“Afro in the Open Air” is a bridge between nature and heritage

Rue Mapp, a woman of many faces—designer, entrepreneur, hunter, creator—merges fantasy with nature and invites other black people to do the same.

Born in Oakland, California, the artist began her journey by starting a blog called Outdoor Afrowhere she truthfully documented her personal experiences of nature and proudly represented black people in that space. She has since built a national nonprofit and for-profit organization a company called Outdoor Afro Inc.

This endeavor celebrates and inspires Black community connection and leadership in nature through product design, manufacturing, sales and top-quality outdoor experiences.

“It’s always been about uplifting and celebrating my life experience that came from my parents who were farmland managers,” said the founder and CEO BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP“I later realized that from a young age I had advantages in life that I wanted all people, especially black people, to benefit from.”

“Afro in the fresh air” “It was deliberately about reconnecting with nature and heritage,” she added.

Mapp said TO BE that her Outdoor Fro Inc. made history as the first black-owned company to co-create an exclusive collection of hikes with outdoor retailer REI Co-op.

In addition, Mapp’s recent book shall be available for purchase on November 1st. The publisher is Chronicle Books, Natural ease will finally present a compelling representation of what black joy in the outdoors looks like.

Rue Mapp continued talking to BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP about her entrepreneurial journey. She also shared some advice for those trying to start a nature-related business.

What does “Nature Swagger” mean to you?

It is the embodiment of confidence and knowledge that may be achieved by living in harmony with nature.

Tell us the story of how your blog, Outdoor Afro, grew into a national nonprofit organization.

In order to rework the organization from an individually-led social enterprise in 2009, I needed to put all my efforts into constructing a brand and ultimately a business. I learned a lot from those early days of blogging, sharing my experiences and observations about the connection Black people have with nature, and I discovered an audience that deeply connected with the content and conversations. Online engagement grew rapidly in a short time frame. So I knew I used to be onto something and it felt like the perfect time to make use of all my ideas and experiences to tell a recent form of business and national movement.

Describe your experiences as a black woman in the wild.

I feel that once I am in nature, I can take a break from the “isms,” prejudices, and superstitions that will exist in on a regular basis life. The trees don’t know I’m black. The birds will sing regardless of how much money I actually have in my checking account. The flowers will bloom regardless of who I voted for. The great thing about nature is that we will simply be. And by extension, nature can teach us find out how to be with ourselves.

How did cooperation positively influence the effectiveness of business activities?

Even as a blog in 2009, Outdoor Afro was born out of collaboration. Our network has all the time valued meaningful partnerships to expand our capabilities and impact on conservation, education, and recreation. All the activities undertaken by Outdoor Afro help solve problems and give people the opportunity to determine a deeper reference to nature.

How does entrepreneurship inspiration come from the natural world?

One thing I’m pleased with about this book is that it represents a lot of companies operating in nature. There are huge opportunities in the outdoor industry that open up a lot of “new frontiers.” When I feel back over my many years of labor, there’s still a lot of room for entrepreneurs, landowners, and creatives to do their jobs and succeed in this category. I hope my book inspires imagination and others to bring their unique voice and perspective to the industry.

What is the best advice you’ll give to your volunteers and young individuals who would love to start out a business in this field?

Leadership matters and it starts at the design level. It’s one thing to be a part of the design, but it surely’s a whole other experience to truly inform the design of programs and products. Because those design insights are going to be replicated and scaled. So you may have to pay close attention to design because it is going to inform the results.

Second, join a learning community to higher understand and make connections in your chosen field. Trade associations and their conferences are a tremendous source of data. Regardless of your specialization, trade associations help you test concepts, learn from market mistakes, and construct community with other professionals who can turn into lifelong friends and thought partners.