We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Singer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My goal was to reside and raise a family in Truckee, CA. I moved there 20 years ago in my early 20’s and was determined to find a way to make life work in an expensive mountain town with limited job opportunities. I had worked in the outdoor industry for numerous years prior to this in the form of guiding, retail sales, and ski patrol. While working at a specialty outdoor store in Truckee, CA I met a manufacture’s representative who sold apparel, shoes, and skis. He expressed interest in bringing me on to help him with sales and marketing. We worked together for a few months and I very much liked his lifestyle, the industry, and thought this could be a good career path to maintain my life in Tahoe and work in an industry that shared my passion for the outdoors. About 6 months into this relationship he was offered a corporate job working for Patagonia footwear. He was able to connect me with 1 of his 4 brands and I ran with it. It took me about 2 years of doing rounds in the territory (CA, AZ, NV, HI) before I received my first commission check. During this time I was working full time while hitting the road on my 3 days off per week. One connection lead to another, and after 20 years I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the best brands in the outdoor industry-KUHL, Mountain Hardwear, Montrail, Keen, Atlas Snowshoes, and the list goes on…….Necessity and passion led me to pursuing this career. Now I work to give other reps opportunities as our agency is now 4 people.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Resilience, resilience, resilience….

Sales is hard, people say no, you need to keep showing up and figure out ways for your customers to be successful.

Consistency-always showing up and being present for your customers, answering emails and phone calls on their schedules, not mine

Listening-sure, having the gift of gab helps in sales, but really listening is the most important..I’ve learned to find solutions for my retail partners and help them be profitable with my products

Don’t take getting fired personally-business changes, new leaders bring in their people-do the best you can and control what you can, no reason to stress over things you can’t control.

I’m most proud of the team I have put together, our reputation, our beautiful commercial space/showroom in Truckee we were able to purchase. I’ve learned over my 20 years as a rep that at the end of you career you are left with relationships. While that is great and important, these are not hard assets. I continue to look for ways to add intellectual and physical assets to our agency.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Visiting Truckee/Tahoe area, simple place to show off:

Amazing coffee and pastries at Zuri Coffee Co. or The Tahoe House
Visit amazing Emeral Bay State Park on the soutwest side of Lake Tahoe
Take a hike in Desolation Wilderness Area
Hang out at Commons Beach in Tahoe City
Go Rock Climbing on Donner Summit
Backcountry ski Mt. Tallac
Resort Ski at one of the numerous resorts in the Tahoe Basin
Visit the many art galleries and specialty shops around the area
Bike along the Truckee River Legacy Trail
Take a boat ride on lake Tahoe

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife-for supporting me through my many nights traveling, stressed out, deadlines, etc. My team-for giving me the peace of mind handling the day to day while I take time to think about scaling the business
My 1st sales manager-for giving me a chance and letting a young rep take on a new product line
My customers-for buying from me and helping me to understand how to make all parties win in business (rep/retailer/vendor)

Website: www.synergyreps.net

Instagram: Synergy Reps

Linkedin: Justin Singer

Facebook: Synergy Reps

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