#closingadoor

Hi everyone, Kyle here (that’s me ^). I know I recently told you all that I would be launching a new site on the 26th of March, but our plans have changed. Please read ahead for the full details, or skip to the paragraph that begins with "PinMail Gear isn't..." to get the TL:DR.

PinMail Gear grew out of a desire to get out of the rat race, but it became something more. I started PinMail Gear because I was tired of punching a clock and I wanted to put something good out into the world. A product that people would love. Something that made them feel unique and happy. Something that would catch others attention and draw them into a conversation. Something that when you see makes you stop. I've been told it's hard to see one of our PinMail Strap for the first time and not want to touch it. "Are those safety pins?" The words almost leave your mouth before you can stop them. It creates an instant attraction. People want to hold the strap. More than a few people have told me they've handed their bags to complete strangers. When someone sees your strap and their eyes light up, it's hard not to. I understand. Our customers aren't only excited about their strap, but their PinMail bag as well. People get attached to their bags. People get especially attached to one-of-a-kind bags. When you have something that no one else has it creates a connection. "That's my bag." When you own one of our bags you can say that with absolute certainty. That is YOUR bag. No one else will ever have another exactly like it. If they do, then I messed up and the both of you should contact us for a refund (don't worry, I won't take your bags away!) These are some of the things I love about PinMail Gear. Some of the things I know are important.

I jumped into PinMail Gear full force in January of 2015 and haven't looked back in a little over 2 years. There have been some great times. There have also been some terrible times. Running PinMail Gear is a full-time+ job and this is my first business venture. Before I jumped in I didn't take the time to learn many important aspects of running an online business. I never learned about marketing, branding, coding, photography, copywriting, or much else. All I had when I started was a passion for unique and one-of-a-kind products. As I've seen passion can only take you so far and the only thing that has guided me beyond that is trial and error. Of all the ways to run a business, I do not recommend trial and error. I've invested a lot of time and money on things that didn't go as planned. A lot of what goes on behind the scenes at PinMail Gear seems to fall into that category.

PinMail Gear isn't a big company with lots of money to spend hiring experts to handle the things I can't do well. For the most part, this business relies entirely on me. Without the proper training, I haven't been able to serve PinMail Gear as well as I would like. So, I've decided to start investing some time and money into myself. As the person running the day to day, the business needs me to be my best if it's going to flourish. Now, I don't know how long it will take for me to learn everything I need to know to make this business the best it can be. And as I handle all the day to day operations I can't serve two masters. If I'm going to devote the time necessary to improving myself I need to shutter the business for the time being. I'll still be honoring our Lifetime Warranty while the business is on hiatus, but our store will be closed. You will still be able to find PinMail Gear on social media, and while I am still on the fence about selling on Etsy, if you request a custom order, I will have to consider it, because I hate letting people down. I will be opening again as soon as possible, I promise.

I have enjoyed being behind the helm at PinMail Gear and I hope to get back to it soon. If you aren't already part of the Mailing List you can join through the link at the bottom of this post. When I am ready to launch the business again the first thing I will do is send everyone an email. As promised, when the site launches everyone on the list will be receiving a 30% off discount.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please email at [email protected]. It would make my day to hear from you.