Transcript 0:03 Hey, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Melanin MVP. Today I am joined by Brittany Coleman, who is the founder of Tough Cutie, the best socks in the game. Brittany, thank you so much for joining me today. 0:15 Yeah, thanks for having me. The best socks in the game, I need to steal that. [laughs] Is that trademarked? Yo, listen, we're here for all the ideas, okay? 0:24 [laughs] So for those that don't know, Brittany, you founded Tough Cutie. You guys make socks, but I feel like that is an oversimplification of your product. 0:36 Can you tell me a little bit more about Tough Cutie and the premise behind your brand? Yeah. So Tough Cutie, we do make some bomb socks. You got that part right, for sure. But we are an outdoor brand. 0:47 We're one of the less than 1% of outdoor brands owned or led by people of color in this country. And so our socks are primarily for people getting a- outdoors, active, hiking, running, all the things outside. 0:59 And so as a company, we try to promote both gender equity and inclusion in the outdoors, really focusing on supporting women from the ground up, so we only make socks targeted at women. 1:11 We don't keep men from wearing them. Do what you want. [laughs] And then we also try to really promote diversity in the outdoor industry, so trying to get more people of color outside as well. 1:22 So talk to me about why you think so few companies are owned by people of color in the outdoor industry. 1:30 That does- that certainly isn't reflective of the amount of people I see outdoors that are people of color or women, and I'm unsure why that isn't reflected at the industry level at this point. Yeah. 1:42 I think for a long time there was a barrier to, to getting outside in the way that the industry promotes it. 1:49 Most of us have been outside just climbing trees, playing tag, going to the, going to the park, the beach, whatever, but the outdoor industry, I feel like it can be closed off in some ways. 1:59 It can be s- feel somewhat gatekept, and I think that's probably why a lot of people haven't felt like starting a business, let alone even doing some of these activities is for them, 'cause you just don't see a lot of people necessarily in leadership. 2:14 You might just choose a different profession because you think, "I'm never going to ascend [laughs] in this space, so why bother? 2:21 There's so many other paths I could take that from my career perspective might be a little bit easier 'cause somebody else is already climbing the ladder." I met you through another member of Founded Outdoors. 2:33 Can you talk to me a little bit about your involvement in that organization and just your involvement with outdoors and with nature? What's your relationship with nature? Mm-hmm. 2:41 Yeah, Founded Outdoors is a great community supporting outdoor entrepreneurs, all types, all stages. I have been fortunate to be able to speak to the community when they do different events. 2:55 One of the things they do really well is bringing us together to discuss various topics. 2:59 A call I was just on today came from Founded Outdoors just talking about the terror situation and creating a space for entrepreneurs to support each other and share tactics about how to deal with it. 3:08 So it's a great resource. It is very much needed, I think, because as an entrepreneur it's super lonely. Um, and I think 3:19 as an entrepreneur of color, you don't always know if some of the challenges you're facing are unique to you as an entrepreneur of color or just because it's part of being an entrepreneur, and I think that having spaces like Founded Outdoors is really great because you just get to really compare and contrast and, uh, understand this is a little off for everybody, or what's going on here? 3:36 [laughs] Um, and then with the outdoors, it's so funny because I feel like I have to consciously make space for getting outside now in a way that I didn't necessarily have to do before I was a professional in this space because I'm, like, busy, I'm working, and [laughs] it's like I spend a lot of time inside selling products to help people get outside. 3:59 [laughs] But I just went on, on a camping trip, backpacking trip with a couple of girlfriends last weekend. It was the first one of the season. I'm just like, this is so refreshing. I can't wait to do it again. 4:09 It's been a little hot. I'm in Texas, so I think it's gonna be a little while, probably the fall [laughs] until we can do it again, but I definitely felt so refreshed. Like, the idea of just not having 4:20 access to my phone in the way that I normally do, it just made me remember that I'm like, gosh, do you have a tick where you're just, like, constantly, like, on the phone or looking at these apps or just, like, pulling up your email? 4:31 It's... Gosh. But when you're out there, you have to, like, almost retrain yourself to just sit still, and I know it's great for the mind to just have that stillness and the quiet. 4:43 Where did you get the idea to make socks? Socks are something that we wear every day, but probably not an arti- article of clothing that we think about consciously. At least I didn't until, like, recently- Yeah... 4:57 when I got back into cycling and things like that. So I worked for some bigger companies. 5:02 I worked for Hanes Brands and another small company that made socks, and so I came with some industry experience, specifically as far as basic apparel and then socks for active uses. 5:13 Really seeing that there weren't a lot of women present in the product development teams or even in just the larger leadership strategy teams when it came to making products for women and marketing to women, it was fairly women are an afterthought 5:28 as wh- they're just like an accessory. They... In one case even called, like, the girlfriend of the real outdoorsman was some language used, and that didn't really resonate with me. 5:36 I just felt like there were a lot of women who were just out, out there on their own who were badasses, like, in their own right and needed really good quality products made, um, with intentionality. 5:48 And I wanted to be a part of creating a brand and a company that was led by women and created some really good stuff for women. What has been the response of the community since you've started the brand? 6:02 Like, how have people responded to it? How have you seen people engage with your brand in maybe ways they haven't with other brands, especially sock brands, and what do you think is next on your roadmap for Tough Cutie? 6:13 I feel like we've had really good engagement from our community on social. 6:19 We have definitely been embraced by a lot of other part- community partners who are always so happy to see a woman-led brand, a Black-owned brand entering in this space, 'cause it's not, it's not really that common. 6:32 And so many of our customers end up saying, "Oh, I'm never going back to another product. I'm so glad I found this. It fits me perfectly." 6:39 And that was one of the goals, is to have a product that was really centered on fit and wasn't gonna be slouching, wasn't gonna be uncomfortable, wasn't gonna be itchy or scratchy. 6:49 A lot of people believe that wool by nature is really uncomfortable, it's hot, but we use a really high-end wool that is very fine, very soft, and so a lot of people are really surprised by the quality of the wool that we use. 7:03 And so that has been really great, just to find these different segments of customers and groups that support us. In terms of what's next, that is a great question. 7:11 We are made in the USA, so our factories that we work with are here. And so luckily the tariff impact really isn't as, I'd say, striking as maybe some other brands who are fully sourced overseas. 7:26 But we still have to deal with honestly what it was like before all of this happened which, frankly, it was, it wa- it was harder to source in the US. Probably why a lot of people weren't doing it. 7:37 [laughs] It was harder because it's just not the same resource level, and the lead times are just a little bit longer, but so those things are still true for us. 7:47 And so we're just looking at leaning into our core colors and styles and what works and going from there. One of the things that I face in this 8:01 market, which there are a lot of other sock brands that people can buy from, but the interesting thing that I see is a lot of people, once they 8:11 find something, or maybe they don't even, like actively seek it out, it was just like my parents always used this brand and so that's what I use. I don't think about it. There's not always, like a 8:21 openness to trying new ones. So I would just say if you are somebody who is unaffiliated, [laughs] and does not yet have a go-to brand, please give us a shot. Please try us out. 8:33 There are so many wonderful reasons about the product that makes it really high quality and makes it honestly better than what some of these other people are doing because we're so small and we have to have so much attention to detail. 8:45 But also our brand. It's a Black-owned brand. It's a woman-owned brand. It's made in the USA with really sustainable materials. 8:51 There's just so much goodness here that you can feel good about when you're walking around in your Tough Cuties. 8:55 So if you are unaffiliated, please give us a shot and then become one of those raving fans, 'cause we need them, 'cause we're so small. 9:02 [laughs] Talk to me a little bit about the moment when you knew that you were onto something with Tough Cutie. Oh, God. When did I know I was onto something? 9:13 [laughs] I don't even know if I, oh, if I had one like eureka moment where I was like, "Oh, this is, this is it." 9:21 Every day I think I just choose to put forward what I believe in and, and that's it, honestly, as an entrepreneur. 9:30 Really, there are highs when I get a big order or whenever someone leaves a positive review or we get good sales, and there's just total lows when it's, wow, nothing happened today, or just what is happening? 9:40 But through it all, I feel like I just have continued to live in my own truth and try to just keep pushing forward and try to do the best I can. I wanna have a business that's meaningful. 9:55 I come from the corporate space before this, and growing up just the way I did, we were, we were homeless at times. We didn't have access to... Some of this gear is so expensive. 10:06 There's just no way we would've bought [laughs] any of this stuff in the, in, in my childhood. 10:10 And like the idea of even, like camping is funny if you grew up, if you grew up homeless, it's like why would you ever do that? But I think everyone should have access to these activities and should not feel intimidated. 10:21 And as a brand we try, I try really hard to make sure that it feels accessible and that it feels like s- something that everyone should be doing. Let's talk a little bit about your competitors for a minute. 10:37 I ask this because you had previous experience in fabric and fashion industry and like high performance socks and things like that. I think it could have been 10:46 easy or recommended for you to take the safe route and just say, "I'm really interested in this. Let me go work with a company that's already doing this," versus starting your own. It is not easy to start a business. 10:57 The startup costs for a product-based business are completely different from a service-based business or even a tech company like a SaaS company where you don't need anything other than your skills to get started, right? 11:09 You need a proof of concept. You need an MVP. You need people to test it. You need reviews. You need just a lot of other things to get started. 11:17 Why did you choose the route of starting your own business versus going to another company who was already in a similar vein as you or as your interests? 'Cause I just wanted to own it. I wanted to have my own business. 11:30 I wanted to put myself on a path of generational wealth to the degree possible. 11:37 When, one of the things I was saying is I started in corporate before, and growing up the way I did, like homeless, like h- uh, getting a corporate job that pays six figures, like that's not nothing. 11:48 That is very meaningful. [laughs] So it was- Yeah... not easy in any way, shape, or form to leave that behind, and I just 12:00 wanted to own it and see some sort of return for myself that would be hopefully meaningful, even if it was on a long, longer timeframe. Than otherwise. 12:10 Now, uh, the other part to that question was, like, why did you choose to do this, like, yourself and not go with somebody else? It's 'cause I didn't know any better. 12:17 [laughs] Like a lot of entrepreneurs, I don't think any of us quite understand how hard it's gonna be until you get into it. And so I think some of that was I was very... I was younger. 12:32 I'm six years younger, I guess, than I am, am now. I'm 33. 12:36 And I think I had a lot of energy and a lot of hunger and all of that you have when you're at the beginning of your career and you're seeing these established businesses. They've been around a long time, and you... 12:48 And I think at that age, it's a lot easier at that experience level especially to see the flaws and be like, "Why is this company working like this? What are all these processes? Why is this so clunky?" 13:02 [laughs] And you really don't know any better, or at least I didn't feel like I knew any better on the process side for why maybe some things were quite clunky. 13:11 So I definitely think, know that I've grown since then just in the process of building my own thing. I'm like, "Okay, I understand a little bit now on this side why that's like that." 13:21 But regardless, that was why I started it, 'cause I really was trying to, to own something instead of just rent it. Yeah. I can definitely appreciate the perspective of being young 20. 13:36 So I went full-time as an entrepreneur at 26, so I was like- Hmm... maybe a year younger than you- Mm-hmm... when you went full-time, and I definitely remember being like, "Why are we doing it this way?" [laughs] Yeah. 13:47 "Why does it take 10 approvals to get one thing done?" And it's- Really... because if something goes wrong, it's on you. Mm-hmm. So nobody's gonna reimburse you for- Yeah... your mistake. Yep. It's just money gone. Yep. 13:57 Yeah, just a lot of interesting things that you quickly get humbled by when you start a business. [laughs] Oh, yes. So humbled. Mm-hmm. Man. Yeah. I've been humbled so many times, I have lost count at this point. 14:08 [laughs] It just... Do I have any pride left? I don't know. [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] It's been interesting. And then it's just about the things that you can control. 14:16 That's not even including, like, when things happen at, like, beyond your control and you just have to take your lumps a little bit. There's nothing I can do about this. [laughs] Yeah. There really isn't. 14:27 I don't think I appreciated the safety net that was somewhat there. You can always lose a job. Like, that is always at stake. 14:33 But usually in a decent organization, there's some level of oversight that's supposed to be there, right? 14:41 If you make a mistake, there's mentors, there's people who are more experienced than you, can at least, not fix it, but at least give you some context for why it happened and don't do it again. That's what I try to see. 14:52 But whatever. That is why mentors- I think, like-... are so important... I would definitely say that. 14:57 And it's, I think it's harder than people realize to find mentors too, and a lot of the effort required to maintain a mentor is largely in your court. Mm-hmm. They don't just magically pop up when you need them. Mm-hmm. 15:08 You have to seek them out and be intentional about seeking them out and be- have more than one. [laughs] Yes. You really- Like-... 15:14 do need more than one just because of the sheer number of problems that you're gonna need help with, and you just can't always be going to the one mentor to help you. You gotta sprinkle that around and just, [laughs] 15:26 get some different perspectives. 'Cause yeah, one is not enough. No. Not anywhere near enough. 15:35 So going back to the outdoor industry specifically in terms of mentors, outside of Founded Outdoors, do you have mentors that you see, that you- Yeah... talk to on a regular basis? 15:43 So I fortunately have done different, like, accelerator programs and fellowships and things. 15:48 So I have been able to cultivate a network of mentors that I can ask questions to and that I connect with for really important decisions. I do need to be better at more regular discussions. 16:02 I think that all entrepreneurs, if you can get into a cadence, it's probably helpful to just for your own sake to regularly be chatting and not just when things are on fire, [laughs] 16:12 or when you just need help with something. But yeah, there, there have been programs I've been able to do. If I hadn't done those programs, I'm not sure how I would have mentors though, to be honest. 16:24 I'm not quite sure if people who haven't gone the route I have, if they just strike up a conversation, networking, cold outreach. 16:32 I guess those would all be ways you can, can meet people, be willing to, to, uh, advise you. So 16:41 what would you say for people who are listening to this and they're an everyday athlete who maybe sees a gap in the market and wants to start their own business or brand that caters to women and people of color athletes? 16:54 I would say don't be afraid to start. I would say there's power in niches, so don't feel like your market's too small or that there's not space for your idea. 17:09 The outdoor industry, honestly, so much of the outdoor industry and the gear and the gadgetry is, like, it's... They're incremental improvements on things that work fine. [laughs] There's so many 17:23 versions of honestly the same thing in this industry that, like, this one is just a little bit better because of this reason versus this one, which at its core does the same thing but maybe has this particular leaning towards it. 17:37 So there's always a way to come with something fresh, even if it seems like maybe it's been done before. 17:43 So I would just think about what's your unique point of view, and that's what's gonna be the differentiator ultimately. It's what is your story? What's your branding? 17:52 What's all of that that's besides just the product that you can bring here? 'Cause I think people gravitate towards people, and I would just be so incredibly confident in that, and then it'll, people follow you. 18:07 I love that. Thank you. And thank you so much for joining me on the show. It's been amazing.
