Terrific Twos
Happy birthday, nykamping.
You’re two years young.
A check in, of sorts. Mostly for me, but also as transparency & accountability for customers, friends, clients & any curious readers.
Less of a birth, more of a gradual emergence. Years in the making, mulling, failing, YouTube watching, seam-ripping. Gaining feedback & confidence. Like most things, style happens best over time. The opening of a brick & mortar rarely signifies a beginning but a physical culmination of extensive behind-the-scenes work & planning.
Cheers to two years of really doin’ it.
Photo by Mae Stier
“Do I have a product people will buy?”
It’s important to me that my work keeps evolving, while maintaining a strong continuous line. Stocking a range of textiles, “sizing,” & prices requires frequent mental check-ins: is this piece furthering nykamping in expansive design or financially, as a sell-able piece? The balance of financial accessibility & ethically-made clothing argues constantly. Finding that sweet spot of pricing allows the shop to stay stocked, force conscious consumerism & encourage true slow fashion construction practices on my end.
“Wishing you luck!”
Thanks, but I don’t need luck. Small businesses don’t run on luck. I understand the sentiment, but luck negates the power of the active support we receive. All the positive encouragement, word of mouth recommendations, reposts, collaborations & make the real difference.
Also, I work too hard to rely on something so intangible as luck. Luck implies nonchalant inactivity, a sitting back & waiting for success to fall upon me. My perseverance, late nights of sewing & posting content on social media proves tenacity. Small business owners fight to ensure their businesses thrive.
“Are you making a living?”
Financials hold an intimate place in any person’s life, let alone for a small business – it’s so poorly abused as a proof of success. Money also remains a necessity & me, Elijah Nykamp, couldn’t afford groceries without said success of nykamping.
I’m incredibly grateful for two years of financial support & sales, both from the local Leelanau / Northern Michigan community & tourists.
MARCH MADNESS –
SOCIAL MEDIA RISKS
Utilizing a free marketing & advertising engine like Instagram works well for businesses like nykamping.
After talking about creating video reels for years, I finally forced myself into the content creation world through a month-long initiative:
one new piece a day
one new reel a day
With expected videoing & editing learning curves, I fumbled my way through March Madness. Here were a few wins from the month:
1.4k new followers
Day 23 – 191k views & 931 new followers
increased engagement & excitement
first signed video content creation contract with womenswear brand Eileen Fisher
34 new pieces added to the inventory
successful online April Fools Day sale
Sustainably, I cannot keep up with a daily initiative like March Madness throughout the year. Some more reasonable goals include:
1 reel per week
3 posts per week
1 piece every 2 days
YEAR THREE PROFESSIONAL GOALS:
2OO new pieces
15% sales increase from Year Two
3 new content creation contracts
1 month of over $15k sales
1OOk followers on Instagram
1 collection release sold out in 24 hours
taxes filed early, by January 31st
enroll in a sewing class
YEAR THREE PERSONAL GOALS:
enjoy turning 3O years young
1 warm weather trip
1 cold Europe trip
set up savings accounts for retirement, a future house & travel
more consistent exercise & eating & sleep
sew 1 piece a month for myself
1 new small designer piece
1 new fashion house piece
