Few entrepreneurs manage to build one thriving business, let alone two. Even fewer do so with an approach that prioritizes passion, adventure, and an unwavering commitment to fun. Jeff Cayley is one of those rare founders who has redefined what it means to be a successful entrepreneur—not by chasing arbitrary revenue targets or corporate prestige, but by designing businesses that fuel his love for adventure, creativity, and an incredible quality of life.
As the founder of Worldwide Cyclery and KETL Mountain Apparel, Cayley has scaled two multi-million dollar companies from the ground up, proving that business doesn’t have to be stiff, overly serious, or soul-crushing to be wildly successful. His brands don’t just sell products; they embody a lifestyle of exploration, humor, and genuine passion—a stark contrast to the hyper-competitive, hustle-at-all-costs mentality that dominates much of the entrepreneurial world. Cayley’s companies receive rave reviews from customers worldwide, and have built a cult following of people who resonate with the brands’ authenticity and Cayley’s unconventional approach.
But what makes Cayley’s journey truly stand out isn’t just the revenue numbers or the business success—it’s how he’s done it. His philosophy rejects the traditional playbook of aggressive expansion, rigid structures, and profit-driven decision-making. Instead, he has built his businesses around a deeply personal vision: crafting brands that align with his passions, fostering a workplace culture where employees genuinely enjoy coming to work, and proving that you can scale a business without sacrificing the joy of life itself.
KETL Mountain Apparel, for example, wasn’t born from market research or corporate strategy meetings—it was sparked by Cayley and his team’s own desire for unique adventure travel gear with thoughtful details designed to precisely fit their adventurous lifestyles. Instead of chasing trends, they built what they wanted to wear—and in doing so, created a brand that resonated with tens-of-thousands. The KETL Mtn product line is chock-full of outdoor wear that blends technical fabric and features with minimalistic styling giving practical outdoor gear a far more versatile aesthetic. Cayley himself breaks down the intricate details of every piece on the KETL Mtn YouTube channel, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the thought process behind the brand’s designs.
Worldwide Cyclery, on the other hand, became a leading force in the cycling industry not just by selling bikes and components, but by becoming an invaluable resource for mountain bikers everywhere. With a massive YouTube channel nearing half a million subscribers and the wildly popular MTB Podcast, the company has built a reputation for providing some of the most insightful and entertaining mountain bike content in the industry.
Through its uniquely crafted mountain bike media, Worldwide Cyclery has positioned itself as far more than just a retailer—it’s an authority, a trusted source of education, and a brand that genuinely helps riders make the most of their passion. This dedication to delivering both an exceptional customer experience and industry-leading content has set it apart, blending operational excellence with an unmistakable sense of humor and community.
While many founders measure success in market dominance and quarterly reports, Cayley measures it in freedom, fulfillment, and the ability to live life on his own terms—without ever losing sight of creating truly exceptional products that bring real value to the world. Cayley’s journey isn’t just about business success—it’s about rewriting the rules of what success actually means.
After hearing Jeff Cayley’s incredible journey of building two passion-driven, multi-million dollar companies while keeping fun at the core, we sat down with him to dive deeper into how it all came to be. From humble beginnings, selling bike parts online in his early 20s, to creating a thriving business empire with Worldwide Cyclery and KETL Mountain Apparel, Cayley shares insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, and redefining success.
Your story is incredibly inspiring—what first sparked your passion for mountain biking and the industry?
Jeff Cayley: Well, thank you. I’m glad to hear that it’s inspiring. I grew up in Southern California, which is pretty much the mecca of extreme sports. As a kid, I was always into anything and everything action sports-related—mostly skateboarding, BMX, and motocross.
When I was 13, a friend of mine introduced me to mountain biking, and I immediately fell in love. It felt like this exhilarating, perfect combination of a BMX bike and a motocross bike. From that moment on, I never looked back. I got deeper into the sport, started racing, and eventually, that passion evolved into the business side of things.
How did you transition from riding bikes to realizing you could turn it into a business?
Jeff Cayley: As a teenager, I spent a ton of time doing enduro and downhill racing, while also working at a local bike shop. That gave me an inside look at the industry—how everything worked behind the scenes, from the brands and distributors to the physical and online bike shops, and how people bought and sold products.
After getting a bunch of sponsorship gear each season, I’d sell off the extra stuff at the end of the year. I started listing and selling mountain bike parts online, mostly through forums like Pinkbike and MTBR, and on eBay. I quickly realized how much fun it was—not just selling, but customizing, curating, and understanding the market.
That’s when I saw a real opportunity. There wasn’t a go-to place that curated the absolute best mountain bikes, parts, and media all in one spot. I realized there was a gap in the market, and that’s when the idea really started to take shape.
So how did Worldwide Cyclery officially start?
Jeff Cayley: I officially started Worldwide Cyclery in 2011, when I was 21 years old, with the goal of building a totally unique bike shop that specialized in curating high-end mountain bikes, components, and gear.
I wanted to focus specifically on the enthusiast-driven market—the high-end, top-tier products—because that’s what I personally cared about. It was the kind of gear I loved riding and racing on, and I felt there wasn’t a shop truly dedicated to that space. So the idea was to create a shop that not only specialized in high-end mountain bikes but also had expert product knowledge to match.
Worldwide Cyclery is now much more than just an online bike shop. How did you scale it into the industry leader it is today?
Jeff Cayley: What really put Worldwide Cyclery on the map was our dedication to the high-end, enthusiast-driven side of the mountain bike community. Over the years, a huge part of that was creating great mountain bike media that wasn’t just about selling products—it was about educating and engaging riders.
That came in the form of articles, YouTube videos, Instagram content, and email campaigns that were crafted to educate mountain bikers of all kinds. We covered everything—new product releases, breakdowns, compatibility guides, unique outlooks on different brands, and just the kind of content that we knew riders were actually interested in. Mountain bikes are complicated, and we wanted to make it easier for people to understand them.
We also put our own unique, fun, and lighthearted spin on it. From day one, we’ve believed in having fun in business and never taking ourselves too seriously. At the end of the day, we’re in the bike industry—it’s supposed to be fun! That’s why we always add in authentic humor and personality into our content. It’s what makes us different, and it’s why riders connect with us.
You also founded KETL Mountain Apparel—how did that come about?
Jeff Cayley: After about eight years of running Worldwide Cyclery, we started noticing a few weaknesses in the retail business model, as well as some general frustrations with the way retail operates. As a retailer, we didn’t have control over product design, pricing, or the innovation behind the products we sold—we could only talk about and sell what other brands created.
At the same time, we weren’t just gear nerds for mountain bikes—we were also hikers, trail runners, travelers, and general adventurers. We wanted to create thoughtfully designed outdoor adventure travel apparel for men—with the exact intricate features, versatile designs, technical fabrics, and minimalist aesthetics that we personally wanted but weren’t seeing in the market.
That’s where KETL Mountain Apparel was born. It came from a genuine passion to make the perfect adventure-ready apparel that fit our actual lifestyles—whether we were on the bike, on a plane, on a mountain, on foot, or on the trail.
From a business perspective, we also wanted to be more vertically integrated—owning and operating everything from design and manufacturing to pricing and marketing. That level of control allowed us to bring our exact vision to life, and that’s what makes KETL so unique.
You talk a lot about “balancing fun and focus” at work—how do you create a company culture that embraces that?
Jeff Cayley: I think company culture in any small to mid-sized business like ours starts from the top down. If the owner and key leaders genuinely embrace a certain mentality and culture, that naturally spreads throughout the company—especially if it’s well-defined and talked about.
For me personally, I’ve always been thoughtful about making sure I’m having fun, because I believe that’s the right way to live life. But at the same time, I love focusing, accomplishing things, and doing meaningful work—and that comes through in both our product design and our operational excellence as a business.
We also have defined company values and seven specific reasons why we exist as a business—which every team member has to memorize and embody. Those core reasons lay out not just our company culture, but also the lifestyle and mentality we believe in.
What’s next for you and your businesses?
Jeff Cayley: Honestly, I want to keep doing exactly what I’m doing—running creative, fun businesses that fuel both my lifestyle and the lifestyles of our team and employees. The goal is to keep building a work-life blend that’s awesome, fulfilling, and uniquely fun.
The only other interesting thing on the horizon is Trail One Components—a mountain bike hard goods company focused on creating the mountain bike components we’ve always wanted while giving back to the trails. Each product is named after a trail network, and for every product sold, $1 goes directly to that trail.
Even though it’s still a growing brand, it’s already taken off—we fulfilled nearly 20,000 orders just last year and donated tens of thousands of dollars to trail networks all around the world since its inception. As the bike industry recovers from the post-COVID boom crash, I think Trail One will continue to grow, scale, and make a real impact on both mountain biking and trail-building globally.
