Status Update
Running a small business can be challenging. It can be made even more difficult when you are 4,750 miles (7644.384 kilometers) away from your business. In June, the opportunity arose to take a job in Honolulu, Hawaii. Though it was a temporary, we liked it so much that we decided to stay for a while.
Waikiki, Edmund Garman; CC 2.0
Though the Astronaut Apparel project has taken a back-seat the in past several months due to work, we have remained open and will continue to remain open on Shopify & OpenBazaar.
When we find time later this year, we are likely going to move our base of operations to Columbus, Ohio. The capital city is very much one on the rise and has only grown better since I moved away from it in 2013. Having it as the new headquarters will allow me to fly home more often to visit with family and friends.
Not only that, it’s just a great city to live and work. In 2017, Forbes states that it is the fastest-growing city in the U.S. for startup activity, with an incredible amount of venture capitalist activity. As Astronaut Apparel grows, I would love to take people on tours of this great city, catch a Buckeyes game at The Shoe, and go to German Village for some Bier und Schnitzel!
Advertising and Social Media
There are a lot of exciting things happening in the world of space, and our focus will remain on bringing to light advancements and achievements in human spaceflight. I’m going to start utilizing Akasha, Twitter (@apparelastro), and Instagram more, and will likely start our first, small advertising campaign soon. Furthermore, we’re going to try to do a better job at forming partnerships with those that are working toward a brighter future. We still have several items in-stock, including t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts. Winter is coming, so why not purchase something to keep you warm and cozy or a shirt to lounge around in?
In honor of World Space Week, we are running a special deal: For this week only, all items in the store will be 25% off! All you need to do is enter the code worldspaceweek at checkout to get the deal. While supplies last.
Goals
We have a list of goals that we want to achieve in the last quarter of the year. Some of those include:
- Finishing several, much needed pages on the site
- Better open-source projects & cryptocurrency integration
- GEN 1 database
- Whitepaper & Business Plan
- Restock & add new items to store, including hats, socks, & graphic T’s
- Advertising in an honest way
Next year, we are looking at doing the following:
- Stronger community involvement, such as ambassador programs, giveaways, and events
- Additional clothing options & more designs
- Embroidery refinement
- dApp development
Little by little, we will continue to improve, but we need to start taking measurable steps toward achieving these goals. That consists of keeping up with the blog and social media for accountability purposes.
Let’s learn and grow together and do great things in our lives! Let’s take pride in the things we do and support the things that are good in this world. Spaceflight, blockchain technology, and education are a few of the items that we care about the most. It’s time we do the work to support these endeavors and make this world a better place.
To the Moon!
Brandon