• #201: Cabela’s – From Furniture to Fishing Flies

  • Apr 16 2025
  • Duración: 24 m
  • Podcast

#201: Cabela’s – From Furniture to Fishing Flies

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  • 1000 fishing flies and an ad that failed turned a furniture store family into a sporting goods store empire. Way to go Cabela's. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So, here's one of those. [No Bull RV Ad] Stephen Semple: Hey, David, we're going to do something different here. Dave Young: Okay. I'm all ears. Stephen Semple: Because you have a special history with this company. So we're going to talk about Cabela's. Dave Young: Okay. Okay. Stephen Semple: Because of the fact that Cabela's started in your little town in Nebraska. Dave Young: Kind of. Kind of. Stephen Semple: Kind of. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: So we're going to do this completely unrehearsed, Dave running with things, and I'll fill in certain- Dave Young: You're going to Google dates and names in the background? Stephen Semple: Yeah, that's what we're going to do. So let's give that a roll. Cabela's is an interesting story. Dave Young: It really is, and it still is a brand, right? It's still around, but it's owned by the Bass Pro Shop guy, Johnny, whatever his name is. I didn't get to know him because that's a Missouri thing. So Sidney, Nebraska- Stephen Semple: We don't like talking about those people. Dave Young: Well, he came in and bought it up and saved the company. That's part of the story. But Sidney, Nebraska was the home of Cabela's, the family and the corporate headquarters for years and years. It started, though, in a town about 30 miles away, a town of Chappell, Nebraska. Stephen Semple: Right. Yes. Dave Young: 1962. Stephen Semple: Well actually, you're really good. According to what I have here is December, 1961, but 1962 is a month later. Dave Young: Yeah. '62 is what was always on their logo. Stephen Semple: Okay, cool. Cool. Dave Young: And the shirts you could buy, like Cabela's EST 1962, but yeah, December '61. So Chappell, Nebraska, their dad is in the furniture business, and- Stephen Semple: I didn't realize he was in the furniture business. Okay, cool. Dave Young: Yeah, and the story. As I recall, is that two of the sons, Dick and Jim, well, at least it was Dick that went to the furniture show with dad in Chicago, where you see all the furniture that you're going to buy for your store and you make deals with the manufacturers and all that stuff arrives then over the course of the next year. Well, he found a company that he bought like a thousand Chinese-made fishing flies. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: Little flies for fly fishing. Stephen Semple: Right. And what I have here is it cost him like 45 bucks. Dave Young: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Dirt cheap. Didn't know what he was going to do with them, but he bought a thousand of them and brought them home. Takes out a little ad in a Wyoming hunters' newspaper or newsletter. All right? And he- Stephen Semple: Sports Afield is the name of the- Dave Young: Sports Afield, and the ad, if... So yeah, gosh, now I feel like I'm doing this story and Stephen's fact checking me, live. So this is, I think, from an ad writing perspective and a business making an offer, this is actually the pivotal moment in the genesis of the Cabela's story is that they ran this ad in Sports Afield and nothing happened. Stephen Semple: Right. I think they got one response or something like that? Dave Young: Yeah, but it was the offer. The offer was buy, I think it was 12 hand-tied fishing flies for a dollar,
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