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Today, my day-to-day is different than it was five years ago. When I first started out, I was screen printing all of my own T-shirts by hand while working a full-time job at hotels while traveling and spending six months at a time in various destinations.

My day-to-day evolves, but the constant is the ever-expanding To-Do list. The exciting thing is, my days are always changing. Running a clothing business has seasonal tasks -- especially mine, since most of my business is done in the summer.

For the past two years, I have been spending my summers on Nantucket selling and meeting customers at my wholesale account -- Nantucket Surf Co. I open the store with the owner and spend most of the day selling.

I take off to explore the island, taking photos and creating new designs, and of course, stopping by my largest account -- Cisco Brewers -- for a cold one!

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Monday’s don’t feel so bad when this is your 9-5. Limited edition 9-5 tees and Rover dad hats available at @nantucketsurfco DM for online shipping!

A post shared by Johnny Vacay (@johnnyvacay) on Aug 6, 2018 at 5:11am PDT

After the summer ends, the fall transition means it's time to reach out to new accounts. I travel around the region looking for new business and exploring new areas to make new designs.

The fall quickly becomes the holiday season, which is packed with marketing and promotion. Packing orders and customer service is a huge part of my job as well.

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My corner office.

A post shared by Johnny Vacay (@johnnyvacay) on Jan 2, 2019 at 10:14am PST

After the holidays comes trade show season. This is the time to sell for the next summer.

Once the trade shows are done, it's time to get orders in to the manufacturer and tie up loose ends for the next summer.

Spring comes around, which is when stores start to receive their products. Hopefully, everything goes well and there are no returns. Spring turns to summer and we do it all over again.

The ups and down the past couple of years seem to be very up and very down.

The best ups for me consist of a few things: Opening new wholesale accounts and having them do well is the best for me. It shows me people are resonating with the brand. It's a big moral boost that gets me excited to keep moving forward.

I recently got my first press coverage in the Aspen Times. That was an amazing way to end the year.

One of the most constant ups for me, as an artist, is finishing a new T-shirt design. They are difficult to make so when one comes to fruition -- from concept to final product -- it's a great feeling.

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Come see me on NANTUCKET! I'll be at @nantucketsurfco throughout the day selling tees and singed prints. Stop by if you're on island. #Nantucket #island #explore #adventure #travel

A post shared by Johnny Vacay (@johnnyvacay) on Jul 17, 2016 at 9:01am PDT

The downs hurt. They can hurt moral and they can hurt the bank account. I’m not sure which one is worse. Last season, we used a new manufacturer in China. There was a huge mistake made and I ended up with 2500 women's T-shirts instead of men's. That one hurt the bank account.

The hardest down to deal with is getting into new wholesale accounts. As a young brand, store owners are hesitant to take a chance on you. They like to see success in other stores and markets before they give you a their money. The business is very relationship-based, so cold calling and emailing without success can hurt moral.

I've learned when you're pursuing your dreams, patience is not only a virtue, but a necessity.

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