HOOK-E Z ERE EL SIN KEEN ANGLERS

ROSS Bain is more an ideas man than a fisherman.

And one of his best ideas–a fishing knot tying tool–has reeled in more than half a million customers.

The Sunshine Coast-based entrepreneur expect storing up $2 min sales this year, mostly from keen anglers in the US who discovered his Hook-Eze product in 2014 when a demonstration video went viral on You Tube.

“That’ s what we are looking at, however things might change ,” he said of the ambitious sales target.

Last year his Hook-Eze business generated $1 min sales but demand for the product has exploded along with the popularity of fishing during C OVID -19 times.

He pitch es his patented Hook-Eze too last he fastest, safe stand easiest way for anyone to tie tackle. At win pack of the product sells for $12.95 in Australia, plus $2.95 for shipping.

But roughly 90 percent of sales come from the US, mostly via Amazon.

Mr Bain was working as a house painter when he started the business in 2001 asa“side hustle”.

“I was never a big fisherman but ... I noticed that people had a lot of trouble tying fishing hook son with a proper knot ... and they would lose the fish.

“I just thought there had to be a better way to tie the hook on–and there wasn’ t. So I developed a tool to tie hooks on.”

In the early days he sold Hook-Ez eat local markets and fishing and camping shows. He then made“a pretty rough” You Tube video to demonstrate what his knot-tying tool could do.

“From You Tube they were shared on Facebook and the videos started togo viral. That was in November of 2014.”

Here members the date because that was when he ditched his paint brush and made Hook-Eze his main gig.

“We got pulled into the American market when the videos went viral ,” Mr Ba in said .“Over the last six years the two original videos would have accumulated 250 million views ,” he said.

The business only employs four people, including his wife Ma jell a, with the product manufactured in South Korea.

And after all these years he still wouldn’ t call himself a fishing enthusiast.

“I probably go fishing a few times a month–mostly to get footage for Facebook( and other social media ).

“I am more of an ideas person .”