When brothers Greg and Chris and their friend Mike sat down one evening to reunite, they came up with the idea to create a product that is a 4-way volleyball game that merged traditional volleyball with 4 squares. They called it CROSSNET.
Greg kindly got back to me after I contacted him through twitter and answered some questions I had about the business.
Below are the answers to the questions I sent out to him.
What practical steps did you take when you first thought of the idea to make it a reality and a physical product?
We tested it in our backyard with two nets we bought from Walmart. We did a pretty rough demo and then invited friends over to play. After receiving feedback and playing for hours, we decided to bring it to life. We created one basic prototype and took it to the beach, the rest was history after we had a line of 20 kids waiting to play.
How did you come up with such a unique product idea?
We sat down on the couch one-night brainstorming ideas and products to create. Our team was looking to invent. It took less than 24 hours and a lot of ESPN reruns to make CROSSNET the last and best idea on the list. We wanted something that would change the world, something that people have never seen before.
Have you always been entrepreneurial, or what it just this idea that made you really want to start a business?
Yes, I always had a side hustle in entrepreneurship and starting businesses. From growing Twitter and Instagram pages to partnering with two other partners that would complete the puzzle, CROSSNET was a no brainer with our dynamic team.
What would be 3 of your top tips for someone looking to start a business?
- Find something that will be useful.
- If you’re young and don’t have money, work a job to gain capital. But make sure you’re working every hour you can during that job and after on your business. Don’t be scared to get fired (lol) if you know what your goals are!
- Don’t be scared to take risks in your business. Hesitation and being scared in any situation can mess you and your plan up. If you see something working, don’t be afraid to scale that until it doesn’t work anymore.
How did you build a mindset for success when starting the business?
I think the mindset of success came from the gate. The three of us knew what we needed to do and we got to work. Holding each other accountable has made us strong and grow as a business and individuals. Success will come if you put in the work.
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