We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Paxson Woelber a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Paxson, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you find your key vendor or vendors? Maybe you can share the backstory and share some context and the relevant details to help us understand why you chose them, why they chose you, etc.

We use a high-performance ceramic finish on our Nordic skates. It’s more durable (and arguably better-looking) than what our competitors do, but applying it is a labor-intensive process that requires skill and experience. Unfortunately, the first company we used was chronically late and quality was inconsistent. Sometimes I’d pick up a batch of skates weeks late, look at them in the shop, and then just push them back across the counter–the shop already knew they were sub-par and sheepishly said they would redo them. Other times they’d make excuses or fall all over themselves talking about how they’d fixed some problem or other and everything would be better from here on out.

It was so disappointing because they could do amazing and creative work when they were at their best. I felt like I was constantly chasing that high of getting back a box or two of high-quality work, but the problems with deadlines and consistency meant I was delivering product to customers late. The outdoor skating season is short, so being late is a big deal! I wasn’t willing to compromise on the quality of skates we sent out our door, but at the end of the day, this was causing lost sales, endangering my new company’s reputation, and causing a lot of frustration.

Some say that being in business with another company is like being in a relationship. I’d go a little farther and say it simply IS a relationship. It’s not a metaphor, really. And at the end of the day you have to recognize that sometimes things just aren’t working out and aren’t going to work out. Eventually, after missing two deadlines in a row at a critical time, I went to the shop with a box, told them to put all of my product in it, and left.

Soon after, I found another company with a small team that worked with the same ceramic coating. They didn’t advertise the service, and mostly provided it word-of-mouth to midsized businesses. Since starting to work with them, I’ve gotten back box after box after box of perfectly finished skates. They’re consistently on time and the cost is virtually identical, too.

I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect perfection from another company. Everyone makes mistakes. But you need to know how when to call it. I still have fond memories of working with the first company on some cool custom skates, but I should have paid more attention to the red flags and moved on sooner. This was a big learning experience with my business, though luckily one with a happy ending.

Paxson, 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 started Nordic skating in November 2016, when I bought a pair of Nordic skates pretty much on a whim. I’d heard about “these ice skates that clip onto your XC ski boots” and since I was already an avid XC skate skier, I thought I’d give them a try. The very first time I went out on the ice I was hooked. The skates were fast and stable, the boots were comfortable and warm, and skating outdoors in the winter was just extraordinarily beautiful. Growing up in Alaska, I’d been skiing, hiking, rafting, and biking my entire life. But I’d never done anything like this. Racing across a mirror of ice reflecting sunset-lit mountains was exhilarating.

I founded Ermine Skate in May 2021 with the goal of building premium-quality Nordic skates in Alaska. We buy our steel and aluminum from US sources and do all of our manufacturing in Southcentral Alaska. Skating culture and conditions are a bit different here than they are in Europe, where Nordic skating originated. We are very focused on “adventure skating” here, which can mean skating bumpy overflow ice through the woods, blasting around on silt-strewn glacier lagoons, or weaving down narrow passages through lagoons and wetlands. Ermine’s skates are stable, well-built, and use high-quality materials that can withstand use and abuse. I’m proud to say that after two years in business, folks have put many thousands of miles on our skates and we have not received a single warranty claim or complaint about the quality or durability of our product. Literally not one.

Running Ermine Skate is a huge amount of work, but it’s rewarding to be a part of such an incredible growing sport, and to know that our products are bringing joy to thousands of people. We take a lot of pride in our skates, both as functional and aesthetic objects. We’re also proud to be a truly local small business that contributes to our community by supporting other local small businesses and by working with local nonprofits and other organizations.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

After many years working as an employee or contractor, Ermine is the first time I’ve ever been something like a “boss.” It’s a strange feeling! Anchorage currently has low unemployment and relatively high labor costs, which can be a challenge for some businesses. But, to be honest, Ermine has never had a shortage of people who want to work for the company. I don’t believe in using tricks or schemes or morale-boosting tasks in order to attract or retain workers. Rather, I believe in making the fundamentals appealing for someone who wants to work for the company. That includes strong pay, scheduling flexibility, and a good, safe environment. Also: the best employee pro deals anywhere. Oh, and no meetings. When figuring out work policies, I try to ask myself “would I have been excited to have this job ten or fifteen years ago?” As long as the answer is “heck yes,” I think I’m on the right track.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

Right now, our core product is our Nordic skates. Last year, we also started selling ancillary products like bindings (which connect our skates to boots), ice self-rescue equipment, and skate bags. One long-term question is whether we will start offering services like skate sharpening or start hosting events. One successful businessperson I spoke to insisted that service-based businesses are superior to product-based businesses, and suggested that we start offering tours. It’s hard to schedule Nordic skating events, however, because natural ice is so ephemeral. Sometimes you’ll have open water one day, thin ice the next, and then snow-covered ice (which can’t be skated for safety reasons) the day after that. This is a topic that we’ll continue to discuss and explore over the coming seasons.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ermineskate.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ermineskate/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ermineskate
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmW7XXySYJjH5nyBmKcq9oQ
• Other: https://www.reddit.com/user/ermineskate

Image Credits
Photos courtesy Paxson Woelber, Ermine Skate