It Started with the Socks...and a Few Beers

Anna enjoying a ride and a stop at a favourite bakery.

We sat at the local craft brewery, enjoying laughs and tasting beers. Anything cycling was always a topic of conversation - or the topic of conversation when the four of us got together.  Stories about Joe and Bob riding and trying to outdo one another.  If they haven’t come home completely spent and exhausted then they’d tell you it wasn’t a good ride.  Most of the time they stumble in the door and crash on the floor in complete and utter exhaustion. At my house the phrase “Bob broke me” is frequent.  When Bob returns home, he is usually so gassed he can’t formulate the words to convey it, it’s just a look. Anna and I, on the other hand, enjoy the social aspects of cycling.  Don’t get me wrong, we like the workout - we just don’t always push each other to the ragged edge. But I digress, back to the brewery where we sat talking about all things biking.

We had talked many times about going into business together.  Actually that’s not true exactly - I talked about it, and Anna turned me down.  She didn’t want to mix business with friendship but I continued to pitch ideas to her.  The conversation turned, as it so often did, to the cost of our own cycling addictions - the bikes, the clothes, the maintenance, and the socks.  Socks are important to a cyclist. And there are lots of cool socks out there. Lots of fun colours, patterns, and even mismatched pairs to show personality.  We talked about Instagram, our favourite and inspirational feeds, and how there are so many cool (and expensive) socks.

As we swallowed the final mouthfuls of our pints and debated having another, I pitched Anna once again on a business idea.  Could we partner with cycling brands (really, socks) and create photo content for social media. Not influencers exactly, but use my photography skills (I’ve been in the business for over 10 years), Anna’s ability to write like a 16th century poet, Joe’s instagram strategies, and bring it together in a way that might get us more socks? My excitement wasn’t exactly shared and I quickly dismissed the thought of socks and fun photo shoots.  

Fast forward to today and that’s exactly what we’re doing.  We are trying to fill a gap in affordable yet custom photography for social media content.  We serve the brands that serve us and our fellow cyclists. Because we are the customers, we know the industry.  So, I finally got Anna to buy in and her, Joe, and I are equal partners in this adventure. To be truthful, I love working with both of them because somehow we just click and sometimes we unintentionally wear matching socks.  

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How nice is it to work with one of your best friends. When the sport we love becomes part of our business too.