We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Nguyen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.

Amanda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

It all started while on a trip with some friends in 2019. We grew up playing a lot of volleyball, so we were looking for a net and court where we could get a good game in. There were no nets around, but there was something else — a wooden bridge going across a pool we had access to. We ended up playing a game where instead of hitting the ball over the net, we hit the ball against the bridge to the other team. We had a surprisingly awesome time doing this, and once we got back to Toronto, we realized we wanted to continue playing this version of volleyball. Luckily, we had access to an old squash court, which is really where the magic happened. Playing 2 vs 2, we played around with makeshift boards, and experimented with different rules and ideas. Over time, we also tested various playing surfaces, and developed board designs that were portable so that people could play anytime, anywhere. It started out as an opportunity to stay in touch with volleyball, and was really just for our own fun, but when we took this sport outside for the first time in June, 2020, things started to change. Videos of us playing went viral, with hundreds of people from around the world inquiring about how they could play, and where they could purchase a board. With that momentum and demand, we realized it was up to us to produce the best, premium grade Boardball product and experience to share with the world!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always had a passion for sports and the startup world. On the sports side, I grew up without the opportunity to compete in club sports, but always loved sports and found ways to gain access through some free school programming and local communities. I volunteered and worked at the Boys and Girls Club, running volleyball and other sporting programs all throughout highschool and into university. But as I got older, I started to become disconnected from volleyball, simply because I didn’t always have access to a court and a net. On the business side, I graduated from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, with an emphasis in Marketing. I worked as a marketing and sales strategist for multiple companies, including Initiative, Kone Vietnam, and am currently a Managing Director and Partner of a Toronto-based Digital Marketing Agency, currently working with startups and scaleups across North America. I always saw the sports and business aspects of my life as distinct from one another, until I started experimenting with new ways of playing volleyball to improve access to this sport. This led me to creating my first official startup company – Boardball!

Boardball makes volleyball convenient and accessible. Instead of needing access to a full-size court, volleyball net, and large group of people, all that is needed to play Boardball is a board, a volleyball, and 4 people. Boardball Inc. manufactures and sells all the equipment that is needed to play this new sport, including a custom board we designed, a full-size volleyball, and a pump. Although Boardball was only officially launched in September, 2021, we have already seen high demand with customers ordering our product in all states across the US and 10 provinces across Canada. As the creator of this new sport, my company is the go-to place to purchase the equipment needed to play. I always wanted volleyball to be more accessible given I didn’t always have the opportunity to play organized sports growing up, and so I’m really proud to say that Boardball supporting people of all walks of life to engage with this sport. Through our short history, we have learnt there is substantial demand for Boardball from a variety of users, including youth, families, people with physical disabilities, and competitive volleyball players – and this is only the start!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

It started out as a sport for our own fun, but when we took Boardball outside for the first time in June, 2020, things started to change. Videos of us playing went viral organically on some major Toronto sports and media networks and social media channels (The Score, BlogTO and others). Hundreds of people from around the world inquired about how they could play, and where they could purchase a board. With that momentum and demand, we realized how important social media was going to be to build and reach our diverse audiences, and had the team to be able to create impactful social media. I came with a deep expertise in digital media marketing, David Borish (co-founder) is a skilled videographer and photographer, and we brought on Jad Slaibeh, known by his influencer name – ChadWithaJ – as a professional influencer (1.84M subscribers on YouTube, 294K followers on Instagram, and 53K followers on TikTok) who is best known for releasing personal blog testimonials and comedic sketches on his channel about sports and games. Leveraging our skill sets, there have been a combination of social media strategies that have been key to Boardball’s success, including: 1) Leveraging organic marketing approaches to drive awareness and sales by building on existing social channels, such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. In particular, TikTok has been a major opportunity for us to reach millions of people worldwide (one video alone as over 10M views!). 2) Attaining and promoting user generated content related to Boardball rallies and activities has been key. We’ve introduced a QR code onto the new boards we are manufacturing, which allows users to scan and directly connect to our website, with the option of sharing their best rallies right after they happen! Some important things we’ve learnt along the way so far is to consistently create and share valuable content that resonates with your target audience. This means understanding your audience’s interests, pain points, and needs, and tailoring your content to address them. Additionally, we learnt how important it can be to engage with your audience and foster a sense of community. Responding to comments and messages, asking for feedback, and initiating conversations can help build a loyal following and increase engagement.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Boardball’s reputation has been, and continues to be, built on a combination of innovation, creativity, passion, and a willingness to experiment and try new things. By focusing on these key elements, and creating a version of volleyball that could be played in a variety of settings and on portable boards, we have been able to establish ourselves as leaders in the space and generate interest and excitement for this new version of the game. Additionally, our reputation is connected to our strong focus on community building, in-person events, and partnerships. We hosted in-person meet-ups and tournaments in various states and provinces – including Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Arizona, New York, Ontario, and British Columbia – which allowed us to connect with our audience directly and build a strong community around the sport of Boardball in various locations. This not only helped to drive direct sales, but also generated invaluable word-of-mouth referrals and contributed to the overall awareness and reputation of the sport. Overall, our reputation has been built on a combination of innovation and community building. By focusing on these key elements and continually refining our approach, we were able to generate interest and excitement within the volleyball community, and establish ourselves as pioneers of this new sport.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.boardballsport.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boardballsport/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boardballsport/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbcwz8qK7NqjADeUvm201pA
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@boardballsport

Image Credits
David Borish