Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeremy Lux. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jeremy , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

When I decided to start Illumine in 2016, launching in 2017, I had no idea the risk I was taking. To me it seemed simple – I had a passion for the outdoors, traveling and the adventure that came with it – I just needed to find a way to share that passion with others and help them experience the same thing. The solution? Creating an outdoor-inspired apparel brand that partnered with nonprofits making the outdoors more accessible, sustainable and welcoming. With each purchase we’d donate 20% to those partners to help them make a difference. Looking at the TOMS model, and noticing that other similar brands didn’t have a broader outdoor nonprofit focus, I thought it would catch on like wildfire. I was wrong. The last 7 years ended up with struggles of how to build a community and grow the business – all while stretching things thin financially, with no capital. While each year has come with new growth, I’ve gone through different iterations of the business model, ways to partner with the nonprofits, and strategies to build that community. During that time I found myself taking risks, and going all in on advertising with no return, but there has always been gleaming hope. Those risks brought growth, increased donations to our partners, and a tiny, but mighty group of repeat customers. Along the way I’ve learned from each risk taken and implemented new strategies to avoid the mistakes and double down on the positives. What keeps me going through all of these risks is the response from our nonprofit partners and the support of growing loyal customers. Without that and the passion that comes along with it I would not be in business today.

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

I grew up in a small town in Virginia and as many know, you have to find your own fun in a one stoplight town. As most kids I explored in the woods, built forts and found ways to stay entertained. In high school I began riding BMX bikes, and rather than exploring my backyard, I explored our town and neighboring ones looking for places to ride. A group of friends and I would spend hours on our bikes. There was a certain freedom and creativity that came along with it that I couldn’t get enough of. During my time at Virginia Commonwealth University I would spend my summers working at Camp Woodward in Pennsylvania, which is the largest action sports camp. I was amazed at the people I met (both campers and other employees) from all over the country and world. This opened my eyes to what was out there, and the opportunities that BMX could bring me. My final summer there I met my wife who’s from Missouri and everything changed. We began traveling to places like Australia, and across Europe. As silly as it seems this all happened because I loved being outside and on my bike. Without that I don’t think these opportunities would have presented themself. In 2016 I decided I wanted to find a way to stay involved with riding, by creating a business. But not just any business, one that helped others experience the same the things I did through BMX, no matter the outdoor activity. Through research I found nonprofits that made an impact on others and our world with everything from surfing, to hiking, biking and more. Immediately I wanted to incorporate a give back model to support their missions. It was decided that 20% of our sales would be given back to those nonprofits, along with finding new ways to raise awareness for them through collaborations and podcasts. Illumine’s focus now is working with nonprofits making the outdoors more accessible, sustainable and welcoming. These organizations have removed over 101,200+ lbs of trash, impacted over 14,394+ individuals and offered over 760+ outdoor programs – and that’s just the numbers I could find. I’m proud to say that this small passion of mine in Illumine has been able to donate $35,220.62 and bring new audiences to these nonprofits since 2017. Their feedback and our growing customer base that share the same passion has been the driving force to continue doing what we do at Illumine. Our customers aren’t just customers, they’re part of an outdoor community that gives back.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Since 2017 there have been many twists and turns. From changing our new partnership frequency, to finding new ways to raise awareness (for example The Life in Motion Podcast). Now at the beginning of 2024 I’m at the beginning of a new pivot. Looking back over the past 6 years there has been one consistent issue. While each year we’ve grown in revenue and donations to our nonprofits, it’s come with unnecessary expenses that are slowly killing the business. The main one? Advertising. It grows our revenue, however at a rate that doesn’t overcome those expenses. Primarily because of the lack of capital and resources for adspend and creative. There simply isn’t enough there for proper execution and testing. My fear over the years was that if I pulled the plug on advertising it would decrease sales, which would decrease donations – ultimately leading to a failed mission. I was in my own way looking at yearly sales goals, rather than realizing I could potentially decrease expenses, resulting in less yearly revenue, but still being able to donate a significant amount to our nonprofits – the mission. This year this pivot is coming to life by taking a different approach to how we partner with nonprofits and changing the way we generate awareness through a more organic way. Doing this took me swallowing my pride and not looking to reach a certain yearly sales goal, but rather looking at how to make an impact on our nonprofit partners in a responsible business way.

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

Our online presence is still slowly growing, but in the early days we had to get creative with how to generate awareness. Initially (and still is) a big part of the strategy was using our nonprofit partnerships and collaborations with them to gain exposure with their audience. Crossposting is a big part of this, but not only does it help us, but also the nonprofit as well. However a couple of years in I decided to start the Life in Motion Podcast, which lives under the Illumine brand. The idea was to work on building that online community, whether they were customers or not, by sharing stories of nonprofit partners, individuals and likeminded business in the industry. With over 184 episodes now, we’ve been able to diversify our audience and exposure by sharing stories of world travelers, professional athletes and weekend warriors – not to mention take a deep dive into the impact of various outdoor nonprofits. Once again the cross promotion between our guests and us has introduced us to new audiences in a cost effective way. If you’re just starting out, capital usually isn’t on your side, so getting creative (while still aligning with your business) is a must!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://illuminecollect.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illuminecollect/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/illuminecollect
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/illumine-collect
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/illuminecollect