We were lucky to catch up with Catherine Baxter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Catherine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

In 2020, I watched on Zoom as my in-laws set up a miniature pickleball court in their Manhattan apartment. While at first I thought that was a clever and funny way to stay active during the pandemic, it struck me that something interesting was happening with pickleball. Fast forward to that fall, and my husband and I played pickleball with his parents when it was safe to. I was hooked.

Not only did I completely understand why the sport was taking off, but I also saw how special and unique that pickleball is in the way that it connects people across generations. As I built the brand, our focus has been to foster intergenerational community and connection through pickleball.

Catherine, 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?

Nettie started when I saw my boyfriend’s parents create a makeshift pickleball court in their New York City apartment during quarantine. Watching their love of the game (over zoom and then in person), made me realize that this sport—and the people who play—are special. When I started playing, I realized that it was a game that even I could play and get good at. Even I! Someone who was more likely to get “Most Valuable Attitude” over “Most Valuable Player”!

When I went to buy my own gear, everything I found was either stylistically dated, looked pretty cheap, or was suuuper expensive. I wanted a paddle that played really well and could win, but also one that looked like the game felt to me—vibrant and joyful. (And was stylish too!)

But it wasn’t just cool designs and performance I was seeking. I was looking for a brand that spoke to the things that I love most about pickleball: The way anyone can learn. The way it can be played anywhere. The way it brings people of all generations, abilities, and backgrounds together. How many sports can you play with your grandparents—and they roast you on the court?

I created Nettie to bring premium products into the market with great designs and meaningful stories. I worked to embed a retro, colorful, nostalgic personality into everything we’re doing. I sought to create something in the spirit of those long summer days in 1965 when Bill Bell, Joel Pritchard, and Barney McCallum created pickleball for their kids with old sports equipment lying around. Equal parts creativity + quirk + competitiveness.

I started Nettie to bring products and experiences into the world that spark connection, joy, and meaningful relationships. In an era of technology dependence and societal divisiveness in the world, we need more ways to get outside and just play with each other.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

My career had previously been in programs and organizations that supported women’s leadership and autonomy in the world. I raised money, facilitated training, and built programs to elevate and support women to live their lives on their terms. At the same time, I realized that I could use some of these lessons that I was putting out into the world around women in leadership, influence and power, and so I decided to start working on what would become Nettie.

At first, I started Nettie as a side project – a creative outlet around a newfound hobby. But once I got going and launched, I saw exciting demand in the product, and quickly realized that this had the opportunity to become much bigger. From there, I applied to local grant programs and raised money from individuals to take Nettie to the next level. I used those foundational resources to build our DTC business, launch in new channels, and get recognized in media across the country. We are now launching new products and continuing to expand how we can provide quality products to the pickleball world!

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

Pickleball has exploded in popularity, and we knew that we wanted to create a brand that could compete with any performance brand AND one that has great design and style. As we made this a reality, we have been able to appeal across channels and revenue streams. Nettie is sold in sporting goods retailers (from Dick’s Sporting Goods to independent shops), at country clubs and tennis centers, and at home and fashion boutiques. We have also built out a very interesting business for custom pickleball paddles and sets, which has been a solid new revenue stream for us.

Contact Info:

• Website: playnettie.com
• Instagram: @playnettie
• Linkedin: Nettie Pickleball Co.
• Youtube: @playnettie

Image Credits
Christopher Flicek Aaron Conway