Jon Callahan rode snowboards as a pro athlete representing several industry brands before breaking off to start a new brand, Launch Snowboards. While he could have become a touring pro, he chose to go to college, where he earned a degree in business administration, with a minor in marketing and graphic design.
After finishing his bachelor’s degree at Caldwell University, Jon Callahan went deeper into the world of business, and he gained admission to the strictly invite-only Young Entrepreneur Council.
With Launch, Jon Callahan has launched a game-changing athletic brand. Since he rides himself, he takes an active role in researching new snowboarding technologies which would eventually end up becoming modern cutting-edge snowboarding merchandise.
Jon Callahan could have toured as a snowboarding pro while in high school. While in college, he continued snowboarding professionally, competing in major tournaments such as the US Snowboarding Grand Prix, an Olympic qualifier. Jon Callahan even ranked among the Top 100 snowboarders in the world in 2010.
Prior to founding Launch, Jon Callahan relied on his experience on “product development, marketing, design, and expertise of the action sports market” for all the tools he needed to succeed in the business.
Read more interviews with industry veterans here.
Jerome Knyszewski: What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Jon Callahan: I think it is just the fact that we do what we want. That has become even more apparent in the last couple of years. We have adopted the motto for LAUNCH, “Live your Life”!!!
I think that is important for anyone to do in general. I personally hate doing all the nonsense you are expected to do and be. If that was going to be my life and I was going to conform to that, I would work a 9 to 5 and go home at the end of the day and not think about work.
I think I came to this conclusion because of working with so many brands over the years. We would develop really amazing products or technology and then be so excited to see it in the end consumer’s hands. So, imagine how disappointing it was when it didn’t go to market.
At LAUNCH we have successfully incorporated bamboo into our snowboards and our skateboards. We have an exclusively patented snowboard bindings that make it easier to get in and out of without straying away from the traditional two strap that people are accustomed to. Then with our clothing and outerwear we make the things that we wish others made but instead we do it our own way with our own features, special pockets, trims, and even materials, especially recycled or low impact if possible on the planet/environment.
I think the funniest thing that happened was years ago our Session snowboard, got a lot of attention. We always have themes on our boards and apparel, this one had the earth in the middle of the board and towards the nose was heaven like theme in bluish tones and towards the tail was a hell like them in reds. Well we did really well with the board and it sold out super quick, but certain groups thought we were promoting devil worshipping and we had tons of groups calling our offices threatening to boycott and spread the word we were bad people. It wasn’t that at all in our minds. It was art, it can be perceived any way you want. Their opinion was their opinion, it was just very funny to see where some people took it.
Jerome Knyszewski: Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not burn out?
Jon Callahan: Take control of your brand, in whatever way works for you. I got very tired of following the “industry standard”, which includes trade shows, delivery dates, and pricing. Why??? Do what’s best for you, do the things you want to do, create the products you want to create, and do the marketing and ad campaigns you want to do, not what the industry expects or assumes you will do.
Also, it isn’t a race, pace yourself. In my space most brands can take 10 to 15 years to hit or become known, we are happy we are 8 years in and have had the success we are having. It is just the beginning. Remember no one is an overnight success it is usually a TEN year overnight success!
Jerome Knyszewski: None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Jon Callahan: This is very true and there are a bunch of people who helped in various ways during my journey. My parents are amazing people and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have the work ethic and drive, that all came from them. SO I can’t thank them enough.
The others who have really been instrumental have been my friend Andy Longo who is like a second father to me and my friend Mike Epstein. Both of which are business owners and have years of experience over me. You definitely have those low points where you feel like you are alone and something it wrong with you. That usually happens when things aren’t going well and you feel like everything you are doing is all messed up with no resolve. Both of them helped me realize that I am not wired like everyone else. I don’t settle for things and that in some ways that might be different and maybe crazy, but I need to embrace it. I can’t thank them enough and I love that they are truly happy to see me achieve my goals and hit different milestones.
Jerome Knyszewski: Ok thank you for all that. Now lets shift to the main focus of this interview. The Pandemic has changed many aspects of all of our lives. One of them is the fact that so many of us have gotten used to shopping almost exclusively online. Can you share a few examples of different ideas that eCommerce businesses are implementing to adapt to the new realities created by the Pandemic?
Jon Callahan: This pandemic I think has been an eye opener for a lot of businesses especially those that solely focused on brick and mortar or a physical location. The advice I always give or a statement that comes out of my mouth a lot in business and just general for life, is that “Change is a Constant.” This was especially true for most businesses through this beginning of the pandemic and who knows how long it will take to get under control.
You need to step up your web presence, for many this might be fore th first time you are starting or doing a website. Make sure it is easy to use and easy to navigate. The cost is not what it used to be, there are so many platforms that are cost effective that you can use to get up and out there. The second part is marketing, I hate to say it, businesses are terrible at it, and this is the time to do it. Use all the analytics that are available to you from your Google analytics, to social media, and even the ones your website hosting offer. Then keep the message simple and to the point. People are too overwhelmed with advertising all the time, if you sell food, what kind, any awards, and how to get a hold of you or where to place an order. That is it!! IF you sell denim, what kind, who it is catered to, and how to buy. It really is that simple.
Jerome Knyszewski: Amazon, and even Walmart are going to exert pressure on all of retail for the foreseeable future. New Direct-To-Consumer companies based in China are emerging that offer prices that are much cheaper than US and European brands. What would you advise retail companies and eCommerce companies, for them to be successful in the face of such strong competition?
Jon Callahan: Crave your own path and be unique. Create products that you personally as a founder and your team stand behind. If you aren’t going to use it every day or as much as possible, why would a consumer.
It’s all about finding your audience and delivering to them. Those brands meaning the Amazon and Walmart of the world are all about the mass appeal, you can still have a great business and make a great deal of money catering to a niche market and doing it well. Brands do it every day. There are brands that kill in a segment of business and do one thing, really really well. Be that business and embrace it.
Jerome Knyszewski: What are the most common mistakes you have seen CEOs & founders make when they start an eCommerce business? What can be done to avoid those errors?
Jon Callahan: I think they get over excited and spend a lot of money on the wrong things. I have seen many brands buy a ton of inventory to sell to their potential customers but don’t leave money to market and position themselves in front of their potential clients. It is all about balance and scaling at a reasonable pace. Start small, make it work, then create or reorder/manufacture more inventory.
Jerome Knyszewski: In your experience, which aspect of running an eCommerce brand tends to be most underestimated? Can you explain or give an example?
Jon Callahan: In my opinion it is imagery, video and content. This is where you really get to set yourself apart from the competition. It is really how you want to be seen by the world, and many times it is how you are perceived by your customer base or possibly a first impression.
For example, we have lots of themes going on depending on the products or collections we are releasing. So, we make sure that the mood is understood and captured by our team as we set it in motion. From the photographers, web team and so on.
Jerome Knyszewski: One of the main benefits of shopping online is the ability to read reviews. Consumers love it! While good reviews are of course positive for a brand, poor reviews can be very damaging. In your experience what are a few things a brand should do to properly and effectively respond to poor reviews? How about other unfair things said online about a brand?
Jon Callahan: This is probably one of the most difficult things for all businesses at this point. We have learned that haters will be haters and most of the bad reviews that are out there are by people who didn’t even use or purchase your products. Which is a scary thing to think about.
You really just have to stay focused on good positive content, work with those who are happy with your products and get more people who are will to try your products from those who love your products. Create a loyalty program or give the customer a reason to come back. We originally started our brand on word of mouth, no online reviews or bloggers, just word of mouth. As our industry has slowly gotten into that and more reviews are out there, we just make sure we are in the Product Review features with our publications and we send products when invited to these exclusive opportunities. They have worked well for us.
Any of the real criticisms we take into consideration and it helps us improve our brand and our products. It makes us look at the issues and resolve them to keep making our products more progressive and premium performance driven.
Jerome Knyszewski: You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Jon Callahan: I think giving back is extremely important and it can be done at many levels. For me now, it is about giving my time to those who are looking to advance themselves and help them with advice and avoid the pitfalls that I had to endure to build my business
Also, I am in the process of starting a charity. You will see this come out very soon to really help people get to the next level, I don’t want to give too much away but it is going to be different. Plus, we will do fun marketing and opportunities to raise money for the causes we believe in.
At LAUNCH we have always tried to give back but over time we realize what works and what doesn’t. So now we are going to take what we have learned and really apply it to a charity that is different and unique but true to our beliefs of picking people up and achieving their goals and aspirations.
Jerome Knyszewski: How can our readers further follow you online?
Jon Callahan: You can find me on:
Jerome Knyszewski: This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
