Monday Musing #5
We made it to the other side! It's 2022, and the year has taken off running. Literally and figuratively!
Since my last Musing, we finished the M7 Trail Series, a massive project at Method Seven Trail. Phew. When I stepped into my role as Brand Manager, the M7 Trail Series was well under-way but without much traction. Facilitating excitement and awareness around the Trail Series has been a huge part of my job in the last few months, and I am elated that it has more than doubled since I started working at Method Seven. Not to toot my own horn, but **back pat.** Hopefully, it's the first step in getting the word out there about what we are trying to do here.
If you are not subscribed to our email list, this is the last of my Musings you will receive. Like what you see here? Subscribe here and get $5 off your next order.
We launched our Method Seven Ultra Trail Instagram page at @methodseventrail. I never thought I'd manage not just one but TWO Instagram pages in a professional capacity. When I first got on Instagram, my handle was @poopiswhatwedo because I didn't want to create a facade of who I wanted people to think I was. I wanted to view but didn't want to engage. I thought the handle would deter any normal person from following. But here I am, managing my account as a professional athlete and the Method Seven Ultra Trail Account. As we grow, please give me feedback. I am learning. My goal in managing this account is to remain as authentic as possible. You don't need another brand or influencer trying to shove the product down your throat. Instead, we hope to show you what we're doing, what is working, and what isn't working through our Instagram feed and other social media outlets. I will be honest with you, always.
I also hope to use this new Instagram to play. I am not good at creating content. I have a tough time capturing visuals. But it's an opportunity to learn! From dogs wearing sunglasses to the projects we are working on to a typical office day. I want to show you all of it.
Cassi, who works in customer service at Method Seven, will be helping me manage our social channels. We are lucky to have her!
I started the applications for the Beta Team! They will go out to our email list and the participants of the M7 Trail Series. As part of the Beta Team, you will get a pair of running shoes, a Spring Energy Sample pack, BU Sunscreen, and an exclusive Method Seven Beta Team racing shirt.
The Beta Team will be a critical part of developing the ultra trail eyewear. With this kit, you will be sent a pair of Ultra Trail prototypes with the newly developed TRAIL26 lens, made to perform on every trail, in every condition, from heavy tree cover to exposed alpine ridges. As part of the Beta Team, you will put these prototypes to the test for four to six weeks, participate in intimate product development calls with me, James, and the designers, and send them back with your honest feedback.
Professional trail runner Avery Collins will be involved in some of the Beta Team design meetings, along with a super-secret new Method Seven Team member (hint: legend of Badwater, best selling author!).
We decided on a rough launch date for the first edition Ultra Trail Eyewear. It needs some work, but Houston, we have a product (almost)!
Quite the list!
When I zoom out to look at what we've done and still have to do at Method Seven Ultra Trail, I sometimes get overwhelmed. This is CRAZY. When I get overwhelmed by the magnitude of building a brand like this from the ground up, I am reminded about how I feel at mile twenty of a hundred-mile race: I always feel like shit, and that's OK.
When my legs are aching, and I am already bonking at mile twenty, zooming out to think about the EIGHTY MILES I have to cover before I reach the finish line is enough for me to want to quit right there. Just the thought of how far I have to go is too much to handle. But when I am present in the mile that I am in, enjoying it for what it is, whatever it is, I have a blast. That is where the magic happens.
While sometimes overwhelmed, I feel so happy and fulfilled in the process at Method Seven Ultra Trail. Step by step, mile by mile, we are chipping away at something great. Magic is happening.
