KORE Outdoors Podcast

KORE Outdoors
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

Dive into insightful conversations with entrepreneurs and leaders shaping the outdoor industry. Each episode explores practical strategies and inspiring stories to help you navigate your career in the outdoor industry. Your host, Christian Rawles, brings 15 years of experience as the former owner of Ambler Mountain Works and his current role as KORE Business Advisor. This podcast is a production of KORE - the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. KORE is a non-profit organization based in the Kootenay region of interior British Columbia. KORE’s mission is to support the growing network of gear and apparel makers, designers and entrepreneurs within the Kootenays.

  1. 4d ago

    Taking on the incumbents as a solo founder with Lizzie Shilko of Revi Gear

    Lizzie Shilko launched Revi Gear, a Colorado ski helmet brand, in August 2025 — and spent her first season hand-delivering helmets out of her car trunk to shops across the state. She walks through the retail hustle that landed her first account, why customers make better sales reps than any sales force, and how a cold-email campaign — sent from a brand with no website, no funding, no logo — landed her a manufacturing partner. Lizzie also gets candid about the gap between her McKinsey background and founder life: no salary, no security, no manager to validate the work. She talks through the anxiety of founder-led social media, separating internal conviction from public comments, and why speed to market beat waiting to get it perfect. Approaching year one, she's shifting from sprint to endurance — fewer SKUs, more intentional growth. A tactical conversation for anyone building a hard goods brand from scratch. REGISTER for the KORE Summit Episode HighlightsShow up in person — retail hustle, hand-delivering helmets, founder-as-sales-force Pull marketing beats push marketing — customers become unpaid sales reps Fake it till you make it — sourcing manufacturers with zero brand infrastructure Manufacturer trust — flying overseas, wiring life savings, building the relationship Founder-led social media — growth, public criticism, internal vs. external validation Speed to market — pre-orders as real product-market-fit signal Sprint to endurance — shifting from launch speed to intentional, incremental growth Evolving "why" — from proving personal capability to building something others can be proud of LinksRevi Gear's websiteRevi Gear on InstagramRevi Gear on Christy SportsSeniqHalf DaysWild RyeAway luggageBuilt Bars The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast

    Taking on the incumbents as a solo founder with Lizzie Shilko of Revi Gear

  2. Jul 8

    From sewing prototypes to a sold-out launch with Morgan Tuohy of Dera

    Morgan Tuohy built the world's first dial-fit running belt in his attic — sewing a Boa dial salvaged from a worn-out pair of shoes onto a remade prototype. In this episode, he traces the line from crying through his first marathon at age 12 to launching Dera 35 days before we spoke. Morgan is candid about the failure of his first company, Near Zero Labs, and the lessons that reshaped how he builds: ask for help, pay for people's time, and don't try to be the person behind the sewing machine forever. He walks through finding a factory as a single-product startup, running email-first instead of chasing Instagram followers, and a five-minute masterclass on landing pages. Along the way, he pushes back on startup orthodoxy and shares why he wants Dera to feel like going on a run with him and his friends. Episode Topics The origin story: from marathon to makerBuilding prototypes in the attic and validating demandLessons from a failed first company Finding and winning over an overseas factory as a single-product startupEmail-first marketing and building an owned audienceAnatomy of the landing page and launch funnelBuilding community differently in the outdoor industryRethinking startup gospel: not being embarrassed by your first productLinksDera's websiteSign up for Second Nature's Slack communityCourier Socks Register for the KORE Summit For more about the KORE Outdoors Podcast, visit https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/ The KORE Outdoors Podcast is supported by the Province of British Columbia.

    From sewing prototypes to a sold-out launch with Morgan Tuohy of Dera

  3. Jun 11

    Investing in Outdoor Founders with Andrew Luter of Rio Chato Investments

    Most outdoor founders think raising money means venture capital. Andrew Luter of Rio Chato Investments spends much of his time talking founders out of taking money and, instead, helps them to see what options they have that may be a better fit. He breaks down why most outdoor businesses are the wrong shape for VC, and why using equity to solve a cash-flow problem is like taking out a splinter with a chainsaw. We cover the funding tools founders overlook, the big wholesale orders that can quietly kill small brands, why coachability beats product and pitch, and the "danger zone" where a brand is too big to be small and too small to be big. Topics covered in the episode: When raising equity is the wrong moveThe REI/big-box order as a working-capital trapUnderused funding: PO financing, revenue-based financing, CDFIs, friends and familyWhy coachability beats product and pitchThe "danger zone": too big to be small, too small to be bigCommunity-first brands as the next wave in outdoorLinksAndrew's SubstackRio Chato InvestmentsHeather Kelly's SubstackConnect with Andrew on LinkedInConnect with Christian on LinkedIn Register for the KORE Summit The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast  #koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere

    Investing in Outdoor Founders with Andrew Luter of Rio Chato Investments

  4. May 6

    Doing Things Differently with Jensen Cipriano Brehm of Ombraz

    Jensen Cipriano Brehm is the co-founder of Ombraz Sunglasses — the armless, cord-based eyewear brand that started with a broken pair on a camel safari in India and turned into one of the more distinctive product stories in the outdoor industry. In this conversation, Jensen walks through the founding journey, how Ombraz found their first customers in the ultralight backpacking and bikepacking worlds, their approach to building in-house content and media, raising a small round of funding while retaining equity, and how he and co-founder Nikolai run the whole operation remotely. Topics Origin story: broken sunglasses on a camel safari in India, four years of wearing a MacGyver'd pair, then building the companyFinding initial traction in ultralight backpacking and then exploding into bikepackingKeeping all content creation in-house — why agencies produce soulless, interchangeable outdoor contentRaising a Series A in 2020 — retaining equity while gaining runway for inventory and hiringDelegating early: 3PL, customer service, and letting go of egoOmbraz's 9 core brand pillars as a decision-making filterCo-founder dynamics with Nikolai — complementary skill sets, business coaching, and the Positive Intelligence frameworkRunning the business fully remote via Slack and monday.comDefining success as low stress, staying creative, and having funLinks Ombraz websiteSarah Swallow on InstagramRonnie Romance on InstagramGOSO CookwarePositive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine For more about the KORE Outdoors Podcast, visit https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/ The KORE Outdoors Podcast is supported by the Province of British Columbia.

    Doing Things Differently with Jensen Cipriano Brehm of Ombraz

  5. Apr 22

    Building a brand for the Renaissance athlete with Mattie and Matt Sims of Courier Socks

    Matt and Mattie Sims are the co-founders of Courier Socks, a performance sock brand built for the Renaissance athlete — the person who isn't limited to just one sport. In this episode, we get into how a snapped achilles and a $10 sock sparked a product thesis, how five co-founders from world-class brands assembled into something that felt inevitable, and what it really looks like to build a bootstrapped brand without quitting your day job, without outside funding, and with a toddler in the mix. Topics covered: Building with five co-founders — why more wasn't messier, it was essentialThe Renaissance athlete — Courier's positioning and who they're actually building forThe sock category opportunity — why performance socks have been left behind relative to footwearBootstrapped growth and marketing — what's worked, what hasn't, and the myth of the breakthrough momentLessons from Lululemon — what they carried out and what they left behindLinks:Get 15% off your Courier Socks order by using this link. Or use code KORE15 at checkoutCourier's websiteCourier on InstagramBDBC Public RelationsThe Running Event / Switchback tradeshowTiny Experiments - book by Anne-Laure Le Cunff For more about the KORE Outdoors Podcast, visit https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/ The KORE Outdoors Podcast is supported by the Province of British Columbia.

    Building a brand for the Renaissance athlete with Mattie and Matt Sims of Courier Socks

  6. Apr 8

    Scaling a Cottage Outdoor Brand with Chris Schabow, CEO of Enlightened Equipment

    Chris Schabow didn't plan to run a manufacturing company — he was a nonprofit fundraiser with a sewing machine from Goodwill and a side hustle making backpacking gear. A chance conversation revealed that Enlightened Equipment, the brand he'd been reverse-engineering for years, was operating out of a hole-in-the-wall shop in his own town. What followed was a cold letter, a ghosted coffee meeting, and a leap of faith that cost him his salary, his benefits, and almost his financial stability. Nine years later, he's CEO. This is the story of how you build your way to the top — one baffle at a time.Highlights from the episode How a nonprofit fundraiser with a $18 Goodwill sewing machine stumbled into a career at the brand he'd been reverse-engineering from the internetFrom leaf blowers in the attic to commercial stuffing machines: how Enlightened Equipment rebuilt its production floor around technology instead of headcountWhy going overseas was the only math that worked — and how the brand navigated the ultralight community's backlashThe "stuff on demand" shell model that saved the company during COVID and became the foundation of how they operate todayWhat it actually looks like to lead a team you once punched a clock alongside — and why starting at the bottom made Chris a better CEO than any outside hire could have beenLinks Enlightened EquipmentPrairie Dog ShovelsE Clean (down restoration service)Garage Grown GearRipstop by the RollThru-HikerBackpacking LightFor more about the KORE Outdoors Podcast, visit https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/ The KORE Outdoors Podcast is supported by the Province of British Columbia.

    Scaling a Cottage Outdoor Brand with Chris Schabow, CEO of Enlightened Equipment

  7. Mar 25

    Engineering The Future of Skiing with Jonathan Audet of Ferreol Skis

    Jonathan Audet and his two co-founders set out to build better skis. What they built instead may change entire industries. In this episode, Jonathan shares the story behind Ferreol Skis — a Quebec-based brand combining sustainability, in-house engineering, and a fierce love of skiing into one of Canada's fastest-growing ski companies. We also dig into Ferreol Technologies and the aluminum alloy they developed that the industry is calling the strongest in the world. From backyard experiments to Canadian military contracts to the French market, this is a masterclass in founder obsession and engineering-driven brand building. A few of the topics covered in this episode: From backyard experiments to the largest Canadian ski brandBuilding a sustainability-first ski company without sacrificing performanceThe world's strongest aluminum — developed for skis, destined for spaceGrowing internationally: How to use government resources to enter new marketsHiring intrapreneurs and the founder's guide to staying coachableLinksFerreol SkisWatch Jonathan & his co-founders' appearance on Dragon's Den For more about the KORE Outdoors Podcast, visit https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/ The KORE Outdoors Podcast is supported by the Province of British Columbia.

    Engineering The Future of Skiing with Jonathan Audet of Ferreol Skis

  8. Mar 4

    Building a Category-Specific Brand with Dario Phillips of Slowtide

    Dario Phillips, co-founder of Slowtide, built the surf industry's most recognizable beach towel brands by betting on a single product category and surrounding it with authentic art, meaningful collaborations, and a clear brand identity. In this conversation, Dario traces the full founder arc — from marketing director at Quiksilver to rolling the dice on 800 towels in a Venice Beach garage. He talks about the realities of licensing deals, co-founding remotely across two islands, and why a decade of building has taught him to trust his team's instincts over outside hires. He also shares how Slowtide is expanding beyond towels into outerwear and new product categories, while staying grounded in the values that started it all. A few of the topics from the conversation: Leaving Corporate Board Sports to Co-Found SlowtideThe Case for Category-Specific BrandsLicensing as a Growth StrategyCo-Founding Across Time Zones and IslandsFounder Confidence Over Outside HiresSustainable Growth and Giving BackLinks:SlowtideSlowtide's Custom ProductsSlowtide x New Balance Connect with Christian on LinkedIn The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast  The KORE Outdoors Podcast is supported by the Province of British Columbia.

    Building a Category-Specific Brand with Dario Phillips of Slowtide
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Dive into insightful conversations with entrepreneurs and leaders shaping the outdoor industry. Each episode explores practical strategies and inspiring stories to help you navigate your career in the outdoor industry. Your host, Christian Rawles, brings 15 years of experience as the former owner of Ambler Mountain Works and his current role as KORE Business Advisor. This podcast is a production of KORE - the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. KORE is a non-profit organization based in the Kootenay region of interior British Columbia. KORE’s mission is to support the growing network of gear and apparel makers, designers and entrepreneurs within the Kootenays.

Information

  • Creator
    KORE Outdoors
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 KORE Outdoors
  • Show Website
    KORE Outdoors Podcast

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