Turning a Passionate Hobby into a Successful Business

By Jack & Dennis (aka Daddy Mac)

Picture two guys scavenging gun ranges for spent bullet casings and grabbing wheel weights from local gas stations willing to donate them. That was us.

We wanted to create our own lures because, as fishermen, we knew the shape, color and balance we wanted to achieve to attract more fish. We were also fed up with the high priced alternatives. What we discovered in the process was that the bullet casings were made of copper and brass and after we melted the lead out of the middle, we had some valuable metal. So we sold the copper and brass and bought an airbrush system and our first mold.

We melted lead, poured the lead into molds, hand sanded every one, and airbrushed our lures. We added epoxy, eyes and whatever else we felt was needed to create our first batch. They weren’t too pretty at first, but as we honed our craft, they began to look like decent looking lures in addition to having the qualities we were initially striving for. Most importantly, they were catching fish!

On the water, our fellow fishing buddies and charter captains asked what we were using to catch fish. We gave them some lures to try, and before long, the requests were rolling in.

Our buddy Pete Belsan, owner of Belsan’s Bait & Tackle in Scituate, suggested we throw some lures in a package for him to sell. Well, sell they did! Before long, we couldn’t keep up with the demand and quickly realized that our passionate hobby had the potential to become a successful business.

Fast forward two years, and we are now a fishing lure company with product in over thirty tackle shops up and down the East Coast. Daddy Macs are now sold in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas and Maine at Kittery Trading Post. They are in five Bass Pro Shops including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland and Virginia.

Sales are up 500% from our first year in business to our second. We are now approaching our third year, and expect our success to continue as we are receiving calls and requests from all over the country as well as internationally.

None of this would be possible, if not for our loyal customers and fellow fishermen to whom we are indebted.

Customer satisfaction is our first priority. We know and will always remember where we began and how we got started. We are grateful to every person who has supported us, and we strive to continue to deliver great products at a price that is affordable for all fishermen.

Many of our customers were and have become friends, fishing buddies and tackle shop owners and employees. It is because we are die-hard fishermen ourselves that we have close relationships with guys in this industry. Our business is driven by honesty, quality, and the knowledge that our loyal supporters create the path of our success. We welcome your feedback and we really listen to what you have to say. We are often fishing right next to our customers out here on the East Coast, and we take great pride in doing so.

As with any business, we know there will be challenges and bumps in the road, but our promise to you is that we will continue to work tirelessly to meet those challenges head on and deliver the same quality and customer service that has set us apart in the industry.

With your continued support fueling our continued growth and expansion, we hope to make Daddy Mac Lures a nationally recognized name in the fishing industry for superior products and customer service. Thanks to you, we are on our way! Now get your Daddy Mac on!

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