166: From Crown to Community Manager - Wisdom by WESA

0:00You are listening to The Horse Radio Network, part of the Equine Network Family. This is Jennifer Hebert. I'm Morgan Nicole. And this is Sophia Egella. Welcome to Wisdom Euesa on The Horse Radio Network, part of the Equine Network Family. Well, everybody just got back from the Busy. January was a trade show. How many exhibitors showcased products this time? Sophia? Yes, we ran some numbers. So we hosted about 550 exhibitors last month, which is a slight increase from the past January show. And as you guys saw, there were a ton of product lines available across almost 293 square feet of exhibit space. But what I thought was kind of interesting after looking at the numbers is that we gained

1:00over 30% more international exhibitors. So I loved seeing that trend continuing. That's very interesting. So in the under the bullet point, why should I go to Wesa as a retailer, as a buyer, right there, because you're not going to have access to that. Otherwise. Yes. Exactly. Trying to develop a relationship with an international exhibitor via your computer brought with problems at the very, very least. So right there is another one of the many, many reasons that folks should join up with Wesa and attend. So from the flip side, how many retailers registered to attend this particular trade show? Yes. The attendance rate increased also and we welcomed 1,600 stores. And then of course, each store brings multiple buyers.

2:02So for folks who want to come to Wesa as a retailer, as a buyer, are there limits or guidelines as to how many bodies should attend? I'm a retailer. I have one store. What you might consider a middle size store and I want to get to Wesa and expand my offerings and develop relationships with more wholesalers, is it best to have one person because it's a big show. Should you have one person? Should you tag team? Should you have what, what, what's the, the lay of the land there? You can bring as many buyers as you have employed. We do need verification that there are actual employees of the store. But if you want to bring five, that's great. You can also bring a couple of guests, but not more than two. But to bring a team is usually great because one can do social media and kind of chat with the people online, but they actually want to buy or others can just tag team the actual

3:03buying process. And one may just have to hold all kinds of bags for all the giveaways that we have and also all the exhibitors. I will say, I agree that having attended 20 some odd, Wesa shows now, right, teaming up, I think you get the most out of your experience as a, as a buyer. Even if you have a smaller store and you're a two or three person operation, it's a family, family run operation. It's you, your partner or your family members who run it, bringing something, someone with you, like you said, even if they're not an employee, if they're a guest, your BFF that has no nuisance before you ever even opened your store. If you have that second person, it's so useful to be able to bounce ideas off of and that other person is going to ask questions you didn't think of. So bringing that second person, even if you're a small store, is a great idea. Right, and that may even be helpful for August too, which is our next trade show.

4:04Although it's the smaller one, it might still be helpful to have your team with you too. No, don't, and everybody loves, loves January because it's craziness, it's, it's great, the vibe is just awesome. There's, there's a certain tingle in the air. I love August because it is a little quieter and you have more time to really get to know a new company that you're maybe not familiar with. And they have more time to get to know you because it's not so crazy. So if you're maybe going to be a first timer or you haven't gone in August lately, August might be a good time to show up so that you can take your own sweet time and get to know people, reconnect with maybe some, some wholesalers that you haven't chatted much with lately and it's like, well, their product lines are kind of stagnant. Well, reconnect with them and see if they can help you get those numbers back up where they should be. And speaking of getting to know retailers and wholesalers, why don't you introduce this

5:05week's guest? Yes. Today we have Kaylyn Keynote, yes. She is a former Miss Rodeo USA girl turned brand side storyteller. And right now she's leading the community and PR efforts at Kerala Boots. Kaylyn, welcome to the show. Thank you so much Morgan. It's so great to be here. Absolutely. I know that we were able to meet each other for the first time a few weeks ago at WESA. And what a treat to have you on today. I know your story is multifaceted and there's so many great kind of branches to it. So I'm excited to jump in. Let's go ahead and talk about that background. Maybe share a little bit more about your industry involvement up to this point. Of course. It was so great to meet you at WESA and I love everything you do for our industry. So again, thank you so much for having me on today.

6:08And so yes, I mean, I absolutely love the Western way of life. I think we all share that passion. And I've been blessed to be able to be involved in a few different facets of it from range management to starting Mustangs on the Central Coast of California to representing Rodeo as Miss Rodeo USA. And of course, most recently, helping with corral boots, just a staple in the Western fashion industry. And that's been a passion of mine for such a long time. Wow. You are a cowgirl with many, many hats. I love to hear it. Your background sounds so deeply rooted in that education and the youth and the advocacy. And you mentioned corral boots, which is such an honor. Tell us about kind of where does that show up in your work? Like all of that, you know, deep rooted education from your past. How is that showing up now in present day?

7:10Definitely. So I mean, as the PR and community manager, I have such a fantastic opportunity to be able to connect with audiences, not only via social media, but also in person at certain events. Such as the Houston Rodeo. And if you're from Texas, you have to go to the Houston Livestock show in Rodeo. It's fantastic. Corral is the sponsor of the team roping there. But going back to that education and advocacy, it's wonderful to be able to connect with people who maybe they've never been to a rodeo before. And they see our boots for the first time. They're like, wow, what is this? I want these boots. And then it just becomes this rabbit hole of discovering all of the beautiful things we have to offer in the Western way of life or going to events such as Houston or CCMF and just getting to talk to people and hear their own personal stories and journey on how they came into whatever portion of our lifestyle.

8:13And I think that boots are such a great connector for that. And they just open up a world of opportunities and possibilities for everyone. And so of course, there's that connection aspect. There's that storytelling aspect. And each one of our boots is again, such a story. I'm sure we'll get into it a little bit later, but each one of our boots carries a story, each one of the people that we meet on the road carries a story. And just to be able to bring that all together to celebrate is fantastic. Absolutely. And I love that you mentioned the Houston rodeo coming up. And I know Corral is just so heavily immersed in so many different things. And for a little irony, y'all are really boots on the ground at these events. And I really love Kaelin the fact that they've been able to put someone in this PR kind of role that really has like their money where their mouth is.

9:14I think that's so fabulous. Now stepping into this role, I mean, it's a really big role, right? You are continuing to carry the brand on the internet, right? And give it almost a face online. What kind of surprised you? Like what was the most surprising thing stepping into this new brand role? Yeah. So I think maybe it wasn't at the forefront of my mind when I stepped into this role, but it became apparent very, very soon. Corral has been around since 1999. And I'm not going to age myself, but I've been wearing Corral for a very long time, almost about as long as they've been around. And I remember that being like one of my first pairs of boots when I was little, like four or five years old. And I remember the iconic designs. I remember they were sparkly and they were fun, but they still felt good on my little four-year-old feet when I was learning to ride horses.

10:15And so coming to like that full circle moment, you know, 20-something years later, and being able to connect with that community, like the thing that maybe surprised me the most was that there is so much heritage and so much history. And it's fantastic to see that carried through 20-plus years, but then to see the new people coming into it. And maybe discovering Corral for the first time. And then being overwhelmed with like, wow, they've been around for so long. They've been doing all of these different things. You know, the craftsmanship, the heritage to the cowboy lifestyle, hasn't changed since 1999. And being able to experience that with some of our new fans and some of our new customers has been really, really special. Yes, I love that apart about the Western industry. There is so much heritage. And also, like you said, you've been in this 20-plus years as a consumer of Corral.

11:16And that is a lot of our Western industry. This person's grandfather wrote with this person's grandfather. All of that comes into play. And like you said, there's so much attention right now on the Western industry. And so it's brands like Corral that help welcome those newcomers and educate and inspire and really just invite them in. Now, let's kind of go back to talking about how you were a consumer. So obviously you were a consumer for a long time. But how does your experience also as an industry ambassador change the way you think about retailers and consumers? Definitely. Well, I honestly think it gives a very well-rounded perspective. I mean, consumers think one way, retailers think one way, wholesalers think one way, and marketers have to think one way.

12:19And so, you know, starting as a consumer, and I'm still a consumer. Like, I will love to shop. Let me tell you. But stores do not like to see me cut my credit card hurts. But I still love to consume. I will buy boots and buy turquoise. And for me, it's the quality and a craftsmanship, but also the unique sense of style. And I think that we're seeing a lot of individuals celebrating their own unique styles. Within the past like 10, 15 years, we're seeing the micro trends, we're seeing the niches. And that's just people having fun with what makes them happy. So we're seeing that from the consumer side of things. And then retailers matching, right? Like retailers are having to change and to evolve as their market changes. And so being able to see that from that side of things, wholesalers as well.

13:19And then just the marketing aspect of who is your customer, right? And for me, I feel like I'm able to relate pretty well to the customer because I am the customer. I ride horses. You know, I've trained. I've shown. I've, you know, I'm not a farmer or a rancher, but I've studied it in school. And I have lots of farmer and rancher friends. So I feel like I can come from a marketing perspective that hits all of those people. Because I've have friends that are doing it or have family members or have done it myself. And so I think it brings that like really holistic approach to to this new PR and a community role that I've been blessed with. Yes, absolutely. And I think too, I'd love to dive in more about Corral Boots. Their heritage. Tell our listeners, I would be shocked if they haven't heard about Corral Boots. Kind of give us, you know, the background of the brand

14:21and some of that history and legacy. Definitely. So like I said earlier, we have been around since 1999. And Corral has really positioned themselves as the leader of the Western fashion suit. And they're blending that traditional craftsmanship with a fashion forward design. Even before Cowboy was cool again. And I find joy in finding that other people are finding Cowboy cool. But I think they've been doing it for a long time. If consumers can think back to those early 2000s, it was very difficult to maybe find a quote-unquote fashionable boot, especially for those who weren't looking just for a riding boot. I know I could go to a store and find a bunch of different riding boots. But what if I wanted to wear it with my dresses or what if I wanted to wear it, you know, to church or somewhere else?

15:22I wanted something a little bit more elevated, a little bit more fun. And I think Corral has really taken that and ran with it since their inception. I mean, the Cowboy lifestyle is all about honoring tradition and heritage and craftsmanship and making things that last, right? Whether that's your shafts or your spade bits or your felts. Like we want things that come from artisans and that last. And we have dug into that very deeply. I'm not sure a lot of our consumers know, but we still make everything by hand. Like every part of the boot is touched and seen by someone on the Corral team before it leaves the door. And in an era of fast fashion and sheen and overconsumption, I think that's a really valuable asset that we are bringing to our market.

16:27And so we bring it to everything we do. It's for our women's boots. It's for our men's boots, which is actually a really exciting topic. If we have time to dive into the men's portion of things, because that's kind of a new market that we are exploring and expanding. But we just take such pride in the craftsmanship and the quality. We're fully vertically integrated. So literally every pair of Corral boots you get is not only going to be seen by a Corral member and touched before it leaves the door to the consumer, but it's literally ground up. I love that. Yes. And something I'll note too for our listeners is when you go to their website, we'll definitely tap into the men's, but you see a women's section, a men's section. And there's even a teens section, which I don't think I've ever really seen that. You know, you see women's men's and kids, but I love this teen section.

17:30I'm seeing here there's some square toe, there's some glittered inlay, snipped toes, there's like maybe four or five different variations here, which I think that just goes to show how important the consumer is to Corral. The fact that, you know, they're thinking about all those ins and outs, and to quickly kind of go over the women's, they have everything from tall boots, booties, exotics, square toes, you name it. And yeah, Caitlin, why don't you tell us about the new men's line? I know this is coming off with a bang. Yes. So like you said, Morgan, everybody knows about our women. We know our women market very, very well. We're able to do the studs and the rhinestones and the glow in the dark and the color changing threads all without compromising. We use real leather, real wood, but our men's market is actually doing

18:32fantastic. So we've had men's, and again, our market has been dominated by women, but we're starting to see that men want that same quality, that same luxury, and that same, you know, classic feeling that our women have always wanted. And so in January, we launched our new line for men's, all exotics, very, very luxe, very, very elevated, but still staying true to that comfort and that feel and that fit. And it's been great. Actually, it's been, it has been received very, very well, and has actually with our internal team has exceeded sales expectations, and it's only getting started. So I'm so excited to be helping spearhead this men's market and to be able to provide a quality luxury boot at an affordable price for our cowboys out there. And for the people that, again, maybe you're not living on a ranch

19:38and maybe you're not living on a farm, but you want a piece of that cowboy lifestyle Kerala's here to bring you into the fold. I love that. And I was able actually to see that men's line in person at Wesa, and this will kind of segue us into Wesa and even the fashion show, but tell us about how Wesa, like what does Wesa really offer Kerala from a brand and relationship standpoint, with even the product showcases? Yeah. I mean, Wesa is fantastic for forgiving those sneak peeks and those previews, right? I mean, even if you're not a wholesaler, even if you're not a retailer, I feel like if you're into fashion in the Western industry, you are watching Wesa's stories. You are watching your favorite influencer stories because you're going to see what the trends are for the upcoming year. And you get that sneak peek, that first preview. If you can't make it in person

20:42to what your favorite brands are doing and what they're producing. And so for us, it's really fun because we get to partner with great people to come in, show the collection to get real-time feedback and have an excitement that way. But it's also fantastic for that relationship building with our sales team and with our vendors. Now, Kerala has businesses all across the United States. We have sales team members all across the United States. And it's a couple times a year. It's a really fantastic opportunity for us to all come together and to align for the next quarter or the next year and build those relationships with our customers. Again, getting real-time feedback, hearing how their year has been going. How can we help you? How can we support you? And I know that we're moving into a technological world, right? Like everything's on Zoom, people are remote, everything's FaceTime. And while I love that, I think that there's still such a

21:48great importance for community coming together and being in person. Yes, I completely agree. And I love what you've said about the real-time feedback in that, you know, real relationship in person. I can attest that whenever I was in the Kerala showroom to see almost like the buzz. I mean, there were so many people in there. Kerala has a beautiful, you know, bar setup and tables everywhere that people can come and gather. And I mean, the showroom itself is in saying it is beautiful. But exactly what you were saying, this is the best time of the year or twice a year that we get to come sit down and really dream, dream up again and get inspired. And like you said, get really energized for what's to come on the fashion market. Let's talk about this fashion show.

22:50So I heard Kerala and I saw Kerala was pretty big at the runway. We put on our own little fashion show this year as well, which was really exciting and fun to do with some of some of the booths that maybe we didn't get to showcase up on the big stage. We did a little fashion show in our own showroom to really, you know, celebrate and highlight some of the booths and to give our customers and retailers just a little, a little of close private, private viewing experience. Yes, I love the fashion shows and the runways because like you said, it invites them in to get almost that behind the scenes look, but also it allows for so much inspiration. And I think that's what I love about the the Wesa fashion show is yes, it's glamour. Yes, it's, you know, flashy. But even from a day to day perspective,

23:52we're able to pull things even for events like I said, even day to day with the layering and I think it was wonderful to see all the different Kerala boots on display because there really is a little something for everyone. I agree. And again, that's why I love this brand and I'm so happy to be here representing it because you hit the nail on the head. There is something for everyone. There is something for the concert goers and the festival goers. There is something for the the night out classy espresso martini vibes. There's something for the the cow girl, the barrel racer, the breakaway roper. There's something for the college student who's dipping their toes into horses for the first time. And and I think it's fantastic to be able to bring all of the different parts of the community together. Yes, and tell our listeners, where can they

24:55shop Kerala boots? And whether that's retail or wholesale inquiries, give us the scoop on that. Definitely. So for just shopping in brick and mortar, you can check out Kerala boots.com. We have a little shop finder store finder on our website. So you can find the nearest Keral distributor near you. You can also shop directly from our website. So Kerala boots.com. Find us on Instagram and Facebook and TikTok at the same name. If you're a wholesaler wanting to get involved, definitely reach out to myself or our sales team and we will get you hooked up. You can come visit us at Wesa or we can of course do zoom meetings for the wholesale side of things. And yeah. All the things. I love it. All the things. Taylin closing us up here. What advice would you give to young professionals who want to turn passion for the Western industry into a real career like you did? I would say just keep

26:02going. If this first generation cowgirl from the suburbs of California can do it, you can do it as well. I would say build your community, build your connections, ask, don't be afraid to ask for help because we want you in the community. If you're here with pure intentions and a good work ethic, there is nothing you cannot do. We want you. I love that. Well, Kaelin, thank you so much for spending the time with us and giving us more insight about yourself and Kerala boots. Where can people keep up with you on social media? Definitely. So it's just my name. Kaelin can you know us on Facebook? Connect with me, of course, at Kerala boots. I'm always DMing people and commenting and liking. And then Instagram and TikTok is bougie vicarra, B-O-U-J-E-E, vicarra because you know, this vicarra needs a little glitzing glam in her life. So

27:08I love it. Well, Kaelin, thank you for joining us today. We absolutely loved it. Thank you so much and we'll see you at next WESA. A fantastic interview once again. Great to learn a little bit about how these different companies are moving forward and really grabbing the marketplace by the horns and they're not just sitting back and going, well, things could be better. They're really being proactive. And speaking of being proactive, you can subscribe to The Wisdom by WESA show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Whatever your favorite podcast player is, you can subscribe there. Just look up Wisdom by WESA and you can get it delivered directly to your phone without ever having to worry about it. Or if you're old school and you want to find it on your computer, just go to just Google Wisdom by WESA. We have great SEO and you will also find along with the player to listen to the show our show notes with all the appropriate links in it. Absolutely. And the new wisdom by WESA and retail roundup episodes are

28:08now going to drop every Thursday available on the Wisdom by WESA podcast speed.