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It's Been A Wild Month!

It's Been A Wild Month!

Hey Guys!

This is the 40th time I've sat down to write this weekly email. An email where I share the ups and downs of Runly.
 
I've really enjoyed being able to write these emails to you, and I hope that you get something out them too.
 
This month has very much been an up and down month.
 
On one hand, we've had a our biggest month yet (woo!). On the other hand, there have been many sleepless nights with stock delays and logistical nightmares.
 
Let me run you through it!

👀 Sleepless Nights

 
Here's the thing. It's hard to run a business in retail if you don't have stock.
 
Some might say it's a 'good problem to have'.
 
Maybe true.
 
But it's a problem nonetheless.
 
If you've been reading these newsletters for a while you may remember I shared about 4/5 weeks ago that I had placed our biggest ever order.
 
Well, it's taking a long time to come.
 
You couldn't script this.
 
There was a strike at the port where we were meant to dock into AND an attempted cyber-attack in the same week!
 
Throw into the mix this busy time of the year and it's made congestion in the shipping network absolutely wild.
 
So part of me is bouncing off walls wondering if I can swim out and get the stock myself, the other part is trying to stay cool, calm and collected.
 
We've really been fortunate that our customer base (you) love our products and we've sold out so many times.
 
It's quite difficult to keep up with the stock demands as we'll often have cash tied up in our next upcoming order before we can order again.
 
But hey, that's business.
 
I'm hoping in 2024 we'll have the capacity to stock our warehouse shelves all the way to the roof and get back to doing what we do best!
 
There's some really exciting plans for new products and more stock.

🤯 Biggest Month So Far

 
We technically launched Runly in September 2021.
 
And when I say 'we', I mean me. From a small desk in my bedroom with a single box of stock and a very basic website.
 
At the time, it wasn't really meant to be 'anything' so to speak.
 
I needed a vest to be able to carry my medication around with me on runs so I designed one.
 
Next thing you know I'm selling to runners all across the country.
 
Oh and hey, we sold our first vest outside of Australia yesterday! Thanks Dan from the US.
 
When people ask me when it started, I say something along the lines of 'well we launched in 2021 but we really only got going this year'.
 
Which is true.
 
I was working full time, we were trying to build a brand, develop and iterate the product and it wasn't until earlier this year that everything kicked into gear.
 
If I'm being honest, it was until May this year that we became a 'real business'.
 
It was mentioned two weeks ago in this newsletter that we could've died 5 times in getting to this point. It's no lie.
 
Lack of traction early, limited funds, cash tied up in stock and the multiplier of time made it difficult.
 
We've been on a rapid upward trend this year and we've now had our biggest month ever.
 
The vision is there to be here for the next 30 years.
New products, more stock, different initiatives and events are all on the cards for 2024.
 
Thanks for being here and as always, run well.
 
Robbie.

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