We were lucky to catch up with Brandon Vu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brandon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

As a rock climber that owns a upcycled climbing rope micro-business, I donate 5% of my sales directly to Access Fund (Although, I haven’t donated yet since we are still very new, but I plan to by the end of Q1 2025!), an organization dedicated to protecting America’s premiere climbing destinations & advocate for the conservation of our beautiful landscapes.

Brandon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Brandon Vu & I’m the owner of a microbusiness called “Craggu”, where I take retired/expired climbing rope that is deemed unsafe to use & upcycle them into functional products like tote bags & dog leashes & all other sorts of related products – my main focus now is tote bags.

When climbing rope is considered unsafe to use, most folks end up storing their rope in their gear closet or toss it into the garbage which ends up in incineration or sanitary landfill. Climbing rope is mainly made of Polyamide-6 (PA6) which is a strong, plastic, elastic textile making it attractive for garments & climbing ropes.

As the outdoor & climbing industry continues to gain popularity and grow, so does the need for sustainable outdoor products. As the global production of plastic solid crosses 150 million metric tons per year, widespread recycling, reduction & reuse of plastic waste is becoming an essential necessity because mountain sports, like rock climbing, are affected by climate change in which few other sports are.

Since starting to rock climb 6 years ago, I’ve always found myself consuming rock climbing for my own personal motives. Rock climbing has provided an outlet for me to move my body freely and with focus; it has brought me to the most beautiful places in the word; it has challenged me and sparked a drive in me that no other sport has done.

Craggu is sort of my way of giving back to rock climbing & to the planet that hosts these magnificent rock faces and cliffs. It may not be much at the moment, but considering how much I love this sport & the current administrations roll back of protecting America’s natural wonders, Craggu is something I know I’ll be proud of in the next few years to come – something I can look back and think “I tried hard” just like how most rock climbers do.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

When first starting out with Craggu, I chose to host my first few products on Etsy, given it’s reputation for “handmade” products. I set up my Etsy store in December 2024 and made my first sale that month! It was an exciting time for someone like me who has never sold anything on the internet prior.

After having the Etsy shop for 2 months & Craggu slowly growing to a larger audience, I decided to set up my own website due to my frustrations with Etsy for 3 main reasons:
1. Etsy Fees are just way too high – Although, it’s an easy entry for folks who want to sell handmade products, I’ve quickly found that the Etsy will nickel & dime you for every single sale. Sure $0.20-0.30 doesn’t seem like much, but it quickly adds up – they aren’t straight forward with what they are taking away.
2. Etsy strayed away from it’s original value of hosting handmade products – Nowadays, you will find drop-shippers and sellers on Etsy who are selling replicated “handmade” products for a discounted rate. This results in the hard work of other artists and creators being negated due to their work being replicated & manufactured by a 3rd party for a cheaper price. In this regard, Etsy really betrayed the sellers who brought them there in the first place.
3. As a new seller, Etsy notified me, as a recent new policy, that they would hold my funds for 90 days until I verify that I am a trusted seller and am able to ship out my products in a timely manner. I get that new sellers should gain credibility, but holding their funds for 3 months seems out of the question.

With that, I decided to set up my own website through Shopify in hopes to open by mid-March 2025. Etsy helped me make the first few sales in my first month, but I think I gained enough of a customer-base to justify setting up my own Shopify store.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My main social media presence is on Instagram with a few posts on TikTok to supplement traffic. When I was young, I would create & edit videos with my younger brother, so you can say I have an affinity for video editing (My brother actually edits videos professionally). As a rock climber, I’ve always filmed myself climbing and posted it on social media as well – this served as my main creative outlet for a few years.

Once Craggu came along, it was easy for me to create videos of me making my products and show the behind the scenes. Creating short-form videos is actually one of my favorite things to do for Craggu to help build my audience on social media. Once you learn how to film & edit in your style, the audience will come naturally, I think. My goal for my social media content, nowadays, is to just be myself and create a connection to the person viewing the video (hopefully a climber that understands the importance of sustainability & protecting our crags).

It definitely also helped to have a supportive network to help spread the word. I remember the first few months when I was creating videos for Craggu, my friends would forward my new video to all of their friends just to help get the word out. I appreciated my friends for this & I still thank them to this day.

Contact Info:

• Website: Craggureused.com (Will be live Mid-March 2025)
• Instagram: @Craggu.Reused
• Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CragguReused