Killer Koozys Founder Story
Burnout
This is the story of how a tech burnout living abroad came to create one of the most successful koozy companies in Europe. I'm John, and in 2018 I moved to Barcelona to work for a tech startup called Fleksy. After 4 1/2 years of business development and marketing, I started to experience burnout and realized I wanted something more for my life.
A few strange things would happen in June of 2023 - I stumbled into acting and left my tech job 2 days later. As an actor, gigs are far and few between, so I started working odd jobs like watching dogs on Rover and freelance marketing on the side while I figured out what I really wanted to do.
Growing up, I collected Koozies, and when I moved to Europe, I noticed they were nowhere to be found. People would stop me on the beach and ask, "Que es esto?" As an American coming from a popular Koozy culture, I was shocked that no one knew what these fun-loving neoprene drink sleeves were. (If you're unfamiliar, Koozys slide onto your bottle or canned drink, which keeps them cold up to 50% longer and your hands dry from condensation.)
Goldmine:
So, I decided to take my life's savings and start Killer Koozys. I closed our first client in one week, and thought "Wow... this is going to be easy." Then reality set in. 3 months went by without any sales...
But I didn't give up. I had already spent 90% of my savings ordering inventory and legalizing the company in Barcelona. Shout out to Berta Monte for all of your help with this!
I stayed dedicated and got help from a few incredible friends who believed in my mission - to bring koozys to Europe. The market was an untapped blue ocean, and the potential seemed endless.
We started to get a few sales, but not enough to survive on. The end of the summer was fast approaching, and it was time to either start applying for jobs that I didn't want or change our tactics and throw a Hail Mary to land a huge client.
Being located on the Mediterranean with one of the biggest sports teams in the world gave me an idea. What if we could sell FC Barcelona Koozys?
Knocking on Doors:
So, I put on my sports coat and went to knock on some doors. At their official shop next to the Sagrada Familia, I asked in my broken Spanish, "como puedo vender Koozys con la marca de FC Barcelona?" They looked at me like I was crazy, but gave me an email and told me "buenas suertes."
I managed to get in touch with their licensing team, who asked me to come in for a presentation. I brought my friend JAC along for moral and Spanish support. Bam! They loved the idea!
BUT, the problem now was cost... Licensing the FC Barcelona trademark isn't cheap.
I quickly had to scrounge together enough money to buy the license without any proof that the koozys would sell. The risk was huge, but it felt like I had to try or I'd face a life full of regret, not knowing what could have been.
If Koozys were going to become popular anywhere in Europe, it would be here in Barcelona with the beloved brand of Barça!
Fundraising:
I started asking friends and family for help, as well as blasting messages 100s of Angel investors on LinkedIn. After countless NO's and bank loan applications, I finally had enough money to buy the license and some initial inventory.
With my house overflowing with 50,000 koozys and displays, there was no turning back now. But I still didn't know, "how was I going to sell them?"
I spent months going to souvenir shops, but almost all of them told me to “kick rocks” or “go step on a Lego.” I didn't have the infrastructure or manpower to sell to them on their terms.
Then I got lucky. I stumbled upon a trade show called the Souvenir Expo Spain that was scheduled to happen a few weeks later. It was their first time doing the event in Spain so attendance was unknown, and the cost to have a booth was expensive.
But what do you do when there's no going back? The Catalans say, "Que no arrisca no pisca!" In other words, you gotta risk it to get the biscuit! And thank God we risked it!
We met over 150 people who loved what we were doing. Most importantly, we met agents and distributors who already had sales networks in place with 100's of souvenir shop clients.
Today - Killer Koozys has expanded to Portugal, Andorra and Italy. We're tagging, boxing, and shipping 100s of koozys each week!
The process of starting a company was long and stressful as hell. I went from a comfy 9-6 job to 80-hour weeks working 4 jobs at a time. But if you trust the process, take risks. and surround yourself with people who believe in you, you can achieve your goals and dreams!
Keep it Chill!
John Griffin
Founder of Killer Koozys
Join me on my journey
Make your own Koozys