Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Sleeves here with the senior Pickleball report powered by TNC Network. Let's get it going.
Today in our people of Pickleball episode, we speak with Simon Lovell of pickle panures. A very interesting conversation. Simon shares a great deal about getting your brand out there and what that's all about. But before we get to that, if you like this content, obviously we'd like you to subscribe to the channel. Check out all the links below in the description. Check out our newsletter as well. Subscribe to that. Plenty of discounts below. And hey, man, let's get to that conversation with Simon.
We have Simon Lovell from Picklepreneurs, Incredible Group, which I just joined in its community that is helping people find their space in pickleball on the business end. And pretty cool group. I've been kind of breezing through some of the posts and finding out about all the members and what's going on, but we'll get to that. We always start off, Simon, with what's happened to the world with this game and how it's captured people and how it's brought, I guess, some sort of, I don't know, fanfare, I guess, love, community, connections to people's lives. So how did pickleball, this silly wiffle ball sport, come into your life, and what has it done for you?
[00:01:36] Speaker B: Yeah, so back in 2021, basically, I was speaking at an event in Idlewild. So I was doing a personal development event, and I jumped off a rock as part of that event. And I saw that I had an issue with my back. Okay, you were mentioning some back stuff earlier. So this is like that, right? So I thought that I maybe slipped a disc, something like that. Anyway, I literally, about a week later, I couldn't walk at all, and I got diagnosed with a condition called Guillain barre syndrome, which is basically the immune system attacks the nerves. And this was after getting Covid. A lot of people asked me whether I got the vaccine or not, and blah, blah, blah, I didn't.
But I, um, you know, for me, at the age of, you know, 44. No, what age was I? I'm 45 now, so this is 21. So going back then, I can't do the math.
But, you know, I was back home with my parents, recovering after living in, you know, in California. So I went back to Florida and, you know, it was a lot of suffering for me because, you know, being an entrepreneur, being someone that's always into growth and getting to the next level and building my business, you know, to have all of that ripped away was kind of devastating. And if you've not had a diagnosis, you know, you really start to understand that there's the diagnosis, and then there's also the mental side of it, of the things that you can do. But basically the diagnosis conditions you to do, which is, you know, going into like a depression and isolation and stuff like that. So, you know, despite working in personal growth and doing meditation and doing all this stuff, I was still really in a, in a bad spot for a couple years. And then my family had introduced me to pickleball briefly in Florida.
And I liked it. You know, it was fun, but I didn't, I didn't catch the bug. I wasn't, you know, I didn't get to the stage of, hey, I'm a pickleball addict.
So what happened was, when I came back to San Diego and I moved here, you know, nine years ago or so from England, just so people know, when I came back to San Diego, every day I was walking past this wellness center and I was having issues with my back. And I was meditating for 2 hours a day in the field behind to get my posture up because of my back pain, I was hearing the sound of pickleball. So when everyone's like, hey, make pickleball quieter, I'm like, no, let's make it louder. Because if it wasn't for the sound of the noise, I would have not become curious and gone in. So I just think that sounds personally for me, I think the sound of it is the best marketing. Even though, of course, you know, we're going to have people jump out of the woodwork saying, you know, we should make it quieter. But for me, in my journey in hearing it, it got me curious, got me going in, and then I found out about open player, which I didn't know about. And of course, then my levels of awareness went up and I went and bought my first paddle. And then game over, really, you know, it was kind of, you know, instantly found the subgroups, you know, so suddenly you go to one, and then there's Brenda's group and John's group and all these little subgroups that you can join. And then I just started to play more and more. And so for me, with my condition, you know, it really helped me to get fit again.
That then started to build up my confidence, brought me out of isolation.
I started to reconnect with people. And that's when USA pickleball picked up the story, and then my local news picked up the story. And then because I started to feel like I really wanted to do business again. That's when my, all of my previous experience in helping personal trainers and gym owners and all this stuff, it started to make sense that I launch picklepreneurs, because actually, prior to that, I had a business called fitpreneurs helping personal trainers.
[00:05:28] Speaker A: Yeah, right.
[00:05:29] Speaker B: So I started playing pickleball last September and recently did my first PPA, which was fun, and then launched picklepreneurs and then launched a local picklepreneurs in San Diego, which the idea was, for me, I really don't like networking events where you go along, you're wearing your fancy stuff, you don't really want to wear it. If you're a bit anxious, you just go to the food table, you kind of like, you talk to someone, what do you do? It's like, I really want to punch you in the face.
[00:06:01] Speaker A: It's a mixer.
[00:06:02] Speaker B: Yeah. So for me, having this idea of, like, what if, what if there was a couple hours of pickleball first, get that connection going. We all know and love it, right? Then sweaty, go into a hotel, right? Sit around, hang out. You don't have any of that, like, fancy stuff, and it's just easy, and people loved it. And so now what I'm doing is obviously trying to build that, get more entrepreneurs. So I would say, like picklepreneurs. I think there's this inner circle of pickleball business owners that are running a business, trying to make money in pickleball. And then there's the mass of entrepreneurs that are out there that run a real estate company or run a different company. They play pickleball, but they're not necessarily in the business of pickleball, but they're a different breed. Right. It's like you've reached that stage of your life where you've found this game. You love this game. It's not just like, you know, for me, as a business owner prior, it was like, what are your hobbies and hobbies? I don't have any hobbies. You know, I just my computer all the time. So I think for me, at this stage of my life, it's, to me, it's about having business. Be fun, be bold, you know, and actually really taking this serious more seriously, but also not seriously. So that's my short answer.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, you're right. I think that's what was attractive. When I started poking around in your super club, it seemed, you know, like, obviously people wanted to get things done and people wanted to learn from one another, and people wanted to connect but it also, you've emphasized throughout it having fun doing this. And I know I talk to people that get into just the game itself when they played another sport competitively. And for guys and gals that are my age and your age, this is kind of maybe a second chance at something to learn to get pretty good at.
And what always happens is it's always fun in the beginning, but then we get really serious about this wiffle ball game, and it's maybe not quite as fun. You're drilling all the time. You go into clinics, maybe you're playing tournaments, you're looking at your duper, whatever it happens to be. And I know I'm doing both. So I'm playing the game and I'm running a YouTube channel. And so far, you know, I've only been doing this a few years. They're both fun still.
And I can tell that I'm getting to the point in both where I've got to make some decisions, whether what I'm going to do next and how I'm going to move forward in my personal game and with the channel as well. And always at the forefront is keeping it fun. So talk about that. Like, you know, people want to get, find their place in this, in this marketplace. They what? They want to find their place in this game. And you're doing something. I think that's, it's really cool. It's connecting people and some of these people I know, which is really nice as well. So talk about the ideas behind, like, keeping it fun, but yet, you know, we're accomplishing something. We're trying to get out there and maybe, you know, be a first timer and start a channel.
[00:09:09] Speaker B: I think, you know, like I mentioned before, I think that bringing in the element of fun is already there with pickleball.
What I think for a lot of people, you know, and there's nothing against, you know, selling products for, you know, a commission and all this stuff. There's so many different ways to make money in pickleball, but I, but I think that people can leverage their existing skills and use pickleball as an avenue to bring people in. Like, for me, I sat there and I thought, okay, I love this sport so much. I want to play it more. And so I've always done things that I've passionate about historically. So I've grown six and seven figure businesses in. For example, I was a personal trainer, so I built business around that. And then I went on to help personal trainers. And then, and so as I've evolved as a person, as I've evolved as a guy. Also, my businesses have evolved, too.
So I think that we can bring pickleball into whatever we're doing. We don't necessarily need to have a business in pickleball selling a product.
I'll give you some data on this. So based upon Meta's ads, if you go into Meta's ads platform and you put in, say, for example, yoga, and you're a yoga teacher, right, and you also layer in pickleball, so it's together as you're narrowing the audience together, that's, I think it was something like a 4 million person market, right?
So, like, there's these sub niches within pickleball which are really, really cool. And so for me, I'm taking the skills of what I already know, which is business and growing businesses. Then also I'm taking a frustration of mine, which is I don't like networking events. How do I make it different? So I'm coming in and disrupting in that way. So I think it's about being creative, about how we want to use pickleball.
I think if you're going to, I know that you spoke in the group about, for example, paddle companies. If you're going to, there's going to be more paddle companies come out despite what happens with, you know, them charging $100,000 to now, you know, be part whatever, like, you're always going to have companies come out. And so it's my view that the way to do that, well is to build a strong personal brand. But, and so building a personal brand is really about who you are as a person. And what I love about pickleball is that it brings the best out in us. Right. When we're playing pickleball, there's so many lessons actually there in business, right? Getting frustrated, you know, showing up. Yeah. Being paid, like, it all translates. And it's actually a really good lesson in how to be either an unconscious entrepreneur or a more conscious entrepreneur. And so I think that this combination of business and entrepreneurship is very unique. So I think that people can find their own way using pickleball. They don't necessarily need to have a product, but they can do it in a way where they're bringing in that element of fun to their business, you know? And I think then probably opportunities will come for people, because when you meet in another pickleballer, there's just something there. It's just, you don't even need to say anything. It's like we get each other, you know, we're this crazy or you know, and it allows you to be fully yourself. I don't know if you've experienced this for yourself, but since you started pickleball, did you notice that maybe parts of you started to come out, like, more boldly and more like, have you always been like that?
[00:12:50] Speaker A: No. I mean, I. Well, I mean, I've always had. I've always been told I'm a character, but I've never really had a platform other than my teaching. You know, I taught high school for years to be that character, to sort of be in front of people. And, you know, as much as, you know, teaching is about, you know, getting through the lesson plan. It's also about having a presence and entertaining people. Because if you're going to teach, you know, american history or you're going to teach american lit or math or whatever it happens to be, you have to keep people's attention. And so when I went into pickleball, I decided I was going to start a channel just to drive revenue to a friend's site. But I had done some short films. I had taught drama. I had done a little bit of theater work here and there. So I was pretty comfortable in front of the camera. So I thought, well, I can do this. Maybe not everybody can do this, but I was like you mentioned prior, I was an unconscious entrepreneur. I didn't know anything that was going to happen or what was going to come my way or what to do with it when it does come my way. And so I've been sort of semi floundering around for the last couple years figuring out, like, what is this? What is this ultimately going to be for me, and do I want to keep pursuing this? And so when I came across your group, I was like, in reading through people's questionnaires and things that they answered to get to know them a little bit, I was like, okay, I think this is a place where people are sort of feeling some of the same things I'm feeling. Some people are at the very beginning stages, like, you know, just how do I start something in general which I love? You have a kickstarter. And then there's people like me who've been at this for a little while, whether they own a paddle company or they're an influencer or whatever they happen to be, who probably need some focus. So talk about maybe some of the people in the background of the people that have come to your, your events and your site and what they're looking for and what you're helping provide.
[00:14:49] Speaker B: Yeah. So I'll talk about the local group, what I've noticed. And then I'll talk about the online group. Right. So like I mentioned before, there's this inner circle of pickleball business owners, paddle companies, you know, apparel companies, whatever. And then you've got entrepreneurs that play pickleball. Right. So with the local group, I wanted to make it, and the main group now, which is make it open to everybody. So you will have real estate agents come along, people in marketing, people in medical.
And so what I do at these events is basically have them come and play a couple hours of Pipco ball, do some casual networking. But then I go and have them do coffee dates to get to know each other more. Because one of the things that happens at networking events, I don't know if you're like this, which is we go along, we meet people, but we don't take it to that next level. It's kind of a weird thing. I don't know if it's just guys, but it's like we don't take it to the coffee. And actually, what starts to happen when you do that is you start to build some really cool foundations. So now people are making friends, and now people are doing business deals together. And that actually happened very early on. But one of the things I like to do is kind of facilitate how that happens and give people structure and tell them to go on the dates and try and gamify it. One of the things you'll notice about the online community is gamified. And I think that's actually part of the fun in that pickleball. We have that in different ways. Like Duper in a way. Like it's a gamified system, but then also in our business, we can gamify it, too. So I like to kind of gamify things. So lots of different industries coming, and people are coming back consistently. But then I thought to myself, this, people are already coming to me saying, Simon, I'm in LA, I'm in Arizona, I'm in Tampa. Like, I want to start this. I love this. Like, why didn't I think of this? Like, bringing these two things together? So what, that's one just little side lesson that I wanna give people when, if you're wanting to start something, which is bring two things together, and that creates something unique. Right. From our skills. Right? So pickleball and networking. Pickleball and yoga, pick a like. So that's how you create something more unique. So then my idea was, okay, if I'm gonna take this out to the rest of the country, then there's a couple of options for me, right? There's franchising, there's licensing. And so I thought to myself, why don't I create a group?
Which then I've put a map in there where people can start to add themselves and then organically over time, what's going to happen? Is that, okay, now there's four people in Seattle, for example. There's already a game there, right there. It's already some natural networking there. So then also in the group, like you said, there's some kickstarters. This is also what I've noticed generally from conversations I'm big on accountability, which is getting people to do what they say that they're going to do and hold them to that. I think what's important for any entrepreneur, based upon my years of experience coaching people, consulting people, is you have to identify what is the biggest thing that's holding me back right now. Is it my own mind or is it strategy? Because in reality, a lot of people, especially when they're starting something new, imagine you've played pickleball and you're like, now you've kickstarted this entrepreneurial side of you by nature, you're going to have some level of fear, imposter syndrome, challenges, rejection, and that's just a reality for most people. So what I say when people come into the group is decide on where you're at. Like, do you need to focus on your thinking, your confidence, your fears to get you going? Or do you, are you somebody that is like, just give me what to do, right? Tell me what to, tell me what to do and I'll do it, right? And so that's when I give people those options and the seven day super brand kickstart for them to come in and start doing content, sharing themselves. And to your point, your great comment today, which is great products are sold, right? Even actually, if we're being honest, shitty products are sold. They shouldn't be for sure, but great products are sold because people connect with the person. But a lot of people struggle with that piece. Like, you're confident in doing interviews and you have a great presence and you do speaking, but you weren't born like that.
[00:19:03] Speaker A: No.
[00:19:04] Speaker B: Right?
You had to develop those skills. And when we start doing something, it always grows over time, when we start to build our confidence. So I think it's important for people to get really honest when they're starting a business to be like, hey, this is where I'm at, I need to work on this. And then as confidence rises by default, you're going to take more action. So I was talking to someone yesterday, and they said to me, hey, Simon, I get these ideas, but I don't follow through because I'm afraid. And I'm aware of that. I sabotage that.
Sure. So I think that there's a lot of people and they can go full force, but they've got some kind of block, some kind of challenge that's holding them back. And so they hesitate. Maybe they have fear if someone sees it. For example, me, before my business really took off and I was able to move to the states on the investor visa that I got building the company that I had, I would always hesitate because I was, I had mentors, people I looked up to. And then I was like, if they see my stuff, they won't like it. And it was just a limit. Right?
[00:20:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: So that kept me small. It kept me worried, you know, and it kept me, you know, not taking action. And if you want to be a high performer, high performance is about action.
So we have to develop that emotional intelligence. But also, we need the strategy. We need to know, how do we run the ads? Like, I fill my events through.
I'll just be honest. Like, how do I film my events in San Diego? I get my camera, I record a video, I understand what to say, and then I spend money, and I run that ad, and people send me a message, and then we build a connection, and then they come to the events. Right. So. But if you're. If you've not done video before, if you're scared shitless of putting the camera in front of you, sure, I'll be able to do that. And so, and I'll be honest with you. Like, yes, people can respond to some AI picture, but nowadays, I think it's like people are just getting a little bit, like, I think that people like the fun of it. I think also people really, like, think about it. If you like going to pickleball, you like connecting with people, and it's the same for its same for a business. They want to connect with me. I do some AI stuff, like my YouTube thumbnails and that. And.
[00:21:19] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, for sure.
[00:21:20] Speaker B: But I also make sure that people see me and they see the real me. I love improv. And so on my stories, you're going to see me doing silly voices and saying silly stuff, because I like to do that. Right. And so when the guys come to the picklepreneurs events, I even say to them, listen, I don't see you guys, and I want to see you because you're here and you're fricking awesome. You're here. You're great. You're a great person. I don't see you, though. And so you have something that you're selling and you're offering, but why don't I see you?
When they get over that, when I help them get over that, that's when people really start to take off and they start to sell more products and also start to value themselves more.
I truly do believe that, especially in this space, there's a lot of people going to an easier option to make potentially a sale when they could actually build something themselves, which is great. That's not to say that those things are wrong. They can be in addition to. I just know that. But inherently, people have got a zone of genius within them that's not activated, and they need to bring that out fully. And when they do, they will start to really start to create things which are a bit more epic.
[00:22:32] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think that's what's great about the group that the little bit I've spent time in is it's a support group and we're all at different places. Like I sort of mentioned earlier, like I'm the classic, you know, procrastinator, you know, big ideas, and then eventually I'll get to one of them and we'll see what it had, what happens. But you. You have programs within the group that we discussed a little bit that, you know, they're called to action and, you know, they're step by step and you're held accountable and, you know, let's see some. Let's see something that you've produced in putting yourself out there. And I think you've hit it right on the head. A lot of this is about is self esteem. It's confidence. It's building confidence. And when you have other people that are going through similar things that can support one another and maybe have found some things out that could help you along the way. Yeah, I think it's a very powerful tool. And in a sport like you've mentioned multiple times, that is the most communal sport I've ever played.
I've never made connections in any other game that I. That have played, and I've played a fair amount of them for a very long time, but nothing like this. And I can't explain it on some level. I don't know what's actually going on yet.
So I'm appreciative of what you're doing and how you're doing it. So that being said to me, I feel like this is the wild west version of pickleball at the moment. Like, everything is happening, everything's being thrown at the wall and seeing what's sticking.
Where do you see this going? I mean, you were in the fitness industry. My aunt was a personal trainer. And I remember when the personal training craze took off.
I remember when beach volleyball took off. You name it. Something has had sort of its peak, summit and plateau.
Where is pickleball going and more specifically, the business end of it?
[00:24:24] Speaker B: Well, first of all, I think if you look at the.
I think someone brought up on another podcast the other day, which is like, is this just a fad or whatever? And if you look at the money that people are spending, like, for example, the Marriott that I'm here in Coronado, right? They just converted a bunch more tennis courts into.
Into pickleball, right? So if you look at the amount of money that's been spent in conversions by all of these companies, like, it's just on an upward trajectory. Look at the apple stats on people playing pickleball versus tennis, and it's all there, right? So the question then, like, to your question, which is like, where is it going? If you look at, say, crossfit, there was a business whereby you had an independent person use their garage to start a business.
So I think right now we've got, for example, you go to your local rec center, which is owned by a council, and then you've got the clubs. So you got the picklers, you got the hubs, you got the, you know.
[00:25:38] Speaker A: The pickle, the facilities.
[00:25:41] Speaker B: The challenge right now is that the space is still in its infancy, which means that the acumen of a, say, applicable coach to be a business owner is small. Therefore, there can be a great audience in opening something small with, say, one or two courts if they have the business skills to be able to make that profitable, or it's in addition to something. So I think that we're going to see more, like, I would say, like, smaller studio type things where it's more intimate or digital clubs opening, whereby, like, for example, I don't own a location, but I'm starting something local, but there's no real, like, once I've run the ads that people char, what I charge on the front end is nothing. It's not profitable.
But I have a skillset of which I'm utilizing to create monetization, of which then I can start to build over time. And so I think that as the market gets more popular, right.
What's going to happen is that people will become more business savvy within that and then create those type of opportunities for these smaller pop up clubs. So, and right now I would say there's so much demand for pickleball with so few courts that of course people are, you know, the courts are getting flooded. But for example, the times in which the courts are being filled, like, there's still dead time for a lot of the courts, right?
[00:27:27] Speaker A: For sure. For sure.
[00:27:28] Speaker B: But that's also a marketing issue. Yeah, because you have to market to those set. You have to market to those segments which to fill those times.
And so there's a lot of general marketing now, but there's not a lot of marketing to fill those other spots. So I think that what I'm observing also in the space is that the marketing and branding standard is like people are just throwing stuff out there right now and like you say, hoping it sticks. And so over time, I just think that we'll see more marketing skills come in to be able to say, fill those spots, for example, with shift workers so that it's not just fill after 06:00 in the evenings. I'm talking about clubs.
[00:28:13] Speaker A: Right, right.
[00:28:14] Speaker B: So that's what I cut. Whenever I see something, I'm like, okay, how do I market to that niche?
How do I fill that and then how do I scale it? Now what happens to though, with pickleball? And I'm the same, which is you like to try different things, you like to go to different areas, and as your skill changes, you want to go to games that are competitive because you don't necessarily want to play with beginners.
[00:28:40] Speaker A: Right.
[00:28:41] Speaker B: But you also respect those beginners when they're coming in. Sure, for sure.
[00:28:44] Speaker A: Yeah. You want to keep the sport growing and you can try different things when you're playing against beginners anyways, you know, I'm going to work on my third shot drop or whatever it is. Yeah.
[00:28:51] Speaker B: I think there's also a great, I think the transition for new players into tournaments is an interesting one because a lot of people who you speak to, they'll say, for example, I'm not ready.
[00:29:03] Speaker A: Right.
[00:29:04] Speaker B: One of my clients who's a pickleball coach, she got, you know, she's now built a community in less than a year of like 300. She got like 100 clients within a few months from zero. And she does beginner tournaments and they're really, really popular. There's that transition of like, hey, like, I know you want to do a tournament. Like, there's a PPA. I'm like, I'm not doing that. I'm not ready.
[00:29:27] Speaker A: Yeah, right.
[00:29:28] Speaker B: There's great, there's great opportunities to like these little micro niches. Like, she works with women in Seattle. Right. So I think that that's a whole other discussion on certification. I have some views on that.
But I think that if you love pickleball and you want to be in the business of pickleball, if you're doing it for the right reasons and you actually learn the business skills, you'll do really well. If you neglect learning the business skills and the mindset stuff, you're going to struggle. And you're also going to struggle if you're in a job, to transistor, transist out of that job, which is a lot of what a lot of people want to do. They're in a job and they want to do this full time. That's going to take time. And it's also dependent on financial Runway that you have, whether you're willing to just let that job go or if you need to transist out of that job into something else. I'm sharing this because when I was in the fitness space helping personal trainers, that was, there was a whole, there's a whole timeline of you certifying to become a trainer, and then you, you wanting to then go in the gym, and then you're going in the gym, and then you're in a gym for a while, and now you want to open your own location because you want the staff matters of having your own place. Pickleball is no different. Right? Pickleball is no different. And it's actually a better model in some ways because by nature it's done in group. And so, Clint, you know, when you go to a personal trainer, you're typically going to one to one, or you do semi private or you do a class. When pickleball, you already have clinics, people are already charging five grand for a week and do a retreat. Right.
But I also want to say this, and some people are going to need to hear this to create a shift, which is, you don't need to be a pro.
You don't need to be a pro to make good money in pickleball, you can work with a beginner niche, and if you're ahead of them and they are happy with the product and service, you could actually make more than a pro that doesn't have the business acumen.
That's just the reality. That's actually just the truth. And people won't like that.
[00:31:25] Speaker A: No, but that's a valid point.
[00:31:27] Speaker B: I could take someone that is a low that maybe they're a 3354, and I could have them have a more profitable business than a pro who's amazing, but they don't have the drive, they don't have the business acumen, and they don't have the self value.
[00:31:46] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a great point. Yeah. I mean, and that's kind of how it works where I live. I live in a very remote place, and I'm one of the people that kind of runs the pickleball group unofficially, but I'm just, you know, I'm six months ahead of most players, and so, and I watch a ton of content and I hit balls and I practice. And so people that come into the game, I'm showing them how to do things and, you know, and, you know, getting them some basic skills, and then it starts to grow from there. And I think if people are looking to navigate this space and do something like that, I think your point is very valid. You don't have to be a pro, just like you don't have to be in a professional announcer to start a YouTube channel. There's plenty of things you can do that, as you touched on. Check into your skillset. What do you have to offer? What's your niche? For me, it was semi, it had to do with my age. I just said, nobody's talking about the senior game, and there's a ton of seniors that obviously play this game.
Why not the senior pickleball reporter?
[00:32:46] Speaker B: Let's use another example. Let's say that you're a relationship coach.
[00:32:50] Speaker A: Mm hmm.
[00:32:50] Speaker B: Right. And you're struggling to get to get business and you're trying to do it. Right. Right.
Go start a local. Like, get 510 women together. Right. Go create your own little mini open play. Start building those relationships.
[00:33:07] Speaker A: Right.
[00:33:07] Speaker B: Start meeting with people. And then have, if your business is online right now, create a hybrid. Right. And suddenly, just by putting yourself out there, and they say, build it and they will come. I believe that to a certain extent, like, market themselves. Right. As long as you are willing to talk about it, put it out there like you're going to get people along and start building those relationships. It may take you, you know, may take you two events, three events, four events for that trust to build. You'll get your regulars, and then what's going to happen is people are going to want to work with you because they know they, like, trust you. That's just basic marketing 101. No, like trust. Right, right. It's in person. Right. And then you can start to actually, you know, use that as content to put out there.
[00:33:59] Speaker A: Right.
[00:33:59] Speaker B: Other people, too. So what I'm saying is that that whole thing about bringing two things together, that's just a great way, whatever you do to start, if you love pickleball, that's how you kind of merge things together. And that's what I just don't see a lot of people doing. I see some of it.
[00:34:12] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:12] Speaker B: I just don't see. I think that there's more of an opportunity that people think they just kind of need to see it differently. They just need to go, like, okay, I'm trying to make money in people. I don't need to necessarily go make a paddle. Like, in my gut, it's like, am I going to really, you know, like, if I were going to create a paddle, you know, and I maybe do it at some point, like, I'm going to use some kind of gamification system. It will be based on rewards, you'd have to earn it type of thing. Like, maybe different. Yeah. It just has to me, whenever I market stuff, it just has to be. I'm trying to look at everything and do it differently.
[00:34:42] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:34:43] Speaker B: And I think that's just zig. When people are zagging. Or maybe it's the other way around.
[00:34:49] Speaker A: But then it's the other way around again. Right. If you start.
[00:34:52] Speaker B: Exactly. And then you're just in this kind of.
But, um.
So I think that if you want to, at the end of the day, you have to go all in. You know? That's what I said to myself in January. I was like, I'm all in. And when. Why does that work when you're all in? It forces you to discipline yourself. Right. And energetically, there's a shift, you know, when you. It's like, you know, it's like going back and forth, and then suddenly you make a decision, and suddenly, bam, you're off.
[00:35:27] Speaker A: You're off.
[00:35:28] Speaker B: It took you two years to come into that decision. Let's just talk like relationships, right? Like being in a relationship you don't like, and suddenly you made the decision, and then suddenly, like, new doors open, right. But it's only, you had to make that decision. And so some people are watching this, and they've got these ideas, but they've just not decided because part of them thinks it won't work. And I'll give you an example about this with books, right? So book authors, like, a lot of them, they're writing books for, like, six years, and it still has to be perfect.
[00:35:57] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:35:58] Speaker B: When I say to them, listen, what if Oprah, just, if you liked Oprah, right? What if Oprah called you up and said, hey, listen, I saw you on Instagram and I heard that you were writing this book. I want to put you on my show in three months.
Would you get the book done or would you not? Because is it more about certainty that it's going to sell?
Right.
[00:36:19] Speaker A: Right.
[00:36:20] Speaker B: So people have to really understand the reason why they're procrastinating. Do they need that kind of like, you know, because most people come up with the worst case scenario. It's not going to sell.
[00:36:29] Speaker A: Sure, for sure. And waste them at time.
[00:36:31] Speaker B: They're not going to like it.
[00:36:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:33] Speaker B: So that's the story that they create. And when you have a story, it creates a plateau and you can't break through it. It, you have to create a new story, which is people are going to love it, but you have to find evidence of why that might be true. Otherwise you won't take action. That's why we procrastinate. So the more that you find evidence on why it might be true. So actually, you know, it's my true story. Right. People are going to read it and appreciate it. Right.
That stacking up that causes us to take action versus procrastinate. So we have to just become very self aware. Like, mindset when it comes to business is all about emotional intelligence and it's all about self awareness. That's what it's about. And then we have a choice, like, oh, I'm aware I'm the self sabotaging, but now I'm actually going to move forward and take action. So I'm a big advocate for doing that work. It's the work that most people don't want to do. But when you do it, you start to actually get results with it.
[00:37:28] Speaker A: Right. So if you're looking to do the work, we are speaking with Simon Lovell. He has started a club that I have joined, pickleball, newer super club. All the links in the description for everything we've talked about, and there's a lot more. We could have another conversation, maybe we will someday because there's so much more to this. But if you're looking to get into the space and you've, you know, you keep making excuses, I think this is a good group to join. There's plenty of people in different, you know, spaces and different places along their pickleball journey in entrepreneurship. So check it out, all the links in the description. And Simon, I appreciate your time and everything you've done, and I really like your color scheme. I don't know. It just clicks with me.
[00:38:07] Speaker B: Well, I was, you know, I had choice, you know, because the most pickables are yellow or green. And so I was like, yellow or green? I'm like, both. And so there is.
[00:38:18] Speaker A: I like this dude right here, man. Right.
[00:38:20] Speaker B: There we go. There we go. I'll also say about the group, which is go and add yourself to the map. Right? Because, you know, the more. The more people that add themselves to that map, the more games that will start, the more connections that will happen. And you never know, maybe that could be a great business partner for you if you don't have a skill. But you need someone who has a skill.
[00:38:39] Speaker A: Absolutely. Absolutely. And it makes it fun. You see where people are doing this all over the planet. So. Yeah. Check it out again. Links in the description. And thanks again, Simon. Really appreciate your time.
[00:38:50] Speaker B: You're welcome. Take it easy.
[00:38:52] Speaker A: Hope you enjoyed our conversation with Simon. Check out all the links in the description. Hey, and if you're looking to start a brand or you have a brand that really needs to kind of get going, check out pickle manure's links in the description. I think it'll be worth your time. All right. Hey, at the end of the day, let's pickle.
