Creating Demand from a DIY Game Idea | Tyler Simmons | BucketGolf

Tyler Simmons is the founder and CEO of Elevate Sports, the company behind BucketGolf, a portable par-3 game that transforms backyard spaces into playable courses and brings a competitive twist to casual golf. Elevate Sports designs products that blend athletic training and outdoor entertainment, helping families connect and athletes sharpen their skills through hands-on play.Before launching Elevate Sports, Tyler was a Division I college athlete and worked at a lacrosse equipment company. With no prior experience in product development or ecommerce, he started by building a lacrosse training aid from scratch. That early prototype sparked a journey into consumer products, culminating in the launch of BucketGolf, a category-defining game that hit $1 million in revenue before Tyler hired his first full-time employee.Whether turning a homemade backyard game into a seven-figure business or figuring out paid media strategy through trial and error, Tyler brings a scrappy, product-first lens to brand building. He shares insights on launching without a playbook, designing products that go viral on video, and bootstrapping high-growth businesses without outside capital. His story is proof that you don’t need a perfect plan, you just need to start.In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:37] Intro[00:53] Launching products that bring people together[01:46] Validating demand with zero research[03:53] Making mistakes instead of waiting[05:47] Building momentum before it’s perfect[06:44] Choosing action over endless planning[08:09] Learning to sell before scaling up[12:05] Electric Eye, Social Snowball, Portless, Reach & Zamp[18:27] Learning paid media through trial and error[20:21] Boosting what already works organically[21:30] Standing out in a saturated market[25:27] Pushing through constant setbacksResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeElevate Sports for Lacrosse Training Gear elevatesportsequipment.com/The Ultimate Backyard Golf Game bucketgolfgame.com/Follow Tyler Simmons linkedin.com/in/tyler-simmons-771b5718aSchedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connectDrive revenue through affiliates & referrals socialsnowball.io/honestRevolutionize your inventory and fulfillment process portless.com/Level up your global sales withreach.com/honest  Fully managed sales tax solution for Ecommerce brands zamp.com/honestIf you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!