Buy any 2 items and receive a FREE Snoloha Margarita Glass.

Oh, and you can stilll get 25% off with the coupon code ‘Happy-Birthday’…and shipping is still flat rate $5.00.

(disclaimer: coozies and stickers don’t count…it’s gotta be hats or clothing)

Not much to say, except ‘thanks again’ and enjoy.

Does this make any sense?  Good.  Whether you said ‘yes’ or ‘no’, the answer is still ‘good’.  I know, ‘Lohasno’ isn’t the exact opposite of ‘Snoloha’, but I thought it looked cool.

As many of you know, Snoloha is working with Bay Breeze Yacht Charters and Sailing School to bring you Unsalted Sailing.  It’s been a crazy 2012 already.  The ‘official’ launch in Chicago, followed by a handful of boat shows, securing a sales rep, finalizing a catalog and POP and working on sponsorships and events has been intense.  But the one thing I’ve learned is that this built-in market of Great Lakes sailors already ‘gets it’.

Unsalted Sailing has become a nice complement for Snoloha.  It’s such a more straight-forward and simple message.

What this has allowed me to do, is to go back to what Snoloha was always suppose to be, and not water it down and make it more bland in order to fit into a potential retailers product mix, right alongside all the other boring brands.

I can go back to doing things differently, or the opposite if what’s being done.

Of course this reminds me of the great Seinfeld episode when George decides to do everything opposite of what he normally does.

George : Why did it all turn out like this for me? I had so much promise. I was personable, I was bright. Oh, maybe not academically speaking, but … I was perceptive. I always know when someone’s uncomfortable at a party. It became very clear to me sitting out tere today, that every decision I’ve ever made, in my entire life, has been wrong. My life is the opposite of everything I want it to be. Every instinct I have, in every of life, be it something to wear, something to eat … It’s all been wrong.
( A waitress comes up to George )

Waitress : Tuna on toast, coleslaw, cup of coffee.

George : Yeah. No, no, no, wait a minute, I always have tuna on toast. Nothing’s ever worked out for me with tuna on toast. I want the complete opposite of on toast. Chicken salad, on rye, untoasted … and a cup of tea.

Elaine : Well, there’s no telling what can happen from this.

Jerry : You know chicken salad is not the opposite of tuna, salmon is the opposite of tuna, ‘cos salmon swim against the current, and the tuna swim with it.

George : Good for the tuna.

( A blonde looks at George )

Elaine : Ah, George, you know, that woman just looked at you.

George : So what? What am I supposed to do?

Elaine : Go talk to her.

George : Elaine, bald men, with no jobs, and no money, who live with their parents, don’t approach strange women.

Jerry : Well here’s your chance to try the opposite. Instead of tuna salad and being intimidated by women, chicken salad and going right up to them.

George : Yeah, I should do the opposite, I should.

Jerry : If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.

George : Yes, I will do the opposite. I used to sit here and do nothing, and regret it for the rest of the day, so now I will do the opposite, and I will do something!

Featured is the Snoloha Island Trucker Hat, the Wastin’ Away T, the Vacation Mentality t (sold out) and…an Unsalted Sailing hat.

I get it.  Not what Buffett does (yes, I get that too).  What I ‘get’ is what he means by it, as the person who has created this brand and this image.  Not everyone gets Snoloha.  I don’t want them too.  But those that do…well, it’s a special connection.

I had a really great meeting a week ago with a local business owner who has spent 20 years building a multi-million dollar brand…and he’s still growing.  This meeting was simply a business and branding discussion about Snoloha, how it started and where it’s going.  I came out of that meeting with an even better understanding of next steps and how to apply what I’ve learned thus far.  There were some things that were confirmation of what I wanted to do moving forward, but he also opened my eyes on an entirely new way of approaching my business.

Snoloha is going to continue to change, a bit, from what it has been…but in a good way.  None of these changes will happen overnight, rather I’ll slowly transition throughout 2012.  I’m excited.  It will be good for the brand.  It will be good for all of you who ‘get it’.

One of the things that I’m excited about is a collaboration with a longtime Snoloha customer and a fellow northern Michigan based business owner, Christi from Salty Life Photography (link goes to her Facebook page as her new website is under development).  I’ll explain this in more detail in another post, but for now, here’s one of her photos that grabbed my attention.

And as always, thank you for the business and the continued support.  It is appreciated more than any of you will ever know.

Here’s Snoloha Bradley sporting his Snoloha Vintage Fitted hat.

Bradley discovered Snoloha recently and posted this great note on Facebook “Just caught the Snoloha Vibe in a BIG way… ordered up sweet merchandise for the holidays !! SNOLOHA !!”

Thanks again, Bradley.

I don’t know where the 5 years have gone.  It’s so much of a blur in a lot of ways.  The roller-coaster ride of launching and growing a brand will do that to you.  Heck, the way we communicate has changed dramatically in 5 short years.

Our daughter will be 2 this summer…and it seems like just yesterday that we brought her home.  I’ve been told again and again that ‘it goes fast’, when it comes to kids.  It seems that it’s true in business as well.

There’s a great Kenny Chesney song called ‘Don’t Blink’ that, when you listen to the lyrics, makes you slow down and think.  The chorus goes like this:

“Don’t Blink
Just like that you’re six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you’re twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don’t blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your “better half”
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you’re praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don’t blink”

It’s been a wild ride since ‘officially’ introducing Snoloha to the market in Februaruy of 2007.  Would I do anything different?  Yes.  Yes, I would.  I’ve learned quite a bit about this brand and how it fits into people’s lives over the years.  But unless Marty McFly and Doc Brown show up in a Delorean…that aint gonna happen.  So I’ll use what I’ve learned and put it into place as the brand continues to grow.

So to celebrate Snoloha’s birthday you can get 25%OFF ALL SNOLOHA all month long with the coupon code Happy-Birthday (Shipping is flat rate $5.00).

Thank you all for the support and for your business.

Snoloha,

Rod Call

I spent some time in Chicago for Strictly Sail, a trade show devoted to all things sailing, where we ‘officially’ launched the Unsalted Sailing brand and concept.  It was a hit.

It was also a very big eye opener, or maybe more of a confirmation, of what I’m going through with Snoloha.

People would walk by the booth.  Stop.  I’d hear them say aloud “Unsalted Sailing, that’s clever” followed by “Save the Salt for the Margarita…I love it”.  Then they’d look for their size shirt.  Pay.  State again how much they liked it, followed by talking about where they sail.  Boom.  Done.

It was simple.  Targeted.  Niche.  Straight-forward.

It is the complete opposite of Snoloha, which is a much deeper, more emotional connection.  It’s not simple.  It is a very different concept that is not straight-forward and not nearly as targeted.

And that’s why I love it.  Sure, it’s a much more painstakingly difficult process to grow, but it’s also an extremely powerful brand that resonates with people in a way I never anticipated.

It’s a nice mix, growing Unsalted Sailing and Snoloha.  Unsalted Sailing feeds into my love of sailing and I know exactly who the audience is.  It allows me to learn more about that industry and partake in events and shows that I’d normally not be able too.

Snoloha is the creative outlet that continues to inspire me.  Snoloha is the escape from the realities of everyday life.  Snoloha is melding the lifestyles, climates and experiences we all enjoy into one brand.  Snoloha doesn’t make sense, but yet is does.  Snoloha is the challenge…which is important.  Status quo and complacency drive me nuts…Snoloha is my answer.

Moving forward, you will continue noticing changes here and there with the brand.  It’s morphing a bit, in a very good way.  In a way that I believe all of you will enjoy even more.

Got any photos of your own to share?  Send ‘em in, or post to Facebook…you could win the monthly Snapshots & Scenery photo contest and receive free Snoloha gear.

Thanks, Doug.

So if you want to be a guest blogger, a featured customer, share your photos or describe in your own words what Snoloha means to you…now you know how.  You can even download Snoloha digital wallpaper (more is on the way).

Here’s a few ‘Fun with Snoloha’ pics that I’ve received: