Today we’d like to introduce you to Firsthand Supply, Josh Hester and Filipe Inacio.
Firsthand, Josh, Filipe, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Firsthand Supply began as a passion project. Filipe (one of the owners) wasn’t satisfied with how most over-the-counter hair styling products worked or with the aggressive and toxic formulations they had which left his hair and scalp feeling dry and irritated. The goal was to create a product made from clean ingredients that actually worked. Filipe spent about a year and over 50 iterations working on what became the very first product; the Water-Based Pomade.
We began to connect with various people who were willing to try and even buy the product. From there we got involved in a very active “Pomade” community on Facebook and the product found its way to different individuals all over the world. After about a half year ramping up production and talking about the products to anyone who would listen we began getting inquiries from retailers who wanted to carry the products in their store. During the second half of 2017 Firsthand added more products to the lineup and we began to appear in dozens of shops across the US, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. As 2017 ended Firsthand had proven the products had product market fit and that there was a demand for what we were making- Filipe and I quit our jobs, moved the company into a larger production space and began churning out orders. Things were growing and going well but at the beginning of 2018 we began to ask ourselves, “What’s next?”.
It can be easy to just put your head down, get to work, and find yourself trapped into a habit of doing something that may seem good but is also not really headed anywhere. We wanted to take things to the next level, to take the company down its next few steps. We began asking ourselves, “Why are we actually doing this? “…”Why is it that we quit well paying full-time jobs to jump into this?”…and, “What does any of this mean”. We began by realizing that while we enjoy the products we make we don’t define ourselves by them and that there had to be a greater mission and vision to what we were going to be about.
So, we spent a few weeks with our white board and just began writing out all of our values and what we stand for; both personally and how we wanted Firsthand to reflect that. Through that process we realized that we wanted to be a company that was really about valuing people…not just providing value to people but actually valuing THEM! We began using this phrase “valuing people on both sides of the transaction” meaning, whether you worked for us, were a vendor or supplier of ours, or purchased product from us we want you to be valued. It’s why we chose the ingredients we use, its why we strive to structure our company in as transparent of a way as possible, its why we set our pricing structure to prices that we know are responsible and not an exploitation of profit margins its why we take customer service and the customer experience so seriously- so seriously that it cuts into profit margins from time to time but that’s ok. We decided that no matter what we do we want to do it with people in mind.
We narrowed the values down to the 7 that we felt defined us most clearly. And then we began to put imagery around how to represent those values. Through that process we realized that we haven’t been representing ourselves, both in language and in visuals, adequately. We recognized that we had an identity and articulation problem. So, we decided to rebrand the company. We’re still going to be Firsthand Supply (Or just “Firsthand” for short), but we wanted to make sure we were talking about ourselves and our mission well enough. We’re about 3/4 through that rebrand process right now. We know how to talk about ourselves, we have our visual identity established and we’re working on repackaging right now. We also decided to focus our product offering which means we’ll be stripping a few products out and adding some products as well. The rebrand and new products should roll out later this year.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Firsthand is a company that cares about people. Everything we say, do, and make supports that truth. We’re building a company that values people on both sides of the transaction- through honest sourcing, sustainable process, and a heavy dose of give-a-damn. Our approach may be rare, but we also believe it’s right. We think that making, buying, and using our products should help people to feel valued while being a part of something good. Because people matter, so let’s make stuff that matters.
That’s the vision statement of Firsthand and it can be summarized in one phrase: “Made with you in mind”.
The vehicle we get to do all of that through currently is personal care goods- specifically hair styling products such as a Pomade and a Styling Clay.
Our values that guide us are:
People first.
1. People before profit, every time, no excuses. This goes for how we treat/interact with people, to the materials and ingredients we source, and in how we make products.
2. Celebrate people constantly.
– We believe that inside of EVERY person is potential- not only to create, but also to innovate. Anyone who has ever done anything of note is made up of the same flesh and blood that you and I are made of. The only difference? Their experiences and their environment. We’re all in this together, so let’s make **good** **experiences** and a **healthy** **environment** a priority.
3. Be Personable & Approachable.
– This plays out through honesty, transparency, and fun. We keep things focused on core human values.
4. Create with Intentionality.
– Every detail matter. In our products, messaging, and physical goods, it all reflects our value.
5. Be Passionate and Bold.
– We give a shit, about everyone. People deserve to be cared for, and not leveraged unfairly for profit. That passion goes into everything we do.
6. Embrace Change.
– It isn’t easy but it is often necessary.
7. Be Humble.
– We don’t DESERVE to do this, we GET to do this.
You’ll notice nothing in there is about delivering the perfect hair style or personal care good products. Sure, we know we’ll help people to achieve good hair and that we’ll make some of the best personal care good products you can find anywhere, but we also know that will all happen if we can get the first part right- if the values come first. Many companies get it backwards though and they wonder why they don’t grow or convert new customers to their products. They start with the what and finish with the why.
We’re excited about the possibilities of running a company like we intend to. We envision being able to help build platforms for people to realize their potential and unlock innovation and creativity wherever they are. We’re not 100% sure how it’ll look but we know that it’ll always involve people.
How can artists connect with other artists?
Put yourself out there. Put your head down and make something great but then at some point you need to lift up your head and get your product and your voice out there. Also, surround yourself with people who will push you, who won’t always tell you what you want to hear but will tell you something that you need to hear. What you are working on you are often too deep into it to see the things that need to be seen, both good and bad. Get out there, talk to people, show your stuff, get feedback, and allow yourself to get better. Where do you find this? The internet is your friend! Hah. But seriously, find out what local group meetups are happening. Check out Creative Mornings Boston. Start somewhere, start anywhere…just start!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
We’re currently in a few select retailers in the Boston area but you can always find us online at firsthandsupply.com. A full list of retailers can also be found on our site.
Contact Info:
- Address: 17 Cox Court Beverly, MA 01915
- Website: www.firsthandsupply.com
- Phone: 9784737909
- Email: hello@firsthandsupply.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/firsthandsupply
- Facebook: facebook.com/firsthandsupply
Image Credit:
Daniel Ebersole, Steven Schultz
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
