323: Bringing Fun into the World with PaddleSmash

Summary: Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies! On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Tim Swindle, a serial entrepreneur in the toy and game space and co-founder of Glacier Games. With his passion for outdoor sports, Tim teamed up with two others to create a new recreational game called PaddleSmash, which combines the best elements of Pickleball and Spikeball. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Victoria, and Tim discuss how incorporating fun into your day is a necessity, building a business with Kickstarter, and how entrepreneurs should advertise their ideas, not safeguard them.     Show Notes: (0:55) Introduction to Tim (1:27) Tim’s Origin Story (5:16) The Development of PaddleSmash (9:36) Tech vs Outdoor Sports (13:41) The Importance of Having Fun (17:33) Lessons Learned (22:49) Increasing Your Surface Area (26:01) The Kickstarter Experience (29:17) Social Media Strategy (32:34) Advice to Younger Self (33:11) Closing Questions   Links: Caleb Talley Jeff Amerine Victoria Dickerson Tim Swindle PaddleSmash   Quotes: “There’s a resurgence to being low-tech right now. People spend so much time on their computers, laptops, iPads, and iPhones that you’re seeing physical board games and outdoor games becoming more popular. We’ve become so digital with society that they provide this opportunity to get back to actually interacting with each other.” - Tim Swindle, (12:07) “That would be my biggest advice to entrepreneurs. Go out there, share your ideas, and talk to people. Don’t worry about anybody stealing it, that’s not going to happen. Get the real raw feedback as to whether or not you have something and can move forward.” - Tim Swindle, (25:01) “People think Kickstarter is where you start, but a lot of times these people have gathered interest and email addresses prior to launching, and they engage that community once they go. Then the Kickstarter algorithm says they’re trending, and they start to show up everywhere. So focus on pre-marketing and building a community before you ever go live.” - Tim Swindle, (26:27)