I Started a Brand. And This Happened… ??

Disregard the smirky face. It didn’t go as planned.

But, we adapted.

Zach, Logan, and I hopped on a call one night and came to a realization. If you start a brand, source a product, and think - “If this wasn’t my company, I wouldn’t touch the product.” ?? Then, you’re in trouble.

Yes, this sounds dumb and obvious. But - I think 90% of people get this wrong on the first launch.

Quite the blunder, but stay tuned for products you might actually want to buy.

The Things That Went Ok

Giving Away Free Gear

Using social media, we were able to find fellow runners and coaches that would accept some free product. To find the right people, you can change your Instagram profile settings to what types of content you want to see. (We set our profile to running and marathons, so we found our people). ??

Giving away something for free is a good way to build trust and brand community. Especially at the start when you haven’t differentiated yourself. We saw fairly consistent posts from ambassadors repping the product.

This led to steady follower growth on social media… for now. There’s always more work to be done, but the traction has been about as good as can be expected.

Shopify Setup

I can’t take credit for most of the website build out. Zach did a killer job and picked a great template for the site.

We put together a clear plan and started seeing decent traffic out of the gate. Some of these things included:

• Connecting Meta Pixel
• Getting Products on Google Shopping Feed
• Downloading Simple/Free Reviews App
• Setting Up Email Capture/Discount Pop Ups

Things We Screwed Up (Big Time)

Mediocre Product = Mediocre Results

Like I mentioned before, if you wouldn’t buy your own product then you have an issue. Create and design something that you’d be proud to wear/use.

When starting a brand from scratch, you cannot rely on a logo. You need to differentiate by style, usability, and/or design. We failed to do so on the first launch and resulted in less traction. It also interfered with any sort of ad spend because we didn’t trust any conversion to happen when people arrive at the site.

Poor Product Images = Poor Conversion

Our product photos on the website are very average. If the photos aren’t eye catching, no one is going to buy your stuff. No one.

There are some interesting DIY approaches and AI tools available on the market. I am going to try some of these new ideas for future launches and products. PSA! Invest time and effort into high quality picture or else your conversion rate will suffer. Big time.

Not Enough Content

I don’t think a brand can ever have “too much" content to work with. We failed to get more pictures and videos that captivated potential buyers. Again, stay tuned for new stuff.

We had some decent lifestyle images that look pretty clean on the website and socials. But, we lacked the “wow” factor that often propels brands to success.

Canva is always a life saver, but shouldn’t ever be something that’s relied on for outstanding creative assets.

What’s Next?

• More intentional designs and high quality gear.
• Well thought out product images.
• Content. Content. Content.
• Utilize as many ambassadors as possible.
• #1 goal of growing community and followiing.
• More Running.

I’ve worked with dozens of brands and I always admire their willingness to try new things and be creative. That’s what makes great companies and great leaders.