August in Toronto is all about making great memories outdoors, whether rain or shine. This month we’re sharing a new business – one that just might be what you are looking for! Introducing Dom Mazzuca, the founder of Maple Mountain – a Canadian-based cooler company.
About Dom Mazzuca & Maple Mountain
Dom is a 22-year-old focused on two things: keeping drinks cold all weekend long and finding solutions for problems to build a business around. So naturally, Dom ended up in the cooler industry. Dom became a professional photographer at 17 years old, but really wanted to go beyond the photography world into something bigger. His dream took hold and all he wanted to do was to run his own company and change the world with innovations. He is proud to say he landed on an idea that he hopes will change a multi-billion-dollar industry for good.
Maple Mountain just soft launched the Rocky Soft Coolers. Tired of dealing with the tough-to-use zippers on traditional soft coolers, Dom decided to ditch them completely for a revolutionary, patent-pending, design that makes all other soft coolers look like they’re from the stone age.
Academic Background
Dom spent 2 years at Fanshawe college in the photography program where he earned two awards for photography and is now going into his 3rd year of the business administration/ project management program at George Brown College.
What made you want to become an entrepreneur?
I like solving problems and have a passion for innovating. I even used to modify my old nerf guns as a child to make them more powerful because the off-the-shelf performance just didn’t cut it for me. I’ve always been attracted to inventing things, and all the benefits that come with entrepreneurship allow me to solve problems on a global scale while giving me complete control of my life.
The problem I found with the coolers was simple but required a complex solution. Traditional soft coolers are hard to operate, require regular maintenance, and break over time. I wanted a soft cooler that I could open with one hand:- and after an entire year of R&D, we created a product that’s never been seen before.
Why did you create your business?
Like most of these stories, I found a problem, and am trying to solve it, but at its core, there is no other job in the world I rather have than CEO of my own company. It gives me the work-life flexibility and financial freedom that I believe is crucial to living life to its fullest. I have a problem working for an organization – making them money, while my good ideas get swept under the rug, and most of the time would go unanswered in a typical organization.
I also believe that organizations aren’t making enough social innovations to better the lives of their own employees. I have so many ideas that will give my future employees the greatest work-life balance humanly possible, I want to make the world a better place, and lead by example.
What successes have you enjoyed so far with building your company?
We’ve had so many challenges to overcome this past year, but I’ve got to say the most rewarding thing by far has been seeing the working prototypes of the new coolers. It’s a feeling I can’t describe, and all I know is that once they came in, I felt like I was walking on cloud nine.
After pouring your blood, sweat, and tears (emphasizing the tears) into an idea for upwards of a year, and seeing it finally validated and working in person, made me feel like I just won the lottery.
What is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
“You’ll never go broke gambling on yourself, so take the risk, and try and have some fun along the way.”
Website & Socials
Website: https://maplemountain.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maplemountain.co/