Isn't it funny how when your work is derived from doing some activity you love to do.. Eventually you stop doing what it was that brought you joy in the first place? This has happened several times thoughout my life. It happened to me most recently in the bike industry, and now it's facing me in all of my favorite outdoor activities. But I will persevere this time.
I spent another weekend.... Not riding my bike or going for a hike, but sitting in front of my computers, learning the ins & outs of PHP and oscommerce.
A year ago a very good friend of mine and myself came up with this idea to create a website devoted to the care of outdoor gear. A site where the consumers could gather knowledge on the finer points of caring for all of your waterproof jackets, sleeping bags, tents and such.
Shortly after the idea's inception. I purchased an appropriate URL and decided to give it a go. Just out of design school... I figured it would only take a few months to have it up and running. I worked on a few designs that would become the template for the informational part of the site. Everything seemed to moving along well.
Next came the content research. This was the point that I realized I had some real work ahead of me. The original reason the idea for the site came about, was that there was apparently no one else doing this. If you wanted advice on how best to care for your investments (ie: Goretex jackets, $300.00 sleeping bags and lightweight backpacking tents) you had to really search for information. I mean, who really keeps all of the hang tags that come with your new gear? I have been working for months now compiling data, information and gaining knowledge in something that most guys never think about. Doing laundry!
So, comes the birth of something new and different on the web. A single resource site devoted to "Protecting your investment". It has been a wondrous journey becoming a one man web business. Lots of hard work, lots of avoiding the inevitable research, lots of knowledge filling my brain. I'm happy to have such a burden!
You're welcome to take a sneak peek. I still have a way to go on everything, but it is turning out to be a labor of love. Now the only thing I have to do is keep it all in perspective. I love the outdoors and the people whom share my ideals for the outdoors. I won't let anything stand in the way of that joy. I keep telling myself to ride, walk, surf and just "be". This time... Will... be different
Welcome to Outdoor Gear Care - http://www.outdoorgearcare.com/ Please feel free to comment, add a helpful hint or tell me I'm crazy. It's all good!
See you on the trail.
