Well, there’s a title I never could have predicted I’d be writing. But that’s how it goes. See, we’re over here in Wyoming, sitting on a design for THE BEST portable hammock stand out there, but the planning & production came to a screeching halt with… The Virus. It’s been frustrating. It’s been lots of work. It’s felt like trudging. But, like all difficult things, we think it’s making us better. We’ve learned some stuff so we wrote it down for you.
AHEM…
1) No amount of tantrums or cussing speeds up the process. (*cough* Kristen *cough*)
2) People are amazingly understanding and kind. First and foremost, our eagerly waiting customers have been SO patient. We know they are excited because of the e-mails and DMs we receive weekly, wondering what our status is. It has been frustrating to constantly tell them “we don’t know yet,” but they have responded with compassion, understanding, and kind words. Wow. Thanks everyone.
We also should mention our amazing team. We have an awesome photographer, a talented videographer, and an on-the-ball marketing team waiting in the wings for our go-ahead. They have adjusted their calendars and made changes for us non-stop over the last six months. They could have gotten frustrated and dropped us as clients, but they’ve hung in there and we are so appreciative.
People are awesome. Kindness is cool and we are thankful to have been recipients of so much of it lately.
3) The manufacturers you choose to work with are key to your experience. Trust us, we’ve been through several, American and overseas. A couple of them “dropped” us at the last minute, just before production started. We’ve had a manufacturer become very frustrated with our high standards. We’ve had companies that wanted to over-charge for crappy products. We’ve had people make promises and never fulfill them. AND. We’ve landed on a great company in China who has worked closely with us on every step of the design process. We have insisted on high quality and they have met us there. They have been kind, communicative, and really worked to understand our vision. This pandemic hasn’t made things easy, but they could have been much more unpleasant with a different manufacturing company.
4) Don’t compromise on quality just to speed things along. There were moments along the way when we could have just said, “Eh, it’s good enough,” and accepted a less-than-top-notch product. We might have even gotten to production weeks sooner. But what’s the point of selling pieces that don’t look nice, or don’t fit perfectly together? We try not to be perfectionists about everything in life, but our products are a different story. Customers are giving us their trust when they give us their money and we take that very seriously.
5) There is always plenty to do, even without product. Sure, our schedules and checklists didn’t play out as expected. But would you believe we always found something that needed to be done? There were social media posts to make, products to test, pictures to take, e-mails to return, a website to build, and blog posts to write. We found stuff to do that could still move the dial.
6) Find a way to step away. Yes, as stated above, there’s always plenty to do, but you can’t be thinking about your business 100% of the time. For your own sanity and for the love of pine trees go camping. Or hiking. Or read a book. Or SOMETHING. Clear your head. Remind yourself what’s most important. And come back to work fresh and ready to go.
7) Keep playing the long game. Did this suck? Absolutely. Did it go as planned? No way. But if we look back years from now, it will barely be a hiccup. To us, this isn’t about the hills and valleys on the journey, it’s about the end goal. We keep holding the image in our minds of smiling clients taking their new hammock stand on their backpacking, mountain-biking, camper van-ing, motorcycling, RV-ing, backyard-ing adventures. Our stands are bomb and we haven’t lost our enthusiasm about them.
8) Laugh. You can only get so many bad news e-mails before they start becoming funny, right? If you look at this whole adventure as a comedy of errors and a good story later, it becomes a lot more bearable. Besides, laughing is good for your health.
So, yeah, it’s been an adventure, and will no doubt continue to be. We will continue to keep you posted via Facebook, Instagram, and this blog. Our e-mail list hears stuff FIRST though, so sign up here if you haven’t yet. We’re grateful for you!
Cal & Kristen
Red Beard
I’ve followed you guys since the Kickstarter campaign! I’m always exited to hear of progress, no matter the actual ship date. I have been in situations where there were no trees too many times to count! I have and do use other (semi) portable stands on the market but, I’m most interested in YOBO! I travel by Harley Davidson throughout North America every other year (11,000-15,000 miles in approximately 30 days). I believe the YOBO stand will greatly increase my sanity, comfort and portability on my short trips…
I’m very much looking forward to seeing the stand in person.
…and Casper is a great city to visit! I will roll through again…!
Thank you!
yoboadmin
Thank you so much! We are getting closer to that magical day we get to hit “LAUNCH”!!! We appreciate your kind words and patience. 😀
Wayne C.
Ive been interested in your product since I first saw the Kickstarter and have followed the long journey. Hopefully, all the “bumps in the road” will smooth out in 2021. I’m looking forward to the future when I will be able to purchase your hammock stand.
yoboadmin
Thank you for hanging in there with us Wayne! We appreciate your kind words. We are ready to hit the gas in 2021. Things are already moving more smoothly. We’ll keep you updated!
Jana
I especially appreciate the fact that you will not compromise on quality. Of course, I want one NOW, but it’s better to wait for a quality piece. Otherwise I will not like it.
And I’m not going to ask when. Who can predict anything with even a rough estimate these days?
yoboadmin
Isn’t that the truth Jana! We have tried to estimate a few times and it hasn’t worked out. Thank you for your understanding and patience. 🙂
Gary L Schweiger
Are there any for sale?
Thanks…
yoboadmin
Hi Gary! There will be as soon as the product is completed and ready to ship. We will keep everyone posted. 🙂
Sherry
Anxiously awaiting to try out ur hang (-:
yoboadmin
We are anxious too! Thank you for being excited with us!