I'll level with you.
I'm not looking forward to GiReviews 2013.
2011 was a piece of cake.
2012 was an absolute monster.
2013 is going to be worse.
Let me explain…
2012 was INSANE
Dan and I did more than we ever expected could be done in 2012. For instance:
- We partnered with Budovideos and completed the most Epic Gi eBook ever. It literally covers everything a person could think of regarding researching, buying, and caring for a BJJ gi. And it's free when you sign up for our mailing list (also, free!)
We started the GiReviews Podcast and, to date, have put out 3 episodes. The content is amazing but the quality was terrible. Don't worry, though. We'll interview Matt Benyon (Scramble) and Jon Thomas (Tap Cancer Out) again!- We put together an amazing collection of reviews that we are super proud of including reviews of Omega Maniac, Ronin Brand, Scramble, Inverted Gear, and a TON more.
- We posted more guest gi reviews than ever before (thank YOU for that!)
We gave away gis from Shoyoroll, Moya Brand, Ronin Brand, Origin, Omega Maniac, Submission FC and Kingz Kimonos. In fact, we gave away two Shoyoroll gis this year!- We began our effort to be the best source on the web for women's gi reviews.
I can't even tell you how many late nights and early mornings (typically resulting in less than 4 hours of sleep anight) were had to make that all happen!
2013 will be WORSE
Much worse. Here's why:
- More Reviews – In addition to amassing an incredible about of women's reviews (which means we'll need your help!), we're going to really step our game up in 2013 in terms of reviews. I've noticed a few sites across the web churning out reviews like crazy after only wearing the gi for a week or so. Dan and I believe that a gi needs to be worn and tested for a significant amount of time before a review is published. This means that although our reviews take longer, they're reviews that you can trust. This also means that doing even more reviews in 2013 than we did in 2012 will be an immense challenge ^_^
- More videos – Moving forward, we're going to be doing a lot more videos. Likely, every official review will have a video along with it, plus a bunch of other videos throughout the year. Check out our youtube channel to keep up.
More podcasts – We'll be investing in some solid recording equipment and software to take our podcast into the professional realm. Not only have we addressed all of the technical issues of the podcast (resulting in a MUCH better recording method), but we've also lined up an insane number of guests that I can't wait to share with you all.
- More contests – Last year we gave away a lot of gis. And that was awesome and we're definitely going to continue partnering with some awesome BJJ companies to hook you all up! BUT, we're also going to expand beyond just BJJ companies and start looking at other things that grapplers love, such as DVD, book, equipment, and supplement giveaways. Get Ready!
More collaborations – Recently, we posted our first collaboration with Strike Fightwear on our Facebook page and it seems like you're as excited about it as we are!
If 2012 pushed Dan and I to our mental limits in an effort to bring you the best gi review site on the web, how are we going to manage stepping our game up even further in 2013?
How I Really Feel
I feel like you do before you step out onto the mat before your first match of the day. Once you get that over with, you instantly feel better for each and every match after that.
Getting over the first hurdle is always the hardest, especially with an enormous task ahead of you.
For Dan and I both, GiReviews is one of the most rewarding things we have ever done and we're SUPER excited about the community (YOU!) that we have had the pleasure of seeing grow around the site.
I love logging into Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and being able to help people with problems they're having or chatting about BJJ, gis, life, and whatever else.
Dan and I are committed to making GiReviews the best site on the web for what we do and in 2013, I think we'll really show you guys something special.
So, how do I really feel?
I can't fucking wait to get started ^_^
bahahahahha, thats awesome about the getting the women’s gi reviews. You guys help out a lot when I was looking for some new gi’s, but I’m totally stoked about seeing some of the women’s reviews; they’re sooooo hard to find!