I am back with one of my favourite things. A little segment I like to call “Where are they now?” Today, I'm checking in on Shannon Ferguson, Co-Founder/COO of FanSaves, and Kris McCarthy, Co-Founder and COO of FanSaves, a sports-focused mobile couponing platform, offering discounts and deals from sponsors.
I originally had Shannon and Kris on my podcast, as separate interviews, during the pandemic, and a year or so later, their stories remain inspiring.
“Back at the beginning of our company, we thought it was busy. And now it's just mind blowing. We love what we do. It doesn't really feel like work. It feels just like chasing our dreams.” - Shannon Ferguson
Taking time to smell the roses
Shannon and Kris talked to me just after they were back from Florida, meeting with the Florida Panthers and a couple other sports teams. While their calendars were full, Kris says, “we also took the time to kind of smell the roses. We got to meet with my friend and his wife, and go to the beach and have a good night out. While a lot of the days were on our laptops, taking calls and answering emails, we also took some time to see and experience where we were. That's one of the greatest things about being an entrepreneur - we can work anywhere and we get to see some pretty cool places.”
Then versus now
Shannon says FanSaves has nearly doubled the number of business deals focused on their ideal target. “Meeting with major league teams and getting validation from big organizations that say, ‘we see the value, we can use it’ went a long way.”
Co-founders, united in hockey - the niching story
Kris talks about how they really niched their focus to professional sports, even though their platform could serve multiple verticals like Chambers of Commerce, colleges and universities, and so much more. “We really put our focus on professional sports, because that's where a lot of our experience lies {our networks} and that really grew the business.”
To me, that makes a lot of sense. Because both Shannon and Kris come from hockey backgrounds it is a sort of coming back to roots, so to speak.
Shannon, in fact, has been talking about that part of her story more and more via panels and public speaking to share her passion. When I asked her how she finds time for that and her day job as CEO, she points out, “If you're building a company and building something really big, but you're not sharing what you're learning with the world, is it really worth it? It’s important to document the journey and share it.”
Barriers out there for women entrepreneurs
“I would add there's a lot of barriers out there for women entrepreneurs, things are starting to change slowly. In sports tech, there are very, very few like maybe I can count them on one hand, women led companies. So to be a part of that group, is like trailblazing in a sense. There's so many people talking about women in sports tech, being able to be a role model and a positive influence on other women that may have an idea or aspirations to work in sports tech is gratifying”, says Kris McCarthy
Updated fun, frank advice
“You can learn anything. When we started this platform, we were both non-technical co-founders. Don't psych yourself out, just do it.” - Kris McCarthy
“If you're passionate about what you're doing, do not take no for an answer. That's really come in handy for us. With our competitive backgrounds, it's a bit easier. If we get knocked down, we're okay, we're not just gonna stay on the ice, we're gonna get up and score a goal.” - Shannon Ferguson
Listen to the entire interview here: https://iamamillionairesonowwhat.libsyn.com/ep225-a-canadian-sports-tech-niching-story