Introduction
In this QnA, we dive deep into how Chris Peters and Rob Ward managed to build a physical product business, Quad Lock, from a simple idea into a $9 million a year enterprise. Their journey, starting with a Kickstarter project, is a masterclass in branding, manufacturing, and scaling in the modern e-commerce landscape. If you want to build a physical product business, their insights are invaluable.
Founder Success Story QnA
How did you guys get to a point where you could quit your jobs?
I think we stumbled into this by doing multiple things that then ended up here. At the start, it wasn’t this. It was like from SEO, a web designer, stuff to seeing a gap in the market for a product which was a bigger product that we could source, take to market, do that, 3D printers, that kind of thing. You see a gap, do something there, and just learn and find out parts of business that we didn’t like. And then we sort of narrowed it in from there to be actually something we would like to do. It was probably also seeing what’s possible because it’s like the dream of what you want to do, but then there’s what is achievable at that time with the resources you’ve got. With the tools that are out there and a lot of good free tools, at the time we started, a lot of the various entry or falling down like crowdfunding, Shopify with e-commerce, payment gateways, 3PL was a massive one, manufacturing in China, more accessible manufacturing. A lot of stuff I tried got to a point where it’s not right, don’t enjoy that aspect of it, put it to the side, try something else. You spent a lot of time going through ideas that you think might be right, but when you get into it, there’s no way I’m gonna do this full-time, it’s gonna drive me nuts. So you cross that one off and go, “All right, what’s the one beyond that that means I don’t have to do that aspect of it?” A lot of learning in doing more so than just reading about it.
You guys started with a Kickstarter, right? How long ago was that?
Yeah, yeah. So you start the Quad Lock with a Kickstarter. That was in 2011. You were one of the first Australian Kickstarter projects, yes, but not for Quad Lock. For what we did before, Opener, we were one of the first products on there. I think we were the first product, one of the first. We were also in the top five funded products in Australia for like a few years. It was a twenty to thirty thousand dollar project, which is a bit different now. We literally used Kickstarter for what it was worth: it was funding a project to validate that there was a market for it and raise the money to go ahead and make it. Whereas now you see people going multi-million dollar projects, but that’s more of a marketing campaign. They’ve already manufactured it, got it ready to go, so as soon as that campaign finishes, they start shipping. Whereas we were the ones: if you get the money, then you’re the toy in your room is many months down the track, and you took the people through that journey of factoring with all the ups and downs and getting the product out.
Where did the idea for Quad Lock come from?
It sprung from when iPhones launched back in 2007. Google Maps was really the way to get around, but you needed some way to securely attach this to your bike. And it’s not just bikes now; we do it for motorbikes, for cars, for people running, jogging. The smartphone has become such a key, integral part of everyone’s life. There’s applications where you need to use it that you can’t use your hands to hold it, so you have to have somewhere to securely mount it to whatever activity that may be. That’s where we fit in: providing that really secure, stable mount to securely hold your phone doing whatever activity you choose to be doing.
What happened with Opener and why did you decide to move focus to Quad Lock?
We saw our Opener as a bit of a guinea pig, a bit of an experiment. There was an idea for Quad Lock before there was actually for Opener, but it seemed bigger and harder to get off the ground at that time. Opener was literally, “There’s all these tools, there’s all these cool things we could use, there’s an opportunity there, what would the product look like that would fulfill that opportunity?” We came up with Opener. But the real tipping point for us was really being ripped off. We were dealing with a beverage marketing company that wanted to use that product to market a certain beer. They kept pushing and pushing, and, being naive at the time, we were pricing it to make it suitable for them. In the end, they just went off and found a manufacturer that could do it dirt cheap. That manufacturer took all the branding off and just started flooding the market, piggybacking off our marketing. That was a deep lesson in making sure you’ve got good IP protection, trademarks, all those in place. The other side is just to invest in the brand.
How important has branding been to Quad Lock’s success?
Branding has been crucial. With something like Quad Lock, you’re putting a fairly expensive phone in a potentially high-risk situation, so you want to make sure you’re buying from a trusted product. That’s where the brand has really helped achieve success. That wouldn’t have really applied so much with Opener because of the different style of product. We invest in the brand to make people want it. They see all the cool kids are using this, they read our blog, they see the quality content, they watch our videos, and they look at the product and see it’s considered. They go, “Actually, no, this is where you want to go and get this kind of product.” And they’re the people that come back and continue to buy from you year in, year out.
What advice would you give to founders of a physical product-based business who want to build a strong brand reputation?
Right at the base of it is just understanding the user, understanding the customer really well. You’ve got to be so considered about everything around that. We make content almost for one persona. For example, with our bike mount, we know there are different markets: the road cyclist, the mountain biker, the commuter. We can tailor content to them. When a commuter watches a video that’s just focused at them, they’ll get it and say, “That’s me, that’s what I do.” But when the road cyclist sees that, it’s not gonna convert. But when he sees a dude all in lycra on a really nice bike, he’s like, “Yeah, that’s me on a Sunday.” So it’s the same product, but it’s positioned differently. Understanding who the customer is, what they like, and what they do, and then tailoring everything around the widget to them is key. It’s that understanding and then the consistency behind it.
Would you still recommend Kickstarter to someone starting out today?
To validate any of these innovative ideas that you have, yes. For us, we’ve got a pretty big market ourselves now that we can use to validate our own products. But Kickstarter is definitely hugely valuable. I think that’s the first step in any new product idea: validate it. Don’t go throwing huge amounts of money at an idea until you actually know there’s a market for it. That’s the first mistake a lot of people make. Kickstarter still does what it needs to do in that regard, but just make sure you’re prepared for it. You can’t just put an idea on Kickstarter and become successful. There’s a whole lot more work behind the scenes to get the right. Expect to have to bring your own audience.
How would you recommend someone get started with manufacturing in China?
The first port of call is probably Alibaba. It’s a good place to start looking, especially if your manufacturing has similar products out there already. Find as many manufacturers as you can, contact them, and find out what they can do, get some idea of costings. But before you even get to that level, you need to have your design finished. Once you’ve narrowed it down to five or ten manufacturers, if you’ve never been to China, it’s definitely worth going over there and sussing them out. Alibaba isn’t just manufacturers; there are people posing as manufacturers, sourcing agents, marketing agents. By going there and meeting with the suppliers, you can cut through that chain. It’s also a balance between quality and price point and factory size. You might find a factory that makes big brand products, but they’re going to want decent quantities that you may not be able to justify as a startup.
How do you maintain quality control with so many different factories?
It’s tough. You need to have good processes in place, multiple checkpoints. The first part is vetting the factories in the first place to make sure you’re dealing with factories that make quality parts. The simplest way to do that is, if you’re finding a factory that makes similar products, look at the brand name companies they make parts for. But that also has a seesaw effect; if you’re dealing with companies that make big brands, they’re going to want decent quantities. You’ve really got to find that balance between quality and price point and factory size and communication. It’s a lot of factors that go into it.
You were early adopters of Facebook Ads. What do you think is next on the horizon for marketing?
I think it’s about looking for when things change in the world and what opportunities that opens up. We’re not doing things to be trendy; we’re doing it because it seems like a way of getting something done. Crowdfunding was one. Facebook Ads are a perfect example. I remember thinking, “I wonder if people click on these little things and would buy something.” It was just being curious. You’re looking for things that have changed, and when you curiously ask, “What do things have changed?” you’re going to trip over the opportunity. I think at the end of the day, it’s that curiosity, the willingness to be wrong, just trying stuff, trying new things, experimenting, and not really worrying about the toy logo, just learning.
What are some of the scaling challenges you’ve faced?
A really practical one is we got a call from our 3PL the other day and said, “We need to move your warehouse, you’re gonna be down for three days in the US.” For us, that’s a lot of money. You think you get to a scale where those little things don’t come up, but you’re still working with partners. Another challenge is how fast things can change and shift. When you’re ordering stock based on running data, but the last few weeks are what you should really be going off, and then you should have ordered heaps more because of the way the product is growing. You’ve got to be aware of the small changes as well as the big changes. It also comes down to working with your partners to make sure they’re able to grow with you. If they’re going to be a bottleneck to an excellent aspect of your business, you don’t want them to be the reason why you can’t continue to scale.
Talk to me about your approach to team building and leadership.
We have a core team here in Melbourne and then we have a lot of stuff that we outsource to more remote workers. It depends on the task. For collaboration, having somebody here is definitely more efficient. For things that can be outsourced, we would definitely do so. It is tricky to find good people; recruitment is a tough part for any company. We’ve often gone out to try and get a whole heap of experience, and then you realize it’s extremely hard to find one person that does all those things. You can find someone that is keen and interested, and then you try and work it out together. The main thing is that everything’s changing all the time. You want people who are willing to buck the status quo, work things out as they go, want to get better, want to learn, and realize that we’re in a constant state of flux.
Chris Peters & Rob Ward Business Stats
Chris Peters and Rob Ward bootstrapped their way from a simple Kickstarter idea to a multi-million dollar global brand. Their journey exemplifies how a focus on quality, branding, and speed can create a market-leading physical product business. Below are some key stats from their impressive growth.
- Started the Quad Lock business on Kickstarter in 2011.
- Grew the company to an annual revenue of $9 million within 4 years.
- Products are now sold in over 150 countries worldwide.
- Successfully bootstrapped the company without taking on external investment.
- Their products are now stocked in major retailers, including Apple stores.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Company Name | Quad Lock |
| Year Started | 2011 |
| Founders | 2 |
| Yearly Revenue | $9,000,000 |
| Monthly Revenue | $750,000 |
| Primary Market | Global |
Chris Peters & Rob Ward Method
Their method is a blend of curiosity, rapid validation, and an unwavering focus on the customer. They didn’t follow a traditional playbook; instead, they created their own by leveraging new platforms and staying lean. Here’s a breakdown of their core approach to build a physical product business.
- Validate ideas with a small project first, like they did with Opener.
- Use Kickstarter not just for funding, but to prove market demand.
- Obsess over product quality to build trust and justify a premium price.
- Invest heavily in brand and content to create a loyal community.
- Maintain speed and adaptability as a core competitive advantage.
Chris Peters & Rob Ward Tools
They leveraged emerging and accessible tools to build their business from day one. Their success is partly due to being early adopters of platforms that leveled the playing field, allowing them to operate globally from Melbourne without massive upfront capital. Here are the key tools they used.
- Kickstarter: To validate the initial idea and secure first-round funding.
- Shopify: To build their e-commerce store and manage sales globally.
- Facebook Ads: An early channel they used to acquire customers at scale.
- Alibaba: The primary platform for finding and vetting manufacturers in China.
- 3PL (Third-Party Logistics): To handle warehousing and shipping globally.
Key Notes
The conversation with Chris and Rob is filled with actionable insights for any entrepreneur. Their story is not just about a great product, but about the strategic decisions and mindset that enabled their growth. Here are the most critical takeaways from their journey.
- Speed is a major competitive advantage; don’t let perfectionism slow you down.
- Something done is better than perfect, as it allows you to gather real-world feedback.
- Protect your IP, but more importantly, build a brand that people trust and want to buy from.
- Be curious and experiment with new platforms; that’s where you’ll find untapped opportunities.
- Understand your customer personas deeply and tailor your marketing to speak directly to them.
Get Started in Just 5 Steps
Inspired by Quad Lock’s journey? Here is a simplified 5-step plan to help you start your own physical product business, based on the strategies and lessons shared by Chris Peters and Rob Ward.
- Identify a Real Problem: Find a problem you are passionate about solving, ideally one that piggybacks on a larger trend like the smartphone.
- Validate with Kickstarter: Create a minimum viable product and launch a Kickstarter campaign to prove there’s a market willing to pay for your solution.
- Focus on Quality: Don’t cut corners. Ensure your product is the best it can be. This is the foundation of your brand’s reputation.
- Build Your Brand: Create high-quality content and tailor your marketing to specific customer personas to build a community around your product.
- Scale with Speed: Stay agile, be willing to adapt, and continuously look for new opportunities and platforms to grow your business.
Conclusion
The story of Quad Lock is a powerful testament to what is possible with a great idea, relentless execution, and a smart approach to branding and marketing. Chris Peters and Rob Ward didn’t just build a product; they built a beloved brand by staying curious, focusing on their customers, and moving faster than the competition. Their journey provides a clear and inspiring roadmap for anyone looking to build a physical product business in today’s digital world.