The Rolley story began in early 2020, just as Melbourne's notorious lockdowns began, in the wake of the pandemic.

At the time, the founder, Marty, was sitting on a large quantity of impact mats (metaphorically speaking) that I had no idea what to do with. These had a previous life as landing pads beneath a giant water slide that had been touring cities all over the country. A failed venture that I'd regretfully funded and now in the wash up they were destined for landfill.

I couldn't bare to see such waste, so I took on the challenge of giving them another life.

My first experiment was to list them on facebook marketplace and they slowly sold at a bargain price for a diverse range of uses, from cosplay makers, archers and outback campers to name a few.

Suddenly covid hit and the announcement came that gyms were closing, indefinitely. Hundreds of people were now in crisis mode, scurrying to set up their home gyms.

With a quick change to the title of my post on marketplace to 'gym mats' it was boom time and my phone was pinging 'off the hook' with enquiries.

I gained a new level of respect for the fitness community, meeting so many action takers and doers. My kind of people.

With uncertainty at an all time high, here was a group that were just getting the job done. While gym equipment sellers were price gouging due to demand I kept my price low and learned the value of supporting people in need.

In the process I discovered the amazing material I had on my hands and that there was nothing like it for this market. It got me thinking and I started to explore a brave new world.

First and foremost, I realised then that these are the people I am happy to serve and that a home gym revolution was underway. That's when I started using the term 'hero of home gyms' in my ads and the Rolley brand 'voice' and personality emerged.

Due to covid I had just lost my job, like so many others, but I could taste a new adventure on the horizon.

Many early customers were heavily into MMA and Jiu Jitsu and I heard the term "I can't go a day without rolling". This was new and caught my imagination as it kind of summed up the situation in general. Not to mention, I was on a roll. Ironically, these mats were so thick they were hard to roll. But it stuck with me.

Then began the hunt for the supply of new mats now that I had sold out completey. I worked on the recipe, based on so much customer feedback and decided to create the brand and an online store. With all of that came many new challenges, but I was now on a mission and had nothing to lose.

Rolley is ultimately designed to last a lifetime. It is a premium quality mobility mat and a versatile solution for weight lifters to cut out noise and vibrations while protecting their floor.

The idea continues to align with the original job that needed to be done. That was to help people stay active no matter the situation.

I'm proud that Rolley helps so many people get healthy, strong and to be unstoppable.

"When you're values are aligned and you stay on mission...that's when you create your own luck."