This Aspect Hustle Highlight Q&A options Cristina Ashbaugh, 28, and Kelly McGee, 29, co-founders of the design-driven ski pole model Yardsale. The San Francisco-based duo’s enterprise noticed $100,000 in gross sales in its first month and $300,000 on the finish of its first yr (with a ski season of solely 4 months). Responses have been edited for size and readability.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Yardsale
What was your day job or major occupation once you began your facet hustle?
CA: I used to be the pinnacle of content material for a venture capital agency in San Francisco, the place I centered on serving to my agency’s common companions develop their funding theses and translate them into long-form written content material to draw founders. Earlier than that, I helped construct the content material advertising perform at Samsara, an IOT tech startup that went public throughout my time there.
KM: I beforehand labored at Apple as a product designer after which began a medical system firm in orthopedics. When Cristina got here to me with this concept, I informed her I may assistance on the weekends and nights.
When did you begin your facet hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?
CA: I began in March 2023 by sketching concepts down on a serviette, then onto paper. The inspiration for the product got here from my direct expertise as a lifelong skier. I all the time hated how ski poles have been so unruly to handle, in addition to how ugly they all the time have been. For a sport the place folks spend 1000’s of {dollars} on their gear, I felt like there have been no ski pole merchandise available on the market that individuals may really get enthusiastic about. Plus, there was no go-to model for poles. The market was fractured by legacy ski manufacturers that made poles as an affordable facet accent for the reason that bulk of their income got here from skis/boots or attire. I used to be impressed by Recess Pickleball’s method to constructing a product and model round pickleball and thought there wanted to be one thing related for ski poles: A go-to model for fantastically designed ski poles.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Yardsale
What have been a number of the first steps you took to get your facet hustle off the bottom?
CA: I relentlessly researched factories that I may have kick-off conversations with to see if anybody would even be fascinated by manufacturing this product for us. I had completely zero expertise in doing this however took full benefit of Google and ended up discovering the manufacturing facility that makes nearly all of the world’s ski poles in Asia.
I did numerous consumer research, which primarily consisted of reaching out to all the folks I knew who skied, and I requested them 1) if they might title the model of ski poles that they had and a pair of) if they might title a single factor they favored about them. Ninety p.c of individuals couldn’t keep in mind the title of the model of their poles (even those that had simply bought them), and 95% of individuals could not title one thing they favored about them. This was the primary product validation that I bought. (I made certain to not point out to them that I had this inkling of an concept or what I used to be engaged on in order that I bought untainted information.)
I additionally known as a ton of ski outlets and requested what sorts of poles they offered and what the principle causes have been for folks buying new poles. I discovered that almost all skiers went purely primarily based on colour as a result of there have been no differentiating elements amongst most poles. Throughout these calls, I additionally discovered that the gross sales associates at these shops hardly ever paid any consideration to promoting poles as a result of there have been nearly no selling points or differentiators among the many poles they offered. This was additionally extremely validating as a result of I knew that if we may construct a product with key differentiating elements, ski outlets can be motivated to carry them in as a result of they might promote extra of them.
On the model facet, I did numerous analysis into manufacturers I favored and why and regarded on the aggressive panorama throughout the ski business. I seen that almost all legacy ski manufacturers spoke solely to the aspirational skier, and everybody appeared to neglect leisure skiers. All of their marketing regarded equivalent — white snowscapes, skiers leaping off cliffs, and many others. and none of it felt relatable to a skier who cares extra about your entire expertise of snowboarding versus simply the act of going downhill.
What went into the event of the ski pole?
KM: We began with a tough prototype in our storage, the place we taped magnets onto some outdated poles simply to see if the idea would work. Then, we went right into a deep improvement cycle on all of the options in addition to the feel and appear we would need in our dream ski poles. This required a ton of design work and a bunch of 3D prints earlier than kicking off tooling and testing with our manufacturing companions.
The toughest a part of our design was not solely hiding the magnets contained in the handles and the hampers but additionally getting a producer to utterly rethink how a pole is assembled. For many years, ski poles have been shafts glued along with handles and baskets. For our utterly modular system, which permits prospects to combine and match, we would have liked to have each bit be created individually and seamlessly click on collectively, no matter what colour or mannequin you select. Nobody had ever finished this earlier than, so we spent many days on the manufacturing facility ground working by means of the complexity of the design and meeting.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Yardsale
What have been a number of the methods you used to generate consciousness and drive gross sales for the product?
CA: We needed to strive one thing that no different legacy ski manufacturers would do, so we invested in subway promoting in New York Metropolis for the months of November and December in 2023. It paid off for us! We bought inbound from REI, SKI Journal and different retailers who noticed our adverts in actual life and needed to study extra about our product and model.
As a small firm with a restricted funds, we have additionally stayed far-off from working with conventional influencers or skilled skiers, which most different ski manufacturers embrace. As a result of we deal with promoting to leisure skiers, we acknowledge that almost all common of us do not sustain with the X Games or know each scorching new professional skier. As a substitute, we deal with seeding our merchandise to common individuals who we predict will love the product and model and advocate it to their associates.
From the beginning, we additionally spent numerous time and power on earned media. Due to my background within the tech business, I knew tips on how to craft pitches and place our product to media. I cold-emailed tons of of editors earlier than we even had our product in hand. Then, we bought a chunk. The inbound from our first characteristic was astonishing, and we have been enormous proponents of earned media and public relations ever since.
How lengthy did it take you to see constant month-to-month income?
CA: Instantly. We discovered product-market fit virtually immediately and have been shocked that individuals instantly resonated with the product and the model.
How a lot did the facet hustle earn?
CA: We did $220,000 in our first three months in enterprise.
When did Yardsale’s potential to be a full-time enterprise develop into clear?
CA: Virtually instantly. After we launched, we weren’t certain if folks would care or resonate with our product/model, however after our tenth day packing orders all night time in Kelly’s basement, we knew we needed to stop our full-time, steady jobs and dive full-time into Yardsale. I used to be going into my workplace every single day on the time and packing orders all night time, which I knew can be unsustainable in the long term. We may have determined to grow the brand slowly, however we noticed a lot positivity and momentum that we needed to reap the benefits of it as rapidly as potential. Taking that dive enabled us to dedicate extra time and power to Yardsale.
What does progress and income appear like now?
CA: We have grown our DTC gross sales by 180% this season in comparison with final (our first season), and we’re increasing quick into wholesale, which we hope to show into 50% of our income within the subsequent two years. Now we have tons of inbound from different retailers.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Yardsale
What do you take pleasure in most about operating this enterprise?
CA: Every single day, we face utterly new challenges (and successes), so nothing is ever boring. It is probably the most energized I’ve ever felt (and probably the most careworn!), however it’s been life-changing for me to work on one thing that I began and personal as a result of I get to see the impacts of my work virtually instantly.
It is also so enjoyable and rewarding to get to work in an business the place we get to see our product in motion each time we go snowboarding. Simply this weekend, we have been in Deer Valley and noticed Yardsale poles in every single place. We stopped a couple of of us to ask them how they favored them, they usually all cherished them and have been so excited to inform us about their expertise. We do not get to ski an excessive amount of anymore (an excessive amount of work!), however once we do, these moments are so particular.
I additionally love building this brand and enterprise with considered one of my closest associates. We have gotten to journey all around the world collectively and undergo so many firsts collectively on this enterprise and I am grateful to get to do it with somebody like Kelly.
KM: For me personally, it is uncommon that you simply actually get to expertise true product-market fit. Once you make a product the place a buyer goes, “Wow, why hadn’t anybody considered that earlier than?” it means you have actually discovered one thing distinctive. These aha moments are what we try for in our design rules, and we’re so excited to take that considering past poles within the years to come back.
Moreover, it is enjoyable to make merchandise that your family and friends can use. So many of us we all know are customers of our merchandise, and we’re in a position to really feel their pleasure each day they use them. They’re our greatest followers and our greatest check dummies.
What’s your recommendation for others hoping to begin profitable facet hustles or full-time companies of their very own?
CA: Ensure you’re making one thing distinctive and talking to an audience that wishes that product from you. Do all the analysis you’ll be able to earlier than leaping in to ensure you’ll have product-market match. It makes your life 100 occasions simpler than attempting to persuade somebody they want one thing that they do not actually need.
KM: Positively preserve your day job for those who can till you discover product-market fit! Upon getting it, then you’ll be able to scale accordingly. Moreover, particularly for a {hardware} firm, setting your sights on profitability ensures the long-term success of your small business. We have tried to remain as lean as potential and use distinctive advertising techniques to assist prospects uncover us and cut back our buyer acquisition prices. As soon as we get to be financially viable, we’re excited to develop the corporate from there, however till then, we’re not sleeping a lot!
