Bandana Blog #1: Tying Together Art & Adventure!
A few years ago, I was doing a full-time job that left me deeply uninspired - making small manual adjustments to billing schedules for an insurance company on the other side of the country. I spent the majority of work days alone in my dim basement on a calculator wondering if AI could hurry up and come for this particular job so I could do something more interesting.
Then I wondered if I could just think of something more interesting to do myself. And the answer to that was: yes.
And then I wondered if I could make a living at it, and the answer seemed to be: well, it's worth trying.
I like to hike. I like to paint. Over the years, these two hobbies turned into projects and I was running a popular regional hiking website while selling artwork on the side. It seemed unlikely that my hobbies could go further and replace my corporate income, but at this point I was desperate for a change. If only I could make something that would appeal to both hikers and art appreciators...
Introducing... Backcountry Bandanas
Backcountry Bandanas was born in 2023 when I whipped the first design off my iPad. I loved designing the artwork - there was something meditative about drawing my favourite alpine wildflowers in perfect symmetry. I had toyed with making other things like hats, patches, stickers, but my years as a girl guide leader had drilled into me all the practical uses for a simple square scarf in the wilderness.
You can tie back your hair, cool your neck, swat those bugs, strain your pasta, sling an arm, shield your face, mask your eyes, have a wash - all while looking good! Goodbye boring old paisley! I was hooked on turning all of my favourite plants into bandana designs!
Production Problems
It's one thing to design something cool. It's another thing to get it made and into the world, especially with no money.
So I turned to a production model called "Print on Demand". The premise is simple: products are made just-in-time as orders come in, then shipped straight to the customer. No boxes of inventory in the basement, no upfront bulk production costs, and the ability to test lots of design ideas in the market! Another company takes care of all the manufacturing and shipping. As a business owner you just get to live your best life doing the fun design work!
Well, that's all fine, but I kept getting questions like:
- Do I have to pay for shipping? I want to pick up my bandana locally.
- Why do bandanas cost so much to buy?
- Can't you use cotton instead of recycled polyester?
- Can I stock your bandanas in my retail store?
- Why does my bandana arrive in a sad grey plastic bag?
And the answer to all these question was tied back to my production model. I had a lot of control over the designs, but not a lot of control over the rest of the product or customer experience.
Perhaps there was a better way to bring bandanas into the world...