Rick Elder, President of Beyond Clothing, served in the US Army, and later was a supplier for the military, where he spent 17 years developing clothing for US Special Ops. Rick is also known as a project officer for the team that developed the protective combat uniform.

Listen in as Rick discusses his journey leading Beyond, a direct-to-consumer apparel line for everyday adventures that can keep you dry while wading through water and warm while hiking in the snowy mountains.

Spoiler alert: This isn’t your standard, puffy jacket.

Prentice’s Takeaway

• To have a brand today, you have to truly embrace being a media company first.

Show Highlights

• Slowing down due to COVID-19
• US Army service
• Special ops equipment
• Rick’s journey with Beyond Clothing
• Differentiation: D2C
• Who Beyond targets
• Allow the experience to take the forefront, not the product
• Foster rejection
• Consistent messaging that resonates
• No buzzwords
• Media is generated in-house
• Rick became a photographer so he didn’t have to hire one for marketing
• Marketing = fashion
• Brand, web, product
• No brand has time for anyone to be confused
• Unmarketing
• COVID-19 impact and SOPs

Resources

• Richard’s LinkedIn
• Beyond Clothing Facebook
• Beyond Clothing YouTube
• Beyond Clothing Twitter
• Beyond Clothing Instagram