We crank out a lot of content here at SES and I always worry that some of our best interviews may get lost in the shuffle.
We are so very lucky to have such great access to industry leaders and I don’t want our loyal readers to miss out on any of the good stuff that has come out in the past few months.
I have a few interviews in particular that I want to flag for you, and all are podcasts.
I have fallen in love with doing audio interviews because so much context is added by hearing a person’s voice and the nuances of a conversation.
Here are five that are DEFINITELY worth listening to.
Damon Way and Mike Jensen
Hands down the one you cannot miss is with DC Co-Founder Damon Way and Global GM Mike Jensen. It’s so cool to hear why Damon is involved with DC again, and about how the team there is revamping the brand top to bottom.
Vuori
If you don’t know the active brand Vuori, you should. It is growing like crazy and what has blown my mind is that it works everywhere from REI to surf shops – and not just in Southern California. We had a interesting talk with Co-Founder Joe Kudla at OR.
LISTEN TO THE VUORI PODCAST HERE
Glik’s
It’s always worth breaking out of the Southern California bubble and my favorite people to talk to about that are Jeff and Jim Glik of Glik’s. They are serious retailers who have taken their family business, which is over 100 years old, to new heights. We talked to them about what is selling in the Midwest, what industry brands need to do to perform better there, and much more.
LISTEN TO THE GLIK’S PODCAST HERE
Aaron Pai
You cannot get more core than Aaron Pai, the owner of HSS, one of the most important stores in the country. Those of you who know Aaron know he’s not that comfortable with public speaking.
But he was a real trooper during our interview and opened up about not only his business, but also about some personal struggles, including a brush with cancer. If you want to know what’s selling at HSS and get a flavor of the heart and soul of the industry, this is the podcast for you.
LISTEN TO THE AARON PAI PODCAST HERE
Patagonia Surf
I loved my talk with Jason McCaffrey, the head of Patagonia Surf, who is super down to earth and easy to talk to. Patagonia has a refreshing openness as a company, and Jason follows that ethos. In the interview, we learn about the surf program’s annual revenues and their astounding growth rate.
Patagonia has really taken off in core stores because consumers believe in the company’s mission. However, Jason breaks down just how hard it can be to create a surf apparel brand that lives up to the Patagonia standards of sustainability.
LISTEN TO THE PATAGONIA SURF PODCAST HERE
These longer podcasts are available to our Executive Edition members.
If you’d like to join, you can sign up for a membership here.
If you have any trouble, feel free to email me at tiffany@shop-eat-surf.
Happy Listening!
