We've Officially Sold CROSSNET

Well, it finally happened. CROSSNET has been acquired.

Eight years. 2,920 days. 70,080 hours later. We have sold CROSSNET to Vivere, Canada’s premier outdoor company.

What started as a crazy idea to build the world’s first four-way volleyball net has turned into a revolution of sorts. Millions of players all across the world. Thousands of gym classes teaching our game. Airings on ESPN and tournaments all across the country. We really did it.

I’ve played this moment out in my head for the past eight years, wondering what it would feel like when the day finally came. When I’d sit down at the laptop, pour my heart out to you guys, and say it’s over.

As I sip my morning matcha, it’s starting to hit me that I will never have the perfect words to describe this journey. It honestly feels surreal. Why us? Why this idea? Why did we never give up? Why did we keep pushing for so long?

Honestly, I think the real answer is we had the strongest WHY ever.

It always meant more to us than just making money and trying to get rich. Hell, I started the business with less than $1,500 in my bank account and had a doomsday board we’d fill out every day tracking our personal finances and praying it never hit zero.

CROSSNET was about restarting our lives. Proving to ourselves, to ex-girlfriends, and to friends who said we’d never amount to anything that we could actually do it. Build a better life for ourselves and not be stuck at a desk job that we hated for the rest of our lives.

When it came down to it, the goal was always to create a new sport, make a small dent in culture, and ultimately prove that three kids from a random farm town in Connecticut could actually make shit happen. And with that, I can say 100% mission accomplished.

These past eight years have made me into the man I am today.

I’ve become stronger. Been hit in the face with more business problems than Mike Tyson. I’ve learned to be empathetic. Listen more than I talk. Lead by example. Learned to be ruthless when needed and refuse to take shit. And best of all, I think it was all worth it.

From the sleepless nights, the backorders, the never-ending stress, crying on the shower floor, and thinking your entire world is caving in at least once a month… to the highs of hosting our own tournament on ESPN, seeing the game on shelves at our favorite retail store, building a team I’d die for, and endless support from friends across the world rooting on CROSSNET.

From the pit in my stomach quitting corporate life at Uber in 2017, to investing our life savings and driving cross-country to Miami in a U-Haul and a Pontiac G6. My mom sleeping on an air mattress by the front door for almost two years while working shifts at The Fresh Market just for us to get by. Living on unemployment for nearly a year while building Shopify websites for strangers on Upwork to pay the rent so I could go all in on CROSSNET.

To falling in love with Lyndsey and convincing her to be our copywriter and marketer. Buying our VA her first car and her crashing it 24 hours later because she didn’t tell us she didn’t have a license. Being the only ones at the airport for endless “team trips” all across the country during COVID. Changing lives in Guatemala. Seeing our first billboards come to life. Most importantly, having an excuse to talk, work, and build memories with my best friend and brother, Greg, every single day.

This has been the greatest chapter of my life, and I am so THANKFUL that you have been following along the journey.

So thank you to everyone who has bought a net, shared the newsletter, responded to our posts, and most importantly, believed in us. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, life is short, and if you have a dream, just go for it. If this kid from the farmlands of Connecticut can do it, so can you.

All my love,
Chris