Darren Josey is an outdoorsman, bird watcher, spouse, father of two, and the founder of First Seed Sown.
First Seed Sown is a sales and marketing agency serving fellow BIPOC-owned businesses, brands looking to improve their DEI initiatives, and municipalities with environmental justice communities who want to make the outdoors more equitable for everyone in their city.
Connect with DJ or join his "Marketing on a $0 Budget" class: https://www.firstseedsown.com/workshops
This is a longer episode than usual, but it's FULL of helpful perspectives for freelancers. Here are some timestamps so you can find parts to listen back to a second time!:
(03:00) - What First Seed Sown is and why DJ founded this company
(04:31) - How finding your purpose and mission takes time
(05:30) - Getting his start at Vibram and the opportunities DJ created for himself
(06:30) - How Vibram maximized the start of social media, a hole in the marketplace, and a book launch to dominate the market
(07:30) - The issues leading to Vibram's downturn
(09:00) - How to apply Vibram's growth to the current market
(09:30) - Why starting your product-based brand as narrow as possible is key to success
(10:25) - The importance of listening to your market and pivoting when your users ask you to change
(13:24) - How working in retail shaped DJ's entire career and how it applies to you and the industry
(15:25) - How products move from a brand to a sales rep to the retail store and why it matters
(16:15) - The sales knowledge you can only learn from retail
(16:30) - What you need to know about wholesale vs direct to consumer business if you're a small brand
(18:23) - Why understanding the retail ecosystem is essential for creatives and service providers
(20:55) - How the product, sales, and marketing teams influence each other
(24:40) - The relationship between price and value of a product
(25:58) - What the sales team determines at a brand
(26:16) - When the product, sales, and marketing departments are at their best
(27:00) - The role of the CEO in leading a brand
(28:50) - The in-house complexities all freelancers should know about when waiting for your next contract
(31:17) - The person you're working with at a brand is overworked and under-resourced
(33:10) - Why AI isn't going to solve our overwork issues
(33:55) - Why working for himself has been key to DJ meeting his own potential
(36:32) - What two strategies you need to implement to successfully pitch your next client in the outdoor industry
(40:19) - The factor most freelancers forget to think about when it comes to pitching to brands
(42:24) - Your future clients want to hear from you and not just to be sold your services
(44:40) - Who will actually read your pitches at a brand and who won't
(45:16) - Why meeting people in person is still essential to building relationships with potential clients
(47:57) - The outdoors industry is still a handshakes and shoe leather business
(50:00) - Building in-person relationships is a muscle we all need to strengthen post-pandemic
(51:15) - The privilege of leveraging big contracts as an opportunity to create and sell additional work
(52:20) - The responsibility we have to our fellow creatives by creating more transparency and not undervaluing our work
(55:45) - Why DJ structures his pricing the way he does and how it ties into his mission
(56:20) - The importance of having different rates for different kinds of work and different results
(58:08) - DJ's move from Vibram to Topo Athletic and what he learned from handshakes and beer trades
(59:08) - Why "building a hometown brand" is your next marketing strategy
(1:01:17) - DJ's role at Polartec and the impact of mixing with the biggest brands in the outdoors industry
(1:02:13) - Your favorite brands use the same fabric but position it differently and you can too
(1:03:52) - The power of creating environmental justice communities and the impact of shifting from brand to cities partners
(1:06:46) - The powerful vision behind First Seed Sown and the impact of a wholistic approach in Malden, Massachusetts
(1:08:26) - What a wholistic approach can create for environmental justice communities
(1:09:27) - Sharing outdoor industry jobs with the next generation of leaders
(1:11:02) - DJ's commitment to supporting BIPOC-owned companies as the root of founding First Seed Sown
(1:12:10) - Why supporting diverse communities is essential to growing the outdoors industry
(1:13:40) - How DJ's approach of paying it forward is a foundational tool to cultivating business relationships
(1:15:52) - DJ's work as a core advisor of REI's Path Ahead Ventures and how programs like this create equity in business
(1:17:04) - Why having brands made by diverse founders is a smart business move and how to navigate the attacks on DEI programs
(1:18:26) - How DJ supporting up and coming BIPOC brands with the wholistic ecosystem
(1:19:07) - Why timing matters as a business owner, especially when you're thinking about bringing on support
(1:19:48) - Future things to be on the lookout for to benefit from DJ's extensive expertise
(1:21:24) - How to strengthen the industry by introducing brands to DJ's work, hiring more diverse voices on your projects, and supporting outdoor ethnic affinity groups
(1:23:29) - How DJ stays optimistic and focused by doing mission-aligned work that supports businesses increase their profit and prioritize people
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