Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in sports and athletics but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with David Najgoldberg, Founder and CEO of Pro-Spin Sports, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Pro-Spin Sports is the first direct-to-consumer ping pong brand to bring high-quality gear to the recreational market at an affordable price. We are on a mission to create more fun through sports and friendly competition. Offering durable, easily transportable gear that’ll withstand the most intense games, Pro-Spin Sports ping pong equipment is made for all levels of players and can be used both indoors and outdoors. We are committed to high-quality products and to providing sustainable gear by never using single-use plastics in production.
Pro-Spin Sports makes gear for people of all ages and interests. Whether you’re a parent or grandparent looking for a fun family activity, you play intense games with your friends, or you’re someone who wants to get better so you can crush your opponents – Pro-Spin Sports has got the perfect gear for you.
Tell us about yourself
I spent about a decade in the corporate consumer goods world, in brand marketing and management for iconic brands like Cheerios, Pillsbury, and Lysol, before leaving to start my own venture. Before starting Pro-Spin Sports, I took the time to examine what was most important to me as I decided on this next chapter. From the start, I was very focused on building an e-commerce business in Sports & Wellness – I knew that this was the “box” I wanted to play in. From there, I searched for a niche I could be successful – a white space opportunity. After a few months of intense research, I landed on table tennis. I grew up in a racket sports family and played a ton of ping pong as a kid, so it was a great fit. From there, I lasered in on our value proposition: developing high-performance gear at an exceptional value.
I love the brand that we’ve been creating, and seeing how much fun our products bring into people’s lives is very motivating! I’m also very growth-oriented, so setting ambitious targets and trying to achieve them keeps me driven as an entrepreneur.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Building (and bootstrapping) an 8-figure business from scratch in just five years has been my biggest accomplishment. It went from idea to launch to scale very quickly!
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Hiring the right people. I still struggle with this! We’re a remote business, so all our team members work remotely. Knowing how to find and hire good people who work hard independently is tough! Especially when the business operates at such a fast speed.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Know when to ask for help. - As a leader, it’s crucial to recognize when you’re being the bottleneck. While it’s important to stay lean and scrappy, eventually, everyone reaches a point when you realize you can’t do all yourself. If you want to grow, you need to find a balance between knowing what you can do and when to bring more people on.
- Don’t be greedy. - My team and I work to always maximize value for the end consumer. We aren’t focused on huge profit margins; instead, we pack as many benefits into our products for customers as possible. It’s one of the major keys to the brand’s success – giving customers more for less. And the thousands of 5-star reviews prove we’re doing something right.
- Stay close to the numbers. - Many entrepreneurs aren’t close to the numbers, especially in the early days of starting a business. However, I have found it critical to monitor trends, reports, and data points daily. Staying close to this information enables me to see and flag trends immediately and course-correct them quickly.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://prospin.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prospin.sports/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prospin_sports/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prospinsports/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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