Hello friends, and welcome back to (finally) another edition of the founders’ logs.
It has been almost 6 months since the last time I wrote one of these, and I can’t even begin to explain how much things have changed. But I guess that’s pretty much how this Log will go, so I should better start.
If nothing else, the single biggest change to the company over the past 6 months is that Will and I have both graduated with our undergraduate degrees. Will has taken up furthering his education, still at FSU - and still in the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, by getting his masters degree in new product development. I personally felt that at this point in time, I don’t feel the need to continue my education. My plan for the foreseeable future is this. Yep. I am working on Dunsel’s full-time until I literally can no longer financially support myself. Will had a little taste of full-time Dunsel’s over the summer, and was able to get a seriously impressive amount of things done. I spent my summer lifeguarding up in New York for the 6th? 7th? Summer in a row now. In order to be able to put food on my table and a roof over my head, this was a relatively necessary decision. Although I won’t lie: working in the sun and sand all day is not a hard decision to make.
So now I’m back in Tallahassee. What’s going on? Well, we have really been pushing the in-person markets in Tallahassee and beyond the past few weeks because we can. We never really had these as a channel to sell through because of COVID, so we are really just trying to make up for lost time on this front. The markets have been really great though. The concentration and consistency of traffic and new faces stopping by our booth allows us to collect feedback, information, preferences, at a much faster rate than we are used to. The next market we will be attending is FSU’s Market Wednesday’s on Legacy Walk. If you’re in town, you should definitely stop by. We will also be attending the TLH Downtown Market on Saturday which we would love to see some of you there too!
Some of the more exciting news that is still very fresh, and quite frankly probably hasn’t reached your ears yet is the launch of a few new products. We are still refining, but moving forward on one of our most highly anticipated products. A duffle bag. Since we started working with sail canvas we have always imagined how perfect it would be for a duffle. We are working to keep things neat and organized with both internal and external pockets, two seriously strong handles, and a shoulder strap for the longer treks across the airport. We are also keeping this bag within the carry-on allowance sizing so that you can take this bag with you wherever you go.
We have also introduced some new totes. If you haven’t heard we have also upgraded many of our totes too. They are constructed in a much more sturdy way with seam liners, and we have added an internal pocket to help keep your things neat. The new addition to these totes comes from a partnership with a local artist in Florida, Caroline from Rising Tide Art Studio. We worked with Caroline to create some iconic designs and pieces that help us tell our story. I will attach some photos of these totes down below.
We are so excited to continue working and growing Dunsel’s because of the impact we are making. In less than 12 months of operation we have recovered over 2,000lbs of sail canvas. That’s 2,000lbs of polyester based, plastic canvas that would have been thrown out. This material breaks down into microscopic pieces that seep into essential waterways, habitats, and eventually even into us…
Not the happiest of thoughts, but it is what keeps us working. This is what we are fighting, and we will not lose sight of that.
It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these, so I feel sort of awkward - like I don’t have my flow… I’m sure with consistency it will return, but I think that’s all I have for now.
Be sure to leave a comment under this log, follow us on social media, and be on the lookout in your inbox for the news that these products are launching. It will happen sooner than you think…
Have a great day, rest of your week, and end of September!
- Jon
1 comment
You forgot to mention you were working for the best boss ever. But whatever. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. Née totes look sick. Good job.