UNB Tim’s Goals for 2021

Welcome to 2021! We all know what a dumpster fire 2020 was, but we aren’t out of the woods yet and can only hope that 2021 is better with the roll out of the COVID vaccine, the return of the economy world wide, to get us back to some sense of normalcy.

I’m looking at 2021 and hoping it’s way better. 2020 drained me physically and mentally. I had ups and downs through out the year and feel I need a medal for getting through the year that was. At the end of the year (I say that like it was months ago, but it was like a week ago). I did something I haven’t done in the 12 years of UNB. I took 5 days off and cut back on a lot for a week. I needed a break from doing 3 posts a day and a podcast a week. We all need to take a breath and relax at times. I bet many of you didn’t notice.

So what are my goals for myself, UNB, & UNB Store for 2021

• Get healthier in 2021 – Note I said get healthier, not working out and get abs. I do want to loose some weight but I am not after the biggest pecs, arms, or abs. This will be eating better (the hardest part), exercising some (well starting), and work on my mental health as well.
• Improve Mental Health – I’m not a total wackado but I know there are some things I need to work on, my anxiety. Which is a total bitch and you can go from feeling great to a total panic attack. As I have gotten older I know when a panic attack is coming and can manage them. One of the first ones I had was in college in a Transit station. And this was 30 years ago, but I remember it like yesterday. Luckily lately I haven’t suffered from depression as much as in the past. If you do suffer I get it and I wish I could hug you.
• Do more art – over the holidays I rediscovered my creative side and have begun doing art of men in swimwear and underwear. I am refining my style and I like my 2D format, I think it’s something different and fun. I do plan on creating more art and selling some of it.
• Long-Form Content – I really want to do some awesome long-form content on UNB. My main problem right now is inspiration. I’m in a writers lock sorta burn out phase. I have cycled through these over the course of the last 12 years. I know it will go away and I will knock out content that you guys will like.
• New voices on UNB – I want to build a staff again and have more guys to share what they love. I always feel no one wants to hear my opinion because I have shared it so many times. I want to have guys who like different things and share that love with you guys. Either on the blog or the podcast.
• Improve Sound on Podcasts – I like things to work and be the best they can be, I’m sort of a perfectionist but know things can go wrong and you have to roll with it. I want to improve my sound quality. This is an ongoing issue. As soon as I solve one problem another pops up. We have a lot of issues smaller shows don’t have. Usually, we have 6 people on a call so that can drain bandwidth. This also makes editing more difficult because when people talk over each other I can’t take certain things out. I have looked at solutions for podcasting remotely and they never meet our needs. They are for 2-3 people and not a group show.
• Get industry insiders and real guys on the Podcast – I also want to get more industry people on the show to give their point of view. I think you get great info, like Terresa from Wood Underwear when she was on the gift-giving show. This leads me to get more real guys on the show either the main show or brief tales. I know you guys love hearing from real guys and their journies. It makes us feel we aren’t alone out there in our journey. Plus I really love talking to regular guys who think “oh my story is not interesting,” but little do they know there will be someone out there who feels like no one gets their love of underwear and find out through the podcast someone feels and has experienced the same as them. We have had some heart touching emails from guys about the podcast and what it means to them to hear similar stories.
• Do more photoshoots and video – one thing I have really missed over the last few years is our original photoshoots. These ended in 2018 with our last swimwear guide. Now that the UNB Store is part of the UNB Family, we will have a lot more shoots coming up with some of the favorite models from the past and some new faces! I’m working on teaming up with several different photogs to do monthly shoots. At my last job I got to learn video production so I want to use those skills for new video content. I want to blow our old BTS videos out of the water.
• Grow the store with new brands – I have a list of brands I want in the store. The issue is getting the money and growing smartly. I want to do this for my main job and it’s important not to rush into things. I want more swimwear, underwear, and singlets. I think it will happen, I did well over the pandemic and have to be patient as it grows

Well, I said I wanted long form content! This is the short list, (I know it’s a lot, but there is a lot more I want to do and some of it until its set I don’t want to jinx it.) I look forward to 2021 and hope it’s a vast improvement to 2020.