I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to run a small business, and if I'd go back and ever do it again. Not the Instagram version - the real version. The version where one person wears every hat, ships every order, answers every message, pays every bill, and pours their whole heart into something because they believe a community deserves it.

Adults Skate Too was never created to make me rich.
It existed because adult skaters finally deserved to be seen.

So here’s the thing I’ve never actually said out loud:

AST has only kept going because I refused to let it fall apart - even when it probably should’ve - a long time ago.

Between business debt, rising costs of goods, shipping fees, algorithm chaos, and doing literally everything alone, the truth is: I’m in a transition. I’m liquidating inventory, restructuring, and figuring out what the next chapter looks like.

But before I move forward, I wanted to take a second to look back at what we built together - because honestly, it’s pretty cool.

What We Created Together

Even though its been a struggle behind the scenes, these numbers will always mean the world to me:

💙 3,189 total orders fulfilled
Shipped from my living room, my office, my kitchen, my car - wherever I could make it work.

💙 Over 6,803 pieces of AST merch sent into the world
Everything from hoodies to tees to totes to the dry humor stickers.

💙 400+ Rink Side Totes sold
The emotional support bags that have seen so many locker rooms and public sessions across the country.

💙 Orders shipped to 29 countries
This part is pretty wild.

• United States
• Canada 
• Mexico
• United Kingdom
• Switzerland
• Germany
• Finland
• France
• Austria
• Spain 
• Sweden 
• Netherlands 
• Norway
• Denmark 
• Czech Republic 
• Estonia 
• Poland 
• Ireland 
• Luxembourg 
• Belgium 
• Russia
• Australia 
• Japan
• China 
• Thailand 
• Philippines 
• New Zealand 
• South Korea
• Peru
• Brazil 

💙 23,924 people following on Instagram
Every single follower found this brand because they love skating — not because of ads or trends.

💙 18,918 members in the Adults Skate Too Facebook group
One of the largest adult-skater communities in the world.

💙 383 Discord members
Skaters cheering each other on, asking questions, sharing their progress, and forming friendships.

💙 Thousands of emails, DMs, and customer messages answered.

This is the part no one sees.
This is the part I’m proud of.
This is the part that made every late night worth it.

I didn’t actually do every part alone

Yes, this was a one-woman business… but I didn’t get through the hardest moments by myself.

Shauna - if you’re reading this - you have no idea how much your help kept me afloat. Jumping in when I was drowning, showing up, keeping me sane (often lol), giving honest feedback, and reminding me that AST mattered even when I was too burnt out to see it.

And to the friends who helped promo merch, model for launches, carry boxes into rinks, hold the camera, listen to me cry, or just say “keep going” when I wanted to quit - thank you. You are stitched into this brand just as much as I am.

AST wouldn’t have made it this far without the village behind it.

The Hard Truth: Small Business Owners Are Humans

I’m going to be real..
Running a small business can feel like you’re pouring from an empty cup while people judge the temperature of the water.

And lately, the hardest part hasn’t been the work - it’s the negativity, especially during a transition like this.

Comments about prices.
Questions about discounts.
Random Facebook drama.
Pouring my heart into asking for feedback and getting… one 1-star Google review that tanked my entire rating.
People assuming I’m “profiting too much” when the reality is that I’m not profiting at all - I’m actually paying the equivalent to a car payment every month just to keep the lights on.

Like many small business owners, I carry business debt.
I struggle to pay bills.
I kept this brand alive because I cared - not because it was financially smart (at all).

So when someone leaves an unnecessary comment, yeah… it stings.
Because they don’t see what it costs - literally and emotionally - to run something like this.

I’m learning to set boundaries.
I’m learning to protect my energy.
I know that's just how "people on the internet are".
I’m learning that being transparent is better than pretending everything is fine.

What Happens Next

AST is in a transition - maybe a rebrand, maybe a rebuild, maybe something totally different. I honestly don’t know yet. And if I’m being honest… I don’t know if I even want to keep going in the same way. I just know I have a shit ton of t-shirt transfers left.

Adults Skate Too isn’t disappearing.
It just needs to evolve.
And so do I.

Even if this chapter is ending, the heart of this brand - the community - is still very much alive.

A Final Thank You

If you’ve bought something, shared something, left a kind comment, joined the group, worn your AST gear to the rink, or simply believed in this brand:

Thank you.
You helped build something epic.

This isn’t goodbye.
Just the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
And no matter what form AST takes in the future, the message will always be the same:

Adults Skate Too.
We matter.
We belong here.

If you read this blog post, here’s a little thank you from me to you.
Not advertised or posted anywhere else. I'm in my feels and wanted to send my supporters a virtual hug.

Code: THANKYOU20

I’ll share updates on Instagram and in the Facebook group as I figure out what’s next, in the meantime, just be kind.

💙 Erika