Help us empower underserved entrepreneurs to make a difference in their communities!
*Nov 20 Update*: We reached our goal! Thank you to our amazing community for believing in our vision!
All funds raised over $35,000 will be donated to the Rollas Helping Rollas Fund which provides access to the joy and mental health benefits of skating for those that couldn’t otherwise afford it.
Please continue to give and share so we can spread the love of skating to even more folks.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts – Lulu & Bizzy (Co-Founders)
Creating Community & Empowering Entrepreneurs
Rolla Skate Club was started in 2018 by co-founders Carla Smith and Lucy Croysdill. It began with 100 pairs of old rental rollerskates and a converted FedEx truck. Today, Rolla Skate Club has a permanent 20,000 sq ft facility in East Vancouver and 750 members.
Rolla Skate Club is the world’s first Rollerskating Gym that parties on the weekends! It’s a welcoming and empowering community that focuses on building strength and connections.
Now we want to elevate more entrepreneurs from under-represented groups, and build leaders in our communities through launching the Rolla Partner Program.
Your support will help create Rolla Skate Clubs around the world, owned and operated by passionate folks who are dedicated to making a difference.
**Note: the video you watched was our AUDITION tape for the Dragon’s Den! We made it on the show, and appeared on the Season 18 Premiere. Watch it here! **
We’ve since changed our plan, moving away from the Franchise model, toward a more accessible and flexible “Partner” program (licensing, for the legal folks!)
Who are we?
We met 15 years ago playing competitive roller derby. We saw how this sport and community of radical inclusion, body positivity and empowerment changed people’s lives.
Although we were already running our own separate businesses at the time, we decided to join forces to create a business model that allowed even more folks to have access to this feeling of strength and joy.
It was so successful that we sold our other businesses to focus full time on Rolla in 2019!
We’ve had our ups and downs (ahem, COVID) but we believe that everything we’ve learned along the way has made us stronger and more creative. We want to share our learnings with others so they can be successful in their ventures – and we are ready to support them every step of the way.
What We Need & What You Get
We are raising $35,000 CAD to launch the Rolla Partner Program. This is a licensee program that allows new entrepreneurs to start their own Rolla Skate Clubs in their communities.
Your support will allow us to:
- Complete the legal documentation associated with a licensing program
- Create the content needed to support new entrepreneurs
- Subsidise our first 10 partners to get up and rolling
- Offer subsidised access to our Instructor courses for Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs
- Tell the world about this program!
And we’ve created some great perks to say THANK YOU for your support. Whether you are a Vancouver local or a worldwide supporter that has followed us on our journey, we see you, we appreciate you and we couldn’t have gotten here without you.
If we don’t reach our entire goal we will still be moving ahead with this program and will use whatever money is raised to help get us started. We will find a way – we always do!
And all perks will be delivered and honoured – don’t worry! You’ll still get your perks for supporting us!
Other Ways You Can Help!
We know it’s not always possible to offer financial support. But you can help us in other ways!
- Share on your social channels and tell people about our story. You never know who this project will resonate with.
- Don’t forget to use the Indiegogo share tools!
- Give us a Google Review – https://g.page/r/CR6GC4cAIwsVEAI/review
Let’s get rolling! – Carla Smith & Lucy Croysdill aka Bizness Time and LuluDemon
*Note – the video featured was the one created for our Dragons Den pitch. We have since revised our strategy of franchising.