Today we’d like to introduce you to Dustin Svrcek.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dustin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve been a fisherman since as early as I can remember. My Dad tried to get us on the water as much as he could when my brother and I were younger. When I went to college, I became disconnected from the sport and didn’t rekindle my passion for fishing until about seven years later. I’ve always tried to stay connected even when I’m not able to get on the water. One day, I purchased some custom painted lures from another local artist and after looking over them I said to my self “I could make these.” This is when my lure painting initially kicked off. I consumed hours of YouTube video tutorials and read endless forums to learn new tricks and techniques. Fast forward about a year later and I have an established small business churning out lures on a weekly basis. My main focus was to provide a service to create a one off custom lure. There are endless painters in the market that have their own line of colors & patterns, but I wanted to be a source that someone goes to when they’re looking for something no one else has. I have done all sorts of patterns, added boat names to lures, made custom fish bottle opener key chains and many more.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
So far, owning a small business has been pretty smooth. The initial setup of my company was a little intimidating but I did my research so I was prepared to hit the ground running. I still work a full-time job so I’ve spent many nights staying up late after my kids have gone to bed to paint customer’s orders. Balancing my work, life, and more work balance has been a challenge.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Cricket Custom Lures story. Tell us more about the business.
The meaning behind Cricket Custom Lures stems from the meaning of my last name. I’m not sure if it’s a direct translation from Czech or a slang Czech/Slovak/Polish term, but we have been told that it translates to “Cricket.” Cricket Custom Lures is as a one-man operation. I have a painting booth in my garage and an office inside my house where I epoxy, assemble hooks and package up customer’s orders. My business model is simple; you send me a request, we discuss options, I paint up your request and send you photos, you approve the photos, I send you an invoice and then I epoxy the lures and ship them out. I want to make sure that every one of my customers gets exactly what they want. It’s somewhat easy to make changes to a lure before the epoxy goes on so I will share several photos to make sure I’ve made what they had imagined. I perform my painting with a small airbrush and I clear coat each lure by hand with a 2-part epoxy. This ensures the lure’s paint job will last. I wouldn’t say I’m known for any specific thing. I take pride in taking customer’s requests and making them come to life on a lure. My proudest moments come when I get initial feedback from customers. When they respond to photos with utter excitement, I take pride in knowing I created a quality product.
Pricing:
- Most lures start at $8-$10 each + shipping. As the lures get larger, the cost goes up. Also, the difficulty or customization will increase the cost of the lure.
- I also repaint brand name lures. Repaints start at $8 each and go up depending on the paint job difficulty or condition of the lure
Contact Info:
- Address: 14811 Beechmoor Drive
- Phone: 979-574-7149
- Email: cricketcustomlures@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cricketcustomlures/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Sports/Cricket-Custom-Lures-375805769875419/
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