Jul 28, 2020
About the guest:
Derek believes passionately that tents don't have to be uncomfortable, so he has done something about it.
Crua has developed the world's first correctly (thermally, acoustically and light) insulated tent or tenting system, and now supplies a range of insulated tents and shelters for both recreational and industrial use. Derek developed the first 'Thermo Tent' in 2014 and with the help of Enterprise Ireland, he has since developed, tested and patented a range of products. Crua's Thermo Tents were launched to the market through a successful Kickstarter campaign in May 2015 and have gone from strength to strength since.
In the episode:
2:29 – Derek describes how his love of camping as a child turned into a career path as he went on the hunt for a comfortable tent.
5:02 – Derek explains the origin of the Crua Outdoors name.
5:57 – Derek talks about using crowdfunding, such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo, and equity crowdfunding to build the Crua brand and the market they serve.
8:48 – As a new and improved version of the Koala hammock, Derek provides details on Crua’s Koala V2 hammock.
11:51 – Derek talks about getting customer feedback on products to help improve product designs.
14:03 – Based on demand from Kickstarter, Derek describes how Crua determined they wanted to start selling their products in the United States.
18:05 - Derek talks about Crua’s connection to the Adirondacks.
20:53 – Derek explains how investors in the Adirondacks have helped support Crua.
22:43 – Nancy asks Derek how he has built his tribe of supporters.
25:40 – Nancy and Derek talk about what is involved in being a successful entrepreneur.
30:29 – Derek shares his goals for the future, including creating a rental program.
36:13 – Derek describes how he uses LinkedIn to stay connected and the wide spectrum of resources he uses to stay up to date.
Quote
“It's hard not to take things personally and get anxious about things. When you're building a brand and you feel it's almost an extension of you but you do need the time to be able to tune out a little bit.” - Derek O'Sullivan, CEO at Crua Outdoors
Links:
Point Positive: https://www.pointpositiveadk.com/
Seedrs: https://www.seedrs.com/crua-outdoors2
Agency Management Institute: https://agencymanagementinstitute.com/
BrewDog: https://www.brewdog.com/uk/
Peak Design: https://www.peakdesign.com/
Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/
Calm: https://www.calm.com/
Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app
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Looking to connect:
Email: derekos@cruaoutdoors.com