Building an Outdoor Brand from the Ground Up with Kile Graves
This week on the podcast we continue our Business of Outdoor Recreation series with Kile Graves, Director of Operations at beardedgoat and Walton College alum, an outdoor apparel brand that is based in Northwest Arkansas and quickly expanding nationally. They discuss the burgeoning outdoor recreation economy in Arkansas and Kyle shares about his transition from the corporate world to the startup space with beardedgat. He discusses his passion for the outdoors, the challenges of establishing a brand in a growing sector, and how beardedgoat has capitalized on the growing popularity of outdoor recreation in Northwest Arkansas especially.
Transcript
The mountain bike scene I don't think it was as
Kile Graves:large as it is now. And just that side of outdoor recreation
Kile Graves:is growing in popularity, we've definitely been able to ride
Kile Graves:that wave. Because we were already leaning into that scene
Kile Graves:anyways, it just wasn't as popular. And so as it's grown in
Kile Graves:popularity, we've been able to just tap into it and say like,
Kile Graves:hey, we're here.
Brent Williams:Welcome to the Be Epic podcast, brought to you
Brent Williams:by the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of
Brent Williams:Arkansas. I'm your host, Brent Williams. Together, we'll
Brent Williams:explore the dynamic landscape of business and uncover the
Brent Williams:strategies, insights, and stories that drive business
Brent Williams:today. Well, today I have with me Kile Graves. Kile is the
Brent Williams:Director of Operations at Bearded Goat and alum of the
Brent Williams:Walton College. Kile, thanks for joining me today.
Kile Graves:Yeah, thanks for having me excited to excited to
Kile Graves:be here.
Brent Williams:Well, I'm super excited that you're here. And,
Brent Williams:you know, I know you're engaged in the outdoor recreation
Brent Williams:economy in Arkansas, which is really growing and exploding. So
Brent Williams:I kind of want to, I really want to center us on that. But first,
Brent Williams:maybe your story a little bit. I know you were you graduated from
Brent Williams:the Walton College, but come to tell us all about you.
Kile Graves:Yeah. So I grew up here in Fayetteville went to
Kile Graves:Fayetteville High School before they tore it down and built the
Kile Graves:new one. I think we were the last class in the old high
Kile Graves:school. Yeah, came here. Went to the U of A, studied supply
Kile Graves:chain, and marketing and economics were my minors, and
Kile Graves:then interned at Walmart, between my junior and senior
Kile Graves:year, got a job there right after graduation. And had these
Kile Graves:like training development programs. And I was in the one
Kile Graves:in merchandising, so I did that for about two years, and kind of
Kile Graves:realized it wasn't my my speed, and got an opportunity to help
Kile Graves:start something, Bearded Goat, from the ground up and so got
Kile Graves:approached by the guy that had kind of raised some money. And
Kile Graves:his name is Terry and decided to jump ship from Walmart at the
Kile Graves:time, had learned a lot in kind of just big, big retail space. I
Kile Graves:was in a planning role. So it's basically intro of in control of
Kile Graves:the budget for a buyer. I was over hangers and laundry baskets
Kile Graves:and things not so outdoorsy. But no, it was great. I learned a
Kile Graves:lot and did that. And yeah, jumped ship. I think it was the
Kile Graves:end of 2017. Like December of 2017. And yeah, been at Bearded
Kile Graves:Goat ever since. So it'll be six years, six years is fall.
Brent Williams:Well, those training development programs at
Brent Williams:Walmart and specifically in merchandising are tremendous in
Brent Williams:what you learn, right? I mean, just like the the span of what
Brent Williams:you learn in a really short period of time, is pretty
Kile Graves:It's crazy. It's the phrase drinking from water
Kile Graves:tremendous.
Kile Graves:hose. You know, people say it's, it's so true. I remember coming
Kile Graves:home. And I was with three roommates at the time. And I
Kile Graves:think two of the three were working at Walmart. And we'd
Kile Graves:come home and our brains were just like fried, and we're just
Kile Graves:like what was happening? But yeah, you you know, I don't know
Kile Graves:if they've changed it since but you would do 10 or so weeks in
Kile Graves:like a replenishment role. And then you do a buyer role,
Kile Graves:sourcing, product development, planning. And then at the end,
Kile Graves:they'd spit you out into a full time position. And so yeah,
Kile Graves:it's, it's amazing. I'm really grateful for what I learned
Kile Graves:there. And just kind of understanding how retail works.
Kile Graves:You know, retail math works, you know, in a day to day setting,
Kile Graves:how to analyze a business, I think I learned a lot of my
Kile Graves:analytical skills are definitely there. I honed them in there for
Kile Graves:sure. So it was good. But I did not love the cube farm is what
Kile Graves:we refer to it as in the startup world, but was not a fan of that
Kile Graves:so.
Brent Williams:So the transition to Bearded Goat, to
Brent Williams:work and working with Terry helping start this company up. I
Brent Williams:guess outdoors is something personally you're passionate
Brent Williams:about.
Kile Graves:Yeah, for sure. You know, we grew up going to the
Kile Graves:Buffalo River every summer, going to the lake every summer,
Kile Graves:running on the trails, mountain biking wasn't as big of a thing
Kile Graves:growing up, I played basketball growing up. So I was kind of a
Kile Graves:jockey and a sports guy. And so, but in the summer, you know, we
Kile Graves:were outside in the fall, you know, we're outside. So that's,
Kile Graves:that's kind of how I was raised and how I spend my time. You
Kile Graves:know, my, my dad and I would fish throughout the year every
Kile Graves:year and that was kind of like our thing and got into fly
Kile Graves:fishing towards the end of college and skiing every chance
Kile Graves:I could get. So any chance I could get outside we were doing
Kile Graves:it basically. So that was always kind of a part of who I was and
Kile Graves:my interests have always been there and so yeah, when Terry
Kile Graves:approached me and I was still Walmart with the opportunity to
Kile Graves:come kind of like help him launch the thing and he
Kile Graves:explained, hey, I'm gonna create a brand in the outdoor world,
Kile Graves:didn't really know anything else than that I was kind of like,
Kile Graves:yeah, like the outdoors. And I've learned some stuff about
Kile Graves:retail. So let's, you know, let's do it.
Brent Williams:Yeah. And the purpose of the company, I don't
Brent Williams:know if I'm going to get this exactly right. But basically,
Brent Williams:boil it down to you guys are really trying to help more
Brent Williams:people get outside, and I guess align the gear and apparel
Brent Williams:between technical and everyday.
Kile Graves:Yeah, yeah, I think, you know, that's our
Kile Graves:website, I'm pretty sure at this point, and we've, you know, a
Kile Graves:brand is a brand identities for us has kind of changed a little
Kile Graves:bit as we've, we've grown and, you know, certain things will
Kile Graves:take grip in the market, and other things won't. And so you
Kile Graves:kind of have to adapt a little bit, but yeah our identity from
Kile Graves:the start was, hey, if we can, it was me and I Owen Bell was my
Kile Graves:counterpart of the company. He's our Creative Director, and then
Kile Graves:McCain Martin, is in charge of our product development. He's
Kile Graves:also a UARK alum at the Walton College, so yeah us three, we're
Kile Graves:all from, and we kind of run the we run the company day to day.
Kile Graves:And so us three all grew up in Northwest Arkansas, we all have
Kile Graves:a little bit different interests. You know, McCain has
Kile Graves:family in the west coast. So surfing was big in his
Kile Graves:upbringing and interest. And I spent time on the river and
Kile Graves:camping and Owen was also in Rogers growing up outdoors. And
Kile Graves:so us three, kind of blended our interests in the outdoors and
Kile Graves:how it's authentic to this area, which, for us, shows up either
Kile Graves:on a trail of some sort or on the water of some sort. And
Kile Graves:that's kind of where we've boiled it down to those two
Kile Graves:environments. And then we said, hey, let's, let's just make an
Kile Graves:outdoor lifestyle brand, clothing brand that we make
Kile Graves:stuff we can wear doing any of that. That's kind of the idea.
Kile Graves:And so it's, it's loose enough, where we can create products
Kile Graves:that don't necessarily fit into a specific water category. It's
Kile Graves:it's more than just lifestyle, but our inspiration and the soul
Kile Graves:of our brand lives, lives there so.
Brent Williams:If if you're asking you maybe to reflect on
Brent Williams:the last, what, five, six years that you've been there, you
Brent Williams:know, today, where the company and the brand is at, and maybe
Brent Williams:the products versus when you started five or six years ago,
Brent Williams:what, what is still the case? Or what's still true, and maybe
Brent Williams:what's different?
Kile Graves:Yeah, that's a good question. What's different, you
Kile Graves:know, I think we started probably trying to make products
Kile Graves:that were way more technical than we do now. And making
Kile Graves:clothes is really hard. Like, it's, it's us three, we have an
Kile Graves:idea for a piece, and then we turn it into reality. And so
Kile Graves:it's, it's a long process. It's an expensive process. But I
Kile Graves:think originally, we were trying to make, you know, pretty
Kile Graves:intense, outdoor, you know, stuff, you could ski in really
Kile Graves:technical pieces, water resistant clothing and rain
Kile Graves:jackets, and more high end on the technical side. And I think
Kile Graves:we've shifted over the years into more of a lifestyle brand,
Kile Graves:we still have hits of technical pieces, and our our products are
Kile Graves:really, really high quality. And they're designed with a lot of
Kile Graves:intentionality. But the technical aspects aren't as
Kile Graves:important to the product, I would say now. And that's
Kile Graves:allowed us to reach just kind of a broader market, you know, and
Kile Graves:guys that are like, hey, I'm not in the rain every day hiking,
Kile Graves:but the one time I am a year, I'm gonna grab this jacket, you
Kile Graves:know, and all the other weekends, I'm not hiking in the
Kile Graves:rain, I can wear this jacket. So we've kind of shifted our focus
Kile Graves:there. But the focus on being outside and spending time
Kile Graves:outside has remained constant for sure.
Brent Williams:The purpose clearly is the same. Just the
Brent Williams:business pivoted just a little bit.
Kile Graves:Yeah, the assortment, the offering has
Kile Graves:kind of changed a little bit.
Brent Williams:For someone that's not been engaged in
Brent Williams:apparel, you know, you mentioned apparel is hard, and it's very
Brent Williams:hard, right? You know, you've got short selling seasons often.
Brent Williams:And then for one given product, you've got multiple sizes and
Brent Williams:colors. And it's a it's a big challenge to go from an idea to
Brent Williams:execution and execution well. Talk us through a little bit of
Brent Williams:that process.
Kile Graves:Ah man, yeah, it's, you know, so you, you'll come up
Kile Graves:Yeah, and lots can change in a year.
Kile Graves:with an idea for for the silhouette. You know, like the
Kile Graves:pants I'm wearing or are launching this fall, they're
Kile Graves:heavyweight cotton canvas, kind of like a work wear type of
Kile Graves:pant. So we'll have an idea in our head of like, hey, we want
Kile Graves:to pant that's a little bit baggier fit, heavy duty cotton.
Kile Graves:You know, in the beginning, you don't know what different types
Kile Graves:of fabrics they are, at least I didn't. So I was like, alright,
Kile Graves:we also have to durable what does that mean? Well, it
Kile Graves:probably means it's cotton and it probably has a little bit of
Kile Graves:like a canvas aspect to it. So you start sourcing fabrics until
Kile Graves:you feel the one you like and you think is the right style and
Kile Graves:then you get a prototype made which is always way off, you
Kile Graves:know in fit and how it looks and colors are always random, you'll
Kile Graves:have like a bright orange work pant, that we would never make
Kile Graves:that color. But that's what you have until you're closer to
Kile Graves:placing your orders. So you refine the fit over a couple of
Kile Graves:months and you get the fit, right. And then you choose your
Kile Graves:colors. And you know, you're selecting Pantones and then
Kile Graves:you're dyeing fabric, and you have to wait for that sample to
Kile Graves:come in. And then you're approving a color decision, you
Kile Graves:know, months in advance, before you get to see the, the finished
Kile Graves:garment. And so it's a lot of kind of deciding on the fly. You
Kile Graves:know, we're we're making really calculated decisions, but we
Kile Graves:have to make them quick. Because you're, you're making the
Kile Graves:decisions, basically a year out for when the product gets here so.
Kile Graves:For sure.
Brent Williams:So big, big challenge managing an apparel
Brent Williams:supply chain.
Kile Graves:Yeah, yeah, it is. And it's, you know, we have, we
Kile Graves:have some really good partners that help us make this stuff.
Kile Graves:And they're really flexible. And I think because our team is so
Kile Graves:small, we're able to make decisions quickly. And if us
Kile Graves:three can kind of get aligned on an idea whether it's a color, or
Kile Graves:a fit or style of a piece. We know it's pretty much a home run
Kile Graves:hitter. So yeah, that's kind of the grid we we push it through.
Brent Williams:Well, you know, as we, as we mentioned at the
Brent Williams:outset, you know, the outdoor economy, outdoor recreation
Brent Williams:economy in Arkansas, has, you know, what, one I guess we've
Brent Williams:had the natural assets for forever. But it seems like we're
Brent Williams:really getting aligned as a state and as a region on I would
Brent Williams:say leveraging those assets. You know from, from a quality of
Brent Williams:life and from an economic development standpoint, just you
Brent Williams:know, you're a native here, what do you see? How are you guys
Brent Williams:participating in all that?
Kile Graves:Yeah, no doubt. Like, I think the the Greenway
Kile Graves:was the first, Razorback Greenway, it was kind of the
Kile Graves:first piece that I recognized, I was like, Whoa, this is, this
Kile Graves:was legit. You know, it runs all the way from downtown
Kile Graves:Fayetteville to Bentonville, and it's continuous and you can ride
Kile Graves:your bike. I can't remember when they when they completed that.
Kile Graves:But that was the first piece to me that I recognized the growth
Kile Graves:and then obviously, the mountain biking, that's the biggest piece
Kile Graves:for our brand. And me personally, you know, it has
Kile Graves:been a couple times a week, I'll go in the mornings and ride on
Kile Graves:the trails. But that's, that's been the most obvious is just
Kile Graves:the the growth and the development around the mountain
Kile Graves:bike scene. Specifically in Bentonville and Fayetteville and
Kile Graves:Northwest Arkansas, and then even across the state now it's,
Kile Graves:you know, there's a lot of trails being developed, and
Kile Graves:people look for ways to get on them. Whether it's first time on
Kile Graves:a bike, or people are traveling here from all over the world
Kile Graves:now. We'll run into people in Bentonville, you know, in their
Kile Graves:vans, and they drove from Maine to Bentonville, Arkansas, and
Kile Graves:they're parked outside camping. And, man, we heard about
Kile Graves:Bentonville we got to get down there. And I was like,
Kile Graves:Bentonville, do you? How, why are you coming to Arkansas, you
Kile Graves:know, because we've known is great. But the the development
Kile Graves:and the building of the trail system and how it connects to
Kile Graves:the culture of the cities I think is really cool. And then
Kile Graves:the the lake is another big piece of our brand, which, you
Kile Graves:know, we've we've grown up on and because it's controlled by
Kile Graves:the Corps of Engineers, it's not as commercialized, which is a
Kile Graves:good thing. It keeps its natural beauty there. So yeah, that's
Kile Graves:and that's even grown though to you know, wake, wake surf boats.
Kile Graves:That's kind of where our brand lives and we were surfing behind
Kile Graves:the boat. If you've ever done it,
Brent Williams:I have
Kile Graves:We need to take you out sometime.
Brent Williams:Yeah, I'll go again though.
Kile Graves:Yeah, let's go. It's a it's a blast. But you
Kile Graves:know, those, they're way more popular than when I was a kid.
Kile Graves:You know, it was like, you go on the lake, and it'd be pontoons,
Kile Graves:and maybe one cobalt, you know, or something. And now it's these
Kile Graves:super nice wakesurf boats everywhere. So, you know, and I
Kile Graves:think that's, you know, probably credit to a lot of the big
Kile Graves:corporations and up north that are cultivating the region. And
Kile Graves:you know, the involvement of the Walton College here and how it's
Kile Graves:connecting students to those job opportunities and making this
Kile Graves:area just more of a desirable place to live. I think it's like
Kile Graves:you said, it's always been desirable, but they're starting
Kile Graves:to tell people about it, which has its pros and cons.
Brent Williams:Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, and building a
Brent Williams:brand like yours and a company like yours. I mean, I'm sure.
Brent Williams:I'm sure there's a benefit of just being here around all in in
Brent Williams:that ecosystem.
Kile Graves:For sure.
Brent Williams:The relationships with other
Brent Williams:entrepreneurs and companies, there's a lot of support for
Brent Williams:entrepreneurs building companies here as well.
Kile Graves:Yes, yeah, there is, you know, we, when we
Kile Graves:started, you know, five years ago, the mountain bike scene I
Kile Graves:don't think it was as large as it is now. And so from just what
Kile Graves:we were talking about earlier, just that side of outdoor
Kile Graves:recreation is growing in popularity. We've definitely
Kile Graves:been able to ride that wave. Because we were already leaning
Kile Graves:into that scene anyways, it just wasn't as popular and so as it's
Kile Graves:grown in popularity, we've been able to just again, tap into it
Kile Graves:and say like, Hey, we're here. This is what we're about
Kile Graves:anyways, we've been able to ride that wave. But yeah, the startup
Kile Graves:scene is way more connected than I thought it was, you know,
Kile Graves:going here, I studied supply chain and interned at Walmart,
Kile Graves:like I said, and so my exposure to the business world was always
Kile Graves:in the biggest of settings in Walmart. And so I didn't, I
Kile Graves:didn't have a lot of exposure to the startup world, until I left
Kile Graves:to help start Bearded Goat, but since then, you know, it's
Kile Graves:amazing the connections across small businesses and founders
Kile Graves:that are trying to figure out ways to help each other and come
Kile Graves:up with ideas and just kind of cross pollinate almost.
Brent Williams:Yeah. As, as you sort of look for look forward
Brent Williams:for the company. You know, what's kind of the hopes and
Brent Williams:dreams? And then, you know, maybe even, you know, your your
Brent Williams:hopes for our region and our state as it relates to outdoor
Brent Williams:recreation?
Kile Graves:Yeah, that's a good question. Yeah, I think dreams,
Kile Graves:hopes and dreams for Bearded Goat would be, you know, we kind
Kile Graves:of have this, this internal argument with us three, where
Kile Graves:we're kind of like, we want to brag and make it known where
Kile Graves:we're from. And we're from Northwest Arkansas. And that's
Kile Graves:where our inspiration and our identity for the brand comes
Kile Graves:from. But you also don't want to be too specific to a region
Kile Graves:because you can limit the size of your potential market. And so
Kile Graves:we kind of have this debate of back and forth, like, how do we
Kile Graves:wave our flag where we're from, but not put us in a small box
Kile Graves:of, you know, a specific demographic. And so I think
Kile Graves:continuing to find that balance as we grow and find more people
Kile Graves:that just enjoy spending time outside, and they like, spending
Kile Graves:time on the lake, and they like spending time on trails, and
Kile Graves:they like the clothes that we make because it supports this
Kile Graves:lifestyle of adventure and creativity, and just getting
Kile Graves:outside in creative ways. So I think if we can continue to grow
Kile Graves:and find more and more people that like this lifestyle that
Kile Graves:we're promoting. That's the vision, it's not very specific.
Kile Graves:But yeah, just growth man, just seeing people. Like I saw
Kile Graves:someone this weekend wearing a pair of our swim trunks at the
Kile Graves:farmers market. And every time I see someone wearing a piece,
Kile Graves:like we always take a picture and send it to each other. And
Kile Graves:that never gets old. It's really fun. Because you spend so much
Kile Graves:time and thought creating like a pair of swim trunks. And then
Kile Graves:you see someone wearing it, you're like, man, you chose to
Kile Graves:buy that, you know, and wear that today. And so it's just
Kile Graves:cool. But yeah, for the region. You know, you hear the sayings
Kile Graves:of like, this is the next Austin all the time, at least we know
Kile Graves:we hear those. And I think it's real. And I think we have a
Kile Graves:unique setup here. I guess it is similar to Austin with, you
Kile Graves:know, biggest corporation in the world. And then you have Tyson
Kile Graves:and JB Hunt, and all the resources and energy that
Kile Graves:they're pouring into the economy here. But then you also have a
Kile Graves:SEC school that's in the same area. And so you get the energy
Kile Graves:and the youthfulness of the college world. And you blend
Kile Graves:those together with a unique outdoor market that's growing in
Kile Graves:popularity. It just has this really cool, unique hub that
Kile Graves:isn't like and we're in the south. So you know, it's not a
Kile Graves:coastal city, which is also unique. But I think people are
Kile Graves:desiring that, you know, it's cheaper to live. I don't know
Kile Graves:the stats on like, how many people move here a day, but I
Kile Graves:know they're keeping track. But I think if we can continue to
Kile Graves:grow and figure out a way to accommodate for all the people
Kile Graves:that are moving here but not lose sight of what made
Kile Graves:Northwest Arkansas unique in the first place. That'd be cool.
Brent Williams:I agree. I agree. Well, we were
Brent Williams:reminiscing, before this, I think I met you when you were a
Brent Williams:freshman in 2012. And maybe kind of shifting gears just a little
Brent Williams:bit as you think back to your time in the Walton College and
Brent Williams:at the University of Arkansas. You know, and now you're six,
Brent Williams:seven years post that, you know, helping run and build a company,
Brent Williams:what are some of the things or experiences that really stand
Brent Williams:out to you that you think gave you an advantage in that?
Kile Graves:That's a good question. Yeah, I think you
Kile Graves:know, taking your taking your classes seriously is a really
Kile Graves:important thing. I think trying to maximize what you're getting
Kile Graves:out of class is important, which is hard to do when you're 18 you
Kile Graves:know, like, hey, what you're learning is really important and
Kile Graves:will apply to you and six years from now, but telling that to
Kile Graves:six years ago me it's hard to like hammer home. I think that
Kile Graves:and networking and making relationships is really
Kile Graves:important. I feel like everyone says that looking back but it
Kile Graves:really is you know, the people you meet you know if you can
Kile Graves:build a relationship and build a little bit of trust and network
Kile Graves:as you continue your career and get into your career. The
Kile Graves:people, you know, is so important, you know, being able
Kile Graves:to ask questions and bounce things off of them, especially
Kile Graves:in the startup world, like so much is, is leveraging your
Kile Graves:network for everything, from fundraising, to marketing, to
Kile Graves:product testing, to feedback, it's, you know, it's everything.
Kile Graves:So if you have a large network of authentic relationships, and
Kile Graves:you can really leverage them, and it gives you a gives you a
Kile Graves:leg up, I think.
Brent Williams:I couldn't agree more, you know, when when you
Brent Williams:think about when I think about our students, you know, I want
Brent Williams:them leaving the Walton College with, you know, with knowledge
Brent Williams:and skills. I mean, of course, it's maybe one of the first
Brent Williams:things you think about when you think about going to college.
Brent Williams:But then layering experiences of any kind, you know, you
Brent Williams:mentioned an internship at at Walmart or an internship in any
Brent Williams:size company, can be super beneficial. And, and then you
Brent Williams:cannot understate this the power of the relationships that you
Brent Williams:form, you know, and and that network that you really start to
Brent Williams:build, and then that network starts to expand over time. Like
Brent Williams:those are real real value.
Kile Graves:Yes, yeah, they're invaluable. We, I studied
Kile Graves:abroad, in between my sophomore and junior year with Molly
Kile Graves:Rapert. And Sam Porkstad who we mentioned earlier in the
Kile Graves:podcast, and I had so much fun, like, just from an experience
Kile Graves:standpoint, you know, if you're listening to this, and your
Kile Graves:student, go study abroad, it's awesome. Like, it's the most
Kile Graves:fun, free will you get to learn and experience things and be in
Kile Graves:a different culture. And I think that experience of getting
Kile Graves:outside my comfort zone was really important. Because I'm
Kile Graves:from Fayetteville, and you know, go here, and I see people I've
Kile Graves:known forever at the coffee shop. But going and living in a
Kile Graves:different country for six weeks really did push me out of my
Kile Graves:comfort zone, which I think helped transition into bearded
Kile Graves:goat where it's like, hey, there's no rules here, sink or
Kile Graves:swim. If you're trying to make this thing work, you got to, you
Kile Graves:got to grind. And so I think that was an important piece that
Kile Graves:I didn't realize, probably until the past two or three years
Kile Graves:where I was like, man that that experience in college definitely
Kile Graves:helped me now. And even some relationships, you know, Anne
Kile Graves:Velliquette, I think our first or second year at Bearded Goat.
Kile Graves:I don't know if Molly connected us or what. But we, me and Owen
Kile Graves:somehow ended up coming and doing like a presentation for
Kile Graves:one of their classes. And we were, Owen was redesigning our
Kile Graves:logo, and we're getting feedback on that. And then also some like
Kile Graves:guerilla marketing efforts, and we actually got an idea from one
Kile Graves:of their classes for like a college rep program. And we ran
Kile Graves:it for a couple months to kind of get some boots on the ground
Kile Graves:in the early days. And, you know, we implemented that idea,
Kile Graves:from a class from a student and it helped us kind of get over
Kile Graves:the first hump of the first couple of months of business.
Kile Graves:And since then we repositioned it and pivoted a couple times.
Kile Graves:But yeah, if I wouldn't have had connections still at the Walton
Kile Graves:College probably wouldn't have happened.
Brent Williams:Well, I love that story, your story of in
Brent Williams:some ways, the University of Arkansas and Walton College kept
Brent Williams:you here. Right, you know, you worked for a really, really
Brent Williams:large company and got some tremendous experience there.
Brent Williams:Now, you've been in a startup for five or six years, and
Brent Williams:you've still kept yourself engaged. And you know, the two
Brent Williams:faculty members in marketing in our Department of Marketing,
Brent Williams:Molly Rapert and Anne Velliquette, that you just
Brent Williams:mentioned, are they do a great job of engaging business of, of
Brent Williams:all size in with our students.
Kile Graves:Yeah. And I think it really helps the students,
Kile Graves:you know, when you have someone from the real world business
Kile Graves:setting come in, and they're not that much older than you. And
Kile Graves:they're talking to you about their experiences, and they're
Kile Graves:asking you for your advice. I think that's when the, the brain
Kile Graves:has like a different chamber, you know, and when you can
Kile Graves:activate that chamber of thinking in a business, real
Kile Graves:world business setting, that's where the learning takes place,
Kile Graves:you know, and they do a great job of, of doing that. For sure.
Brent Williams:They sure do. Well, you've hit on this a
Brent Williams:little bit. You mentioned, study abroad, is something you advise
Brent Williams:students, but just as you think about our students today, all
Brent Williams:right. What are some of the pieces of advice that you know
Brent Williams:from where you sit today that you would give to our students?
Kile Graves:Yeah, I would say, this might be kind of lame, but
Kile Graves:I would say just go get a job.
Kile Graves:Like if you're working, if you're in the business college,
Kile Graves:and you don't know what you want to do, which I didn't when I
Kile Graves:was, you know, and I knew I liked business and supply chain
Kile Graves:was interesting. So I was like, hey, I'll major in that. Go get
Kile Graves:a job where you can work in addition to your studies, and
Kile Graves:you can learn what you like and don't like and you can figure
Kile Graves:out what you're passionate about and what you're interested in.
Kile Graves:Not everyone, you know, is fortunate enough to do something
Kile Graves:that they love. But if you can, then you should pursue it. So
Kile Graves:yeah, I would say, just get a job, just work, figure out what
Kile Graves:you like, figure out what you don't like, check things off the
Kile Graves:list, compare that to what you're studying, and try and
Kile Graves:connect the dots as much as you can between the classroom and
Kile Graves:then your real world job, you know, as much as you can. And
Kile Graves:the more you can do that, the four years, you're here, I think
Kile Graves:the transition to working full time will get easier, and you
Kile Graves:might be able to pick up speed quicker, so.
Brent Williams:Kile, I couldn't agree with you more, actually, I
Brent Williams:really couldn't. You know, I think about I think about
Brent Williams:education. You know, a business school education is so enhanced
Brent Williams:when you're learning and applying. And, and, and it
Brent Williams:doesn't matter, I agree with you doesn't matter what job you're
Brent Williams:doing, what company you're with, as long as you're learning and
Brent Williams:applying and back and forth. That's how you get the most out
Brent Williams:of out of education. But then, you know, it does teach you
Brent Williams:what, you know, what you're interested in what you're not
Brent Williams:interested in. And, you know, a typical student, not every
Brent Williams:student, but you know, a typical student, you mentioned an 18
Brent Williams:year old coming in as a freshman and leaving as a 22 year old.
Brent Williams:There's a lot of change and transition in your life during
Brent Williams:that period of time. So you want as much experience as you can.
Kile Graves:Yeah, I mean, I remember I worked at Walker
Kile Graves:Brothers through college and other
Kile Graves:Yeah, John Cole.
Kile Graves:John Cole, another professor. Is he still teaching?
Brent Williams:He's not teaching, but he's still
Kile Graves:Okay, nice. Yeah, I worked there, freshman year, all
Kile Graves:involved.
Kile Graves:the way through school. And I was in a fraternity too, and so
Kile Graves:we'd go and I worked on commission. So I was like, hey,
Kile Graves:the more of my buddies, I can get here to come by jackets and
Kile Graves:stuff, the more my paychecks gonna be. So, you know,
Kile Graves:inadvertently, I learned how to leverage my connections in my
Kile Graves:job. And, you know, I was I was interested in clothing, and I
Kile Graves:had a good outdoor clothing section in the store that was
Kile Graves:kind of in its early stages. And so, you know, I was able to go
Kile Graves:do that from noon to five every day after class, and then come
Kile Graves:back and learn about supply chain. And after I did that, I
Kile Graves:went to Walmart. And I was like, man, I really, I really enjoy
Kile Graves:the sales and networking and marketing parts of Walker
Kile Graves:Brothers in clothing. And then I really did enjoy the analytical,
Kile Graves:big data, Walmart, in a retail setting type of stuff, but feel
Kile Graves:like I wasn't able to make the impact in such a big company. So
Kile Graves:when I came to Bearded Goat, those two things kind of clicked
Kile Graves:or I was like, man, I like sales and guerrilla marketing, small
Kile Graves:business. But, you know, I also like data and making projections
Kile Graves:and analyzing stuff. And so I was able to marry those two
Kile Graves:things up. But I didn't realize the value of a part time job. I
Kile Graves:don't think until now, where I'm like, man, I enjoyed that. I
Kile Graves:just didn't really know. That's what I was enjoying until I got
Kile Graves:into Bearded Goat probably.
Brent Williams:Well, it seems like you've taken advantage of
Brent Williams:all of those experiences and combine them in a way now in a
Brent Williams:role at Bearded Goat that seems to be just a great fit for you.
Kile Graves:Yeah, it's been really fun. It's it definitely
Kile Graves:is a good fit. You know, I wouldn't, I wouldn't change it
Kile Graves:for anything. It's, you know, I think it's the best job in the
Kile Graves:world because it's us three and we're, we're creating and it's
Kile Graves:hard and the markets hard and starting starting an outdoor
Kile Graves:apparel brand that's nationwide out of Arkansas is pretty hard.
Kile Graves:But it's really fun so.
Brent Williams:Well, we're glad you're here in Northwest
Brent Williams:Arkansas. The Walton College is super proud that you're one of
Brent Williams:our alums.
Kile Graves:Thank you.
Brent Williams:And so we wish you the best and wish Bearded
Brent Williams:Goat the best and thanks for joining us on the podcast.
Kile Graves:Yeah, of course. Of course. It's awesome.
Brent Williams:On behalf of the Walton College thank you for
Brent Williams:joining us for this captivating conversation. To stay connected
Brent Williams:and never miss an episode, simply search for be epic on
