🎉 2023 Time Capsule: TK becomes her most authentic self.

Not only did it help save TK in her most dire times, but it has also solved one of our biggest operational challenges: knowing how much Basewear to order, and in what size. We can fund our new designs including the TOURA Shorts, and the upcoming TOURA Crop Top, and release them into the wild. Inadvertently, the memberships help us be more sustainable: because we aren’t producing more than what we need. It’s alleviating the biggest cash flow challenge to this business, and I could not be more grateful.

I always thought we’d go to tradeshows, get into a big retailer, and make it big in the outdoor industry. You know - all the advice I’ve gotten over the last 6 years from the other businesses in the outdoor industry who made it to success? Turns out none of that applies anymore. Selling goods after 2020 is the wild wild west and so I’m paving my own way.  

I’m leaning fully into this new business format and finding ways to grow and streamline the program into 2024. My new goal for 2024 is to reach 700 members to cover expenses between each pre-order. We’re halfway there. So, if you want to be a part of this change for TK - head to the link below to become a member. 

Now I’m embracing the DIY, homegrown, grassroots, solar punk identity that I’ve always felt embodied TK’s true soul. Minimal design and slick graphics are out the door and hand-painted signs are in. Instead of sleek studio product photos, we grabbed a backdrop sheet and went outdoors. I’m not modulating TK’s tone as much to appease a wider audience - I’m just saying things how they are - no bullsh*t. If you’ve met me in real life you probably know this is way more authentic to the actual me (BK). It feels like a relief to stop walking on eggshells and trying to maintain a certain aesthetic. 

In the years past we worked with some pretty horrific factories. At one point we had to cut our losses mid-production and gather all our supplies. There were fabric pieces in various stages of cutting and sewing that sat in our office for over a year, waiting to be recreated into Basewear. Our lovely product designer Jen was able to finally bring all these scraps to life again with Basewear ReMade. Now, we’re making small quantities of Basewear using scrap fabric and getting them back into the wild. 

Over the last 4 years, I’ve been trying to replace our fabric from virgin plastic fibers with recycled fibers. It was really tough to find the same fabric quality for compression, stretch, and hand feel - because it didn’t really exist on the market yet. Once we did it came with a price: bigger yardage minimums. This meant we had to commit to one color and make as much in it as possible. Black seemed like the most secure choice - a neutral, and crowd favorite. 

Unfortunately - this was a hard lesson learned. Sometimes making changes for sustainability doesn’t translate to profit. Once we released our all-black lineup sales took a huge downturn. For our customers, the more important choice was having a selection of beautiful fabric colors inspired by nature.

That one really broke my heart. To have spent years finding the perfect replacement, only to have that effort lead to the biggest downturn in sales we’ve ever had was… rough to say the least. 

BUT, each year I get better at predicting things like this. I’m becoming wiser and more well-rounded with every challenge. 

This harsh reality is most evident for small businesses in the post-2020 environment. The price of living and working has skyrocketed, while the expected cost of goods hasn’t changed much. Businesses that thrive best here are huge corporations that push to produce more and more stuff - even if it ends up in a landfill. Consumers are conditioned to expect free and immediate shipping and low prices that small businesses just can't manage to charge. I really try to focus my mind on not leaning into these realities as stopping points but it’s absolutely true that to make it in today’s economy is 1,000,000.00% harder than it was in decades past. Especially if you don’t come from wealth and resources. It's a reality I have experienced very viscerally since starting this business.
 

That’s reality, but it doesn’t have to be a reason to give up. I’m using this as fuel to my fire. Every time I'm able to use my creative thinking, and entrepreneurial spirit to overcome these challenges it lights the fire in me even more. To make it in this economy is much more difficult but also all the more satisfying when it starts to work out. I’m inviting that in as an opportunity to embrace my most Solarpunk dreams: to be able to run a sustainable, grassroots business that does good things despite all odds. 

Who runs the world? Money. Sorry Beyonce, but we gotta be real for a second. Our second biggest issue is cash flow. Disclaimer: the TK Supporting Membership program did some serious work in solving this one. Big proud of that. We’re not out of the woods though. Maintaining sales at scale is the name of the game right now. I’m trying my absolute hardest to refine my skills in marketing to grow TK to a scale where our sales outweigh our expenses. It’s a scary leap into a big new world. I’ve spent the entire year learning and refining my plan. Now it’s time to commit in 2024 and dive into a pool of bigger scale.

Well, if you look back at our past Time Capsule Recaps you’ll see a lot of next year's wishes that didn’t come true. So, this year I’m keeping it open. I’d love to have TK become profitable, stable, and financially secure. I know for sure we’ll be launching the TOURA Crop Top, and seasonal colors, inspired by nature. My goal is to double the quantity of TK Supporting Members in 2024. I would love to see more energy in our store TK Bishop. Appointments are available again, and we now have locally made Basewear in small quantities.