Things have been a little crazy so haven't been able to spend much time on the board lately. I am currently adding in a separate Microbrand forum. I barely have time for a single forum right now, much less two. Plus I think that people who like small brands like both microbrands and independents. Separating them, at least at this point, doesn't make sense. Additionally, I'm looking at reorganizing the albums so that brands have galleries and there are also galleries for members/photographers.

As part of making this a community that supports small brands, I have been reaching out to more photographers on Instagram who like working with and promoting small brands. I think having a growing list of available photography/videography/reviewers for the brands to have as potential resources will be a benefit to them. I have also been connecting with more strapmakers and will create an updated list of strapmakers and possibly even a club for strapmakers to use the platform to promote their straps.

I had a conversation with a watchmaker recently and he had another potential resource that would be helpful - translators. Not necessarily full translations, but for promotional materials and official posts it would be helpful to have someone who speaks native english or other languages, translate the language so it sounds more natural and is therefore more effectively. If that's something you'd be interested in doing, or if you know of someone, please let me know.

I'm excited also to be a part of a great WhatsApp group devoted to Microbrands and Independents called the Micro/Indy Collective. MIC is a group of over 100 small brands and a few hundred enthusiasts. They have already held a Q&A with Michiel Holthinrichs and had a tour of the Atelier. This is a great group and if you're interested in joining, please let me know and I can get you added to the group. In addition to just chatting about watches, they have opportunities for pre-sales for new releases and even possible collaborations with brands. In any event, what they have been able to accomplish in a short time is very impressive and the guys running the group are great guys and are doing a great job developing a WhatsApp community to support small brands.

I realize things are slow here, but I am continuing to work behind the scenes to make connections that will pay dividends on the forum in the long term. What is definitely needed is additional participation from the members. Even if its just posting an occasional wrist shot or adding a brief comment on a post, the more interaction the better as I attempt to add more brands.

Finally, a huge congratulations to member @Scrubsaurusrex who has taken on a full time position with Holthinrichs Watches. He is the head of marketing and PR. He has also started a Holthinrichs WhatsApp chat that is definitely worth joining to get updates from the brand.

Cheers All!

Chris