06/08/2026
A little honesty from the man behind RapidReel.
Most people see the finished product, the videos of people catching fish again, and the smiles on people's faces. They don't see what goes on behind the scenes.
Three years ago, RapidReel was just an idea in my workshop. Today, reels I've designed and built have reached anglers across both hemispheres and four continents, helping people regain a hobby they thought they'd lost. I've received messages from people who can fish with their children again, veterans, people living with disabilities and injuries, and anglers who thought their days on the bank were over. Those messages mean more to me than any amount of money.
The reality behind the scenes, though, is very different.
RapidReel isn't my full-time job. I work full-time, get up in the early hours, and every reel is designed, manufactured, assembled, tested, packed and supported in my own spare time. Every hour I spend building a reel is an hour I'm not spending with my family, working on my home, or simply switching off.
What really wears me down isn't making the reels. I genuinely love that part.
It's the endless bureaucracy.
Websites that need constant tweaking. Shipping systems that change without warning. Customs rules that differ from country to country. Forms, declarations, taxes, fees and policies that seem designed for large companies with dedicated departments, not one bloke trying to help people.
Tonight should have been a ten-minute job printing a shipping label. Nearly an hour later I was still trying to work out unexpected international customs requirements, with the possibility of losing money on a sale I'd already made.
It's moments like that which make me question whether I can keep doing this.
I never started RapidReel to get rich. In truth, most of what the business earns goes straight back into materials, website costs, equipment, taxes and keeping everything running. Very little ever finds its way into my own pocket. The real reward has always been seeing someone get back to doing something they love.
But I'm also turning 50 this year, and life is precious.
I don't want bureaucracy to steal the little free time I have left.
I'm not writing this because I'm looking for sympathy. I'm writing it because I think it's important people understand the reality of running a tiny business in today's world. The engineering is often the easy part. It's everything wrapped around it that slowly drains your time, your energy and sometimes your enthusiasm.
Whatever happens next, I'm incredibly proud of what RapidReel has achieved. Knowing that something designed and built in my little workshop has helped people across the world fish again is something nobody can ever take away.
I just wish it wasn't quite so hard to help people.
