Dear Primal Professional,
My apologies, it's been awhile. As with so many other businesses, COVID significantly impacted us. Before this month, we were very close to running out of money. The reason why I'm able to write to you about product development today is because of all our loyal customers, who showed us so much love in our time of need. More details ahead.
In this newsletter, I will be talking about...
- Dealing with COVID
- COVID Sale - $100 off brand-new shoes
- Outlet Store - upcoming sale of used returns
- Survey: Sneakers, Buckles, and Belts
1. Dealing with COVID
We were still finishing up a big production run when our factory received lockdown orders from the government. There wasn't enough time to send any shoes directly to our UK warehouse, so we had to send it to our US warehouse lest it get stuck in Mexico. Unfortunately, it ended up getting stuck in the US anyway. Our US warehouse was acquired, and the transition was absolute chaos. At one point, ALL of our inventory "disappeared." There I was, seeing revenue at unprecedented lows, and I couldn't even serve the few customers we had. It was scary.
Things have improved since then. Everything is running slower and less reliably than usual, but at least most of our vendors are back in the game.
What has changed significantly is our attitude and fortitude. In March through May, I was honestly in a nihilistic hole. Then one day... I just got sick of it. I said to myself, "What are you doing?! Are you just going to lie down and die?" The answer was NO. I've been fighting hard ever since, and it is an absolute thrill. This is the toughest situation I've ever been in, yet I'm the happiest and most alive I've ever felt. No matter what happens, I will have the satisfaction of knowing I gave it my best.
2. COVID Sale - $100 off brand-new shoes
With slow sales and way too much inventory, we had to do something. We planned to drop our prices $100. But before we did that publicly, we wanted to give our existing customers an early jump, and an extra $10 off. The sale went better than any of us could have imagined. It's thanks to the support of our loyal customers, that I again have the privilege of developing shoes at the highest intersection of style and strength. And the privilege of sharing the journey with you here.
With that said, the sale is now public. Let your on-the-fence friends know!
(Full disclosure: we plan on going back to our normal retail price once things return to normal.)
3. Outlet Store - upcoming sale of used returns
In a couple of weeks, these will have an even deeper discount. We will let you know when exactly through this newsletter. It will likely have a different return policy, such as no-returns, exchange or store credit only.
4. Survey: Sneakers, Buckles, and Belts
YES, we are making dress sneakers! We sent out a survey last July asking what you'd like us to make. The massive interest in dress sneakers definitely took me by surprise. I have to thank Darius for including it in the survey, and thank all of you who responded.
Today's survey questions are:
1) Dress Sneakers Shape: Longer and more Aesthetic, or Shorter and more Foot-Shaped?
2) Sneaker Back: What do you think of our design?
3) Sneaker Sole: Cup vs Flat?
4) Modular Shoe Buckles, for Matching Metals. Cool and useful, or not?
5) Dress Belt Buckles: Which Style?
We'd love your feedback on our survey here!
That's it for now! I appreciate your everything.
To Your Health,
Mountain
Founder