Jake Tyson’s toolbox for success

RedBack Tools founder Jake Tyson always knew there was a better design for his tools and a better way to make more money than the average carpenter. Proving that a good entrepreneur never gives up, the apprentice created the toolbox for success. Here he shares his wisdom.

“When I was a carpenter, it wasn’t really challenging enough. I knew there was only ever a certain amount of money I could make and that didn’t sit well with me.”

By age 21, Tyson had already developed different ideas and designs for the tools of his trade. While an apprentice’s wage wouldn’t see these ideas off the ground, that was all about to change when he became involved in a motorcycle accident. Time spent in and out of surgery to save his leg for three years didn’t stifle Tyson’s entrepreneurial spirit and in making the most of a bad situation, he read up on marketing and production to help launch his products to the market.

Now 32, Tyson has his accident to thank for his multimillion-dollar hardware business Redback Tools, which has taken the US by storm and seen him dubbed the ‘Handsome Aussie Handyman’. Using the compensation money from his accident, Tyson produced the first prototype of the Maxi Strike Hammer, which became stocked in the world’s largest hardware retailer Lowes and is now about to hit US television screens.

DB: How Did Redback Tools Come About?

JT: When I realised I was no longer going to be a chippy that climbed roofs for a living, I studied up on marketing and industrial design to try and make some of my ideas a reality. After showing my ideas to other carpenters, I knew I was onto something. I started Redback Tools and the Maxi Strike Hammer proved an awesome product to ‘Put The Sting In Your Swing’. I realised the traditional, straight handled hammer was ineffective in a number of situations, which led to this version with a curved handle, to reduce reverberation and allow hammering around corners. I felt the Redback spider was a great Australian icon, making Redback Tools a great Aussie name.

DB: What advice did you seek when getting started?

JT: I went to some of the big multinationals to see if they would take my idea on board and they wouldn’t. A lot of them would say they’d take a license agreement out with me, but I was afraid of getting stuck in the bottom draw never to reappear. So, it was really a case of hit and miss. I really didn’t have any positive advice from many people, especially when I told them I was looking at entering the international market.

DB: How do you go about differentiating Redback Tools?

JT: We differentiate ourselves through our product. All our products are unique in some way, particularly in terms of their use and function. It must be better than anything else available and it has to work and make life easier for the end user. We don’t just add a different colour or a different type of rubber or something like that onto a product, we ensure each product design is actually going to work and make a hell of a difference. I’m still able to get out onto a building site, get my hands dirty and come up with new ideas by speaking to others who are active in the trade everyday. That’s how I do my research and keep it real.