KM: In 2017 while Shannon and I were managing the sales & marketing for two teams in the FPHL we kept running into the same problem while selling sponsorships to businesses in the com- munity where businesses wanted more than the traditional sports sponsorship inventory we were selling. We kept hearing over and over again from business owners that they wanted a way to digitally activate our fans while giving them a way to track fan data and return on investment. We didn’t have anything like that, so we created FanSaves as the solution. FanSaves is a digital platform that offers fans, discounts, and deals from the sponsor of their favorite teams. We like to think of it as Instagram meets Groupon, but teams can think of it as their own digital coupon book made up of deals from team sponsors that fans can redeem. We found from speaking to our fans that often they couldn’t even tell us who our sponsors were. In 2020 we did a research study with thirteen university sport business clubs across North America and found that 90% of fans surveyed couldn’t name more than five of their favorite team’s sponsors. It’s a huge problem when you consider over 4 billion dollars is spent annually by brands on just the big four sports here in North America alone. Connecting brands with fans is just one of the many problems we are solving with FanSaves. Can you tell us about your “Living the Startup Podcast Co-Host” and what it is all about?
you need to lead by example, and this is another thing I think I’ve picked up from my career as a professional hockey player. I think sometimes it can be hard to see beyond the next mountain peak speaking metaphorically and you can begin to compare yourself to others. I’ve learned to ask for help and consult others that have been there before. It’s easy to compare yourself or your company to others but I always remind myself that everyone’s journey and outcome are different. I always just tell myself to put my head down, do the work and good things will happen. I’m motivated to provide for our team and build a brand and a life that I can be proud of, no matter the level of success. Where do you see yourself and the business 5 years from today? KM: We have ambitions to be a global brand and while we’ve started out in professional sports, we see the oppor-
tunity to work with multiple verticals outside of sports. We’re building our brand one day at a time and in five years we aspire to be up there with some of the most recognizable brands in the couponing industry. Kris understands how important it is to any brand to be able to connect and stay engaged with their customers. He has taken his experience on the ice as a player and the challenges that he has faced in the front office to help develop a platform that makes it easy for businesses in all indus- tries to do both. So, keep your head up, stick on the ice and your eyes on Kris as we personally believe there will be many future goals achieved for this amazing and talented entrepreneur and for the FanSaves brand itself.
KM: Our Living the Startup podcast is something that came out of Covid. Shannon and I had wanted to create a podcast for a little while leading up to the pandemic but were often pulled in too many directions in the early days of FanSaves. When things shut down, we saw an opportunity to launch our podcast and made the effort to do so. The goal was to interview other startup founders and talk about life behind the brand and the candid lessons learned. Fast forward to today, we’ve recorded 70 episodes from inspiring founders building great companies at any stage. It’s something fun for us and a great reminder that we’re not the only ones living this startup roller-coaster. We’ve also learned a lot from these other founders, and it’s been a great way to help share their stories as founders. Towards the end of 2020, we partnered with Staples Canada which helped give the podcast a boost of credibility and offered listeners a discount on print services at Staples locations. What is your greatest strength and what is something that you struggle with as an entrepreneur? What motivates you as an entrepreneur and business owner? KM: I think leading by example is something that I’ve always prided myself on. You can’t expect your employees to do something and then you do something else. As a founder,
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MAY/JUNE 2022 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • MAY/JUNE 2022
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