The CEO’s Journal- Entry 5: Try New Things

I did a bad thing. I promised you guys that I would be writing these more consistently and I failed. For that I sincerely apologize. This time, I won’t tell you guys that I’m going to write these more often, I’ll just do it. Actions always speak louder than words.

The reason for the delay is the same as last time: I’ve been very busy. But I believe that these posts are important. They tell a story. The Elevate Story. They also keep you all up to date with what’s been going on in the company. Here’s what I’ve been up to since the last post:

[if !supportLists]1) [endif]I’ve reorganized Team Elevate. I won’t go into too much detail but this new system should help lessen my work load a bit and ultimately help the company be more efficient. They say that learning to let go and delegate is one of the toughest but most important steps that an entrepreneur must take. Thankfully, I am surrounded by people that I trust enough to help share some of the responsibilities.

[if !supportLists]2) [endif]We finally released new leggings! We put in a lot of research and went through countless samples and prototypes to get these to a level we were truly proud of. But the hard work has paid off and we’ve been able to put out a beautiful pair of high-waisted leggings that have been receiving praise from everyone who tries them.

[if !supportLists]3) [endif]We tried something new with our product release strategy. Our lead designer, Emma Hackett, created an extremely flashy and unique new tracksuit that we named Legend Blue. I wanted to take a risk with them. Usually when we release a new product, we order in a certain quantity, sell them, restock and repeat. But I felt like these tracksuits deserved something different. They were truly unique and I wanted to keep them that way. So I decided to release them for pre-orders only, for one week only. The risk here is that if enough people didn’t buy them, we’d have wasted such an incredible design and our manufacturing costs per tracksuit would have been much higher. Why did I take that risk? These tracksuits are special and I want them to always feel that way. I want the people who own them to be proud that they were able to grab such a unique and rare item. This release wasn’t about making profits, it was about creating something that could be worn as a statement. A product that could continue to build on the message that we shouldn’t be afraid of being unique, taking risks and standing out. Thankfully, it was a success and the risk paid off. If you’re someone who missed out on the Legend Blue Tracksuit don’t worry. We have another unique colourway that will be releasing before Christmas. But don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret ;).

Lead Designer, Emma Hackett, in her Legend Blue Tracksuit

[if !supportLists]4) [endif]We added some spectacular athletes to the team! I’m extremely proud to announce that professional basketball player Mariah Nunes and national Karate team standout Melissa Bratic have joined us as ambassadors. Mariah and I grew up together and I honestly have no idea why it took us so long to make this happen. It was almost too obvious I suppose. And funny enough, Melissa has known Team Elevate members Christopher Coady and Samantha Au for many years as well. It’s pretty funny that it took us this long to add these remarkable young women to our team but I’m really thankful that we’ve finally made it happen. The thing I love most about being able to add these two to our family is that they although they’re incredible athletes, they’re even better human beings. I’ve known Mariah for almost my whole life and she really is a great person. And although Christopher and Samantha spoke non-stop about Melissa’s ferocity as a fighter, they both spoke extremely highly of her character, which is what ELEVATE is all about. So Mariah and Melissa, welcome to the team. I can’t say enough how thankful I am that you are both joining our family.

Mariah Nunes, Pro Basketball Player Melissa Bratic, National Karate Team

[if !supportLists]5) [endif]It’s time you saw more from our athletes. We’re blessed to have so many talented people representing our brand. I however, have not done as good a job showcasing that as I should. But that is certainly going to change. Daniel Gordon (Professional Basketball Player), Christopher Coady (National Karate Team Member) and I have begun working on some video projects. You will certainly be seeing a lot more from these two as well as many of the other athletes who support us. Stay tuned.

Daniel Gordon, Pro Basketball Player

[if !supportLists]6) [endif]Congratulations Chris and Daniel! This isn’t something that I personally have done, but it is certainly something that deserves mentioning. Christopher Coady has won Newfoundland’s RBC Training Grounds. This means that Chris is officially the province’s most athletic male (barring any athletes that were unable to attend the event). Chris will now go on to compete in the Atlantic championships in front of tons of Olympic scouts. Congratulations Chris! You’re making your province very proud.

Daniel Gordon has signed his first professional contract as a member of the Island Storm. On October 30th, Daniel will head to Prince Edward Island to compete for an official roster spot in training camp. Congratulations on your first contract Daniel and good luck locking down that roster spot! We all have faith in you.

Christopher Coady, National Karate Team

[if !supportLists]7) [endif]I started vlogging (kinda). I hosted a poll on my personal Instagram (@DedicatedAustin) and was really pleasantly surprised to hear that well over 90% of my followers wanted to see more footage of what I do as ELEVATE CEO. With this in mind, I’ve begun posting a lot more on my story. From meetings to packaging orders to photoshoots. I’ll be making a conscious effort to show as much as I can from my day to day life.

In the past year, I’ve tried a lot of things. A lot of those things ended as failures. But from each and every failure, I make sure that I learn as much as I possibly can. So whether the things I try end up going well or not, one result is the same: I am getting better. ELEVATE is getting better. So I will continue taking risks. Risks like ordering an insane amount of the leggings and risks like the limited release for the Legend Blue Tracksuits. I advise you all to take risks as well. Through our struggles and failures we grow. So really, we have nothing to fear. Keep taking risks and keep striving to become the best possible version of yourself.