Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Cochran.
Hi Scott, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 1999 my wife and I sold our chemical compounding company and started a magazine for motorcycle enthusiasts. We ran that for 17 years, growing to become a national brand. In 2016, we recognized the publishing industry was experiencing massive disruptions due to the growth of Facebook, paid search engines like Google and other social media, which starting taking the lions share of advertising revenue from smaller publishers like our brand. We saw the direction our industry was going. We were one of the few magazines that leaned into Facebook from the beginning, and consequently saw its reach and power to influence buying decisions. To make a pivot, we started small with an Amazon affiliate store, testing if our Facebook “followers” would follow links we posted and make purchases. While it never grew into a “business” we did see that Facebook marketing could be used, and so in 2017 we launched Biker Nation, while winding down the magazine/publishing side of our life. We had already downsized to just one employee. As Biker Nation, we started promoting products on Facebook and fulfilling the orders from a warehouse in Swainsboro. That business model was moderately successful, but as soon as we started to scale, in 2018 Facebook and Google changed their algorithms and our customer engagement dropped and sales dried up. Our ROI plummeted, and we were forced, again to pivot. We decided to take our brand “on the road’ direct to the consumer as “motorcycle rally vendors.” We are now the largest “motorcycle boutique” on the rally circuit. We attend between 18-22 events all around the USA. Mostly on the east coast, but we travel to Arizona in the spring, and Sturgis SD in the summer. The website, www.bikernation.biz has been gaining traction and sells all types of motorcycle gear and clothes through online partnerships with other vendors who handle fulfillment for us.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the challenges has been securing desirable spots at motorcycle events. Just like in retail, location is everything. Many promoters who manage these “:lots” have little or no loyalty towards their vendors so for example, some promoters will willingly give your spot to another vendor for more money. And while that’s capitalism at it’s finest, it is frustrating from a business planning standpoint. Often the vendor who is out bidding you is one that is selling a higher profit item, and thus can afford to out bid you. in the short term. There are NO long term contracts available in our industry. It is all year to year.
The other challenge is simply the stress of travel. Often you have no leeway for breakdowns. Schedules are tight and a breakdown enroute to an event can mean a missed show, a good spot that is lost, and revenue that cannot be replaced.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I think I’ve outlined it pretty good in the previous questions. Biker Nation is the largest biker boutique in the motorcycle rally industry. We sell a variety of apparel and goods that appeal to motorcyclists. Womens’ clothing, jeans, tops, shoes, purses and jewelry. We offer men’s shirts, jeans, and speciality headwear from American Hat Makers. Our pop up shop is the only one that has a fully air-conditioned dressing room for our patrons. Since 90% of our events are in the summer, and it’s always HOT, the comfortable dressing room makes it more appealing to potential customers to try on clothes. Our setup is 20 x 60 and a photo of it is on bikernation.biz.
We also host a motorcycle rally in Helen Georgia each full weekend in June that we started when we published our motorcycle magazine. This year will be our 26th year hosting that event. www.reunionrally.com
What’s next?
Since my wife and I are in our 60’s we are looking towards selling the brand sometime in the next decade. In the meantime, we are always looking for people who are interested in traveling the country and possibly investing in the brand to setup a “second” location at the rallies that re large enough to support it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bikernation.biz
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_biker_nation/
