Day 20
Day 20: October 18, 2021 (Comstock TX to Montel TX)
Day 20 was a tough day for me. Spending hours a day on a bicycle, I get plenty of time to think. I spent a lot of time thinking about Athalonz over the last 20 days, but this is the first day I’m writing about it.
I started Athalonz over 10 years ago. For the last few years, I’ve felt like we were one step away from really taking off. That one-step has not come. Just before Covid, we were in funding talks with a group that love our shoes, our technology, our story, and wanted to take us to the next level. The leader of the group was a very wealthy doctor. When Covid hit, the doctor was asked to be on the Covid task force. Athalonz become less of a priority. When the doctor was diagnosed with cancer, the discussions stopped.
Also, just before Covid, Bernhard Langer was winning in our shoes, the telecast of the PGA Champions Tour was talking about Bernhard’s shoes, the technology, and Athalonz. Sales were growing, we were getting a bunch of orders, the “hockey stick” sales growth was starting, and we were almost cash flow positive. Then covid. The orders were cancelled, and sales dropped off dramatically.
In the spring of this year, we regained finally most of the momentum we had just before Covid. Sales were picking up, we were getting some orders, maybe this was the next step finally happening.
We placed an order in March for more shoes. We knew our lead time was about 4 months, so we would have this shipment by July. With the increasing demand for our shoes, this order would come in just in time to keep us well stocked.
Due to shipping issues as a result of Covid, our manufacturer in South Korea had some trouble getting raw materials for our shoes. So, the manufacturing of the shoes was delayed a month. Once the shoes were ready to ship, it took almost two months to find a ship to bring them to the US. The order has finally arrived, and we now have sufficient inventory.
That next one step for Athalonz still has not come and, as result of the impact of Covid, we may be two steps away now. It’s more than a bit demoralizing. Making it more difficult is that I had to make some tough decisions to reduce Athalonz spend rate. Yesterday, I had to let 4 people go; people that become friends of mine; and people that I care about.
That saying, “it’s not personal, it’s business” is BS. Everything about business is personal. Business is about who you know, how you treat people, how you interact with people; it’s all human interaction. What could be more personal? My situation at Athalonz was a financial one that impacted the people of Athalonz, and it was very personal to me.
As for day 20’s ride, strong headwinds, bumpy shoulder, and heavy traffic made for an unpleasant ride. Plus, my mind was on Athalonz and having to let four people go.
During one of the rests from biking, Bruce tells me that the check engine light is on in the RV. Great, more shit! We checked the oil, hoping it was something simple. It wasn’t. So, we have to get the RV in for service.
I made the decision to skip ahead a couple of days in the route. When I finished riding for day 20, we drove to Fredericksburg, TX; skipping stays in Comstock and Montel. This way, we can get to Austin on Oct 19, get the RV serviced and be ready to resume on Oct 22. Also, a day of rest and being in the same place for a few days is very appealing to me after three weeks of continuous riding and a different place to sleep every night.
To top the day off, my daughter Amy received the results of her gallbladder tests today. She is having surgery on Thursday 10/21 to have it out. Normally, this is an outpatient surgery. With Amy having an artificial heart valve, she is on a blood thinner and needs to be in the hospital a few days before the surgery to deal with the blood thinner. My family has encouraged me to continue the ride, so, I’ve decided not to fly home for the surgery.
One last thing for today’s journal. I received two texts today. One from John M and another from Greg K. I want to thank both of them for their words of encouragement and support of my mission. I needed the boost of energy that these texts gave me.
If I may ask, if you get a moment, please text me a positive message. I would greatly appreciate it.