How ICAST turned entrepreneur mum’s dream into reality

ICAST has proved that dreams really can come true.

The world’s largest fishing tackle trade show is renowned for its glitz and glamour, attracting the top brands on the planet in a stunning show of strength.

But last year, the show demonstrated that it is there for the small entrepreneur as well following the success of US mum Crystal Lugo – a contestant on the US version of the hit television show Shark Tank.

Celebrity billionaire Mark Cuban – one of the programme’s judges – offered Lugo and her husband, Brandon, a word of advice on seeing the GloveScaler – go to a trade show!

Less than a year later, Lugo found herself at ICAST in Orlando, Florida, where the start-up business secured orders in 15 countries across five continents, including a Wal-Mart distribution deal that will see it in 400 stores by the Spring.

Lugo takes up the story. “I had never heard of ICAST before – I had to Google it,” she told US trade media outlet Fishing Tackle Retailer (FTR). “It was really a leap of faith. I got the smallest booth possible with what I could afford. My husband and I strapped display panels to our backs and set up our humble 10×10 booth in the middle of nowhere. I knew it would either validate my business or kill it off.”

By the end of last year’s ICAST, the mum of four realised that she had struck gold. At the show Lugo met buyers, attracted the attention of industry media and content creators and generated thousands of views on YouTube.

“Since ICAST we have seen incredible traction,” she said. “We landed our first international distributor on Reunion Island, off the coast of Madagascar, and have not looked back.”

The fishing industry has not been the only business world to take notice. Lugo said that she has been invited on a trade mission to Australia where she will be attending meetings in Sydney with potential distributors.

The product that is attracting all the attention – the GloveScaler – is a fish tool that anyone can use which takes the dangerous knife work out of scaling fish.