Learning on the Fly

Learning on the Fly

By: DJ Pimetel, Founder of ACEND Streetwear ™ 

Richard Branson once said, “You learn by doing, and by falling over.” That feels about right. Learning as you go can be valuable, but it can also be frustrating, costly, and a little humbling when you realize the lessons showed up dressed as setbacks. That’s pretty much what building ACEND has looked like for me so far.

If you're curious about what I’ve been working on behind the scenes at ACEND, here’s the short version: a lot. The less glamorous side is that I’ve been learning almost everything through trial and error.

Starting this shop has been exciting, but it’s also been a crash course in things no one really talks about when they tell you to “just start.” Designing apparel is one thing. Actually preparing artwork correctly for production is a whole other beast. I’ve spent more time than I expected learning about file sizes, resolution, pixels, transparent backgrounds, print areas, and all the little technical details that can make or break a product. More than once, I thought something was ready, only to realize the artwork wasn’t the right size or resolution for Printify. That meant backtracking, redoing files, and fixing products I thought were already good to go.

It was frustrating, honestly. There’s nothing fun about getting excited over a design, uploading it, building a product page, and then realizing you have to go backward because the file isn’t right. But that’s part of building something from scratch. You find the gaps in real time, then you either quit or you learn. I’m learning.

One of the biggest lessons so far has been this: samples matter. A lot. It’s one thing to see a mockup on a screen. It’s another thing to hold the actual product in your hands and realize the print is too small, the placement is off, or the garment just doesn’t feel the way you expected. Getting samples before publishing items has saved me from putting out things that weren’t ready. That part may slow me down, but it also protects the brand, and that matters to me.

Another thing I’ve learned is that branding takes time. A lot of time. I changed the logo more times than I can count — probably close to 40 times in the last year. That sounds ridiculous, and maybe it is, but I wanted it to feel right. I didn’t want something generic. I didn’t want something that looked like every other brand trying too hard to be cool. I wanted something that actually felt like ACEND. Now, finally, I have a logo I love, and it feels like the brand has a real face.

What’s interesting is that ACEND doesn’t mean exactly what it meant when I first started. Back then, it came from a different place. It was tied to surviving, to feeling worn down by life, and wanting to rise above all of that. It came from being tired, hit from a lot of directions, and still wanting to move forward anyway. Now it’s grown into something bigger. It still carries that original meaning, but now it also represents purpose, creativity, growth, risk, and building something that’s mine. It’s become less about just getting through hard times and more about creating something with real direction.

And let me tell you, starting a business comes with all kinds of nonsense no one warns you about. The second you have a Shopify store, suddenly random people want to “help” you, message you, pitch you, or scam you. You start seeing real fast how many people circle around new business owners looking for an easy target. So I’ve had to learn that, too: how to protect my time and my money, and not get distracted by every fake opportunity that lands in my inbox.

At the same time, there have been moments that make all of this feel worth it. My kids think it’s cool that I have “a shoe store,” which is honestly one of my favorite parts of this whole thing. They’ve been watching this grow in their own way, and now that I’m starting to roll out some kids' items, they’re fully invested. They absolutely have opinions, they vote on designs, and they get excited when they see things meant for them. It’s actually really cute. That part has made this feel even more personal, and building out a kids' collection is something I’m excited to keep growing.

So that’s where I’ve been: learning as I go, fixing mistakes, reworking designs, ordering samples, changing logos, dealing with setbacks, and still pushing forward. It’s been hard as hell. But the more I learn, the more I want to keep building this. Not because it’s easy, and definitely not because I have it all figured out, but because I care about where this can go.

ACEND is still growing. I’m still learning. And if you’ve been following along, supporting, watching, or shopping, I appreciate you being here while I figure it out in real time.

This is just the beginning.