Cackalak Clothing Company

Our Promise

cackalakclothingcompany — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 01:29:20 +0000

It has been a considerable amount of time since our last post. A lot of events have transpired both personally and professionally. Life is a more entertaining than any movie and we stand by that claim.

Let us first start by explaining who we are and how we started. We both attended the University of South Carolina. We were roommates in college and started our company during that time. We did not follow the typical pattern to start our business. We are a small, efficient operation that was founded out of the ideas and pockets of two college students. To be 100% clear, we are both from small Cackalak towns with very humble upbringings. Our parents stressed integrity and education. We give you our experience in our clothing. We give you our struggle in our clothing. We give you our journey in our clothing.

Our first move was to trademark our brand. We did this before we printed our first shirt. If you are starting a new business, this is a critical step in your success. Our company started with 12 shirts. We gave these 12 shirts away to our friends. We cannot honestly say that we imagined where we are today, but we hoped for it. Everything started with those 12 shirts. More importantly we protected ourselves before we stepped out of the gate. This proved invaluable.

The next move was to create clothing for everyone by launching the female and toddler styles. The response was overwhelming and we thank you personally. From this point on, we continued to improve. We produced sweatshirts, hats, and license plates. It has truly been a pleasure to share our vision with you.

Recently, we found out that our local manufacturer has been selling counterfeit Cackalak merchandise. This is the same manufacturer that we have used from day one. Again, life is stranger than any movie. This is a company that has several locations and a ton of resources at their disposal. They have access to the University of South Carolina fan base, but they chose to steal our creativity. Our brand is protected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and we now have to take this through the appropriate channels.

Our progress is not deterred. We will continue to stand on our principles and provide you with clothing that you can afford and appreciate. This is our promise to you!

Happy Memorial Day!

cackalakclothingcompany — Sun, 25 May 2008 05:11:20 +0000

Happy Memorial Day to all!

Have fun and be safe.

Cackalak Clothing Company

New Day!

cackalakclothingcompany — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:16:13 +0000

Out with the old and in with the new!

http://www.cackalak.com

G’Nite World,

Cackalak Clothing Company

Perception

cackalakclothingcompany — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 08:34:38 +0000

In life, we perceive ourselves totally different from how others perceive us. We normally have a mental image of ourselves. The world views us only through our actions. This is a concept that most people never grasp. You can constantly hear people iterate the type of person that they perceive themselves to be. The same is true with companies.

The difference lies in what is advertised versus the actual product. Some companies advertise their product lines as being the best on the market. Everyone who works for this company may share the same philosophy. This philosophy is embedded and often never questioned. Is it really true?

The only way to find out is to compare similar products. If you are truly the best in an area, then the people who use your products will confirm. If you truly are the type of person that you perceive yourself to be, then your daily actions will confirm.

This is one reason why we have never sacrificed the Cackalak brand. We have made some tough decisions to ensure that we are always perceived in a positive light. We have gone the extra mile to create quality products and a lasting, unique brand. We have refused to be stereotyped or to target a specific demographic.

Cackalak Is You And Me!

G’Nite World!

Cackalak Clothing Company

Change The World

cackalakclothingcompany — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:45:57 +0000

How Do You Change The World?

I have debated this question in many circles. The answer is simple. Change starts within. The only thing that we have total control over is ourselves. It takes maturity, honesty, and discipline to analyze ourselves, accept criticism, and focus on becoming a better person.

The first step in becoming a better person is admitting our weak points.

If you are a basketball player and can’t dribble with your left hand, then that is a definite weakness. There are two ways to handle this situation.

Approach #1: You can deny the fact that you can’t dribble with your left hand. With this approach, you will never become a complete player. You will never become a successful basketball player with this approach. Your excuses will become evident as soon as you play basketball at a competitive level.

Approach #2: You admit to yourself that your left hand needs work. Next, you develop a series of drills to improve your left hand. In time, your left hand will become as equally comfortable as your right hand.

You can choose to hide forever behind a weakness, or you can turn your weakness into a strength.

What is your approach?

What type of players do you want on your team?

G’Nite World

Cackalak Clothing Company

Faith

cackalakclothingcompany — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:55:31 +0000

We often overlook the power of a positive mindset and faith. We have experienced several breakthroughs in the last two weeks. It has been unbelievable.

In life, it is difficult to know when walk on faith. We design our lives to be as independent as possible. We then come to the realization that we must surrender a certain level of control to reach our full potential. This involves trust and faith in The Creator, your family, your loved ones, and your fellow man.

Life is about finding this balance.

Motivation

cackalakclothingcompany — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 01:57:21 +0000

As an individuals we always strive to be complete. This may be extremely difficult at times. It takes a strong character and a humble demeanor to accept criticism.

In adulthood, we have learned to use all criticism as motivation. This is the outlook to adopt. Your circles will narrow, but your path will broaden.

G’Night World!

June Is The Month!

cackalakclothingcompany — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 01:56:11 +0000

June Is The Month!

In The Zone!

cackalakclothingcompany — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 09:53:54 +0000

The closer you get to a goal, the further away it seems. This is the typical illusion that will discourage the masses. If something is not truly in your heart, then it is easy to walk away. To be successful, you have to summon something deep inside and then power through. The great ones have mastered this approach. It requires unparalleled focus, dedication, and preparation. The great ones seem to have the power to summon this inner strength when others appear to falter under pressure. The sports arena allows you to view this rare ability, but you have to understand what is happening.

For example, Tiger Woods may be a couple of strokes off the lead going into the final round of a tournament. In the final round, he elevates his mental and physical abilities to a point that is rarely attainable by his fellow competitors. Most people would use a general phrase like…”Tiger is the best!”

Let’s analyze this phrase. Tiger plays in a field of professional golfers.

First, most people underestimate the spectrum in which he competes. Every person in a professional sport has been a prodigy in their respective realm. The professional arena is where these prodigies compete.

Second, we disregard the environment in which he performs. It is difficult to do something well. It is even more difficult to do something well when being watched by millions.

Third, we do not imagine how much pressure is put upon top performers. The world has set the precedent that average is failure for Mr. Woods. He is expected to win every tournament. This means that when Tiger prepares, he does not prepare to be average. He prepares to dominate. He prepares to dominate on command. He attains this rare, higher level that is only available to others by chance or luck. This level is far beyond skill, It Is True Perfection!

The great ones have the ability to turn this rare, higher level on and off. Most athletes have a familiar term that describes this feeling. It is called being “In The Zone”. The great ones live for the waning moments in a contest where others are overcome by fear and doubt. Everyone else is nervous and tense, but their mind is clear and their body is calm.

At this point it is not about your opponent or the obstacles in your life. It is simply about you.

The Great Ones Truly Compete Against Themselves!

Cackalak Clothing Company
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Use Your Talents

cackalakclothingcompany — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:57:24 +0000

Every individual must identify their own unique talent. This is something that we all take for granted. Often you will hear someone saying that they do not have talent. Personally, I disagree. We often overlook our talents.

My story goes like this…In elementary school, my family gave me a computer for Christmas. It was a Commodore Vic 20 and far before the personal computing era. I would spend hours typing in the Basic programs from the manual to create the simple video games. Eventually, I wrote my own programs. My first program was a BlackJack game. This may not sound special to someone in the computing field. The program consisted of random number generation and simple math. The special part was that I was in third grade.

In college, my first major was Engineering. Engineering was not the discipline that I expected. I am a free, creative thinker. I changed my major to Mathematics and landed a job into computing. I now work as a Software Developer. This all started one Christmas many years ago and I thank my family for fostering my development.

In life, we simply have to put together the pieces.

I have spent this weekend finalizing the new website. I have approached this project as though it was a formal project. I have put forth the same dedication and effort that I give when I perform at work. It takes this level of dedication and I readily admit that I recently adopted this approach. The results are truly amazing!

Cackalak Clothing Company
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Filtering

cackalakclothingcompany — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 16:37:59 +0000

As owners of The Cackalak Clothing Company, we work a 9-5 and then put on our entrepreneur hats at in the evening. It will be this way until Cackalak becomes a household name. During the day, we squeeze in as much as possible.

For example, my lunch break was spent on the phone with the bank finalizing the setup of the new accounts for the website launch. I initiated the process online and finished it by verifying some financial information with the bank today. We were previously using PayPal to process our transactions. PayPal is a wonderful option to accept credit cards for first time merchants. The setup requires a checking account and some light HTML integration. They charge a slight fee per transaction, but the account is Free with no monthly fees. You also earn interest on the funds in your PayPal account. Customers will have to leave your site to purchase, but can be redirected at the end of the transaction. When dealing with all financial institutions online, beware of the phishing scams.

We check the email and the MySpace account a couple of times throughout the day. Most people think of MySpace as a social network. We use it as a “networking network”. There are tons of people who work in fashion, merchandising, advertising, photography, website design, etc. Creative searches and contacts go a long way. The barter system is alive and well.

One of the most important things that you can do in life is learn how to filter information. In the beginning, everyone wanted to give us direction and input. After about 20 people, I found myself not listening when I heard the phrase…”You guys should..”. You can lose very valuable information with this approach. Listen to everyone and then filter the information. There may be something very valuable hidden in that suggestion, the 15 minute conversation about a two year old idea, or that website with millions of users.

Cackalak Clothing Company

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Research And Development

cackalakclothingcompany — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 01:56:30 +0000

For this to be a realistic chronicle of the growth of The Cackalak Clothing Company, we will make a more conscious effort to keep our blog current.

Let’s start from this point forward.

The months of January and February were dedicated to research and development. We put into effect some free useful tools to help manage the flow of information for our staff.

The first tool belongs to Google. We created a Google GMail account last year for the company. On my “day job”, the company that I work for has implemented Microsoft’s SharePoint Server. This server allows storage, sharing, and collaboration of documents across the company. This sparked an interest to find a similar tool that was either a free online service or open source. We found something even better, Google Docs & Spreadsheets. This is a beta service that is free until April with a GMail account. Google Docs allows the online creation of documents and spreadsheets and both are compatible with Microsoft Office. You have the option to create new documents or upload your own. There is an auto-save option that is priceless. No more lost work. Google Docs stores versions of each document. The cool part is the collaboration feature. Now, we can store information in one secure location that is accessible by multiple parties. The documents are updated in real-time with versioning. This sounds like an online document management solution….It Is!

XDrive is our second utility that we recommend. This service provides you with 5 GB of free online storage and it is simply incredible. There is a web interface and a client utility that you can install on your local machine. The web interface allows you to create folders, upload files, and share folders with others. The client utility requires the installation of XDrive locally. We are not huge fans of client programs, but this one is worth the install. The XDrive program provides two features. First, you can create an automated backup of folders on your local machine. This can be scheduled to run at your convenience. The second feature is the primary selling point. The program creates a virtual X Drive (X:) based on your XDrive account that behaves like a local drive. When you are browsing your file system, the X Drive appears like other mapped network drives. This service meets our backup and bulk storage needs.

Tool number three is Meebo. Meebo eliminates the need to install all of the different instant messaging programs. Meebo provides online access to your instant messaging accounts. They allow you to configure all of your instant messaging accounts under one Meebo account. When we sign into Meebo, we log in to GoogleTalk, MSN Messenger, AOL IM, and Yahoo IM. No client software required. You can also create an embeddable Meebo widget that allows users to chat with you using your Meebo account. To clarify, we added this Meebo widget to our website and our MySpace page. This lets our users chat directly with us when we are both online. We use Meebo daily.

In January, we completed the development for our new website. The launch is scheduled for the end of March. We put a lot of effort and work into creating an enriching, pleasant presence. We want you to have an experience without making the website too busy. Again, we emphasize the recurring theme of simplicity.

This post was somewhat lengthy, but we felt it was necessary to bring you up to speed. We also wanted to provide some insight on how we think and work.

Cackalak Clothing Company

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Embrace Change!

cackalakclothingcompany — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 02:34:39 +0000

This post marks our transition from BlogSpot to WordPress. WordPress provided some inherent features that made it easier to manage and update our Blog. The right tools enhance productivity. It’s even better when the right tools are FREE!

Cackalak Clothing Company

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Progress

cackalakclothingcompany — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 12:47:00 +0000

It has been about two weeks since I have posted. Life is a constant grind.

I have made a couple of changes to the existing Cackalak website. I have added a live chat feature, an eBay store, and an online forum. This is just a couple of features to make the current website more interactive for our users. I also added a Google Adwords campaign to the Cackalak Blog and a feature to send mobile alerts when it is updated. I conducted a lot of research and leveraged some existing products to add value to the Cackalak web presence. I am also working on a new website design. I know that everyone is waiting for a new look and the new products. They are both on the way!

There are lot of free products and services in the world. This may require a little extra effort, but the results will surely be worth your time.

G’Day World!

Cackalak Clothing Company

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Weekend!

cackalakclothingcompany — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 18:29:00 +0000

All great entrepreneurs need rest!

I took Saturday off.

Cackalak Clothing Company

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Our Space

cackalakclothingcompany — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 06:20:00 +0000

I spent most of today working on the layout for the company’s MySpace page. I wanted a certain appearance and I wanted it to be functional. I also believe in the elegance of simplicity. This is a recurring theme that I try to incorporate into every endeavor.

Check it out @ http://www.myspace.com/cackalakclothingcompany.

G’Nite World!

Cackalak Clothing Company

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Happy Thanksgiving!

cackalakclothingcompany — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 01:57:00 +0000

May God Bless The World!

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We Are On Our Way!

cackalakclothingcompany — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 05:16:00 +0000

It is the night before Thanksgiving and we are starting this blog for the Cackalak Clothing Company. We thought it would be beneficial for us and others to chronicle the steps that we are taking to build the Cackalak brand in the Carolinas. This blog will serve two purposes. First, we hope to inspire other young entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams. Second, it will help us chronicle our progress and force us to be proactive.

We will keep the world updated on the steps it takes to launch the Cackalak Clothing Company. Fasten your seat belts. The ride begins tonight!

G’Nite World.

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