Aug. 13, 2025

Glamping on WHEELS? The story behind Sandy Vans and building a $350K van (Founder Story)

Send us a text Hear the secrets behind Sandy Van's meteoric rise in the luxury adventure van market. We are joined by Alan Mondus CEO and Evan Purcell COO as they share their journey from building vans in their driveway to building a $350K luxury adventure vehicles. Learn more on the Sandy Vans website or instagram. Sponsor: Sage Outdoor Advisory is the outdoor hospitality industry leader in feasibility studies and appraisals. Schedule a complimentary consultation wit...

Show Notes
Transcript

Send us a text

Hear the secrets behind Sandy Van's meteoric rise in the luxury adventure van market. We are joined by Alan Mondus CEO and Evan Purcell COO as they share their journey from building vans in their driveway to building a $350K luxury adventure vehicles.

Learn more on the Sandy Vans website or instagram.

Sponsor: Sage Outdoor Advisory is the outdoor hospitality industry leader in feasibility studies and appraisals. Schedule a complimentary consultation with the Sage team at sageoutdooradvisory.com.

The Glamping Insider (Nick's newsletter)

Shari's email: heilala@sageoutdooradvisory.com
Connor's email: schwab@sageoutdooradvisory.com
Nick's email: nick@posh-outdoors.com

WEBVTT

00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:13.439
Welcome back to another episode of the Unique Hospitality Podcast.

00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:21.920
And I have to say, I think out of all the episodes I've recorded on this podcast, this might be the one I'm most excited for, the one that I think will be the most fun.

00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:33.119
I've been kind of waiting for my opportunity to ask Nick to let me do this one because it's a little bit outside of glamping, but I think uh I think we can do a nice spin and basically say it's uh it's glamping on wheels.

00:00:33.119 --> 00:00:41.600
And this episode uh I'm joined by Alan Mondis and Evan Purcell, uh two good friends of mine and also business partners.

00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:51.600
Um we they're the founders, or we're there's six founders behind Sandy Vans, and uh we basically uh I wanted a chance to get the Sandy Van story.

00:00:51.600 --> 00:01:09.760
Um it's been quite on quite a uh exciting and meteoric journey since uh since the company was started four or so years ago, and I thought it'd be there'd be a lot of good business learnings for any type of entrepreneur and broadly in the outdoor space, in the outdoor adventure space.

00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:12.239
And so uh yeah, Alan and Evan, welcome to the show.

00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:14.079
Thanks for having us on, Connor.

00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:15.599
Yeah, excited to be here.

00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:17.120
Thanks for finally making this happen.

00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:25.680
We've you know uh heard about the podcast, know you've been uh working on this for a while now and excited to finally be uh yeah, to be here with you and talk about Sandy Vans.

00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:37.359
All right, well, I wanted to start with something fun, and that is you guys, all of your vans have names, um, and they're usually related to action heroes or movie stars.

00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:45.439
Can you can you tell us maybe what's some of your personal favorites that you've come up with or any favorites that some of your customers have come up with?

00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:56.319
Yeah, I think uh that whole thing started with you, Connor, actually, why we did the uh the names, because you came with me to look at my very first van that I bought.

00:01:56.319 --> 00:01:59.680
It was a 1990 Ford E350.

00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:08.080
It was uh yeah, it was an old school beat-up rundown van, and uh you looked at it, and and what did you say, Connor?

00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:10.080
Oh my god, what is his name?

00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:11.759
Um, why can't I think of it?

00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:15.120
I actually wasn't trying to tee myself up as the person who forgot this.

00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:15.520
I forgot.

00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:19.039
This is what kicked off the whole thing, and then we'll actually answer the question.

00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:20.639
Van Zell Washington.

00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:22.319
Van Zell Washington.

00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:26.080
You looked at it, you're like, this just gives me Van Zell Washington vibes.

00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:29.039
It just feels like Vanzel, like or Denzel, Washington.

00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:41.599
And then look back at you was like Van Zell Washington, and that name stuck with that van and then carried over into Sandy Vans uh that we just had to come up with funny names for all the vans.

00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:43.039
Um that's been great.

00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:45.439
Yeah, and the the customers have have loved it.

00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:51.280
It's always been something that's uh caught attention, whether it's been on a listing or on our website.

00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:55.520
Uh, and then one of the favorite ones we did was um Hugh Jack Van.

00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:58.560
And it had a Wolverine type theme.

00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:10.560
It was when we were also uh developing new lighting features, and this one had like three lights, LEDs that were going at kind of like this zigzag and looked like a you know Wolverine mark on a on a ceiling.

00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:31.280
So uh so yeah, it's been fun to incorporate different design elements, you know, with the names or get customers involved in naming their own van and uh and having a little fun with uh yeah, what what really is uh an exciting, uh adventurous toy to get out there and you know experience the outdoors and have a fun name to drive around and call it.

00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:36.159
I I think my my favorite was uh uh Vangelina Jolie.

00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:36.560
Yes.

00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:39.280
And this is one of the first vans that we had built.

00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:53.840
And to all the trade shows we'd go to, we had this little placard with a Tomb Raider photo of Angelina Jolie that Vangelina Jolie that went with the van was attached to it, and uh it got just so many chuckles and great reactions from from all of our customers.

00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:59.199
And uh we haven't leaned into them quite as hard as we did at the at the beginning, uh, but that was my favorite.

00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:01.759
Yeah, it actually at first we had bobbleheads too.

00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:09.199
Oh, the free van and khaki van and little bobbleheads and yeah, they included with the purchase of every van.

00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:12.879
So we definitely gotta bring that back.

00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:14.560
I forgot about the bobbleheads.

00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:15.360
Oh man.

00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:17.199
Yeah, Vangelina Jilly.

00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:18.399
That was the first Joe Van.

00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:19.920
That was a good looking van.

00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:20.879
It was well named.

00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:21.199
Yeah.

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Um still on our uh on our homepage.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:26.079
Yeah.

00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:34.639
And uh I think I heard of one that you guys had a customer name called Obi Van Kenobi, and I thought, oh as a Star Wars nerd, I thought that one was pretty good.

00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:39.120
And the the lighting with the Star Wars themed and the lightsabers in the van was pretty sick.

00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:41.040
That was such a such a fun project.

00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:48.879
And like Alan said, it's really cool when we get the opportunity to um to attach a name to a van and then carry that theme throughout the design in it.

00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:56.319
And so this customer loves Star Wars, and so we got to build them a uh a lightsaber entryway that had a motion detector.

00:04:56.319 --> 00:05:06.079
So when you opened the slider door, it detected that that door was opening, and in your entry step, there was a blue lightsaber that would then light up and you'd have the beam extend through it.

00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:08.319
And then we we should have done the sound.

00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:10.879
So this was a missed opportunity there.

00:05:10.879 --> 00:05:15.040
Uh and then we had these galaxy panels for the ceiling lighting, which is really, really cool.

00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:19.519
It was a challenging one to figure out how to make it all work, uh, but it came out so well.

00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:21.839
It was a really cool beautiful one of my favorite bands we've done.

00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:22.160
Yeah.

00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:23.360
Oh, love that.

00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:23.839
All right.

00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:29.040
Well, maybe you guys could just give us a quick overview of like where is Sandy Vans at today as a business.

00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:31.199
Well, here it is, right here in Miramar.

00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:32.639
We're down in San Diego.

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Uh, we're at our headquarters, uh, a really uh exciting space, 12,000 square feet uh in Miramar.

00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:47.199
And uh Sandy Vans out of San Diego, you're not having the right adventure unless you got a little bit of sand in that van.

00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:52.079
Uh so that's where the name comes from, from the location and use case.

00:05:52.079 --> 00:06:00.160
Uh and uh yeah, we've been in this facility now for uh almost two years, 18 months or so uh before that, down in Chula Vista.

00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:05.839
And before that, Evans Driveway, actually, you know, you guys both lived at that house on Gallison back in the day.

00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:16.240
So uh yeah, obviously have you know made a journey through locations, and now we're at uh 22 full-time employees plus uh a number of contractors.

00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:27.199
So uh over 30 individuals working on this business uh day in and day out uh and building three vans per month, uh, as well as a full suite of products.

00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:39.839
So there's a few different divisions uh within the the company now, and uh each division you know growing with regards to you know revenue and uh and just responsibilities over the the products and the personnel.

00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:46.319
So um yeah, on track to to do uh $5 million in revenue this year, and this will be the the fourth year of operation.

00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:46.959
Amazing.

00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:48.800
What does one of these vans go for?

00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:50.079
Like what's the price range?

00:06:50.480 --> 00:07:00.879
We started about 129, uh, and then that ranges up to um on our 144, which is the small wheelbase, uh, to about 200 fully optioned out.

00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:18.240
And then recently this year, uh, we had a really exciting project uh called the Concrete Oasis, which is actually a collaboration we did uh with Edn and Nicole, who run Ananda Living Experiences, and they do um high-end boutique designs, and they've done that in a couple different vans.

00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:25.759
And we were able to take the one that they had done, the Concrete Oasis, that had gone viral on the internet, and actually turn that into a limited series.

00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:28.480
Uh, and so now we're producing a limited run of those.

00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:33.120
Uh, and so that's getting up to the upper end on our price point, and that one starts at 300.

00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:36.480
Yeah, and that's uh such an exciting opportunity.

00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:43.040
And if you go on the website of Instagram, you can see some amazing uh you know photos and videos of the concrete away.

00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:53.839
So it's it's probably you know in the top 1% of uh luxury and uh quality craftsmanship builds that you that exist you know in the US of custom sprinter van builds.

00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:55.439
So it's top, top tier.

00:07:55.439 --> 00:08:01.839
Um super exciting for for both uh uh Inan Nicole and and Sandy Vans, that partnership.

00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:04.480
And we'll maybe we'll dive into that a little bit more later.

00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:15.360
But um maybe we could back up a little bit and just uh you could tell uh maybe Alan will start with you and just give us a little bit of your background how you got into how you got into Sandy Vans.

00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:18.639
Yeah, yeah, that's um that's a journey.

00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:23.199
I mean it basically, you know, entrepreneurship and uh you know, starting our own company.

00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:27.519
I was involved in a products company in 2017, launched on Kickstarter.

00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:31.120
Uh it was a coaster company, actually, of all things, called the Barnacle Coaster.

00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:40.240
And it was something like an idea that uh, you know, a friend had, and and we decided to develop this product and launch it uh on Kickstarter and had great success.

00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:57.279
Uh the Barnacle, Barnacle Coaster, it basically stops those condensation rings, those pesky condensation rings on your on your coffee table, uh, you know, from your iced coffees, and and yeah, had some success with that and uh really enjoyed you know the process and and uh you know launching a product and starting a brand.

00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:09.279
Um and that was on the side of the day job, which had always been in you know different sales and marketing roles, uh, and was working in the medical device um manufacturing uh world for many years.

00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:16.240
Uh and during COVID, the company I was working for got acquired and and kind of left me at a crossroads of what's next.

00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:22.480
Uh so uh got in a van of my own, actually, and uh a built-out 2013 uh sprinter.

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We called it Van Diesel.

00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:26.320
They always had that, they all have a name.

00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:33.440
And so uh I was on a trip up uh up to Oregon and hey, ran into to this guy.

00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:43.360
Obviously, all of us are friends through uh many different you know paths, but uh a core uh I think to the friend group activity-wise is kiteboarding, kite surfing.

00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:52.879
And so we were up in Hood River, the Columbia Gorge, and and cruising around there and doing um, yeah, as much kite surfing as we could that summer, four summers ago, actually, right now, I think.

00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:59.279
Uh and and yeah, Evan uh had built out that van that we already talked about, Van Zell.

00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:01.600
Uh, and so he was he was out of that band.

00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:35.279
And so we, yeah, we were van camping, adventuring and kite surfing, and and on that trip, you know, starting to see during you know COVID the opportunity that there was in the Class B van space, how uh accessible it it made um, you know, the band made getting to all the activities that I love to do or that we love to do, um, you know, surfing and kiting and biking and you know, anything, you know, being closer to where you're adventure and then having a home base right when you're done with your adventure to wash your gear off and make some food and have a beer with friends and talk about the amazing session on the water.

00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:46.159
Uh it just yeah, it was like that moment uh that really, you know, uh opened the door to me, uh to my eyes, to like what the vans are capable of and looking more at the space.

00:10:46.159 --> 00:10:53.440
Honestly, Evan, being a product engineer, and we'll get to his story, you know, kind of came up with some ideas about products on that trip.

00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:57.600
And it was kind of like that energy of the trip, it's like, well, let's do it right now, you know.

00:10:57.600 --> 00:10:59.200
And Evan's like, oh, we could build that.

00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:04.159
And so we had this idea for a storage box on the back of the vans that no one was really doing at the time.

00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:11.120
And so all the kite surfing gear, instead of throwing it in the van or on top of the van, it's like, oh, we need a you know, a place to put this on the rear side of the van.

00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:19.039
And so I went to, you know, one of Evan's friends' shop and uh shops and uh manufacturing facilities in Idaho and and made a prototype.

00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:24.240
And on the rest of that trip throughout the Pacific Northwest, there were a lot of people going, hey, where did you get that?

00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.879
And that was the moment that I think spun into you know the idea of Sandy Bands.

00:11:29.440 --> 00:11:30.080
There's something here.

00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:31.360
Yeah, exactly.

00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:32.159
Exactly.

00:11:32.799 --> 00:11:34.320
All right, how about you, Eve?

00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:41.600
Um, so like Alan said, my background's in uh product design, manufacturing, engineering.

00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:49.200
Um and so I actually did uh I've done done a couple different different business ventures and startups in the past.

00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:59.279
Um and I don't know if you guys remember this, but I actually I moved up to Colorado, I left my own gas job, moved up to Colorado to start doing engineering and product design.

00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:04.320
I had all of my possessions in my truck, and then met you guys the first night I got in Colorado.

00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:08.000
Breaking ridge, yeah.

00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:10.320
Then we started our first business that night.

00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:11.519
Our very first business.

00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:17.360
So we all had been, yeah, I've been drinking for a while, came in strong.

00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:19.440
We all all drank probably more than we should have.

00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:23.840
Well, yeah, you won the test every martini.

00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:29.039
Yeah, the difference between every martini because one of the members of the crew didn't know the difference.

00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:30.080
I didn't know the difference.

00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:42.960
It was an educational experiment, which led us to our first business venture, which at dinner that night, I think we realized your girlfriend at the time, Connor, um, was big in the crypto space.

00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:45.200
And so she was talking about all these NFTs and cryptos.

00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:52.000
I'm like, hey, I don't know what any of that is, but we could buy the domains and sell the website domains.

00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:52.559
Right, right.

00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:54.960
And so we punched all of them in and we got on GoDaddy.

00:12:54.960 --> 00:13:00.159
We started buying web domains for crypto dragons and all sorts of crypto Google.

00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:04.159
And uh I remember passing the phone around, guys.

00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:06.799
We got to make sure this is all spelled right and everybody at the table check it.

00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:07.679
Yep, yep, that's right.

00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:08.320
Okay, perfect.

00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:09.679
Purchase, purchase.

00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:12.799
And then we're genies for the rest of the trip.

00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:14.720
Had an amazing ski trip together.

00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:19.600
Uh, and you know, that's the start of a fantastic friendship with uh with the two of you gentlemen.

00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:27.120
Uh and then I remember at the end of the trip, we're driving down to the airport, and we uh we remembered that we had purchased these domains.

00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:34.320
We needed to check and we hop on, and we see one of our domains that we had purchased three nights before for $12 is now selling for $10,000.

00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:35.919
It's like, guys, we did it.

00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:38.960
Yeah, we just paid for the ski trip and uh you know, I don't know.

00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:39.600
I didn't list it.

00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:40.240
Did you list it?

00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:42.240
How did we get this listed for $10,000?

00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:47.120
And then we went into our account and realized we had misspelled every single domain that we had purchased.

00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:52.320
We had not spelled one of them correctly, and we'd misspelled them all in different ways.

00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:52.960
That's right.

00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:55.360
Yeah, the martinis worked big one that night.

00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:56.399
Yeah, definitely.

00:13:56.399 --> 00:14:02.559
Um, so anyways, um that was kind of the start of my uh my career.

00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:08.879
In uh in entrepreneurship uh product design.

00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:24.799
I ended up going um doing product design consulting for individuals, and that led me up to Cordelaine, Idaho, uh, where I did hypersonics engineering, uh was employee number one for a small business up there, um, sending things up into space and using hypersonics to break rock.

00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:32.799
Um while doing that, um, I saw Alan over here launch this Kickstarter that he had mentioned earlier.

00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:34.879
He's like, hey, I think I can do that.

00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:36.000
I know how to design products.

00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:39.600
I don't know anything about sales or business, but I know products.

00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:50.320
Um and so I ended up uh kicking off a business called Nobo Pets, uh, had designed a leash, got a few different patents on it, uh, called up Alan, said, hey, how do I do this Kickstarter thing?

00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:54.399
Um, got that kicked off and ended up doing well on Kickstarter.

00:14:54.399 --> 00:15:00.080
And then uh realized I had to go fulfill it and actually do a little bit more than just design the product.

00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:03.279
So I called you up, Connor, and said, hey, how do we do sales?

00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:07.200
And uh and we got involved in that and um we were doing great.

00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:18.639
It's rocking and rolling uh until the injection molding company uh that we had spent $20,000 on an injection mold with uh ended up getting bought out.

00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:22.000
And so we ended up going through a lot of issues with being able to get our product produced.

00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:24.080
So we ran out of product to sell.

00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:36.159
And in that limbo period is when we decided to go on this van trip, linked up with Alan, and uh had a business with no product, uh, but still the entrepreneur appetite.

00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:39.759
And uh so that's when the the idea for Sandy Vans came about.

00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:44.399
Uh and getting back from that trip, it was it was full court press on Sandy Vans.

00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:50.320
And um, you know, Nobus still exists and floats around, but no real effort going into that.

00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:51.679
No time.

00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:52.639
Yeah, no time.

00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:52.960
Yeah, yeah.

00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:55.840
Sandy time is a full full-time job and a half.

00:15:56.159 --> 00:15:58.960
I didn't know that you talked to Alan about the Kickstarter.

00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:00.399
I didn't I didn't notice that connection.

00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:01.679
Oh, that's too funny.

00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:03.919
Um, so what what would you guys say?

00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:17.039
You know, I think it's interesting when you listen to some other entrepreneurial podcasts like how I built this, like you, you know, you see that a lot of folks who uh you know hit it big on a company, they've usually had a couple uh swings at bats that they've done before.

00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:27.200
You guys both did, you know, barnacle coasters and no bo pets and you had some uh and crypto dragons um and you know a couple other swings at you know small business and entrepreneurship, I guess.

00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:32.639
What lessons did you take forward from those um that that you applied to Sandy Vans or maybe helped you with that?

00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:33.120
Uh-huh.

00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:34.320
You know, maybe there's two.

00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:43.039
One would be like what informed your opportunity selection where it's like, oh, the Sandy Vans is a good idea, this is a good business venture, and then maybe from like an executing standpoint.

00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:51.919
Yeah, um, from my perspective, it was you know, Barnacle was a yeah, like you say, great first swing and it and it was a uh a product, right?

00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:54.080
It wasn't really uh a business.

00:16:54.080 --> 00:17:03.840
So there's a great learning opportunity where you know, I think everyone in America you're kind of brought up with that idea where you can uh that's a million-dollar product right there, right?

00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:09.680
And and and that's kind of like uh that's that's that mindset is just, you know, and that opportunity does exist, right?

00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:31.200
But it's more than that if you're trying to make one product and then sell it to a company that already has the established, you know, like like Evan said, all the other things in business, the supply chain, the sales, the customer feedback, the um um, yeah, the packaging and shipping and all those all those other hurdles that it take, that it takes to have a successful company.

00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:42.559
And so um, you know, we were looking to to start a brand from a product and from uh from a coaster of all products, which was uh a tall task.

00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:54.480
Uh and and then also in there was uh two other partner, business partners I had in that uh journey, and um, but Barnacle still exists, and you can you know buy them on on the way uh online right now today.

00:17:54.480 --> 00:18:00.240
Uh, but what happened was you know, in trying to go down that journey, entrepreneurship is a very difficult path.

00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:15.359
It's a very difficult thing to decide that you want to do, and you have to um be willing to yeah, to to to climb every you know mountain and and and really you know keep charging uh and have um you know persistency in this journey.

00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:18.720
And and it really takes uh a core team.

00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:24.240
And that's what I found out about, you know, that was a side project that working for fun with you know others.

00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:30.880
And so um, and and everyone had their own jobs and their own careers and their own lives, and and our lives took us to different locations.

00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:38.160
We were all in San Diego and wanted to end up, you know, work moving to Houston to uh also, you know, work on things that were going into space.

00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:42.480
He he worked for NASA and uh and then the other one moved to Orange County and had a family.

00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:46.480
And so that core team, you know, started to uh move to different locations.

00:18:46.480 --> 00:19:01.440
And and so what I found when I was going into Sandy Vans and going into the next entrepreneurship type of journey was all right, a team is so important to bring different skill sets to the table and really uh you know work with people that that you trust and know are gonna have your back.

00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:11.599
And uh and I think uh you know, I think partnerships get a really bad rap in the business community because it's it's tough to be on the same page for a long time uh in business.

00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:16.960
So uh sooner or later you're gonna have different conflicts and you're gonna have different you know things come up.

00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:28.480
But if you have uh a team, a core team that you know truly has you know friendship and uh and trust and the same type of vision in mind, uh, it's going to go further quicker, uh, in my mind.

00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:44.640
And so that's what I learned in that uh that short snit or that you know kind of uh side hustle project from from Barnacle and really going into uh Sandy Vans with that open mind of uh coming together with a really awesome team to the leadership team to make something happen quick.

00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:46.480
Yeah.

00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:53.119
I think um man, there's so many, so many learnings from every step that you take.

00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:58.160
Um and uh you know, first thing was right, Crypto Dragons spell things correctly.

00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:09.279
Uh the real lesson that I think I took, the biggest one from Nobo Pets, uh, was there's so many different risks that you take on uh when you start a business.

00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:13.519
Um and so coming into Sandy Vans, there was a couple risks that I didn't want to take.

00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:18.559
Um, one of which being um having a uh a supplier risk.

00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:23.119
And so with that business, we had one supplier that controlled everything.

00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:38.400
And if they got bought out, disappeared, uh all of a sudden we couldn't get our product and now had to shift things, and it caused so many issues within the business that caused this little loss of momentum, and then you know, lost some momentum in myself as well to steer into another big business venture.

00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:46.480
Um, so that's been a big one in Sanity Vans is there is no vendor risk that we have within the business.

00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:50.559
Every single product we have, there are multiple vendors that we can get that from.

00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:55.119
Um every time we send something out for quote, it's going out to multiple people.

00:20:55.119 --> 00:21:05.440
And anything that that we can't control or trust a single vendor to uh to be able to handle for us, we bring that in-house and we control it ourselves.

00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:12.079
Um so I think that was probably my biggest learning and and takeaway uh is you're the owner of your own destiny.

00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:15.119
Uh, and so you need to figure out which ones are most important for you to control.

00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:15.920
I love it.

00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:21.359
Was there uh was there like a why behind creating Sandy Vans?

00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:23.279
It came from passion, honestly.

00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:33.759
Um, you know, we both were out on van trips in our own vans because it was a conduit or tool to be able to allow us to go do the things that brought us the most joy.

00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:38.400
Um, you know, in that particular trip, we were out kit surfing and just chasing the wind.

00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:57.759
Uh, and there really isn't a better way to be able to do that than having a van where you have all of your gear with you and you can just in an instant up and move and chase whatever it is with the swell conditions, the wind conditions, um, and having that access to be able to go do these hobbies and adventures, go down to Baja and chase surf.

00:21:57.759 --> 00:21:59.680
I mean, and and be in the middle of nowhere.

00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:03.039
There are no hotels out in some of those spots, there's no Airbnbs.

00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:07.519
Um, and just having uh yeah, being able to have that access is incredible.

00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:15.839
So I know for me it was something that I was passionate about uh and something that could really connect with all of our customer base on.

00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:25.839
Yeah, I think you know, as you get older and you're just looking for more of the whys in in life, and I think uh community is so important.

00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:44.559
Uh this was uh a time in life where there was a break for myself when it came to work, and it was uh nice to have that and nice to have flexible and freedom to spend some time in a van and being out in nature and being with you know incredible friends and and community and doing the things uh I love to do.

00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:50.240
Uh and so I think this vehicle literally you know allows you to get out and feel more alive.

00:22:50.240 --> 00:23:07.759
So that's that's kind of the essence of what Sandy Vans is trying to capture is that that feeling of being alive, whether it's you know being with your community on uh a unique uh kayaking trip in the middle of nowhere or down surfing through Baja, which we had an amazing experience when we kicked this company off.

00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:24.960
We brought 18 people down through Baja with the first couple of vans we built and uh and and you know, chased wind waves and uh awesome swell and and just had uh bonfires on you know uh desolate cliffs in the middle of nowhere and uh and had a really unique experience.

00:23:24.960 --> 00:23:29.039
And and that's what these you know, these vehicles, Sandy Vans, is able, you know, to provide.

00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:34.000
And I've actually got a great photo right right behind here in the lobby of that first trip.

00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:37.440
It's a sunset van and uh and a surfboard in hand.

00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:37.920
Yeah.

00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:44.240
Oh man, uh maybe at the end of the episode we'll have you guys give us a little tour of the dream factory that you're sitting in right now.

00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:48.160
If you're watching it on video, you can see otherwise you can go see some stuff on their website.

00:23:48.160 --> 00:24:05.039
Yeah, um maybe maybe you could walk us through the uh like how how how did you like raise money for this business and maybe through like your first two vans, Jackie Van and Morgan Freevan, and like the you know, the first six months of being a business.

00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:07.039
You know, that's probably always the most exciting part.

00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:07.920
Like, what was that like?

00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:14.559
Yeah, I think kind of going back to the first question of some of the learnings we had from previous business ventures, that was another one.

00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:15.759
I talked about risk.

00:24:15.759 --> 00:24:19.839
Um, was figuring out what I was willing to risk and what risks I didn't want to take.

00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:27.200
And coming into this one, um, I didn't want to risk my own personal capital um on this this business venture.

00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:40.799
So once Alan and I decided that this is something we were gonna pursue, uh, we went to build the right team, like Alan had mentioned, uh, and then also to find the cash um that we needed to be able to get the business kicked off.

00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:47.039
Um and so we went to to uh our closest friends uh is where we started, going to friends and family.

00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:53.200
Uh we raised $140,000, um, which you know today's dollars of how much the business spends is nothing.

00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:55.599
Goodbye in a week.

00:24:55.599 --> 00:24:59.680
Um but uh that's what we needed to get kicked off.

00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:11.759
Uh and we set out, we had a pitch deck together, pitched our friends, um, said, hey, we need to raise $140,000 to build two vans and prove that there is uh an opportunity here and then build these couple products.

00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:14.480
Yeah, and we came back just full of energy, right?

00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:22.960
That trip was uh just ignited the the passion, the interest for the space, uh, and and just yeah, just excitement.

00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:25.039
We just thought, okay, this is this is it.

00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:26.640
Um, we just had this amazing trip.

00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:28.160
So we're coming off of this high.

00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:35.359
We built this prototype, you know, out of a shop, and then we're on a kite trip and got asked, hey, where did you get this?

00:25:35.359 --> 00:25:42.480
And in that moment was like, okay, there's energy, there's people that that want these products, there's not that much uh in the space right now.

00:25:42.480 --> 00:26:00.240
And so we came back, you know, on the way back, making a pitch deck and had kind of an A, B, C tiered list of individuals who we've come across who are were, you know, entrepreneur-minded or uh investors, or you know, individuals we, yeah, just high net worth individuals that we've come across in our own personal journey.

00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:02.880
Um, but first we're like, okay, let's go to our circle.

00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:07.440
We have this really tight-knit kiteboarding community that are good friends.

00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:18.960
And like, hey, let's so we had a pitch in my kitchen uh or living room and on my own screen, you know, TV, flat screen, and got it set up and brought, you know, five friends in.

00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:34.160
And and yeah, uh luckily, luckily enough, we were able to raise it, you know, within our community within that first pitch, and and that gave us more more motivation and uh and energy that we're on, you know, uh going the right way, uh, excitement that we're on the right path.

00:26:34.160 --> 00:26:47.039
And so uh, you know, from there, we you know, we kind of had it mapped out where there was uh 18 months, like this is where we were gonna budget that 140 grand, and we had a lot of different business paths, uh, three different prongs of the business.

00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:51.119
You know, Connor, you Sandy Van's experiences was involved in the original pitch.

00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:57.599
There was the van builds themselves, and then there were products, which is actually what the core of the company was uh gonna be based on.

00:26:57.599 --> 00:27:00.880
And uh, and as we got into it, those first six months, you're learning.

00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:11.599
We learned so much, of course, you know, and how you know, financing, and we didn't even think about like, oh, you know, being a dealer and and how you're gonna resell these vans or own these vans and the insurance and where do you park?

00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:18.000
You know, there's just so much you start to uncover when you don't know what you don't know, but that also ignorance is bliss because that helped.

00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:26.480
If you knew all the red tape and all the headaches that were gonna come, you know, there's a lot more hesitation, and we just went guns and blazing full on into the battle.

00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:32.880
Um, you know, just just saying, hey, we got optimistic mindset and uh and some energy moving us forward.

00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:57.359
So it took us, you know, clean into that first marketing trip, uh the first two builds, building those two vans out of your driveway in six weeks and not knowing what we're doing, also designing products, also, I mean, just working 20 hours a day and just living and breathing Sandy Vans uh and every you know new logo design and trying to come up with you know website creating at night when the sun's down while we're not building the vans.

00:27:57.359 --> 00:28:01.599
It was uh full on excitement, and so was the first marketing trip.

00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:07.279
And then our first van sale happening right away when we listed, you know, listed the van for sale.

00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:16.079
It just once again gave us another win and allowed that momentum to really carry carry forth um to to help you know get us to where we are today.

00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:18.960
Yeah, and I could maybe elaborate on that and chime in.

00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:37.680
And when when Evan and Alan came to the uh sat us down in in Alan's uh living room for the pitch, um you know, it was a a group of friends and a lot of really talented people with with different uh skill sets um and a lot of people who've been successful in their uh their previous uh ventures.

00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:40.640
And uh yeah, and and it was a really a dynamite team.

00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:54.720
And I remember when I was uh when I was listening to the pitch, I was like, all right, well, uh first and foremost, I believe in uh in Alan and Evan and the team they've assembled and their and their skill set and their just like track record of success that they're gonna get the job done.

00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:54.960
Uh-huh.

00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:59.039
And then the second piece was I really believed in the product and the problem that it was solving.

00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:04.720
You know, I work a lot in the RV space as well, and I really think that these operator vans, I don't think that they're just a fad.

00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:09.440
I think that they're uh solving a very real problem for changing customer preferences.

00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:09.759
Uh-huh.

00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:19.680
I think the days of you know wanting a 35-foot RV that's a bus that you know our grandparents drove around that you could put you know six kids in.

00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:23.359
I don't really think that's really the the direction the industry's headed.

00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:23.599
Uh-huh.

00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:52.559
And I think you have people that uh you know live in suburbia or that live in urban places and they want something uh uh that's smaller, that's minimalism, that's sleep, that's sexy, that allows them outdoor adventure, can get them to uh off the grid, hard-to-reach spaces, you know, vehicles that are all wheel drive and have lifted suspension um, you know, so they can get to really remote and outstanding places uh while still being able to drive into a city and go get lunch with their friends and be able to uh park their vehicle.

00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:59.920
Um and then the last thing is, you know, it's an industry that I really believe in that I think is going to continue to grow, and that's just outdoor adventure.

00:29:59.920 --> 00:30:03.039
And I think that's never going to stop growing.

00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:09.359
So, you know, that was a really big reason why I believed in these guys and put a little bit of that startup capital in.

00:30:09.359 --> 00:30:12.960
And I was also working with them part-time for the first six months.

00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:29.759
And then ultimately had to make the one of the toughest decisions of my life to choose whether to um continue working with Sage and do the glamping thing that I've been working on for three years or work uh continue to work with the Sandy Vans guys and ultimately made the the very tough choice to go with Sage.

00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:34.319
And I think it broke broke my heart, but but alas, here we are.

00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:36.319
And moving on from that.

00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:37.519
We're always here, Connor.

00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:38.480
You can come back.

00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:42.640
We got desk for you up too.

00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:44.079
The mega desk still exists.

00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:46.319
Wait, is it the same mega desk?

00:30:46.640 --> 00:30:48.319
The exact same same desk.

00:30:48.319 --> 00:30:50.400
Oh man.

00:30:50.400 --> 00:30:50.960
All right.

00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:55.759
So maybe get a little more color on the like first six first six months.

00:30:55.759 --> 00:30:57.519
So so they buy their first two vans.

00:30:57.519 --> 00:31:00.720
First of all, like what does it what does a new Mercedes Sprinter van cost?

00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:01.920
50,000.

00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:04.000
Yeah, 55, I think at the time.

00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:04.480
Yeah.

00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:06.480
For real rear-wheel drive we're getting.

00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:07.839
We haven't done a rear wheel drive in a minute.

00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:08.559
Yeah, long time.

00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:09.119
Yeah.

00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:14.240
And then basically, you guys were in the driveway of Evan and Evan and I's house.

00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:20.799
I remember looking out the window, and you guys are cutting holes in the van and starting to build the first prototypes.

00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:23.039
And as soon as it's finished, what do we do?

00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:25.279
But with like, oh, what's the first thing we're going to do?

00:31:25.359 --> 00:31:29.680
We're going to do on a thousand-mile road trip down through Baja with our brand new shiny product.

00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:32.400
Like walk us through that decision.

00:31:33.119 --> 00:31:34.799
Well, it was in the original pitch deck.

00:31:34.799 --> 00:31:36.400
It had to be done.

00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:43.920
It was part of, you know, so the but the marketing expense was a big chunk of that, not a big chunk, but a reasonable chunk of that 140,000.

00:31:43.920 --> 00:31:57.920
And luckily enough, we were able to kind of work with some uh you know partners within the industry that were family friends to help get the funding uh sorted out or straight away from the first two vans so we weren't putting the those huge chunks down for the vans.

00:31:57.920 --> 00:31:59.039
So that helped a lot.

00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:18.400
And then um and then yeah, we we led with marketing in mind because this is like everything you just mentioned, Connor, it's it's one of those opportunities to get you into unique places and they they photo so well the video that's captivating, and that that marketing is what really drove us to um you know to have this brand kick off as fast as it did.

00:32:18.400 --> 00:32:43.680
And this marketing trip, whether it was basically, you know, work like uh non-stop around the clock to build these first two vans and then go uh for six weeks down through Baja and hire a film crew um through the kyboarding community that we knew and build that first brand video and get the content that we need to launch uh the website and social media and everything to really kick off um the visuals behind what Sandy Vans was gonna stand for.

00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:53.759
So uh yeah, it was nerve-wracking and definitely a push to even make it happen and all like all these things coming together uh to have the right crew to join us.

00:32:53.759 --> 00:33:07.119
Uh so to get like 18 people together, even at any point in life, to head down to Baja was uh yeah, it was you know, really grateful for that time and that journey and for those individuals who jumped on board to come help make something really cool.

00:33:07.119 --> 00:33:11.680
And that brand video is on our YouTube, and it's it's really one of those things we're definitely proud of to this day.

00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:19.680
Yeah, and I think that that kind of goes into the the everyone bringing their own element to the team, you having a background in sales and marketing.

00:33:19.680 --> 00:33:26.319
Uh, and one of the big things you were really emphasizing at the beginning is like, hey, we need to be brand first and build a brand.

00:33:26.319 --> 00:33:30.960
Uh, and it takes content, it takes something that can be emotive to people.

00:33:30.960 --> 00:33:37.200
Uh, so we started out with that that trip to be able to have the right foundation to build that brand on.

00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:38.720
Uh, and it it shows today.

00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:47.200
I mean, we continued with that same mentality over the last four years, um, but it is it is cool to see um you know so many people out in Sandy Van swag.

00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:48.960
You know, or what's rule number one?

00:33:48.960 --> 00:33:50.160
Brand new friends.

00:33:50.160 --> 00:33:54.559
Um but I I hear it all the time.

00:33:54.559 --> 00:34:00.000
I get texts from friends all the time, like, man, I was wearing my Sandy Vans hat and complete stranger came up and said, Oh, Sandy Vans, I love those guys.

00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:02.720
I'm just seeing their YouTube videos or whatever it is.

00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:10.719
Um, and just hearing that so, so frequently because we've gone to such emphasis to be able to have this brand.

00:34:10.719 --> 00:34:30.880
Uh, and then that filters down into the community through our owners that we've bought as we set out to build this brand that shows the uh the action adventure, the types of things that you can go out and do with these vans, uh, and then bringing our owner group and customers into that community to be able to go out and do that and share that together.

00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:34.880
And we have a Facebook group where they're all posting and sharing their photos.

00:34:34.880 --> 00:34:41.920
Uh, and it just starts with that little catalyst uh on the brand, and now um it all lives through every one of our customers on the road.

00:34:42.159 --> 00:34:50.079
Yeah, we recently had a customer, it's a couple with four kids, and there's the six of them out, and they hit every state this summer in there.

00:34:50.079 --> 00:34:57.360
They started from here and just went throughout the entirety of the United States, and they got a pop top and they got the full cap.

00:34:57.360 --> 00:35:00.960
It's just such a cool and they've um posted about every day.

00:35:00.960 --> 00:35:05.679
And so it's been so fun to just like see these, you know, these stories, these customer journeys.

00:35:05.679 --> 00:35:18.400
Uh, and there's an insider, you know, Facebook uh community uh that they're all part of, and so they're sharing the stories and really starting to, yeah, just kind of build that community across you know the country with now 70 plus vans uh out there.

00:35:18.880 --> 00:35:19.760
I didn't know that.

00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:20.559
That is so cool.

00:35:20.559 --> 00:35:23.519
That should be its own Sandy Vans TV episode, right?

00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:26.320
Definitely we'll get to that.

00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:27.599
Yeah, yeah, right.

00:35:27.599 --> 00:35:33.360
So um it's so funny heading down to Baja, you know, in the first in the first two months.

00:35:33.360 --> 00:35:37.760
And one to kind of product test it and get a feel for your own products, you see what could be improved.

00:35:37.760 --> 00:35:47.280
Also to be brand first, get this content, also to you know, feel alive and go go, you know, really sink into the reason that we started the company was to get people out there.

00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:57.679
Um and yeah, we we hired through you know um Kiding and Hood River a really talented group of videographers who came with us and we let them uh borrow a van for free.

00:35:57.679 --> 00:36:00.880
And they basically did a super high quality episode with the van.

00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:02.880
And it was a really, really strong start.

00:36:02.880 --> 00:36:08.400
And you guys have always constantly been brand forward, and maybe we'll get into kind of Sandy Van's TV stuff in a little bit.

00:36:08.480 --> 00:36:14.400
But um yeah, definitely shout out to Jackson Lepsack and the Siccos, they've absolutely blown up since then.

00:36:14.400 --> 00:36:17.119
That was the starting point for for the Siccos.

00:36:17.119 --> 00:36:33.840
Now they have a YouTube channel with I think it's over a half a million, you know, subscribers and uh yeah, just adventure forward type of really you know fun and active, uh doing wild, wild things all the time and you know, kite surfers, and that's where we connected with them in in Hood River in the gorge.

00:36:33.840 --> 00:36:41.039
Um, but yeah, Jackson had done work with Jamie O'Brien out and uh you know, surfing in in uh Hawaii and on the islands for many years.

00:36:41.039 --> 00:36:49.280
And so it was really cool to have you know his talent, you know, within our our trip to kick off our brand was was just like a jump start in the right direction.

00:36:49.440 --> 00:36:56.880
And the way, you know, we'd met them briefly in Hood River kiting, but basically we reached out and said, hey, we know you guys want to create fun new episodes for the Sicco's channel.

00:36:56.880 --> 00:37:06.480
Like, what if we give you a van and you shoot great content and we we basically are giving you an episode of content in a van to use and you trade us content and it worked out great.

00:37:06.480 --> 00:37:08.320
And yeah, I mean, there's stuff now.

00:37:08.320 --> 00:37:15.679
So actually, Jackson did the brand video on Sage Outdoor Advisory's website, which I which was a project that I don't know.

00:37:15.679 --> 00:37:16.639
Oh yeah, yeah.

00:37:16.639 --> 00:37:19.599
It's super cool, and there's some Sandy Vans shots in there, actually.

00:37:19.599 --> 00:37:24.800
So a little nugget, if anyone goes to the Sage website, there's a Sandy Vans clip in there that I had Jackson put put in.

00:37:24.800 --> 00:37:25.760
But uh I love it.

00:37:25.760 --> 00:37:32.320
He's probably one of the most like uh I don't like he's one of the most prolific content creators that I've seen.

00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:34.159
Like his stuff is unbelievable.

00:37:34.159 --> 00:37:35.920
So we really got in there early.

00:37:35.920 --> 00:37:37.920
So good good work on on that guy.

00:37:37.920 --> 00:37:39.519
Yeah, yeah.

00:37:40.079 --> 00:37:51.440
What uh tell tell me about uh naming Sandy Vance, because you know what well, one of the moments that we had when we were sitting down at a table and trying to decide to start, you know, we decided to start the company.

00:37:51.440 --> 00:37:55.119
I think we signed the agreement, raised the money, and we're like, all right, what are we gonna name this?

00:37:55.519 --> 00:38:00.800
And I think our what our first 50 names were taken.

00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:03.840
There was already websites and there was already van companies.

00:38:03.840 --> 00:38:10.960
So like three hours in to looking to brainstorming names, we're like, oh wow, we're gonna have a lot of competition in this space.

00:38:12.079 --> 00:38:19.119
I yeah, I think it was we didn't realize how many players were in the space until we went down the name search.

00:38:19.119 --> 00:38:28.239