Meet Scott Sajowitz of Wild and Co in Cap Hill

Scott, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Wild and co began as an exploration of what an outdoor lifestyle brand should be. We live in an age of exorbitant dangers to our environment and people are realizing that evolution needs to take place in how we treat the planet. Our mission was to empower a generation to not only care about the environment but also to realize the benefits of spending more time in the wild.

As an avid hiker in Colorado, I have spoken to a large number of people who have expressed frustration with how hiking trails, parks and public spaces are treated by inconsiderate people. I decided a simple way to give back was to start organizing trail cleanups across the state and to change the conversation to a positive one with our slogan “Mind the Wild”.

This quickly led to expanding into an apparel brand with our “Mind the Wild” slogan, allowing us to take on an industry that was slow to adopt eco-friendly practices. We were set on creating not only a fashion forward line, with a positive message, but also one that would utilize eco-friendly, sustainable materials as much as possible.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Starting any brand or company from scratch inherently comes with more struggles and challenges than you can’t foresee. And starting it myself meant taking on responsibilities for product design, web design, social media, operations, accounting and more that I can’t even think of. But I did have a lot of experience in the marketing/advertising field so I felt like I had a leg up in a lot of ways.

One of the most important things in working at a startup is that you have to be quick to embrace change and never be afraid to pivot. From a design perspective we have had a number of evolution’s as we get a better sense of the marketplace and understanding what appeals to our customers. So whether it’s starting from scratch on apparel designs or on our website, we’ve been there done that. It’s actually crazy to look back on how much our website and products have evolved since we started and a lot of that is just due to trial and error and many hours of research/self-teaching.

One of the most challenging and rewarding processes was working with our design team and sourcing materials and factories around the world to truly create amazing products made from eco-materials. Eco-friendly materials are not always traditionally the cheapest, which is why you’ll find other brands have been slow to adopt. So at times, it can take months and plenty of headaches finding and working with factories to create that perfect product that is eco-friendly and at a price point that works.

Wild and co – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We like to think of ourselves as the eco/adventure lifestyle brand. Creating sustainable products, with a positive message that people can really connect with. And while the outdoor apparel space is a crowded market, we cater our designs towards a more youthful fashion forward demographic. We offer everything from tees, headwear, sunglasses, etc., and currently we are sold in boutiques across the country as well as online. What really sets us apart is our powerful messaging, modern styling, and sustainable product materials.

One of the things we’re most proud of is our newer initiative called the “Mind the Wild Project” that allows us to give back to the causes we care about. For every item sold we donate $1 to national parks & forest non-profits who are actively working on projects affecting the places we love. And not only does our company donate but each quarter as we select a new non-profit, that we solicit both individuals and companies to join us in donating to. It’s an easy way for anyone to get involved and really make a difference for the environment.

Find out more by visiting: https://wildandco.shop/pages/mind-the-wild-projects

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is being able to work in a business that I am passionate about, that makes every task big or small exciting. Coupled with the fact that I’m able to really give back to causes that are important to me, really makes everything worthwhile. We have plenty of steps and markers that we are on course to hit, from expanding our own infrastructure to hitting big retail stores, and one thing we keep in mind is not to skip steps. Building from the ground up, it’s important to scale methodically and not overreach. I’m a big picture guy though and I won’t think we’ve reached a successful point until the brand and our message is recognizable on a national level.

Currently, you can find us online at www.wildandco.shop, or at various stores in Colorado and across the country. Our next step is to find more ways to grow with partnerships and retail and to continue to spread the positive eco-friendly movement. Expanding and scaling our operations with larger warehousing and more employees is also on our radar which we hope to accomplish within the next year.