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How to turn a 4am idea into a million dollar business | #014

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In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Chris Mead, co-founder and CRO of CROSSNET.  Chris, his brother and a friend came up with the idea for this new game, a mix of volleyball and foursquare (or handball, as Aussie kids know it),  after a late night of brainstorming.  They built a […]

EP 14
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Nathan Bush is a director at eCommerce talent agency, eSuite. He has led eCommerce for businesses with revenue $100m+ and has been recognised as one of Australia’s Top 50 People in eCommerce four years in a row. You can contact Nathan on LinkedIn, Twitter or via email.

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Chris Meade is the co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of CROSSNET. Chris is responsible for everything sales related and has helped the company generate 2.25 million dollars in 2019, their first full year on the market. Outside of building and optimizing the CROSSNET website and leading the e-mail marketing department, he has developed relationships with renowned retailers such as DICKS, Target and Walmart. Chris received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Film, Video and Interactive Media from Quinnipiac University in 2014. Much of his photography and video work can be found throughout the CROSSNET website and social media pages. When not building one of the fastest growing sporting good companies, he is an avid gym goer who also enjoys yoga, basketball, and snowboarding.

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Chris Mead, co-founder and CRO of CROSSNET. 

Chris, his brother and a friend came up with the idea for this new game, a mix of volleyball and foursquare (or handball, as Aussie kids know it),  after a late night of brainstorming.  They built a rough prototype,  figured out the rules and played.  Almost three years later, the game is in over 300 retail stores, generates over a million dollars a month in revenue and could become an Olympic sport.  Chris talks about channel strategy, manufacturing and wholesale, the power of community and all the lessons he learned turning a 4am idea into a thriving business.

We played for like six hours and we didn’t play because we had a product, we played because it was fun

 Chris Mead
Questions answered in this episode include…
  • What marketing channels have been most effective for you?
  • How did you get your product into retail stores?
  • How has Covid 19 impacted your business?
  • What mistakes have you made along the way?
  • What advice do you have for anyone looking to turn a great idea into a business?

Chris and his team have created a total blue ocean strategy.

They’ve built on volleyball and handball concepts that people are familiar with, but in bringing the two games together, they’ve effectively cancelled out the downsides of each.  And sure, the product can be copied, but the team’s recent investment in building the brand, registering trademarks and developing the community, show that this isn’t just a product, it is a movement.

Their job is now building the sport, not the product. It’s an interesting question to ask ourselves…Are we creating just another choice? Or are we creating something unique?

Go for 10x, not 10% growth.

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