Over the past year, we have extensively researched the pickleball clubs that are blossoming around the country (I played at 40 locations last year). We’ve also completed revenue assessments, feasibility assessments and business plans for dozens of entrepreneurs.  We’ve learned a lot. No two clubs are the same, but the ones that have experienced success have a few things in common. They have done a good job of addressing ‘critical success factors’ that make a difference.

1) Vision and the vibe

A vision for the club matters. It impacts how your club looks, how it feels, how it builds a loyal customer base, and, if it’s the right vision, ultimately how successful you will be. It impacts the type of staff you will hire and what kind of programming you will feature. Everyone says they want to “build a community”. Yes, but HOW? And what type of community? There’s no right answer for everyone, but be sure you can clearly articulate it to your team, your investors and your players.

2) Programming 

Successful clubs are not primarily court-rental businesses. They create loyal players through creative programming that optimizes inherently limited court availability. A programming strategy and the staffing required to execute it.  

3) Revenue streams and ramping up

Every club will have a variety of revenue streams and your vision for your facility will determine how each of these will impact overall profitability. The essence of a good club revenue plan addresses each revenue stream in detail and considers both the marketing and the execution.  BIG QUESTION:  how fast will revenue ramp up? There is no way to know precisely, but it is important to plan on a “ramp up”.  This impacts cash flow, it impacts your staffing needs, and it impacts your marketing and programming strategy.  Month 1 and Month 12 will look very different financially because of the “ramping” factor.

4) Staffing

If you’ve started any modeling at all you’ve seen that after your monthly rent, the largest ongoing operating cost is staff. The starting point in assessing staff is to identify key business tasks and then determining how many people (and what kind of people) are needed. Important: what are YOU (the owner) going to do? The more you do, the less staff you need and the better your margin will be.

5) Targeting multiple markets

One of the reasons pickleball is exploding is because it’s attracting an incredible variety of ages and demographics. What other sport attracts kids, seniors, men, women, athletes, and non-athletes, from all income brackets? Hmmmm. This is great news if you’re opening a club, it also means you’ll need to think through a variety of marketing approaches for each segment.

Each time we visit somewhere to play, we learn a bit more about this market! Pickleball Business Advisors is brothers Bill and John Pryor.  We provide a variety of consulting services based on extensive experience in fitness business development, and research into the fast growing pickleball marketplace.  To initiate a feasibility assessment for your pickleball club, or for other consulting, contact us so we can learn about your project.