Fate brought Shari Bisquera together with Carey Kiehn. Shari Bisquera moved into Carey Kiehn’s neighborhood and found out that both of them share a love for dirt bikes and snowboards, sports that are not usually geared towards women. They began camping and riding dirt bikes together every weekend, and developed a close friendship.
Carey worked as a convenience retailer buyer for ten years. Shari, a stay-at-home mom with an accounting background for the automotive industry, was also present when they met. Both women felt they needed to make a change.
Carey says, “We love riding.” It was a good idea to combine our passions, and we discussed how we could turn it into a successful business.
Fox Head Inc. was founded in 1974 and had the monopoly of clothing for extreme sports, especially motocross. “We thought that it would be cool to have clothing for girls, and off-road vixens came about.”
Off-Road Vixens caters to women of all ages with clothing for infants, youths, and adults. Clothing is updated to reflect current trends and the founders’ passion for providing the best products.
Carey says, “We are unique in the industry. No one else does what we do.” “Females love it. “Our infant brand along with matching mother-daughter clothing is very popular.” The women were looking to create a slogan that would fit with the extreme sports lifestyle of females.
Carey says that the slogan, “Girls Get Dirty Too!” resonated with people. We represent both women who race and weekend warriors. The business has been running for 10 years. Carey says that Shari handles the finances and I am the salesperson. “We needed these two skills in order to grow.”
Carey and Shari began lean and mean, without borrowing any money. Carey says, “We started with our own money.” Shari also contributed personal savings. She used money from her 401k. “At first, we were very small. We created our own designs, based on themes, styles, and fashions in our industry.
Off-Road Vixens needed money to help fuel its growth and save money. We had talked about getting an SBA for a very long time, but it was very frightening. We were able to stay in business for a long time, but we had to be sure that the timing was right and we were at the right place.
The couple took out a $100,000 SBA Loan with a low interest rate and a term of 10 years. Carey says that the money was used to consolidate our payments, so we have fewer monthly obligations. The proceeds will also be used to increase our credit line and for working capital.
Their business tends to be seasonal, picking up from March to October. “It’s pretty much non-stop,” says Carey. “We do lots of different types of events, trade shows, competitions, and more. We’re trying to be recognized across the country using targeted branding like the same booth and banner design at all shows.”
Off-Road Vixens uses creative marketing strategies to promote their products. They sell online and in-person across the US.
People kept telling us that we’d do well at this or that event. We can’t go everywhere!
They do very well at large events. They are very successful at large events.
Vixens has also about 200 brand ambassadors. Carey says that there are clear guidelines for promoting the brand, and those who do so can receive significant discounts or free products. We also have promotional agreements with well-established professional and nonprofessional athletes. Not only motorsports, but also activities such as archery and outdoor activities. This was a huge marketing leap for us as we started out with only Facebook ads. “I think we have done a good job, and we are always recognized.”
Carey and Shari hope to have a greater impact on the next generation of extreme sport fans. “We want girls to try new things and step out of their comfort zone.”
