The other day I had a very good meeting with a sales rep interested in repping Snoloha. As with most of these types of meeting, I tell my story and share my vision for the brand. It’s also during these conversations that I’m able to reflect on the brand launch and the entrepreneurial roller-coaster ride that I’ve been on ever since.
These conversations are healthy in the sense that I get caught up in the day-to-day stresses of growing and often forget to take a deep breath and look at what’s been accomplished and how people have connected to what I’ve created. For me, this reflection is important. Not that I’m one to ‘live in the past’, so to speak, but because it gives me some assurance that I’m not simply chasing some empty dream.
Snoloha will be 4 years old in February. That seems like an eternity and a blink of an eye, both at the same time. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that old at all…THAT is what I have to keep in check. It’s easy (believe me, it’s VERY easy) as an entrepreneur to get caught up at the thought of being an “overnight success”, when the reality is there’s very few real overnight successes.
It’s easy to want ‘The Vision’, as I call it, to happen faster than is possible. Snoloha is a completely made up word and the concept is much different than other brands on the market. This uniqueness is good because it’s what makes Snoloha stand apart. But at the same time, with this uniqueness comes a natural concern by retailers to bring in a brand that does not yet have mass market appeal, which in turn pays the bills. It’s a classic case of being stuck between a catch and a 22.
The brand needs to hit a certain level of market demand in order for it to really grow to what I envision one day – Snoloha Bar & Grille, Snoloha sunglasses, Snoloha hammocks, Snoloha rum, Snoloha flip flops, Snoloha beer, Snoloha branded stores, Snoloha record label, Snoloha luggage, Snoloha branded snowboards and surfboards…and the ultimate goal The Snoloha Edition Jeep Wrangler.
That is the long-term bigger vision for the brand. Call me a dreamer, but that’s part of the process, I believe. The key is…making the dreams become reality.
But for now the focus remains on building the brand through retailers, online and internationally, adding new designs and products, and most importantly cultivating the Snoloha family of customers and supporters.
If anyone knows the decision makers at Jeep…well, uh, you know what to do.
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