Andrei Kalashnikov’s Post

I started High Buds Club with $5K and turned it into a profitable business in 2 years with no outside investment. How? 1. My customers had an immediate need and no other solution. I understood the problem my customers were facing so I developed a first-to-market solution to solve it. As new options (competitors) came to market, I doubled down on my key differentiators, trusted my expertise, and didn't pay attention to what others were doing. Do you know why race horses wear blinders? Because they have to focus on winning their own race. 2. I stayed focused on providing value and I refused to compete on price A very common thing I hear is that I’m too expensive and XYZ can do it for cheaper. Did I lower my prices? Nope. I’m not interested in being something to everyone and I'm confident in the value High Buds Club provides. My long-term clients can attest to this. Competing on price is a race to the bottom. Sell value and effectiveness. 3. I don't dwell on failure but I am aware of it. Have I made mistakes? More than I can count. Do I make the same one twice? Never. Learn from the mistake and move on. 4. I only spent money that I had and stretched it as far as it could go. It's easy to spend other people's money but you're much more considerate and strategic when deploying capital that's your own. When the market began to shift and budgets tightened up, I didn't listen to C-Suite advisors who told me to continue to spend as if we were in a capital-rich environment. I trusted my gut and tightened the purse strings. 5. I believe that the purpose of a business is to create an asset that produces cash flow so there is a minimum margin in every deal I do. I don't think this is revolutionary but if something costs me a dollar, I know I have to sell it for $2. If the margin doesn't make sense for the output, my team doesn't work on the project. 6. I understood that I was building a brand so everything I invested in and produced was designed with this in mind. Engagement comes from understanding your chosen audience's needs and then giving it to them. Funnily enough, my most expensive tactics netted me no tangible results. Were they cool? Sure. But did they work? No. What's worked for growth and brand affinity? Grassroots, member-based, word of mouth referrals. Brand isn't always tangible but it's everything in business. 

🏦 Finance Jargon: What is a "stalking horse" in M&A? I read a headline in the FT yesterday that said PureGym is pursuing a $105mn deal to buy dozens of outlets from collapsed chain Blink Fitness. A final deal is subject to court approval, with PureGym having been given “stalking horse” status, putting it in pole position ahead of an auction for the assets that will take place on October 28. Coming from a markets background, I was like, "what the hell is a stalking horse"?! So... In a M&A deal, a stalking horse is a company or bidder chosen by a bankrupt or distressed company to make the first, favorable bid on its assets. This bid sets a baseline or minimum price for the assets, ensuring that the selling company receives a fair offer, while also encouraging other potential buyers to submit competing bids. The stalking horse bid is often protected by certain incentives, like break-up fees or expense reimbursements, to compensate the bidder if a better offer emerges. This process helps create competitive bidding while giving the seller a safety net, ensuring the asset isn’t sold for less than its market value. So there you have it. Almost 20 years in markets and I'm still learning everyday! #finance

Free (unsolicited) golf advice Friday!! How do we structure practice (range sessions) to get better? Just like sales, you have to measure what you're trying to do against the results. We had a practice last week where we started by simply having the team hit shots to a 120y flag off an uneven lie. No objective, just picked a target...it was almost too easy because we didn't give them a goal. We adjusted quickly to having them call their shot. Split the green into quadrants. They'd verbally tell me what they were going to do (left/right and short/long). Instantly we started getting feedback on whether or not they achieved their goal. Instantly, they started to miss their target and needed to readjust in their mind how they were going to approach the shot in a way that got them closer to what they wanted to do. As soon as you introduce a mindset in what you want to achieve you are able to make the adjustments necessary that you'll have to do on the course. It was a small change but it made the idea of practice go from something mundane to something that had value and purpose. Good luck to the women in Idaho this weekend, roll herd! 🤘

You know what? I get it. I understand the trepidation, the fear, the reluctance. I also get that we are on the ground floor of an absolute revolution in the golf space right now with FlingGolf by New Swarm. Allow me to give you some reasons why you as a golf course owner, golfer, or literally anyone else should give this sport a look. 1.) It's extremely easy. (Most people I know have an extraordinarily hard time hitting a golf ball in the first place.) 2.) It's inexpensive. (Most modern drivers will run you $400-$650 USD. A Launch from New Swarm will run you $129.99, and you only need one instead of 13 OTHER clubs to go with it. 3.) For my course operators, you get more foot traffic. (Let's be real, 90 percent of people will NEVER step foot onto a golf course EVER. This is a way to get more people onto the course and having a great time if you rent FlingSticks out at the course.) 4.) Accessibility. (This is a big one. Hitting a golf ball requires a LOT of coordination. Anyone can throw something. Referring back to #1, this game is EASY to learn. If you have someone in your family with injuries, developmental difficulties, or someone that just doesn't like the game of golf for whatever reason, this game equalizes that.) 5.) Freshness. (The other big one. Traditional golf can come off as snooty and just plain dated to some people. This is a new way to navigate the course that anyone can learn with enough reps. You'll learn concepts of traditional golf but from another perspective, and who knows, maybe you'll find ways to augment and improve your traditional golf game by playing FlingGolf like I did. If you're interested in grabbing a FlingStick of your own, head to flinggolf.com and use code GCALLIS10 for 10 percent off your purchase. Let em know I sent you. And if you're looking to collaborate on projects involving this or looking to try it out for yourself, send an email to flinggolfrva@gmail.com

"Lately, the Topgolf business has been hit hard by slowing consumer spending. Same-venue sales fell 8% in the second quarter from a year earlier, the fourth consecutive quarter of declines. The sales drop was even worse for big-group events because of “corporate belt-tightening,” according to the company. That is quite the contrast with bowling-alley operator Bowlero, which reported a same-store sales increase in the same quarter. Eric Wold, equity analyst for B. Riley Securities, noted that movie theaters and theme parks also haven’t experienced the degree of slowdown that Topgolf has seen recently. The steeper price tag might be one contributor: In its location in Edison, N.J., for example, it costs about $155 to reserve one bay for a two-hour session during peak hours. And that doesn’t include food or drinks. Topgolf is trying out different ways to lure customers, including variable pricing, tweaks to its promotions and adding concerts and live DJ nights. In all, Topgolf Callaway’s shares have shed nearly 52% since unveiling the deal, a contrast with peer Acushnet (owner of Titleist), which has appreciated 83% over the same period. This is despite the fact that the postpandemic period has been “the greatest period for the sport of golf and the golf equipment industry” since the peak of Tiger-mania more than 20 years ago, according to Joe Altobello, equity analyst at Raymond James. Last year was the record for rounds played in U.S. history, and that number was still growing through mid-2024, according to a research note from Jefferies."

💼 When investors look at House, they often see custom paddles as our biggest opportunity—and they're not wrong. From corporate events and brand collaborations to pickleball clubs and individual gifts, the possibilities are endless. 🎨🏓 We’ve seen the most success with brand collaborations; they’ve brought in the most volume and revenue so far. But working with all the pickleball clubs could be more scalable long-term. 🤔 The question is: do we niche down and focus on what’s already working, or explore new directions? Always open to thoughts and insights on how to tackle this! 🔑 #HousePickleball #CustomPaddles #StrategicGrowth

Imagine stepping up to the first tee box on a foggy morning with great anticipation, only to discover your trusty golf club has morphed into a limp noodle. The top golf-equipment maker finds itself in a similar quagmire as their recreational driving-range business, touted as the engine revving up their profits, turns into a misfiring jalopy. While the greens may look lush, the harsh reality is the multifunctional golf marvels have mired themselves into a bunker. Tis the season to reassess their strategy, perhaps? In the fog of adversity, there's a glimmer of irony. The company, a veritable Goliath in the manufacture of cutting-edge golf clubs and gizmos, finds its prowess curbed when stepping into the realm of recreational driving-ranges. ❗ Quick Takes: - Once thriving, now trudging behind. - Top-quality on the greens, shaky off it. Easing into the contemplative, it's worth considering: Is this tumult a sign of mismatched priorities? Maybe, just maybe, the effort to spin another dyne in revenue's wheel has pirouetted too precariously. When we chase every ball on the course, do we miss the core essence of our swing? Prediction time! The avid golfer in me nudges a vision: Don't be surprised if the company returns to the drawing board, re-calculating strokes and angles. Will they find innovation to hit the sweet spot, correcting their slices and mishits in the business realm? The course isn’t always clear, and fog blankets the fairway. Yet, like any true golfer, they may yet find their trajectory, despite the struggles from just playing within the trees for now. https://lnkd.in/emdgfXDV #GolfIndustry #BusinessAnalysis #StrategicShift #SportsBusiness #InnovationNeeded

Golf Wars Card Game inbound! This game is full of strategy and will turn any mundane golf round into a funny and entertaining game. My last challenge was to hit the ball off of one leg...cheers for the lost ball Will. The marketing tip here is to provide recipients with something tangible so it has a bigger impact. As social media gets more saturated, direct post becomes more effective. This physical card should spark intrigue which will hopefully generate sales. Will keep you updated on the effectiveness of this. #business #golf #sme #golfer #golflife #accounting #marketing

💡 How a One-Legged Golfer Transformed a Marketing Campaign! ⛳️ My clients had a golf product—a series of videos teaching people how to improve their swing. They sought out underground golf experts, real pros who weren’t famous but were incredible at what they did. One expert was obsessed with his technique called the triple coil swing. His instructional video focused on this, but something was missing… the story. 🎯 Turns out, the real inspiration came from a one-legged golfer who, with perfect balance, could hit the ball farther than anyone else in his group. That story became the headline: “How a One-Legged Golfer Discovered the Secret to Hitting Balls Farther and Straighter Than Ever Before!” 🎯 And guess what? That ad transformed the entire campaign! 📈 👉 Moral of the story? The real power is in the story behind the product—it’s what grabs attention and sparks curiosity.🔥 https://lnkd.in/eTi_qxNF #MarketingStrategy #StorytellingInMarketing #Golf #BusinessGrowth #EntrepreneurLife #CopywritingSecrets #AdSuccess #MarketingMastery