In with the crowd | NZBusiness Magazine [Video]

Pictured above: Chris and Saphire Lorigan.

Smart Merino’s Chris Lorigan chose crowdfunding to launch natclo, his latest business venture, and found the experience perfect for validating product and building an audience.

It has been over a decade since Chris Lorigan decided to take a break from his corporate career and travel the world. During that journey he identified an opportunity to create Smart Merino – an e-commerce business that showcases New Zealand-made products to a global audience.

Despite one serious setback, when an arson attack at one of his European 3PL providers destroyed a third of his stock, Smart Merino has managed to demonstrate consistent growth without the need for any capital raising. 

The simple secret, recalls Chris, was starting out small and building the brand bit by bit – “one sale at a time”.

Now in 2024 Smart Merino is still successfully growing, and his next venture is just out of the starting blocks – this time …