Dear Upstaters,
It’s with a heavy heart that I share with you that we are closing In The Know Upstate.
When we launched in 2017, it was just Anna and I working out of my living room. We realized very quickly that in order to truly bring you the best experiences from across the Upstate, we had to grow our team much faster than expected. Luckily, we were blessed to find amazing people that ultimately became the #itktribe and built a team of passionate, intensely talented locals dedicated to helping you discover this amazing place we call home.
So, why are we closing? ITK is a self-funded, locally owned business. When we launched, we did not expect the massive growth that was ahead of us. As I like to say, my cute little business plan was essentially useless within weeks.
Unfortunately, with quick growth comes quick costs. We’ve been lucky enough to build relationships with many fantastic local businesses and the team hustled like crazy. I couldn’t be prouder of the tribe – they worked long hours for start-up dollars and did everything they could under tough circumstances. But, at the end of the day, we just weren’t able to grow revenue as quickly as we grew everything else. Add in some personal health issues to the limitations of a self-funded business, and it’s simply a wall we can’t get over.
While that’s the bad news, I do have some good news. Our amazing partner, Ten At The Top, has agreed to take over the ongoing management of the Upstate-wide Calendar to help keep you up-to-date on the hundreds of events across our region. This will be part of their #UpstateVibe365 program and you’ll be seeing more info and updates from them in the coming weeks. Be sure to follow UpstateVibe365 on Facebook!
See the Calendar of Everything for updated events HERE
I hope we’ve been able to help you discover new experiences and fall in love just a little bit more with the Upstate. We couldn’t have asked for a more supportive and amazing community – we will sorely miss you.
I hope 2019 brings you a year full of love, happiness, and fun. Thank you for everything, Upstaters.
Love – Stephanie & the ITK Tribe
