We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bobby Couch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Bobby thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Through FASHION, ART, MUSIC, AND TECHNOLOGY we produce the largest consumer facing marketplace in the Midwest. Black Fashion Expo is extremely unique as a B2C event that takes place annually created by us and for us (BLACK folk). Historically, the experience is during the final weekend in February in celebration of Black History Month. This year BFE looks forward to expanding into a larger expo center in the Spring of 2023:
BFE was created as a platform to represent the underrepresented with a concentration on emerging designers from the inner city of Columbus, Ohio with limited resources.
Bobby, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Bobby Couch known for his iconic intro of Bobby like Brown & Couch like a Sofa. Thee Art & Lifestyle Director holds an extensive background in fashion, event production, and marketing, Couch serves as a community leader in the Midwest. The charismatic, witty, and smartexperience curator also serves as an activist in minority communities. Bobby has collaborated and contributed to more than twenty Fortune 500 brands and even cultivated businesses to create new and unique roles tailored directly to compliment his skill set, including the role of Chief First Impressions Officer of Retail at Comenity Capital Bank (Alliance Data). A man of many talents, Couch has been acquired to partner in co-producing several high-profile experiences including Barney’s New York | Sean Carter Holiday Collection, Cincinnati Bengals: Stripes Don’t Come Easy, Chef Nikki’s High-End Affair, The Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, Revolt TV Music Conference, Pepsi Music Factory, Rolling Loud, and NBA All-Star Weekend 2020. Additionally, Couch has leveraged his social platforms, a connoisseur of all things Black-Owned, a master of digital storytelling.
Have you ever had to pivot?
The PANDEMIC pivot’ everyone experienced it but it’s almost as though no one talks about it. In the production field a national crisis is never good news especially when the topic is surrounding an airborne illness that no one including medical professional quite know what it is. One thing stood true no one needs in person experiences or experiential marketing. At the time I resided with my elderly grandparents and worked full time as an event planner with an entire quarter of events cancelled before my eyes I made a decision that would surely change my life forever. I packed my belongings and headed to Cincinnati, OH my second home with my college roommate and immediately began seeking employment opportunities. After months of searching and wiping my savings account out clean I nailed the interview with a local boutique called BlaCk OWned Outerwear as an Art & Lifestyle Director; while the role didn’t pay nearly the amount that I knew I was worth at the time the experience and lessons learned at BlaCk OWned prepared me to be to be the king of the jungle. Social unrest was a major topic of conversation in the during tragedy of Breonna Taylor that occurred not even two hours away from the storefront I worked in. When Means Cameron announced he got the call from the Cincinnati Bengals the entire BlaCk OWned team was elated that we have the platform to curate America’s first ever NFL Co-Lab for the Cincinnati Bengals by Black creators and the team did just that Stripes Don’t Come Easy is now in it’s 3rd capsule collection and available nationwide on fanatics.com or in-store at: BlaCk OWned Outerwear 822 Elm Street in Downtown Cincinnati. The experience I gained there taught me two things I won’t soon forget:
1.) You don’t have to be the boss to make the impact.
2.) STRIPES DON’T COME EASY!
All and all the pandemic was filled with unique and unconventional opportunities to make ends meat and experience the world in ways most of us could never imagine. It also has gave me a greater appreciation for life and the people in mine.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Funding a business is far from an easy task; this is the part most entrepreneurs leave out. Post-pandemic I enrolled into a business accelerator program that taught me how to better structure my business plan in. the efforts of launching my “urban” business to key investors. After the 10 week program concluded all 10 of my co-horts and I competed in a pitch competition for micro-grants during which time we had 7 minutes to convince of team of judges on why we were most deserving of said offerings. All and all I lost I didn’t place and to make matters worst I was the only member of the co-hort to have perfect attendance and turn in every assignment “flawlessly” I was reassured by one of the founders of that program that my presentation was indeed giving and a list of alternative sources to contact regarding funding. Since then Couch also was a presenter in the 2023 Pitch BLACK Columbus | Delivering Black Dreams Project produced by Maroon Arts Group and pitched again against some familiar competitors on Dec, 29 2022. Couch is now preparing for the resurgence of Black Fashion Expo and is scheduled to drop details on the 2023 BFE Informational later this month.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: BobbyCouch