One of the sharpest minds for business in the game Mike launched Jib 686 30 years ago starting as a small garage brand building up to the 686 we know today, one of the largest apparel brands in the industry and most impressively still independently owned. We talk 686 origin story, getting his first 100k order, surviving the first two years, sourcing, production, issues with seasonal business, scaling, West Life Dist., NRI, the bowl of forgiveness, time management, Kaizen, being yourself and so much more! Independently owned business’s pop up in snowboarding all the time, most last for some years and then shut down or get bought by a larger company in order to survive. Lasting for 30 years and turning into one of the top 3 apparel brands in snowboarding is unheard of and a feat that deserves some serious respect and should be supported at all costs. Join us as we sit down with Mike and hear all about how he grew 686 into a brand with a valuation of at least seven 0’s also picking up some other brands along the way and started the largest 3PL shipping company in action sports, all this while furthering his college education ultimately becoming a Professor. We talk about it all on this week’s episode of The Bomb Hole. 

Special Thanks

Ten Barrel Pub Beer

The Patreon Members, We would not do this without you!!- https://www.patreon.com/thebombhole

Bub’s Naturals- https://www.bubsnaturals.com

Ikon- https://www.ikonpass.com

Edmonton Style Experience https://exploreedmonton.com/event-calendar/the-style-experience

Stance | https://www.stance.com

Sun Bum- https://www.sunbum.com

686 Apparel- https://www.686.com

Instagram

Mike West’s instagram @michaelakirawest https://www.instagram.com/michaelakirawest/

@thebombhole: https://www.instagram.com/thebombhole/

@Grendiesel : https://www.instagram.com/grendiesel/

@E_stone : https://www.instagram.com/e_stone/ Budz Print Shop- www.e-stonephoto.com https://307o96449135872.3dcartstores.com

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Watch the episode on YouTube- https://youtu.be/IYHDbdWNnUg

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Show Notes-

Collaborations 686 | https://www.686.com/pages/mens-collections

Grateful Dead x 686 | https://www.686.com/collections/grateful-dead

Challenges Of Seasonal Business | https://www.mymoneymantra.com/blog/5-big-challenges-that-seasonal-businesses-face-and-how-to-overcome-them

West Life on Hype Beast | https://hypebeast.com/2014/1/hypebeast-spaces-westlife-distribution-inc-featuring-686-new-balance-numeric-and-matix

NRI - https://nri3pl.com

686 On Deadliest Catch | https://www.snowboarder.com/transworld-snowboarding-archive/snowboarding-news/686-outerwear-featured-on-the-discovery-channel/

Marshall School Of Business | https://www.marshall.usc.edu

The Search For Animal Chin | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV1b_-7zf-s

Future Primitive | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG74o7aafpc&t=107s

Time Management For Business Owners | https://www.orbitalshift.com/blog/business-owners-time-management

Kaizen | https://www.kaizen.com/what-is-kaizen

How To Be Yourself | https://www.tonyrobbins.com/personal-growth/how-to-be-yourself/

Ski And Snowboard Costs | https://endlessrushoutdoors.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-ski-or-snowboard/

Thanks For Listening!

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