Building the community
The concept for Hoop33 was born out of a chance encounter between 2 passionate entrepreneurs with a shared love of Basketball. They had a vision of building a community around the game they both loved, and opening a facility for ‘hoopers’ to play and develop their skills.
A community needs a home
Build it and they will come… and shoot hoops! You can’t have a basketball community without a home court, so the first big step was to build a facility that would serve as HQ for Hoop33. The plan started small; a half-court would do it, but as their vision grew, so too did the size of the court and the scope of the facility.
It was at this stage that we first met up with the team at Hoop33. If they were going to build a basketball facility, they would need some equipment. Not only would there be a full court, but they also had plans for a fully-equipped gym. If you want to shoot 3’s you have to develop that tricep strength!
Sourcing this equipment locally just wasn’t going to be economical, so where do savvy startups turn? A low-cost region like China of course. A quick peruse around Alibaba and the numbers started looking like they could work.
Like a lot of our clients at Epic Sourcing, Hoop33 sought expert advice to alleviate some of their concerns about going it alone on sites like Alibaba.
“We managed to find everything we needed at the right price from overseas. But didn’t know how to find the right suppliers, be assured of good quality, and navigate the import process. Our search for help resulted in a meeting with TK, who soon proved his industry knowledge, excellent communication, and willingness to persevere and negotiate until we found the right suppliers. His contribution was invaluable.”
- Zac from Hoop33
Hoop33’s first shipment arrived in Auckland on the 12th of February. There is nothing quite like getting those first products in your hand, and the team Hoop33 is all set to start building their community.
“It has been a steep learning curve but one where we have always felt in control. In the end our wish-list fit the budget and we turned the vision into reality. It has been a lot of fun along the way and is an example of how almost anything is possible with the right people in the right places!”
Sarah at Hoop33
Supporting them in their journey, and seeing a dream come to life is one of the best parts of doing what we do.
It was a pleasure working with the team at Hoop33, and we’re looking forward to watching the project develop. Who knows, maybe the Epic Sourcing team will come in to shoot some hoops one day. Personally, my 3-pointer needs a lot of work.
Another happy client.
Epic.
