TPM Episode 70: Kharma Vella, Co-Founder Poler Stuff
The Powell Movement
Mike Powell
4.9 • 860 Ratings
🗓️ 21 May 2018
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
If you are into the outdoors, you've most likely heard of Poler. Their unique take on camping and adventure made the brand instantly successful. All of it was started by Kharma Vella and his former best friend Benji. Kharma is my guest this week and we talk coming up in the world of snowboarding, starting a brand, building it and watching the same brand destroy both his personal and professional life. The podcast is Kharma's side of a real-life tale that outlines what can happen when you do business with friends.
Kharma Vella Show Notes:
2:00: Portland is weird, growing up in the NW
8:41: Snowboarding in the early 90's, sponsors and Dinner Clothing
16:09: Working at shops and then getting a modeling gig that turns into more at Bonfire
19:30: Founding Poler, bankrolling it, and naming it
26:15: Evo (Use the code TPM10 for 10% off at checkout)
RESQWATER (enter the code resqwatertpm for a 20% discount on a 12 pack)
28:45: Poler at SIA, other brands jumping in and social media
33:33: The knapsack backstory and his day to day role
37:00: Taking advantage of Chinese labor and pricing
40:10: Collaborations and Nike
44:00: What the hell happened with you and Polar. It's a crazy story
54:30: His new project Muul that is on Kickstarter May 15
56:30: Inappropriate Questions with Sales rep extraordinaire and former Rep of the Year, Dan Sorcinelli
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | And now, a show with inappropriate language, the Powell Movement. |
| 0:12.3 | Welcome to the Powell Movement. |
| 0:15.3 | I'm your host, Mike Powell, and this week it's back to business, and my guest is Karma Vela. |
| 0:21.1 | Karma is a co-founder of the successful brand Polar, |
| 0:24.3 | and Karma is no longer associated with that brand, |
| 0:27.0 | so I will find out about his life and times, how the brand was built, |
| 0:30.8 | and a behind the scenes look at what happens when a founder is ousted from his own brand. |
| 0:35.8 | Karma's NDA has expired and he shares all the juicy details on the podcast. |
| 0:40.7 | Before we get to that, I need to ask you to please follow me on Instagram at the Powell |
| 0:45.1 | Movement. |
| 0:45.9 | Give me a five-star rating in iTunes. |
| 0:48.0 | It only takes a minute and here's what you need to do. |
| 0:50.6 | Go to podcasts on your iPhone or iTunes. |
| 0:53.2 | Search for the Powell Movement, scroll down to where you |
| 0:55.4 | see the stars, hit five stars, and you're done. It takes less than a minute, and it's greatly |
| 1:00.1 | appreciated by me. Also, if you want to connect with me, my email is Mike at the Powell Movement.com. |
| 1:07.0 | Finally, I want to thank my sponsors who make this show happen. They are Evo, Rescue Water, the 10 Barrel Brewery, and Unofficial Networks. |
| 1:15.4 | Now, let's talk to Karma Vela. |
| 1:18.7 | Hey, man. |
| 1:19.7 | Karma, how's it going? |
| 1:21.2 | Good, good. |
| 1:22.5 | Are you finally over your Mexican death flu? |
... |
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