Haz Design

Tracy Hazard's journey into design began at two of the world's largest design-oriented companies. In 1992, she joined Millican and Company, the world's largest textile company, and by 1994 moved to Herman Miller just as the Aeron chair was launching. This pedigree became invaluable when she and her husband Tom decided to venture out on their own. Their first startup focused on stylus pens for handheld computers, but they found themselves in an IP battle with Palm Computing and IDEO. Though they won on principle, they learned a critical lesson: "You can win on principle, but you will never win in money if you're the small guy."

The turning point came when Tom lost his job and they received an unexpected opportunity. A company they had a connection to asked: "Do you know anything about designing office chairs?" Tracy and Tom confidently said yes, leveraging their knowledge from Herman Miller and their years in the industry. This led them to Bayside Furnishings (owned by Weyland Furniture in San Diego), which wanted to expand beyond their existing Costco business into a new product category. The team took six months to develop the chair design, with Tracy and Tom typically working on one client at a time, sometimes handling 10-12 chair designs simultaneously for a single client.

The Costco chair became their platinum record. Launched around 2010, it succeeded because of Costco's unique business model: they only charge a 12% margin, allowing them to pass savings to customers. At a $99 price point (often on sale for $79), the economics were tight. Manufacturing cost approximately $50, landing costs around $10, with Tracy's royalty and sales commissions totaling roughly 10%. Yet the volume made it extraordinary—over five years, the chair sold more than 1 million units.

Tracy's success formula hinges on selectivity and expertise. She maintains an 86% success rate for products launched in the last 10 years, defining success as 4,000-5,000+ units sold online or 20,000-30,000+ units in retail. The business model—retainer fees of $10,000-$20,000 monthly plus 2-3% royalties—ensures the agency covers its costs while clients benefit from experienced designers who understand manufacturing, sourcing, and retail dynamics. Tracy calculated that by 2015, the business generated close to half a million in annual revenue with minimal overhead (just herself, Tom, virtual assistants, and freelancers).

What didn't work: Tracy initially tried building authority through 40 blog posts on her website with minimal traction. Everything changed when she and Tom launched their podcast "WTFF" (What The FFF: Fused Filament Fabrication) in April 2015, producing five episodes per week at roughly $200 per episode. Within months, they secured their first sponsor at approximately $4,000 per month. The podcast attracted 30,000 downloads per month and became a powerful Google-ranked authority site that drove traffic back to her consulting business.

By 2015, Haz Design had co-designed over 250 retail products generating $758+ million in client sales (with updated numbers likely exceeding $1 billion). Tracy had secured a column in Inc. Magazine, producing articles that garnered 15,000+ views per week. She and Tom were reinvesting profits into brand building through the podcast and preparing to expand into an agency model centered on 3D printing technology. Tracy's advice to her younger self—"hire an expert instead of trying to do it all"—became the north star for the business's next phase of growth.