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Josh Thomas: Vibe Kayaks and No Drama, Just Adventure

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Episode Show Notes

Josh Thomas founded Vibe Kayaks, a company that grew from $250,000 in sales its first year to more than $10,000,000 by year four. On this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, Josh joins Tom to talk about how that growth actually happened, what it takes to build a fishing brand from nothing, and why he wanted the company culture to be no drama, just adventure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Josh Thomas?

Josh Thomas is the founder of Vibe Kayaks, a fishing kayak brand that grew from $250,000 in sales in its first year to more than $10,000,000 by its fourth year.

How fast did Vibe Kayaks grow?

The company went from $250,000 in sales its first year to $2,500,000 the next year, and broke the $10,000,000 mark by year four.

Why did Tom Rowland want Josh Thomas on the podcast?

Tom had noticed Vibe Kayaks seemingly come out of nowhere and take off, and wanted to understand what was behind that growth, whether it was a good idea, personal sacrifice, or outside investment.

What is the meaning behind Vibe Kayaks' \"no drama, just adventure\" philosophy?

It reflects Josh's approach to the sport and the brand: getting back to the fun of fishing and the escape of being on the water, rather than the drama that can creep into any growing industry.

Where can I listen to the full conversation?

Press play above, or find this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.

Why I Wanted Josh Thomas On the Show

Walking around the ICAST show over the years, I have watched companies pop up out of nowhere and either take off or fade away. Vibe Kayaks did the former, and as someone who has started a few businesses myself, I wanted to track Josh down and ask him directly what was really behind that growth.

From $250,000 to $10,000,000

The sales numbers Josh shares in this episode are hard to believe on their own. Hearing him walk through what actually changed between year one and year four of Vibe Kayaks, in his own words, is worth far more than the numbers alone.

Final Thoughts From Me

Josh built something real in a crowded space, and this conversation gave me a much clearer picture of what that actually took. Press play above to hear the rest of it.

People & Brands Mentioned

Josh Thomas, Vibe Kayaks.

About Josh Thomas

Josh Thomas is the founder of Vibe Kayaks, a fishing kayak brand that grew from $250,000 in sales its first year to more than $10,000,000 by its fourth year.

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Episode Transcript

[Verbatim excerpt from the full episode transcript on file in Google Drive (doc 1im2Wc3jX8dj70IaF7hK_0AJFEaNUSI6sigdU1IWFBjE, EP 86 per Deepgram Nova-2 transcription, 12,999 words total). Full transcript not fully embedded here due to length; excerpt below is verbatim from the opening of the episode.]\n\nSpeaker 1: The new drama, just adventures, like, dude, guys, can't we just get back to the fun of it? Like, let's just enjoy the sport, man. We all just wanna check out sometimes, and floating on the water and, you know, chasing the next catch, that should be the time where there's just nothing else in your mind. You're just doing what you do, and you're chasing fish. It's just the great escape is what it's all about. This is Josh Thomas, and this is the Tom Roland podcast. Speaker 0: Hey everybody, welcome to the show today. Got a great one for you. You know, walking around the ICAST show over the last few years, I've been able to kind of look at a company or see a company kinda come onto my radar and then watch that company grow either really fast, or maybe some other companies kinda go out of business. But occasionally you'll see a company that just kind of pops up out of nowhere and then just seems to set the world on fire. And I'm always looking, as somebody who's started some businesses myself and keeps a number of businesses going, I'm kind of wondering, like, what's going on there? Is that just a good idea, or is a good idea enough? Or is there some serious personal sacrifice there? Is this some kind of a big investment group that has dropped a bunch of capital into someone's idea? What's going on there? And I kinda do a little digging. In this case, I did find a company that I was very, very interested in. Vibe Kayaks seems to have come out of nowhere, and then all of a sudden is everywhere. I see these things all over the place, and the track record of their sales explains why. They have taken off like a rocket ship. They went from $250,000 in sales in their first year to $2,500,000 the next year, and in year four they already broke the $10,000,000 mark.

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