When Ricky Jones first saw the prototype that would later become Stratus’s anti-fog balaclava, he was hooked. A lifelong snowboarder, he immediately understood the product’s value. A few years later, he bought the brand outright and transformed it into a fast-growing winter apparel company, shipping more than 10,000 orders and doubling revenue year over year.
Here, Ricky shares how passion, niche focus, and community helped Stratus carve out space in a crowded industry—and how financial discipline keeps it sustainable.
Turn passion into a business
Ricky grew up spending much of his free time on the slopes, so he knew firsthand how frustrating goggle fog could be. “As somebody who snowboarded three to four times a week throughout all of my teenage years, I immediately understood the solution that it solved,” he says.
Instead of jumping in blindly, Ricky spent a year and a half working for free with the brand’s founder, learning the ropes. He filled his skill gaps intentionally, working in influencer marketing, earning certifications in Facebook and Google advertising, even starting a custom footwear venture. That deliberate path gave him the confidence to eventually acquire Stratus.
Passion made the long hours bearable, but skill-building turned that passion into a profitable business.
Embrace the power of a niche market
At first glance, building a brand around balaclavas and ski masks might seem narrow, but Ricky saw the upside. As he explains, “Niche is really great in the smaller stages of your business. And you can always expand your product line to have a broader offering.”
Rather than diluting Stratus’s identity with a wide assortment right away, he leaned into a single solution-oriented product. That clarity made it easier to acquire early customers and create targeted ad campaigns.
Big apparel companies often overlook low-ticket categories, so Stratus had room to design a more thoughtful product. By staying laser-focused on a single need, the brand built credibility and momentum without competing directly with industry giants.
Ricky’s strategy is a reminder that what looks like a limitation can actually be a launchpad—a clear solution-oriented niche provides the sharp edge you need to win your first customers and grow from there.
Building an authentic community
For Ricky, growth wasn’t just about running ads—it was about meeting customers where they were—on the mountain. “I really believe in getting into the epicenter of the community, both geographically as well as with your marketing,” he says.
Stratus built trust by hanging out at local ski shops, skiing with staff, and connecting with “ski bums” who might not have big followings but hold deep influence in their communities. That grassroots credibility made larger influencer partnerships more effective without alienating core fans.
The lesson for other founders is clear: Embedding authenticity in your community—whether ski shops, maker spaces, or local events—creates loyalty that outlasts any ad campaign.
Operational discipline fuels growth
Seasonality poses a unique challenge for Stratus in that every winter requires big bets on inventory. Ricky approaches this with rigor. “I really believe that founders should have a tight grip on their finances and on their financial documents and projections,” he says.
He works with factories to stagger shipments and reduce cash flow strain. He also recommends new founders learn financial basics, experiment with AI tools for education, and partner with a professional accountant to build robust forecasting models.
Growth may start with passion and creative marketing, but it’s sustained by financial discipline. Strong forecasting and careful risk-taking give a brand the stability to keep scaling.
Stratus’s journey proves that a brand doesn’t need to dominate every category to grow. By combining passion, niche focus, community trust, and operational discipline, Ricky built a business that resonates with athletes and casual adventurers alike. As he puts it, “If you’re going to launch a company, you should be living and breathing your niche before trying to launch a business in it.”
For more insight on how to navigate a niche market, check out the full interview with Ricky Jones on Shopify Masters.
