This summer has a been a big season for change here at Coastermatic. Tom and I finished grad school, moved to Hawaii, launched a new version of the site, and have started to get our heads around what it takes to actually run a company full time. 

It's also been a time of very necessary reflection. Through that reflection, we've decided that it's best for Tom to step away from Coastermatic and assume an advisory role. I'll let Tom explain more:

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Dear Coastermers,

Thank you. Thank you for everything. You have made my time working day-to-day on Coastermatic one of the most rewarding experiences in my life to date. I'm incredibly proud of what we've achieved, and know that none of this would've happened without the support and encouragement we get from receiving your orders and emails. Through this journey I've learned more than I could've imagined about launching a product, growing a business and grounding everything in strong design principles.

Incase you were wondering, Tash and I are still great friends. She is super talented and I know will continue to grow Coastermatic from strength to strength. Please reach out and tell her the same if you think so too.

While the decision to leave was extremely difficult there was one huge factor influencing my choice, Immigration. As a British citizen, my current work visa expires in March 2014. We had hoped the Startup Visa Immigration Act would've passed by now, but this is still a long way off. Without this complicated and risky situation, Coastermatic is in a much better position to go far.

I'm really excited to continue exploring how the way we live online translates into our real-world interactions. If this is something you're interested in too, feel free to keep an eye on my personal site.

Thanks!

Tom.

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While the transition into running Coastermatic on my own will undoubtedly have a few bumps, I'm really excited about where Coastermatic can go. 

Thanks so much for your support this far!

Written by Tash Wong