Welcome to episode 445 of The Outdoor Biz Podcast, today I’m talking with Jon Neff founder of SKU Candy. Jon is a passionate and experienced entrepreneur and the Sku Candy mission is to be the premier buying and selling wholesale marketplace in the Outdoor, Lifestyle, Surf, and Sporting Goods Categories. Facebook​ ​Twitter​ ​Instagram​ Love the show? Subscribe, ​rate, review, and share!​ Sign up for my Newsletter ​HERE​ I’d love to hear your feedback about the show! You can contact me here: ​[email protected] Show Notes 09:25 Promotes positive interactions with shop owners. 11:28 Challenges of trade show marketing. 13:12 Creating a trustworthy brand message and distribution. 16:38 Brands cater to emerging businesses and offer help to grow. 20:27 Growth and challenges led to a successful platform. 24:13 Brands expanding into retail, LISS makes surfboard racks. 26:19 Pale Blue Earth offers rechargeable batteries to reduce pollution from disposable ones. They have a 1,000 charge cycle and a limited lifetime guarantee. Use code OD Biz Blue 15 for 15% off at paleblueearth.com. 31:22 Experienced person continues to get gear questions. 35:28 Encouragement to join the growing surfing industry due to diversification. 37:48 Developing new platform, "we call it V2'. 39:26 Brands and buyers seek new, unique, and innovative offerings for competitive advantage. 41:34 Favorite piece of outdoor gear under a hundred dollars: Outdoor Elements Fire Biner and a new brand, Fire Maple, from Asia, which won ISPO awards and offers the X2. Favorite Books Jack Mars and Simion Sinek 40:42 Thanks for listening to the Outdoor Biz Podcast with Rick Saez. Visit our website for more info and subscribe. Thanks for listening, and don't forget to subscribe and spread the word! Learn More You can follow up with Jon on Linkedin and by email: [email protected]  Next Steps If you enjoy interviews devoted to the outdoor industry, find us online at ricksaez.com/listen. We love likes and comments, and if you know someone who is also an outdoor enthusiast, go ahead and share our site with them, too. And be sure to Subscribe to our newsletter Keywords #trade shows, #adventure products, #SKU Candy, #outdoor industry, #environmental issues, #technology in outdoor gear, #retail distribution, #direct-to-consumer, #REI Path Ahead Ventures, #alkaline batteries, #e-commerce challenges, #digital marketing, #sustainability practices, #1% for the planet, #sustainable materials, #wholesale marketplace, #Grand Trunk, #The Running Event, #Cotopaxi, #FireBeener, #Fire Maple Podcast produced using Descript, CastMagic Podcast hosted by Libsyn use code 'outdoorbizpod' for 20% OFF Show Notes powered by Castmagic Website powered by Wordpress Note: As an Affiliate of Amazon and others, I earn from qualifying purchases.