Blue Collar Anglers

The Business Plan For Blue Collar Anglers

Executive Summary

Blue Collar Anglers is a business that began after noticing how major sports in the United States always have brands that actively promote and represent them. Kayak fishing isn’t a sport that most even know about, but the community is growing at an exponential rate. Anglers involved in this sport want products that represent them and that are easily recognized. There’s something to be said about two strangers seeing one another in a store and recognizing a brand the other is wearing. It created an instant connection and (as with most fisherman) a large conversation ensues.

Given the lack of brands within this sport, Blue Collar Anglers wants to create original content and apparel that represents this ever-growing community. Being in the elements for hours at a time can take a toll on the body and especially the skin. BCA aims to produce apparel that will be stylish and protective. To do this, Blue Collar Anglers will need to implement a strong business model to maintain the steps needed to succeed. We want to grow our social media followers ten-fold and offer an online retail store with a variety of products that appeal to kayak anglers.

Vision/Mission Statement and Goals

Vision Statement

Most genres in America have brands that stand out and represent the sport/organization as a whole. Blue Collar Anglers wants to be the stand-out brand in the smaller universe of kayak fishing. Blue Collar Anglers represents the common man and woman who still enjoy getting outside and fishing after a long work week. We want our products to be relevant and affordable. It’s not about anything fancy or pretentious. BCA wants to make clothing that is comfortable and stylish while protecting the angler against the elements.

Marketing Methods

There are three main products: hats, clothing, and decals. In a perfect world there would be a machine that could produce all these things. Since that’s not a possibility, several aspects would need to be either outsourced, or equipment purchased. Hats require a commercial-grade embroidery machine, shirts would need a screen-printing press, and the decals can be manufactured with a vinyl cutter. All three machines are reasonably sized and could be placed into a room in the house (for now) or the garage. They can all be purchased on Amazon. If outsourced, the provider would receive a percentage of the initial cost.

Marketing Strategy

There are two sides to the sales plan. In-person and online. Blue Collar Anglers has a solid following on social media (with plenty of room for growth). In person sales would be conducted at local and state tournaments. BCA sets up a sales booth at events where the angler turnout is expected to exceed 50 individuals. These sales are often quite lucrative as the new products are offered at these events first. Items remaining are then offered on the website and advertised via social media.

Aside from advertising the products themselves, social media is used to highlight anglers on the water wearing the apparel. It’s important to the company to show consumers the products being used in the environment they were designed to perform in.

Products will be priced at $10-$15 over the cost of production. This cost applies to all worn apparel. Decals sell for $4-$15 over production cost depending on the size and shape of the design.