First, let me tell you a little story 'bout a man named Chad (this is my blog and I am Rod McBellanic to to the online world. Longer story for later). I founded, Field Dress, creating t-shirts for the outdoorsman focusing on the rich history of hunting and fishing. We officially launched in the Fall of 2007. I met with investors, top outdoor marketing firms, and top outdoor sales rep agency's. After a lot of calls, I focused in on who I thought were the best options for the "home run"...should've went for the base hit, but more on that later. So I'm in about the fifth round of meetings with one investor, the marketing firm is contingent on the investor, and the sales rep firm is contingent on the marketing firm. (Note: Be sure to realize EVERYONE knows each other in the hunting and fishing world - more on that later) Suddenly the world does a 180'. Housing, economy, election and I was on my own. I had a little cash so I decided to give it a go without the heavy hitters.
We had some good months, nice store orders, and turned down a 7,500 unit test run with Academy Sports. Things were looking promising until the wife announced one little word...TWINS! I had to get a real job, blogging and a few a handful of t-shirts sold per day wasn't going to cover Thirty (30) diapers a day, let alone everything else. So I dabbled with Field Dress, but anything done part-time is half-assed, so I buried it.
Today, I've started completely over. We've added another to the tribe of four and I've been humbled with everything that has happened over the last several years. New start, relaunch, and "base hits" will work for me. But this isn't about me, so let's get to you. There is a lot to cover, so I am going to break it up and post about this throughout next week as well. I will let you know if I am going to miss a day.
Here are the statistics to consider:
Statistics are from 2006 and only from the U.S.
Fishing
1- Thirty million (30,000,000) people fish
2- They spent forty-two billion ($42,000,000,000) on expenditures
3- They only spent about two-weeks fishing that year
4- The largest percentage of anglers by age group is 35-44 comprising of 25%
5- Of all anglers, 37% have an average household income of $50-$100,000
Hunting
1- 12.5 million (12,500,000) people hunt
2- They spent twenty-three billion ($23,000,000,000) on expenditures
3- They only spent two-weeks hunting that year
4- The largest percentage of hunters by age group is 35-44 comprising of 25%
5- Of all hunters, 16% have an average household income of $50-$100,000
So what is the take away? Besides the fact we spend WAY to much for only a couple of weeks. Dig a little deeper and if we look at statistics from 2001, you'll find the number of outdoorsman is down about 10%, however spending is up $8,000,000,000...that is billion my friends.
Should you start an outdoor related business? Depends on quite a bit more, but come back and we'll dive in a little deeper. Have a great weekend.
FieldDress.com
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