Episode Fifteen: Operational Success for Pickleball Businesses

In this episode of "The Business of Pickleball," hosts Robert Allen and David Feldman dive deep into the challenges faced by pickleball club owners, manufacturers, and service providers.

Join us as we chat with Ben Johnson—a seasoned entrepreneur and EOS implementer—who shares invaluable insights on effective management strategies for running a successful business.

Whether you're an experienced operator or just starting out, you'll find actionable advice tailored to your needs.

Key Takeaways:

- Discover how core values can transform your hiring process.
- Learn why setting quarterly priorities is crucial for achieving long-term goals.
- Find out how weekly check-ins can keep your team aligned and productive.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain insider knowledge that could improve your pickleball business.

Tune in now!

Welcome to the Business of Pickleball, the industry insider podcast that keeps you one step ahead. If you're running a pickleball business, knowledge is power, and this podcast is where you'll find relevant insights and information, along with interviews of industry leaders who are boots on the ground, building pickleball businesses. Ready to get started? Let's jump right into today's episode with your hosts, Robert Allen and David Feldman.

Club Owners: Are you struggling to figure out the perfect programming for your members? What about securing sponsors for your clubs and tournaments? Or even deciding what software is out there and what you should be using? And manufacturers and service providers, are you struggling to scale your business in the increasingly competitive pickleball market?

If any of this sounds familiar, the Pickleball Brief Business Summit is your solution. Scheduled for October 17th and 18th, this virtual B2B event will deliver actionable strategies from leaders who are succeeding in today’s competitive landscape. With over 15 expert presenters, we’re tackling your toughest challenges head-on. Don't miss this rare opportunity to gain insider knowledge and actionable strategies. Spots are filling up fast! Mark October 17th and 18th down on your calendar and register now at summit.pickleballbrief.com to secure your place.

Again, that’s summit.pickleballbrief.com. Invest in your pickleball business future today!

Welcome to the Business of Pickleball by Pickleball Brief, our podcast today. We're excited to have everybody here with us today.

As usual, I have my good friend and co-partner in Pickleball Brief, Robert Allen. So say hi, Robert. Thank you!

Our guest today is a good friend I've known for a while. His name is Ben Johnson, and he has a really solid background. I'm going to let him go into his background more in a minute here, but he's an accountant, has run a real estate fund, and is an EOS implementer now. He’s doing a lot of cool things that I think will be very valuable to our listeners who are entrepreneurs running businesses, managing people, and trying to figure out how to successfully operate a business.

We all got into this pickleball world because we love the game. Some of us are good at running businesses while others are still learning. Ben will have a lot of insight into that. So I’ll say welcome, Ben! Please say hello and maybe start by introducing yourself to our audience and telling us a little bit about your background.

Ben: Sure! Thanks, Dave and Robert for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. I get to hang out with you, Dave again for a little bit. We’ve had some fun over the years in terms of pickleball. I do play, but I have a tendon issue in my Achilles, so I pay for that for a couple of days after I play. I’m probably not going to be adding much value from a pickleball perspective today.

I’m an EOS implementer and have spent time in the private equity world over the last 15-20 years, mostly on the buying side of businesses. I’ve run entrepreneurial businesses as a CFO and CEO—kind of a finance guy by trade. Now I'm really passionate about helping business owners and their leadership teams live their best lives and get what they want out of their businesses.

I spent probably 20 years grinding it out in New York and San Francisco doing really interesting stuff, but paying for it with my lifestyle. I’ve learned the value of being an entrepreneur and having the freedoms that come along with that while wanting to have a good life as well as a successful business. I’m passionate about helping others accomplish that in their lives too.

A lot of our audience consists of club owners and operators who are operating one location or starting to expand into multiple locations. They love pickleball but find that the entrepreneurial journey is very time-consuming and overwhelming. It pulls a lot of punches with many turns and twists in the road. If you're not careful, you can reach a point where you're overwhelmed, losing your sanity.

Ben: That's good news! It's not unique to pickleball owners; that's true for all entrepreneurs. All entrepreneurs have about 156 issues rolling around in their heads all the time. Trying to make sense of that and harnessing the energy of their people while getting everyone pointed in the right direction is not easy.

You were talking a little bit about how you're getting people on the same page with fundamental management or operational strategies. We were discussing hiring practices—who you're hiring and how you're hiring. What are some things you're doing to help people out there who might be struggling? What are you seeing, and what tools are helping?

Ben: It's interesting; we live in a unique labor market here in the United States. Everybody feels like it's hard to find good people—people who care enough to show up and do a good job. That’s a common theme across companies dealing with that problem.

I think it comes down to being a purpose-driven organization with a clear understanding of who we are as a company and attracting people who share those values. When I say values, I'm not talking about moral values but business values—3 to 5 characteristics that describe you as the owner of the business and your leadership team that explain why you are successful in how you do business.

There's no right or wrong answer here; the trick is simply understanding yourself well enough to know what those values are. Once you know them, you can find people who share those core values.

For example, one of my favorite core values is abundance. I want to reach the top of the mountain with all my friends who have helped me along the way; I want us all to succeed together as a team. This is opposed to scarcity, which is human nature—we tend to want to take as much as we can for ourselves.

So when I'm growing a company, I want to surround myself with people who also have an abundant mindset—those who believe that rising tides lift all ships and look at relationships in the long term instead of just short-term transactions.

What I have to do is be good at finding people who feel the same way. Interestingly enough, it’s less about determining whether they feel that way than it is about clearly describing your core values so they can self-assess whether they fit or not.

What I teach my clients is called the "anti-sell." After describing your core values and helping them understand what it means to be the right person in your organization, give them an out—let them know this company isn't for everyone. If they resonate with these core values, they will find a home here; if not, they should find their tribe elsewhere.

Giving people that option from the beginning allows them to honestly assess whether they belong. That’s really the best way to determine fit within half an hour of meeting a candidate.

Once you have them on board, you need to reinforce those core values constantly by integrating them into your culture. Recognize when someone exhibits those values by telling them they did something well based on those values—like saying "You just exhibited abundance there! That was awesome!" Such recognition fosters belonging.

There’s a study that found that for people to hear something once, they must hear it about seven times before it sinks in. Nowadays, research suggests they need to hear it between 35 and 85 times due to all the distractions we face.

You can't just hire based on those core values; you need to reinforce them constantly. When you do this effectively, you can fill your organization with people who actually love being there because they share your values.

When you couple that with purpose—explaining why you're choosing to make money this way based on what it does for your community or people's wellness—you create an environment where the right people won’t just come for pay; they'll show up because they resonate with your mission.

Dave: The initial question was about hiring and building a team, but as you were talking, I kept thinking this idea applies equally to a membership model as well—like letting club members self-opt into the club's values and positioning membership in such a way that it says “this is who we are.”

Letting people self-opt in or out fosters community within club membership too. What you said earlier resonates not only with employees but also with club members.

Ben: The principle totally applies across the board! However, there's one distinction: The core values defining your company culture don't necessarily need to align with what resonates with your customers.

For instance, look at SpaceX: their employees likely share characteristics such as engineering-mindedness and entrepreneurial spirit—traits that may not resonate with their customers (like governments) who care more about cost, safety, and reliability.

It's essential for business owners to understand where they fit—what their ideal prospects look like—and what makes them unique compared to competitors.

Many club owners enter the pickleball space with enthusiasm but struggle differentiating themselves when faced with competition as popularity levels off over time. It's crucial for owners not just to open doors but strategically plan processes based on their unique strengths.

Dave: Right! And when someone new is feeling overwhelmed by all this change—what advice would you give them?

Ben: Great question! Everyone has an operating system—good or bad—that defines how they run their lives or businesses. A good operating system helps solve problems quickly while giving you more freedom.

What many people miss is discipline and accountability—most entrepreneurs have great visions but struggle with day-to-day execution needed to achieve those visions.

One simple practice I recommend is creating quarterly priorities: every 90 days sit down and decide on 3-7 most important things you'll focus on during that period. Then check back weekly on those priorities to see how you're doing.

If you're new in pickleball or any industry, establish practices that provide discipline and accountability for yourself and your team!

Dave: What if someone struggles following this model despite knowing about it? Should they force themselves or find another way?

Ben: If someone is highly visionary like you, it's important they build a team where at least one person excels at discipline/accountability—someone who can help balance out their strengths!

Additionally, adopting a mindset of "day one" helps; each day is fresh without needing baggage from yesterday’s failures or successes—and each person should earn their spot each day.

Dave: That's fantastic advice!

Ben: Thank you! Remember everyone: being willing to embrace change while seeking clarity through regular breaks can lead to significant breakthroughs!

If anyone has questions or needs further assistance regarding what we discussed today or wants resources such as "Traction," feel free to reach out via email at ben.johnson@eosworldwide.com.

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Pickleball! We hope you found today's episode packed with valuable insights and actionable advice. To stay informed and ahead of the competition, subscribe at subscribe.pickleballbrief.com for monthly updates along with our pickleball club financial model, industry supplier database information on upcoming events, and more.

Until next time, keep innovating and excel in the pickleball industry! See you in the next episode!