Terrible prototypes
I am bad at this, and not just because it’s difficult, and it is difficult, but also because I lack the patience. I think with enough patience I could produce a half decent poncho, but it’ll never, ever be good enough to meet the standards I have for what a proper product should be.
Just look at this thing:
My wife, ever the trooper and supporting spouse, if you look closely is laughing. Not out of sheer joy by the lavish garment she's wearing, but of something like horror and co-embrassment. Look at the pockets. The hood is practically Jurassic.
Here are some details on the process I used to at least try to build a poncho. A friend sent me a pattern for a basic poncho, something I did not even know was a thing, that contains pretty detailed instructions on how to put one together.
I was intimidated when I opened it, I'm not going to lie, but I charged ahead. If I'm learning anything through this whole process of really building a unique apparel company, it's that that feeling of being intimidated or nervous or even afraid is usually a cue to keep moving forward. In this case, it's a good thing I did so I could find out just how hard this is, and learn more about the basics of patterns and stitching.
Learnings aside, the precision required using just your eye, (bad) scissors and a kitchen table is intense to make something not look like garbage.
I'll admit it: I hate that I knew almost instantly that I was not going to put the time required in to make great ponchos. Some of the entrepreneurs I admire have made much more complex products themselves, e.g Paul Van Doren of Van's. I want perfect, or near perfect, though. I can't stand the feeling of looking at the thing and knowing I can't sell it and move the business forward.
What to do? Change course.
I’m dying to move more quickly here, I have to find someone locally who can whip up some prototypes and do so at greater speed than the hours and hours and hours it’d take me to make these.
Even if I made a decent one (big if) it’d take forever to get there, and then forever to make one…then two..then..what fifty? How many am I going to make before I need to find someone else to help produce these basic garments anyways?
The juice is not worth the squeeze, in short. I have to move faster, and get the person lined up here in San Antonio who can produce these while I actually take them to events, races, meetups, friends, etc.
