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Syndication

Todd Canipe Vertical Urge TNSP 37

AJ Skypes in from Portland to chat with Todd Canipe and me. We delve deeply into the state of skate and snow retail. We also gain an understanding of which parts of Star Wars media are considered to be "Cannon" (official).

Stay up to date with Todd online:

Todd's Twitter: https://twitter.com/toddcanipe

Todd's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toddcanipe/

 

This episode covers the following topics:

  • Nate's dyslexia and how to pronounce Todd’s last name.
  • Trouble connecting on Skype - plus we had  5 drops during the call
  • Windstream communications and the new phone number at Vertical Urge
  • 42 years old
  • The Vertical Urge Origin story
  • Hanging insulation and repo
  • Skype drops
  • Grey Marketing
  • The golden age of skate snow retail
  • Talking in front of middle school career days
  • Skateboarding industry trends
  • Bike shops
  • Consumer loyalty
  • Scaling up and down
  • The new Vertical Urge
  • Investing in your brand
  • Vintage Snowboard Trader - VST BAY
  • POP marketing material
  • Star Wars
  • Todd's Star Wars Podcast
  • Ewok Movie
  • Star Wars continuity issues
  • Star Wars and Chill
  • Star Wars skateboards and snowboards
  • Board Retailers Association (BRA)
  • Sports Authority
  • Terminator X
  • Instagram businesses
  • Skate shop life

Quotes from Todd:

"I’m not going back to school - I’m actually going to stay and work in the surf shop.”
“I just kinda had a knack for commerce in general.”
“I always believed in what we were doing.”
“I didn’t mind eating ramen noodles and drinking cheap beer.”
“The education that I got…was well beyond anything that that I could have got from a book.”
“Anytime something gets bigger - it’s more work and you have to take it more seriously.”
“What’s always worked best for me is a hell of a work ethic and a passion for what you do. For me that’s always trumped having a diploma.”
"We’re talking 70 and 80 hour work weeks - it’s not a 30 hour a week job.”
“We have and still have one of the best skateboard teams around.”
“The industry is not as healthy as it used to be and it probably never will be.”
“Skateboard companies are cash poor - have been forever, even since the glory days.”
“We have to learn to evolve and do more with less - you can’t have 600 boards on the wall anymore.”
“The kid coming up is not as brand loyal and retailer loyal as the generation before them.”
“I was a skatepark owner for 10 years… we’re one of the only industries where your core consumer base expects you to not make any money.”
“I remember buying a complete in the 80’s, it was $150.00…. Our margins have not gotten better, but the manufacturers margins have.”
“I can’t remember the last time I had kid come through the door and ask for a specific pro deck.”
“2006-2011 everything hit on all cylinders for us it was overwhelming, but every facet of our business was doing incredibly well during that period."
“We were one of the really early online adopters - one of the first small shops to really go after it."
“We read books on Dreamweaver and Photoshop - we knew enough to customize it and make it look good.”
“We didn’t have an inventory management system that spoke to the store’s POS until 2011.”
“We wanted people in NY or CA to look at us like Dogfunk.”
“Some night’s I’d go home with the family, put the kids to bed, then work until 4:00 AM  and get up at 7:00 AM.”
“It’s much harder to scale down than is it to scale down - a lot more people will help you scale up.”
“Investing in your own brand is the most important thing that every retailer that’s going to be around in five years is going to have to do.”
“We want to sell the stuff that we would wear.”
“There’s not many reps anymore - there are a few really good reps left… The good ones are getting older."
“When the Supreme video came out - with-in weeks the way that kids looked changed.”
“The cool thing about VST bay is that you know that your product is going to a good home.”
“I got banned because I forgot to pull my auctions down (on VST bay).”
“I think for Start Wars fans - die hard Star Wars fans, it was a relief (the new movie).”
“I’ve never been to a Star Wars fetish party. Katrina and I are not in the cosplay scene.”
“I’m not afraid to tell it like it is and some people don’t really like that.”
“Let it go - that would be the best advice that I’d give myself. Don’t get so emotionally wrapped up in things that I can’t control.”
“If it’s your passion, take a chance. Be willing to sacrifice everything for that chance.Don’t be scared to jump off the cliff if you think you can make it work.”
Direct download: Todd_Canipe_Vertical_Urge_TNSP_37_.mp3
Category:Outdoor -- posted at: 7:59pm EDT

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