Stephanie Chatt

If there’s one thing this journey has taught me, it’s that you are your own greatest advocate. Going through hard times alone forces a realization: you are the one who has to wake up every morning and decide to change your life. You have to be the one with the drive to succeed, even when the support you expected doesn't show up. I’ve learned to trust my own back, to fuel my own fire, and to be the primary driver of this brand’s success. It’s not just about fishing; it’s about the resilience it takes to build a life you're proud of.

The dream of working for yourself is real, but so is the pressure. In today’s economy, where you can’t be sure if your job will even exist tomorrow, the only thing you can truly rely on is your own drive. There are days when the world makes you feel crazy for chasing a big idea, but that’s exactly when you have to double down. I’m pouring my heart, soul, and every bit of my passion into this because I refuse to leave my family’s future in someone else’s hands. If you’re in the thick of it too: Don’t give up. Keep going. Believe in the fire that started this.

I would say give it your all, don't let anyone stop you, and you're gonna hear 100,000 no's, maybe, but you will hear some yeses, and you will get people to believe in you. If you're passionate about it, and I know it sounds cliche because I've heard it since I've grown up, just keep going and believe in yourself, because if anyone can do it, you can do it. And if it doesn't exist, then why can't it? People are always inventing these crazy, silly little things, and why can't you live that dream? Don't be dependent on anyone, except yourself.

The biggest challenge is the investing part of it all - how much money do you invest from yourself, do you take out business loans, do you go into debt over your dreams? When the Kickstarter didn't hit my funds in the first 24 hours, it hit me hard, I'm not gonna lie, because you have this dream, you have this passion, and you can see it working, but it doesn't always convert like that, just because I don't have the marketing and the audience that I need. It's very niche - you have to find those female anglers, that community of women. As for opportunities, once this takes off, I would hire my support team that got laid off from my last company. I'd bring those jobs back, and I feel like that would just be a circle of a story to tell. I'm also looking into affiliate marketing as an opportunity - if I'm going on the paddleboard or the kayak, why not drop the link below and try to push something like that.

Definitely family. Family number one. I'm a mom, my kids, family life, being present, putting the phone down, turning off the technology, being there for each other.