publicly traded car-rack maker, $700M revenue
Sam highlights Thule, a publicly traded Swedish company that mostly sells car racks, doing roughly $700 million in revenue and $150 million in profit.
“It's called Thule, T-H-U-L-E. It's a publicly traded company in— what's SEK? Switzerland. They do about $700 million in revenue, which about $150 million in profit. Pretty big business, and only on car racks.”
Shaan's takeaway from the Thule example: products you see constantly but never think about (like car roof racks) can mask huge, overlooked companies. Because you're not a buyer, you never ask who makes it or what it's worth.
“the same thing, it's the hidden in plain sight. I see these on cars all the time. I never even once thought to myself, because I'm not buying it, right? Like, who makes these? How much do they cost? How much is that company worth, right? But like, boom, billion-dollar company hidden in plain sight. Freaking roof racks of cars.”
Steal thisAudit products you see daily but never buy, then look up who makes them and how big that company really is.
Shaan observes that with outdoor gear specifically, customers will pay more for the sturdy, dependable option, naming Thule the 'Volvo of car racks' and comparing it to REI gear. It's not just spending on a hobby, it's a willingness to pay for ruggedness.
“people spend for quality on outdoor stuff, like whether it's like REI gear or, you know, like that's just like a common thing I see. It's not just that people spend on their hobby, it's like specifically with outdoor stuff, they'll pay more for the rugged, sturdy, reliable thing.”
Steal thisWhen selling to outdoor enthusiasts, position on rugged reliability and charge a premium for it.