We don’t have any…
One of the reasons we created Knights of the Apex was to share stories and products from individuals, and companies that excite and inspire us but no one is giving us free stuff or paying us to do it. We don't have sponsors (yet). One of our goals is to be transparent in everything we do. If you see a product on this site or in a social media post it’s because we either use it or are legitimately psyched about. Now, would we like to partner with companies and organizations in the future? Yes, BUT contingent on the following;
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Their values align with ours;
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Their products are of high quality and we’ve actually used them;
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We can continue to provide honest feedback regarding products and their competitors; And;
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If it allows us to provide more and better content
These are all non-negotiable.
Why do we want partners? We have 9-5 jobs that we legitimately enjoy and cover our bills but we aren’t coming home and diving into piles of gold coins like Scrooge McDuck (#DuckTales #ChildhoodThrowback). Our plan is to eventually monetize KOTA in some form or fashion so we can provide you all with more content, bring new Knights into the fold as contributors, and give back to organizations like RMEF, Ducks Unlimited, NASP, NWTF, and others who are doing incredible work throughout our community.
Did we have to explain all this? No. Is it awkward talking about money and partnerships? Yes. But again, one of our goals is to always be transparent. Understanding expectations is one of the pillars of any successful relationship and being that KOTA is so young we wanted to level set on this subject early on with you, our fellow knights, who have jumped on board from the beginning.