"Save a lot of money and don’t put yourself in a situation where you absolutely must succeed in order to keep paying your bills" with Steve Silberberg
Steve Silberberg is the founder and owner of Fitpacking Weight Loss Backpacking Adventures: https://fitpacking.com. He graduated from M.I.T. in 1984 with both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Steve was a software contractor for over 20 years serving dozens of notable clients including DuPont, Polaroid, Tektronix, Acadian Asset Management, Ameriprise, Talbots, Data I/O, and companies with names even more obscure than Data I/O.
Steve's Air Sickness Bag collection is the largest in the lower 48 and 10th largest in the world. Steve generally avoids people and prefers to spend his time backpacking in the wilderness. (But he likes writing about himself in the 3rd person like a self-important putz).
Can you tell our readers about your background?
While you are probably used to hearing about wildly successful business leaders who were terrible in school, I excelled in academia but floundered in the real world. I thought for sure that my academic accomplishments would jettison me into great success in the business world. I was wrong. If overcoming adversity isn’t your bag, it’s hard to succeed in the business world.
Wait, what was the question?
What inspired you to start your business?
My father died at 54. As I was rounding 40 and working a stressful desk job (lucrative, but stressful) I wondered when and how I would ever be able to engage in more personally meaningful activities such as backpacking, which is my primary passion. I started thinking that if I only had 14 years to live, how would I want to spend them?
I also noticed that whenever I returned from a weeklong hiking trip, I felt thinner, stress-free, and happy. So in order to experience more of this, I decided that I could take people to beautiful wilderness areas to “get fit and lose fat”? The inspiration was thus born.
Where is your business based?
Fitpacking is based in Hull, MA -- a suburb of Boston -- but we’re decentralized. We have staff in Orlando, Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Sioux Falls with guides all over the country.
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
I was lucky that the company I worked for kept me on for a year while I started my business – a year-long soft opening if you will. I started by posting online, putting up posters, and meeting with some local people who were curious about the business before running the first test trip.
As a software developer, I also created a website and encouraged people in cyberspace to check it out. It started slowly because a lot of people don’t want to take a chance on a new, unknown entity.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
Although our customers are extremely loyal (over 50% of our participants have been on previous trips) we never push them for referrals. Unlike many corporate overlords, I don’t believe in treating clients like unpaid marketing interns.
I’ve found that the most effective way of raising awareness is media placement. Over time, I have turned into a bit of a media whore who pushes our narrative into most any media source that will feature us.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
One challenge is that our objectives are at odds with each other. On one hand, I want people to love backpacking and inspire them to go out and independently hike on their own. But of course, this isn’t very good for return business.
How do you stay focused?
While it’s become kind of de rigeur to claim you have mild to severe ADD or ADHD, I am the opposite. I am almost completely unable to multi-task. Focus comes naturally to me so staying focused is not anything I ever think about.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
Fitpacking is not that much different from other backpacking outfitters except our focus is on becoming fit, getting healthy, and altering body composition. We’re a good choice for people who are overweight or older as opposed to the super-fit “summit every peak” client that might not find our program challenging enough.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
Marketing is a loathsome, never-ending Sisyphian task that not only drains a company’s finances at an unprecedented rate but also drains your spirit and the amount of time you can devote to any and all more important aspects of running your business. Shysters and con artists excel at it, I decidedly do not.
That said, Google AdWords and HARO have been our indispensable mainstays.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Save a lot of money and don’t put yourself in a situation where you absolutely must succeed in order to keep paying your bills. Some people work well with that kind of constant pressure but I think most don’t. And it can put your family at risk unnecessarily. This doesn’t mean you should start a business without the expectation of making money, just that you shouldn’t have to be in a position where you need to turn a profit immediately.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
My favorite app is the one I wrote for Fitpacking to analyze body composition. Well, maybe indispensable is more accurate than a favorite. I guess my favorite app would be the Kindle app (even though I have no love for Amazon) because it allows me to always have a book ready to read for anytime I find myself waiting for someone or something.
My favorite books are “America The Book” and “Cvltvre Made Stvpid”. Although I would also recommend a compelling book called “Duped”.
What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is consistently the most vital business resource I use because it opens up a world of media opportunity to businesses that are voiceless, undercapitalized, or both.
Who is your business role model? Why?
I wish I had one. I suppose it used to be Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. My impression is that their business was at least nominally socially responsible. Plus, their salaries were not to be more than 6X the amount of their lowest-paid worker. I have little respect for entrepreneurs who exploit their workers in order to pad their “can’t spend in thousands of lifetimes” wealth, no matter how visionary they may be.
How do you balance work and life?
Some people label Fitpacking as a “Lifestyle Business”, meaning that work and life are intertwined. This obviates any need to balance the two.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
I’m an introvert so being alone decompresses and recharges me. But going to the beach is my go-to action. Fortunately, I live in a beach town so I can go for only 1 or 2 hours easily enough.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
I had a myriad of plans and dreams about six months ago. But my current plan is to let COVID drag me around by the hair and do what it will. On the rare occasion when COVID temporarily loses its stranglehold, I do what I can to keep the business afloat.
How can our readers connect with you?