We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mike O’Malley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mike below.
Mike, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
The inception of PKLN wasn’t just a lightbulb moment; it was a culmination of countless late nights that turned into 4-in-the-morning mornings, fueled by a desire to bring this amazing sport to all corners of the globe.
A few years ago, we first looked at ways of spreading pickleball when we wanted to bring an indoor facility near our neck of the woods here in Berlin, MD. Empty lots and big box stores up and down the coast of Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia were scoured. Unfortunately, those things cost quite a bit of money to build & lease! While we knew and still know today that an indoor pickleball facility would be wildly popular in this booming area, we decided to back off and shoot for something that we felt was more up our alley and still filled a growing need within the pickleball community.
One thing that stood out during our indoor pickleball facility research and our own time on the courts was a lack of style & diversity, to put it nicely, in the world of pickleball fashion. It seemed (it’s getting better) to be the same tennis clothing designers who were designing the pickleball apparel. We saw this as an opportunity to finally go after a dream and to have the chance to provide something special for our children, and, hopefully, many other children across the globe.
So with this dream, we would put the kiddos to bed and then it was all business, pun intended. We immersed ourselves in the intricate world of market and product research, meticulously crafting designs that seamlessly blended style and functionality. The creative process extended to website development with which we aimed to capture the essence and feel of PKLN.
As the business took shape, the journey transcended beyond creative pursuits to navigate the realms of advertising, legal intricacies, trademark filings, LLC establishment, state registrations, tax obligations, and the labyrinth of documents involved in launching a business. Each challenge was met with resilience and a thirst for knowledge, often learning the ropes the hard way, but emerging stronger and more knowledgeable with every hurdle overcome.
The journey was not without its trials and tribulations, but through unwavering support from loved ones & a thirst to continuously improve, PKLN emerged as more than just a brand – it became a testament to the power of “doing what you love.” Each serve, each late night, & each challenge conquered paved the way for PKLN to carve its unique identity in the exciting, exploding world of pickleball fashion.
Mike, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Embracing the mantra of ‘pickleball streetwear’, PKLN introduces a new niche to the industry, offering trendy, eco-friendly products that resonate with the young & the young at heart. What sets PKLN apart is not just its stylish clothing, UPF protection, or artist-created designs; it’s the unwavering dedication to spreading the game & redefining the pickleball experience.
From hosting pop-up PKLNs that will transform abandoned retail spaces into pickleball Wonka factories, to sponsoring tournaments and engaging with local communities, PKLN is more than just a brand – it’s a movement that is here to take pickleball to never-before-imagined heights.
By offering a diverse range of products that cater to fashion-focused pickleballers & budding youth players, PKLN bridges the gap in the market, providing a fresh perspective on pickleball attire as the sport skyrockets through 2024.
In our first year, we decided to focus on small, so we jumped in head first locally and made quite the splash! With the help of numerous other pickleball-hungry residents from our town, we raised the necessary funds to professionally add pickleball lines to our town’s tennis courts, and we didn’t ‘stop the spread’ there. Recently we introduced the sport to a few local area schools and now have plans to help start & lead the first high school pickleball team in our area!
Our main objective is spreading pickleball. Plain & simple. The dream is to take this game worldwide because we have seen up close the wonders that it can do! We’re preparing for takeoff. Hop on board.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
While PKLN is mainly a one-person show at the moment, envisioning a day when we’ll have a team to lead gets us fired up. Drawing from my experience as the head coach of a varsity boys basketball team, consistent communication & positivity will be key in maintaining a team with high morale.
Allowing your team members to be who they are, while have clear objectives that everyone is working together towards is typically a good place to start when creating a championship team. PKLN plans to be no different.
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
PKLN is currently hosted through Shopify which made it fairly easy to get up and running, however, we also use our sister site, Dink Life on Etsy as we discussed in our previous article, to promote & test some products.
Etsy has been nice because it provides you with a massive marketplace of buyers who are often searching out your specific products. This is great and we still get a rush every time an order comes through, however, Etsy is a lot of work and is more expensive than people realize.
There is some tricky SEO work that you must be aware of as well as some ads and fees that can quickly add up if you aren’t careful. You must also stay on top of the customer service or you might find yourself with a bad review which could then get you a low rating. Get a rating low enough and you’ll scare away potential customers.
Overall, we have been happy with both, but will eventually look to pull our PKLN products from Dink Life on Etsy and offer them strictly through our brand’s website, PKLNpickleball.com
Contact Info:
- Website: PKLNpickleball.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pklnpickleball
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PKLNpickleball
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pkln
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/pklnpickleball
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrU7FAcsAI08UbRyk6Igekg
- Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pklnpickleball DinkLifePB.Etsy.com https://www.instagram.com/dinklifepickleball https://www.tiktok.com/@dinklifepickleball