Ep. 240 – Michael Cannavo – Super73: One of the biggest tools that have worked for us has been our organic engagement on social media.
Michael Cannavo started his career on social media. He was able to infuse his own understanding of viral content, social platforms, and demographic interests into Super73, causing it to accelerate the growth and visibility of the company.
As the company grew, so did his social media presence. With 500,000 followers online, Michael has been able to pull back the curtain on what life is like within Super73, how the company has succeeded, and where it is going next.
Most passionate about
- My passion comes from creating things that haven’t been created. Whether that’s through marketing or products, it’s all about bringing something new to the table and looking at it with a fresh set of eyes.
Michael’s career and story
- We founded Super73 back in 2016. It was built on the ashes of a couple of failed businesses. It was about finding the right product for the right time.
- Here we are five years later. We just crossed over a hundred employees.
- Over the last year, we’ve been working to release new products that fit more parents and grandparents—kind of expand that range. Right now we’re seeing anyone from 14 years old up to 94 years old. It’s been a blast.
Best advice for entrepreneurs
- I think our connection to the customer has helped us. We sell directly to the consumer.
- We don’t go through dealerships or retail stores too much. One of the biggest things that have benefited our company is that we actually hire from the community. So, we hire customers all the time.
The biggest, most critical failure with customers
- I think it’s a matter of really understanding what they want.
- Early on, we had this idea of what we wanted to do, and we kept trying to insist to our customers, “Hey, this is what you want. This is the product for you.” We were missing a few key features.
- We heard that directly from the customers and I think it has really changed the way that we view our products, from designing to prototyping to testing it. We really engage with the customers now.
Biggest success with customers
- We recently released a bike called the ZX. It’s not necessarily too remarkable of a product, but it is a perfect product for a demographic that was asking for it for a long time. We really took into account what customers were saying in the comment sections, what they were saying on reviews.
- That really created something so magical because it was exactly what our customer was looking for. When we released that bike, it was positivity across the board. Everybody was so happy. The customers were happy. Our design team was happy.
Michael’s recommendation of a tool
- One of the biggest tools that have worked for us has been our engagement on social media, downloading all of the apps.
- I wanted to grow our TikTok presence. TikTok is an app that is primarily for Gen Z. It’s about 94-95% Gen Z.
Michael’s one key success factor
- I would say it is our ability to understand where we’ve misstepped. It’s our ability to go back to the drawing board and say, “Hey, we could have done this better.” What I love about this company is that there are no egos here.
- It’s this constant evolution of growth. And I think that has been a massive success factor in our company. Anybody can come in with any idea. And it’s a valid idea that we’re willing to listen to.
Michael’s Mountain
Since we believe that the best way for entrepreneurs to get fast, big, and sustainable success is by leading your (new) market category, and the entire entrepreneurial journey reminds me of mountaineering, I want to ask you: Is there a mountain you dream of climbing or a mountain you have already climbed?
- When I do anything, whether it’s going on a hike or climbing or walking or doing a project, all I want to do is finish it.
- I want to do everything in one day. I want to hike to the top in one day. Super73 has taught me that this is the quickest way to destruction. It is the quickest way to exhaustion. It’s the quickest way to missing very important things.
- You can be hiking up a mountain and, because of your eagerness to finish, sometimes you miss the greatest views and the most important moments. I think in regard to Super73, we’ve been very slow to climb the mountain. We’ve taken our time.
Enjoying the View – illustration
The best ways to connect with Michael
- My Website
- Social Media Profiles:
 |
Want to learn how to start your Entrepreneurship?
HOW TO START ?The 7 initial marketing essentials
|
Want to learn how to choose the best Name and Logo? Not sure which customers to focus on right now and where they are? Want to build your website, or trying to figure out how and what content to share on social media?
