Scott Kaier of Formidable Media talks about his Outdoor experience and has solid advice to get in the industry. [EP 232]
Scott talks about his first Op-Ed piece for SNEWS, his thoughts on how we, the industry can help mitigate some of the issues related to the increase in outdoor visitation and plenty more.
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SponsorsIntroduction to the Outdoors
I didn't have particularly outdoorsy parents but grew up in a time and place where, you know, kids were kind of sent out the back door in the morning and you came home when you were hungry. Uh, so I kinda, you know, developed this love of the outdoors.
And then during college, I had a buddy who got into mountain biking and I borrowed his mountain bike for an afternoon and just kind of fell in love with it. So mountain biking was really how I sort of got into the outdoors in a more professional way.
We did a little bit of camping, some fishing, ran around on our BMX bikes, all that kind of stuff. But, really when I discovered mountain bikes and I thought this feels like my thing. And from there I got a job in a bike shop for a year to have that experience and learn as much as I could about it.
Things we talked about
OR Banner
Be conscientious of the things that you're doing while you're here.
Advice
Make a bunch of money before you do, but seriously it's a great industry. I can't imagine working anywhere else. If you're passionate about the outdoors, if you enjoy a community of likeminded people, I don't think there's anywhere better to work. So s far as advice, getting started in retail I think is a fantastic introduction. You'll meet awesome people on both sides of the counter. Your coworkers will turn you on to Outdoor activities that maybe you aren't into, you'll get peer advice and experiences and all this great stuff. And then obviously the people coming in the front door and getting to chat with them and understanding what their needs are and expectations are and what they like to do and helping them get the most out of their outdoor experiences is super rewarding. And then from there, the door is wide open. You're in at that point. And it's just a matter of what you want to do, getting into sales or going in house at a brand or doing design work or marketing PR sort of there's a lot of options. Once you kinda got that that retail background it really gives you a good understanding of how it all works.
Favorite Outdoor Gear under $100
I think it's the stuff that you wouldn't really even consider like a new pair of bike gloves or maybe running shoes, you're flirting with over a hundred bucks there. But some of those simpler items that get a lot of wear and tear that you burn through pretty quick, just getting into just getting that new pair is great.
Connect with Scott
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