A life on the road.

Founder Vincent Hoonings was born into a family of traveling salespeople. Long before online stores and social media, his family made a living on the road, working markets, fairs, and trade shows across Europe. Demonstrating products to live audiences was not just a job. It was a way of life.

Vince started on the trade show circuit in Europe at an early age. What began as helping at booths quickly became a career. Over the past 19 years, he has attended hundreds of trade shows and exhibitions across Europe, North America, and Australia.

During that time he demonstrated and sold everything from cookware and juicers to massage chairs, cleaning tools, and professional marine equipment. Live demonstration is a craft that has nearly disappeared in the age of the internet.

In Europe, Vince is known as one of the last true demo sales professionals — someone who can show a product working in front of a crowd and let the results speak for themselves. At his peak, he spent six to nine months of every year on the road, living out of a suitcase and a van.

Where the road led.

The road eventually led somewhere worth staying. Vincent met Karen and somewhere on a long American highway with nothing but open sky ahead, they decided to build something together.

They settled in British Columbia, Canada and started a family. FirstPass grew from that same philosophy that had guided 20 years of trade show work: find products that truly perform, demonstrate them honestly, sell them at a fair price.

Then came Luna.

Karen and Vince welcomed their daughter Luna and everything shifted. The hustle became more purposeful. Every order packed, every demo performed, every customer helped feeds something bigger now.

She is already keeping Vince and Karen on their toes. And with another little one on the way, things are set to become even busier in the household. But hey, at least the windows are clean.

When you place an order with FirstPass, you are not clicking a button that disappears into a warehouse. Vincent packs it. Karen handles it. Our family stands behind it.

Every message you send gets read by us. Every problem gets solved by us. There is no support ticket queue, no outsourced team. Just a family in British Columbia that genuinely cares about what leaves our door.

And when he is not working.

Vince kite foils. It is the one place where the phone stays on the beach and it is just wind, water, and speed. It keeps him grounded and grateful for the life this business has made possible.