Summary
Welcome to another episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast!
In this episode, Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Matthew Ward are joined by Etienne Bernier of Kreezee Sports. Etienne is an ex-firefighter from Quebec City that used his entrepreneurial spirit to solve a problem he was facing while managing an adult hockey league. He and his business partner built Kreezee Sports to help you manage your amateur sports club, league, or tournament. Tune in to hear about Etienne’s unique entrepreneurial journey!
Shownotes
(1:31) Introducing Etienne and Kreezee Sports
(5:38) How Etienne’s background affected his entrepreneurship
(9:02) Kreezee Sports and COVID
(13:29) Quebec’s startup scene
(16:18) Customer acquisition
(20:59) What does future success look like?
(23:59) What sets Kreezee Sports apart
(26:52) Advice for the younger self
Links
Quotes
“If you’re the leader of the company, you have to take the punches. And maybe that’s the relation between business and hockey. I think in business it takes a lot of courage and you have to never give up. I mean, you are facing a lot of [challenges].” (7:43)
“I think the dark side of COVID with our business is that the traffic is very low on our websites, because we do provide websites to sports clubs, leagues, and tournaments. So yeah, the traffic has been very low since COVID happened because a lot of leagues are shut down for the entire season.” (10:10)
“Obviously we started with a small [tournament], but having that customer in our portfolio gave us a great showcase, and then a lot of people joined us because the credibility was there because of that customer. So that’s one of the main reasons why we got into the US market so fast. Then we grew a lot, because when you have big names using your software, it’s way easier to get new customers to join a new software.” (18:35)
Managing Sports Leagues Like a Pro with Etienne Bernier of Kreezee Sports
Many people change industries throughout their careers, but going from firefighter to tech entrepreneur sticks out as a rarity. Etienne Bernier made this transition in the early 2010s with his business, Kreezee Sports. The company is a one-stop-shop to help you manage your sports club, league, or tournament.
Etienne’s career isn’t as simple as a single industry change. He studied business administration for two years in college but decided to make a life change and became a professional firefighter in Quebec City after three years at a firefighter academy in Montreal.
Later, a friend called Etienne and asked him to join a web development company in Ottawa. For seven years, Etienne worked in various roles for his friend’s business during his days off as a firefighter. Eventually, working five hours from his family wore him down, and he left the company.
In 2013, Etienne found himself frustrated over a lack of functional and affordable tools available to him while playing in and managing an adult hockey league. His entrepreneurial spirit inspired him to solve the problem and create a solution. He called a web developer buddy from high school to see if he would join in on the venture.
Together, they launched a beta for a few customers in 2014. The business progressed from its free platform to now having eight different plans to choose from.
Etienne credits some of his entrepreneurial intellect to his experience in unrelated industries. First, his time as a firefighter makes the stress he deals with as a business owner feel minimal. After all, making tough business decisions pales in comparison to the pressure of saving someone’s life.
Secondly, Etienne’s time playing hockey prepared him to take a beating as a business owner. He claims he spent quite a bit of time in the penalty box for fighting, and that built up his courage to deal with difficult decisions today.
“If you’re the leader of the company, you have to take the punches. And maybe that’s the relation between business and hockey. I think in business it takes a lot of courage and you have to never give up. I mean, you are facing a lot of [challenges].” (7:43)
While COVID has had an unmistakable impact on Kreezee Sports, the business was supported by a round of funding it raised in 2019. The pandemic’s impact on the sports industry has been significant. Without the time and budget to plan for COVID-safe events, plenty of leagues and tournaments were canceled over the last year.
“I think the dark side of COVID with our business is that the traffic is very low on our websites, because we do provide websites to sports clubs, leagues, and tournaments. So yeah, the traffic has been very low since COVID happened because a lot of leagues are shut down for the entire season.” (10:10)
In terms of growth and customer acquisition, Etienne knows you have to get lucky to reach a certain level of success. He and his business partner started by reaching out to local contacts and bringing in customers around Quebec. Word spread about their platform, and they were able to sign on a few other small tournaments and leagues.
They worked with Montreal Meltdown, a youth hockey tournament with an excellent reputation, to manage their website. Through this tournament, Etienne was put in contact with the CEO of Legacy Global Sports, one of the leaders in the United States’ youth sports industry. Kreezee Sports took over one of their smaller tournaments, and they used the opportunity to prove their worth to an untapped US market.
“Obviously we started with a small [tournament], but having that customer in our portfolio gave us a great showcase, and then a lot of people joined us because the credibility was there because of that customer. So that’s one of the main reasons why we got into the US market so fast. Then we grew a lot, because when you have big names using your software, it’s way easier to get new customers to join a new software.” (18:35)
Are you interested in learning more about Kreezee Sports or utilizing their platform? Check out their website!
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