Meet Orion Brown | Founder & CEO, Brand Strategist, Consumer Geek

We had the good fortune of connecting with Orion Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Orion, how do you think about risk?
Risk has been a huge theme in my career. I started out pre-med and when life threw curve balls I had to make a choice if I would stay and thug it out another 6 years in school without a support system or try to make it in a completely different world than i knew (business). I decided to take the leap and career switch – landing at a bank of all places. But I think that initial leap of faith taught me that I do indeed have the capacity to take risks and still find my footing. Every job and career choice after that really did take a pretty high level of risk to make, but each one has been worth it. And I’m not saying every step was easy or even that successful, but ultimately its all survivable. And if you can maintain some semblance of perspective, they’re all teachable moments. There isn’t a professional choice I’ve made that I haven’t learned and grown from. Not a single one took me out or was the end of the world. And armed with that knowledge I’ve been able to keep making big bets and progressing to build the career and life that I want for myself.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m the Founder and CEO of BLACKTRAVELBOX®, a globally recognized multi-cultural lifestyle brand that gives travel lovers the freedom to enjoy their experiences by providing them with products made for their unique hair and skin care needs. I’m really proud that the business has continued to stay relevant through COVID and we’re really well positioned for some amazing partnerships and opportunities in the coming year. It has not been at all an easy journey. We had a lot of nay sayers early on and with the pandemic came financial, supply chain, and ultimately consumer relevancy challenges. It took a lot to keep the brand going and we’re still fighting to push the brand forward and catch up to where we know we can be today. The biggest thing I’ve learned is for a brand like ours, serving woefully underserved consumers, the most important thing is to never compromise on what she needs most from us. Its our authenticity, honesty, and cultural candor that I think makes BlackTravelBox a winning brand with Black travelers. So throughout the ups and downs we made decisions like launching a Staycation Collection to keep the business afloat but the way in which we did it was 100% about staying true to our core commitment to the Black travel community. I would want the world to know that this wasn’t easy, and challenges present themselves every step of the way. But so long as our consumer needs us, we’re not going anywhere 🙂

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So living in Denver really affords me the opportunity to show my friends the best of both – a world class city and an amazing natural setting. For a week long trip I recommend easing in from the airport with a great meal is number one. One of my favorite spots is Hop Alley (awesome asian fusion) drop a reservation request with them and then take a 5 minute walk to Mr Oso for cocktails and appetizers. It’ll give you a chance see a bit of Rino, and walk off the apps before diving into a legit amazing menu for dinner. Head out early the next day and drive south – way south. To Canon City. Stop along the way at Garden of the Gods for a light hike, and the Great Sand Dunes National Park for photos and hot springs. Grab groceries along the way and have a lovely night of grilling and glamping under the stars at Royal Gorge Cabins. Next day book a train ride at the base of the gorge and spend a lovely 2.5 hours taking it all in and having lunch. Head back north towards denver and stop at the outlets in Castle Rock – and I cap it off with dinner at View House off i25. Spend the next day in the city – brunch at Snooze or Sams, a quick hike in Golden, and dinner / music at Ophelias. Take a day trip to Meow Wolf (trust me if you’re nerdy you’ll want to take the day) and wrap up the evening with a visit to the Highlands – drinks at Lady Jane, and dinner with a view at El Five. Grab some coffee and breakfast sandwiches at Rosenbergs in Five Points before heading out on the road Red Rocks – hike it, do some yoga, or pretend you can sing. Its a great spot for all three. Grab dinner on the go from Welton Street Cafe and head out with some picnic blanks (in summer!) to City Park. If there isn’t live music, a mini speaker will do just fine for a lazy afternoon and sunset at the park. If time permits, check out Outworld Brewery in Longmont is an amazing space with really great brews, live jazz, and an immersive sci-fi back story. With all of that we haven’t even hit the beautiful art museums, street festivals on larimer, mountain hikes, and tiny mountain towns you can get to in 45-60 minutes from the city. Theres so much to do, a week would hardly do it justice.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Honestly, there have been so many people and seasons of support that have come and gone along the journey it would be hard to pinpoint just one. God has really been in good giving me the exact support system I have needed each step of the way. From some of my closest college friends, life partners, and family I’ve received such an unwavering belief that to some extent nothing surprises them anymore. lol. But I will say its the maybe 2-3 folks who get to see me on my good days and bad days – but still love and support me, with or without success, that keep me the most motivated and encouraged. Knowing that I couldn’t really let them down if i tried is really the ultimate motivator – they literally give me courage to endure, to try, to push past the fear. They know who they are, and I love them.

Website: www.blacktravelbox.com

Instagram: @blacktravelbox @orion_helana