We recently connected with Raphael Guillen and have shared our conversation below.

Raphael, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What can you share with us about the story behind how you found your key vendors?

In my line of business there’s a lot of options to choose from when it comes to manufacturing. The key is finding the right ones to work with. The vision I have for my brand and the future of my company, required for me to look into vendors and manufacturers that not only understood my vision but were also timely with their responses. If there was days that would go by with no response it was an immediate red flag and I would stay away.

Once I had my logo I went to work on locating a local screen printing company. Since this was all new to me, I wanted to touch and feel my product, see the process through from beginning to end making sure the quality I expected was there.
I found a reputable company to work with LBX Printing and design. After a few meetings we agreed on material, styles, colors, timeframes and pricing. I started with a couple of orders of some of my designs to make sure that they followed through with their promises to me. Everything went smoothly and ahead of schedule. I moved forward with placing a large order with a delivery time that would work with the same time the website would be up and operational.

With today’s economy, prices for everything has gone up. In order to stay competitive, still provide with high quality merchandise and avoid raising prices, I have no choice but to always look for better opportunities. I recently came across a couple of other companies that I decided to try out and unfortunately one of them has delayed my delivery by a month. This was also a reputable company, great website, very user friendly, they had great reviews and was very responsive when I had questions before I decided to move forward with them. Although I did everything I could to avoid this from happening, things can still go wrong. Although it’s very frustrating, I’m trying to stay positive and learn from this.

Most recently I designed a few new products that will be added to our website soon. I found another different set of vendors to work with for those specific items. They did follow through and get them to me in time, but this time I ordered I smaller amount just incase. I will place a larger order depending on sales and feedback I get.

In the world of E-commerce another crucial part of the business is photography and videography. When I first started I invested in a camera and gear, with trial and error I did what I could with my social media experience. Although I did okay, I needed a professional, and not just any photographer. I needed someone that understood my vision. Someone with the same love of the outdoors and that Jeep life. That person, which is now a good friend of mine is Jessica Rae @3jessicaaa. When I stumbled across her Instagram page, her photography skills was like no other. Her photos spoke directly to me! She was perfect! I reached out to her as a collaboration and she graciously agreed. I sent LOCKANDCRAWL merchandise to her and she immediately got to helping me out. I’m forever grateful for her. You can find her on Instagram @3jessicaaa.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

LOCKANDCRAWL LLC is not just an off-road apparel company. We off-road, rock crawl and overland to some of America’s most beautiful and challenging trails, while documenting every adventure so we can bring you along for the ride!

This is directly off of our website, followed by a David Bowie quote “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring”

I live for adventure and have a great love for the outdoors and Jeeps. I built up a 2018 Jeep Wrangler JKU named Knuckles. I built it to be a capable rig, capable to do every challenging trail and obstacle out there. I rockcrawl and overland, so I guess you can consider my rig to be more of a RockLander. It’s a unique build because most people build their rig to do either or, not both. Follow us along on social media and you will be shocked on some of the obstacles I put Knuckles through. It’s pretty amazing what a properly built rig can do.

My brand is a representation of what we do. It’s in the name:
LOCKANDCRAWL “when life gives you rocks”

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When I first had the idea of a social media account specifically for my Jeep, I was not expecting to gain many followers. My intention was to document my adventures and share with family and friends. I look back now at my first few posts and wonder how people even found me interesting. The first year I did gain a few hundred followers by others with similar interest of overlanding, rockcrawling and Jeeps. They say if you’re just getting started find a niche. In my case, I believe it found me. One day, one of my reels went viral and I gained thousands of new followers from it. My head was spinning a bit, it caught me by surprise. This opened up new creative ideas for me on how to create content. I started to have fun with it and people were enjoying them and appreciating my work. It’s been a few years now and I have gained many followers across all social media platforms, this didn’t happen over night but it’s okay, I’m having fun with it.

If I can give your readers any advice, I would recommend for you to just be yourself and do what you love. You will be surprised how many people walking this world today can relate to you. Don’t try to be extra, just be yourself.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My situation is unique in the sense that my customers are primarily people who follow me on social media. They buy and wear my apparel to support my brand and what I’m doing. LOCKANDCRAWL LLC is not just an off-road apparel company. We off-road, rock crawl and overland to some of America’s most beautiful and challenging trails, while documenting every adventure so we can bring you along for the ride!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lockandcrawl.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lockandcrawl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LOCKANDCRAWL
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lockandcrawl
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXqDMRh1M-e5fmOUONr_cRQ
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lockandcrawl Photographer and model: Jessica Rae Instagram: @3jessicaaa

Image Credits
Jessica Rae