Building Something with Justin Brown (Rhino Skin Solutions)

When it comes to climbing, skin is the interface between you and the rock. Climbers don’t wear gloves. Well, crack climbers sort of wear gloves, but that’s another story. For the rest of us, the condition of our skin can mean the difference between success and failure. Justin Brown has made the condition of your hands his business.

Crack climbing tape gloves — The author spotted outside his natural habitat, crack climbing with poorly constructed tape gloves and moccasins.

Let’s say I train for months — pouring my heart and soul into improving as a climber, getting stronger and more powerful. How well am I going to be able to apply my new He-Man strength if my tips are split and as greasy as the lard cubes I used to wrestle into the fryers at Outback Steakhouse in high school? The answer is not very well.

Skin complexion comes in many flavors: too wet, too dry, cracked, bleeding, thin and weeping, or even all of the above. When it comes to this seemingly minor element of climbing, I’m fairly “challenged”. I won’t bore you with the details, but I’ve battled with a range of skin “ailments” and was delighted when I saw Rhino Skin Solutions hit the scene several years ago. My bedside table has since become a de facto dirtbag JC Penny cosmetic counter of Rhino products.

The author’s bedside table kit. Note earplugs for scale (if someone is coming to kill me, I’d rather not hear it).

When I reached out to Justin via email to ask some skincare questions several years ago, I was amazed at how quickly he responded and the level of interest he had in me as a nameless consumer of his product. I could tell he really cared. I remembered that level of dedication when I was mulling over folks to feature on this site.

One of my typical split seams. I sent this photo to Justin and was amazed at his interest in getting me squared away.

But this is a website half focused on financial independence, so what’s with the skin pitch?

Hobby to Job

We’re not really here to discuss Rhino Skin Solutions at all. We’re really here to discuss the process of taking an interest and building something that’s not only a passion, but generates a product where others find value. All of a sudden you can create a livelihood out of a silly selfish sport like rock climbing.

You see, although we talk about FIRE (Financial Independence/Retire Early), we don’t really like the “Retire Early” portion of the acronym. We think the beautiful thing about financial stability is the ability to pursue other interests with a massive safety net, because we’re frankly too cowardly to do it without that net.

But folks like Justin saw an opportunity, climbers saw a value, and the story continues from there.

As I’ve said before, a dismal 13% of the US workforce is passionate about their jobs. I’m only speculating, but I image Justin Brown falls into the 13% category on most days. Let’s jump in to learn more about Justin and what he’s built.

Enter Justin Brown…

CC: What’s your brief history as a climber, including some highlights?

JB: I have been climbing for over 25 years. I really got into it when a gym opened in Cleveland, Ohio in 1994. I later attended Green Mountain College in Vermont and met a group of climbers from New York. The climbing scene in New York was much different than Cleveland; folks were more accepting and willing to pursue the sport.

Highlights from my past include Badman (5.14a) at Smith Rock in Oregon. I also love traveling — my wife and I just went to Greece to climb, which was amazing. Traveling the states and seeing all the areas is amazing. Meeting people and spending time around the campfire is amazing. Starting Rhino must be a highlight — going to crags and hearing people talk about Rhino is pretty fantastic.

I always pursued two sports the most. Climbing and Skiing. I found taking a break from each one was important to build the psych and maintain a healthy body.

Life Before Rhino

CC: Prior to Rhino, what was your source of income? How did you build climbing into your life then?

JB: I used to Ski Patrol in the winter and tour guide or camp counselor during the summer. I later went to culinary school and was a cook/chef all the way up to 2017, still ski patrolling in the winter as well. The craft of cooking and building those skills was something I enjoyed, plus I was able to live close to climbing areas.

I have been living in Bend, Oregon for 9 years, so climbing is quite close by.

Food porn from Justin Brown’s previous life. We both share a background in the restaurant kitchen underbelly.

The Beginnings of Rhino

JB: 3.5 years ago I created Rhino Skin Solutions. I worked in the restaurant and ran the business for the first 2.5 years. Last summer I was able to stop cooking and go full-time Rhino.

I created Rhino out of curiosity mostly. My wife and I used various products for our skin. I was curious about these products (I’m an incessant ingredient reader), so I researched how they were made and what worked in each of them. Being a chef and naturally stingy, I decided I would try and make them.

I made a small batch after much trial and error and brought it down to Bishop*. We all had a great time and our skin was excellent as well. Soon after that people started to ask if they could buy some product from me. And thus it began.

*CC Note: Bishop is a famed bouldering area near the namesake town in California, particularly known for skin-shredding granite. In other words, a great testing area for skincare products!

At the start I was cooking and ski patrolling and building Rhino. There were some really long days. I would work 8-15 hr shifts and then get home, pack boxes and make Rhino if needed. It was not unusual to work from 7 am-12:30 am. Passion and excitement for something new definitely drove me at that point.

Passion and excitement for something new definitely drove me at that point.

The User Group

CC: What did you think was missing in the world of skin care for climbers? What was (or is) your intended business niche? Do you think these products are focused more for performance-focused climbers?

JB: There were a lot of great products out there, but nobody had a full line of products like Rhino now has. We formulated our products specifically for climbers — keeping out the BS — knowing that success with climbers could later help us cross over to other sports.

When I started Rhino I thought I could advertise to all types of user groups. I quickly realized that broad marketing waters down my efforts and it’s better to focus in on one group. I’m a climber, so climbing it was.

The interesting thing is that even though our products will work amazingly to help top-tier climbers climb just a bit better, it is nearly impossible to get them to switch their trajectory. From a community and business standpoint, it is much more important for me and Rhino to focus on beginner, intermediate, and advanced climbers.

Having Rhino available to new climbers is great; having a recognizable brand for new-comers to the sport is important. Intermediate and advanced climbers, especially with the popularization of training, are looking for that edge. Rhino gives them the opportunity to dial in their skin care routine and skin health to help them perform just a bit better and recover more quickly.

Timeframe to Profitability

CC: A big part of building a business around your passions is the fear of the unknown and the lack of a consistent paycheck. In fact, a new venture of this sort is more often than not going to require money in, long before any profit is generated.

I suppose many folks would rather take the comfortable route and work for someone else (I have). It’s a steady paycheck, predictable hours, and usually a proven market. I wanted to dig in a bit more to see the timeframe to profitability and the psychology involved in continuing to develop a product when success is not guaranteed.

Early Days of the Business

JB: The first year I sold enough product to break even, but Rhino was by no means profitable. Every dime we made went right back into growing the business. Inventory is the greatest expense, advertising, R&D, etc. All these things take an enormous amount of money.

I was able to start paying myself a small monthly wage about a year ago. It was enough to cover housing and expenses. Is Rhino profitable yet? Yes and no. I could just stagnate and claim profitability, but to grow the company to where I’d like to see it, I still feel the need to put revenue right back into the business. I can’t thank my wife enough for her support and encouragement through this process, as well as the climbing community for their support of these efforts.

Steady Cash Flow

As far as steady cash flow, I would say it took me three years to be reasonably confident that I could fund more than the basic company needs. I don’t take out any loans to build Rhino, but I do spend revenue on projects and people that will help the community and the business build together.

I think what keeps me going is the challenge of building Rhino — I have no background in building a business. And maybe that’s a good thing? I’m inventing, streamlining, and building a business with no formal boundaries or constraints. There are things I could do better, but I’m doing this the best way I see fit. It’s fun, challenging, and exciting — just like climbing.

Expansion of the Business

CC: Have you hired others to support the business? What are the complications, both financial and even personal, of sharing what you’ve built?

JB: I have yet to hire any full time staff, which means I work hard to keep this thing going. I have hired people occasionally to pack boxes, help label bottles, and do demos around the country. I used to do all the traveling and I would ship from my van.

It’s nice to have people represent Rhino though. They give a unique perspective and I think it’s important to show that others support the company enough to show up at events. People are excited to see the person behind the idea, but I think it’s equally important to have a support group that can show up at events and bring their unique personality and view to the brand.

Justin Brown’s home crag of Smith Rock, Oregon.

Can I Climb More with My Own Business?

JB: For sure less. But that’s probably my fault. When you own your own business, you can definitely see one hour of work equals one hour of growth. So when I’m at the desk typing or packing boxes or making product, each thing I do is done to help Rhino grow. So how do you stop that?

I have been climbing a long time. Perhaps my psych for the everyday grind of climbing has been superseded by growing Rhino. Climbing for me is not about climbing that next harder grade anymore. Maybe I’m older and keeping fit is harder, or maybe I have already achieved goals I thought were never possible. Creating and growing Rhino is just as important — or more so — than sending my next project.

Working for somebody else is great. You clock in, clock out and have the rest of the day to yourself. If you run your own business, it is nearly impossible to clock out. The good part, when my wife has time off, I can take that off too.

Perhaps my psych for the everyday grind of climbing has been superseded by growing Rhino. Climbing for me is not about climbing that next harder grade anymore. ..Creating and growing Rhino is just as important — or more so — than sending my next project.

Parting Thoughts on Building a Business Around Your Passions

JB: It’s hard work, but it should be fun for you. Follow your passion to create a product, do good for the community and be kind. Just like climbing, there is no magic way to reach a goal or have a successful business.

Quick gains will not necessarily last. Plan on a slow and steady trajectory, and know that working for yourself will most likely result in less free time, less climbing, and less time for yourself.

There will be confusion and exhilaration, success and failure. Do not view failure or troubles as anything other than a puzzle to solve and overcome. Challenges will give you a better insight into your business, and ultimately if attacked and solved properly, make your business stronger.

Think long term. In the start and even to this day, Rhino sells some products that just don’t hold up to our standards. People email us with issues, we solve the issue with kindness and generosity. A short term loss is a drop in the bucket for long term success.