Finding the Flow: Launching Porta-Hang to the Market

Taking the Leap Online: Selling to the Mass Market

With six Porta-Hangs sold at The Crag, it was time to think bigger. I turned my attention to the mass market by selling online. I decided to build a website through Shopify—a platform I still use to this day.

That first website was clunky. Just a couple of pages with 10 or 12 products. It wasn’t fancy, but it was functional. I figured out how to connect my bank account and set up payments through PayPal and credit cards. Initially, I tried Squarespace because Neil deGrasse Tyson promoted it, but it didn’t have nearly the functionality I needed. Switching to Shopify was one of the best decisions I made.

To promote Porta-Hang, I created a Facebook page and started running ads on Instagram—probably the most effective channel we’ve ever used.

A Budget Operation

It was a real DIY effort. Most of the photos featured me, my kids, or the neighbor’s kids testing out the product. Everything was low-budget, exactly the way I wanted it. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money upfront when I knew so little about online advertising.

I started with a modest ad budget: $25 per day. It’s crazy to think about now, considering I’ve spent well over $1,000 a day during Black Friday or Christmas sales. But back then, every dollar counted.

Sales trickled in. I’d box up each order in my garage and put them out for the mail carrier to pick up. USPS became my unsung partner, reliably coming each morning. I’d set the packages out around 7 a.m. before heading to work. This was February 2020.

When the World Changed

I think many of you know what happened next.

My son and I were skiing in Banff when the news started to break: Lockdown! Resorts closed, flights were canceled, and we barely made it back home in time. Then came something I could never have predicted—something that changed everything for Porta-Hang.

The calls started pouring in. Calls, emails, more calls.

Everyone was stuck at home, and climbing gyms were closed. Suddenly, people wanted ways to train at home. Porta-Hang wasn’t just a product anymore—it was a solution for a world turned upside down.