Hello 2011! Like so many small business owners in America we are hoping for better times in the new year. We barely survived 2010 but we did survive!

We are so proud that against great odds we have been able to bring our production to the USA! This task seemed insurmountable at one time. We have never heard the words "no" and "bankruptcy" so many times in our lives. The banks, the SBA, lawyers and local politicians all told us the same thing through out 2010; no or you should file bankruptcy and find something else to do. Well we did not listen to them we listened to you the customer! Cruiserworks customers are the best in the world! The phone calls and emails we have received over the past year encouraging us to hang in there and not give up made all the difference in the world to us and is what kept us fighting. Jay and I are baby boomers and we remember when things were built to last and were mostly made in the USA. We are tired of living in disposable America! Now though we still have a long way to go, we are in a better place for sure. We are very proud to be helping create real jobs for Americans by bringing our production back to the USA!

Jay and I had the pleasure of spending 3 days with the nice folks at Weinbrenner in September 2010. We toured the factory in WI where the Cruiserboots will be produced and met the production workers that will be making the boots. We saw very skilled people that work very hard and take great pride in what they do. American made with American pride and it showed!

I had mentioned in Novembers email blast that we had found funding and were going full steam ahead into production but unfortunately that funding from a private investor fell through. So we are back to baby steps but still feel blessed and are excited about Cruiserworks future. The Men's Tour style boot will be the first out of production and we are looking at sometime in late February for delivery. Once the first few styles are produces things will start happening faster.

Made in the USA will cost a little more and but is well worth it! You get what you pay for as the saying goes and it’s hard to go wrong with USA made Cruiserboots. With our satisfaction guaranteed attitude we will make sure you are happy with your purchase! We stand behind the boots 100%. We have a generous return policy on internet orders and Jay and I will personally assist you with sizing if needed. We have fitted hundreds of people in our boots, we can help you get the right fit the first time. We also offer anyone that walks into our booth at a show a free boot shine! Yes Jay and I personally shine boots for you for free! We have shined many of our boots for folks at rallies! So when you see us out in 2011, come by for a complimentary boot shine from the proud owners of Cruiserworks!

There is no denying mine and Jay’s passion and belief in the Cruiserboots. We believe that nothing can touch the Cruiserboots for comfort and performance on and off the bike. Cruiserboots are fully waterproof and provide the support and safety you need on a motorcycle. We have an uncompromising passion and belief in our product. Cruiserboots are proven, every year, by every rider, every mile, in every boot.

We promise this. And we promise our commitment to keep you a happy customer.

Ride safe and many thanks,


Sincerely,

Cara and Jay Crawford

Owners, Cruiserworks

The first steps

It sounds easy enough, to get a product that boasts Made in the USA. But it is not! I have found it to be a very arduous process and one that we could not even consider just 2 and a half years ago! The biggest problem we have faced is the minimum order quantities for small companies are outrageous! We can not place orders that are the size of Wal-Mart or our US Governments! Interestingly enough we are further along than we were when we tried it a couple of years ago meaning someone has actually taken our calls.
It is my intent to write about the process of moving our production to the USA. I hope to educate some folks and get some attention to how difficult it is for a small business to survive trying to produce here in the USA. I will talk about everything from funding, or lack there of, to approving the quality of the product before it goes into mass prodcution. I will also talk about being a predominately female run company.
At this point we have received all of our equipment back here in NC. from the Dominican Republic. We are currently talking to 2 different US manufacturers that are excited to work with us and produce smaller quantities for us with all the components being made here in the USA. The "made in the USA" label can be misleading. Some components are actually cut and stitched soemwhere else out of the country and then sent back here to be assembled but can still boast "made in the USA" . Cruiserworks has insisted that all components be cut and stitched domestically.
It is important to work with a company that uses the same high end components that we use in the Cruiserboots and that can provide the stitching quality our customers expect. WE boast our boots last 8-10 years and have seen thousands of examples of this. The stitiching and components must stand up to this claim! We expect to see samples by the end of next week.
We also are looking for funding for the inventory and hope to here good news from a major bank next week. Cruiserworks has shown growth the last 3 years but because we are cash sales have not had good luck in securing a line of credit. The TARP or ARC program put in place for small businesses by the Obama team is a joke. The SBA has not been a whole lot of help either. The financial area is extremely frustrating. If you are not blessed with family money or know someone in the financial business you are going to have nothing but an uphill battle. You will be told "sorry" and "good luck" more than you want to hear! If you do not have a strong belief in your product or you are sensitive to critisim you will never make it! I have been told no since August of 2009 and I refuse to listen to that word!
I am all over the place with this Blog! It is my first. I hope you enjoyed it anyway and you come back!

Cara Crawford