As founder of the resistance band and accessories brand RARP-ID Fitness, I’m thrilled to look back on our monumental first year in business. While launching during a pandemic came with challenges, 2023 was ultimately filled with progress, lessons and affirmation of RARP-ID’s mission to make fitness accessible for all.
In this 2023 Year in Review, I’ll recap RARP-ID’s origin, product growth, lessons learned, and goals achieved since becoming an official startup early last year. I also want to express gratitude to every one of our amazing supporters who made this year so successful!
Let’s dive in and relive the highlights of RARP-ID’s first year:
RARP-ID’s Origin Story
The idea for RARP-ID sparked in 2021 during lockdown as I, like many others, struggled to stay active without a gym. I began strength training with resistance bands, but an injury from slipping bands revealed the need for a secure anchor point to prevent hazards. This was the first reason and the second being time and money is so precious these days, that something was required to help parents like myself and not cost the earth (unlike other resistance band platforms).
Utilising my engineering skills, I designed and patented (currently published awaiting final approval) an aerobic stepper, allowing bands to be safely anchored at adjustable angles and heights.
After months of perfecting prototypes, I officially founded RARP-ID Fitness in early 2022 to bring my idea to market. RARP-ID was born from my desire to help people avoid workout injuries I endured and discover the joy of fitness without equipment limitations or budget constraints.
Product Expansions Based on User Feedback
We started 2023 strong with samples of our patented stepper accessory and high-quality band sets, provided to Natasha, Jamal and now finally Siobhan. And with their initial feedback coming in positive, we quickly realised we are on to something.
Major additions included with the stepper and resistance bands:
– Resistance Band Bar – Allows additional grip positions to diversify band exercises
– Aerobic Step Backpack – Provides easy transport and storage for step, bands, accessories
– Workout Guide eBook – Provides illustrated instructions for band exercises
RARP-ID’s focus will always be the patented stepper accessory that started it all. But expanding auxiliary products enhanced the user experience – thanks to invaluable customer feedback.
Key Lessons Learned Our First Year
While every feedback brought joy and valuable user insights, this first year also provided teachings that will shape RARP-ID’s path forward:
– Patience with patents – The UK patent approval process is very lengthy, requiring immense patience. We first started this process back in 2021, it was finally published last year in February but we are still awaiting final approval. But protecting IP is crucial.
– Start social media early – We focused heavily on product development at first. Starting organic social media marketing sooner is vital. The sooner you get samples in the hands of people with experience or in Jamal’s case, an holistic approach, you start to realise what you have developed is capable of.
– YouTube delivers – 99% of our 4k/month website traffic comes from YouTube, which in my mind ‘is crazy’ for a free platform, no paying for advertising unlike Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest etc.! Plus optimising video SEO should be top priority.
– Events market products – Attending fitness expos proved RARP-ID’s products could sell themselves when people can interact firsthand. Remember to keep samples back for these type of events is vital if you want to showcase them…. lesson learned there.
– Finding Investment is tough – Seeking investment as a niche fitness product is challenging. Bootstrapping and cash flow management are essential. We are now at a stage were investment is crucial, money does not grow on tress for tooling investment, stock inventory, PCT patent application and a long list of other costs. We will get there, I am determined we will.
– Knowing your market – After speaking to fitness influencers, attending exhibitions and meetings with fitness equipment providers/manufactures, we now know our market is truly directly to the customer as the big boy brands need growth and sales before considering investment in your brand.
Implementing lessons like these will allow RARP-ID to scale strategically in 2024 and beyond. But immense progress was still made in year one.
Key Wins and Milestones from 2023
Despite launching in a volatile pandemic economy, RARP-ID gained exceptional traction this year. Some standout metrics and achievements include:
– 1,000+ followers across social media just after creation. Our community engagement continues to grow rapidly.
– 5-star reviews across every platform. This positive sentiment inspires us to keep improving.
– Successful expo feedback – RARP-ID attended 2 fitness events, experiencing incredible feedback with engaging meetings from other attendees.
– UK Patent Publication – Even though we are not over the line, having a UK publication we are 95% there with the patent being filed. I still think this is crazy to have an actual filed patent.
Considering the challenges of launching during COVID-19, seeing impressive growth and milestone achievements in just our first 18 months is extremely motivating. But this is only the beginning for RARP-ID.
The Road Ahead in 2024 and beyond
In 2024, you can expect these goals and developments from RARP-ID as we continue our mission to make fitness accessible for all:
– Funding – we plan to launch a funding page soon, whether on GoFundMe, Kickstarter or Crowdfunding, we will get our products to market somehow so everyone that wants to make a change at a low cost can do so!
– Additional products – Expanding our workout accessory line with items like Kettlebells, an interactive platform or anything I can think of that will help out at home, in the the park or gym for those workouts!
– RARP-ID app launch – A mobile app is a big development and is at a ‘blue sky’ thinking stage, but we want to make it happen to make band workouts interactive and track progress.
– In-person workshops – This will be a big one but to start hosting free band workshops and workouts for the community is defiantly on my hit list!
– Certified trainer collabs – Growing influencer partnerships by collaborating with certified personal trainers to showcase proper form.
– Brick-and-mortar expansion – Pursuing partnerships with retailers across the UK, EU, Australia and beyond to offer in-store purchasing.
RARP-ID accomplished so much in our first year, but the journey has only just begun. Thank you for being part of our amazing community! Let’s make 2024 RARP-ID’s biggest year yet.