Question : Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Answer : We specialize in growing the top and bottom line of golf properties all over America. Our entrepreneurial approach has lead to drastic improvements in some of the most competitive markets, Palm Springs, Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Maui, Southern and Northern California. The more competitive the more we like it, our approach is Sales, Service and Strategy based. Our passion is gaining market share and delivering excellent results to our clients and partners.
Question : Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Answer : Since I was young I had two passions, Golf and Sales. I feel always had a servants heart and really enjoyed seeing people have a great time. In high school I had the opportunity to work at various levels at a beautiful property near my hometown, Geneva National Golf Club. After spending several years there I was blessed with an opportunity to open up Royal Links Golf Club in Las Vegas. For the next ten years I got to mentor Bill Walters, which was an amazing experience. One that I will forever be grateful. Mr. Walters showed me the importance and power of communication and providing memorable guest experiences. From their I partnered up with Mike Abee to form the Paradigm Golf Group. And for the past 13 years we have had a wonderful partnership, owning, managing and consulting for excellent properties all over America.
Question : What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Answer : My goal was to bring a new concept to the golf business, instead of stiff, policy driven environments but one that is upbeat, positive and fun for both the customers and team members. One of our motto’s is Shift the Vibe & Increase Your Bottom Line… The Shift Program offers specific strategies (Plays) that will bring more energy to the property and profit to the bottom line.
Question : What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Answer :
To keep simple:
1) Be Nice- Nice is different from weak, polite or cordial . Take a genuine interest in others
2) Don’t become discouraged- When you take chances you don’t win them all, its normal to have ideas and strategies to fail
3) Fill your hopper- People move slower in making decisions these days, if you count too much on one deal or opportunity you will disappointed when you get and unexpected “No” or “Maybe next year” Instead move on to the hopper and focus on the next one.
Question : What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Answer :
1. Vision- Ability to see the end
2. Hire or Partner Smart- Understand your weakness and surround yourself with other that compliment your vision and goals
3. Humor- Don’t take yourself to serious, life is short. Enjoy your business, your family and don’t lose your priorities
Question : How many hours do you work a day on average?
Answer : In recent years I have learned to shut it down and enjoy my wife and family. But I would say I work 50 hours per week
Question : To what do you most attribute your success?
Answer : The grace of God, my beautiful wife and the ones that gave me chance when I was probably didn’t deserve it at the time. Namely Bill Walters and Mike Abee
Question : How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Answer : We market our golf courses in what we call the Paradigm Playbook. These get customized based on the course and market but proven to be very successful and continue to evolve and stay effective. You can check the Playbook out on our website Paradigmgolfgroup.com
Question : Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Answer : When we have bought golf properties it has been with venture capital investment companies. Golf course lending from banks has become more difficult so raising money privately is the best way to acquire new properties.
Question : What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Answer : Stay determined, think of new/better ways to connect with the ever-changing buying patterns of golfers and make your properties fun to be a customer and team members.
Question : Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Answer : The leading golf course manager and consultant in America. Not the biggest, but the one that delivers the best results for their partners and clients.
Question : Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Answer : Top Golf, they have done an excellent job in creating a cool vibe that appeals to a larger customer base than just regular golfers. Their marketing and operational practices are remarkable and it is great to see their business thriving. My family and friends love going there and enjoying an evening together.
Question : How important have good employees been to your success?
Answer : Extremely, especially in the golf business when you are trying to create a non-traditional golf experience. We like to provide performance based compensation plans that allows our team members earn much more than the industry average,
Question : How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Answer : We move quick on new ideas, some work great and some don’t. We usually can tell when an idea is going to make in the first 30 days of launch.
Question : What motivates you?
Answer : Helping others, putting smiles on guests and team members faces and increasing the financial performance for our clients.
Question : What are your ideals?
Answer : Be Nice, Enjoy what you are doing along with who you are doing it with and keep smiling.
Question : How do you generate new ideas?
Answer : I observe other industries and what is working. I then see how we can adopt into our operations.
Question : How do you define success?
Answer : Great question, I like Zig Ziglar’s definition the best “To have enough things in life that money can buy, and everything in life that money cannot buy”
Question : How do you build a successful customer base?
Answer : Create an environment (Vibe) that they love and keep in contact with them by offering compelling offers, information and invitations.
Question : What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Answer : I can be creative, help others and control my own destiny
Question : What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Answer : Helping team members reach their potential and take what they learned from our organization to create a great career for themselves.
Question : What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Answer : Great people do best, however if there was a difference I would say emotional fortitude and vision
Question : What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Answer : We strive for fun and friendly, one that is not policy driven cut customer focused. We empower our teams to make decisions that are best for the customers along with bring new ideas to fruition.
Question : In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Answer : Exciting