A new idea is a business owner’s enemy. It walks around in your brain, voraciously consuming your time and attention. IYKYK. Meanwhile, your currently successful idea quietly awaits your return. I...
Finding Balance is an ongoing process. Growing up, I idolized the hustlers for their work ethic and their inability to give up. A lot of this was learned from my parents, who modeled entrepre...
What content performs the best? There is no-one-size fits all strategy. It depends on the brand, product, and audience; not to mention constantly-changing social algorithms and trends. At Paddle N...
Lego kits seem like a paradox. My family and business partner like them -- not me though. I grew up with buckets of blocks. Lego was an open canvas, a realm of endless possibilities where I could ...
We sold $102,200.27 of them in my last report. About ~73k of that is profit. 3,475 pairs, spread between 25 variants— all without running a single advertisement on them. 1,856 different people paid...
There's a reason why massive companies put so much effort into appearing smaller than they are... they want to seem relatable. Then why do small companies put so much effort into trying to appear ...
Start a biz on paternity leave?
Yes, I started Paddle North during my two-week paternity leave. My wife, Bridget, was supportive of the idea (looking back - that’s a miracle in itself). I remember asking her right before bed on...
Paddle North's origins are filled with grit - like the “ pack a truck and dive into trade shows” sort of grit. We’ve done that 142 times. Sometimes all the way to Annapolis, Fort Lauderdale or Kans...
The Year We Closed The Mall Stores. From 2016 to 2023, we operated retail stores in four different shopping centers. At that stage of our business, it felt like the right move. They were all profit...