Jim
Wirth
Jim Wirth is the co-founder and CEO of GiantMouse Knives, a Michigan-based premium knife brand known for Scandinavian-rooted design and everyday-ready performance. Under Jim’s leadership, GiantMouse has earned multiple industry awards (including Blade Show and Field & Stream honors), partnerships with iconic lifestyle and outdoor brands, and was ranked an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Company for three consecutive years. A lifelong knife and watch enthusiast, Jim also founded Carpe Diem EDC in 2014 and is actively building a sister brand to GiantMouse tailored to lower price-point knives for the hunting, fishing, and broader outdoor communities. Before consumer goods, he co-founded a data warehousing and business intelligence consultancy that ultimately exited to Hewlett-Packard. Jim focuses on practical design, durable materials, and brand storytelling.
Sessions with Jim
Finding Your Path: Starting + Growing a Business in the Outdoor Industry
2:15PM-3PM
What does it really take to start and grow a business in the outdoor industry? In this honest, behind-the-scenes session, you’ll hear from founders at different stages of building purpose-driven brands rooted in a love for the outdoors. This is not a highlight reel. It’s a real conversation about the messy, rewarding, and sometimes downright wild process of turning passion into a product or service.
Explore how to decide what you actually want to make, do, or start, and discuss the many different ways success can take shape. Expect tangible insights on everything from PR and social media to branding, product development, knowing when to pivot, and dealing with the common feeling of not being ready.
Hear the unfiltered parts. The unexpected moments, the time and patience it takes to stay the course, and the emotional rollercoaster of bringing a business to life. This session offers resources, real talk, and lived experience. Whether you walk away inspired or wondering what kind of person signs up for this journey, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of what it takes to build something meaningful.
Winding Trail
Sponsor