Scott Hutchison is the founder of Strikeman, a laser training system that allows firearm owners to practice their shooting skills safely at home. Strikeman makes a cartridge that’s the same size as a bullet, and it puts a laser on the back of it. When shooting the cartridge, a laser will track it to a target – and everything is captured by the Strikeman app. It’s a brilliant idea, and like most entrepreneurs, Scott has plenty of them – but most of them don’t work out.
Today, find out more about Scott’s entrepreneurial journey, his testing philosophy when he realized his ideas weren’t all the best, and how Strikeman was built and sold.
Today’s episode of Deal Closers is hosted by Izach Porter, brought to you by WebsiteClosers.com, and produced by Earfluence.
Hutchison, who started the Strikeman company, developed a laser dry fire training system, which lets anyone practice shooting at home in a safe manner. There are no real bullets to shoot.
They created a bullet-sized cartridge with a laser on the rear. Instead of live ammunition, you use this cartridge for your dry fire training. Once you load it into your gun and pull the trigger, the cartridge emits a brief laser flash that hits the target. The Strikeman app then tracks your dry fire practice records.
Hutchinson’s approach to applying for a patent for Strikeman was focused on enhancing existing technology in laser dry fire laser training systems. Initially, other players in the market offered basic systems that included a laser cartridge, a target, a phone mount, and an app. These systems allowed users to shoot at a target and receive a simple screenshot of their shots after about 20 attempts.
Hutchinson saw an opportunity to improve upon this by consulting firearm instructors and SWAT members for feedback. Based on their suggestions, he added features like a shot timer, graphs to track accuracy over time, and a competitive mode for friends and family. These additions significantly enhanced the functionality of Strikeman, making it more engaging and data-driven compared to its competitors.
Once these improvements were made, Hutchinson filed for patent pendings, both for the software and the unique physical product in the Strikeman Pro system. His strategy was to surpass competitors by creating a product that was not only more advanced but also fun and addictive. He then handed all the details to a patent lawyer to see what protections could be secured.
Hutchinson’s development of Strikeman involved working with three different development teams across various phases. Initially, with a tight budget of under $20,000, Hutchinson partnered with an inexpensive team from India. The goal in this phase was to create a working model with at least 80% shot recognition, keeping costs low while solidifying the concept. It lasted about six months after the product’s launch and helped Strikeman secure its hold in the market..
Hutchinson moved to phase two with a development team from Toronto after witnessing the company grow. This team improved shot recognition to 85% and enhanced the app’s user interface and user experience (UI/UX), making it easier to use with fewer crashes. However, the app still wasn’t fully where Hutchinson wanted it to be.
A year into the product’s lifecycle, Strikeman had gained significant momentum, prompting Hutchinson to take a deeper dive into customer feedback. He consulted with firearm instructors and gathered input to determine what features were missing. As a result, they added 35 new features, overhauled the UI/UX, and introduced a competitive mode. For this phase, Hutchinson brought in a third development team, DAS, from California, which specialized in augmented reality. Although this team was more expensive, they had the experience needed to elevate Strikeman to a highly competitive level in the market.
Throughout the process, despite having no background in IT, Hutchinson and his team were able to successfully guide the development by communicating ideas and allowing the developers to execute them. They continued to fix issues as they arose, refining the product to become one of the best in its category. Hutchinson credits much of their success to the right timing and a relentless focus on building a superior product.
Time was on Hutchinson’s side when he first started marketing Strikeman. As the pandemic took hold, ammunition prices skyrocketed, and people were looking for cost-effective ways to continue practicing their shooting skills.
Hutchinson tapped into this need by emphasizing how Strikeman could help firearm owners save money on ammo while allowing them to train from home. He tailored his messaging to appeal to a predominantly right-wing American audience, promoting the idea of self-sufficiency and preparation. This resonated strongly, especially during 2020 and 2021 when the message of conserving ammo for future use became particularly effective.
Hutchinson scaled up Strikeman by rapidly selling out initial inventory through low-cost ads and reinvesting profits into increasing stock. He grew inventory by 20-30% each cycle, doubling or tripling it over two years while leveraging the large firearm market for continued sales growth.
Supply chain issues surged at the height of the pandemic, and lockdowns were commonplace. People wanted to practice shooting, but they couldn’t head out and go to the ranges.
Just like most companies going through supply chain issues, Strikeman also chose to go pre-order. He openly told customers that the product wasn’t going to ship in a month, but they would still be open for pre-orders. Despite revealing this, Hutchinson noticed that it didn’t slow down sales one bit. That is what kept them strong throughout the supply shortages.
As Hutchinson has mentioned, there were already a few players in the dry fire and laser training system industries. His competitors include:
Hutchinson likes the start-up phase of a business. He feels that the most exciting part is building a product and improving it. Once he’s brought up a company past 10 million and already has a lot of employees, it stresses him out.
It was always his intention to sell, and he believes timing is important. He fixed his app performance, and when the reviews got better, he decided to sell his company while it was still at its peak.
Hutchinson successfully sold his Canadian company to an American buyer, navigating a complex cross-border deal filled with extensive due diligence and accounting challenges. Despite the volatility—fluctuating between good and bad months—Hutchinson and his team persevered. During the final six months before closing, the company saw significant growth, making him question whether selling was the right decision.
However, his past experience of struggling to sell when no buyers were interested reminded him of the risks, and he ultimately decided to move forward with the sale.
Are you looking for information on how to start a firearms training company? Hutchinson, through Strikeman, proves that you don’t need a firing range to have your own. Leverage current technologies to create training devices and look at every best dry fire laser training system for ideas. With current technologies, you can create an accessible, scalable, and affordable business model. Hutchinson’s thinked outside of the box and went beyond traditional methods, ending up with a safe way of practicing firearms.
If you’re passionate about firearms safety and education, starting a training company is not only achievable but can also be highly rewarding. Embrace innovation, prioritize safety, and continuously evolve your offerings, just like what Hutchinson did to build, scale, and sell his business.
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