Georgia Grace Edwards is the co-founder and CEO of outdoor apparel brand Gnara. She is a driven business person who has raised millions of dollars for her company by winning pitch competitions and winning over investors. 

Gnara is well-known for its patented Go Fly zipper technology, which allows women to pee outside without removing clothing. They produce their line of apparel, like the popular Go There Pants, as well as license their Go Fly technology to other brands.

In this episode, Georgia Grace talks about the power of pitch competitions, how to grow customer loyalty by being transparent, and why solving a real problem is the best inspiration for facing the challenges of growing a brand.

Gnara has recently launched a second Kickstarter campaign for its Go Free Leggings.

For more about the KORE Outdoors Podcast, visit https://koreoutdoors.org/kore-outdoors-podcast/

#craftgearfromhere #shoplocal

Alex Lauver is the Senior Director of Materials, Innovation and Sustainability at Outdoor Research. As his title implies, he operates at the intersection of multiple disciplines. He works on projects that bring innovation to market as well as on the  operations side of the business. It's a position that requires the ability to take complex topics and explain them in a way that makes them easy to understand.

In this episode, Alex discusses the role that innovation can play in product development and how to foster innovation within an organization. He shares his perspective on sustainability within the outdoor industry as well as the challenges we face moving to a more circular economy. He also gives an overview of PFAS substances, what they are, and how new regulations will change the way technical apparel is manufactured.

You can read more about Alex and some of the insights from his work on linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lauver/

For more about the KORE Outdoors Podcast, visit https://koreoutdoors.org/kore-outdoors-podcast/

#craftgearfromhere #shoplocal

James Friedrich is a senior merchant at Mountain Equipment Company and a consultant at his firm Venturing Up. James has experience on the brand side as well as on the retail side, which provides him with a unique perspective. In this episode we learn how to position your product in the market, the importance of the value equation, how to price your product and how to work with retailers to have successful sell-through of your products. 

Robin Hall is the co-founder of Town Hall Outdoor Co, based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, which produces high-quality, sustainable outdoor apparel for kids.

In this episode, we talk about utilizing in-person events to gain traction as a new brand, working with co-founders to bootstrap the business and the importance of finding the right retail partners to work with.

Robin loves the outdoor industry and helping other up-and-coming brands grow. She is a founding member of the “Rural is Rad” movement, which helps shine a light on the brands that are being started in smaller communities.

You can learn more about on their website townhallco.com and you can connect with Robin on LinkedIn.

Wes Allen owns Sunlight Sports in Cody, Wyoming with his wife, Melissa and both are advocates for strengthening the outdoor industry through independently owned retailers and brands.

Wes has enjoyed a wide-ranging career in the outdoor industry: he's worked in sales at REI and Chaco and he's president of the US-based Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, a community of independent outdoor specialty retailers and brands.

This episode is full of actionable advice for smaller brands looking to grow in the outdoor industry. Wes explains omni-channel selling, which is using all channels and platforms to offer products and services to prospective clients, and why he believes it is the best way for both brands and retailers to succeed. He also tells us why we should be cynical about big, publicly-traded companies if we want the outdoor industry to survive, and he gives us some excellent tips brands can incorporate to improve their selling to retailers.

Aside from appearing in this podcast, Wes regularly shares his experiential insights through industry publications and public speaking events. You can find his writing and follow him on LinkedIn.

Mallory Ottariano is the founder and Chief Everything Officer at Youer Apparel. She started her brand as a creative side project making one-of-a-kind apparel and has grown it into a full line of active lifestyle apparel for women.

Today, Mallory owns her own factory in Missoula, Montana where they produce thousands of pieces of apparel every year. Mallory has been a vocal advocate for domestic manufacturing and has grown her loyal customer base by being transparent about what it takes to run an apparel business and the costs associated with producing apparel in America.

In this episode, we talk about what it takes to get a brand started, her struggle to find reliable factories, and how her loyal customers funded her expansion to start her own factory.  She tells the story of how she turned a horrible experience pitching her products to REI into a viral social media video and how she has grown her brand without spending a dollar on advertising.

Mallory has utilized social media to organically grow her business. You can find her on Instagram and learn more about Youer on their website.

Jamie Bond is one of the founders of RUX, the Squamish, BC-based innovative gear storage brand. In this conversation, we learn about how he and his team took RUX from an idea to a reality through a successful Kickstarter campaign. We dive into the do’s and don’ts of running a crowdfunding campaign, how to grow an early-stage e-commerce company and the importance of building a brand as well as innovative products.

Greg McDonald is the General Manager of Ridley’s Cycle, an independent bike retailer with three locations in Calgary and a very successful online store. Greg is also a board member of the National Bike Dealer’s Association and, prior to Ridley’s, he was a sales rep in the outdoor and bike industry.

In this episode we discuss the current situation in the bike industry and the challenges many retailers and brands are facing. We learn about some of the issues that led to the situation as well as some potential solutions. We also get into the details about how brands can better support retailers through improved sales programs and partnerships that create win-win situations at every level of the industry.

Eleven years ago Ryan Popov began Popov Leather as a passion project, hand-crafting wallets on his dining room table during nights and weekends. Since then, his company has shipped over 120,000 orders through Shopify and it now employs over 20 people at a workshop in Nelson, British Columbia. 

The latest episode of the KORE Outdoors Podcast is a deep dive into e-commerce and digital marketing. Ryan has turned his focus on learning as much as he can about running a successful e-commerce business and he’s a wealth of knowledge. With host Christian Rawles of Ambler, he discuss digital ads, where to start with email marketing, the importance of customer reviews, and the most important hire he made that helped fuel his growth.

Louis-Julien Roy is the Founder & President of Mountain Exposure, a sales agency in Western Canada serving both the outdoor and cycling industries. Mountain Exposure is also the Canadian distributor of Ibis Bikes. 

In this episode, we discuss the role of sales representatives and best practices for early-stage brands to work with reps. We dive into the tactics of selling your products to retailers and the art of relational selling. This episode is full of actionable advice on how to sell your products in the outdoor and bike market.

This episode is hosted by Christian Rawles, a KORE board member and co-owner of Ambler Mountain Works.

To learn more about the KORE, visit the KORE website.