Bootstrapped By Paddle North

My son, Ty, has saved up about $500 – mainly from birthday gifts and, more recently, from helping...

As marketers, it's normal to want total control - brand image, aesthetic messaging, and more. Aft...

Can an employee buy into the same bootstrap mentality that the business owner has? And how does a...

Your site is getting the traffic. Conversion rate is healthy. Yes, you want to continue to focus ...

The early days of Paddle North were - and I use this word fondly - scrappy. The only way I've fou...

Are giveaways worth it?It depends. We've participated in a variety of giveaway promotions over t...

Cash Flow management is a core skill you need to master to be a successful business owner. It can...

If you're looking to level up this summer, this is your power reading list. Here are the top ten ...

As a part of your email marketing strategy, it's essential to constantly evaluate your most impor...

Each summer, as our demand for seasonal help surges, we at Paddle North gear up for a hiring spre...

Goal setting has been a key driver in my life and our business. We set monthly and yearly goals a...

When building and growing a direct-to-consumer brand, there is an infinite number of tools at you...

"I love your brand."  Those words are earned, by providing excellence over an extended period of ...

You've got a product you want to sell online. How do you get more people to convert?While priorit...

As our business has grown we’ve faced new challenges. We’ve never really had a mentor or particip...

Most people know us for our hard goods-- paddle boards, kayaks, surf boards and utility docks. Di...

My first job out of college was in a tough work environment. After giving it about eight months, ...

People often say something is in your blood. As if you were born to do or predestined to have a c...

Our email inboxes are inundated more than ever. We sign up for newsletters to hear from brands w...

Paddle North started as a side hustle originally intended to be a fun way to make some extra cash...

Scaling a small business is hard work.

We contract manufacture some products in China. Why? Yes, cost-effectiveness. But also so much mo...

Let's talk about email in 2024. Has it changed? Yes. Does it still have value? Absolutely.Despite...

In 2009, I graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth and immediately started working ...

A new idea is a business owner’s enemy. It walks around in your brain, voraciously consuming your...

Finding Balance is an ongoing process.   Growing up, I idolized the hustlers for their work e...

What content performs the best? There is no-one-size fits all strategy. It depends on the brand, ...

Lego kits seem like a paradox. My family and business partner like them -- not me though. I grew...

We sold $102,200.27 of them in my last report. About ~73k of that is profit. 3,475 pairs, spread ...

There's a reason why massive companies put so much effort into appearing smaller than they are......

Yes, I started Paddle North during my two-week paternity leave. My wife, Bridget, was supportive ...

Paddle North's origins are filled with grit - like the “ pack a truck and dive into trade shows” ...

The Year We Closed The Mall Stores. From 2016 to 2023, we operated retail stores in four differen...