With brands like Twisted X®, Twisted X Work®, Black Star Boots®, CellSole®, and Wrangler® Footwear, under her wing, Tricia Mahoney, Chief Marketing Officer of Twisted X Global Brands, has been at the forefront of turning ideas into marketable successes. In a recent conversation with Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media, Tricia shared her experiences and best practices for scaling brands from the ground up in a competitive industry.

Doug begins the conversation by asking Tricia about some of the best practices for building and scaling—a perfect opening question for her.

“I love building, I love a challenge, and I love seeing progress and growth,” Tricia asserts. Her journey with Twisted X began at a time when the brand, though strong in its niche, lacked the marketing infrastructure necessary for significant growth. "There was no marketing, there was no scale...so it was building every single thing from the ground up," she recalls.

Doug follows up by asking Tricia to expand on the key challenges involved in building brands.

Acknowledging the highly competitive industry and the noise surrounding it, Tricia emphasizes that "getting attention, being authentic to who you are, and properly representing the core DNA of your brand" is always a challenge for brands.

Doug appreciates her point about authenticity, highlighting Twisted X’s success under her leadership. He then asks if she has a step-by-step approach to address the identified challenges.

Tricia responds candidly, "I don't have a step-by-step. When we first started, it was all about the foundational elements that needed to be built.” She elaborates on the process of prioritizing when scaling, making it clear that her approach is adaptive rather than formulaic. "I know we need to scale everything everywhere, but I prioritize based on what I know at that moment where we can really make a difference," she explains.

Doug then shifts the focus to team dynamics, pointing out the significance of navigating the challenges that arise when employees and colleagues possess varying skill sets and levels of expertise. He asks, “How do you identify those needed skill sets and get them working together?”

Tricia’s leadership style is grounded in diversity and empowerment. She explains, “I want to hire people who are very different from me and possess skill sets that I don’t have.” She also emphasizes the importance of creating a culture where team members feel empowered to take responsibility and learn from their mistakes. As she puts it, “I won’t be upset if you make a mistake. It’s okay—just go for it.”

Doug appreciates her approach and shifts the discussion to the concept of "pivoting," a term that has gained prominence in the industry since COVID. He inquires, “How can you determine when it’s time for your team to pivot?”

“I love a pivot,” Tricia responds. She views pivots as both a reaction to crisis and a proactive strategy. "If we see that something is working, let's put the pedal to the metal and go. If it's not working, awesome...That’s just not working, pivot," she explains.

Doug agrees that it’s crucial not to "throw good money after bad" and that knowing when to move on is as important as knowing when to push forward. He then explores future challenges in the communication space, where traditional silos between communications, PR, and marketing have increasingly broken down.

Doug poses his final question: “What is your best advice for the path forward?”

Tricia underscores the importance of teamwork and communication, advising, "Teams must work together… Magic happens when people work together. Over-communicating is often a good strategy."

Her final thought emphasizes the need for authenticity, stating, “It’s about staying true to who we are, what we do, and our DNA.”

D S Simon Media is well known as a leader in the satellite media tour industry and produces tours from its studio and multiple control rooms at its New York headquarters. Clients include top brands in healthcare, technology, travel, financial services, consumer goods, entertainment, retail and non-profits. Established in 1986 the firm has won more than 100 industry awards.

View all of the interviews in the “PR's Top Pros Talk” series. Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected].