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Podcast by a Panhandle Surf Angler for all anglers of any level. We will talk weekly to guests that are anglers and also industry professionals. I want you to walk away from this podcast with some knowledge either refreshed or new for you to become a better angler. Though it will start in the Panhandle of Florida, it will be around the entire United States so we can all learn something about fishing in different regions.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This episode of Finding Demo Surf Fishing is being brought to you by Ninja Tackle, ninja tackle va.com. It's a great website to go to if you're looking for great Rods. The Ninja Dagger series, you guys know I love them. Use 'em all the time. And it's the primary Rods for me. Seven footer all the way up to the 13. Still haven't thrown the 13. I'll admit it. I haven't done it yet. But, uh, the few people that have have told me nothing but great things and they're loving it. So eventually I'm gonna find my way up there and go try it. Uh, if you need rigs, he's got you covered on that. Reels, all different types of things all set up in the shop. He's got it there. It's a one-stop shop. Great shipping. If you need to get into the tactical side, a little, uh, accessories for your, uh, things. Yeah, ninja, ninja, tactical side. Yep. Take a look at it. Lots of great things in there. Great prices, and excellent customer service, all the way across ninja tactical va.com. Go check it out.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Ah, yes, new week, new episode. Hope you're doing well. Wherever you are, things are going extremely perfect for you so far. That'd be great. That that's always a good way to start. Uh, hope you enjoyed last week's episode. I know it wasn't a Friday drop, it was alive. And, uh, definitely one of my more controversial, uh, dabbling into politics, which is something I absolutely hate. Uh, but it was a spur of the moment and I didn't, uh, I didn't hate it, actually. It was a good topic. And, you know, I got a lot of good feedback from different people and hey, it's all good. Uh, next time I do that, I will do better about getting it earlier so the pro and the con side can have a, a, a say in it. But, uh, still all good. Still. I wasn't sad to do it.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
I'm glad I did. So this week, um, we're sticking along the lines in a way of other things. , I guess is the best way to say it. Uh, I want to talk to you about sponsors and sponsorships and pro staff, ambassadorships, all that stuff. Uh, and it's a topic that I've avoided for a while because, uh, there's plenty of commotion here in the community about that, that topic. Um, and I know some of you're gonna be like, well, why am I gonna listen to this? This doesn't matter to me. I have no skin in this fight. You don't, or do you? Because every one of us in the quote unquote influencer, God, I hate that word, world, move into this in a bit. And you are also of the same variety. Because if you're in a Facebook group, a perfect example here, and somebody's asking for a Rod recommendation, oh, what are you gonna recommend?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
You're probably gonna recommend what you use, right? All right, well, isn't that not the same thing? In a way? I guess the difference being is what's the tagging? Um, are you getting something back for it? Or are you just enjoying the simple fact that you helped somebody? Right? So there, I really want to get into this because I think it's been demonized quite a bit. And I'm gonna go ahead and open up and tell you all about what we do here on my show. Uh, and for any of you that are thinking about getting into it, maybe this'll be a roadmap for you. Maybe this'll help you out. Uh, I hope it does. That's always the goal here of this podcast, is to try to help you be successful in fishing. , we've been doing it a while now, and I don't, I don't plan on stopping.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
So let, let's, uh, let's, let's just jump into it. Uh, let's stop dancing around it, shall we? So we're gonna cover, uh, the different types, you know, types of sponsorships, how to get 'em even negotiating. I wanna go over that. 'cause that's a lot of fun to talk about. And definitely let's hit the lots of pros and cons. Uh, we're gonna cover, we'll cover all the pieces, sponsorships, pro Saf, ambassadorships, and some of the ups and downs examples of, Hey, real good collaborations, um, from my side that I have seen. And, you know, some of the ones that have just been like, whew, boy, that did not go how I thought it was gonna go. So let, let me dial it in here, and we'll go right into how I got sponsored. Um, and that's going to kind of set up the tone, if you will.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
So, when I first started this, before it was finding Demo Spearfishing, it was just Brian Dimo, the writer. Um, I've always been into writing. It's been one of my favorite things to do. And I moved down here and I started really wanting to write reviews and write about products. And, and I wanted to get into it. And the only way I knew how to do it was basically use friends gear and start from there. And that's how it did. Um, I started out trying other people's gear that I got and wrote about it and got it ready. And I reached out to some companies and said, Hey, I'm gonna write this. Here's what it is. And, you know, I had like a following of 10 people, maybe, you know, friends and family that were like, yeah, we'll read your stuff. And then it kind of grew.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
And with that growth came meeting other companies, uh, perfect example, ninja Tackle. They're sponsoring this episode. So that's a perfect example to go with here. Uh, I, I'd heard a lot of great things about Matt's Rods the ninja, uh, the 12 Foot Dagger, Tony Fone. He lives down the street from me. He had one, and he had nothing but amazing things to say about it. And I was like, okay, well, can I borrow it? And he was like, yeah, absolutely. Here you go. So I took it out, threw it, and I loved it. Absolutely loved the rod. Um, I only had one thing I didn't like about it, and that was the butt. And I wrote it up and told the whole thing. And then I called Matt and said, Hey, I'm writing this about your rods. And Matt was like, okay, cool. Uh, at wide open for feedback, but also super helpful to me.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
And since the start to today, Matt shared, you know, like, Hey, you should look at this. Talk about these, look at these. He, he kind of guided me, and it was really a great start for me because it opened my eyes to things I didn't know. And Matt said something that really stuck out to me, and it still does, was, don't go full power all the way right away, because you're going to burn out and it's gonna, it's just gonna turn into something horrible and you're gonna regret it. And he was right. I mean, I slowed up and then the podcast came to life, and yeah, you guys have seen it. I've gone into burnout mode a couple times here, and it's just like, okay, cool. Re regroup, restart. Well, through that being said, that was my first real quote unquote sponsorship, was Matt. He said yes to pretty much anything that I wanted to learn about, and he helped me facilitate it.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Same with the, the singer guy. Uh, got into Sputniks from, geez, Kyle. Yeah, Kyle for a while, met him. And I, all of a sudden I learned about Sputniks, I wrote about it, and I showed the difference in, of castability and distance and holding power in Sputniks versus a bunch of other weights. And that's all back on finding the most spearfishing.com, and you can read about it. And I just basically laid it all out, all of those things built into something. It, it grew and basically all of it really was a start to my sponsorships and my ambassadorships and pro staff life. So it all starts somewhere, and you have to build into it, and then the relationship creates from that into other things. So let's let, let's talk about definitions here. So a sponsorship is more the financial or product based support from a brand.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Normally in exchange for, call it promotion, uh, normally you're talking formal agreements here. When, when you're in the sponsorship world, yeah, it's, it's in there. Like we're, we're going into monetary good example podcast. This show is sponsored. It is financially, uh, covered by my sponsors. Uh, that was an unexpected turn. And all my sponsors, when I reached out to ask 'em about sponsoring the show, they were like, you need to charge. And I was like, I don't know if I should, I mean, I appreciate you and I love your gear. And they're like, no, you need to stop it. And you need to charge. That's what you need to do. Uh, okay. And I did. So a sponsorship came up with an agreement for all of us before I, you know, before I did all these things. Every quarter they get a new, we go over the agreement again and we run it.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
That's a sponsorship. Uh, pro staff is more the middle ground here, because the next one's ambassadors. So the pro staff's in the middle, normally you're talking about some support, usually in the product form. Uh, it, it, it's more of a promote the brand. Generally it's intermediate and advanced anglers with a good following. Two things that I kind of pushed there, right there, right? The following, the following that is so important is the following. Because if you don't have a good following, what is going to be the ROI, what is the return on the investment of them putting money and product into you so they can make money back? It's a build, it's a relationship, right? It's a business. And that's the easiest way to mention it. And think about it in the ambassadorship world, more casual form of promotion. So ambassadors normally are just, Hey, use and promote product, uh, with no quotas, obligations, uh, I don't know, t-shirts that they're normally the first one that comes to my mind.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Uh, you know, hey, this shirt you wear ambassadorship, here's that code, blah, blah. That, that's more of that one. It's kind of a free floating. So you got between those three, you can kind of dance around that. And, uh, I don't know, pick which one I guess you wanna go for. So a, a lot of companies are gonna start you out in the ambassadorship because it's the least restrictive. You know, it's, it's the start of the relationship. You guys are gonna grow and live and figure that stuff out and then move up from there. Um, the one piece I will say though, is you have to really know what it is you want to get to. So if you're getting into this game and you want to play into it and grow with that level, do you want a financial gain? You want a sponsorship, like financial wise, you have to set yourself up for that.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
You have to create the environment that makes it worthy, if you will. I know that sounds like a horrible word to say, but think of it in the regards of this. If you have a product and you're gonna give that product to somebody to promote, what do you want? You obviously want your product to grow, right? That's what we all want. And getting it in front of other people versus, you know, TV commercials and whatnot. You know, this is your advertising. It's coming outta your advertising budget to do this. Whether it's product or financial. If you do not have the audience and tags and growth that warrant what they say is a sponsor, you're probably not gonna get it. Well, let's just call the spade a spade here. I mean, I am utterly surprised that I have a sponsorship. I probably admit that. I tell that every time I talk to 'em.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
I'm like, I can't believe you still wanna cover me on this. This is great, but I can't go to Iowa. The perfect example are Shimano. You guys know I love the Altegra, right? I know I can't go to all Shimano with a 2000 following of a podcast and talk about the gear and ask them, Hey, look, you know, I'd, I'd like to be sponsored when I mention their stuff, every few podcasts. It's not gonna happen. There's no ROIW. No one's gonna be like, oh, well, DMO uses the Shimano Altegra. Oh crap, it's a $200 reel. I'm gonna buy it. Not likely. . I mean, it sounds cool. I mean, I, I, I, again, I have nothing bad ever to say about that. real. That's a frigging great reel. But you know, no one, I don't have that influence, if you will. I, I just don't.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
And companies will see that and be like, okay, well, we're not there yet. Maybe we can talk about it later on if we get into a certain one. So there's knowing those ones where you want to be, how you want to get there, and you gotta kind of make that business plan. So let, let's do pro con, okay? In the sponsorship world of pro, definitely financial support, gear access to industry events, and the larger platform. Like, dude, could you imagine your growth, right? That's key. Um, a great example is I am on pro staff for fish bytes. Uh, I've been on it for a couple years now. Uh, one I get, what do I get? I get set up with my agreement with them. Uh, I have my line number that I am allowed X. Okay? Uh, that's the agreement that we came up with.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
That was a pro, pro situation. That was a negotiation. I would like this. They would like this. Okay, what, what do we need to negotiate? I got what I wanted. They got what they're wanting. Okay? That's a win-win, right? I got one other thing. I got to go to an industry event. I got to go to icast. That was huge for me. It was a monster. It opened my eyes to so many things and made me see so many products and get more guests on the show to talk to you about gear. That was huge. Not everybody gets that super win. Again, negotiating, right? So, sorry, little example there, but the cons there is higher expectations, potential exclusivity clauses, and the need to provide a measurable ROI. That right there is the key for business and ROI, uh, off of fish bites. Let's talk about, like for Matt, for Ninja tackle.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
If Matt gives me a rod, what does he lose? He loses a rod at retail. He's losing money out of his pocket to feed his family, because that's his business. That's, that's his money maker. That's what he does every day, day in and day out. Running Ninja tackle, he lost that one, but that's another trickle effect. The shipping, it came from overseas or something, or that piece, right? The research and development that he needs to do for the next series of rods or o other pieces, that one Rod has a trickle effect. So if I get him three rods sold because of me, there's an ROI, okay, he got his one back plus two, that's an ROI, that's a measurable. ROI. That's a win. But you have to get there for it, right? And that's where you start seeing like, uh, the codes for that so that they can measure if your reach is giving, uh, an ROI for that.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Those things together will get you pretty far. Now, the one that I know people hate is the exclusivity clause. Yes. However, there is room to negotiate that, and that is the thing that you need to do, is be able to negotiate. You have to work that. Um, do I have any exclusivity? I do, but I've also renegotiated exclusivity for myself. Uh, I can tell you about it. I'm just gonna have to, I'm not gonna do it on this podcast. Well, I'll do it another time. But it was a negotiation for that. To get to a certain point, that's a win. And that's exactly what I built for my business. So you, you have to know with a sponsorship thing, big money in, big money out, right? You gotta have that backup for pro staff. I mean, you start looking at pros of like, discounted products, flexibility, strong resume builder for future opportunities, because you know you're gonna wanna grow, right?
Speaker 1 (15:59):
This is, Hey, I'm on this pro staff. That's a big deal. You know, if you go into a company like, well, I've been on this pro staff for this long, I've done this, this, and this. That's the proof in the pudding that that's a win. When it comes into the con side, you maybe the benefits are not as high. Maybe it's a lower tier, you know, limited influence on brand decisions. Maybe they, you know, maybe you could have a great idea for their next product, but you know, you just don't have something that they're like, yeah, we appreciate what you have to say, but you don't really have a seat at the table yet. Build it. And maybe you can get there and they might need you to do more promotion than you're getting. Or then you're receiving back. Well, that sucks, okay? Again, that con is part of your negotiation.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
You need to negotiate that. You need to be able to go and say, well, you want me to do five Facebook posts per month? Okay, uh, well, can you help me on the same one by promoting the same five? Well, we can't do that. Well, what can you do for me? How can we meet in the middle on this? Now, I better, I better pause there because meeting in the middle, oh, that's, it's one of my favorite things to do. But, but, but, but, but, but, but I hate using that word. But in a negotiation, there's always somebody that wins and somebody that loses. Very rarely, is it 50 50? There's gonna be a concession somewhere. Somebody has to, to make the deal or the deal doesn't get done. So knowing what you want going into that is going to make the difference. And the conversation piece that comes from that builds off of you and your business, your brand, your growth, your audience, all of that, for you to say, I have this and you want this, you need me, I need you.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Here's this. So negotiation on that is, again, huge off of the ambassadorship side. Pro flexibility, less pressure, and hey, cool, I got a T-shirt. Oh yeah, wear this shirt. They're great, they're comfortable. Uh, great for a starting relationship with a brand. If you wanna get your foot in the door, it's a great way to do that. Work your way in and, and meet people and grow through that method. Cons, there's really no, no perks. It's maybe onesie, twosies, and it's very much so looked at as an unofficial thing. Yeah, yeah, it's, you're an ambassador. Oh, okay. Kind of sucks, but that's a starting point, right? So it, it's all, I don't know, back in the way of thinking. It's more in the eye of what you determine it, how you feel about it, what you think about it. So running those pieces, again, brings it into the negotiation. And that's just the piece that you have to play into. So, uh, it's been about 20 minutes here, and you guys know that's what we do here. We do a paycheck every 20 minutes. So you need to reel that line in. You need to double check to make sure you still got stuff, because if you don't, man fishing on credit ain't gonna catch bud.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
This paycheck is being brought to you by DS custom tackle. And I've got something cool to tell you about. There's a new ad to the DS custom tackle line, and it is the pomp and Ain't Easy fish in line, , it's, so, it's pretty cool. It really is. I'm like, I'm just smiling, laughing about it. I, I got my shirt in the mail, actually, and I was like, this is nice. Um, nice real comfortable. T-shirts, they're very light and they're that, uh, sport material, but they've also got the brand new rigs for it too. The Pomp and ain easy series. And there's gonna be a lot more. So if you go over to ds custom tackle.com, take a look at the website, there's plenty of things on there. And at the top it says, pomp and ain. Easy Hop on that, take a look. And, uh, yeah, get on the train, man, because that's gonna be a fun adventure. And I am stupid, excited to see where it takes us. I really am, man. So much fun. Alright, so continuing on, uh, let, let's talk about building your brand and attracting the sponsors. Okay, so social media, we all need it, then we're all on it, right? Pretty much. It's where we live, uh, the content that is so important. So you gotta emphasize the power of Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. And you gotta showcase all the things that they're going to matter to them.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
I cannot emphasize enough how much you have to use other avenues of social media other than one platform. Now, for me, I am learning TikTok more and I'm enjoying TikTok. I know that there's, everybody's got their own personal opinions on things, Twitter, whatever, blah, blah. If you're in this game, you gotta have a, a presence for it. Um, I do some videos on Twitch. I do things like that. I, I, I do these because of me. Now, the other side of that too is I'm not a video. Uh, I don't, I don't do YouTube like that. I, I, that's kind of a challenge, right? How's a podcast gonna do that? Well, it's not that difficult. You plan things, you build posts that generate things. You create, you make things happen. And then you also write stuff and you talk about the products, and you spend the time with the company on that to help that.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
And then you harness the power of social media and your network to utilize it. Yeah, there's a lot to it. You gotta do it. Um, but you can't really back it down. So talking about that piece, you got the community engagement, local surf, uh, surf fishing clubs, Facebook groups, uh, events, forums, tournaments, all that stuff adds into your brand to get sponsors that you have to be. Now with that, you have to be smart in the regards of, you can't go into, I don't know, let's, you can't go into a tournament that's sponsored by one company and use their rival product and drop it right down on top of 'em, right? What's that gonna do? That's one that's gonna put a bad taste in the, in several people's mouths, right? Especially that company. They're like, okay, cool. That guy, that guy's a problem. Now let's multiply that.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
That person's network is now probably gonna know who you are and probably not going to support you. You're gonna get labeled, you're gonna get branded. That is a real thing. It absolutely is. In this community, I will free the first one to admit that. 'cause I have been the guy that has been branded and I have also branded. So it's a give and take. So you gotta have a little bit of, a little bit of G two on that when it comes to thinking, Hey, look, I gotta do these things a certain way in the community. That ties also with networking and your reputation. So yeah, pretty much nailed that with reputation, right? You gotta be known as who you are. Are you responsible? You know, are you responsible? Well, that's a word. Word .
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Are, are you credible? Uh, are you genuine? That's, that's, that's a big one. Does your network and other networks, do they talk about you in a positive light? Is there a chance that someone else's network wants to work with you to build their brand and your brand? Is there information that you two can share that turns this thing to, that networking is huge. It's a monster. It has to be done. Um, oh man, reputation, I, I, man, I, that, that's a topic of doom right there. Like, you can get into some serious bridge burning when you start talking reputation pieces. Um, and I'm gonna burn one here.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
So I personally believe that if you are sponsored in any way, shape, or form, whether it's a sponsorship, ambassador, pro staff, whatever, if you do not use that product, then you are doing a disservice to that company and the people that follow you. I truly believe that because all you are is peddling for money. And hey God, good law on you, man, for the hustle. You gotta hustle to make your dollar. Hey, okay, that's you all good. Brian's opinion. Yeah, no, if you don't believe in what you're peddling and selling and moving and using, yeah, no, then what's the point? Why waste my time? Why waste people's time? It's no different to me than basically just, you know, I don't wanna say lying, but it's like, what's the point? What'd you bring me? So yeah, reputation with that one's a good one man. And I know they're gonna be people that hear this podcast and share it and be like, oh, are they talking about you?
Speaker 1 (24:40):
And, uh, that wasn't directed at anyone in particular, actually, but if the shoe fits you, you can lace that boot right up and wear it. Yeah, I said that, that, uh, 24 minutes. There you go. You can tell that there's the time marker. Uh, I believe that. So everything on finding demo, most searching.com is stuff I have that I use. Uh, I don't, you know, throw things on there that I don't use everybody that sponsors this show. Uh, I use their gear. I go to their events, I support their cause. And there's stuff that I talk about and I tag that you've seen on Facebook. If you follow me and Instagram and all those other ones, I use gear that's not sponsored to the show yet. 'cause there's no advertising space. I wish I could say, oh yeah, we're gonna give you this. I I just don't do that.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
That's me. That's Brian's business. But you guys have seen me use it. Uh, like great example. Like, I, I shouldn't go too far, but we'll, we'll go into this real quick. Um, Halco love Halco. I met them at icast and I was like, oh my God, I wanna do something with this guys. I wanna do something so bad with Halco. Oh, these lures are beautiful. Oh my God, they're expensive. Oh, can we work something that is not a beneficial relationship to me and them at all? That's not, I wish it was, but it's not. I don't have, I don't fish that style. Uh, I don't do that style of fishing that Halco would be able to utilize. I don't, their lures are beautiful. They're poppers. I'm amazing. However, do I use it? No, I don't do poppers. I don't do top water like that. It's not something I'm good at.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
It's something I have to get better at. It's something I'm working on, but I I, I don't have anything that could prove useful to them. Now, I've done episodes, as you guys have heard, I've done them with, uh, beach bum lures. I absolutely love his metal and I use it all the time. Es lures, I've used his stuff. Uh, he hasn't been on the show One day I'll get 'em, , I use his stuff. I love these things. I use them on in people's boats. I use them from the surf and I catch with them and I talk about it because I can genuinely tell you, yeah, I use this stuff and it works. Go use what works, right? So, uh, I just, I don't believe in giving you false bum gouge. So, alright, off that, let's talk about negotiation. Um, for those of you who don't know, uh, in a previous life, when I was in the Marine Corps, my job for three fun years was recruiting. So sales, right? Instead of making money, I was, I don't know, you can call it selling souls. I don't know. I, I've heard different things and had different mentions of what I was with a shotgun pointed in my face.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Negotiation is just a deal. It's just, that's all it is. You're building a business deal and that's what you gotta do. That's what half of this is, is building something together to make an end of what you both want. So first steps first. If you know the company you wanna work with, you gotta do your homework. You gotta know their values, what their campaign is and what other influencers are in that exact same space and what they're getting. Yeah, you gotta compare yourself. And that sucks, man. Oh, that sucks. It absolutely is a gut punch when you have to hold the mirror up in front of your face and your product and your brand and say, alright, what am I compared to them? Because comparison is the thief of all joy, right? Yeah. But again, the, but you have to do it if you know, to get in with that company, you have to know what you're gonna offer them, and you have to align with that.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
But you have to know your value. What is your unique strength, your local expertise, your network, your market, your followers, the demographics, the engagements, all that piece that comes into play. You have to know your numbers too for your social media. You gotta make sure you're following on that. And don't, don't, don't, don't, don't buy one of those packages that will give you followers and interaction for point of time. Yeah, it looks pretty, it fails in the long run. It's not worth it. Uh, determining the term. You gotta clarify what you're offering. You know, number of posts, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this, this is what I did. And then what do you expect from me and what do I expect from you? It's a team effort though. You're pumping out their stuff, they need to pump you out because it's a double win on that network. They may have a 1 million following and outta that 1 million following 10,000 or surf anglers and outta that 10,000 surf anglers, 1000 follow you, that's 9,000. You're missing their post could get you on their radar to help with that, to grow on that. Because one can turn into 10 that can turn into a hundred that can turn into a thousand overnight with one viral post that does, right? Don't discount that asking them for something too.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
You can ask for the world, but hogs get slaughtered, pigs get fed. You don't have to go monsters here, man. You don't start small. I mean, maybe a free product for a discount code. Sure, you gotta grow that one. Or maybe, Hey, look, I'd like to do X for this. You know, you gotta find out how you can get your foot in the door because that's the start Now for negotiating, it's, you know, not a lot of people like to do that. They don't like to do the the sale. They don't like to do the conversation piece. They don't like to do the most powerful tool or they don't know about the wif. 'em, what's in it for me? What's in it for you? What this will bring you is this, what this will do for you is this is what, why bring, clarify, confirm match mirror.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Oh, good words, good times. Anyway, run through negotiating with somebody, a friend, talk to them and make them, you know, be like, dude, just make it so you can't, I can't get through. And then what's gameplay it back? That can be huge. That can be a monster. Figure out how it is to get into negotiating, because a little bit will go a long way. So without, uh, yeah. Let's the, the one thing though that we don't really think about because we're so excited, man, I got the deal. What about those red flags? Yeah. And no one likes the red flags, right? So let's talk about some of them, because the, if you're in an agreement piece and you need to read an agreement completely and totally before you sign that thing, do not even think about signing it if you haven't read it. And if words don't make sense, get legal help, pay the money for it because you do not want to get bent over on that deal.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
It hurts and it's not worth it. So, uh, red flag number one, vague or unclear expectations. So I mean, if there, if I don't know what you want, how can I lay out the terms and do what you want for you not to say, well, I didn't meet your terms. I don't know, you didn't tell me. Well, it's in the agreement where oh, oh, it's right there, big one there. Uh, exclusivity clauses. Explain well, it how they're good and they're bad, and in reality they may prevent you from working with other brands. And how you have to, you know, negotiate. That is really a discussion piece. Um, with mine it was, they want one thing and I want one thing. And we made a slight adjustment to two pieces and it worked out for both of us. Uh, again, that's an exception, not a norm, but, uh, I negotiated that and with them to negotiate it as well.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
And we all came to end to the end and it won. So you can have exclusive agreements and then there are times you won't have one. And if you do, maybe you need to adjust it as a smaller pitch. Um, if you're working with one re company, uh, great example. The two reels you guys know I love of PC fun . I love that flame. Um, and I love my Shimano. And if I got sponsored by one and they're like, well, you can't talk about any other reels. I'll be like, oh, okay, well the problem is this. You want me to utilize this reel for this series and this is what I do with this, but this type of phishing that I talk about, I don't, you don't have that. So how is it I can't utilize the other, you're limiting me and you're limiting my reach and my availability to help you.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
Is that, how does this work? 'cause you guys are on two, yeah, you're in the same industry, but you're in two different markets that doesn't, they don't cross. Um, that's a discussion piece. And that could very well turn into, well, no, there's nothing at all. And if that's a deal breaker for you, say, all right, well, unfortunately, that's just not something I'm willing to adjust to. Um, I'm sorry, we can't do this now. Maybe we can visit again at another time. Never be afraid to walk away. That's okay. It's okay to do that. Uh, again, your option, you can be exclusive if you want. You can be non-exclusive. You have to negotiate that. It's on you to do no one else. And for me to tell you, you should do this because it's not exclusive or, you know, oh, you should avoid this. No, that's an, that's complete disservice to you. This is your business, your line, your life run, your thing your way. But , get advice. Talk to friends, talk to other members. Talk to people that will help you discuss it. Okay? There, uh, unfair compensation is always, it's gonna be lopsided guys and gals. It truly is. Um, if the terms don't seem to match the value though, hey, don't be afraid to ask for more or walk away.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
Why am I gonna pay $5 for this and I'm only going to and way back get 5 cents. That doesn't, that doesn't win. Why, why, how is that? Well, that's how we do it. Okay, well, uh, I appreciate that's how you do it. However, I'm not seeing a value in this for either of us. You're gonna gain into my network and make money off of it. But what am I gonna get? What are you gonna do to make me whole with this same thing? Well, what do you want? Ah, negotiate. Let's negotiate. If they won't and they don't want to talk about it, that's okay. You may have to walk away and maybe you have to revisit it or have another time for a conversation. It's, again, depends on that relationship. If you instantly say, that's a deal breaker, okay, well that door's closed, I guess how long it's closed for, probably forever. Yeah. Not a good twin. Not a good win at all. Uh, reputation, huge red flag. Huge. Why Partnering with a reputable, trustworthy brand matters. Don't just jump in with somebody that don't, that doesn't align with yours because they're a name. If a company doesn't do the exact same thing that makes you be able to go to sleep at night knowing that you name is attached to it through that, then what the hell are you doing?
Speaker 1 (35:13):
Why? Why would you do that? What for a, a free this? No good example. Ugly stick, man, that 12 foot rod, I despise it. I say that on so many podcasts. I despise the 12 foot. Oh, so much on that rod. And boy, did I get freaking railroaded in comments once when I was like, yeah, no, that's a horrible rod. Why would I want that? If they came to me and said, look, we'll give you a bunch of rods and we'll give you this and this and this. Oh, okay, that sounds great. How have you changed your rod? That I like it. Well, we haven't then why the hell am I here? The reputation, yeah, you're a good company, but your rod sucks. Okay, sorry. Not sorry. This is not something we can negotiate because you don't align with what I align with, right? That's kind of a weird case.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Now, if you start talking values and things like that, you're, you're in a different ball game. But you know, if you go, if it doesn't line up with what you believe in and how you believe in it and what they're doing, then your missions aren't gonna align. In which case you are not gonna really care about that product and they're not gonna care about you. So make those work. Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's kind of a fun one. Uh, the whole thing in the end is really about growing. You're growing your business, right? You're growing that piece. And let's do one more paycheck. 'cause I want to talk more about that. And I think that's really gonna hammer home a lot of this discussion.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
All right? It's the second paycheck of the episode. Make sure you're good. 'cause that's always important. This bay check's being brought to you by kid, brought to you by Kids Can Fish Foundation, kids can fish.net. It's the great website to go to and see all the mission that they're doing. I mean, without you, these camps do not happen. These kids get to go to these camps that they set up for cast net surf fishing. Uh, I know they were doing dock fishing, dock series, all that. They get these kids together, they give them the gear. So next time after they've spent the day learning, they can go and fish again with their family. It's building huge blocks. It's amazing. I can't say enough good things about it. I absolutely love them, and I'm so proud of all the things they're doing. I can't wait for 'em to come back to the panhandle that it is happening. We have slapped the table on that, so there will be more coming out on that. But kids can fish.net if you're there and you can help them buying stuff in the shop, the tumblers shirts, things like that, or the cast net that they have with pro Mahi. Yeah, that all goes back in and next year come down to the tournament. St. Simon's Island, it's gonna be on a three day weekend. It's gonna be great. Come on down.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
So, importance of your brand. This is your baby, okay? You want to build it and you want to grow it, and you want it to be something memorable. I mean, you're not starting this just for and giggles, right? You, you've started this to do what you, you have a goal, and I hope you have it written down in a clear, concise and plan. But you need to build your reputation and your brand with that. You gotta stay consistent and be professional. It's so important. I've been consistent for a long time until recently, and that is unfortunate because of me. Thankfully, you guys are still here. I love you for it. I really do, and I appreciate it and I appreciate your patience with me. Um, and I can't tell you why yet. I I will, I will eventually be able to tell you why I've been absent and what's going on, but I can't right now.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
So the, yeah, I can still do podcasts. We're good. But I just can't tell you all the other stuff you'll know. I promise. I promise. I will tell you, uh, stay genuine. I mean, don't betray yourself for the dollar. Don't, I mean, hustling's one thing, but hustling for a dollar for nothing. Just because you need a dollar. Is it worth your integrity? Is it worth your reputation? Is it worth your brand? If it is, okay, then you're can't go wrong. But if you can slightly say no, then why? What's, what's the win for you? So li live that one, you know, do that. And the right sponsorships, they truly take time. They really do. I mean, you're not gonna be, you're probably not gonna find the ultimate company overnight. You're probably not gonna have the greatest relationship right off the bat. It, it's, it's all gonna grow and you have to just be patient and roll with the punches on that.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
And that's okay. It really is. There's a lot of learning experiences with this. Um, everything I'm telling you, I wish somebody had told me. Um, Matt told me a ton, and I'm telling you a lot that he told me. But, um, a lot of this I had to find out on my own. And I definitely found out the hard way a couple times. But, uh, a lot of that you don't know about. I didn't share it with you and only a couple people knew, uh, know that it will happen. It truly will. And Spartan spon, Spartan sponsorships and pro staff and ambassadorships, they're, they're all stepping stones and building blocks to get to somewhere that you want to be. And it opens doors, man. It, it really should. And it does. Um, but it shouldn't be the sole for focus of your surfacing experience and your, you know, your brand.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
You know, you're not out there trying to get product all the time. Remember to have fun and why you started this. That's huge. I, I started this to teach and shared knowledge around the world, uh, about surf. And I've, I've achieved that and I'm going to continue to achieve that. And I have met some amazing people doing this. So many, every one of my guests has been an amazing person to me. And then I've enjoyed it. And I stay in touch with, uh, some, uh, definitely I don't stay in touch with a lot of people. I'll admit it. I'm sucking right now, keeping in touch with people. But I have my own stuff. So that's why. Um, but it's opened so many doors to have great conversations with people that I never would've thought to. Never, ever, never would've thought I would've talked to somebody that catches great whites, , legally.
Speaker 1 (41:44):
I mean, holy crap, that was such a great experience. Or into Australia learning about their programs, South Africa, I mean all of Florida makers of gear products. So many amazing things have come from this for me. And it is all thanks to you all and the network that has become from this. So it's, it works man. And sponsorships are not the end goal. And if it is, you're gonna have to adjust. Uh, if you've got some fun stuff to talk about on this, by all means drop in the comments, shoot me a message. I mean, you can find, you can reach out to me on finding demo suring.com. You can email me finding demo suring@gmail.com. And like I said, I'm on all the app. I'm on all the platforms, Facebook, YouTube, uh, TikTok, Insta, I suck at Instagram guys. I really, really do. I, I think out of all the platforms, Instagram's the one I despise the most.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Yeah, I really do. But, uh, yeah, you can reach out to all that one. So thank you very much for sticking around for this. I, I know it wasn't your normal thing that you hear about and it's kind of like, I, I hope you got some value out of it. And you could see a little bit behind the curtain, um, on some of the stuff that goes on with this. And it reality, it's just fun, man. Fishing's fun and getting things involved with it and sharing people's product and learning about their product and helping somebody put dance shoes on their kid. 'cause they're a small business and you help them through that with their product. That's, uh, wonderful. Can't go wrong. Uh, I got some cool stuff coming up here soon. We got some more guests. Of course, I was always, uh, those will be coming.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
Uh, I do have another one of these type of episodes coming that I don't know if you're gonna love. Um, in reality it's gonna be a kind of a weird one. Uh, so I was on a weird kick one night going down a, a, a research hole on, uh, laws and regulations, um, when it came to Florida fishing. And I was comparing it, I think I was comparing it to Texas and I came across the phishing excise tax. And I was like, why the hell am I on this? What does this, what does this do? And I found out that the phishing excise tax is something we all pay that I didn't realize we were paying. But on top of that, I didn't realize what the benefits were of it. And I was kind of like, huh, maybe this is something to talk about. So, uh, I got an episode coming up with that.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
I'm gonna have some guests on. They're gonna talk from their side of the industry on what the excise tax is and does and how it affects them, but also the turnaround piece. I'm trying to work out one more on a higher note, but I don't think that agency's gonna reach back out to me. So, uh, I'm just gonna run it and hope for the best. Yeah, sometimes forgiveness, permission, right? Uh, it shouldn't be that bad, I don't think I'll be illegal . We'll see. Uh, thanks again for sticking around everybody. I'm, I'm always happy that you're here. I'm hoping that I helped you in some way, shape or form, and, uh, share it out if I have, because this is, this mission's not stopping no matter what. It's gonna continue even listening to finding DMO surf fishing. Thanks for sticking around. I'm outta here.