We recently connected with Steve Gostin and have shared our conversation below.

Steve, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Orange Coast Baseball Group was just a thought, an idea or dream. I have been coaching my son’s little league team for several years now and I love it! I love baseball and love being able to share the game with him. Being a part of the little league family has also opened the door to new opportunities and friendships that I am so very happy to have, for myself as well as my family.

I wanted to combine my passion for teaching with baseball and being able to provide a program that is different than other coaching programs out there was important to me. I wanted to create not just a group of elite coaches but an elite training program for young baseball players. What’s different about OCBG is that I am focused on more than just their play on the field, but I want to help these student athletes focus on their growth off the field and help them develop their character, leadership, and their goals for the future.

I have spent nearly 6 months working on the idea and business plan and while it has taken me longer than I had hoped to complete the plan, it’s done. We just launched our first summer camp to be hosted in Irvine from June 19th thru August 4th. This 7-week camp will help develop young player’s skills and we will begin introducing them to the mindset of an athlete as well as strength and conditioning programs to help them develop their baseball skills.

Seeing this come to life has been exciting and fun and I’m looking forward to day 1.

Steve, 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?

I have been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years. I loved it. Then I became a college professor and taught hospitality management and helped create curriculum for state certifications and have watched students build their own dreams and start their own business. (No greater high than watching those dreams come to reality).

I cofounded a 501c3 nonprofit organization, California Culinary Coalition, where we provide meals to those in need in Orange County, feed the residents of a transitional housing program and provide education and training to those who want to get into the field. Nothing has made me prouder in my career than Cal Culinary.

However, I felt as though something was missing and I needed to change. Thus, Orange Coast Baseball Group. I wanted to take my career in a different direction but hold on to what I have learned over the years in hospitality and teaching. I have completed phase 1 of the plan with the summer camp but my focus is on launching phase 2, The EnhancedAthlete360 program and phase 3, Dugouts and Dingers, our indoor training facility. I have very lofty dreams and I am confident that I will accomplish them and see OCBG grow.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When haven’t I pivoted? Actually, COVID forced me to look at my career in hospitality and as a restaurant consultant. I had a good little consulting business going and was doing well when COVID hit. But we all know how this wound up for the industry, so I was forced to close my company as the restaurants I was consulting for closed.

I pivoted into an idea for a baseball company and even joined an organization that turned out to be a bust due to the owner lying to us all. But it gave me the idea for Orange Coast Baseball Group and the EnhancedAthlete360 program. I also made some wonderful friendships and contacts that after my 30 days of sulking over the situation, I started working on the OCBG plan and drew up some ideas.

COVID was difficult for my family and we’ve been through a lot the past few years but I feel more confident about this opportunity and plan than any other I have been a part of in the past.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

This is a great question because my plan does have several revenue streams. We have the private coaching lessons and camps, clinics and skill evaluation programs. This is all to build up to the indoor training facility and the programs we want to offer. Dugouts and Dingers will be different than most other training facilities as I am planning to incorporate my knowledge and skills in hospitality with the focus of elite baseball training for student athletes. Dugouts and Dingers will have numerous revenue streams within the business itself and my projections show tremendous operational profit and success because I don’t intend to do it like everyone else.

We have the EnhancedAthlete360 program that will provide training, motivation, and encouragement to help young athletes to develop their character, grow as leaders and help shape their future. The EA360 program was specifically designed and created to help young athletes develop their minds and focus beyond the game and into academics and learn necessary life skills as they grow into adulthood and face the challenging decisions before them.

From developing their character to educating them on leadership skills, to preparing for SAT’s and high school or college, to learning how to grow on the field and track their progress, to specific strength and conditioning programs and diet plans, to serving their communities, EnhancedAthlete360 was developed to help student athletes learn, lead and grow.

It’s not just about the game, it’s about the players and their futures whether they continue to a career in baseball or not.

EA360 is an online program created to provide young adults with the knowledge and skills they need for their next chapter in life. Currently, the program is being built for online access but in the future, I will have our own app that links to all our partners.

EA360 focuses on:
• Community
• Leadership
• Service to others
• Online tutoring grades 3 through 12
• ACT/SAT preparedness courses
• Personal Finance
• Physical, Emotional and Nutritional Health
• Mentorship
• Self-Motivation and Endurance
• Team and Team Building

AND…Dugouts and Dingers is a retail clothing line that is currently selling fun baseball and softball attire reflecting how we have fun and love the game of baseball.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.orangecoastbaseballgroup.com, www.stevegostin.com, www.californiaculinarycoalition.com
• Instagram: ocbaseballgroup, calculinarycoalition
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Orange-Coast-Baseball-Group, https://www.facebook.com/DugoutsandDingers, https://www.facebook.com/CalCulinaryCoalition
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/stevegostin, California Culinary Coalition, Orange Coast Baseball Group

Image Credits
Steve Gostin