Thread the Needle (TDN) is a custom-apparel company born from a lifelong love of hockey. Built by players, for players. Founded by Thomas Pugh, the brand began as a local operation serving a few rinks across the Carolinas.
When Thomas came to TVG, he had strong word-of-mouth traction and a loyal base of repeat teams, but growth had plateaued. He was ready to take the leap from “local favorite” to “national name.”
In just a few months, our CORE Growth Engine helped TDN go from sporadic orders to daily sales, expanding beyond regional boundaries and generating consistent cash flow, all while keeping the brand’s authentic, player-first ethos intact.
Thread the Needle had a proven product and community love, but was limited by three things:
Geographic ceiling. Most sales came through Carolina-based rinks and referrals.
Limited tech and marketing systems. Ads were run manually with minimal results.
Agency burnout. A previous agency had over-promised, under-delivered, and left Thomas skeptical of outside partners.
As Thomas put it:
When TDN partnered with TVG, the mission was clear: build a scalable growth engine around what was already working, custom hockey jerseys.
Rather than spreading thin across multiple sports, we focused on dominating one niche, then expanding outward.
Niche Domination Strategy
Doubled down on hockey funnel creative before expanding to basketball or lacrosse.
Built a high-intent ad structure targeting club teams, leagues, and college programs.
Focused on authentic creative that made a small brand feel like a major player.
Full-Funnel Growth System
Rebuilt ad strategy with precise budget allocation and creative testing framework.
Created custom email flows and automations for lead capture and follow-up quotes.
Implemented backend automation (Zapier, Typeform, CRM sync) to save hours of manual work.
Creative Identity & Positioning
Developed scroll-stopping ads from TDN’s own mockups and team photos to project scale and professionalism.
Elevated the brand perception, customers often commented TDN “looks like CCM or Bauer.”
Within weeks, momentum shifted from sporadic orders to consistent demand:
Thomas said it best:
What started as a chance Instagram ad turned into one of the most rewarding founder-agency partnerships we’ve built:
Focus beats fragmentation: double down on what’s already working before diversifying
Founder-agency alignment drives speed and execution