This is what I’d do if I launched a new brand in the outdoor industry today.

I’ll start by saying that I try not to give advice. It’s hard to resist sometimes, but I know I can be more useful by not giving advice and, instead, being a sounding board for someone to give themself advice.

I originally wrote this as a comment to a post that Eoin Comerford wrote about the catch-22 that small outdoor brands find themselves in when trying to sell into specialty outdoor stores. Emerging brands can have early success on their e-commerce site but then struggle to break into wholesale partnerships. He asked what advice people would give and I commented with mine.

So I’m breaking my own rule here by giving advice. And by no means do I think that my advice is for everyone. This is based on my experience and how I’d go about doing it if I were to do it over again…

My advice is to be prepared to play the long game and be a founder-led brand. Build in public, grow a loyal customer base through a blend of DTC & wholesale and maintain profitability.

Go to in-person events in your region to gain exposure and customers. Make a shortlist of the independent retailers you can reasonably drive to and go see them.

Nobody can do a better job selling the product than the founder so get good at it. You'll open up some wholesale accounts in your region and become a 'known' brand in the region.

Throw a big rock in a small pond. The mistake we make starting out is that we try to throw a handful of small rocks in the ocean of a national market. Hiring reps & going to national shows straight out of the gates is a spray-and-pray mentality that rarely works unless you already have a network within the industry.

Pick a small pond (your region) and make as many waves as you can. You'll learn how to grow slowly and profitably and understand what value you can bring to a larger market.

By the time you're ready to go to larger markets the waves you've made may have reached there already and your sales job becomes easier.

None of this works without an eye on cash flow though.

That’s what I would do if I was starting over again. Slow, steady & profitable.