Running Skirt Reboot

RunningPretty is more than just a skirt

Marketing.  It’s what I’m supposed to be good at.  I’ve studied it, made a pretty decent career out of it, and really enjoy it.  So why am I so terrible at putting it into practice with my own endeavors?  I guess mainly I’m referring to my blog. This one – Running Pretty, Writing Real.  I started this blog as a way to share my story about RunningPretty.  It was intended to be a typical marketing tool.  You know the drill:  write a post about the product, spread the word through social networking, attract readers, link to a website, get them to click, sell product.  Then, sit back and watch the company grow.

In my case, the social networking approach was slightly different.  I wanted to use my blog to build the RunningPretty brand in a personal way.  The strategy was to connect to just one reader who believed that my company was worth the investment.  If you know my RunningPretty story, you know I need an investor – or at least a business person who can appreciate my journey, and wants to be a partner in a start-up that was built to benefit women and nurture our spirit.  I’ve got some entrepreneurial colleagues who are likely reading this and shaking their heads.  I’m sure they believe this is a pathetic daydream that will get me nowhere and have, in fact, shared this opinion with me many times in the kindest way possible.

On my worst days, I believe them.  I should just give up.  Pack it in.  Accept the fact that this effort is futile after six years and no actual product sales. But, on my good days, I remember what RunningPretty has done for me.  On paper, RunningPretty is a losing proposition, but there are so many things in life that cannot be measured monetarily.  RunningPretty came to me at a time in my life where I was invisible – completely and utterly unseen by everyone.   I was a stay-at-home mom generating more than half the family income running a creative services business at night.  Most of my clients had never met me thanks to the virtual business world, I rarely saw my friends and I spent no time with my husband.  Late one night, this thought shook me hard:  If I disappeared right now, would anyone notice?

Time to change your mind.  You have had ideas.  You are creative.  Have faith in yourself.  Forget it.  I’m not smart enough.  I’ll surely fail.  Stop it.  You can do whatever you set your mind to.  Maybe.  Okay, yeah.  Oh, I don’t know.  Welcome to “Callie’s Mental Monologue.”  Damn, I was falling fast.  It was time to move.  So, I resurrected an idea I had from a few years back – an idea that was prompted by body-conscious self-esteem issues and a desire to run safely and confidently.  It was sink or swim.  I dove in head first.

Bam. It was as if I hit the hard reboot.  Day 1:  Envision. Research. Sketch. Hang out at the fabric store with Kindergarteners in tow.  Talk to everyone.  Buy pattern-making materials.  Share my vision.  Find contacts.  Leave with dozens of fabric swatches and business cards.  Dream.  Sleep. Repeat. It’s an incredible feeling of power when you take control of what is in your control.  I found peace that day.  It was in the form of hope.  Without that hope, I was just a ghost – desperate and invisible.

Since the big reboot, I learned about accounting for the small business.  I dug deep and found the courage to pitch RunningPretty – selling my vision and speaking in public.  I bartered.   I wrote catalog copy for a local clothing company in return for overseas manufacturing knowledge and China-made prototypes.  I filed a patent application, a modified patent application, a provisional patent, and a trademark application.  I learned how to do a lot with a little – little money and even less time.  Hidden by my own insecurities, however, was that which I did have.  I had a core of good people who were cheering me on from the sidelines – in a silent, sort of “waiting for Callie to wake up” kind of way.  I’m really glad I woke up.

RunningPretty also gave me this – the courage to write this blog.  Sure, it’s a really poor marketing tool, but it’s proven to be a really priceless way to connect with others in a more meaningful way.  After all, what is the RunningPretty brand?  It’s a feeling of power.  It’s a desire to achieve.  It’s hope for the next run.  It’s a chance at starting something new.  And, while I may only have four followers and a couple dozen regular readers, I’ve learned that if my words resonate with just one person who closes their laptop that day and says, “I feel better now,” then RunningPretty is not a losing proposition after all.