#startup

SO I am on a mission to turn Bournemouth high street in to the first shopping gallery that merges the digital and physical. I am sure its been done (..probably in Japan) and there fore we can stem the tide of coffeeshop infestation!

I am glad it is Christmas as this does provide a distraction outside of the retail hell that has gripped us from Black Friday onwards but is a great time to make an extra effort to see family and friends. So this is what I have decided to do, take some days off to see people who I have not seen in a long time in order to have a proper break...Im sure I have a friend in Barbados??

Be bold, know your numbers and cut off points and don’t be afraid to offer something different. Beside what do we really have to lose as long as we can afford the opportunity in cash terms? Hitting above our weight is something we are good at at KitBrix as our product allows that. Its tough, durable and stands up to abuse, paving the way for us to really get behind our offering and meeting Goliath head on or more appropriately, riding on Goliath’s back to lands unseen! 

#keepittogether #startup #cycling #london

The Red Coat SWIM www.kitbrix.com/shop

So just over a year in and the busy has just submitted first year accounts which was enlightening in a number of ways; firstly the amount of effort and time that ‘proper’ counting takes and I am very fortunate to have a partner who has tirelessly worked on behalf of the company getting all in order. She is critical down to the last detail which highlights all of my short comings in expenditure, mainly focussed around coffee! I definitely underestimated the cost of IP registration and marketing during our first year. Although I am very pleased with our web setup, I feel that we could have also saved cost here as well. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but even though we are still cash short but opportunity rich, we now have real clarity on our model and offering. We have signed a couple of big partnerships which will se us progress with credible partners over the next 2 years and build a brand to be proud of.  Heading in to the Autumn/Winter period we are expanding our range and core product colour range as we  have enough data after 12 months of trading to make more accurate forecasts on stock, and international requirements, preferences and logistical timelines. Of course I would do some things differently now which only means I have ‘learnt’. I feel that the first year (and a bit), I was able to find my feet and test the boundaries. While I still want to test those boundaries I feel that greater focus on priorities supporting by experience gained over the last year or so will provide me with better direction..plus no excuses!! An exciting period to come and the focus is on driving that bottom line.

29/7/15

For some reason I have a habit of waking up 2/3 minutes prior to my alarm. I’m not sure why as I am definitely not feeling too enthused about getting to the local Virgin Active for the 0600 early swim. If a ‘normal’ exists in my day, it is today. I manage to get myself out of bed to hit the pool at around 0605 avoiding the very motivated people who like to get in the water at the earliest opportunity. After a mile swim I head back to the office to check in with our factory in China – operating a +8 hours at the factory I already feel slightly behind as I conduct a Skype call to discuss amendments on our new accessories line coming out in Q3/4 this year. How did businesses cope without Skype!? After the call at around 7, I clear all immediate emails and prepare for a short trip to London to meet with a triathlon club to conduct an interview with a GB athlete and to discuss improvements, feedback and suggestions on developing our triathlete and cyclist focused range iof kit bags. Having moved down to the South coast late last year I deliberately rented a flat 100m from a station (Parkstone in Poole) which would take me direct to Waterloo. I also setup my office within 100m radius of the flat and the station to allow me to ‘go to work’. It is a modest place but very bright, simple and allows me to conduct meetings etc while giving my part-time staff a place to work from. I am lucky with the setup  I have. I take the off peak train to London which I booked in advance so I get the 1st class ticket very cheap. This allows me to work for 2 hours each way with constant power and relative quiet. Getting to London around 12 I like to walk across the bridge at waterloo to embankment in order  get some fresh air, clear my head prior to the meeting which will finish at 1, allowing me to grab a sandwich before meeting with my investor Lara Morgan (www.laramorgan.co.uk) in the closent random coffee shop that suits both of our schedules. Lara is an inspiration and is 100% focused on the customer, business requirments and finding efficiencies in all our operations.  Heading back to Parkstone at around 4/5 prior to the rush, I write up what has been achieved throughout the day and if there is something really signiciant, on to the blog. As I cruise back down South the emails start to pour in from my team and it is clear that the US has now woken up! Aiming to get most emails completed by the time I reach home at around 7 I pause to enjoy some home cooking which I love to do. Cooking seems to relax me and enable me to switch off. Cycling for inspiration. Cooking for genuine escapism. After food at around 8 I start the 100m walk to the office for the final push for an hour or two prior to clear the decks or conduct some out-standing design work which I only really like doing on the big screen. This is the time I enjoy most, its dark outside, quiet, the radio is on and I am designing the new bag, logos or accessories accompanied by a moral boosting cup of tea. My phone rings at 10.02pm, its from home, ‘I think enough is enough today’.

#keepittogether

That StartUp feel....

#keepittogether

Questions for Robert Aldous, KitBrix How did you get into the sports and fitness industry? Why did you set up KitBrix – where did the inspiration come from? In the summer of 2013 I entered in to a Quadrathlon in Scotland that consisted of swim, hike, kayak and cycle. After travelling to the event with all my kit in one big bag I realised that I had forgotten my cycle shoes, wetsuit and all my energy food! A shocking display of organisation for an ex military officer and I spent what little preparation I had searching local bike stores for extra kit which was not only time consuming but expensive. On the train on the way back, I decided to sketch a bag that would have helped me and all the other people that forgot equipment. The field that we all camped in looked like a bombsite with people trying to organise their kit and equipment ready for race. Stress levels were high and time was short. My brain works very simply, so I wanted to be able to use a bag while training for either swimming, cycling or running (hiking). I didn't want an ‘event bag’, that wasn't going to solve the problem. I wanted to race with the same bag I use everyday so I know where all my equipment is. We don’t change our bike, shoes or any other key equipment on the day so why change our bag? In order to use bags for training and on race day I had to find a way of connecting multiple units to ease transportation and aid kit recognition and efficiency. A series of interconnecting kit bags would allow me to have all my kit in exactly the right place when I need it. KitBrix was created. What role were you doing before you founded KitBrix? I left the military in 2011 and was fortunate enough to gain employment immediately within the Risk Management industry. I found myself travelling more and more and working in places where I kept wishing to be somewhere else! I thought to myself that I needed a job, a role, or way ahead that not only excites me, uses my brain, and allows me travel, but one that I believe in and want to progress further with my own team. I always had a number of ideas about starting my own business but thought that this was ‘the one’ to take forward. I knew very little of the triathlon industry at the time but I knew a lot about effective kit organisation and how a military mindset can save you time, energy and effort. I returned home, used Google (!) to search for ‘sports bag manufacturers’ and was underway on a very long road. How has the company grown since your launch? I registered KitBrix in the summer of 2013, very quickly learnt from initial mistakes of having the wrong manufacturing partner and the value of getting a partner with experience and enthusiasm for both my vision as well as the product. I spent 12 months learning the basics of the manufacturing and retail industry in my spare time outside of work, spent Christmas in the Far East learning how to manufacture a product and dedicated every early morning, late evening, and weekend in to launching within a year of registration. We have sold approx 8000 bags and our focus is to progress in the UK, USA and Australia. I am in the throws of employing myself and a small team to drive the company forward ensuring we maintain our core values and always look at solving problems for sportsmen and women through practical solutions that add value and give back time. What kind of reaction have you received to the product? The response has been incredible. People have really taken to the value of a simple, well-constructed and extremely robust solution to kit organisation. When I was designing the product, I timed myself everyday when I couldn’t find something that I needed. Over the month I had racked up nearly 7 hours of wasted time. If you are a consultant, athlete or have a family, you realise that this is wasted time that could be spent more efficiently. By utilizing a modular bag system that helps people train everyday, they were more prepared, more focused and I time on my side. One very interesting additional and significant audience we are growing, is the whole family - for par mets, children, different bags enabling organised group activities. Kit goes straight from washing machine, back in to the relevant KitBrix, ready for the next session with less stress for a all. What has been the highlight so far? Very early on, just after we had officially launched in Summer 2014, I made a very scary leap to exhibit in Vegas at Interbike. As effectively a startup company this was potentially a step beyond us but I knew that the product had legs and suited individuals that travel to different locations, train hard and train with families. The UK and US market are very family, group and team orientated and I hoped that we would be well received. We had a blast and secured our US Distributor J&B Importers who have really looked after us in a new market. What plans are there for the future of KitBrix? Companies and products must constantly listen to their customer base. We are delighted to be building a fan base with a voice, and a valued input in to ongoing bag development. We have just seen the introduction of the 2nd generation KitBrix (the 2G) which has a pocket that can be utilised to make each bag bespoke should you wish to. This has been very popular with teams who want their logos printed etc which we can design in house. This summer will also see the introduction of the first KitBrix range; the most exciting product (without giving it away!) is the introduction of the CityBrix which is specifically designed to look ‘business’ but enable you to ‘play hard’. It is geared towards those who gym before, during or after work with a triathlon focuses. The official launch countdown can be followed by signing up to www.kitbrix.com where we will also have interviews with professional triathletes, and celebrities within the industry. We will also see expansion in to the USA where we will be supporting the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) as our charity of choice. In the UK we support the British Triathlon Trust and we are thankful that we can add a small amount of funding to this excellent cause. £1 of every purchase goes to the charity and we will run the same scheme in every location we operate in. Thank you. #keepittogether

Great team shot - thank you! www.kitbrix.com #keepittogether

I was fortunate enough today to be invited to the Speaker Boutique in London run by the Prelude Group which invites entrepreneurs to discuss startup successes, failures, and lessons learnt. The first presentation was about franchising and how successful it can be when following the right model. It got me thinking about the models of sale within the cycling and tri community... Whilst in Australia driving around store to store trying to learn about the market, the athlete and how best serve my future customer it was clear that many customers, retailers and distributors were unhappy with the current model and how certain e-tailers had put almost 70% of 'brick & mortar' stores out of business in the last decade! 70%! You can argue that the likes of Wiggle, Chain reaction etc are developing a new market space and this is part of the evolution of the sales industry and people need to keep up! The past couple years, the customer has been looking at what they want to buy in local stores, trying it on, and then buying from the likes of Wiggle as it is always cheaper. Makes sense right? Jeff Bezos of Amazon I am sure would agree as in his book he states that he was merely progressing the industry and best serving the customer. I get it. The problem comes when you put too many stores out of business that people don't have anywhere to try stuff on. No where to touch, feel, and smell products. No options to mix and match. No options to have a discussion and take your partner to ask the important question of whether 'my bum looks big in this?' I personally (and I don't expect anyone to agree with me) have this issue with CDs Vs iTunes. I genuinely miss thumbing through Cd's putting the disc in to the system and checking the inside of the album cover for stories and comments about the tracks. I still like looking through CD's for inspiration on something different to listen to and don't want anything GENIUS about my selection method! So what then for the big cycle/tri e-tailor? The customer will take advantage of the great return service and before you know it, the e-tailer is losing profit through increasing percentage of returns and delivery as people need to order 3 of 1 item to get the right size! The e-tailor needs more people, more customer service, more lines of communication and costs go up? How do they bridge the gap? Open a store!!?? The model, at least in Aus anyway, seems to favour the larger 'lifestyle stores'. The larger cycle shops/coffee places/kids play area all rolled in to one offer a 'lifestyle' choice to the customer/plus partner/plus family - creating a cycling (or other sport) community. In this instance, the customer doesn't mind paying 10% extra to buy from the store instead of a Wiggle as they are apart of something larger. They are part of the TEAM. A Team that will look after your kid while you test the new Cervelo. A Team that buys you a coffee on your Birthday and organises the group Saturday morning ride. I think that even the mighty Amazon are feeling that this may be the future as they open their first store in the USA...in Harvard? Not sure. What will the KitBrix strategy be? In the UK we will support these 'lifestyle' stores and not proceed with the mass e-route in 2015. We want to build a community of people that appreciate and benefit from practical, well priced solutions that add value to their sporting lives. Our customer so far seem to love our product, service and offering and I am entirely in debt to them for helping us get to the end of Year 1 in this industry. We are also trying to provide a legacy offering by providing a percentage of profits to the British Triathlon Trust and the Challenged Athletes Foundation in the US. I may however have the strategy and situation completely wrong when it comes to the e-tailor and the move to lifestyle stores, but I know I look forward to my ride on a Saturday morning with Ritchie and his team from Ride in Poole. The store is 100m from my flat, great team, great company and I feel very lucky to have that community on my doorstep. We all meet at the coffee shop afterwards to chat about 'cycle stuff'. Where do I buy my stuff??....Wiggle of course!! But I'm part of a startup and have an excuse to save pennies. ...only joking Ritchie...see you Saturday! ;-) #keepittogether www.kitbrix.com

Anyway, the current situation for the consumer is great! More events, more options, more swim, ride and run, driving down prices so let’s crack on!

I am lucky that highly skilled and talented people are supporting me with KITBRIX at modest reward and remuneration. To be inspired by my own employees is a great position to be in and there are days where I really need the team that I have put together. We have exceptional experience in key areas - logistics, manufacturing and finance. I personally struggle with delegation and trust especially with areas that I think I NEED to know and something inside me needs to 'learn from mistakes' - I really need to be careful that this doesn't hinder me in the future. If I NEED to learn certain aspects by doing the work myself, I run the risk of slowing my growth and treading on the toes of my team members. There are occasions however where I think I need to achieve a level of base knowledge in order to maintain an element of knowledge allowing me to ask the right questions of my employees. I suppose the lesson will be to employ the good old 80/20 rule? How do you manage the temptation to resist the NEED to know. I will be more conscious of this going forward. With only 24 hours in the day I need to trust my team more and ensure that they are clear of what I need to drive the company forward. Delegate more, let go, 80/20, employee people in areas where I am weak...ok, got it. #keepittogether

I think the weekend highlighted that I need a firmer goal in my training regime. I have never been a fan of a fixed training plan as my life and career so far has never really allowed it. That said, i think the time is right to put something a little more fixed in place. I came back from travelling for 4 weeks and needed to steady my diet prior to having the energy or enthusiasm to get back in to training. I think I'm now ready. So, 19 weeks until Challenge Weymouth, I am setting myself the goal of 'being ready'. No hard and fast time aspirations (yet!) but just getting to a stage where I feel good, healthy and up for the chalenge. 5.30-7.30 is my allotted training time and I will aim to keep this Monday to Friday with long rides, swims etc at the weekend. After taking some down time to watch the visually pleasing Fast & Furious 7, it would be remiss to say I am not going to throw a few weights sessions in the mix as well! The Rock has that effect! I think a fairly structured plan will aid my work load as well. I always feel re-invigorated for work when I am fit and healthy, I think everyone does? So my bags (obviously) are set and ready for the week ahead. Training week -19 in force, weather on the up and I'm raring to go.