2010 has been a turbulent, yet exciting, time for me and my company. We moved into a new office in January, stopped selling Sand Shack brand jewelry to 80% of our retail accounts, and launched a new brand, UBB.
Last year around this time I felt like my business was stalled, but not so much in growth, rather in passion and love for what I was doing. I was making some money and slowly growing the company and distribution of our products, however, I wasn’t happy with the product or what we were accomplishing as a company. I viewed my brand, Sand Shack, much like a commodity. It was difficult to brand, there was nothing too unique about it, and a comparable style from a lower priced competitor would regularly beat us out or drive our prices even lower. I got to the point where I would see an elderly flea market vendor selling jewelry and think that was the path I was doomed to follow if I didn’t radically change my business.
The Launch of UBB Restored Balance and Passion
Also around this time last year, United By Blue was in the planning stages, but by no means something that was definitely going to launch. In UBB I was searching for meaning, for a way to enjoy work again, and to make something I would love. I wanted to create something that would not only impact my life, but also impact the environment in positive ways. Luckily, UBB did launch in May of this year, and since then, I have not looked back.
As a result of launching UBB I have had the privilege to work with some great new people in a much improved office, travel the east coast cleaning up needy beaches and waterways, been featured on a handful of small and large press outlets, and established relationships with buyers from large retailers that could materialize into some great sales in 2011. These are things I wasn’t getting from my other brand.
UBB’s Early Months Have Been a Successful “Proof of Concept” Stage
UBB revenues have not been where I wanted (or expected) them to be at this point, but I have realized that the most important thing we accomplished with UBB this year is we have proved the concept UBB is built around as a viable way to build a brand while accomplishing the most good possible for the environment (For every 1 product sold, UBB removes 1 pound of trash from our world’s oceans and waterways). As a result of our mission, it has been very easy for skeptics to come up with objections or doubts about what we are doing. Now we can point out what we have accomplished over the last 6 months as an example of how UBB has a real and viable business model. Our YouTube channel, where we have copious amounts of videos explaining our business model and detailing our cleanup efforts, is one of the most powerful tools that has come about from this proof of concept stage.
Pareto’s Principle Results in Sand Shack Revenues Up 200%
But my love for UBB has also renewed my interest in Sand Shack. I realized that some of the ways I was running Sand Shack were not sustainable, both for my wellbeing, for the companies wellbeing, and for the planets wellbeing. After reviewing everything closely, it was apparent to me I was spending a tremendous amount of time with wholesale customers who cost me more than they were making me. Therefore, I applied the 80-20 rule (Pareto’s Principle) to my business, eliminating 80% of my customers to focus on the top 20%, and low and behold, revenues have soared. This has been one of the most fascinating things about Sand Shack this year, because with the launch of UBB, Sand Shack gets a fraction of the attention it used to get, and has far fewer customers, but it is actually making much more money than it did in 2009. Go figure.
Most importantly, Sand Shack brand revenues were able to fund UBB during these past 6 months, so despite my previous negativity towards the brand, I am thankful for Sand Shack and plan to continue to grow and develop it.
Summary of Most Important Accomplishments in 2010
Some of my more important accomplishments of the year are as follows:
- Launched UBB
- Hosted 25 cleanups across 10 US states and removed 12,000 pounds of trash
- Moved into new office: (learned a lot about everything from setting up shelving, painting walls, IT, and foosball).
- Refocused Sand Shack and increased sales by over 200% despite reducing distribution by 80% (not number of stores, but number of companies).
- Began to build a team of talented, passionate individuals
- Expanded my network of buyers and understanding of the retail industry
- Learned how to play, and dominate, foosball
It is hard to believe that UBB has only been around since May. It already feels like an integral part of my business and life. But unlike before, these feelings are not fleeting or residing in an empty void, they are real, lasting. And I know every entrepreneur is overly optimistic, and I am no exception, but over the last 6 months I have transformed my business into an organization I am extremely proud of and believe is poised for tremendous growth in the coming years.
And with that, I will wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Drop me a line at brian [at] sandshack [dot] com if you’d like to connect further.
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