Coming to grips with versatility
FROM humble beginnings in his garage to now employing three staff with more than 400 distributers in 40 countries globally, iTac2 Sports Grip creator Warren Gamble knew his idea for water-resistant grip cream was a good idea.
He just couldn’t anticipate just how wide-reaching the uses would be.
“It has just progressed, and now it is popular with lots of different industries, not just those who play sports,” he said.
Initially developing the cream 11 years ago to help his brother, who has cerebral palsy, play lawn bowls, word got around the pole dancing community who needed the unique product to improve their performance on the poles.
Golfers, divers, archers, tennis players, Olympians and even Cirque du Soleil performers have embraced the grip cream, with acrobats using it when hanging from silk ropes and poles.
“The coach of the Australian diving team recently came in to buy some so the product will be used by athletes competing in the Commonwealth Games,” Mr Gamble said.
“It’s very humbling to think I’ve helped elite athletes reach their goals, and possibly win gold medals for their country.
“It just gives people the confidence, or like a placebo of confidence because they are doing it themself.
“It just helps improve their own abilities in their chosen sport or activity.”
Mr Gamble said iTac2, which is made using natural and organic Australian beeswax and plant-based esters, worked like an “invisible glove” in wet or dry conditions.
“My brother wanted better grip as a lawn bowler so I used my background as a French polisher to make him some stuff and it just went from there,” he said.
“His fellow lawn bowlers started asking for it and about 18 months after I started selling it online, we got an order from a pole dance studio and things really took off via word of mouth.”
Mr Gamble said the main challenge he faced in the initial stages of starting the business was sustaining it long enough to create a “brand”.
He said the company never had huge advertising dollars and relied on word of mouth and the quality and uniqueness of the product to make a name for itself – without having to plug the cream.
“The product itself holds up and we get a lot of attention from word of mouth as there’s not much else like it,” he said.
“A challenge for us is transportation as so many distributers and business is done in the northern hemisphere.
“It will always be our biggest challenge, shipping overseas and the costs associated with that.
“One positive is we’ve managed to keep the value of the product, as we never began selling it as a cheap product.
“We’ve kept the product value consistent without bowing to cheaper competitors.
“We get 50 per cent revenue every year and we are really kicking goals now and getting out there.”
Mr Gamble said the company was currently in the process of trademarking the product in Europe, with future goals to target even more distributers globally.
IT’S VERY HUMBLING TO THINK I’VE HELPED ELITE ATHLETES REACH THEIR GOALS, AND POSSIBLY WIN GOLD
WARREN GAMBLE