I almost deleted my channel...

I'm done with Shatterproof Archery. I moved out. I officially am gone. And Kaz took over everything. And it feels weird. And I'm also excited about it. I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me from the beginning until now. I also wanted to say thank you for the recent projects. Way more people than I expected built this bow from the book. And it's just super cool for me to see. But also the Bob Garner bow was a successful launch. And that project's probably the one I'm most proud of that I've ever done. Which is interesting because that's my last business archery project. But with that, I'm formally out of Shatterproof Archery. And it's really weird. Before starting Shatterproof, I had many jobs. My jobs included working at Sam's Club, meat department, construction. And then I did landscaping and mowing and home remodels. Then I drove for food delivery services. And then I did my own construction business and worked for myself for a year and a half, two years. And then that's when I started Shatterproof Archery. But now, for the first time in the past five years, archery has moved from business back to hobby. And that's right where I want it. So what do I do now that I've built this YouTube channel all about bow making and traditional archery? I considered deleting my YouTube channel, which sounds like a ton of fun. You see, I'm not a social media guy. I've never used Instagram. Meaning I've never followed someone. I've never scrolled. I've never even looked at someone's profile. I don't respond to DMs. I don't respond to comments anymore on YouTube or TikTok. I don't even check my own email. My wife does that for me. And if I get a text, I'm most likely to throw my phone to my wife to have her respond to my friends even. Big part of this is the dyslexia and how difficult it is for me to communicate through written word. So it's tempting to delete this channel. But on the flip side, if I deleted it, I would just start another channel and post more videos because I love making videos. So the channel's in a little bit of a weird place. Instead of it just reflecting archery and that side of my life, I think it's time to change it up a little bit. Because I know one thing. Authenticity is always more important than topic when it comes to creativity. I would rather be real and make a video that's like completely out of left field than I would stay on brand but make something I'm not passionate or interested about. There's a never-ending tension between creativity and making money. The term starving artist is not just a myth but reality for many. I see it over and over and over again with YouTube channels my size. The channels just often die. Why? Well, it's too much work for too little money. And that's the truth if you're relying on AdSense. Like if you don't have a business or a Patreon or a lot of brand deals. And this is why many channels about my size die. It's just because it's not profitable. And then if you make videos on the same topic for five years, the passion can start to fade. Don't get me wrong. A channel dying is not a bad thing. And people who once made a living from YouTube and stopped doing it are not failures. It's just a job change. And unfortunately as a culture, we naturally give more value to people with more views or more subscribers. But this is a false metric because views and subscribers doesn't measure character. It doesn't measure the peace of mind and enjoyment that they experience in life. It doesn't measure who they truly are. With that said, many creators have great character. They're great people. And they have the skill to get a lot of views. But this comes to no surprise to you because you guys are great judge of character. The viewers are. And lots of times people with bad character are very entertaining. And you know that. So I'm at the point where I have to decide what am I going to do with this channel? The way I see it is I have two options. One is I can let it die. I can delete it, whatever. Or I can evolve it into something new. So let's make it new. Here are Kramer's rules for this YouTube channel. Rule number one. Make videos I'm proud of. Rule number two. Choose topics I'm passionate about or interested in. Rule number three. Always choose authenticity over reach. This marks the beginning of this new channel. Kramer Ammons channel. No longer Kramer Ammons Archery. But officially Kramer Ammons and what I'm interested in. So just to let you know, I'm unleashing the invisible chains that I felt to only post bow making or traditional archery related content. Those chains are gone and now this is a brand new channel. I can post whatever I want. Does that mean I won't post any archery content? Well, probably not. I'm still interested in it and I'll do it on that hobby basis. Landscape photography. Some hiking adventures. Probably random projects around this property. Running. Ultra running. Which leads me into what I am doing next. But what could be better than partnering with my brother and doing a business with him? Why would I leave something so good? Well, one thing that's better than being in business with my brother is being in business with my wife. This is a business I've been working on behind the scenes for an entire year. So I'd like to introduce you to 55 Miles. So I don't know if this would be relevant to anybody, but because I'm turning the chapter on my life, I thought I'd share. So 55 Miles is a anti-chafe blister prevention business. Sounds weird, but let me explain. I spend more time trail running than anything else outside of work. I've really gotten into the marathon to 100K distances. I've been running consistently for four years now. And problem? Blisters. Chafing. After using lots of the products on the market, nearly all of them, I decided to see if I could solve the problem myself and make my own blends. I ended up making my own blend and now 50 different blends and over a thousand miles of testing these creams and solves and balms. I've come up with some really good solutions. So here's the business model. We make anti-chafe blister prevention on the trail recovery, some different blends for runners and athletes. And then we make useful videos that let people know that we have these for sale. Oh, that's literally the business plan. And with Callie, I'm able to make the products and make the videos. And she does all the communication. She does all the posting. She does the SEO, product research, all the administrative logistical things. So this is our next business. And yes, we do have social media, YouTube channel, that sort of things. One you might be interested in if you're a runner is, I just recently posted a video of me running from my apartment to the top of Pikes Peak. It's like 32 mile run. I do fun challenges and things like that. Oh, you guys are good. Have a good time. I'm in between. I'm good. And it's fine. But I'm tired of the grind. Then I come alive in the night to realize I'm in the middle of the time of my life. I'm never so packed for the stack. Never lied on the back. Got a bag from the way that I ride it. Queen Lincoln Tyson. Do that, I survived doing 80 to the house. Then I hit it to the sky. Change haters on a tirade. Talking to the crip in the face. Be still. Let the hate stuff fade. We all want the same. We all want a meal in the safe. I want to live like I'm trying to delight me. Just build for my lips. Feel big from the bit. Take a sip till I pass out. Try and get grip, but it don't make sense. Cause you can lose life on this fast ride. So that's where my business energy, money making energy is going. For this channel, this is just pure fun. This is just enjoyment now. This is just a creative outlet. Sure, I'd love to make money here, but that's not the primary goal. So if you like running, check out 55 miles. Links in your quiver. Before I go, I'll show you a little bit of the manufacturing setup. Okay, this is where I make the good stuff. We've got different like molten machines, stickering machines, things like that. Now we make anti-chafe and blister prevention. So this is the anti-chafe. This is the blister blocker. And I just got this available the other week. This stuff is crazy. The response we've had on it. Meaning I just wanted a blend that would stop blisters a thousand percent. Would do nothing else. It's annoying to apply. It leaves residue on your feet. Blah, blah, blah. But it stops blisters. I wore it for a seven-mile run without socks. I've worn it on a 50-mile run, on a 32-mile run. No blisters. It's really good stuff. And you guys know me. I like to solve problems. So something like this on the trail. I found myself when I would go hunting, when I go on ultra runs, when I would go camping or backpacking. I would bring sunscreen, chapstick, and then some sort of anti-chafe for any rashes I might get or blisters. So what I ended up doing is making a blend, which I call On The Trail, which has UV protectant, sunscreen in it. It has chapstick and anti-chafe. So you can, it's a three-in-one. It eliminates three items and you can just take one. So I'll take this out hunting this year. On The Trail, anti-chafe, blister prevention, a recovery blend, and an all-sport blend for like basketball, volleyball. I've been having some basketball players test out the all-sport, lacrosse players, things like that. To see, I had tennis players as well because they cut a ton to see if that can help prevent in that environment. So that's the business, anti-chafe, blister prevention. And then of course the content that comes with it. Now I know most, nobody's here probably watching this by now. If you are, thank you. And I know most people aren't going to be interested in this type of thing, but some people have followed for a really long time and I'm very grateful and appreciative of it. And I wanted to give a little explanation of what's happening in the future. And if you're wanting to see more content from me, I know it's different and it'll be running content. But for 55 Miles, I've already made three long-form videos and 20 shorts. We're posting on all platforms, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, wherever. I don't know, my wife's posting everywhere, I guess. And that's where I'm going to be putting a lot of my creative energy. So that's what's next. And I'm not deleting this YouTube channel, although it does sound fun still for some reason. Why does that sound fun? I think there's a part of me that wants to delete my entire digital footprint and just disappear from everything. That just sounds like a fun way to live. Just go completely off grid. So if I go dark one day, I'm okay. I'm just enjoying my life. With that, stay shatterproof. I'll see you guys on the next video.