We recently connected with Nathan Martin and have shared our conversation below.

Nathan, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission the drives your brand?

I started Go Forth Goods to bring back high quality American made goods. I had a duffle bag break on me while packing up for a family vacation and when I couldn’t find what I was looking for in a replacement bag, I decided to make my own. I set out to make leather goods, the way products used to be made, 100 years ago. Ones that stood the test of time and you could pass down to the next generation. I also wanted to build a brand based upon giving back, as that is a personal passion of mine, that I feel is a key to a happy life. I hope that through Go Forth Goods I can inspire others to Go Forth and Do Good.

Nathan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m 41 years old and started Go Forth Goods in 2014, after having a duffle bag break. At the time I owned a marketing firm, doing branding, web development, video and photography. After 15 years in the marketing industry, I was wanting to make a change. After coming up short looking for a replacement bag, the idea came, I should just make my own, and Go Forth Goods was born. I started small making just a few wallets styles, a belt and a key fob. The company quickly grew and within a few months I was selling thousands a dollars a month in product. 6 months in, I created my first bag and things really took off. 6 months after that and I went full time with Go Forth Goods and transitioned away from my marketing firm. Today 8 years later, we have a 4000 square foot shop and retail store in Marietta, Ga with 6 employees who make everything in house, using the same high quality materials and craftsmanship. We have a full line of bags and accessories including, tote bags, crossbody bags, duffle bags, backpacks, briefcases, wallets and other travel and home accessories. All backed by our lifetime guarantee.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2019 we were doing 40% of our yearly revenue by traveling twice a month to craft and art shows. At the end of 2019, I was done with shows, the time away from my family and all the extra hours were exhausting. So I made the decision to stop doing shows and would figure else something out to make up the sales. I made the decision to hire an online marketing company and target online users to grow the business. It took a big upfront investment and 3 months of ad spend to see a return but it worked out perfectly because we had everything set up and working when the covid hit and all the shows were canceled. We more than made up for the 40% in show sales and grew in 2020 by 40%.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I self funded the business. I took personal money and bought all the tools and leather to start. Then once I started selling the products I took all the money that I made and dumped it back into the company. I did not take out any money for the first 15 months until I went full time with it. One of the things that I did that helped with this is that I only purchased tools and equipment that I actually needed and could not live with out. I would wait until not having the tool or piece of equipment was slowing me down or keeping me from being able to grow, then I would buy it. This kept me lean and allowed me to put more money into more important things that helped the business grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.goforthgoods.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/goforthgoods
• Facebook: Facebook.com/goforthgoods
• Twitter: Twitter.com/goforthgoods
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC85Oe8H1X2cZ8Rx_D3pKWIw

Image Credits
@Nathan Martin for all the photos but the portrait of me. That was taken by Steve West