Fitness Frenzy

It's that time of year again- Fitness Frenzy!  Last year was our inaugural year and we had such a blast.  Here at Sweet Spot Skirts, nothing makes us happier than supporting women in their fitness goals and helping them feel better in their clothing and overall health.  We want to help motivate you this fall to get (or keep!) moving.  Starting November 1st, every evening at 7 pm we will post on Facebook what we did for our 30 minutes of exercise that day.  Go ahead and comment on our post to tell us what you did to get moving for a half hour.  For every day that you comment, you will get an entry into our big raffle pot.  On Thanksgiving morning, we will draw names for an entire array of prizes (that you won't want to miss! Of course there will be skirts...)  The more days you participate, the more chances you have to win.  Any kind of movement counts- walking your dog, hitting the gym, training for a race, etc.  Good luck and let's get moving!

What thrills you?

As we head into our third “Holiday Season,” I am taking a moment to look around and see all that we have accomplished since our inception in March 2010. What does it take to jump into a new career and lifestyle with this entrepreneurial endeavor? The thrill of design and creation alone was enough to feed me for months. The suspense at each of our events, waiting to see if the skirts would sell, kept us all on our toes. Behind the scenes... mistakes were made, things got jumbled, deadlines came and deadlines went, my life was forever changing and it was clear I was just along for the ride! As a small company, growing during the worst economic times many of us has experienced, I wanted to create something that would leave a good and positive mark with the world.

With a failed marriage and no children, it was important for me to do something that could possibly be “my legacy." Standing 5’9” with a medium frame, I have always been athletic and waivered between size 12 and 14. (Believe it or not, a size 12/14 qualifies me to be a plus size model.) My weight fluctuates between 160 and 178, except for the year of the divorce where I plummeted down to a 150 lbs (*note: my skirt would have still fit just a few snaps in!!).  One of the goals I set for myself through out my life, was to keep myself in good enough shape to be able to run on any given day...3 miles.   So even though I was bigger than most, I was still healthy.  Clothes were difficult to find, as I bordered the top of end of “normal” and small end of “plus.” Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would someday be designing clothes for all active women.    Sweet Spot™ Skirts has been a lot of fun. We never sat down and planned the road it would travel or become what it has become. It grew from the efforts of many women just coming together and playing with fabrics, designs and demonstrating true care and love for the world around us.

Our celebrated milestones have been:

 1. Sweet Spot™ Skirts LLC was formed March 2010.

2. Full-time Marketing Director hired September 2011.

3. Sweet Spot™ Skirts flagship store “Sweet Spot™ Sports” was opened March 2012.

Lots of hard work has surrounded the fun. We do have a comprehensive business plan, marketing plan and yet each month something happens that takes the company in a direction we never thought about. That is refreshing.

 What to do heading into this next quarter? Continue the hard work, accept the loving and gracious helping hand of friends and family, make mistakes and then make up for them mostly we need to be thankful for our wonderful skirt wearers and hang on tight to see where they take us! Enjoy the last quarter of 2012.

Do something that you have wanted to do all year! Make it happen! Let us know what thrills you! 

Hugs to you all, Stephanie

Inspire

Thinking back to the past year working for Sweet Spot Skirts, I've been so impressed by the inspiring people I've gotten to work with and meet along the way.  From women who completed their very first 5K run to others who have excelled in ironmans to still others who have started their own businesses!  How these women find the time to accomplish so much while balancing jobs, families and their lives in general amazes me.  I was never a big runner, but needed a goal in 2011 and decided to work up to a half marathon.  Fast forward to a year and a half later, after many encouraging conversations with other athletes at events and yes…I'm jumping in to my first full marathon next weekend:  Leavenworth, WA. 

 

I completed my last long training run- 20 miles out to Discovery Park in the gorgeous sunshine with 3 of my favorite products that kept me comfortable and feeling strong:

• Fast 'n Flirty running SSS- I live in my standard Sweet Spot Skirts for so many activities- athletic and otherwise.  We have customers that run long distances in our cotton skirts and love them!  I, however, have found my true running love in our new Fast 'n Flirty skirt.  It's a light nylon/spandex blend with a flattering cut and cute scalloped edge.  It's still adjustable with the snapping system, but has elastic in the back and silicon on the waist band to keep it snug on the hips.  It stays in place so well that I don't even realize I'm wearing it during the run.
• Skin Strong Slik misting spray- Spray this any place you normally get rubbing, chafing or blisters and it decreases friction for a smooth and pain-free run.  I've been a fan of their "Slather" for biking (it got me through the 7-day bike ride across Iowa) but I just started using "Slik" for running.  I sprayed it around my sports bra line and was super impressed.  If you've ever experienced painful chafing, definitely try this miracle serum out!  In fact, starting this week, we are issuing free GIFT WITH PURCHASE of Skin Strong products for every skirt bought!  Sweet Spot Skirt girls don't let chafing hold them back...
• Run Pretty Far silky smooth tank- I now own 3 of these amazing shirts.  They are vibrant, unique and oh so soft!  This woman-owned company is based out of Seattle, WA.  Stay tuned as we continue to work with Jenn, the owner, to create perfect top and skirt combos!

So- here goes to phenomenal products that support our adventures- whatever feats those may be!  And here's to the inspiring stories along the way that pushed me to do more than I thought possible!

~Samara