What Happens When You Actually Ask For Help
Catching a founder seven days after launch, we can't wait to see where this goes...
Starting Line
It’s a common refrain on the podcast: “You can just do things!” But the next step after deciding to do something is the most crucial - asking for help. Morgan Tuohy did exactly that when he created Dera, and in today’s podcast, he breaks down exactly how he leaned on the Second Nature community (and others) to help him get his business off the ground. We couldn’t be more proud of Morgan - and our community - for this one, and we’re so excited to share this week’s podcast with you.
What Happens When You Actually Ask For Help
Morgan Tuohy is seven days into the launch of Dera, a trail running belt brand built around a BOA-style dial closure that nobody's tried before in the category. He sold out of two sizes in under eight hours, shipped hundreds of belts from his living room until 3 AM, and had $500 left in his bank account two days before launch. He's 27 years old.
In this conversation, Morgan walks through the full founder journey — from stitching prototypes in his attic with fabric from old running shoes, to convincing one of Osprey's largest factories to take a chance on him, to the moment Tim Tollefson told him he wasn't allowed to NOT do this. He also talks openly about his first failed brand, why he set three rules for himself this time around ("I know nothing, everyone else knows everything, and they all want to help"), and how seven members of the Second Nature Slack channel played a direct role in getting Dera off the ground.
This is a brand launch captured in real time — and a reminder that sometimes the best businesses start with a sewing machine in an attic and the willingness to ask for help.
Connecting The Dots
This past week, we had an incredible outcome - a brand that we connected with on Popfly decided to build a long-term partnership with Aaron and his mountain bike content. This relationship started on Popfly and grew into something incredibly valuable for everyone involved. The Second Nature x Popfly partnership came from the opportunity we saw for both brands and creators to collaborate effortlessly, and now we're getting a chance to experience this firsthand. If you haven’t already given the Popfly platform a look, we highly recommend it.
Job Of The Week
💧 HydraPak is looking for a Run Marketing Project Manager based in Longmont, CO.
👉 adidas is hiring a Director, Partnerships & Affiliate Marketing based out of their Portland, Oregon office.
🏃♂️ Bandit has a ton of open roles across operations, retail and design - have a look!
Article Of The Week
This is not a drill…Kilian Jornet now has a Substack. If this first article is any indication of what we can expect from him on here, this is an instant-subscribe.
Show Notes
BPC - Brand, Product, Content
BPC is our closing segment where we share brands we’ve discovered, products we’re using and content we love.
🍽️ Goodles: Gal Gadot took a break from Hollywood to launch a mac-and-cheese company, and Morgan swears by these as his carb of choice!
🩻 Dexa Scan: Like a human-sized scanner to gather data about muscle, body fat and bone density. If you haven’t heard of this five-minute scan, it’s worth a look. Aaron just got his done (and then promptly fed all the results into Claude to find ways to optimize).
👟 Kiprun - Kipsummit Max: Dylan is working hard to prepare for the upcoming Hardrock race, and part of that process is testing all sorts of gear to find the right setup. Kiprun is making a big push into the USA at the moment, and this pair of shoes is currently along for the ride on DBo’s training mission.
Thank You
We want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone from the Second Nature community that supported Morgan. As much as today’s episode was about Morgan and his effort to launch a new running brand, this podcast was also about how incredibly supportive our community is - and how much knowledge is on tap in our Slack channel (and beyond). Thank you to everyone who helped Morgan, and thank you all for being part of the Second Nature community.