A Little Positive Energy

“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”

-Herm Albright

Sometimes when you are deep in the trenches of the battle we call life, it can be hard to reflect on all the positive things going on.  Unfortunately, I find myself in that situation a lot.  Building Atayne is no easy task.  Every time I cross something off my list, 37 new things appear.  At times, it can be very overwhelming.

Once in a while, though, I do take the time to sit back and reflect on all the positive things in my life.  In fact, I just did it.  So I decided to write a quick post and share with anyone who wants to listen (or I should say read).

Atayne is currently working on a project with a great race, Freedom’s Run.  They are buying all their participant tops from us.  We get quite a few calls from events interested in buying our apparel.  Unfortunately, most of them fall through.  A lot of races like the idea of buying a 100% recycled performance top made in the USA.  However, when they see the price they go back to the standard virgin top made overseas.

This was not the case with the great folks at Freedom’s Run.  They told me from the start that they wanted participant tops that were made in a more responsible manner – 100% recycled and made in the USA.  They are paying quite a bit more to purchase our tops.  They are definitely walking the walk for their green talk.

If you plan on running a race this fall, please consider Freedom’s Run.  Not only do they truly lead with their values, they have a race for everyone (26.2 • 13.1 • 10K • 5K • Kids Run).

So far in 2010, Atayne is operating profitably.  Granted, I still do not pay myself, but I still view this as a huge accomplishment.  Especially when many industry vets told me I should not expect to turn a profit until we hit critical mass, about $5 million in sales.  While I do love proving people wrong, the best part of this is we are now generating money from our operations to help grow the company.  We are currently working on 15 new styles that will roll out over the next 3 to 6 months.

Atayne was recently approved for a pretty sizable loan from our bank, Bangor Savings Bank.  This will not only be instrumental in helping us expand our line, it will help to address the out of stock issues we have struggled with the past 2 years.  If you are looking for a good Maine based bank, I cannot say enough positive things about Bangor Savings.  The loan aside, they truly care about their customers.

Finally, and undoubtedly, the most exciting.  I am getting married this coming Saturday. The loyal readers of The Red Shirt Blog have met Becca (at least virtually through her guests posts).

Things may be a bit quiet on the blog for the next couple weeks as Becca and I start a very exciting journey together!