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Working Joe
Shredded hands? Torched toes?
Don’t be an average Joe. Reach for Working Joe
To find out more behind how Working Joe got its start and what’s in store for the future, Josh interviews Working Joe founder, Dan Silverthorne
More about the episode…
Josh sits down with Working Joe founder Dan Silverthorne. It all started with a simple balm recipe from his grandmother. Working Joe was born out of tradition but, it wasn’t long until Dan found people quickly taking notice of his do-it-all balm. After being put to the test time and time again, Dan began to build his Working Joe balm into what it is today. Now this amazing product provides immediate relief from dry and chapped skin anywhere you need it, to countless users. Join us as we sit down with the mastermind behind it all, Dan Silverthorne as we discuss what inspired Working Joe and where it’s headed in the future.
Have an opinion? We want to hear it! Join the conversation and leave a comment, check out show notes, and get all the links mentioned in this episode below
Links/resources:
- Check out Working Joe
- Peruse Working Joe’s balm options
- Become a Working Joe wholesaler
- Where to find Working Joe
- Follow Working Joe on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Show Notes
- What is Working Joe all about?
- “Our product is what we call hand and foot repair. It’s a balm but not everybody knows what balm means. We’ve got a working class, utilitarian mentality, if you will…
- What decided you to start Working Joe?
- “…Really it was out of necessity. My grandmother had the recipe on my dad’s side form as long as I could remember…”
- Where are you from?
- Grand Rapids, Michigan. Beer City, U.S.A.
- At what point did you go full time with Working Joe?
- “I used to do tree work full time and, that’s really hard on your body… I was doing a tree job with a couple of fellas and this young buck, that was on the crew with us, his hands were beat up like yesterday’s bad news…he saw me using working joe … he used some and he came back the next day and says “my wife say’s you need to start selling this sh*t…”
- How did you develop your products?
- The biggest feedback we got and the smartest thing we ever did is we just started going around to local farmers markets and we’d just say “Hey man, here’s what we do, here’s what it’s about, here’s how much it costs…”
- Do you make it all in house?
- “We just expanded a little bit but, we have some pretty large scale interests… we’re trying not to grow too fast…”
- How many people do you have on your team?
- 6
- How are the roles distributed amongst your team?
- “…we have a really incredibly talented group of people not only in their given fields but, as a collective. I do most of the production myself, my niece and nephew help me out…”
- How long does it take you guys to make?
- “If we got all of our ducks in a row and everything is going smoothly we produce currently right now 440 units an hour…”
- What makes Working Joe stand out?
- “We’re finding more and more that people are using it for all kinds of different stuff…”
- Have you had any mentors that have helped you along the way?
- “My wife is definitely one of them…Two of my biggest mentors are a fella of the name Bob Burke…My father was another one…he had a lot of great, practical living advice…”
- What kind of culture exists within Working Joe?
- A friend of mine grew up on the southside of Chicago and always used to say ‘come for real or, don’t come at all’, I really took that to heart. Combine that with term ‘surround that with good people…’”
- At what point did you realize that it’s not all about the money?
- “I was not always that way… The biggest shift was in 2001…I was definitely depressed and I got to a point where I said ‘make up your mind, slick, you’re either gonna get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’…”
- What has been one of the hardest parts about building Working Joe?
- “Gosh, we’ve been really lucky. I would say the thing we work on the most is just getting’ known…we haven’t really had any big pitfalls…”
- What would you say is one of your biggest fears and how do you manage it?
- “We believe it or not, I don’t like public speaking or interviews…I’ve only done a couple things for Working Joe…”
- What have been some of the biggest mistakes with working joe?
- “Just to be honest we’ve been really fortunate…The biggest mistake you could make is know what you’re about and don’t do anything to compromise it…”
- What has your growth been like?
- “The universe kind of grew us the way we intended to grow…it’s kind of been just right…Every couple months we might get 2 stores or, we might get a chain of 3 or 4…”
- What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start a business?
- “If you’re not attached to it, if you don’t really believe in it, you may be successful but eventually you’re gonna get sick of it and burn out…”
- Where do you see Working Joe headed into the future?
- “In the next two to five years we will be working on creating Working Joe beer, Working Joe rugged outdoor gear, Working Joe grilling accessories, and lastly Working Joe coffee…”
- What is the best part about running Working Joe?
- “My jam is the creativity, bro…I like the cerebral part of it…I like the evolutionary process, the think tank, if you will…”
