Hello Roses,

So last week was very exciting. It was what we had been leading up to for the last three months. Before I continue, let’s go back to the beginning. In April, we managed to get a second prototype (LR2) made of a concept we had not fully explored yet. The result was incredible and it was the first concept we had that allowed us to believe this was not only viable, but the best possible solution for the problem.

However, there were still issues. The design only definitely solved one problem out of three, but with the potential to solve two. We took away the prototype and my dad’s engineering mind set to work on how the design could be altered in order to solve multiple issues. Not being an engineer, I felt like there was little I could do in this scenario so I kept on working on my brand and was also involved in the AllBright Academy at this stage learning all things from launch campaigns to financial spreadsheets. Although this was incredibly interesting to me, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was in a computer game that had frozen and I was continuously running into a brick wall, not going anywhere.

Every now and again my Dad would say to me, “I think I’ve solved another problem” and whilst I eagerly went to see the latest design (the ‘LR3’ as we were calling it) on his drawing board, I was flooded with exciting possibilities as to what lay ahead, we still weren’t quite there yet. The devil really is in the detail.

Anyway, fast forward a month or so and I’ve been looking at the new and improved ‘LR3’ for a few weeks enthusiastically and excitedly wanting to progress to the next stage. Dan is a family friend who is the co-owner at PES Performance in Sheffield. He had a brief career in Formula 1, working for Ferrari but now helps people like me turn ideas into hard tangible products through the use of 3D drawings. He and his team do this incredibly well and are therefore very busy. So it took us a while to put a date in the diary, and that date was last Wednesday.

We showed Dan the LR3 design, soon to become the next prototype (I hope you’re still with me), and he was impressed. He could easily put it into CAD and we arranged a timescale of around Christmas for the LR3 to be a physical shoe. Although I have learnt that timelines aren’t to be taken too seriously in business, this is incredibly exciting.

There is a tendency to feel like we (as owners) are not doing enough when running a business. No, I’m not making any money, no I don’t have any customers yet, I don’t even have a product yet. But I have a vision. I believe in the vision and after months of feeling as though I am not working hard enough to make that vision a reality, a day like last Wednesday comes along. Everyone understands what I am trying to achieve, and the positivity around the concept is fantastic. These are the days to cherish because they give you the energy to get through the ones which aren’t as fantastic.

I’m so grateful to everyone who is behind me and the product (those who know, and those who don’t). It genuinely means the world to me and I hope to be able to show you all soon. Make sure you follow your dreams everyone.

Until next time,

Em x