Frontier Talent - Industry Interests



	Analyzing your skills to find your dream job in the outdoor biz. Once you’ve discovered which of the 7 industries within the outdoor business best fits your own passion, it’s time find a path within the industry that fits your skill set. And, good news for you, opportunities abound. Each of the 7 outdoor industries is made up of 3 branches: retailers, manufacturers / brands, and service providers. And, of course, each branch has a number of career paths you can take on your way into the outdoor business. If that sounds daunting don’t worry, we’ll walk through the paths below. And, besides, exploring all the options in your chosen industry is just part of the adventure. Retailers – It’s not just about the sales floor. Larger retailers also add operations, warehousing, HR and finance roles to their business. They may also hire dedicated merchandisers to create displays and a vertical retailer like REI may also add all of the roles that a manufacturer/brand has (see the manufacturer/brand section below for those details). For now we’ll look at the three traditional key rolls in retailing: Sales Associate Sales Associate – Working the retail sales floor is still one of the best places to cut your teeth in this business. Here you will learn about the product and sports, and meet sales reps and company officials (who have all been in your shoes before and understand how critical you are to the business). Depending on the store size there may be department managers that specialize in a particular area, like camping, or water sports. Department manager positions are a stepping stone up the career ladder. Click to Close Store Manager / Assistant Manager Store Manager / Assistant Manager – Taking on a store management role is a great way to expand your horizons and hone the people management skills so critical to career success. Depending on the store size there may be an area manager that oversees multiple stores. Click to Close Buyer Buyer – This is a very critical role. Besides having excellent product knowledge, a good buyer is savvy in retail math and knows how to negotiate terms, leverage turns, and GMROI. Click to Close Manufacturers / Brands – These days, thanks to the boom in private label brands and the ever-growing size of retail chains, there’s a lot of overlap between manufacturers and retailers, with some manufacturers opening their own factory stores (think North Face) and retailer’s private lines becoming highly respected brands in their own right (think REI’s clothing). From a career standpoint this development has made transitioning from the retail to the brand side of the business easier than ever. So, which of the jobs below match your skills? Sales Sales – Are you good with people? A good listener? Do you like to solve problems? If so, then sales may be for you. Unlike a retail sales associate that sells products to consumers, and from lots of different brands, a manufacturer sales person is focused on selling to retailers (B-to-B) and only the company’s products. Click to Close Marketing Marketing – These days marketing encompasses everything from print advertising, to B-to-B and B-to-C collateral, to social media. Having the ability to understand and profile a consumer target is critical. Click to Close Operations Operations – Inventory management, control, and procurement are extremely important areas, and can be a profit drain if improperly managed. Strong math skills and linear thinking are critical. Click to Close HR HR – Larger companies will have dedicated people to manage the company’s staff, and deal with the variety of issues that come up. Click to Close Finance Finance – Obviously a strong math / finance background is important for this role. Click to Close Designer Designer – Everyone wants to be a product designer. The good ones know how to solve problems and understand the company’s unique product signature and how to design differentiated products. A strong drawing or industrial design background is important. Click to Close Developer Developer – The developer commercializes the drawings and specs provided by the designer. They interpret the design and bring it to life with the correct materials, components, and manufacturing processes. Click to Close Manufacturing Manufacturing – Most manufacturing takes place overseas these days, but some is still done here in the good ‘ole USA. Sewing and assembly skills are important, as is the ability to do repetitive tasks. Click to Close Service Providers – Virtually any function can be “out-sourced” to a service provider and nearly every company in the outdoor business contracts some of their services. Here are a few of the typical service provider functions: Sales reps Sales reps – Sales reps are typically independent contractors – that is to say that they work on behalf of several, non-competitive companies, and pay all of their own expenses. There’s a lot of freedom when you’re an independent sales rep, but also a lack of control. A typical progression is from the retail sales floor into repping. Some companies have inside reps that are paid employees and work only for the company’s brands. Click to Close PR PR – Any experienced marketer will tell you that the function that falls to the bottom of their “to-do” list is PR – which is why many companies outsource this to a service provider. A savvy PR professional knows the market & products, has excellent relationships with a variety of media, and is always on alert for opportunities for their customers. Click to Close Consultants Consultants – You can find consultants to provide you with any number of services – from buying, to inventory control, strategy, sales plans, marketing plans, and design and development. This is a great avenue for the person that likes to work on their own, and who has a knack for understanding businesses, clearing away the fog, and focusing on the opportunities. But fair warning: You’d better be good because it is a very competitive field. Click to Close Marketing services Marketing services – Some companies outsource all of their marketing services – which broadly defined may include strategy, advertising, PR, social media, and more. Click to Close Search Firms Search Firms – These firms usually work for the company, so making sure they know who you are is important, but their number one job is to match a company’s opening to the best possible candidate. Frontier Talent is an industry leader here to help you find your ideal job. Click to Close Jump in with both feet - and choose Frontier Talent as your guide. As you can see the outdoor business is a big, exciting opportunity for anyone with a taste for adventure. It’s been my life and livelihood for the past 30 years. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you’re ready to jump in do your homework, craft a plan and give it a go. And whether you’re starting out on the ground floor or looking to move the skill sets you’ve developed in the work-a-day world into an industry that matches your passion, don’t hesitate to reach out to all of us at Frontier Talent. Getting you on the right trail and into the heart of the adventure is all we do! Submit Your Resume