Author: Sean Ongley

  • Website Makeover Underway and the New LLC is Official

    Website Makeover Underway and the New LLC is Official

    As of today, the trade name of Held Gear is owned by THRU LLC in the state of Arizona. The federal EIN has also been filed. The flexibility of Arizona’s “any legal purpose” entities make it very easy to start small and grow. There is a broader vision for this company, if successful.

    A new website is now underway, it is an upgrade from an older WordPress theme, and it’s basically a clean slate that you can do almost anything with. All of the content is being revised, and new features are forthcoming.

    Promoting a fashion brand is almost half the product design and half the multimedia that goes into promoting it. From the product photos to modeling, and now the expectation of video plus social content creation, a whole lot of energy goes into the multimedia.

    THRU LLC comes from a publishing brand that I co-created to operate as a magazine back in 2015. We formed Thru Media LLC in Oregon at the time, but it dissolved in 2018. Very tough thing, starting up a magazine.

    In 2022, I brought THRU back because I wanted to publish documentaries and other media again. Held Gear was the excuse for buying the pro camera, because that was necessary for good product images.

    The idea was to file an LLC based out of Philly, but life changed before that happened, and it is fortunate that Arizona has certain advantages for small business formation. In Pennsylvania, you cannot be a fashion designer/retailer/marketplace and publish indie documentaries while doing photo shoots for hire on the side all under one LLC. You would need a minimum of two LLC’s just to get started with that.

    It’s good advice that I’ve heard multiple times, that you just put your idea and brand out there without any official filings to see if you even have a business. I guess that’s what I did.

    Ironically, it had to move away from the testing ground that established I’m capable of it. It’s a retest.

    So off I go to work on this website. And then the next thing. Thanks for reading. Be seeing ya.

  • Held Gear is Now Based in Tucson, Arizona

    Held Gear is Now Based in Tucson, Arizona

    As of February 22, 2025, the current sole proprietor of Held Gear (yours truly) was on the move to Tucson, Arizona, having three years ago brought the brand to Philadelphia from the small town of Ajo, Arizona.

    The roots of the brand go back to Portland, Oregon, as a side hustle developed by Micah Perry in late 2007, officially launching the business months later in 2008.

    While Philadelphia is a great location in terms of aesthetics and values that drive the Held Gear idea, this brand is a sole proprietorship that has to move with the ebbs and flows of the single operator’s life. Such was the case with Micah, as the business from time to time went on stand still as he managed the challenges thrown at him.

    From Tucson, the business environment is friendly, and the process of launching an LLC is more affordable, and simpler, than from Pennsylvania. The tax burden on a small business is minimum as compared to Philly. There are two large metropolises in Arizona, and many small towns with values aligned to the Held Brand. And yet, it is a smaller pond.

    Already, a new office in the heart of downtown Tucson has been established for Held Gear and can be found on the Contact Page.

    The inventory for all Held marketplaces have all been updated.

    Thank You Philly for the experience, and for the support received from customers, models, and creatives.

  • From Clearance to Caveat

    From Clearance to Caveat

    Real Life and Small Business

    Last July, I launched a clearance sale, and the follow through from that sale was going to be an updated line of products replacing the old designs and stock.

    The plan continues to hold that way, only it now has a different timeline because real life and small business can lead to big caveats. Held Gear is truly small. Tiny. To support myself, I need other income.

    At the end of July, there was a family emergency, and in that moment all the plates I was spinning came falling. Sometimes you can break the plates and incur no blame.

    My Father passed away and this led to a deep meditation before I had to spring to action, fly to Arizona and help my Mother through it. This is life. Suddenly one big plate comes and it’s the one you have to focus on. Let alone grieving, I am back to spinning plates in Philadelphia, and Held Gear continues to receive sales and traffic from search engines. It’s a tiny business, and it’s okay if it is.

    That said, I want to make stronger impressions when new visitors find the website. I want to spend more time building it out and improving the whole presentation. I’ve got it so close!

    Real life is the income part. Until this provides my income, it’s always just a small plate in the routine. This routine is coming to a climax, however. One by one, I am setting them down, and by the end of the year, this business will be a stronger focus.

    How I’m doing that is for me to know and you to find out : P

    A customer from five years ago came around a couple of weeks ago and bought two belts on Etsy, one for herself and her husband. She even paid the excessive Canadian shipping. The fans of this brand are few, but they are real. And I need to highlight their testimonials on this very website. My to-do list never ends, and that’s great!

    There is not presently any advertising, all sales come from past customers, or random searches. The fact that customers come back after five and ten years tells me that Held Gear is worth keeping up with. Whenever I want to accelerate sales, I will do that.

    The clearance items will remain on clearance until they are gone. Those prices are at least 50% off.

    All of those products are good, they just didn’t work out as desired. For example, the Snow Ermine is nice and durable, and people gravitate toward its timeless style. However, the strap is very firm and kinks when wrapped in a circle. I will replace that with a 2-ply strap, instead of 3-ply. It’s amazing how much more pliant the 2-ply is. There are also alternative white straps in the catalog that I want to consider.

    The Groove will probably come back with modest design changes. The Sky belts are gone, however, I will select a new blue strap to replace it. Also, a green will be coming. I really want all the colors of the rainbow, but it’s expensive to build and inventory these things.

    A successful clearance sale means there is more room in the product closet, and cash available to invest in new materials. Then I have to work harder to create the demand.

    Real life, once again, comes back into it. At this time, I leave it to be continued. The caveat of making Held Gear a stronger focus later is to right now do the bare minimum for a while longer.

    I’ll be back with more news soon. Thanks for checking in.

    -Sean

  • Flash Sale! And what shall come from it.

    Flash Sale! And what shall come from it.

    Today, I launch a flash sale, in hopes of raising capital and awareness for the brand, to pave the way for some important steps toward turning this into a full time business.

    Over the last year, I have put my available energy into the backend, like the website, product photography, graphic design (especially for advertising), and more. I began to scramble when I saw a declining sales trend. Although it’s traceable to Etsy algorithm changes mostly, I had to confront myself in this process, accepting criticism and feedback, looking objectively at my presentation (from photography to packaging) and where it needs improvement. I’m still in the midst of the process.

    I have been wearing my Held belts every day since 2009. At first, I only had the Classic black belt, and it was my everything belt: work, play, and formal wear. After taking over the brand in 2022, I absorbed four different designs that I rotate for all occasions. I certainly believe that you should only sell a product you stand by, and use for yourself.

    Over these last two years, I have sold about one hundred units online, earning more 5-star reviews on Etsy. Dozens more have sold at markets.

    I really haven’t been receiving negative feedback. Sometimes silence is what you pay attention to for implicit feedback. In other words, I want more positive reviews, and I will do what it takes.

    I keep this brand going because I receive orders from customers going back more than a decade, finally replacing their first belt. Shark-like business-people will say that’s terrible, you can’t make a product that people won’t replace for ten years.

    I don’t care. I will wait for you. Sometimes your silence is a good thing.

    I have learned a great number of lessons about business, marketing, presentation, design, and competition. I didn’t realize how many fashion brands were out there hoping to become the next big thing. Either that, or someone has no passion for design and durability, they just want a no-name entity to pump out cheaply made product that nobody will ever never seek out a replacement for. These brands will position their products in places where shop owners, who also have no passion for style or quality, will just buy it because it’s cheap and immediate and they know they can move it.

    The principle of Held Gear is to make a product you remember, that you keep and care about. That idea is to be extended far beyond belts, if successful. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, I’m just taking it all one step at a time.

    With a successful clearance sale, I want to order some new materials for new designs, and spend on marketing. However, I have a few more steps to take to improve the design and presentation. When all of these preparations are made, I hope to find new customers with some cleverly targeted advertising.

    I believe this can be a full-time business, one that employs a handful of people, and stimulates American manufacturing.

    Let’s start with this flash sale.

    Please take advantage of these deals now and find your new favorite belt today!