Jun 18, 2020
Revised Version
Today on the show I have Jedd Rose, founder and president of Topo Designs. Jedd has quickly become one of my favorite people in the outdoor industry, not just because of the great relationship we’ve built between Topo and my company Outwild, but also because Jedd is just such a great guy. He’s super insightful, humble, driven, and he surprises you with little nuggets that let you peer into the depth of his personality - you’ll see what I mean in this episode.
Jedd and his co-founder Mark Hansen created Topo Designs with a unique vision in mind: to build a fashion forward, utilitarian clothing and gear brand that blends an outdoor vibe with an urban cool factor. As Jedd would describe it, Topo is ‘built for anywhere on your map.’ In the relatively few short years they’ve been in business, Topo has risen to one of the most popular brands in the industry.
In this episode, Jedd and I get into the nitty gritty tactical details behind building a stellar brand. Everything from finding a good business partner, to raising money, to dissecting and preparing for the various stages most businesses go through - with a whole lot more sandwiched in between.
Before we dive in, I want to thank all my listeners for your patience while the show was on a short break so that we could all focus on learning about and elevating the voices of the BIPOC community during this historic fight for racial equality. Thank you all for supporting that initiative, it’s important work and your allyship and action is critical beyond measure.
Speaking of activism, a quick reminder that as we move closer and closer to election season it’s important to start thinking about your role in the fight against climate change. My go to resource is Protect Our Winters. They make it easy to get your friends and family registered to vote and have lots of information on how to make informed decisions and get involved. Head over to their website or check them out on the socials for all the deets.
The original version of this conversation took place in front of a live audience of students studying life design in the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The version you’ll hear took place online in our homes to respect social distancing.
Alright, here’s my conversation with Jedd Rose. Enjoy!