Advice Line with Steve Holmes of goba Sports Group
Springfree Trampoline founder Steve Holmes joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Steve’s tariff navigation guidance for businesses manufacturing products outside of the U.S.
First we meet Ikechukwu in Maryland, who’s trying to lean into a core demographic without alienating customers from his activewear brand. Then Cody in Nevada, who’s building a year-round advertising strategy for a largely seasonal product: DEET-free bug repellant. And Kenesha in Ontario, who’s looking to maintain the momentum of a viral moment for her Caribbean-inspired chocolate.
Thank you to the founders of Veii Apparel, Grand Tongo, and One More Cocoa for being a part of our show.
If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298.
And be sure to listen to Springfree Trampoline’s founding story as told by Steve and the trampoline’s inventor Keith on the show in 2019.
This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Gilly Moon.
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Springfree Trampoline: Keith Alexander & Steve Holmes (2019)
In the late 1980s, a New Zealand engineer named Keith Alexander wanted to buy a trampoline for his kids. After his wife said they were too dangerous, Keith set out to design his own—a safer trampoline, without metal springs. He tinkered with and perfected the design over the course of a decade. But he was daunted by the challenge of bringing his invention to market; and he almost gave up. At that point Steve Holmes, a Canadian businessman, bought the patent to Keith's trampoline, and took a big risk to commercialize it. Since the start of the pandemic, sales of Springfree Trampolines doubled, and since their launch, the company has sold nearly 500,000 trampolines worldwide.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
How I Built Resilience: Live with Stewart Butterfield and Steve Holmes
Slack's co-founder Stewart Butterfield wonders what the future of work will look like for his 12 million customers. Springfree Trampoline's co-founder Steve Holmes says the company has seen a 300 percent increase in demand for its products. These conversations are excerpts from our How I Built Resilience series, where Guy talks online with founders and entrepreneurs about how they're navigating these turbulent times.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Springfree Trampoline: Keith Alexander & Steve Holmes
In the late 1980s, a New Zealand engineer named Keith Alexander wanted to buy a trampoline for his kids. After his wife said trampolines were too dangerous, Keith set out to design his own — a safer trampoline, without metal springs. He tinkered with and perfected the design over the course of a decade. But he was daunted by the challenge of bringing his invention to market — and he almost gave up. At that point Steve Holmes, a Canadian businessman, bought the patent to Keith's trampoline, and took a big risk to commercialize it. Today, Springfree Trampoline generates over $50 million in annual sales and has sold over 400,000 trampolines. PLUS in our postscript, "How You Built That," how Cyndi and Chris Hileman created a candle in a planter pot that can later be used to grow wildflowers.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.