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That’s what I realized after a meeting with my “web guy” last night.

And he’s right. It is. He was much more polite about it though. He compared it to a quilt that has been patched together with a lot of care and love. It works and is comfy, but not at first glance.

When we first launched the site back in winter of 2006 it was clean, crisp and had that new car smell. Since then it’s taken on numerous looks, additions and a brand new shopping cart install. But through it all, we never actually stepped back and started over…rather we just cleaned it up, gave it a little spit shine and called it good.

With all the new branding I knew it was time to revisit the site (and by the way, the current look to the site is my temporary fix to reflect the branding). Now, we are stripping it. Starting from scratch. Taking it apart and putting it back together.

The new site will focus on Snoloha the brand, while highlighting the Store, Blog, Photos & International, and allowing social networking opportunities where appropriate.

Looking back at that first site, makes me realize how much I liked it. It’s simple and clean.

…and no, I’m not talking about the 80’s hit “Everybody’s Working for the Weekend” by Loverboy.

I’m referring to that feeling that many of us know come Friday afternoon as the clock slowly makes its way to 5:00. I was there, in what seems to be a previous life…come 5:00 on Friday I felt like Fred Flintstone sliding down the tail of a Brontosaurus screaming “Yaba Dab Do”. But then, reality would set in sometime early Sunday evening, along with the anxiety, depression and pure hatred for a dreadful office environment surrounded by working zombies that I’m still not sure made much more noise than an occasional grunt.
Monday was horrible. I hated Mondays.

That’s certainly not the case any longer. In fact, I enjoy Monday…and every other day in the week. There is no going through the motions just to get to Friday and then feel alive for a day and a half.

This past Friday I found myself working until about 1:00 am on the Snoloha catalog, and then again Saturday morning. It was great. I didn’t mind for one second. Would I rather have been outside playing in the snow on my board or snowshoes? Eh…I can do that today (Monday) if I want. There is no 9 to 5, and that is the constant balancing act of growing and running a lifestyle brand. Yes, it’s a ton of fun to participate and enjoy the activities that inspire Snoloha, but those inspirations are just that…unless they are continually acted upon and realized into growing the business. And that requires a ton of behind the scenes hard work, including late night Fridays.

The point of this post? There’s not one, really. I’m not preaching starting your business because you’re unhappy with your current job…rather just sharing further insight into the life of growing Snoloha. That way, when I post pics snowboarding or sailing during the middle of the day…keep in mind those late Fridays. It’s not all fun and games.

Earlier this week I wrote about accountability. Ugh. Accountability. Nobody likes to be held accountable…do they?

This week my goal has been to put together the new Snoloha catalog. This catalog had already been finished a few months ago, but after the decision was made to redo all the branding…well, that also meant a new catalog look. It’s close. The guys and gals portions are pretty much done. Now I just need to finish Lil’ Ones and Accessories.

Next up…new product for the website! I can’t wait to unveil the new T’s, along with some of the cool new designs. In the meantime, remember that ALL current t-shirts for guys and gals are on sale for $15.00 in order to make room on the shelves for the new gear. Yes, sizes are limited so hurry while there is still some inventory left to choose from….I’m really, really tired of staring at some of it, and I’m convinced it’s staring back at me (but that might be a bigger, psychological problem).

Then…retailers. It’s time to open new retailers where Snoloha will complement their current product mix. In conjunction with the retailer push, I’m still on the search for sales reps looking to bring on a new brand…so if you know someone or are interested yourself, lemme know!

Okay. That’s it for now. I’m still experimenting with how this whole “accountability” concept via this blog is gonna work, so please bare with me (is that how you spell ‘bare’?).

One of the lures of being your own boss is the freedom that comes along with it. One of the challenges that comes along with that freedom is focus. I have to believe that most entrepreneurs have a To-Do list a mile long. And in order to accomplish any of the items on that list…you need focus. Throw on top of that running a lifestyle business like Snoloha, along with the temptations (and expectations) of actually living the lifestyle, and there is a constant struggle between freedom and focus.

Accountability is another lure of being your own boss…meaning you don’t have to report to a manager or a department. However, as I’ve learned, there still needs to be some sense of accountability in order to dwindle down that always growing To Do list.

I’ve been toying with a few different ways to be held a little more accountable for my goals of growing this brand, including forming a Snoloha Board (which sounds way to corporate, but we’ll see what happens with that). But I had an “ah-ha” moment recently about this…The Barefoot & Exposed Blog. I’ve always felt that when I type something in this blog, then I must follow through. So for 2010, I’m gonna try and use it to hold myself accountable…and at the same time really keep everyone in the loop with what’s happening behind the scenes. How will this work? I’m not exactly sure yet, but probably consistent updates of some sort. If you want to participate, feel free to contact me via email, Facebook or Twitter.

Oh boy…did I just open a can of worms, or what?!

In the post below, I shared some of the new branding that Joe designed. But the branding doesn’t stop there. Snoloha branding is much more than the logo and the collateral materials. The branding goes much deeper than that.

I am the brand (I am also Batman). So whatever I do is a reflection of Snoloha, from my personal Facebook profile to how I scowl when my wife takes me shopping (I need to work on the scowling). Locally, there are people who only know me as the “Snoloha guy”. So if I’m at a local watering hole, yep…I need to remember that I represent the brand. While I’m driving my Jeep with the big www.snoloha.com sticker on the back window, I have to be mindful of my driving and my singing.

It’s also the presentation at retail and how your package shows up in the mail…and both are undergoing changes.

The feeling a person gets when they see or think “Snoloha” is also branding at work. This is much more difficult to control, since I’ve learned that everybody connects to the brand in their own way. Some people think “Snoloha” and they drift off to a remote beach to relax. Others think “Snoloha” and they are enjoying fresh powder at their favorite ski hill. The commonality, though, is people tend to escape to their favorite place “somewhere between the islands and the arctic”. Escapism is the key.

How Snoloha gives back as a company is also branding at work. Some brands are very discrete, while others work giving back into their business model. Both are fine with me. Giving back, whether it’s public knowledge or not, is the right thing to do. I’m still trying to figure this one out.

How I write, and what I write in this blog is branding at work. There are bound to be typos and grammatical errors…but I’m not too concerned. Snoloha is not an elitist, high-brow brand. A typo here or there goes hand-in-hand with the slacker-friendly, laid-back approach of the brand.

It goes farther than this, but you get the idea. Actually you (yes you) are part of Snoloha’s branding. Think about that.

This process of designing a new look for Snoloha has been a ton of fun. I’m super excited (I think the kids say “stoked”) to continue blending the new branding into all elements of the business. Again, the website has a slightly updated look, but this is just my own temporary fix, we are still planning a new look for early 2010.

The retail catalog now has my full attention. If you know of any retailers that are a good Snoloha fit (or you are a retailer)…contact me.

I also wanted to recognize the great work Joe The Designer did for me. Coming up with something that reflects the Snoloha brand is not real simple or straight forward. It’s a made up word that has a fair amount of explanation and meaning behind it!

We were trying to go for something that was laid-back and fun, yet professional and classy…and at the same time incorporated the elements that make up Snoloha (the varying climates and activities that make up this lifestyle we all enjoy).

That was not an easy task.

Joe nailed it with his “layered” idea. After all, there are a number of layers to Snoloha. So moving forward we can switch out images in order to fully capture the essence of Snoloha. The branding will not be static and boring…the logo will always be the same of course, as will the overall look and feel…but the ability to change up imagery is very cool.

This is the new email signature:

Here’s the new Coffee label:

New letterhead, business cards & envelopes:

Seth Godin had a great post the other day, “Watch the Money”.

It’s a short, to-the-point post (as most are with Seth) that I’ll re-post below.

What’s this have to do with Snoloha? Well, read for yourself. As I’ve been told “if you didn’t live the lifestyle you are promoting, you’d be a hypocrite”. Better yet, when I was debating whether or not to ‘invest’ (a word that should never be used with boats) in that sailboat, a friend said to me “buying that boat is investing into the Snoloha lifestyle”…SOLD!

“Watch the money

“How much life insurance do you have?”

Zig Ziglar liked to say that with that one question, you could tell if someone was a successful life insurance agent. If they’re not willing to buy it with their own money, how can they honestly persuade someone else to do so?

If you’re in the music business but you never buy tickets or downloads, can you really empathize with the people you’re selling to?

My favorite: if you work for a non-profit and you don’t give money to charity, what exactly are you doing in this job? I’ve met some incredibly generous people in the charitable world, but I can also report that a huge number of people—even on the fundraising side—would happily cross the street and risk a beating in order to avoid giving $100 to a cause that’s not their own. And the shame of it is that this inaction on their part keeps them from experiencing the very emotion that they try so hard to sell.

Money is more than a transfer of value. It’s a statement of belief. An ad agency that won’t buy ads, a consultant who won’t buy consulting, and a waiter who doesn’t tip big—it’s a sign, and not a good one.”

I regularly receive emails from folks who enjoy learning and reading about Snoloha, and the story behind it. And most of the time they mention the thought of starting their own business, being their own boss and how reading this blog and my story helps inspire them. Yes, I know that sounds crazy. But it’s true. People are unhappy with their jobs (or they are losing them). So if Snoloha (and my story of starting the brand) helps in any way whatsoever to inspire another to act on their entrepreneurial dreams…I’ll take that any day. Conversely, if Snoloha helps them deal with life in that cubicle…I’ll take that as well. Escapism is a real thing (does that even make sense?)

Is it easy (entrepreneurship)? NO. Not at all.
Is it rewarding? Yep.

Here’s a good quote from Entrepreneur.com that I just read this morning:

In my 40 years of running businesses, I’ve found that the greatest comfort is often found in the middle of a vast herd of sheep, all moving in the same direction. They can all console themselves that their judgment was no worse than everyone else’s. However, the greatest opportunities and profits are found on paths least traveled–or where there was no path at all before you came along. Are you in business for comfort or for profit?

Just finished reading this article from BusinessWeek.com, “Gary Vaynerchuk’s Startup Advice”

In it, he talks about passion and hard-work.

It all goes back to how hard, not only starting and running a business is, but also the juggling act of running a “lifestyle” business like Snoloha. Jimmy Buffett does it best. Behind the scenes he works his tail off, which is how he was able to grow his “Margaritaville” empire, and it’s what he continues to do. However, he still has to put on the concerts, the image and partake in the lifestyle himself. I suppose it’s easier once you’ve reached his level of success…but you don’t get there by just living the lifestyle ALL the time.

Most entrepreneurs will tell you that they enjoy being their own boss, not for the money or the goal of becoming rich…rather the freedom, personal satisfaction and lifestyle it allows.

Paula Davis of Canyon Creek Soap Co said it best, “Too many people choose money over lifestyle in our society.”

It’s why I started Snoloha…passion and lifestyle. It’s why I live where I live…lifestyle. It’s why so many folks connect to the brand as well. It truly is a lifestyle and a sense of escapism that people need and want.

I have a website meeting later today. It’s going to be held while we’re out sailing. That’s what I call juggling work and the lifestyle.

So if you want to setup a meeting…let’s go sailing, it sure beats a conference room.

In case you’re wondering, or interested, here’s a little behind the scenes update in the world of Snoloha:

The new website seems to be running pretty good. No major hiccups or complaints…yet.

Working on offering PayPal.

Working on integrating additional shipping options.

Working on international shipping. I know there’s folks in Canada waiting for this.

New products should be in soon.

Will be stocking up on more inventory on some of the more popular products.

International info to be added to the site as distribution plans in Europe continue to move forward.

Need to offer one of these great new designs that Joe has conjured up.

Baby stuff! I need to order more baby stuff!

So there’s a partial “To Do” list. Hmmm, makes it hard to do nothing when there’s so much to do.