G’day Legends,
Welcome to the 3rd edition of the TradeMutt Yarn. This paper is one of the most exclusive in the country, followed by FORBES and the NT News. We appreciate you spending some of your precious time on this issue. The issue is, if you don’t spend any time reading it then we won’t know if you have any issues, so please read this issue and don’t create any issues.
Dan, Ed and the TradeMutt Team
We Made It
By Ed Ross
2022, wow what a year. Were we not promised a good run post covid? Seems that nothing in life is a guarantee… well maybe some things but 2022 being the easy year was a crock of shit.
Hard to believe we have smacked out another 12 months here at TradeMutt but we have and there have been some major ups and downs. Our humble little social enterprise turns 5 next year and we simply could not have made it this far without the overwhelming support of our TradeMutt community, i.e YOU!
So what have we learned this year?
Be better budgeters! With 50% of our profits going to TIACS it is imperative that we are financially secure and can make the largest contribution we possibly can. As a small business, we are always battling cash flow and margins as well as fixed costs. When we got into a bit of strife earlier this year, true to our ethos we reached out for help. Got a savvy team of financial wizards (Shout out to Jason and the team at SBO Financial) who helped get a sophisticated budget in place and clearer guidelines for us to work to as a business.
Just because we work to improve people’s mental wellbeing doesn’t mean we are not susceptible to the same mental health struggles as everyone else out there. With financial stresses on the business, we felt the weight of everything this year. So what did we do about it? Got on a mental health plan and found a professional to help me get back on track. Why did you not use TIACS? Some may ask. Well as directors and employers we sadly can’t use our own staff….
Stick to what works! Funky work shirts…. that’s what helps make the impact, that is what people know us for and that’s why we have been able to build such an incredible community. We got a bit caught up in the noise and thought anything with a TradeMutt logo would sell. Simply not the case…
Funky Shirt Fridays is a national tradition. We wanted to help make it easier for individuals and big businesses to understand the best ways of implementing TradeMutt workwear on-site. Funky Shirt Friday was that idea. Once a week, on a Friday wear your TradeMutt shirt and help start conversations about mental health. It was such a hit even Triple M jumped on board as well as 1000’s of organisations around the country!
Extra long weekends for all TradeMutt staff is a MUST! Dan and I thought that we needed more long weekends in the calendar year. We added in 4 extra long weekends in 2022 and called them Mutt’s off Leash Day or MOLD’s as they have become known. They were awesome. We had them placed out during periods when we were getting ready for a busy work schedule or when there had not been a long weekend. We bloody love ‘em!
Now I could probably write for ages but Sasha tells me we have a 660-word limit so I am kinda f**ked for space. Think I’m at 500-odd now. To wrap things up we did make a heap of social impact this year and helped many people. Through our partnership with SendAble, we created 28k+ hours of disability employment and through our donation to TIACS we were able to provide 2,358 hours of conversation and support 3,195 individuals in their journey of early intervention mental health support.
Featured Mutt
“RUBY” submitted by Jade
“Meet Ruby. More commonly known as the following aliases; Gooby, Rhubarb and Rubes.
This cute oversized bag of bones is a 6 year old retired greyhound who loves trotting along on her daily walks and causing havoc as she chases favourite toys in her zoomie outbursts. This woofer was rescued from Gumtree Greys and loves early mornings and lounging on the couch!”
To submit your Mutt, DM us on Facebook or Instagram
Four thousand weeks
By Ed Ross
Hey Legends,
On my way home from Sydney a few weeks ago I was waiting at the airport and found myself killing time in a bookstore. I had finished my last book on the flight down and it was time to jag my next read. One jumped off the shelf at me, ‘Four Thousand Weeks’ - Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. $29.99? You’re mine!
I sat at my gate and started flicking through the pages. In short the book is all about how finite our time is here on this blue marble and how the majority of us either can’t comprehend how short our life actually is or don’t want to confront the fact that on average we only have a pulse for about 4000 weeks, if we’re lucky!
Death, something sadly we all must face; is something that very few people talk about. Obviously our mission here at TradeMutt and TIACS is to preserve life and ensure that people don’t go down the path of taking life away from themselves. However, I feel as though we, as an organization and as a community need to start looking at how we are using the time that we are running out of.
One thing that I do know is that personally I get a big kick out of an old parable that is actually brought up in the book as well but it is one I heard a few years ago and it has really stuck with me. It goes a little something like this,
“A successful businessman on vacation was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The fisherman proudly replied, “Every morning, I go out in my boat for 30 minutes to fish. I’m the best fisherman in the village”.
The businessman, perplexed, then asks the fisherman “If you’re the best, why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish? What do you do the rest of the day?”
The fisherman replied “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, spend quality time with my wife; and every evening we stroll into the village to drink wine and play guitar with our friends. I have a full and happy life.”
The businessman scoffed, “I am a successful CEO and have a talent for spotting business opportunities. I can help you be more successful. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats with many fishermen. Instead of selling your catch to just your friends, you can scale to sell fish to thousands. You could leave this small coastal fishing village and move to the big city, where you can oversee your growing empire.”
The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the businessman replied, “15 – 20 years.”
“But what then?” Asked the fisherman.
The businessman laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”
“Millions – then what?”
The businessman said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, spend time with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends.”
Are you the fisherman now or the capitalist who is going the long way round on becoming the fisherman? Have a good think because time is running out…
If you or anyone you know, wants a chat with a mental health professional, reach out to TIACS on 0488 846 988, Mon-Fri, 8am-10pm AEST, ongoing and completely free of charge.
Most cited reasons for calling TIACS
It’s all because of you.
Those numbers you see on the left are a direct result of you. You reading this likely means that you’ve made a purchase with us, which allows us to donate 50% of the profits directly to TIACS, which then allows Keri and Banksy to hire more counsellors, who then provide people in need with free mental health support.
Every time you’ve worn your shirt and every time you’ve started a conversation with a mate or a stranger you have helped those numbers climb. From the bottom of our hearts thank you. Thank you for letting us bring our dream to life and thank you for letting us helping the people in our community. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Meet the Team: Kayla
Role: Product developer
What do you do at TradeMutt?
My role as product developer involves style development and quality control from the design stage through to release. On occasion I also create print designs for custom design orders.
How are you going to be relaxing over the summer?
Chilling at the beach or by the pool.
What store are you most likely to max out your credit card with?
Blackmilk (who also do cool print designs), or Kmart for homewares (often an unnecessary purchase).
What is your favourite TradeMutt Print?
Cosmic Confetti and Galaughin’.
Favourite thing about working with TradeMutt?
I love every aspect of my job but my favourite thing is seeing the designs come to life with our samples and sending approvals/comments to our suppliers. The whole office has a great vibe and the boys are awesome to work for.
Crossword
Across
1 A talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged.
6 The prevailing style during a particular time.
7 A Borderline.
9 A worker who maintains cars and other machinery.
12 The transmission of customs or beliefs from time to time.
13 Written or spoken communication or debate.
16 The biggest sales period of the year.
18 A union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or organizations.
19 Physical power.
20 A social impact workwear company making funky, conversation starting workwear.
22 To be successful without wasting time or energy.
24 He sheds light for Santa.
26 Feeling in the room.
28 Incredible person.
30 Flying machines.
34 It begins after one’s final day at work.
36 A day taken as sick leave when one is not actually ill.
37 Present time?
38 The activity of catching fish, either for food or as a sport.
39 Durable.
42 An injury to living tissue caused by a cut, blow, or other impact.
43 TradeMutt’s HQ, the river city.
45 The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others.
46 A dog breed known for its speed.
48 Extended traveling.
49 A call to prove or justify something.
50 Tuna type.
Down
2 Chance of a lifetime.
3 Exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
4 Make or become less tense or anxious.
5 To give assistance to.
6 Manufacturing plant.
8 Perceive clearly.
10 The ability to assess and initiate things independently.
11 Saturday and Sunday.
14 A group of things or people.
15 Charmingly attractive.
17 Significant other.
21 Respect and admiration or self______.
23 A marked effect or influence.
25 Personal view.
27 Car music source.
29 Constructive, optimistic, or confident.
31 Give them a call if you ever need a yarn.
32 A rest from work for a smoke.
33 The science or practice of farming.
34 New Year’s self-promise.
35 A person living next door.
40 True grit.
41 A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease.
44 Common summertime destination.
47 Best Mutt. Also, a red gemstone.
