2018 is the Year of the Entrepreneur and Small Business Owner (at least according to Josh Frey and my small-business-owner-friends that he hangs with!). Josh is a business junkie and Kool-aid drinking entrepreneur, having started his own swag business and career at the ripe old age of 22 with no experience, contacts or resources.
He is a front line sales guy who has coached and helped others launch dozens of businesses in the promotional products industry (and other industries), simply by teaching the very same best sales and business practices he uses to support his own family and lifestyle.
In 2012 Josh launched the The Swag Coach™ Program (www.TheSwagCoach.com), a step-by-step guide for “how to start and grow” your very own promotional products business, with the help and support of a 20+ yr seasoned entrepreneur and sales veteran.
His hope is to spawn 250 more entrepreneurs, just like him, in the promotional products industry. To date he has helped launch and grow 20 new businesses (10 currently still standing!), helping them collectively generate over $10M in swag sales since 2012.
Josh still sells on the front line, and has his own clients he services through his distributorship, called On Sale Promos (OSP). This allows him to stay current on industry best sales practices which he brings back to his coaching sessions.
Public Relations
In 1999, Josh’s original company was the subject of a Harvard Business School case study, as well as a Wharton Business School field study project.
He has personally been featured in the following media publications and groups: The Wall Street Journal, Advantages Magazine, The Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc. Magazine on-line, Channel 7 News and The Washington Business Journal.
Josh is a regular guest of the GWU MBA Program, sharing entrepreneurial experiences and advice, as well as a guest lecturer to student Entrepreneurship Clubs at Georgetown University, University of Maryland and GWU.
Personal Accomplishments
· In 1978 Josh Frey became the Northern Virginia Swimming League record holder for the 25-meter breaststroke. While his record was eventually broken on the league level, the record still stands today at the summer swim club.
· In 1988 he struck out 27 batters while pitching in a high school baseball game.
· In 2006 he helped launched, in partnership with the University of Maryland’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, a student-run business model called the Smith Store. In 2007, he launched a second business at GWU called Colonial Promos. Both of these are student run swag businesses.
· Josh has averaged $750K-$1M+ in annual promotional sales for 20+ yrs.
Josh is a native Washingtonian, and lives in the DC Metro area with his wife, 2 kids and doggie. He is an avid sports fan and supporter of the Washington Wizards, New York Yankees, Wisconsin Badgers and Dallas Cowboys. He loves playing golf, baseball, basketball, Fantasy Football and vintage sports video games.
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