the start – the {r}evolution apparel blog

Behind the Scenes: The Making of All of Us Revolution

We’ve been talking a lot about inspiration lately. And while inspiration is a key element in figuring out your big idea, perspiration is the key element in making it all work. Yep, 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration.We thought we’d give you a little peek into what we’ve been sweating over for the last few months. The basics:

1. Brainstorm and research ideas
2. Agree on one idea
3. Make travel plans
4. Set up marketing (blog, business cards, Twitter, Facebook)
5. Officially start business (register for an LLC)

I know, I know — it sounds easy, right? But throw in two perfectionists, some technical difficulties, zero training and very little experience, and you’ve got your hands full.

Research alone took a month. After the original Facebook message, we started shooting each other web links and forming ideas. And the options were endless. Should we import tagua seed jewelry? Peruvian llama-wool sweaters? Or go with our own idea for an apparel line?

We were lucky because the “agreeing” part came easy and the disagreements were easily compromised. Things could have gone astray from the very beginning, but our personalities and individual talents have turned out to be quite the combo.

Then it came down to the “where” of the business. At first we were dead-set on South America, but Chile & Argentina have “dirty” Spanish, and we couldn’t find much info on Bolivian, Ecuadorian, and Peruvian cooperatives. Fortunately, Central America had just what we wanted. Jackpot! Guatemala and Nicaragua have heaps of women-owned cooperatives, plus some of the biggest markets in Central America.

Part of our business plan was to get people involved from the beginning — let everyone see what the process looks like. Sure, we could wait until we had a product in our hands and throw it on a website like everyone else, but the how we got there is just as important as getting there.

Our idea of blogging became a totally other “business” of its own. The entire next month was spent writing: fair trade, fashion, travel, business, and of course, our project. (Those posts will be making a debut soon!) We wanted to have a backlog of about 50 solid articles even before our launch date.

And then we made it official and became a Limited Liability Company. By chance, I re-checked the Missouri LLC fees. In the last few months, it had magically become a cheap and easy process: pay 50 dollars for a lifetime LLC, and receive your paperwork instantly via PDF!

Honestly, things were pretty smooth sailing up to this point. But all of that changed in early August when I flew up to Boston to put our blog together and prepare for take-off.

Stay tuned for Shannon’s next post about some of the hilarious moments and epic failures in our last month before blog launch. {r}

Video: How to Cope with Change {Part II}

How does one “deal” with change? What do we do to make ourselves overcome the mental obstacles regarding big changes in our lives?

Kristin talks about her coping methods, and shares some photos from the last time she made a big change — and almost backed out.

What do you do to soothe your mind and power through “scary” times? {r}

Video: Shannon Talks the Biz (and moonwalks…)

Find out what’s exciting about “the biz” for Shannon, and what she wants for fellow {r}evolutionaries who read our blog. If that doesn’t suit your fancy, she has some pretty sweet dance moves…

How it all started: The Facebook Message

Today we’re sharing some details about the very beginning of All of Us — the brief Facebook message that started it all, and the early stages of business planning.

Sometimes all it takes is one thought.

I had just recently returned from living in South Africa and the unbearable pressure of getting a ‘real job’ was looming over me. Kristin had returned to the U.S. a few months earlier after almost a year and half of traveling. After two years, we were both living in the same country — discontent and directionless.

A few days after I got back, she sent me a message, “would love to hear about your plans for the coming year. i am really uncertain about what i’m doing with my life. having a crisis, you could say.”

Convenient for me, since I was also having a ‘mid-twenties life crisis.’ All it took was a phone call and we started to brainstorm what we could do next: backpack South America, move to Valparaiso, Chile, start a nonprofit. We hung up the phone, assuring each other we would do some research and figure it out together.

The next day I sent Kris a message with one line: “How can we get into the import/export business?”

I was mostly joking. We hadn’t even discussed going into business with each other, but Kristin took it and ran with it, sending me links to other import businesses around the world. The more we talked about it the more excited we got.

Find a niche that nurtures your passion.
Saying you’re going to start an import business is like saying you have a job in finance. It’s a hugely broad industry that can range from jewelry to coffee, India to Uruguay. We knew we wanted to import from Latin America — neither of us had been before, we wanted to learn Spanish, and it’s geographically convenient for trading in the U.S.

The truth is that finding your passion lies in the little things. For some, importing may not sound glamorous or fun, but in the process, we get to photograph, write, design, travel, learn a language, and most importantly, be involved in a social project that helps others. Once you’re able to narrow down your area of opportunity, you can find a way to incorporate the things you love to do.

Turning a thought into a reality.
Since most aspiring entrepreneurs are more creative-minded and less concerned with logistics, the idea of sitting down to write a 50-page business plan is akin to pulling your eyelashes out one by one.

A Babson College study sited on the Young Entrepreneur website revealed, “there was no difference between the performance of new businesses launched with or without written business plans.” Having said that, and while going through the beginning stages of the process ourselves, we don’t recommend not having a plan at all.

The benefits of writing up a plan are two-fold: it makes you think of answers to important questions you may not have otherwise, and it outlines your ideas and vision in a concise way. It is the actual act of writing the plan that is most beneficial. We started out by googling “how to write a business plan” and from there, found a prototype of an import/export business to use as a guideline. Believe me, it’s not rocket science.

Remember that a business plan is never a finished product — you should constantly be tweaking and adding to it, depending on how your business is changing. There’s nothing wrong with opting for a simple one-pager. It comes down to whatever is right for your company. In most cases though, even the most basic biz plan should have the following: Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, Action Plans.

While you’re turning your big idea into reality, we’ll be here to listen and advise. We’d love for you to e-mail us or leave a comment with your questions, and we’ll be sure to get back to you. Everyone else, please add to our suggestions if you can offer any additional help in early business planning! {r}

Shannon

I’ve never been rebellious. In high school — I didn’t drink. Never did drugs. Obeyed my curfew. Kept the bedroom door open if my boyfriend was over. In college — I got good grades, stayed out of trouble, stuck to my morals. I did just about everything I was supposed to do. And then I graduated. And instead of getting a “real” job like everyone else, I flew to Australia. And I began to rebel.

I rebelled against what society said I “should” be doing.

I spent that first post-grad year in cities like Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, bartending to support myself and never saying “no” or “I can’t” or “I’m afraid.” I saved enough money to visit New Zealand and Fiji and to live in Southeast Asia. I found passions for art, fashion and music that don’t exist where I come from, and discovered people and opinions that added another dimension to my life.

And then I went home and people said, “So now are you going to get a real job?”

I guess I should, right? I guess I should be a “contributing” member of society. That’s what I’m supposed to do. But instead I flew to South Africa.

I bartended. I volunteered. I honed my journalism degree by writing and photographing the people and things I came across. Every day was a new adventure and every new face was another story I couldn’t wait to hear.

When I came home after eight months I knew that was it. I was turning 25 and enough was enough. I had to start climbing that corporate ladder before everyone else got too far ahead. Enter Kristin.

Kristin is insightful, intelligent and too talented for her own good. Most importantly, she gets “it” and is at a similar point in her life — directionless yet ambitious, and full of potential. We met when we were both living in Australia, and I remember nights, sitting on the back porch of her flat, just pondering the world together. Do you think aliens exist? Are you a believer in ‘love at first sight’? What would you do if the world were to end tomorrow?

When it all comes down to it I guess both Kristin and I believe in doing what you want to do right now. Not in a naive or entitled way, but knowing that you better make the most of what you’ve got because it may not be there tomorrow.

So that’s me — a not-so-rebellious rebel, choosing to live life the way I want to live it and hoping to make the world better for others along the way. {r}

Kristin

I’m from the Midwest. Grew up on casseroles and iced tea. Terribly all-American. Everyone in my hometown picked one of the predetermined career options. Doctor. Lawyer. Teacher. Truck driver.

I went to college, like many others, thinking I’d be passionate about one of those things, too.

Four years later, and I had a business degree with no sense of direction. People kept saying, “You’re young, you’ll figure it out. Just wait and see.”

So I’ve been waiting around, traveling and bartending and hoping to bump into my passion along the way.

I have many talents, but no expertise. I like everything. Especially everything creative. Like making handmade greeting cards and taking photos. So why haven’t I taken the plunge to make a career out of either of those things?

Because I have a huge, huge fear of commitment.

Ask my mom; she’ll elaborate. I can’t pick anything, because I’m afraid that I’ll miss out on something else.

But in recent months, as I’ve passed the time in a job I don’t particularly like, the thought struck me: If I don’t do something, then I’ll never do anything.

Enter Shannon. We met in Australia. She’s driven, smart, and creative. We’ve inspired each other to commit. And surprisingly, I don’t feel like I’m going to miss out on other things at all. I feel like finally, I might be able to use my talents and cultivate a passion in this self-created venture.

Kind of like creating the most awesome job in the world, where you wear many hats and work hard, but love it – and you don’t even have to apply.

So that’s me — a creative Midwestern commitment-phobe who’s finally making a choice to change her circumstances. {r}

Having it All

One day, two friends and fellow travelers asked each other, “Why can’t we have it all?”And neither could come up with a good answer.

We all want everything. A job we love. Money to support ourselves. A feeling of purpose. Time to do the things we want. Freedom.

Some say that we young people have a sense of entitlement. That we are unrealistic and our expectations are too high. We won’t work in jobs we don’t care for, and we are always looking for the next best thing.

Older, wiser generations say we have a lot of earning to do: just enjoy your one-week vacation and spend the other 51 weeks working your way up. One day, you’ll have the time and money to enjoy your life. One day.

Well, we just can’t accept “one day.” That could be way too many years from now.

So we’re going to have it all today. Adventure. Hard work. Purpose. The opportunity to give back. We’re going to start a journey, with no destination but to live by our own terms and help others do the same along the way. There is no “one day” in our philosophy; only today, and we believe the possibilities abound.

We hope you’ll join us as we quit our jobs and jump into today. And we hope to gain inspiration from those who have similar paths and dreams. All of us are in this together. And with the right tools and support, all of us can have it all.

Subscribe and keep reading to find out what the “young and naive” have planned for the job-less world. We’ll be blogging often about entrepreneurship, inspiration, and elements of our own business venture: fair trade, fashion, and travel. Join our community, be inspired, and start a revolution! {r}

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

{the blog}

Tagged: the start