Woodies

I'm Cory, Woodies' Captain

I know one thing for sure...Life is 15% more fun when you're wearing a captains hat.  

I started Woodies in 2012 to provide fun, beach-ready products made from wood and bamboo. I've been delivering the goods for almost 4 years and I'm very grateful to more than 50,000 happy (hopefully!) customers.

Here is a podcast I recorded for Shopify Masters about how I started Woodies

Who am I? I'm Cory Stout, I am the owner, president, and CAPTAIN of Woodies. I'm 30 years old, I'm from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I've been traveling full-time for the last 3 years while I operate Woodies. It's somewhat of an alternative lifestyle, but I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. I read the 4-Hour Workweek and built Woodies according to most of those principles.

More About Woodies

Keep it simple:

I keep Woodies products simple. We sell sunglasses, watches, and a few other items, but they all fit into a certain theme. I could have added dozens of different styles and colors, but it would have sunk me by now (#pun) I keep Woodies super simple because I want to spend more time at the beach and not in front of my laptop!

Focus on customer service:

I have to admit, in the first 2 years of Woodies, the customer service left a lot to be desired. Imagine me cooped up in a hostel in Thailand, answering customer service emails, while the waves crashed within earshot. I do some things well, I have some strengths, but this wasn't one of them. Lucky for me, my mom stepped up and took over that department and is CRUSHING it. I haven't had a single negative review with her in office!

Be genuine and tell a good story:

This has guided me through several tough decisions. In the beginning, I tried to build a brand utilizing celebrity exposure (checkout Kendall Jenner in all our photos) but one day I realized that I should tell my real story. I've traveled to 30 countries and wear a captain's hat everyday, I should share what that's like! That's why I really love Snapchat (WoodiesUSA - follow me!), it's a completely unfiltered look into the Woodies lifestyle through the eyes of me, your Woodies captain. I will sail this ship towards fun and good times. That's my promise to you. Thanks for reading

See you at the beach!