Foreign.
Glenn the GeekYou are listening to the Horse Radio Network, part of the Equine Network family.
Glenn the GeekWell, hi, everybody.
Glenn the GeekWe're back here with the Retail Roundup.
Glenn the GeekAnd I'm so excited for today because we're going to be talking about boots and I think it's a fun topic to talk about.
Glenn the GeekWe all own them.
Glenn the GeekWe all look at them every time we go to the store.
Glenn the GeekWe all pine over the ones that they just didn't fit quite right or, okay, they were too expensive, you, you know, or whatever.
Glenn the GeekThe reason is I love boots.
Glenn the GeekYou guys love selling boots, but there are some challenges as a retailer to boots.
Glenn the GeekSo we're gonna talk to the guy who knows a little bit about representing boots and talking about boots and.
Glenn the GeekBut first, this is Glenn the Geek, founder of the Horse Radio Network and host of Horses in the Morning podcast for the last 14 years.
Glenn the GeekWelcome to the WESA Retail Roundup.
Glenn the GeekThe Retail Roundup is your go to virtual hub for all things retail.
Glenn the GeekJoin panel discussions, learn from webinars, share your thoughts.
Glenn the GeekWe do These Q&As every once in a while where I get to have some fun, too.
Glenn the GeekPlus, we host a virtual event or shared educational content every Monday via the Retail Roundup Facebook page.
Glenn the GeekIf you're not a member there yet, just search for Retail Roundup on Facebook and join today's session.
Glenn the GeekWe're going to talk to Jeremiah Craig and he is the guy.
Glenn the GeekHe's a storyteller.
Glenn the GeekHe's a musician.
Glenn the GeekI wish I could play some of his music today, but we have to talk about boots.
Glenn the GeekMaybe we'll play some of your music on our other show.
Glenn the GeekAnd then, you know, he has retail expertise and really he has more retail expertise on the social media side because he is a YouTuber that has done very well with his YouTube channel.
Glenn the GeekI just looked over 13 million views between boots and music and all the other content that he does over there.
Glenn the GeekVery well done.
Glenn the GeekHe's a western boot expert, a content creator, a country singer.
Glenn the GeekHe's done it all.
Glenn the GeekAnd I want to welcome you to the show today.
Glenn the GeekI'm looking forward to today.
Glenn the GeekThis will be fun.
Jeremiah CraigThank you so much.
Jeremiah CraigI'm really looking forward to this too.
Glenn the GeekIt's always fun to have to talk to fellow content creators.
Glenn the GeekYou know, we are all in this together.
Glenn the GeekWe all do the same kinds of things, right?
Glenn the GeekBut you know, when I talk at podcast conferences, I always say that the money's in the niches.
Glenn the GeekYou know, that's where the money is, is in the niches.
Glenn the GeekWell, you chose a niche of a niche of a Niche, Right.
Glenn the GeekYou have a sub niche in boots.
Glenn the GeekHow did you ever become interested in cowboy boots?
Jeremiah CraigWell, you know, it's kind of funny.
Jeremiah CraigI grew up in the country, in the farm and doing lots of farm work and just sort of messing around the woods like country kids do.
Jeremiah CraigAnd I would run through shoes and different kinds of footwear so quickly.
Jeremiah CraigAnd I remember my brother got a pair of cowboy boots when I was around, I don't know, 16 or 17.
Jeremiah CraigAnd I was like, you know, those look like they would hold up a little bit more.
Jeremiah CraigSo I went to my local trailer store, Davis Trailer World, where I got my first pair of boots.
Glenn the GeekBoots.
Jeremiah CraigAnd it was something that just changed my perspective on footwear in general.
Jeremiah CraigThey're so durable.
Jeremiah CraigThey're so tough, they could be repaired.
Jeremiah CraigAnd I still have my first pair today.
Jeremiah CraigThey're cracked and nasty, just worn so much.
Jeremiah CraigAnd they actually just received their seventh resole and I put that video up on my YouTube channel.
Glenn the GeekI watched that video this morning, actually.
Glenn the GeekThey.
Glenn the GeekYeah, they look like they've been around a little while.
Jeremiah CraigThey've been around for a little bit.
Jeremiah CraigThey got some stories, they got soul is what I like to say.
Jeremiah CraigS O U L well, so then what.
Glenn the GeekWhat led you to starting to do content, starting to do videos, and to actually talk about and become kind of this pseudo expert on cowboy boots?
Jeremiah CraigYeah, well, it was sort of connected to my music.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, I was.
Jeremiah CraigI play banjo, guitar, and harmonica, and I write a lot of songs, folk music and country style.
Jeremiah CraigAnd I went on tour in 2015, 2016.
Jeremiah CraigI have five albums out.
Jeremiah CraigAnd, you know, they always tell you, if you want to get known for music, you got to play as much as possible, do as much as you can live and in person.
Jeremiah CraigAnd I found that if you do that all in the same town, you.
Jeremiah CraigYou saturate the market really quickly.
Jeremiah CraigSo you have to tour more.
Jeremiah CraigAnd then touring costs a lot of money, and I couldn't make any money doing, or enough money, I should say, doing all of the touring and all the playing of the traditional way that they tell you you should do music.
Jeremiah CraigSo what I did was I went back to the drawing board and I worked for marketing agencies and things like that in Arizona and Seattle, the places where we lived at the time.
Jeremiah CraigAnd I sort of started doing what is called keyword research.
Jeremiah CraigAnd if you're a boot retailer, I would highly recommend that you look into what keyword research is.
Jeremiah CraigIt's basically searching for things online and to see how many people search for those things online.
Jeremiah CraigSo I You know, included my interests about those.
Jeremiah CraigThose things.
Jeremiah CraigAnd I basically did keyword research on my interests.
Jeremiah CraigSo things like, you know, I like beer, there's a lot of beer.
Jeremiah CraigContent creators, you know, I like folk music and, you know, some other random like hunting and things like that.
Jeremiah CraigBut there's a lot of content creators in those space.
Jeremiah CraigThey already seemed like they had a lot of people.
Jeremiah CraigSo I never thought people would be interested in what kinds of shoes that I decided to wear.
Jeremiah CraigBut I had four or five pairs of cowboy boots and I saw them over by the door while I was doing keyword research and I said, screw it, let's see what happens.
Jeremiah CraigAnd it turned out that there was lots of opportunity in the space cowboy boots without very many content creators in the space.
Jeremiah CraigSo I was like, let's see what happens.
Jeremiah CraigSo I started making cowboy boot videos in 2018 and putting my music at the end of videos for the people who watched all the way through and maybe they would be interested in listening to my music.
Jeremiah CraigAnd it grew my YouTube channel from only like 80 subscribers in 2018, and now I have nearly 50, 000 and lots more folks listen to my music than before when I was going on tour and trying to play as much as possible live and in person.
Glenn the GeekWell, that's interesting that, that's.
Glenn the GeekIt's interesting that the two correlate, right?
Glenn the GeekThat the two work hand in hand.
Glenn the GeekHow long were you doing this before.
Glenn the GeekAnd bear with me, the retailers that are listening to this, we're going to get into the nitty gritty of boots here, but how long were you doing this before the boot manufacturers started taking you seriously?
Jeremiah CraigAbout a year before, I caught the eye of a retailer, an online retailer at the time, who was no longer in business, unfortunately.
Jeremiah CraigYeehaw.
Jeremiah CraigCowboy.com and they were the first to start to work with me.
Jeremiah CraigAnd then shortly after that, Dan Post and Ariat took notice.
Glenn the GeekI did notice the couple of my watch were sponsored by Ariat, so I did notice that.
Glenn the GeekSo, you know, retailers struggle.
Glenn the GeekIt's so hard when you go to WESA and you've been there, there's a hundred boot manufacturers, There must be 10,000 boots at WESA, right?
Glenn the GeekAll sitting around.
Glenn the GeekAnd when you're a retailer, you have a certain amount of shelf space, you only have a certain amount of.
Glenn the GeekRight.
Glenn the GeekYou can only carry a certain number of skus, and then booths tend to be in depth and SKUs, right, because you'll have sizes, you'll have widths and all of the other things that you have to deal with.
Glenn the GeekSo there's a lot of options there.
Glenn the GeekYou know, how do you pick?
Glenn the GeekWhat do you think?
Glenn the GeekSo that your eye.
Glenn the GeekWhat you have to do is pick what resonates with your particular audience.
Glenn the GeekThat's what you have to look for.
Glenn the GeekBut that's difficult to do too, you know, so what, what would you say to that?
Glenn the GeekIf you were out there, you know, buying boots for your store?
Glenn the GeekHow would you do that?
Jeremiah CraigYeah, that's a really good question.
Jeremiah CraigAnd I don't have a store, but the way that I think about, you know, what videos to do boots on is sort of similar to, you know, what maybe somebody would want to put in their store because you, you wanna, you wanna put brands and styles in your store, and I wanna do videos on those types of brands and styles that actually create interest, you know, that get the views.
Jeremiah CraigSo I would, I would like to answer this question by starting out.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, everybody's market, from what I've learned, is completely different.
Jeremiah CraigI've been to boot stores all over the country, from Arizona to Montana, and people look for different things in those markets.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, maybe rough outs don't work as well in Texas as they do in Montana, or vice versa, you know, something like that.
Jeremiah CraigSo it's all about knowing what I think the region enjoys the most for, for me, I've noticed that quite a bit in the comments section.
Jeremiah CraigSometimes the customers in Texas don't like the same things that the customers like in Montana.
Jeremiah CraigAnd cowboy boots are a very personal and almost like it's, It's a very.
Jeremiah CraigIt's a very.
Jeremiah CraigSomething that people get very opinionated about.
Jeremiah CraigRight.
Jeremiah CraigSometimes it's about, you know, who taught them about what good cowboy boots are.
Jeremiah CraigLike, was it their grandpa?
Jeremiah CraigRight.
Jeremiah CraigWas it the owner of the boot store in town?
Jeremiah CraigAnd then those sort of things develop their own opinions while they put those boots to work on the ranch or, or out on the town or what, wherever you're wearing the boots.
Jeremiah CraigSo I like.
Jeremiah CraigI would like to say that maybe it's just knowing your customer base because, you know, out in California, when I go to events and things like that, Ariat is huge.
Jeremiah CraigRight?
Jeremiah CraigBut if you ask other people about what Ariat's quality is, like, maybe they aren't such a big fan, you know, so it's all about knowing your customer and knowing the region and the styles that they like.
Jeremiah CraigI hope that answers your question.
Glenn the GeekOkay, well, yeah, and I think it's.
Glenn the GeekIt's hard, you know, it's hard when you're a retailer to.
Glenn the GeekBecause everybody likes something different Right.
Glenn the GeekSo even in your region, Right.
Glenn the GeekThey, you know, you still have people like green and red and blue and, you know, all the different colors.
Glenn the GeekSo it's.
Glenn the GeekAnd you can't carry them all.
Glenn the GeekYou have to, you have to.
Glenn the GeekYou, you do have to pick and choose.
Glenn the GeekBut you brought up a good point.
Glenn the GeekYou said, you know, you talked about quality.
Glenn the GeekHow does a retailer know a good quality boot?
Glenn the GeekSo I'm walking around Wesa in January and I'm on all these big boot companies.
Glenn the GeekWhat do I look for on the boot to tell whether it's a good quality?
Glenn the GeekIs there a magic sauce?
Jeremiah CraigAgain, I would, I would say that quality depends on what you're looking for in the price point that you.
Jeremiah CraigThis is something that people ask me all the time on in comments and.
Glenn the GeekI'm sure direct messages.
Jeremiah CraigWhat is the best cowboy boot?
Jeremiah CraigWell, it depends.
Jeremiah CraigWhat is your budget?
Jeremiah CraigRight.
Jeremiah CraigIs your budget 200 or is your budget $2,000?
Jeremiah CraigBecause that can change what a good cowboy boot is like.
Jeremiah CraigBut in general, I would say that a traditionally made cowboy boot is the best, in my opinion, and that's what I try to push the most.
Glenn the GeekWhat does that mean to you?
Glenn the GeekTraditionally made?
Glenn the GeekWhat does that mean?
Jeremiah CraigMeans it's got a good year.
Jeremiah CraigWell, it's all leather everywhere.
Jeremiah CraigIt's got a steel shank in there.
Jeremiah CraigIt's got a leather heel counter.
Jeremiah CraigSo the piece above the heel and I can.
Jeremiah CraigMaybe I can show.
Glenn the GeekYeah, yeah, yeah, go ahead.
Glenn the GeekThat'd be great.
Jeremiah CraigSo this is a Hondo boot right here.
Jeremiah CraigAnd so this is this.
Jeremiah CraigThey actually named this boot after me.
Jeremiah CraigThis is the Honda 2670, aka Jeremiah.
Jeremiah CraigAnd it has a Goodyear welt right here, which means that the boot can be resold on the inside behind this bull hide.
Jeremiah CraigThis is the heel counter here.
Jeremiah CraigSo above the heel, for people who are just listening, above the heel stack, there's.
Jeremiah CraigThere's a piece that is called the heel counter.
Jeremiah CraigAnd on the inside of this, a lot of brands will have something that's called celastic, which is a cloth.
Jeremiah CraigAnd when a brand or a factory wets that cloth, it becomes hard when it dries, but it's not as hard as leather.
Jeremiah CraigLeather is going to be the best material in here.
Jeremiah CraigAnd it's what a lot of cowboys and people who work on the ranch will need, because a scholastic heel counter is not going to be able to hold up to spurs when you put them on there and actual hard work when you use spurs.
Jeremiah CraigSo it needs to be a leather heel counter, in my opinion.
Jeremiah CraigSo that's also A hard leather insole is traditional, but, you know, a lot of folks are preferring the foam insoles nowadays.
Jeremiah CraigI'm still trying to get them, still trying to get people to enjoy traditionally made cowboy boots.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, like Tony Llama was back in the day.
Jeremiah CraigLike, no, Kona was back in the day.
Jeremiah CraigWith a hard surface in there, everything's leather.
Glenn the GeekYeah.
Glenn the GeekBut when you get old feet like mine, I want some softness in there.
Jeremiah CraigI hear you.
Jeremiah CraigI hear you.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, I just made cowboy boots.
Jeremiah CraigI went to cowboy boot custom cowboy boot course in Montana.
Jeremiah CraigSchwartz custom boots makers, they also own Atomic 79.
Jeremiah CraigThey're.
Jeremiah CraigThey're custom boot makers as well.
Jeremiah CraigAnd it's incredible when you get the right fit on a pair of cowboy boots, whether it's custom or maybe it's just the right width, that hard surface is actually all the support that you need.
Jeremiah CraigAnd they will become more and more and more comfortable over the years and months that you wear them.
Jeremiah CraigI was in, I was in South Dakota last year or the year before and I was talking to Travis of Travis Outfitters and he has a really good saying for that.
Jeremiah CraigHe tells his customers, the, the modern made boots with the cushions and stuff on the, and the insoles, they are going to be the most comfortable from day one, but slowly lose their comfort over the years and months that you wear them.
Glenn the GeekThat is true of any shoe, right.
Glenn the GeekOf any shoe that has memory foam in them.
Glenn the GeekRight, exactly.
Jeremiah CraigBut a traditionally made boot is going to get more and more and more comfortable over the months and years that you wear them.
Glenn the GeekSo that brings up a good question on sizing.
Glenn the GeekYou know, sizing is an issue too, you know, because they all fit different.
Glenn the GeekI guess the question is, when you're a retailer, how can you educate customers in proper sizing?
Glenn the GeekAnd I'm sure you've gotten this question before too.
Glenn the GeekYou know, and obviously when you're a retailer, you're looking at, to reduce returns, that's the biggest thing.
Glenn the GeekRight.
Glenn the GeekAnd obviously increase satisfaction.
Glenn the GeekBut you're trying to reduce returns because return costs money no matter what you do, whatever's returned.
Glenn the GeekSo is there a sizing, is there something you can say about sizing on boots?
Jeremiah CraigYes, and a lot of it isn't the retailer's fault.
Jeremiah CraigI'm going to be, I'm going to say that right now.
Jeremiah CraigA lot of the, a lot of the fault of the sizing issues are actually with the brands themselves.
Jeremiah CraigBrands used to offer everything from, you know, quadruple a width to quadruple E width.
Jeremiah CraigNow it's not so Much the case.
Jeremiah CraigYou get two width options if you're lucky.
Jeremiah CraigD and double E, average width size and wide width size.
Jeremiah CraigI am a B width technically, so A Benny, I'm a narrow width and.
Glenn the GeekI'm the double E.
Glenn the GeekSo there you go.
Jeremiah CraigYeah.
Jeremiah CraigYou understand it's tough to find wide widths and it's tough to find narrow widths and the industry as a whole has tried to save money by cutting down the width sizes that they have available.
Jeremiah CraigNow I've noticed that a lot of brands are starting to notice that Gen Z in particular has a lot of narrow feet.
Jeremiah CraigYoung folks do just in general.
Glenn the GeekInteresting.
Jeremiah CraigThe people who I've been measuring with a Brannock device, who I work with and try to collab with just locally who are under the age of 30 have narrow width sizes.
Jeremiah CraigThe, the men who I've been, you know, had on my Brannock device are Cs and B widths.
Jeremiah CraigSo I am confident to say that these narrow width sizes are more common than what the industry would have us believe.
Jeremiah CraigSo it's, it's tough to be able to do to, to be able to do that.
Jeremiah CraigBut I was thinking about this and how retailers could, you know, make it better for the customer.
Jeremiah CraigThere are drop shipping options options that a lot of brands have right now.
Jeremiah CraigAnd I know one of my brand partners, Carters boots.com they have both options.
Jeremiah CraigThey have boots in store and they also have drop shipping options.
Jeremiah CraigSo they might have a Horsepower is a great example of a brand that is offering narrow width sizes.
Jeremiah CraigMaybe all you need is just to have a, a be width, a narrow width boot in your store and have that available for somebody to try and then be able to order it for them directly from the brand and have it show up at their house, you know, at the customer's house directly from, from the, from the retailer, from you themselves.
Jeremiah CraigBecause a lot of these folks I've noticed in comments, they'll just go to retailers, just go to stores and try on boots and then go home and order them online anyway.
Glenn the GeekYeah, it's a big problem with retailers right now.
Jeremiah CraigYeah.
Jeremiah CraigSo I mean how can, how can we get around that?
Jeremiah CraigAnd it's maybe just about having try on boots in the store.
Jeremiah CraigThat's something that custom boot makers do too.
Jeremiah CraigI see on Jim Brainard's Instagram all the time he makes two custom boots.
Jeremiah CraigWhen he makes boots, he makes a try on boot to make sure the fit is right.
Jeremiah CraigAnd then when he knows the fit is right, he makes another boot for the customer.
Jeremiah CraigNow that's a lot of work for a custom boot maker, but to have an extra pair of B width boots around or, you know, triple E boots or C width boots, just one pair, just to see if that fits from that brand.
Jeremiah CraigMaybe that's worth considering along with having several Brannock devices in the store.
Jeremiah CraigBecause I know if I go into a retail store and they don't have a Brannock device, then it's tough to think about whether or not they can actually get a customer the correct fit.
Glenn the GeekSo you obviously are a storyteller.
Glenn the GeekYou're a musician.
Glenn the GeekMusicians are storytellers.
Glenn the GeekRight.
Glenn the GeekAnd especially when they write their own songs.
Glenn the GeekSongs.
Glenn the GeekAnd you're obviously a storyteller when it comes to the boots.
Glenn the GeekAnd we've been talking a lot on this show about how retailers have to start incorporating Instagram and YouTube and short videos, and not necessarily YouTube videos like you do, but short videos into their marketing.
Glenn the GeekDo you have advice for them as far as when it comes to boots?
Glenn the GeekWhat's.
Glenn the GeekWhat could be a short video type of thing that they do that's effective and gets people's attention?
Jeremiah CraigYeah.
Jeremiah CraigSo there's a couple of different things that you could do.
Jeremiah CraigYou can.
Jeremiah CraigYou can think about what are videos that.
Jeremiah CraigOr just content in general.
Jeremiah CraigVideos.
Jeremiah CraigI'm gonna say this before I.
Jeremiah CraigI talk about how to make or what to make a video about.
Glenn the GeekYeah.
Glenn the GeekI'm asking them to be your competition, by the way.
Glenn the GeekSo that's fine.
Jeremiah CraigThe more people making videos about boots, the better, as far as I'm concerned.
Jeremiah CraigPeople ask me if they can start their own channel.
Jeremiah CraigThey'll message me and say, hey, can.
Jeremiah CraigWhat do you think about this?
Jeremiah CraigI'm like, yeah, go for it.
Jeremiah CraigThe more people talking about boots, the more people who will be interested in boots worldwide.
Jeremiah CraigSo more boot content, the better, as far as I'm concerned.
Jeremiah CraigMake your own YouTube channel.
Jeremiah CraigBut making videos is.
Jeremiah CraigIs kind of.
Jeremiah CraigIt's a lot to think about.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, you.
Jeremiah CraigYou get your.
Glenn the GeekYou.
Jeremiah CraigYou might be able to be like, all right, let's get the phone out.
Jeremiah CraigLet's talk on camera for a little bit.
Jeremiah CraigBut then once you do it, you might even, like, freeze up a little bit.
Jeremiah CraigRight?
Jeremiah CraigSo I would say maybe work up to it.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, put out some pictures first.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, make a.
Jeremiah CraigMake a.
Jeremiah CraigMake a blog post.
Jeremiah CraigMake a.
Jeremiah CraigMake a video that's actually just a bunch of pictures.
Jeremiah CraigSo work yourself up to it.
Jeremiah CraigYou do.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, I was.
Jeremiah CraigIt's also like, you know, when the first time you went swimming, Right.
Jeremiah CraigYou didn't start in the Deep end.
Jeremiah CraigRight away, you started at the, you know, on the, on the shore of the pond or whatever, right?
Jeremiah CraigAnd you, you, you, you could, that way you could get back up to dry land really quick.
Jeremiah CraigYou're not in the middle of the pond, right?
Jeremiah CraigSo it's like you can start slow.
Jeremiah CraigAnd then once you start slow and you're starting to get comfortable with the kinds of content and videos that you can make online, think about what people will search for forever, like how a cowboy boot should fit and what people search for right now, like cowboy boot trends.
Jeremiah CraigSo when you're in, when you're at WESA or wisa, depending on how you say it, you know, notice what they're, what they are pushing at the moment and maybe jump on those trends, because those trends are going to happen whether you have them in store or not.
Jeremiah CraigAnd it's like, do you want to make money on it or not?
Jeremiah CraigBig example that I remember from the last one that I was at was the Barbie trend.
Jeremiah CraigEverything was pink, everything was bright color.
Jeremiah CraigAnd this was seven months before the movie even came out.
Jeremiah CraigSo these things are planned.
Jeremiah CraigSo you can put them into your plan to make content about it once it becomes, once it starts to get closer to the actual movie time.
Jeremiah CraigRight.
Jeremiah CraigAnd then pink boots were nuts.
Jeremiah CraigI remember I had a sponsor from Ariat to do a video about pink boots.
Jeremiah CraigAnd then I had an extra pair and I was able to, to gift them to my cousin.
Jeremiah CraigAnd she's much younger.
Jeremiah CraigShe's like in, I don't know, 10th grade or whatever.
Jeremiah CraigAnd it was so cool.
Jeremiah CraigShe, it like blew her mind that she got these pink boots in the same year that the Barbie movie came out.
Jeremiah CraigIt was nuts.
Jeremiah CraigSo think about the trends and the things that, you know, people will search for forever.
Jeremiah CraigThey call it evergreen content.
Jeremiah CraigIf you're, if you're interested in that.
Glenn the GeekYeah.
Glenn the GeekWhen we do our health segments and horses, that's all evergreen.
Glenn the GeekRight?
Glenn the GeekBecause, you know, abscesses are abscesses today or 10 years from now.
Glenn the GeekSo you know what, we've also talked about working with influencers like yourself as a retailer.
Glenn the GeekAnd so what tips do you have for retailers looking to work with influencers?
Glenn the GeekYou know, how do they do it?
Glenn the GeekHow do they do it effectively?
Glenn the GeekBecause that's been hit or miss over the years, you know, retailers for 30 years, when I was doing retail, you, you still had your professional riders.
Glenn the GeekWe didn't call them influencers back then, but you had, you had, you know, you had your sponsored riders, we called them and, you know, their professional Riders would, would occasionally talk about, you know, the boots they were using or the saddle they were using.
Glenn the GeekThings are different now because of social media.
Glenn the GeekSo what tips do you have for retailers when they're looking to do it?
Jeremiah CraigYes, that's a great question.
Jeremiah CraigI would say it depends on how you're selling boots.
Jeremiah CraigAre you selling boots only in store?
Jeremiah CraigLike somebody has to come into the store and buy the boots or buy the products or else are you also selling online?
Jeremiah CraigSo if you.
Jeremiah CraigI've worked with retailers who do both and I've noticed that since my audience is nationwide, the retailers who only sore sell boots in store and don't have online sale options, those don't work out as well for me because, you know, I'm.
Jeremiah CraigI'm a day and a half away by, by car.
Jeremiah CraigRight.
Jeremiah CraigSo I would say that if you are selling boots online, that you could work with pretty much anybody, anywhere.
Jeremiah CraigAnd if you're working only in store, think about the people who are known a little bit more in your local community, in your region.
Jeremiah CraigWhere, where does your radius of customers start and end and work with folks who are in those areas?
Jeremiah CraigYou know, it's not always about working with the influencer.
Jeremiah CraigI hate that word, by the way.
Glenn the GeekMe too.
Glenn the GeekI do too, by the way.
Glenn the GeekI agree with you.
Jeremiah CraigIt's not always about working with the person who has a million subscribers or 50, 000 subscribers.
Jeremiah CraigIt's about working with the person who makes the most sense towards your goals, I would say.
Jeremiah CraigAnd that could be, you know, the captain of the high school football team.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, it could be the athlete in the rodeo that gets, you know, it could be the barrel racer.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, it could be somebody just like it could be the coffee shop across the road from across the road from your shop on Main Street.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, think about the collaborations that you can do online in social media, whether it's in your local community or nationally, and how that can help get people into your store or onto your website.
Glenn the GeekSo it used to be in the old days and it's changed now, but that when we worked with professional writers, it was a product exchange, right.
Glenn the GeekWe gave them product.
Glenn the GeekThey.
Glenn the GeekThere was no cash that changed hands.
Glenn the GeekSo do you, Is it.
Glenn the GeekObviously it's different now.
Glenn the GeekDo you have.
Glenn the GeekAre still there only product exchanges available to certain people or do you.
Glenn the GeekIs there always a cash deal now?
Jeremiah CraigOh, it goes both ways.
Jeremiah CraigI mean, sometimes it's, it's product and extra product.
Jeremiah CraigLike it could be, it could be anything.
Jeremiah CraigSome people are more than happy to get a pair of Boots in exchange for a couple of posts on Instagram.
Jeremiah CraigSome people might need a little bit more than that.
Jeremiah CraigYou know, it was.
Jeremiah CraigI'm, I'm totally fine with getting a pair of boots from somebody and then especially if they're a smaller spot.
Jeremiah CraigUntil recently, since the economy has changed so much, I'm having to charge more than I used to or just charge, period.
Jeremiah CraigAnd it depends on what the person is looking for that you are working with.
Jeremiah CraigLike I said, it's not always about working with a rider or a professional rider.
Jeremiah CraigIt could be collaborating on a piece of content or an event with the.
Jeremiah CraigThe store next door to you or this, the.
Jeremiah CraigThe store across the street from you.
Jeremiah CraigHow do you get people together?
Jeremiah CraigAnd then, you know, what's the term?
Jeremiah CraigHigh tide raises all ships.
Jeremiah CraigRight.
Jeremiah CraigSo if you can figure out those opportunities, network in your community.
Jeremiah CraigI've been networking quite a bit in my community.
Jeremiah CraigI found lots of collaborative opportunities that, that help me create more content much more easily for YouTube, you know, become involved with your local chamber of commerce.
Jeremiah CraigAnd sometimes those partnerships don't always have to be with, you know, your store and an individual.
Jeremiah CraigSometimes they can be with a couple of stores.
Glenn the GeekSo obviously, staff training, when you're talking to stores that, you know, that do a lot of boots, right, Staff training is important.
Glenn the GeekWhat you've been in a lot of stores, what do you see as the mistake people make when they're trying to.
Glenn the GeekWhen they have a, you know, a large section of boots in dealing with the customers?
Glenn the GeekWhat, what are you seeing out there?
Glenn the GeekThat's the thing that jumps out at you that you went, I wish they had done that differently.
Jeremiah CraigYeah, I actually, most of the stores that I go to are mom and pop stores with one location.
Jeremiah CraigAnd most of those places, if not all of them, I can't think of an experience of a, of a time when they haven't been helpful and known their stuff.
Jeremiah CraigMost of these places know how to fit people.
Jeremiah CraigSo the small retailers, the people who are listening to this episode, most likely you already know how to fit a boot because you've been doing it for years or you know, your boss has been doing it for years and, and they've been teaching you how to do it.
Jeremiah CraigI noticed most of the time that the big box stores that have more than one location, they have the most trouble, you know, with fit.
Jeremiah CraigThey don't have Brannock devices.
Jeremiah CraigThe people who are working there really don't know about cowboy boot fit, nor do they care about how a boot should fit.
Jeremiah CraigSo most of the time the retailers are great at fit, but the Brannock device, like I said, the Brannock device is the most important thing.
Jeremiah CraigAnd if they don't, it's the, the biggest thing that I notice is that if the size of the person who is.
Jeremiah CraigWhen.
Jeremiah CraigExcuse me, when a person is measured on the Brannock device and the store doesn't have their size because they are wider or more narrow.
Jeremiah CraigThe biggest mistake that I've noticed that some of the big Brock stores have especially is that they try to fit them anyways.
Glenn the GeekThis will fit into this one.
Glenn the GeekWe'll smash it in.
Jeremiah CraigThis size will work.
Jeremiah CraigWhen you hear that, that is not a good sign.
Glenn the GeekAnd that's because they're, they're not going to wear those boots after one week.
Jeremiah CraigNo.
Glenn the GeekYeah.
Jeremiah CraigThat's where most of your returns are going to come from is by saying this size will work.
Jeremiah CraigAnd that's not, that's not a good place to go for somebody.
Jeremiah CraigBecause cowboy boots are the most comfortable pair of hard, durable footwear that you can get.
Jeremiah CraigBut the size and the width matter so much.
Glenn the GeekYeah, because they are, they aren't right.
Glenn the GeekI mean they either fit really well or you hate them size wise.
Glenn the GeekYeah, exactly.
Jeremiah CraigAnd that's where so much of the hate comes from for Kawah boots.
Jeremiah CraigIf you search and how are our cowboy boots supposed to hurt?
Jeremiah CraigIs something that a lot of people search for on Google and know they are not supposed to hurt from the get go.
Jeremiah CraigSure, there's a break in period, but they're not supposed to hurt.
Jeremiah CraigAnd that's where so much of the hate comes from.
Jeremiah CraigAnd people will say I have a pair of cowboy boots, but they just don't, they just hurt me, you know, I can't, I don't want to ever wear them.
Jeremiah CraigAnd it's because they have the wrong size, you know, and somebody said this size will work for you.
Jeremiah CraigAnd of course that person, since it's their first pair of cowboy boots, they don't know any better.
Jeremiah CraigThey're going to listen to who they thought was the expert.
Jeremiah CraigAnd when somebody tells you that a size will work, it most often won't.
Jeremiah CraigIt has to be the exact size that you are on the Brannock device in order for it to be comfortable forever.
Glenn the GeekWe had our store, I, it was an English store, so I was in charge of the English tall boots.
Glenn the GeekYou think cowboy boots have problem sizing?
Glenn the GeekTall boots have calf sizes and length and the whole, I mean we have multiple sizing on one pair of boots.
Glenn the GeekThere was more than one time we got the boot on And I had to cut it off.
Glenn the GeekWe could not get the boot off.
Glenn the GeekThat was before they had the zippers in them and everything.
Glenn the GeekYou just had to pull them on.
Glenn the GeekAnd of course they always say, well, I'm this size.
Glenn the GeekAnd they always underestimate their calf size especially.
Glenn the GeekAnd that's where we'd get into trouble is the calf.
Glenn the GeekThe calf and the boot.
Glenn the GeekYeah, I had to cut them off a few times.
Jeremiah CraigWow.
Glenn the GeekEverybody that sized English boots has had to do that one time or another.
Jeremiah CraigThat's not good.
Jeremiah CraigThat's not good.
Glenn the GeekSo it's even more complicated on the English side because now you got the foot, you got the width, you've got the toe, you've got the calf size, you've got the, the length because it has to be, you know, he's not whacking you in the back of your leg and you're around your knee and, and those are.
Glenn the GeekDo have a break in period.
Glenn the GeekAnd people suffer in the break in period.
Glenn the GeekA lot of those.
Jeremiah CraigThat's no good.
Jeremiah CraigYeah.
Glenn the GeekWhat other things would you.
Glenn the GeekWe have to close up soon.
Glenn the GeekWe had a question here.
Glenn the GeekI'm not sure we can answer it.
Glenn the GeekIt's.
Glenn the GeekCan you share the best way to find a manufacturer?
Glenn the GeekWe are based overseas and need very specific boots.
Glenn the GeekJust because of the weather, I'm struggling to find a manufacturer without feel like I'm being taken for a ride.
Glenn the GeekThat's where, boy, if you can afford to come to Wessa, I mean, or go to one of the trade shows over in Europe, that's where you develop.
Glenn the GeekIt is truly where you develop relationships in person.
Glenn the GeekYou know, we, we talk about.
Glenn the GeekAnd maybe it's not possible for you to do that, but, you know, I've been to almost 40 trade shows now between Wesley and Ada, between the two, the English and the Western.
Glenn the GeekI've been almost 40 and almost all the relationships I have in the industry were made in person.
Glenn the GeekIt's still, you know, as much social media as we have, you and I sitting and talking for 20 minutes before the show started is probably going to mean more than if we had ever communicated by email.
Glenn the GeekRight.
Glenn the GeekWe got to know each other.
Glenn the GeekYou know, we might collaborate on other stuff that would have never happened without that conversation.
Glenn the GeekAnd that's true of going to see the boots in person and meeting people and developing relationships.
Jeremiah CraigExactly.
Jeremiah CraigI couldn't agree more.
Jeremiah CraigAnd that's something that, you know, I have, you know, on my notes heading, heading into this that I want to talk about.
Jeremiah CraigSo I'm so glad that you brought that up.
Jeremiah CraigIs building relationships is the biggest thing when you're going to Wesa or even trying to make collaborations.
Jeremiah CraigWe were talking about, you know, how do you make content together?
Jeremiah CraigBuilding those relationships in person is huge.
Jeremiah CraigSo it is tough to think about trying to find a manufacturer, especially because that is such a difficult space to navigate right now.
Jeremiah CraigFrom what I hear from a lot of boot brands, specifically in Mexico.
Jeremiah CraigRight.
Jeremiah CraigSo if you're looking to get a, a Mexican manufacturer to keep the price of your boots a little bit lower, then that is something that you know, you might want to be in person for at Wesa.
Jeremiah CraigBuilding those relationships in person is huge.
Jeremiah CraigI will also say that a lot of the people who are trying to get more customers for their factory, some more brand and manufacturer relationships, a lot of those folks are on LinkedIn.
Jeremiah CraigSo if, if you can't get to WESA or you aren't planning to go this year, I would highly recommend it just to be able to build those relationships.
Jeremiah CraigBut if you can't make it this year or in January, I should say maybe start looking for those folks on LinkedIn because they are there for sure.
Glenn the GeekAnd all of the people that you want to talk to from the company are identified because you know, these people have layers of management.
Glenn the GeekA lot of the companies, the bigger companies have layers of management and you want to talk to a specific person.
Glenn the GeekSo in marketing or sales, where do people find you?
Glenn the GeekIf they want to collaborate with you, what do they do?
Jeremiah CraigYou know, you can reach out to me in my email.
Jeremiah CraigSo you can email me@bookingeremiahcraig.com I'm on YouTube, I'm on Instagram, I'm on Facebook.
Jeremiah CraigSearch me on Google.
Jeremiah CraigThe last time I checked, I had the whole first page.
Jeremiah CraigIf you search Jeremiah Craig.
Jeremiah CraigSo I've done a lot of work and at least I know there are other Jeremiah Craig's out there.
Jeremiah CraigBut I'm trying to compete with them to own that whole first page.
Glenn the GeekAnd if you have employees that aren't too sure about boots or you yourself own the store, you need to go to his.
Glenn the GeekYou need to go to his YouTube.
Glenn the GeekIt's Jeremiah Craig on YouTube.
Glenn the GeekJust search it, you'll find it.
Glenn the GeekYou have 1400 videos?
Jeremiah CraigYes.
Glenn the GeekWho has 1400 videos?
Glenn the GeekNobody has 1400 videos.
Jeremiah CraigIt's not enough.
Jeremiah CraigIt's not enough.
Glenn the GeekBut I like how you have it separated.
Glenn the GeekYou do have playlists.
Glenn the GeekIf you go to his page and you go to playlist, you're going to see the cowboy boot section is completely separated out.
Glenn the GeekSo if all you're interested in is Cowboy boots and not his music or the many other things you do videos about.
Glenn the GeekIt's very easy.
Glenn the GeekYou have it structured very well.
Glenn the GeekAnd I know that takes time to put together, too, you know.
Glenn the GeekSo good.
Glenn the GeekGood job there.
Glenn the GeekNot all YouTubers are good at that, so.
Jeremiah CraigThank you so much.
Jeremiah CraigYeah, I want to make sure people find what they're.
Jeremiah CraigWhat they're most interested in.
Jeremiah CraigI will say that if you do find yourself on my YouTube channel enjoying the cowboy boot videos, then give my music a try, too.
Glenn the GeekI mean, you have everything.
Glenn the GeekYou do have reviews up there.
Glenn the GeekYou just have everything up there.
Glenn the GeekIt's all different kinds of things from how they're made to watching them resol.
Glenn the GeekYour.
Glenn the GeekYour.
Glenn the GeekYour oldest boot pair of boots, which do kind of look like they're up there in age now.
Glenn the GeekI will say they're 17 years old now.
Glenn the GeekThey're getting up there.
Jeremiah Craig17 years old.
Jeremiah CraigYeah.
Jeremiah CraigIt's.
Jeremiah CraigIt's.
Jeremiah CraigEvery time I think about how old they are, I think about how old I am.
Jeremiah CraigSo I try not to think about it too much.
Glenn the GeekAll right, thank you, sir.
Glenn the GeekAppreciate you joining us.
Jeremiah CraigThank you so much.
Jeremiah CraigI appreciate your time and good luck, everybody.
Glenn the GeekIf you missed part of this, you can catch the rest of it on the podcast, It's Wisdom by Wesa.
Glenn the GeekIt'll be out there by tomorrow morning.
Glenn the GeekOf course, you can find the rest of this video either on the website@wesatradeshow.com or you can visit the YouTube channel.
Glenn the GeekWESA already also has a YouTube channel.
Glenn the GeekYou can find it there.
Glenn the GeekAnd we also want you to go to Facebook and search for Retail Roundup.
Glenn the GeekEverybody should join that because there's lots of good content on there.
Glenn the GeekYou know, you go to WESA every twice a year, a lot of you for a reason, and that's because they help you find manufacturers, they help you improve your business, and they also do it there on the Retail Roundup Facebook page.
Glenn the GeekThe next Retail Roundup will be Posted on Monday, December 23rd.
Glenn the GeekStay tuned also for future.
Glenn the GeekWe're going to be resuming these little videos back in February after the trade show is over.
Glenn the GeekWe'll be having a lot more content for you, but check out the Facebook page in the meantime, because there's a lot of stuff still going up there.
Glenn the GeekJeremiah, it's been a pleasure.
Glenn the GeekTalk to you soon.
Glenn the GeekAnd Merry Christmas, everybody.
Glenn the GeekHappy New Year.
Jeremiah CraigThank you so much.
Jeremiah CraigI appreciate it.
Glenn the GeekYou know, retailers, Jeremiah, the day after Christmas is when they can breathe again.
Glenn the GeekSo happy day after Christmas, everybody.
Jeremiah CraigYes.
Jeremiah CraigThat's the real holiday for everybody, huh?