When you think of fishing, you think of folding chairs, thermos flasks and pensioners. Dustin Schöne thinks about brand building, community and million-dollar sales. With his Berlin startup Nays, he wants to turn a traditional hobby into a modern lifestyle brand.
Together with co-founder Marcel Mandry, the two founded the Berlin fishing startup Nays in 2019. The brand wants to establish a new image of fishing and is reminiscent of modern outdoor and lifestyle brands. In addition to bait and fishing accessories, the company now also sells clothing, from caps and hoodies to outdoor jackets. Founder scene spends a day with the entrepreneur by the water.
While Schöne throws out his routine, he talks about brand building, product development and the vision behind Nays. “We wanted to do something different than what was already available on the market,” says Schöne.
From grandpa to the water – and later into entrepreneurship
It was not planned that Schöne would become an entrepreneur today. His connection to fishing began long before Nays. “I’ve been fishing for as long as I can remember,” he says. His grandfather in particular influenced him. “There was never anyone in the family who was an angler, but my grandfather was very close to nature and always took me to the water.”
What initially started as a childhood hobby quickly became a passion. “I boxed, I played football, I did a lot of sports. But those were more like hobbies. Fishing influenced and shaped me so much that it was more of a passion.” Even at school, the hobby was hard to let go of. “I couldn’t think of anything else,” he says. “I’ve always been rather restless. Fishing was the only place where I found peace, where there wasn’t so much input and where I could concentrate.”
Schöne later made a name for herself in the fishing scene. He won numerous competitions and built his reach through tournaments and social media. “I’ve been lucky to be able to win a lot of tournaments,” he says. The successes gave him credibility in a scene that would later become the basis for the development of Nays.
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From tournament winner to brand
The idea for Nays came from an observation: Although millions of people fish, the industry seemed old-fashioned to Schöne. “The image was beer belly, beer can and then you sit there by the lake and drink beer,” he says. “Fishing was much more than that.”
Together with Marcel Mandry, he wanted to create a brand that a new generation of anglers could identify with. Schöne also knows the mechanisms of modern brands from his private life: his partner is entrepreneur and model Lena Gercke. Mandry brings a different background than his co-founder. While Schöne comes from the fishing scene, he gained experience in the startup and fintech world, including at Solaris. Today he is primarily responsible for the company’s strategic and economic issues.
Started with just two products
Instead of initially investing large amounts of money in marketing, they invested their money in product development and team building. Initially the range consisted of just two baits. The founders trusted that they knew their target group exactly. Confirmation of pre-sales came quicker than expected. “That’s when we saw for the first time that what we were doing was working and people were up for it,” says Schöne.
Today the range includes many more products. The brand’s best-known bait to this day is the “Venom” rubber fish. Schöne describes it as a classic bait that “everyone can do something with.”
Instead of large advertising campaigns, Nays relies on its own community. The brand consciously works with anglers who are already part of the scene and share the company’s values. “It’s important to me that someone is authentic, makes good content and fits our philosophy,” he says. A lot of content is therefore not created in studios, but on fishing trips, product tests or tours with the community. One of them took the team by boat from France via Germany to the Netherlands towards the North Sea. “We always made stops and met the people who lived in the region.”
No investors, full control
The founding team consciously decides against financing rounds and investors and are proud to operate completely bootstrapped. “We put everything we earned into building the team,” says Mandry. The reason for this: The brand should remain authentic and not be based on short-term growth goals. The products should be developed by people who fish themselves and understand their target group, and not by investors who are looking for the fastest possible return.
The next phase of growth
Today Nays employs more than 30 people. In addition to Germany, the brand is now also growing in France. “A big goal for us is the American market,” says Mandry.
This is obvious for Schöne. “In Germany there are around four to six million active anglers. In the USA there are around 60 million.” The founders’ ambitions extend beyond classic fishing products.
Role model for many young men
With his videos on YouTube and social media, Schöne has built up a wide reach over the years. He still doesn’t see himself as an influencer. “Influencer always sounds like you do things because you get paid to do them,” he says.
“I did that before the company existed. I didn’t get any money for it, I just had fun with it.” Nevertheless, he knows that his content influences people. For him, this is the most beautiful form of recognition. “You often read on YouTube: I got my fishing license because of you,” he says. “For me, that’s the best feedback.”
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When passion becomes a profession
For Schöne, his relationship with the hobby has changed through entrepreneurship. Many fishing trips today double as shoots for YouTube videos, product tests or marketing content. “Of course it’s a lot of content,” he says. “But I wouldn’t do things I don’t feel like doing.”
Fishing used to be the sole focus. Today it is often part of his work as an entrepreneur. However, the passion remained. And as the saying goes: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for life.
