Year 9: The Reset
Flatout turned 9 years old this past February.
Nine years ago this brand started in a basement with a simple idea.
Go all in.
Not just in business, but in life.
That idea became our motto. All or Nothing.
Over the years that motto shaped everything about Flatout. The way we approached designs. The way we ran the company. The way we pushed through challenges that most people never see behind the scenes.
But the truth is, the past couple of years forced us to stop and really look at where we were heading.
This post is not a product announcement.
It is not a marketing campaign.
It is simply the honest story of what the past year looked like behind the scenes, and why Flatout is about to enter its next chapter.
When Things Started Catching Up
Running a small clothing brand can look exciting from the outside.
New products.
Photoshoots.
Launches.
Social media posts.
But behind the scenes it is constant pressure.
Manufacturing.
Inventory management.
Customer service.
Marketing campaigns.
Shipping orders.
Cash flow.
Supplier relationships across the world.
Eventually all of those pieces land on your shoulders.
For years we just kept pushing forward.
Late nights. Early mornings. Solving problems as they appeared.
But eventually something started feeling off.
About a year ago I realized my energy levels were at an all time low. Mentally I felt drained most days and motivation that used to come naturally was suddenly difficult to find.
At first I assumed it was simply stress.
Running a business is stressful. That is part of the deal.
But eventually I decided to get blood work done to see what was actually going on.
The results explained a lot.
My testosterone levels were extremely low. Estrogen levels were elevated. Cortisol levels were high. Several other deficiencies pointed to years of stress slowly catching up.
It was not something that happened overnight.
It was the result of years of grinding and constantly pushing forward without really stopping to check in on my own health.
Starting TRT helped significantly, but it also forced me to take a step back and reassess things.
Not just personally.
But with the business as well.
Escaping Instead of Slowing Down
When you are burned out your brain naturally looks for ways to disconnect.
For me that became gaming.
There is nothing wrong with gaming itself. But looking back I was definitely using it as a way to shut off the constant noise in my head from running the business.
Instead of slowing down and actually addressing the burnout, it became a temporary escape.
The problem with that approach is that the stress does not disappear.
It just waits for you when you come back.
Eventually something has to change.
The Manufacturing Setback
Around the same time we were dealing with something that hit the business pretty hard.
A manufacturer we had worked with ended up costing us roughly $20,000 worth of inventory through a combination of fraud and product issues.
For a massive company that might be frustrating.
For a small brand like ours it is a serious setback.
To put it into perspective, making back $20,000 in profit selling clothing takes months.
Some of the missing inventory may still show up eventually.
But at this point there are no guarantees.
Situations like that force you to rethink how you operate and who you trust in the process.
Growing Too Wide
Over the years Flatout expanded into a lot of different product categories.
Hoodies.
Hats.
T shirts.
Long sleeves.
Jackets.
Accessories.
On paper that looks like growth.
But every new product also adds complexity.
More inventory to manage.
More manufacturers to coordinate with.
More logistics to handle.
Eventually we had to step back and ask a very honest question.
What are we actually best at?
And where should the brand really be going?
The Product That Changed Our Growth
Over the past few years one product clearly started standing out.
The Kora.
When we launched the Kora it quickly became one of the most loved pieces we had ever created.
Customers kept coming back for it.
Friends told friends about it.
The feedback was incredibly consistent.
The Kora started taking Flatout to another level in terms of growth.
When we looked closely at the response from customers it became clear that this product had far more potential than we had explored.
The Next Chapter
Over the past year Caitlyn and I started having some difficult but necessary conversations.
What if Flatout stopped trying to be everything?
What if we focused our energy on developing The Kora into something much bigger?
Not just a single hoodie.
But a product line.
Different styles.
Different fits.
Different variations.
Some with hoods. Some without.
A full collection built around the idea that started with the original Kora.
Over the next year to year and a half we will slowly begin transitioning Flatout toward focusing heavily on developing The Kora as its own category.
We have even secured domains like
thekora.ca
thekora-us.com
as part of that long term vision.
Simplifying the Brand
A shift like that also means simplifying the rest of the product lineup.
Many of the items currently on the website will not be restocked once they sell out.
Some products may still have final drops depending on what inventory eventually arrives from overseas, but there are no guarantees.
So when we say certain items may be last chance, we genuinely mean it.
The Reality Of Running A Small Brand
Something a lot of people do not realize is that we still run this company out of our home.
Every order is packed by us.
Every shipment that arrives gets unloaded by us.
(And yes… our warehouse manager takes his job very seriously.)
* Winston supervising the Flatout warehouse (aka our basement).
Every issue eventually lands on our desk.
Over time that kind of workload does not just affect business.
It affects life.
There were stretches where the stress and burnout started affecting our relationship as well. When you are constantly trying to solve problems and keep everything running, it becomes easy to disconnect from each other.
Stepping away from social media for a while was part of that reset.
We needed space to breathe and figure out what the future of Flatout should actually look like.
Where We Are Going
The future of Flatout is about focus.
Continuing to develop The Kora.
Strengthening our manufacturing relationships.
Improving quality and consistency.
And eventually moving fulfillment out of our basement and into a professional warehouse so the brand can continue to grow without burning ourselves out.
That transition will take time.
But it is the direction we are heading.
Our 9 Year Sale
Flatout turning 9 this year felt like the right moment to start this reset.
So to help clear space for the next chapter we are doing something we rarely do.
Some of the lowest prices we have ever offered.
In many cases even lower than Black Friday.
For long time customers this may be the last chance to grab certain pieces before they disappear for good.
Thank You
Every order over the past nine years helped build this brand.
Every message.
Every tag.
Every repeat customer.
It all matters more than you probably realize.
Flatout would not exist without this community.
And we are incredibly grateful for that.
Here is to the next chapter.
Jean-Yves & Caitlyn
Flatout Apparel
