The Proper Blog

2009 was a blast, and I’m excited to share that we’re ending the year with our biggest month yet.

We had a lot of help in 2009… so here are a few thanks.

Most obviously, thanks to our software team, tailors and graphic artists for being so damn talented.

Thanks to our very first customers, who miraculously found our website in the first couple months we were open.  Our site was confusing and buggy, but you were determined enough to figure things out and complete a sale.  Furthermore, you were understanding if we messed up your orders.  Like Ryan, whose “hurricane ready” shirt was 8″ too long or Gaetan whose cuff accents were inside out.  We had many kinks to work out and you patiently worked through these issues with us.

Thanks to all the friends who purchased shirts, even if you didn’t need a shirt or would otherwise never consider buying a $100 dress shirt, without a discount, without me even asking you to do so, simply to show support.

Thanks to the friends and customers who helped spread the word about Proper Cloth.  Your emails to co-workers, posts on twitter and facebook, and invitations to friends was the advertising we could not afford.

Thanks to our summer intern who spent her summer working here and even now, while she finishes her MBA at Wharton, continues to kick ass selling dress shirts.

Thanks to the other volunteers, who took a personal interest in Proper Cloth and spent real hours putting in work.  Whether it was writing emails to bloggers, starring in informational video’s, lending your photography expertise, recruiting your own networks to help, editing blog posts, or just being a sounding board for new ideas, you’ve been a huge help.

Thanks to our investor who had the guts to bet on Proper Cloth.  Thanks for being polite, understanding and fair.  Thanks for being up-front and honest.  Thanks for providing informed advice.  Thanks for providing access to your network and business.  Thanks for knowing how to get involved without trying to take over.

Thanks to all the bloggers that wrote about us, purely because you thought we were interesting.  You helped customers find us when we were too small to get the attention of larger press and too poor to advertise.  Thanks also to the traditional publications that covered us and added legitimacy to our name.  Thanks to the print magazines that included us in their gift guides.

Thanks to all the members of forums who discussed us.  You helped spread the word, helped answer other people’s questions and provided us with excellent recommendations and ideas to improve.

Thanks to all the customers that provide us real, thoughtful feedback.  You took the time to write up software bugs and carefully describe what you wanted us to add.  Your suggestions provided ideas we would not have thought of otherwise and helped us prioritize our development.  Thanks also for telling us what you like.  For a startup there’s nothing more rewarding than hearing success stories – and knowing that all our hard work is actually making someone’s life better in some way.

Thanks to all my advisors, formal and informal, for listening to my questions and making suggestions.  You kept the bigger picture in mind and helped me make sure my strategy was reasonable.

Thanks to the other entrepreneurs.  You were open about your own businesses and full of good ideas and recommendations.  You met up for lunch, answered the phone, responded promptly to emails, or met up for a mid-week beer.  You were able to relate to the stress of running a startup in a way that no one else could.  When things felt dismal you reminded me of the potential.  When things went well you helped celebrate.

Finally – and personally – thanks to my close friends and family for your love and emotional support.   When everything felt like it was falling apart, you provided perspective and helped me stay sane.  Knowing you are there means the world.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 1st, 2010 at 7:52 pm and is filed under About Proper Cloth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.