape.Haley shares how she balanced a demanding corporate role while building a startup from scratch, navigating patents, trademarks, product development, manufacturing, pricing challenges, and the emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship.They also discuss why solving overlooked problems creates the best business opportunities, how social media validated the idea, and what founders need to know before investing their own money into a product launch.Topics Covered:The hidden problem with dirty baseball hatsHow acne inspired a patented product ideaBuilding a startup while working corporateProduct development and manufacturing challengesHow patents and trademarks actually workThe cost of launching a physical productWhy entrepreneurs become obsessed with solving problemsCreating customizable fashion accessoriesLessons from launching a brand-new product categoryThe future of RDV NINESCHAPTERS00:00 Introduction00:00 Haley Barber and the RDV NINES Story01:00 Leaving Comfort to Become an Entrepreneur02:10 The Acne Problem That Inspired the Business03:28 The “Hacky” Solutions People Use for Dirty Hats04:15 Deciding to Build a Better Hat05:24 Learning Product Design From Scratch06:46 How the RDV NINES Hat Actually Works09:18 The Customization Feature Explained10:17 Why Product Development Took 3 Years11:27 Manufacturing and Pricing Challenges13:50 The Patent Process Explained17:28 Can Competitors Copy the Product?18:35 How RDV NINES Got Its Name21:22 Why the Hats Have a Minimal Look22:47 Launching a Completely New Product Category25:06 Funding the Business Personally27:00 Why Haley Refused Early Investor Money28:44 The Future of RDV NINES