Swoveralls Comfort Club · July 2026 · Volume 4, Issue 7

The Science of Persistence (And Why “Just Keep Trying” Is Bad Advice)

By Kyle Bergman, Founder of Swoveralls · July 2026

Hey Comfy Fam,

As you may know, Swoveralls turns nine years old this month, which in startup years is somewhere between "teenager who thinks they know everything" and "adult who's finally starting to figure it out." Actually, turning 9 in start-up land feels like turning 900.

This newsletter isn't about or customer highlights or other brands we love (those will be back next month). This one's about the people who keep this thing alive when I'm not looking, the science behind why we're still here at all, and a little bit of honesty about how close we came to not making it.

Here's what we're covering:

• 🧠 The science of persistence (and why "just keep trying" is bad advice)
• 💬 Gabby - the voice you hear when you need help
• 🎨 Roda - the one who brings every design to life
• 💛 Elizabeth - co-founder since day one (and the real boss)
• 📝 Nine things I wish I could tell my first-year founder self

Let's go.

🧠 The Science of Persistence (And Why "Just Keep Trying" Is Bad Advice)

Relentless, you must be.

Swoveralls almost didn't make it to see another year. More than once.

There were years where the math didn't work. Years where inventory sat in a warehouse collecting dust. Years where I seriously questioned whether this was a real business or an expensive hobby I was too stubborn to quit.

But here we are. Year nine. And it's shaping up to be our best year yet in almost every way.

So I've been thinking about why. Not in a motivational poster kind of way, but in a "what does the data actually say about persistence" kind of way.

A 2019 study published in Nature by Yin, Wang, Evans, and Wang at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management analyzed 776,721 NIH grant applications and 46 years of venture capital startup data to understand what separates people who eventually succeed from those who don't.

The finding that stopped me: the people who eventually succeeded and the people who eventually failed tried basically the same number of times. Persistence alone didn't predict anything.

What mattered was whether they learned from each failure and iterated, or whether they just tried again the same way. The researchers called failure "the essential prerequisite for success," but only if you treat each failure as data rather than just a setback.

"Every winner begins as a loser," lead researcher Dashun Wang said. But not every loser becomes a winner. The difference is learning speed, not effort.

That's been the Swoveralls story for nine years. We've changed manufacturing partners twice. We've overhauled the fabric composition. We've rebuilt the website from scratch. We've killed products that weren't working and doubled down on ones that were. Every year, the version of Swoveralls that exists is better than the year before because we treated every mistake as information.

The advice I'd give any founder, or any human trying to build something that lasts: don't just keep trying. Keep learning. Those are very different things.

🎂 The People Behind the Overalls

I talk a lot in these newsletters about customers. And I should, because you're the reason any of this works.

But for our birthday month, I want to spotlight three people you might not know by name, but who you've almost certainly interacted with.

These are the humans who keep Swoveralls running when I'm on customer calls, writing newsletters, or trying to convince my twin toddlers that pants are not optional (ironic, I know).

💬 Gabby: The Voice You Hear When You Need Help

If you've ever reached out about an exchange, wondered where your order is, had a partnership question, or needed literally anything resolved, you've probably talked to Gabby.

Gabby has been with us for about a year and a half, and in that time she's become the backbone of our customer experience. She's the person who makes sure you feel heard, taken care of, and never like you're just a ticket number.

Running customer service for a brand like ours isn't easy. We're a small team, our customers are passionate (in the best way), and the questions range from "when is red coming back" (hi, Lionel) to "can I get custom Swoveralls for my law firm" (hi, Matt). Gabby handles all of it with patience, warmth, and the kind of care that makes people want to come back.

If you've had a great experience with our customer service, that's Gabby. And if you haven't told us about a great experience, please do. She deserves to hear it.

Gabby, thank you. We love having you on this team.

🎨 Roda: The One Who Brings Every Design to Life

You know that moment when we drop a new print and you think "oh wow, that's cool"? Roda is a huge part of why that moment exists.

Roda has been with us for almost three years, and she's the glue to the operations that happen behind the curtain. There's so much that goes into bringing a design from concept to reality: product pages, launch coordination, making sure images and descriptions and sizing are all dialed in. Tracking bulk production orders. Working with technology partners. Roda plays an instrumental part in all of it.

What I love most about Roda is she truly embodies the Swoveralls spirit. She's super laid back...but takes pride in her work and is super talented and detailed. She's reliable in a way that makes you forget how hard her job actually is. She recently went to her first concert, she loves hanging out with her family, and she shows up every single day with the same steady energy that keeps this brand moving forward.

In a startup, the people who are consistently present, consistently reliable, and consistently themselves are the most valuable people you can have. That's Roda.

Roda, thank you. The site wouldn't be what it is without you.

❤️ Elizabeth: My Day 1

Elizabeth is my wife, the mother of our 3 crazy children, and sometimes also my emotional support pillow (which I hope every Founder is lucky enough to have).

She's also been the co-founder of Swoveralls since the very beginning. Swoveralls is almost as old as our relationship, which means she's literally been here since day 1.

Recently, Elizabeth has come on in a more hands-on capacity, helping with backend marketing, website improvements, and all the things that make the customer experience smoother. She's been instrumental in tightening up the site and making sure everything works the way it should.

Here's a direct ask: if you love the website, let me know. I'll pass it along. If you have ideas for how it could be improved, also let me know. I'll pass that along too. Elizabeth is the one making those changes happen, and your feedback is the most valuable input we get.

Building a business with your spouse is not for the faint of heart. It requires a level of trust, communication, and shared stubbornness that most people would find unreasonable. But Elizabeth has been in this from the beginning, through every near-death experience this company has had, and she's still here. That says everything.

Elizabeth, thank you. For all of it.

📝 9 Things I Wish I Could Tell My First-Year Founder Self

I recently posted some thoughts on about what I would tell myself when I began this journey.

If you're a founder, thinking about becoming one, or just curious about what it's actually like to build something from scratch over nearly a decade, check it out.

The goal in posting is to help you avoid the mistakes I made, and maybe inspire you to go for it. Whatever "it" may be.

Until Next Time...

9 years. 7 manufacturing partners. 12 different fabrics and iterations. Dozens of prints. Thousands and thousands of incredible customers, and countless moments where it would have been easier to quit than to keep learning.

But here we are. And here you are, reading this newsletter in July 2026. Wow.

We couldn't do this without Gabby answering your customer service questions. Roda running the operations show, and Elizabeth supporting me every step of the way.

And you, reading this right now, choosing to spend your money and your trust on a small brand that makes sweatpant overalls.

Year nine is going to be our best one yet. And we're just getting started.

Thank you. For everything.

Stay cozy, and happy birthday to all of us.

Kyle Bergman
Founder | Chief Swoveralls Officer

P.S. - If you or someone you know could benefit from waistband-free clothing, reply to this email. I take these conversations seriously.

P.P.S - If you made it this far, you might as well join our facebook group here (the Comfort Club), and special shoutout to comfort coach Mary Elise for helping run the group.