This Memorial Day is even more poignant for me as the tension on the Korean Peninsula reach levels not felt since the Korean War.  As immigrants from South Korea to the United States, my family and I are the direct result of the courage and sacrifice the U.S. made in the name of freedom half way around the world. Prior to the war my father grew up in a little coastal town that was in what would become North Korea.  If it were not for the brave men and women who fought and served in South Korea, there’s a pretty good chance I would not be here today.

I am proud that the sacrifices made by US and UN troops in South Korea were not made in vain.  Going back to South Korea now for business and seeing the modern and developed country it has become is a source of great pride. 

Today South Korea is a true functioning democracy, a contributing member of the international community and a model of what a war torn country can become; it was the first country in Asia to codify their labor laws, protect intellectual property rights and enforce international standards of human rights. 

So when RuMe decided to manufacturer our bags in South Korea we knew that human rights and inhumane labor practices would not be an issue.  We chose not only to produce our bags in South Korea, but also to source our fabric there giving us 100% traceability on our all of our products. 

The labor laws of South Korea are on par with the United States, Germany and Australia, so our decision was very simple. We decided that the pros of working in South Korea far outweighed the pros of working in other Asian countries, as the majority of our competitors do. The questionable labor and human rights practices of the communist countries in Asia simply made the risk too high for us.  We just couldn’t go there.

So this Memorial Day weekend we raise our glass to our men and women in uniform, hoping and praying they return home safely.  We thank them for their service and in their honor RuMe Bags will donate 10% of all sales on our website made from Memorial Day through Labor Day to the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that supports the men and women who have, and continue to, serve in South Korea and around the world.

We’ve all had that feeling when we look up at the clock for the first time and it’s already 4pm and all we have to show for our day is an unfolded load of laundry and thirty unanswered emails.  I’m convinced Mom Clocks tick a bit faster. It’s truly the million dollar question of our generation – how can we manage our time more efficiently? 

As we begin our third year, we’ve worked hard to make RuMe Bags more than just a reusable bag company. We’re developing into an “efficient lifestyle” products company, offering our sturdy bags in a variety of size; small zipper baggies and pockets, cup sleeves, and laundry bags.

Yes, “efficient lifestyle products” is a mouthful, and it might sound like something the boys from “Made Men” would conjure up. But rest assured we didn’t pay a bunch of suits to think of this; rather, it is the result of an organic process.

You see, over the past three years you’ve not just helped us save millions of plastic, single-use bags from filling up our landfills (those products that are made and sold under the guise of making life more efficient and giving us more time). Ultimately, we hope we’ve also made your life a little bit easier – a little bit more efficient – giving you more time.

You can pack more into your RuMe bag saving on trips back and forth from the car. You can machine wash your RuMe instead of having to hand wash like with cloth totes. And with RuMe’s patent-pending compact folding system, your RuMe can always be as close as your purse or back pocket.    

So looking into our crystal ball, we’re going to keep introducing a variety of new products that will all be based on our core principal of making your life a little bit easier, saving you more time, and making life more efficient – while also helping our environment. We call it: “Eco. Made easy.” 

Now, if I can only get some help with the laundry…

We’re celebrating life, in the form of our beautiful baby girl, Sophia, whom Katy and I welcomed into the world late last year. She’s sleeping through the night (sort of) and her mom and I couldn’t be happier.

And, of course, with Earth Day fast approaching (April 22) we’ll not only be celebrating the second anniversary of RuMe Bags’ launch, but also our favorite planet: Mother Earth. It’s hard to believe how much we’ve grown in the past two years, and how many millions of plastic bags we’ve helped eliminate!

To kick-off year three, we’ll be rolling out an array of new RuMe innovations and limited edition prints, each one built around our core principles of functionality, durability, compactability, reusability and affordability.

Stay tuned – each week leading up to Earth Day we’ll add an exciting new additional to the growing RuMe Family.

In the meantime, check out our most recent additions – our new affordably luxe Green Label Line featuring an array of drop-dead gorgeous reusable bags in oh-so-hip metallic shades of silver, gold, lavender and shocking electric pink; and a fun and funky RuMe, Jr. line, designed for kids and kids at heart.

From our family to yours,

Jae & Katy Lee

My wife and I are expecting our first child in about five weeks, but we often joke that RuMe is really our first kid.  If RuMe were a person, it would be 18 months old and really looking forward to the holiday season, hoping for a lot of presents (i.e. sales).

From all we’ve read and learned about child rearing, the past 18 months with RuMe have been eerily similar to what we can expect with little Owen, Molly, Henry, or Lauren – (we still have not decided on a name – we’re open to recommendations).

Like a newborn infant, all RuMe did for the first three months or so was eat, sleep and use the diaper. We were excited about the possibilities, but surprised about how much RuMe ate – lots of initial start-up money went into RuMe with little result for the first few months. Yes, it kept us up at night.

In the next 3 to 6 months, as more customers found us and began using RuMe Bags, and as we began to show RuMe to the world, it started to show a little life, even smiling every once in a while. But even then, it still mostly just ate and slept and pooped. But there were clear signs that RuMe was beginning to develop a personality, very distinctive from any other reusable bag in the market, and every milestone was met with the same sense of pride only a parent can feel.

Now a full 18 months on, RuMe is an active toddler – still needing lots and lots of attention, but beginning to see the world and giving as much as it takes.  We hope and pray that RuMe will continue to grow. It’s still in diapers, but we know that RuMe is already loved around the world and it is up to us to continue to guide and develop RuMe to become all it is capable of becoming. Isn’t that the wish of any parent?

You might be asking what is the point of this analogy???  Katy and I never thought we would own a business, especially together. As with most mothers, Katy is the heart and soul behind our “child”, RuMe. Growing up, she never thought she would be a business owner, but rather a dentist and or an artist. She doesn’t even like the word “entrepreneur” – she thinks it sounds pretentious. But given the opportunity, Katy relishes the role and there is nobody that could take her place in developing and guiding RuMe. Like the word or not, she is an entrepreneur!

With all of today’s negativity and doomsday scenarios, the last thing on your mind might be starting a business. However, good ideas don’t always come at the most opportune time. Like parenthood, there is never a perfect time and or guidebook or a plan to running a business – just a lot of hard work, determination and a little (make that a lot) of luck. Many more will fail than succeed, but at least you will know that you gave it a try. There’s an inner-entrepreneur in all of us that needs to be nurtured and developed just like a child.