The story behind Balloon Dog
How did we get here and where are we going?
Contents
- Introduction
- Where did we come from
- The balloon dog
- Giving 1% to charity
- Made to order
- Carbon conscious
- Signing off
Introduction
This is the fist blog of many, from the team that created Balloon Dog. The aim is to provide you with our knowledge and insight on various topics throughout the year. We hope these will be both informative and uplifting, honest and insightful, and will become a trusted repository for all sorts of topics.
In this first one, we talk about the birth of the brand, why I started it and where its's going. It will give you an insight into what goes on behind the scenes and why we want you to join the family.
Where did we come from
The idea was born on a dark and gloomy night in January of 2021, somewhere in Bedfordshire. There may have been a large glass of red wine involved as well! Now, if you know anything about me (Matthew).. the last time I got creative over a couple of beers, I ended up climbing mountains with a fridge on my back. It's now a yearly event to raise money for charities like Scotty's Little Soldiers and Help for Heroes. You can find out more by checking out The Fridge Hiker on social media and Google. Your support is always greatly appreciated.
This was half way up Blencathra at about 1am, while attempting a 50mile route around ScaFell Pike, Blencathra and Skiddaw
I'd been pondering what I could do in the quiet time after Christmas and New Year, when January starts to feel longer and darker than any month before. What could I do to get energised and away from watching another box set? I took to YouTube for some inspiration and stumbled across a large selection of people giving you advice on how to get rich by posting a video of a log fire and looping it for 8 hrs.. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is! I didn't have time for all this.. In fact, if I'd carried on watching, I could have ended up down a rabbit hole and not achieved much at all. It was time to get serious .. I'd previously had the idea of a clothing brand and decided this was the right time to turn the daydreams into reality.
I wanted to create something where the emphasis was about enjoying life's adventures. Sharing quality time with your loved ones and feeling good about what you wear. As a family, we're always out enjoying this amazing country we live in. Whether that's hiking up the Lakes or strolling across the vast sandy beaches of Norfolk. We also love our family time at home, watching a Sunday movie on the couch. All these things have been considered when creating our brand. It needed to be clothes that would fit in to any situation, look great and feel comfortable too.
That's why lots of time went into choosing products that use sustainable materials and recycled fibres. They look after the environment, feel good on your skin and create clothes you'll want to wear over and over again. We always select Organic Cotton as our starter and have some amazing companies to source products through. It makes such a difference knowing what we are doing is being done in the right way. It means our customers can just enjoy our clothes without worrying, as we've done the hard work for them.
It began with the ethos that if I would recommend it to family and friends, then I would be happy to recommend it to our customers.
And so it was born ...
The balloon dog
What's not to like? They're the life of the party if your a kid and it's probably no different for us grown ups. We've all tried to make one haven't we? It brings out our inner child with a thirst for adventure where everything's new. Things need to be explored and experienced. There's a sparkle in the corner of an eye that tells you it's about to go off.. in a good way.
Our Working Cocker Spaniel has that look about him most of the time, but even more when he sees his lead coming out. He's more toffee than orange and quite often he's a muddy brown! If only we all had a bit more dog and child in us. I'm sure our play times would be amazing!
With dogs, its about living in the moment, seeking out new experiences and learning to appreciate the little things in life. Sometimes, we need to remember to be more dog. To make our adventure about jumping through muddy puddles, to make our adventure about rolling around in the grass, or to make our adventure about getting the zoomies.
A Balloon Dogs lifestyle is about comfort, style and adventure. Whether that’s hiking up the peaks in the Lake District, or feeling the sand under your feet on the expansive beaches of Norfolk. We're here to make sure you look as good as you feel, when you're out there making memories that will last a lifetime.
Giving 1% to charity
With all the fund raising I do, I know how much every donation can make a difference. That's why I want to give a percentage of our profits to Scotty's Little Soldiers.
Their mission is 'To provide relief from the effects of bereavement to young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served with the Armed Forces of the Crown. We want every bereaved British Forces child to have access to the very best emotional support, outstanding development opportunities and the chance to smile again.'
Our donations will help put the smiles back on their faces and contribute to the great work they do at the charity. Nikki and the team do an amazing job and we are very proud to support them where we can.
Made to order
Another area where we differ from a lot of brands, is that all our products are made especially for you as soon as you place an order. This means they're as fresh as they can be when they arrive at your door. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce waste from over production, so thankyou for making thoughtful purchasing decisions.
We want to get your clothes to you as soon as possible, but they will take a couple of days longer than items off the shelf. However, we know they are worth the wait and we will always do everything we can to get them delivered as soon as possible. We also want you to be happy with your purchase, so our customer service team is happy to help with any questions that you might have. You can contact us via the following address - theteam@weareballoondog.com
Carbon conscious
We care about our carbon footprint. Using organic products was environmentally friendly but we knew we could do more. Our packaging is either recyclable or compostable and means that we're doing our bit to reduce waste where possible. Another positive is our payments can be taken by 'Shop Pay', who will offset the carbon from purchases at no extra cost to our customers. This is a great option to pay through and takes no time at all to click on the button. The rest is taken care of for you and it's another way we can continue to give something back.
All of this means we're doing a lot to reduce our footprint and create a brand that cares how it works with the environment we live in.
Signing off, for now
You've heard a lot about us and what we want to do, and we're conscious of the footprint we leave behind while we're doing it. The only footprints we like are the ones left in the mud, sand or snow, while we're out on our adventures.
We are Balloon Dog, welcome to the family