The rise and fall and rise of Donda/Keada

In case you missed it... listen in to the Donda/Keada story - or "What I learned about setting up a cycle clothing business", by friend of Velocity Jack Donaldson.

"I made so many mistakes and I still make mistakes, and learn from them," Donaldson told Velocity's monthly podcast, The Tracks of my Tyres. "You get a lot of rejection on the way, some bad comments that can bring you down, but you get a lot of good comments that pick you back up and [help you] find that purpose."

Donaldson is on a mission to provide "honest, accessible cycling apparal for the everyday rider", having been disappointed by what was available to him as a budding iron man competitior in 2017. On Donda's journey he's made a lot of good decisions - and plenty of bad ones. If you've ever thought about setting up your own brand or business, save yourself a lot of heartache and hear how he negotiated supply chain issues, fickle consumers, intense competition, massive market disruption - and a trademark conflict with Kanye West leading to this summer's rebrand as Keada Sports. 

Engaging, good-hearted, entrepreneurial and indefatigable, Donaldson talks us through enlisting influencers, holding down a day job while learning how to manage growth, dealing with haters, the power of the Velocity to support a budding business, hooking a deal with Decathlon... and much more, including four of his favourite tunes.

"The most valuable lesson is to just give it a go," Donaldson said. "But if you're gonna do it, you've got to put the effort in."

Listen to The Tracks of my Tyres on Spotify here.