36: Ashley Rankin on Launching an Apparel Brand - One Step at a Time

There are turning points in life where one decision leads to another and your path diverges from the one you had envisioned. Then, there are moments, shall we call them epiphanies? When you realize that turning point was meant to be. Ashley wanted to be a high end couture designer and live in New York City, or even Italy. She’s the founder of Shredly, a mountain bike and women’s apparel brand based in Colorado. I’m no math major but that’s a wide trajectory off the path. One day she found herself on a mountain top in Switzerland and realized she was “home.” In the mountains, that is. She realized she was doing the right thing, in other words. We only get to choose one path as it turns out and we talked about that a little bit. Hopefully, it’s a long enough path and we get to fit everything in we want. The best products and brands typically result from a unique combination of two very different concepts or ideas. In Ashley’s case, she brings high end fashion design to mountain bike shorts. Why can’t we be super cute while we’re mountain biking!? She also drew from other textiles and home decor for inspiration to create what has become a sort of cultish but highly coveted clothing line.   Some of the lessons in today’s conversation: The beauty in not knowing everything that goes into launching a clothing brand. Just start, and focus on the things that matter in the moment. One step at a time, baby. How to solve problems and not let them take you down, to the fetal position. which might be our tendency.    I hope you enjoy as much as I did.  With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.    Where to find Ashley and Shredly: Instagram Facebook Website