¶ Portable Roping Dummy Company Concept
Steel Shumway and Isaac Ballou of Outback Dummy Company . How ?
are you ? That's great Good . How are ?
you doing . Doing pretty good . Steel . It's good to see you again , man . You were here early October , mid-October , but you're . You're here because something came up . What would you call it ? We ran into a problem . Yes , yes a problem a problem yes , now , it's not a problem if it's a good one , though yes , no , we .
We wanted to be able to rope at college and practice our skills and obviously dorm rooms aren't very big anyways , so we wanted to go buy one . Well , there's not very many dummies out there that are not bulky or like take up a bunch of room and they're . They're super expensive , as you . You , as you , probably know .
They're 300 to 500 dollars and as college students , we really can't afford to go buy a 300 to 500 dollar dummy right and so we were like , well , let's try to make one . Well , it turned out to be , we end up making one for 75 dollars and we were like , wow , this is , this is something that we could maybe possibly turn into a business .
And we were kind of just lingering around with it because we were just really roping the dummy . And we were excited to be able to rope a dummy at college which GCU is not really known for , a Western college , and so it's kind of cool just to go rope a dummy and be able to practice your skills .
And then all of a sudden it just kind of took off and here we are now trying to create a company out of it .
Now roping indoors , or can you rope outdoors as well ?
Roping outdoors right now just because you know beautiful weather of Arizona . It's 70 degrees outside .
Lucky , lucky . It's like 30 . It's about to storm like crazy up here , maybe today or something Today tomorrow , and then rain for the following days . Yes , yeah . So why Outback Dummy Company man ?
As far as the name , yeah , there's about no reason to that . We tossed around a bunch of names and that was the one that sounded good , and we had no reason to name it anything else , so we went with that one . We don't have a whole lot of reason for it .
Okay , and and with the roping right . You know there's a lot of people see I run , I don't know if still , let you let you know , it used to be track star .
So OK , All right so a lot of my listeners .
Yes , they're rodeo , you know athletes . But I also have a lot of runners and track athletes , mountaineers , climbers , you know that kind of thing . Yeah , the dummies Not yours , but the regular dummies that you can buy or you can find . What are they usually made out of ?
a lot of the dummies are made out of kind of a plastic material , like the smarty dummy . It's made out of more of a plastic material . There is one other pvc roping dummy , but it's it's not as strong and compact as ours , but really much out of plastic and that's really about it as far as I know .
And there's one other pvc rope and dummy that is made okay , and it's bulkier too correct yeah , yes , the others .
The others yeah , and they're . I've seen a few of them . They're . It's like almost a skeleton , but with horns , wood metal .
Yours is made out of pvc pipe yeah , we got , yeah , we got a wood base on ours , um , so we're able to attach it everything secures , into the wood base with wheels on it , um , and then there's a pvc frame that comes out of that and then we have a plastic roping head attached to the PVC on the front that you can rope that .
But yeah , kind of combines everything .
Besides being in the dorm there . Obviously you guys have this company . How did you find the need for this dummy ?
So a lot of rodeo athletes or even just team ropers in general , they're always on the go and where our dummy comes in hand , it's able to be collapsed into two pieces and you can just put it in the side of your camper or your horse trailer where a big , bulky robot dummy like we were talking about before it takes up so much space in the back of your
truck or in the in your trailer , and where you can just fold our dummy up and put it together , put it in the area and you don't have to worry about it , and then , when you want to rope it , you take it out and you put it together and so it's portable and it's not a bulky roping dummy that you're carrying around all the time .
And we just see a lot of need . I feel like I , as the roper myself , it's a need out there a portable rope that's not bulky and you can just transport now is there a need for rope and dummies in the sport there's definitely .
There's always a need , because everybody at ropes is obviously going to be start on roping a dummy . Um , whenever they're not roping live cattle , they're roping a dummy . It's just kind of like it's a way to practice , an easier way to do it , um , and there's a lot of people that have more than one dummy .
There's a lot of options on the market , um , but each one kind of fills a different need . Each one does something a little different from the other . Yeah , but they're definitely . They're all over the place , it's .
It's a good way to practice and a good way to do it when you're not without having to like saddle up , get your calves ready , get out there open live cattle .
¶ Unique Collapsible Roping Dummy Development
So , overall , what sets you guys apart Is that from the others , from the competition .
We're , like I said , the price they're anywhere from $350 to $550 . And we're more affordable rope and dummy . Our price , as right now , is $250 , which is below market . And we're also portable . Like I said , you can collapse it and there's not a collapsible dummy out there in the market today .
So that makes us unique is that we can be a collapse and portable and moved and not as bulky as other dummies .
There are some that try and be collapsible but they give up a lot in terms of the other stuff and quality and how well they work . So we've been able to do that without giving up and compromising in other areas , that we've made a quality roping dummy that is collapsible without compromising on either one of those , which I think is it's pretty exciting .
Okay .
Whose idea was this ? Uh , 50 , 50 , I'd say .
Okay , so what you guys were getting caught on , I don't know .
Uh , you guys drink coffee no , I don't drink I've been trying to make a little coffee , but no how we started was .
It was one day we went out and I had a just the head , the one of the ones that you stick onto a hay bale and rope that sitting in my car from last year . I picked it up from somewhere . It was like laying on the ground . I picked it up because I was like who wouldn't want a roping dummy to sit in the back of that car ?
You never know when you might want to rope it . And so we're like all right , let's go find some way to rope the head . And we were just going to do that because we hadn't been able to rope at all .
Um , I didn't grow up doing a whole lot of roping and so when I met him I was like , for sure , yeah , I want to get into this , let's go rope the head sometime . And I texted him and I was like , hey , you want to go rope the head . And then we're like , yeah , what are we going to work ?
And we're like you want to just throw out the roping part today . Go grab a bunch of pvc pipe and make a dummy instead . So we ran over to home depot , bought all the pvc pipe and that was pretty much . That was what started it . We ended up chopping up pvc pipe in my dorm room till like eight o'clock . That night floor was covered with pvc shavings .
Looked like a workshop in there all of a sudden . But and then by the end of it we popped out with the dummy that we started roping . So it ended up working out and it was , yeah , spur of the moment , because we did not have the idea before that night yeah , well , and then I mean , you guys went to bed and then all of a sudden you woke up .
You're like , hey , we got this , we should do this . How did it go , man ?
it like starting the business wise . We were just kind of starting like it was just spur of the moment , like we were looking out there and like , uh , at first it wasn't a collapsible dummy . And then we had a couple friends like , hey , if you could make this collapsible , you could have a business out of this .
And so we started figuring out a way to make it collapsible . And then we were like wait a second , we could have something here . And then we tested out in the market and our because we sold six dummies already and we were we've been the dummy a lot , and so it's been , it's been a whole business idea and it it didn't really start out as one .
It just started out as two college kids really wanted to go grow up at college .
And then it turned into a business idea and we kind of just took off with it yeah , I would love to say that we had this great idea and plan set out before we started everything and we're just that we made it happen . But we kind of we honestly kind of just stumbled on it .
We ended up making the product and they're like looked at it one day oh wait a second , this is good enough . People can want this too . So I would say I would say a little bit more luck than anything else .
That's pretty awesome , man . I mean , look at Amazon , look at the other companies that are out there Microsoft , they all started in a garage . You guys started in a dorm room , which is crazy . So I mean , it's wild man , it's wild , it's not a bad idea , but you guys are on to something .
So now , did you before , before we go , did you guys look at other competition or see the need for the more you know in the market and everything else ? Did you see what you guys are up against ?
Yeah . So we've obviously like seeing that growing up , because that's what we've been around is just seeing what's on the market .
That's what we've been using and then , once we started to take this as a business , look at it as a business , we did some more like research on everything that's out there and obviously the ones that we've seen the most of are the main competitors . They got the big name . They're the ones that we've seen the most of are the main competitors .
They got the big name . They're the ones that pop into people's head first when they think about roping dummies . So our biggest challenge , I would say , is going to be breaking into taking market from the big name competitors . But since word of mouth and it's a small community and roping word of mouth travels fast , everybody's connected .
Being able to have a product that stands out If people start seeing that , that travels quickly and being able to stand out , as we mentioned before , like the portability , being able to collapse it . That is something that we did not see taking a big part of the market before , but there's a need for it .
So there is definitely competition out there and we've looked a lot at the ones that are out there , but we believe that there's a missing part of the market for those collapsed ones that hasn't really been tapped into yet .
¶ Starting a Roping Dummy Business
Okay , all right , and you guys got your LLC and all that stuff .
Working on setting that up right now . It's all gone so quick . Everything's kind of putting the cart in front of the horse a little bit on this , but we're getting everything caught up , yep .
Okay , so you guys , you guys ecstatic , you guys are ready to go take the bull by its horns . Yeah , yes , we are .
It's it's been a fun process and there's so much more than just roping a dummy to a business that I've learned . So it's a cool process and I can't wait to see where it goes .
That's awesome , man , and Pops and Mom all support you too .
All supportive . My dad's actually one of the I guess both of them are really one of our people that have helped us out financially . And and then also just uh , tips on what we need to improve on our rope and dummy I'm pretty sure they're all game until you start roping indoors , correct ?
or until we start skipping classes to rope . That one , for some reason , causes problems too . I don't know . I haven't figured that out , so all right .
So you know , isaac , are you a header or a healer ?
uh , we don't know . Yet you got to be good on those to be a healer . It's a work in progress , okay , one day he's really good .
It looks like he could maybe heal the next day . He can't and he switches the heading in . Then he can head .
So it's a work in progress .
We're working on it .
So , since you're working in work in progress . We're working on it . So , since you're working in pro , work in progress , right , is dad getting a little jealous there ? Still no .
I don't think he has to worry yet .
We got a long way . We got a long way .
I'll be the proof that I can teach somebody how to rope .
Gotcha , gotcha . So that's all , that's all , that's good . That's awesome guys . And the last thing are you going to start regionally ? I think that's your best start , man , your best answer .
Yeah for sure . Um , one thing that's actually this is another thing that's complete luck . Um , but Wickenburg , arizona , it's a roping capital of the world .
They have some of the biggest ropings in the country minutes away , and before we even came up with this idea , um , we'd gone up to wickenburg just to be like around roping and the stuff that we love , um , so we've gone up there and there's a huge community there . So that's kind of our first point of going out attacking that market first .
Um , there's a big , especially during the winter when obviously you know it's cold everywhere else in the country and everybody comes to Arizona to be able to rope .
So , starting getting into the Arizona market first before we have to start reaching out , obviously , if we have chances in other places or back home , like we got friends from back home that are wanting some , we can , we'll make that happen .
But as far as looking for a market at first , we definitely have a good chance to go after the Arizona market , targeting Wickenburg .
Hey Steel , I know you know some people up north east . That's why I said , hey , you better start regional .
Yeah , it's definitely cool because team roping is constantly growing . It's never going to stop growing unless something magically happens . But no , it's , it's one of the biggest growing sports in rodeo and it yeah , it's rodeo there's a huge community , community in team roping , like isaac said , and team open is always . It's constantly growing .
It's not and just in rodeo , but like there's always jackpots everywhere so we can venture out into those and go to jackpots and try to sell dummies there okay , so will your dummy have heels ? yes , yes , it does yeah all right off the ground .
How far off the ground will your heels be ? It's two I'd say two pages it's not .
We've had a couple tips about it , so that way we you know , healers are picky you gotta , you gotta watch .
So that's why I ask . I mean , hey , that's why I asked you know , so yeah so did we hit on everything , man you want to talk ?
about the challenge . Oh , actually , yeah oh , the update .
You got some other stuff going on , sorry , sorry . Yes , no , you're good .
Yeah , so we actually just got out . Right before this call , we were in a meeting , for there's a thing they do at GCU . I'm sure you and pretty much everybody's familiar with Shark Tank , at least in some manner Shark Tank at least in some manner . So they have a program here for students .
It's a pretty similar to Shark Tank , but they take student businesses and we pitch to our entrepreneurship club on campus . They select the top five businesses from that to go to the Canyon Challenge is what it's called and we're competing for prize money . I think it's five thousand , six thousand , somewhere between six and like eight thousand is what I've heard .
They're still getting those numbers nailed down as far as the prize money that will be there . But those five businesses which we just got selected for today will be pitching for that money . That comes no strings attached . That's money that GCU has provided to help stimulate the student businesses and get us going . Um . So we have a chance to do that .
It'll be next friday . Um is when we got to have our whole pitch ready and they got . They got the whole venue set up and everybody's coming in . They make a pretty cool event out of it .
So we get , we have the chance to go throw our business up there , and we're going to be going against a lot of uh pretty technological companies and most of them are not roping dummies that somebody built in their dorm room , so I think it's pretty exciting that we got the chance to do that . Yeah , we'll be up there and tell everybody about the idea .
You know the name dummy is dumb , right , but dude , you guys , I mean , you guys have a need , there's a want , right ? I mean , obviously you guys are onto something , man , and to set you apart , you guys got to get that . You got to have that heel , so make sure you get that heel . Yeah , yep , we got it . Yeah .
So I mean , hey , you guys , you guys got it . Man , I got full faith in you guys and everything else . But was there anything else ? You said there was other things as of right .
I don't think there is . I think no , okay , everything . Yeah , I don't . That was just the canyon challenge , like you said . Huge deal for us to be able to do that , considering , like you said , a lot of technological companies .
Yeah , and we're just a roping dummy that a lot of people at dc have never heard of in their life , but we're about to go present it to them and hopefully sell it to them and sell it to the judges and hopefully do get there .
So , yeah , we're excited and this is a cool opportunity that we're getting to do , and that's what I love about GCU is there's always opportunity here to grow .
Heck yeah , man , and the cool thing is , dude , you just started your . Heck yeah , man , and the cool thing is , dude , you're starting . You just started your freshman year , man .
Right .
Yes , and now like you're pitching business . I mean , come on , do you think you would have had this opportunity elsewhere up here ?
No , no . Well , I was just talking to him . We were just talking about this after we got done with our meeting and we were like , oh , wow , we just got to the Canyon Challenge . Like this is crazy . If you had told me two months ago that I was starting a dummy roping company , I would have said no way , Sorry , I'm right . But here we are .
Well , congrats guys , congrats and Isaac . Eventually I want you on man . I want to know all about you , man , and what you do and why this company . Yeah , yeah , that would be fun , because I already heard Steel and Steel . Are you coming home for the holidays ?
I am not coming home for Christmas . My parents are coming down here for Christmas . I was home for Thanksgiving . I almost reached out to you , but I should have . I should have .
Nah , but family first man . But hey , when you do come down , you you got , you always got a seat on the at the uh teacup studio okay I'll have to come up and we'll have to do a podcast up there the heck . Yeah , and isaac man , hey , when you're bored and free , anytime make it happen make it happen . Let's talk , let's talk .
So , guys , I'm excited for you . Man , it's this awesome opportunity . I do need some pictures on how it collapsed and what it looks like not collapsed , just so I can put you guys on the air and , you know , just plaster you guys on instagram and whatnot . But I'm excited for you guys .
You guys are going to do good things , great things , you know , with or without that money , gcu you guys . But hey , keep in touch , let me know how it goes , or let the listeners know , and , uh , until next time yes , thank you until next time .
Yeah , we appreciate it . Yes , oh yeah , we'll see you next time .