We were lucky to catch up with Erika Bond recently and have shared our conversation below.
Erika, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.
All-Love Racquet Club is a collective community dedicated to embracing inclusivity within sports like tennis, pickleball, and padel. We are committed to championing diversity and ensuring that every player, fan, and enthusiast, regardless of their background, has a positive experience and finds an authentic space to build community and enjoy the sport.
In the 1800s, affluent European men established the U.S. Tennis and Lawn Association (USTA), shaping the sport for over a century. They controlled rules, and attire, and enforced exclusivity. Deliberate exclusion of people of color occurred, prompting advocates like Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, and Billie Jean King to champion equal rights. Now, almost half of the total tennis-playing population identifies as an underrepresented minority and there is an increasing need to develop a community and brand like All-Love that represents accessibility no matter your gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or background.
By combining the sport with music, fashion, food, and entertainment, All-Love community events aim to create a fun and inclusive environment to play or be introduced to racquet sports. For our inaugural event, All-Love partnered with Wilson to throw a block party that included competitive tennis, musical guests, local businesses/vendors, and curated food and beverages. To follow the success and momentum of that event, last December, we hosted a Holiday Invitational that featured many of the same components from the inaugural event, with the addition of a clothing drive for donations to the Los Angeles Mission. This year, All-Love has continued bringing inclusive events to the LA area and will also expand into New York by partnering with the USTA to work with foundations that serve underrepresented populations.
Erika, 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?
The vision behind All-Love was born from my journey as a woman of color in the world of tennis, both as a player and coach. Growing up in the South and playing what is often known as a “white” sport, it was common to be one of few minorities and to feel like I did not belong. Now, as a tennis coach in LA, I have experienced that same feeling of “not belonging” within the private racquet clubs and spaces that currently exist today. In many cases, sports and community naturally intertwine, but when you engage in a sport that wasn’t originally designed with you in mind, it can be an isolating experience. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to play tennis at Prairie View A&M University, a Historically Black College & University (HBCU), and what I took most from that experience is how important culture and representation are for the success of our Black and Brown communities. When you are in an environment that looks like you, the freedom and safety to express yourself, learn, and grow are felt so strongly – and that feeling is the heart of what I am trying to create for the tennis community through All-Love.
To make the vision of All-Love a reality I am focusing on delivering 3 main things: (1) growing the All-Love community by continuing to build inclusive and safe spaces for minority groups to engage with and access the sport; (2) dropping All-Love merch and limited collections that embody an All-Love member and walk the line between tradition and expression; and (3) finding investment to support the development of physical space here in LA, that will serve as our HQ and will completely reimagine the term “tennis club”.
To date, I am most proud of the traction All-Love has been able to gain in such a short amount of time. Since September of last year, All-Love has produced 3 sold-out events, dropped several pieces of merchandise, and established partnerships with Wilson and the USTA, with a few more already in the works. I hope that All-Love becomes a leading voice in the conversation about inclusivity and diversity in the tennis community. I want All-Love to be representative of everyone and become a platform for impact amongst diverse populations. With the fanbase of the sport becoming more and more diverse, there is an increasing need to develop a collective and brand, like All-Love, that feels accessible and safe for everyone to engage with. I am determined to change the narrative and perception of tennis to make the sport more inclusive.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Originally, I started coaching tennis as a way to get out of the house during the pandemic. Tennis was one of the few things that grew in popularity during the pandemic because of the social distancing that was naturally built within it. Three years went by, and I eventually got to the point where I wanted to spend more time being active in the tennis community and find a path through entrepreneurship outside of my corporate job. My first milestone was to try and pinpoint a perspective and problem within the tennis community that I felt best suited to represent and solve. My second milestone was to work toward putting together a pitch deck so that I could find partnerships to help make my business idea a reality. After many conversations, finally I met a group of venture partners based out of London who believed in me and the vision of All-Love and introduced me to key connections that have helped accelerate my growth. In parallel, I also got accepted into the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator program where I met an amazing advisor who helped break down the steps needed to get from idea to funding. It was through the combination of both of those forces, that I was able to create the foundation and business strategy for All-Love and begin producing events championing diversity and inclusivity within racquet sports.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Throughout most of my life, I have felt like I was living according to an imaginary checklist. I thought success meant climbing the corporate ladder and accomplishing many of the material things that come along with that. After seven years of living that life, I found myself young and successful (in a traditional sense) but unfulfilled. It was as if I was going through the motions of my life, but completely disconnected from any passion when it came to my work. It was this feeling of discontentment that led me to search for other avenues of fulfillment in my life, and that is when tennis became the side hustle on the way to turning into my full-time gig. I chose to pivot toward passion and fulfillment, and though the journey has come with many long hours as I juggle both for the time being, I have felt a level of excitement around my work that I haven’t in a long while, and I am already seeing dreams become a reality.
Contact Info:
- Website: all-loveclub.com
- Instagram: @allloveracquetclub
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCel2gX489AhmLTUvu8CvI4g