A welcome note from Minaal's Co-founder. |
|
It’s hopefully not news to you(!) that you recently signed up for our somewhat-infrequent-but-definitely-packed-with-gold newsletter.
I'm Jimmy, one of the co-founders at Minaal. I got a notification about your subscription a few days back, did a little dance, and now I’m emailing you for three reasons:
- … so you’re clear on what we do, and why we do it.
- … so you know how we can support your journey.
- … so you know you can get in touch anytime, even if you’re not yet a Minaal owner.
(btw: there are way too many annoying companies these days, and the last thing we want is you feeling like we're spamming you. There's a super easy email preference link at the bottom of *every* email we send you.)
What we do, and why.
In mid-2006 – when my co-founder Doug and I were sleeping in a powder-blue 1992 Plymouth Grand Voyager in Wal-Mart parking lots on a breackneck 56-day, 29,000km / 18,000mi mission around North America – it became clear that we were complete and utter suckers for ‘the road’. |
|
Luckily, this picture isn't a scratch 'n' sniff. |
|
Back then – the old days! – GPS was literally a giant beacon you stuck to your windshield and installed clunky software to use. Software that somehow couldn’t tell you the correct freeway off-ramp, yet could tell you which Burger King locations were open at 6am – nationwide.
And back then, our bags were truly, madly, deeply awful. Doug had a faded hiking pack that was falling apart at the seams, and for our intrepid travels involving many hikes and stair climbs, I inexplicably selected a bright-red 95L duffel bag with no shoulder straps.
But even back then – in our foolish, foolish youth – we knew what we wanted: the freedom to live and work from the road. To make cool stuff happen, without being tied to one place. To explore, and to make useful things. |
|
Our first bag.
We built our first bag, the Carry-on 1.0, because we needed it. By 2012, we were spending most of our time ruining our respective careers "working from the road", and couldn’t find the perfect bag for that same mission: moving with curiosity, and making cool stuff.
That’s still our ‘why’ today. To design tools for people who love to move, and love making things – and most of all, love to do both at the same time. |
|
Your journey.
There’s no word that better fits who ‘our people’ are. Journeys towards destinations; journeys of creativity and accomplishment; the journey in bringing a new, cool thing into the world. |
|
Not pictured: swarms of surprisingly impolite and unapologetic Canadian mosquitos. |
|
We’re focused on your journey in three main ways:
- Our emails spread the news about things that people like you care about. We curate news, profile inspirational movers & makers, and include member-only deals. If you ever feel like you’re not getting value out of it, you can contact us or unsubscribe via the link at the bottom of every email.
- Being reachable anytime, via feedback@minaal.com.
- Making bags and accessories that work together as a streamlined ecosystem.
Most of the bags we road-tested in the early days didn’t fit into all the places we found ourselves. Some served the singular purpose of holding a ton of stuff. Some looked fancy. None seemed to realise there was a completely new lifestyle on the horizon.
We needed gear that we could effortlessly take into meetings in Manila, glide across the cobbled streets of Lisbon, and dive into the winding forest trails of Portland – while keeping the evil travel drag at a minimum.
It comes down to this: everything we do is focused on reducing friction in your life, enabling your creativity, and celebrating the results. |
|
Stay in touch.
If you ever have thoughts or questions, you can reply to any of the emails we send you – or compose a new one, to feedback@minaal.com. We read every email, and while I'm usually deep in the bag studio or some sketchy alley in Delhi, someone much more responsible will get back to you asap.
See you on the road!
Jimmy, Doug, & the Minaal team |
|
I woke up here, and momentarily didn't know whether it was sunrise or sunset. |
|
We only want to send you emails if you want us to send you emails. Change your preferences easily here. |
|
|
|
|
