Episode 29: Ledge Lounger with Christopher Anderson

Overview

We are honored to have our last episode of the year be with Ledge Lounger founder and president Christopher Anderson.

For the second year in a row, Ledge Lounger is ranked as one of the fastest growing private companies within the American economy.

Ledge Lounger is an in-pool and outdoor furniture company that was founded in 2011. They are known for designing outdoor furniture and accessories, made out of high-quality materials that withstand the sun, weather and, chemicals of the outdoor and pool environments.

In this episode we will discuss Chris being raised in Texas and growing up around the swimming pool industry with his father. Chris would graduate from LSU with a degree in Construction Management. After working and gaining experience with the Dallas Morning News and then working for a Nebraska based tech company as their Director of Business Development. He then made his way back to Houston to work and help with his fathers growing pool company Custom Design Pools. One day Chris was tasked with a project that would forever change his life. A customer that they were building a pool for needed a particular type of pool furniture that could handle the weather, no matter the price. After searching and contacting different resorts he found nothing. He would spend the next 2 1/2 years researching and developing what we know today as Ledge Lounger. We will discuss the origins, the brand, the company, and listen to all the great wisdom Chris has to offer. We hope you all enjoy.

Visit & Follow Ledge Lounger:

Ledge Lounger Website: https://ledgeloungers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ledgelounger/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ledgelounger

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ledgelounger/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LedgeLounger

Houzz: https://www.houzz.com/pro/ledgelounger

Recommended Books:

Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://amzn.to/2nEfOeQ

Built to Last by Jim Collins: https://amzn.to/2BMtoCE

How to be a Great Boss: https://amzn.to/2Anuh4J

Recommended Podcast:

Serial: https://serialpodcast.org/

Bowe Bergdahl Episode: https://serialpodcast.org/season-two/1/dustwun

Other Resources:

Read books faster with Blinkist: https://www.blinkist.com/

Custom Design Pools and Landscape: http://www.cdphouston.com/

Pool Studio: https://bit.ly/2EYSn9V

THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY JOBBER!

This episode is brought to you by Jobber. Jobber is an amazing field service software. We don’t even know how we did things before having jobber! This tool really keeps us organized and on track every day. Some of our favorite parts about Jobber is the ability to send quotes, schedule service and repair bids and build a profile for each customer.

Try it out by going to getjobber.com/poolchasers

See you out there Pool Chasers!

Shownotes

3:18 - Growing up in Texas. 

4:25 - 12 Year Old Salesman.

5:11 - Working with dad and his pool business.

6:30 - Graduated from LSU and started working for the Dallas Morning News. 

10:50 - Back to Houston and worked with dad and his pool business doing design and sales work. 

13:50 - What helped shape me at a young age.  

18:35 - Did your parents divorce help you strive to be successful? 

24:36 - Are you still designing pools? 

26:36 - Do you remember the day you had the vision and idea for Ledge Lounger? 

34:35 - Having a certain type of pool for the Ledge Lounger. 

36:25 - The R&D and manufacturing process. 

42:35 - Next steps after coming up with an idea. 

48:03 - Ergonomics of the Ledge Lounger.  

52:14 - First drawing in Pool Studio.

53:08 - Why do we frown so much upon failure? 

59:48 - How many prototypes did you make before Ledge was ready for market? 

1:01:02 - Getting through a difficult time. 

1:05:29 - When did Ledge become a business? 

1:11:20 - Whats new for 2019

1:20:12 - The material used.

1:26:59 - Marketing and Social media from the beginning. 

1:36:00 - Have a professional photographer or videographer do what they’re good at and you do what your good at.

1:49:31 - Shifting from print to digital.

1:59:33 - Inc top 5,000 private company in the U.S. 

2:05:22 - What a normal day looks like and what keeps me motivated.  

2:06:30 - Favorite books.

2:11:21 - Podcasts.  

2:13:24 - Advice for starting a new business. 

2:16:34 - Visit Ledge Lounger here.

2:18:04 - The End