Young Change Makers: How Jonathan Peters of Amberjack Is Helping To Make A Difference In Our World
An Interview With Sonia Molodecky
My company, Amberjack, develops and sells men’s dress shoes that are better for your feet and better for the planet. The materials we use in our shoes not only drastically improve the comfort and performance, but they are sourced and produced in a way that is 100% sustainable. We source our leather from an ISO-certified tannery that uses solar power, manufacture our shoes in a fair wage factory in Portugal, use plastic-free and recyclable packaging, and we are one of the only dress shoe companies in the world that is carbon neutral. We don’t think buying a pair of our shoes is going to save the world, but it’s a step in the right direction (pun intended!).
As part of our series about young people who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jonathan Peters, the founder of Amberjack.
John Peters is the founder and CEO of Amberjack, a footwear brand reinventing men’s dress shoes by using new materials that are better for your feet and better for the planet. Prior to founding Amberjack, John worked as a consultant at McKinsey in their Consumer & E-commerce Practice. He is also a private investor and serves as a strategic advisor to a leading middle-market Private Equity fund. John has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Yahoo, WWD, and was previously listed on LitCap’s 30 under 30, representing the top 30 US-based professionals and entrepreneurs under the age of 30.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us about how you grew up?
I was born in Puerto Rico (where my mom is from), but moved to Connecticut (where my Dad is from) when I was very young. We then moved to Miami when I was about 7, and that’s what I would really call home. I had a happy childhood with two loving parents, a younger brother, and younger sister. I think a lot of the values I carry with me today were instilled in me as a kid, and I feel blessed for having a strong family foundation that I can always fall back on.
Is there a particular book or organization that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I have always really admired companies who are able to genuinely blend social and corporate responsibility. A lot of companies pay lip service to this idea, but there’s a few, like Patagonia, Rothy’s, Allbirds, who have been able to simultaneously build a great company while making the world a better place.
You are currently leading an organization that is helping to make a positive social impact. Can you tell us a little about what you and your organization are trying to create in our world today?
My company, Amberjack, develops and sells men’s dress shoes that are better for your feet and better for the planet. The materials we use in our shoes not only drastically improve the comfort and performance, but they are sourced and produced in a way that is 100% sustainable. We source our leather from an ISO-certified tannery that uses solar power, manufacture our shoes in a fair wage factory in Portugal, use plastic-free and recyclable packaging, and we are one of the only dress shoe companies in the world that is carbon neutral. We don’t think buying a pair of our shoes is going to save the world, but it’s a step in the right direction (pun intended!).
Can you tell us the backstory about what originally inspired you to feel passionate about this cause and to do something about it?
After college, I was working as a consultant with a lot of the big companies in apparel. As I learned more about footwear, I grew increasingly disappointed with how bigger brands approached dress as a category — both from a quality and sustainability standpoint. It was all about cost reduction, which meant very little innovation and fairly harmful production policies. In particular, the leather used in most men’s dress shoes can have a lot of really harmful and pollutive byproducts (it can also be a fantastically sustainable product if it’s done right). Not to mention, I just personally hated wearing dress shoes every day; my feet would be killing. On the other hand, I was genuinely impressed how new startups like Allbirds were using material innovation to create more comfortable casual shoes that were also better for the planet. I was inspired by that story and as a consumer, I felt like the dress shoe category needed something similar.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
Starting a new company is always ‘interesting’ but I think starting a shoe brand during Covid was particularly so. We had been working on our shoes for over a year leading up to our launch last Fall. When we officially launched, we promised our customers that shoes would be delivered before the Christmas holiday. After we had already started taking orders, the factory called me to say they wouldn’t be able to make our shoes in time for Christmas delivery due to a covid related supply chain issue. Obviously this would have been a huge letdown for our customers and a disappointing way to launch the company. So after many, many video calls, a lot of stress, and a lot of money spent on priority shipping, we were able to finally get the shoes delivered by Dec 23rd, with not a second to spare.
How do you define “Making A Difference”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
For me, it means doing your part. At the end of the day, this is a team effort and it will take a collective majority to fix and reverse the issues facing our planet today. I started Amberjack to make an amazing product but to do it the right way. Things like carbon neutral shipping, sustainable materials, and recycled packaging may not be the best for our bottom line, but they are the right thing to do. If you look at our website, you’ll notice that we don’t go around screaming how we are an ‘eco’ company. In fact, most of this stuff is buried on our website. That’s because for us, we’re just trying to make good shoes and we wouldn’t do it any other way.
Many young people would not know what steps to take to start to create the change they want to see. But you did. What are some of the steps you took to get your project started? Can you share the top 5 things you need to know to become a changemaker? Please tell us a story or example for each.
I’m not sure I’m wise enough to have 5 things, but here’s a few:
1) Just get started: If there’s any advice I can share it would be this. Before you start doing something, you really have no idea what it’s going to be like — good or bad. Whatever it is you want to do or change, just start doing it piece meal. Over time, it will turn into something much bigger.
2) Do the right thing: There’s a lot of temptations in business and life to take shortcuts. Those can be promising at the time, but I promise you in the long run, sticking by your principles will always get you the farthest.
3) Don’t give up: Anything of note always carries challenges. Like someone smarter than me once said, “if it was easy, everybody would do it”. Most of the time, the people who make a difference are the ones who are determined to just keep going despite all odds.
What are the values that drive your work?
1. Do the right thing. When it comes to sustainability and fashion, the honest truth is that there is a lot of opportunity for bullshit. Nobody checks what you say, nobody audits you, and nobody really cares b/c they’ve got better stuff to do. A lot of brands make claims about being green, whereas only a few are really do anything differently. For us, we wanted to build an amazing product but we wanted to do it the right way. We understand that building a business is a tough, but not everything needs to be justified from a financial standpoint because most importantly, you need to be able to stand behind what you’re building and be proud of the impact. Knowing that helps drive us everyday.
2. Innovation is only relevant in the eyes of the customer. At the heart of our brand is the spirit of innovation, and specifically product innovation. If you can’t make a product that customers truly love and is better than other options, than why even be in business. And I think that’s especially true for new companies and physical products. So for us, we’ve always relied on customer feedback to build our shoes. From the very beginning we’ve tried to have a very personal, direct relationship with our customers where we actually text them directly on a weekly and monthly basis. Asking for feedback and input into design and functionality. I think this has helped us achieve a very strong product in a short period of time. To add some proof to that, we did an anonymous survey recently and scored a Net Promoter Score of 85, which is crazy high compared to other established brands which are typically in the 0 to 30 range at best.
Many people struggle to find what their purpose is and how to stay true to what they believe in. What are some tools or daily practices that have helped you to stay grounded and centred in who you are, your purpose, and focused on achieving your vision?
Exercise. Taking the time to disconnect and get your endorphins flowing can make all the difference.
In my work, I aim to challenge us all right now to take back our human story and co-create a vision for a world that works for all. I believe youth should have agency over their own future. Can you please share your vision for a world you want to see? I’d love to have you describe what it looks like and feels like. As you know, the more we can imagine it, the better we can manifest it!
As I mentioned previously, I think it’s about everyone doing their part. Believing that no action is too small and the aggregate effect is going to be huge. One of my favorite quotes is “if something can’t go on forever, it won’t.” and I think that’s more apt today than it has ever been. We’re at inflection point in terms of our impact on the natural world, and to change the tune, we need to embrace ‘sustainability’ in the most literal sense of the world. We need to aspire for equilibrium, where we only take what can be replenished. Anything less than that is by definition ‘not sustainable’. There’s no silver bullet and it will require collective action on a massive scale. More than anything, that’s what I hope we can drive towards in my lifetime.
We are powerful co-creators and our minds and intentions create our reality. If you had limitless resources at your disposal, what specific steps would take to bring your vision to fruition?
I think just continued education around responsible consumerism. The fact is that we are taking more from this planet than it can give. But at the same time, we need solutions that are realistic and don’t sacrifice quality of life. And those things don’t need to be exclusive of each other; in fact I think ultimately they will converge.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Counterintuitively, the most rewarding part of life is usually serving others. People like giving gifts more than receiving them. Thinking about broader issues in the world will help you to be happier, it will help you to be more successful, and it will help the world. What more convincing do you need 😊
Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Dwyane Wade. My childhood hero growing up.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Check out our website at www.amberjack.shop, text us at 833–202–7628 or follow us on Instagram at @wear.amberjack
If you want to get in touch personally, you can email me at john@amberjack.shop
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the interviewer: Sonia is a Canadian-Ukrainian lawyer, entrepreneur and heart-centered warrior who’s spent more than 15 years working in human rights, international law, business, economic development, community empowerment and her own personal journey into herself. Sonia has spent the past 7 years living and working with indigenous nations around the world, as a facilitator, partner, shaman apprentice and friend, gaining a deep understanding of both ancient systems and modern ways, and our interconnection with all life. She is a certified kundalini yoga practitioner, energy healing facilitator, avid adventurer and explorer of the natural world. Sonia speaks world-wide on topics related to meaningful collaboration, life economies, the power of partnerships and the benefits of informed, empowered and engaged communities. “It is time for us to take back our human story and co-create a new vision for a world that is in harmony with ourselves, each other, the Earth and all beings,” says Molodecky. Her book, A New Human Story: A Co-Creator’s Guide to Living our True Potential. launches December 2020. You can learn more about Sonia, her book and her podcast at www.soniamolodecky.com and follow her at https://www.instagram.com/soniamolodecky or https://www.facebook.com/sonia.molodecky
