We recently connected with Tyler Simon and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tyler, thanks for joining us 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?

If I had to choose a concrete starting point I would say it was when I asked Isaac (bestfriend/co-founder) to join in on this mission and file the LLC with me as a partnership in 2020. At this time we had piled up a good amount of designs (that we never used) together that we could use in the future, along with a bunch of big-eyed ideas. When we filed that LLC we didn’t have 100% of our mission down. We knew what we wanted to do, but how do we do it? How big can we do it? What is our mission statement? I honestly don’t think we even had our final logo completed or started, which is why we never used any of our designs that we made in the beginning. Now that everything was serious we started working on those things and slowly curating what it means to “paddle. on!”

We started working on our logo, our mission statement, cleaning up our big idea board and getting more realistic (still big-eyed) ideas put up, finding a space to make our office/studio which ended up being the garage. So we did a bunch of remodeling most of the summer in 2020, which was a blast because we felt like we were really building this thing from bare bones. Once it was all done we started putting our heads together on our first release, which didn’t actually release until June 2021. We were way ahead of ourselves on everything. It was almost like once we filed the LLC we had to do something and do it now! The pressure was on. As life teaches, you learn not to rush things and to take your time. As what is meant to be yours will arrive when it’s time. We still had not fully solidified who WE were as “paddle.” On top of we didn’t know what garments we wanted to use yet, how to print, how to outsource & where? It really felt like just the first year was all about teaching us to slow down and take our time, which is a lesson I feel blessed to have learned. It was hard at first because it made you think to yourself “this is impossible” when now I can look back and say “I don’t ever know why I thought this wasn’t possible.” It is something that we both had to sit on for awhile and really assess where we were at, where we wanted to go, and if we had the strength and courage to just get up and do it.

Once the calendar flipped we knew it was time to get this thing rolling, no matter what. The annual filing of our LLC was approaching and we had been planning more & more. We started getting stencils in for marketing purposes, multiple test garments, working on a “logo reveal” video, and laying out our plan one piece at a time. In the process of ordering our stencils we received an order that was not meant for us. It was shipped to us, with our name on the shipping label so we opened it obviously and it wasn’t until we did so that we realized it wasn’t ours. We called the company and told them and they said we could keep it. Which, go figure, worked out for the best. It was a “NO DIVING” stencil and that is where we then created our “NO DIVING CLUB” to work hand in hand with our motto, “no matter how deep life gets, paddle. on!”

That moment right there is what really launched us into this thing full force. Because we knew in that moment, this is why we were put here on this earth. To not just learn the path of life and how to live happily, but also be willing to admit that it isn’t always easy. Allowing us to be a reminder to others that this thing called life is not easy for anyone and we aren’t alone in this. The “NO DIVING” part of it is a key aspect of what it means to “paddle. on!” Life gets hard, I think that is one thing we can all admit. It’s just up to us as individuals to get up and not get dragged down into the pit of darkness. It’s going to end regardless (bad times), but there is no sense in going down further in the hole. Even when it’s hard to not give in. So all we want is to be able to give people a brand that understands them as humans and be able to build a community that is ever-giving to the communities around them.

Tyler, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up always having a love for fashion. I wouldn’t say it was as exorbitant as one might expect when I say “a love for fashion.” I just always loved the way certain clothes made me feel. Everything starts with the garments that drape our bodies right? It has to. It can make or break a whole day! So getting your outfit right and getting clothes that make you feel like the best you is a must. That’s always been instilled in me since I was young. The brand itself and getting into the industry is more so derived from everything my partner and I have experienced in the course of our lives dealing with mental illness and just the difficulty of navigating life from a young teen to a young adult, That’s where the message and branding and the intent to build community comes from. As artists we wanted to find the best way to be able to not only depict what we have been through but also give art to people that helps them feel less alone in this world. With having a love for fashion and just all of the things you can accomplish with a clothing brand, we felt like garments would be our best canvas for this mission.

I feel like what really sets us apart from other brands is that we truly want to build a community we can get behind, support, and be involved with. We don’t want to just showcase our art on shirts and sell it. We want to build relationships with our customers and really make a difference in people’s lives however possible. I could say we put our absolute best into our art and our process and getting things right for our customers, but I feel like a lot of people can say that. We do do those things, but really what I notice from Isaac and I is the true desire to be there and make differences in people’s lives and that’s what makes me the most proud. It’s not the hours of work, because there will be more of those. It’s not the first sale, or the 100th. It’s not people getting our logo/motto tattooed on them. It’s not the sponsorship and relationship we have built with the Elite X-Ball league, or getting a named event. It’s the fact that we created a mission, and despite facing a plethora of adversity and troubles, have never given up because of what we hold in our hearts. You guys make this worth it. All of the things that didn’t necessarily make me proud, are still things I am very happy with. They will always be memorable milestones, but there is just so much work to be done on our end. This is just the beginning. There is going to be a lot more long hours and everything in between. All I want is to be able to do it successfully and to enjoy every little moment throughout.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

So me and Isaac met back in high school. We were both freshman in 2009, and I think we had 1 class together but we were on block schedules so we only saw each other in class 3 times a week. This dude used to have what I want to call a afro, but it was kind of shaped like a mullet? I just remember it making me laugh, I had never seen anything like it. Now he is dealing with hair loss and has a full blown monopoly mustache. We never became “friends” in high school, mostly because I only went to the same school as him for one year. I did make friends with his cousin however. So he was still always around in my life. We weren’t enemies or anything just not as good as friends as we are now.

I was going through a rough time in my life (post paddle. idea) and I had seen via social media he was going through some things himself. I reached out to him just as a friend of his cousin, because I don’t like seeing anyone struggle. We had talked via chat for a little bit that day and then decided to make plans to catch up on everything in each others lives that’s gone on since we had seen one another last. It had been some years, probably before we even graduated. I had a kid at this point, so my life was very different. We started hanging out a lot after that day we met up. It was just nice to have someone you could vent to and know that they can relate to and really hear what you are saying and not judge you for the things you are going through.

He was in to photography and quite good at it at this point, and I had not picked up a camera since I was a young buck walking around Grandma’s house taking pictures of anything I could. When I had learned about HOW into it he was, I was like man lets go take pictures. For the next year and a half it feels like all we did was go downtown or anywhere and take pictures and make art together. In this process we became really close friends, and started producing really quality art together. I think most importantly though we brought things out of each other that pushed the envelope on each individuals creativity.

So it is the combination of our ability to create together, but also having seen each other in some of our darkest moments and really getting through the transition of being a kid turning into a young adult together, that is the reason I brought him on board with this business. I mean in all honesty all I had was the name of the business, and that it was going to be a clothing brand. Everything from there is not possible without bringing Isaac on board.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

This one gives me a smile. Paintball. (:

Not everyone knows what paintball is, and some people kind of know what it is but also not really. Then there are the people who are full send into the world of paintball and I can not explain to you the depth of the sport, yes sport, and what it means to everyone who plays. Some people don’t know pro paintball exist, or that people get paid to play paintball competitively. The environment of paintball is electric, fun, but most of all open to all and supportive of all. These are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, and they will support you and anyone in their community tirelessly.

I had played for awhile in my younger days. Back when you would hear the name “Ollie Lang” brought into conversation 20 times if not more in one day. I was at the field every weekend, both Saturday and Sundays. It was something that gave me a home. The first place where I could just be ME, and no one cared or judged. It was the first place I ever felt naturally happy. It’s so nostalgic looking back on it now, because those were some of the best times of my life. I ended up getting back into it about 2 years ago with a friend of mine. I met a lot of new people, found a new field, and ultimately found a new home.

I knew Jake, who is the owner of the field, for a little over a year when one day at a practice he asked me if my business would be interested in sponsoring their league the next year. At this time we had only released two collections to our customers and had held one pop up shop, total. Which did happen to take place at Jake’s field because he was nice enough to allow me the opportunity. I mean at this time we had not even been open a whole 6 months, but I felt like after asking him for the opportunity to host our first pop up everything just kind of started falling into place. It was before the end of last year when he asked us to sponsor the league, and after hearing everything it would include we couldn’t say no. This was our business, and this was the market we wanted to be in.

When I say that I could have never anticipated the way it worked out, I mean it. A year ago today I was doing another interview with you guys. At that time I had no idea we would double our sales the next year, or build lifelong relationships with multiple people in our communities as well as ones deep rooted in the paintball community itself. The people I have talked to, the ideas that have been presented, the people who want to do work with us. The people that just love seeing us show up. The “paddle.” stickers scattered across the pits on all of the players’ gear and just the outpour of support. We wouldn’t be hear if it wasn’t for this community, and we definitely won’t be giving up on you guys. We love you!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paddleclothing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paddle.xx/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paddle.xx

Image Credits
IMAGE CREDIT BELONGS TO PADDLE., LLC