First we want you to think about building your wall—what’s your story ? We all have a story that people are interested in.

Then we will ask you some defining questions and as you will discover…they are not easy to answer, but at the end of the workshop—they will be. 

We take you through my story all the way back to my introduction to branding with the band Kiss in 1976 and how music had a massive influence on my business journey. 

It will make you think about what connected you to brands and artists when you were younger. Understanding where brand connection starts is key to building your foundation. It will help you begin to form patterns. 

My passion for music led me to a career in the music industry from 1984 to 1993 when I left my job at a major record company to start my first brand—Rip N Hammer, a company that designed and manufactured technical apparel for cyclists and triathletes. 

In 2001, I took my technical apparel design and branding experience to revolutionize the golf industry with the founding of Dunning Golf, the very first company to offer a complete range of player specific apparel manufactured exclusively of technical performance fabrics. That brand forever changed the way apparel is worn in the game of golf. I built that company from the basement of my house into one of the world’s top selling golf brands available at the world’s finest private clubs, resorts and specialty retailers including Pebble Beach, Pine Valley, Pinehurst, Winged Foot, St. Andrews and Bandon Dunes. 

I did this with very little budget competing against global brands like Nike, Adidas, Polo, Peter Millar and Under Armour. 

At one point, early on in our journey we were the number 2 brand in sales at Golf Town behind Nike with very little budget. Think about that. It is something I have been asked about for years—how did you build a brand that was competing with huge global brands while completely disrupting a traditional industry built around heritage. 

I grew a global brand organically through advocates and became one of the most copied brands in the industry. Our fabrics and products were not only copied, so was our branding and messaging. We had a defined purpose. We knew who our audience was and we knew how to communicate with them. 

I sold the majority of that brand in 2011 to focus my efforts on two projects that I completely believed in—one being this workshop education platform and second, a small company called Foreign Rider.

Foreign Rider is the company I have wanted to build for 30 years. A company that is the sum of all parts. A company with a defined purpose and core values. 

We take you through the journey of building this brand from scratch and give you an inside look at what a company should be. No faking it. No smoke and mirrors. Just good product being built the right way. A company focused on all the people who come in contact with it. 

We study people and companies who are leading by example like Patagonia. 

As you will see, the first part of the workshop is a documentary and my story. This will help you understand how patterns form over decades. It will make you think about the brands that you feel connected to and why. 

It will teach you that everything in business and branding comes down to people.

It will help you understand you. The most important asset you have in business and with with your brand comes down to one thing—Be Yourself.  

That’s what makes a company interesting. That’s what people want to be a part of. 

As entrepreneurs and brand leaders, we do two things. Set goals. Solve problems. 

Sounds simple, but it’s not. 

We are so busy everyday in the thick of things that it’s tough to step back and work on your business—not just in your business. 

This is where the second part of the workshop comes in—built around The 5 Principles of Brand Unification. 

You need clarity. 

Clarity sets the foundation for executing your goals. It also helps you solve problems. It helps you define purpose. 

We dig deep into authentic emotional connection. We teach you what authenticity means in business and that you can never refer to yourself as authentic. That tag is earned. 

It will help define and guide you through the process of building a human connection with all the people who are involved in your company and business. 

The Sum Of All Parts means everything is connected. People are connected. 

The people in your company. 

The people who are your customers and invest in your products or service. 

The people in your supply chain. 

We show you how take clarity and emotional connection and execute these two key principles through simplicity and visual communication. 

Finally, you need to remain focused. Consistency is critical to your success but you have to be constantly evolving. 

Once you understand how Brand Unification™ works and remain true to being yourself, focus becomes easy.

Enjoy the journey and always be yourself.

- Ralph