OMJ Weekly - Looking Forward to 2025

As we dive into 2025, it’s time to reflect on OMJ. When we started OMJ years ago, I thought all our problems would be solved if we could become a $1MM+ company. That felt like the golden ticket, the ultimate milestone. But once we crossed that threshold a few years back, I realized something: the problems didn’t go away—they just got bigger. This year was finally my wake-up call.

It’s like thinking you’ve reached the top of a hill, only to find you’re at the base of a mountain, staring up and wondering if you should’ve packed more snacks. Turns out, the real adventure is just getting started.?

The back half of this year was transformative for me. I go through this every couple of years, but this year it was a bit different. On paper, it was a phenomenal year, but living it felt like there was so much we were not doing. So much that we should be doing to be better...to level up we had to get better.

Recognizing Our Strengths

First, to look forward, we had to celebrate what we’re good at:

• Creating great products: We take pride in offering high-quality, well-made clothing that our customers love.
• In-store customer experience: Walking into our store is like stepping into an experience—one that leaves customers smiling and excited to return.

These strengths are our foundation, but they’re only part of the story. And honestly, our team’s talent for turning chaos into curated magic is the only reason I still have my sanity (mostly haha).

Facing Our Challenges

It's easy to ignore the things you need to work on, but the only way to get better is to acknowledge what you need to work on. As hard as it was, I took a long and hard look at the things we needed to do better and to stop "treading water".

• Customer experience before and after visits: While we shine in-store, our communication and engagement outside those walls leave much to be desired.
• Sharing our offerings: We haven’t been proactive in telling people about the full range of our products and services. These are world-class offerings and I still have at least 1 person a week ask me if we make tuxedos. Clearly, we haven't done well at explaining all we do.?
• Systems and processes: We’ve been reactive instead of proactive, lacking the streamlined workflows needed to run smoothly at scale. Our systems have long needed to be a lot more organized and automated.

To be fair, “treading water” might be generous. Some days, it feels like we’re trying to host a dinner party while the kitchen is on fire...hectic, and overwhelming, but somehow everyone still ends up raving about the dessert.

The Turning Point

Recognizing these gaps, I have been on a journey in the last part of the year to improve...both for myself and OMJ.

I looked beyond our industry, exploring how others market and sell. From sales programs to coaching, advertising, and even motivational speaking, I immersed myself in their strategies. I signed up to be sold to, studied their authenticity and passion, and took note of their relentless focus on over-delivering.?

I also got business coaches (a special shout-out to Cross and Coach Matt Doherty for their invaluable business coaching). This was huge. For so long I have been the person others ask advice and want coaching from, but it was time to level up, and getting business coaches was HUGE. It completely changed my mindset.

What We Learned and Changed

Here’s how we’re growing and getting better in 2025.

1. Over-delivering: We aim to exceed expectations in everything we do, from customer interactions to the products we offer. More and more, we will give away as much as we can for free, and we will aim to provide value in everything we do.?
2. Over-communicating: Clear, consistent communication is key. Whether it’s answering questions, following up, or sharing updates, we’re making sure our customers feel valued and informed, and that they hear from us often.
3. Upgrading systems: Automation and better workflows are helping us be proactive instead of reactive. These changes will ensure we’re great at the little things—the details that make a big difference.
4. Writing every day: Writing daily and creating meaningful content is essential to connecting with our customers and sharing our story. In today's world, it’s all about staying top of mind, so we are determined to write, write, and write even more. The more we write, the better our marketing will become, our communication will improve, and it will be easier to overdeliver!

Looking Ahead

2025 is a year of transformation. We’re not just aiming to grow our revenue or customer base; we’re committed to growing as a company that over-delivers in every way. It’s about aligning our passion with systems that work and ensuring every customer interaction before, during, and after...is memorable.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to a year of doing things differently...and doing them better. And if we trip along the way, at least we’ll do it in style (likely over-caffeinated and slightly sleep-deprived).

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Brad's Top Items:

Read: It seemed fitting to highlight a "New Year's Resolutions" article. I appreciate this one because it incorporates some psychology and provides helpful advice on how to stick to resolutions (which often fail).?

Watch: As many of you know, I have gotten into vintage watches over the past year. We have had a great time bringing in and selling vintage watches at the store and are moving about one a week right now (give me another year, and I will write the newsletter about how I turned a $300 watch into a Patek Philippe ??). With that, these watch restoration videos on YouTube are so cool. One of these days, I would love to do this as a hobby (for all those in my life rolling their eyes at that, don't worry, I am not taking on this hobby right now, haha).?

Listen: Did you know we have a store playlist at OMJ. Our friends down in Atlanta at Sid Mashburn recently shared theirs so it inspired me to share ours. It's a list curated over 10+ years, so a lot of great tracks on there!?

AI: Every week, I'll share insights on Artificial Intelligence (the good and the bad) and how we, or other businesses, can leverage it. I am a few weeks into my AI course at Cornell and it is awesome. The stuff I am learning is really useful and as part of my course, I have to develop a custom AI. It will essentially guide someone on how to get their measurements, show precise pictures and videos, and bump up the measurements with our database of customers to ensure the measurements provided fall in range to someone with similar height, weight, and age. It will be a game changer for those out of town and I am really excited about it!

Here is to making 2025 the best year yet!?

Best,?

Bradley Rhyne, CEO

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