No Margin, No Mission: Can You Build a Business Without Selling Out?
I found Moonspin through another podcast guest, which is exactly why I love this platform so much. Nora from Neve introduced me to Lindsay, and I got to meet her in person at Sea Otter before we ever sat down for this conversation.
Lindsay is the founder of Moonspin, a by-women-for-women mountain bike and adventure apparel brand, joining me from her hometown of Bozeman, Montana. She's been building Moonspin for three and a half years, though it only really launched about fifteen months ago.
How Adventure Found Her First
Lindsay grew up in Bozeman in the early 80s, skiing at Bridger Bowl and mountain biking near a trail network called Pete's Hill by the time she was five. But she left, moving to New York for college, then law school, then almost a decade of social justice and philanthropy work before relocating to the Bay Area. Meaningful work, but work she describes as intellectually creative without being tactile. She's a hands-on, concrete person, and that gap eventually caught up with her.
On Debt, Risk, and Not Taking the Shortcut
Lindsay carried student loan debt into her late thirties, and it shaped how she's building Moonspin now. She's self-financing the business and intentionally avoiding outside investment:
"I want to be able to get to that cash flow flywheel that's not falsified by investment, that is actually really self-sustaining and driven by the ability of consumers and community members to be a part of it."
She's not naive about it, she's had offers, and she knows a line of credit will likely be necessary. But she's seen how ownership stakes can quietly erode a founder's control, and she's choosing to move slower and stay aligned with what she wants Moonspin to be.
From a Sewing Machine to a Tech Pack
Lindsay has no formal training in product design or manufacturing. What she has is a hundred-dollar sewing machine from college and a history of reworking thrifted clothes. But when it came to actually building Moonspin's product line, she didn't sit down and sew her own prototypes — she worked with a product designer who translated her sketches and Pinterest boards into a tech pack, the technical blueprint a manufacturer uses to build apparel. Her first Moonspin product wasn't even something she designed herself, though, it was a pair of cycling socks in partnership with an established sock company,The Athletic, a deliberate first step to build trust before asking people to buy into something bigger.
Where the Name Actually Came From
Lindsay almost named the brand after her dog, Dawa, whose name means "moon" in Dzongkha, the language of Bhutan. Friends helped her recognize the cultural appropriation risk in that, and she pivoted, keeping the moon as a concept tied to circularity and femininity, and adding "spin" as a nod to motion and biking.
Why I Wanted to Share This One
Toward the end of our talk, Lindsay said something that's stuck with me:
"I don't want Moonspin to just be about me."
But she also knows that sharing her own story is part of how people connect to what she's building. If you're building something of your own, or just need a reminder that you can grow a business without losing what made you start it, this one's for you.
Reach out to Moonspin online, Lindsay genuinely welcomes DMs about fit and sizing. Catch her this fall at Outer Bike in Moab (early October) and the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival (early November).
Links & Love
Follow Moonspin: moon-spin.com | @moonspin_
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