Sarah Smith ’92 while visiting the Grand Canyon
Sarah Smith never envisioned she would end up starting her own business or creating a company from the ground up, but a growing issue she kept seeing around the country sparked the idea to do just that in 2013.
About six years ago, Smith – a 1992 graduate from St. Cloud State University who earned a degree in communications and a minor in travel and tourism – found an interest in camping and visiting different campgrounds after moving across country to live in Oregon.
Whenever she looked into visiting various campgrounds, she had the hardest time finding reviews and other basic information on campsites in the surrounding area and region.
“It was painful to try and find information on what people thought about a campground and what their review of it was. I could find the basic information, but couldn’t get the actual content I was looking for,” Smith said. “After a while, I kept saying someone should come up with an idea to help with this. After a year or saying that, we finally just did it.”
That sparked the idea of creating an app that would not only provide her with all of that information, but help assist others with similar interests in camping do the same while avoiding the frustrations she was experiencing.
In 2013, Smith and her husband created an app called The Dyrt, which is a program available on desktop and mobile devices that allows people to share campsite information, share reviews and pictures and receive feedback from others around the country.
“Think of The Dyrt as being like Yelp or TripAdvisor for camping,” she said. “We rely heavily on our community, because without them, we don’t get that rich and user-generated content such as photos and reviews of different places around the country.”
Smith is currently the Chief Product Officer for The Dyrt and is primarily in charge of everything product related. Her duties include anything from dealing with technology to simply just making sure the program looks appealing to its users. Her husband, Kevin Long, deals more so with the sales and marketing side of the business.
Sarah Smith ’92, founder of The Dyrt
The Dyrt has come a long way since its inception over a handful of years ago, with the app seeing constant growth while being the fastest growing camping app and No. 1 camping app in app stories throughout the country. To date, Smith’s company contains 24 employees and they have been able to raise around $7.1 million from investors.
“I first created this simple WordPress website just to prove the concept and build it cheaply. When we first started, you couldn’t really interact with the website or submit your reviews, but users had to email me any review,” Smith said. “I remember the first time someone I didn’t know submitted something, what an amazing experience that was. Just to hear from people and get their reviews to help solve a problem was an incredible feeling.
“Prior to The Dyrt, I didn’t really have prior experience in technology or something like this. It just shows that you shouldn’t be afraid to pursue something that you don’t have a background in, as long as you are passionate in what you are doing.”
Roots stretching back to SCSU
Before her life was filled with helping give back to fellow outdoor enthusiasts, Smith’s roots stretch back to St. Cloud and St. Cloud State University.
Prior to attending St. Cloud State, Smith was born in St. Cloud while her dad, Pete Smith, taught at the University for a few years as a geography professor. She went on to grow up in Bemidji until it was time to explore colleges and further her education beyond high school.
At St. Cloud State, Smith experienced a pivotal moment in her life within the study abroad program that taught her not to be afraid to take a leap and explore the world. That experience set the way for where she is now, running one of the most successful camping apps in the country.
“When I was there, I studied in the Alnwick program and also ended up going to Japan and teaching English there for three years. After that, I went to school for International Education and went to The School for International Training in Vermont. That all stemmed back from my study abroad experience at St. Cloud State,” she said. “Working in International Education was my passion before coming to Oregon and founding The Dyrt.
“Seeing the world was so important to me and the person I became. I probably wouldn’t have started The Dyrt if I hadn’t gone through and experienced the study abroad program. That changed my life.”
Smith’s experience both within the study abroad program and at St. Cloud State opened her up to the idea of taking on new challenges after she was done with school.
That ultimately led her from St. Cloud to traveling around the globe and now to Oregon, currently heading up a successful company and business she never envisioned she would end up creating.
“For me, when I think of SCSU and my time there, it’s mostly related to the things that got me interested in studying abroad. I really believe I would not be the person I am today if I had not done those things,” Smith said. “The thing I value from those experiences was it teaches you about uncertainty, which is the most important skill I tell people I have carried into my career and starting a business.
“I would definitely recommend St. Cloud State to future students who are thinking of attending the University. I loved my time at SCSU, it was great.”
