Today we’d like to introduce you to Colin Macdonald.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Colin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Every journey starts with a first step and here is ours. Like many others we love the outdoors and like many that live here in San Diego we come from a multitude of places and diverse backgrounds. How we got here is as diverse as how we choose to enjoy the Southwest region. It was back in the spring of 2014 that three friends (a United States Marine, a Scientist and a Laboratory Manager) came together over a few beers and decided “hey let’s develop some cool gear and carry some other legit hiking and camping stuff,” so Kit Fox Outfitters was born in an Irish pub as most good things are. The journey was not as simple as it sounded, between the three of us no one had an e-commerce understanding but we all three had a lot of passion and love for creating something new.
Our first product that we developed and sold were logo stickers which may sound strange but like I stated before we had no idea how to run an e-commerce business and this was our beta test. We started a campaign to “get the fox out there” via friends, family and social media having those buy a sticker and share their story on where and how they were adventuring. We were establishing a brand for “professionals who adventure,” as we worked through the nuances of establishing the business. We continued doing some R&D work on developing our own product line the Borrego 3 (small hiking knife) and our Ferro Rod. Our goal was to work with local manufacturers as well as sourcing locally when able. The company became an official tax paying small business in March of 2015.
We had very limited inventory as it was hard to get new dealer status as such a young, new e-commerce business. Most required 1 year plus and brick and mortar status but we continued to persevere staying focused on our end game, carrying things the other guys didn’t or couldn’t. One of the first products we carried were made in the USA hammocks from our first new account acquisition Yukon Outfitters based in a small town of Alamo, Tennessee estimated population 2500. We then started carrying the Spool Tool manufacturer by our business mentor Gino Gonzalez of Tricorne LLC, a locally based company here in San Diego.
As we were “getting the fox out there” developing new friends, followers and connections we continued to bring on more products and break through the industry. The turning point for our company was when we attended a weekend camping event known as the Modern Mountain Man Rendezvous (3MR) in the spring of 2015 put on by Jonathan Heffron of Wingman 115 and Brady Pesola of San Diego School of Survival. 3MR as it is known today brought folks together with all different skill sets to learn and teach each other outdoor living. We sold out of products for the first time and creating what we call today as the tent and stake business, not brick and mortar. It was that event that we develop a relationship with Vanquest Gear founders who we would eventually broke through the brick and mortar requirements to obtain them as a new account and happily carry their gear as an authorized dealer.
Today we are continuing our journey to grow, always finding and adding new items, while becoming a connector in the veteran community supporting other veteran-owned small business throughout San Diego County. In addition to the gear, we are finalizing our curriculum for adventure classes. The Kit Fox Adventure classes will be an 8-week course, 1 hour per week at a local venue (those are being finalized) to teach the public on basic skills and gear to have in your pack when you go adventuring. The customer will not only walk away with knowledge on how to use the product just instructed on but the actual product itself.
It is my strong belief that all who adventure should also be educated. Our company is a company that wants to see “professionals who adventure” as the brand. This quote means a lot to us because we understand that work and life can be busy and the idea of getting out on a good adventure might seem a little daunting. That is why our ethos revolves around getting out for a great weekend trip worth bragging about around the water cooler on Monday morning with the right gear and knowledge.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road creating this small business, but it has been an adventurous one. As I stated previously, one of our first obstacles was obtaining new accounts as an authorized dealer. The first few months of the business were difficult in just trying to establish products/inventory for sale. Every day it was another rejection email received on why or how we didn’t meet the requirements to be an authorized dealer. The difficult part was we had done our R&D work and really wanted to carry specific company products which made those rejections sting a bit more.
We never gave up and kept going strong and acting from every angle. One example of overcoming this obstacle was when we became an authorized dealer for Hill People Gear based out of Grand Junction, Colorado. It took time and perseverance and continued until it happened through six degrees of separation concept. One of my best friends was also a friend of Hill People Gears Operations Manager and served in the same unit in the Marine Corps. It was that connection that offered the opportunity to start the conversations on how we could become a dealer. Months later we received the email notification and link to the website page as other retailers listing Kit Fox Outfitters.
The second challenge has been shipping costs compared to other retailers offering free shipping. Most of our profit margins are small so when we compete to offer a free shipping some products become loss leaders in obtaining that business. We don’t ship the volumes other companies can to meet the huge discount that they receive so we must be creative in our marketing strategies. We are continuing this battle and work a little harder but are overcoming it.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
To understand our company is to understand how the brand/name was developed. The name Kit Fox Outfitters was created from my passion of the desert, military, history and outdoors. The Kit Fox (Vulpes Marcrotis) which is a fox species of North America indigenous to the southwestern region of the United States, Northern and Central Mexico.
A kit is also a term used by the British military referring to their gear. Between my time spent in the Marine Corps as well as the desert hiking/camping and adventuring it was only natural the company name shows that reflection. We are an outdoor online retailer focused on providing gear and education specific to the on the Southwest Region. This is our specialty, understanding the environment in which we live by developing, obtaining and providing gear specific to our region. Our goal, our ethos is to get the young professional out every weekend camping, hiking… adventuring.
We want people to leave work on Friday and have a great weekend trip to brag about on Monday morning. It is not only having the gear but more importantly the education to go with it and this is what sets us apart. We want to change the mindset and move from using the word survival gear to adventure gear. You’re not surviving if you are out using the gear each weekend adventuring!
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in Carmel, California along the central coast which is where I discovered my passion for adventuring as well as hunger for history. At a very young age, I knew I was going to be a Marine, but I also knew I would own my own business. I would spend weekends adventuring through the backcountry of Big Sur. Sometimes with friends sometimes alone but I would hike and read and continue to nourish my thirst for knowledge.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1444 Main Street, #367 Ramona, CA 92065
- Website: https://www.kitfoxoutfitters.com/
- Phone: 858-336-5026
- Email: kitfox@kitfoxoutfitters.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitfoxoutfitters/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KitFoxOutfitters/
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