EP9. Scribbles & Struggles: Between Life and Business?
EP9. Scribbles & Struggles: Between Life and Business?
Hello, this is Amecopain 😊
Hey everyone!
Have you ever heard of the phrase “Seondanghugoem”?
Or maybe “Tooshinjapan”?
If you've dipped even slightly into the world of real estate or investing in Korea, you might’ve come across these.
Seondanghugoem = “Win the lottery first, worry later!”
Tooshinjapan = “Invest with caution, and always trust your own judgment.”
The first time I heard these, I couldn’t help but laugh. They're hilariously accurate expressions.
Take the plunge first, sort the worries out later.
Be careful, but follow your own instincts - and take full responsibility for the joy and the consequences.
#. Our Korean Office & Exhibition Prep
While we already have our HQ, showroom, production line, and sampling room overseas,
we’re still laying the groundwork here in Korea.
And believe me, we’re thinking hard about where and how to set things up.
This October, we’ll finally get to meet some of you in person at an exhibition!
We’re gathering ideas to make it memorable - even if someone’s just passing by, we want them to do a double take.
We're also cooking up some really great merch! Not the kind that gets tossed aside,
but something so good you’ll actually want to keep.
Everyone's putting their heads together to make it happen.
#. Branding Dilemmas
Making clothes - that’s what I’m good at.
Producing high-quality pieces, quickly and precisely - that's my zone.
But once I decided to also handle the selling part,
I realized marketing is a whole different universe.
Even though I know it’s about helping people discover the product,
I’ve found myself struggling with the idea of “pretty words” and shiny packaging.
I wonder… do our customers know?
I wonder… do our customers know?
We don’t use tags.
When I first started selling in Korea, people in the industry kept telling me,
“But what about returns and refunds?”
Still, I chose to go tagless.
Just removing the plastic pins and laminated paper tags already reduces so much waste.
Even our poly bags - after much back-and-forth - are not the usual plastic kind.
They're way more expensive, but biodegradable.
(Still can’t decide if paper might be even better... sigh.)
In a world full of flashy packaging and curated stories,
we want to stand for sincerity, care, and our best effort.
I believe that one day, people will notice - so we’ve chosen to grow slowly, organically, and with heart.
#. Prepping for Fall/Winter
We’re also working on our fall/winter concept - one of the most exciting parts of the season.
Uniforms need lots of colors, and picking just the right ones is harder than you’d think.
But when we finally see our chosen palettes come together, there’s always this quiet moment of pride.
We’re prepping for our next campaign shoot, too - and we’re thinking of doing it here in Korea this time.
Our global customers have always loved the Korean aesthetic, so after our summery tropical shoot, maybe a crisp, autumny Korea setting would be just the vibe 🙂
We’ve got a mountain of decisions to make - but really, isn’t that just life?
Even outside of work, life is full of constant choices and things to sort out.
Just raising a family, for example, means planning and adjusting non-stop.
Moms (and yes, dads too) don’t really get to rest.
Even when we look like we’re zoning out, our brains are racing:
“What should I feed the baby for dinner?”
“Tomorrow’s field trip - what goes in the lunchbox?”
“When should I meet with the insurance rep?”
“Oh shoot! It’s tax month again…”
As a working mom, I read something the other day that hit me so hard, I teared up.
It said: “I just want one day to rest. But even when I lie down, my to-do list pulls me back up.”
And wow, I felt that. I really did 😇
I have a feeling many of you reading this know exactly what I mean.
There’s another quote that comes to mind:
“Life and business are both a constant process of solving problems.”
If we look at it that way, then maybe life and business aren’t so different after all.
Rather than sigh and feel overwhelmed when problems come up, I try to treat them like quests.
Each one with a reward waiting at the end - like a hidden treasure box.
(Yes, I was a bit of a game addict in my past life…)
It changes everything. Suddenly I’m fired up, brainstorming solutions, and before I know it -the answers come.
If you’re curious how all these little dilemmas I’ve shared turn out,
I’d love for you to keep following Amecopain through this newsletter.
We’ll keep sharing more stories as we go - and working hard to make sure there’s always more to tell.
Thanks for reading again today.
See you soon!
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