Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nathan Polzin, founder, and president of LaSportsNet, located in Playa Vista, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
LASportsNet is a network of adult social sports leagues found throughout all areas of Los Angeles. We currently offer over 35 leagues across nine different sports along with adventure club trips throughout the year to amazing places throughout the western united states. Our customers are generally adult athletes aged 25-50 and adults looking to get out an exercise, make new friends, and have fun.
Tell us about yourself
I started LASportsNet back in 2013 after moving out to Los Angeles and realizing that LA needed an adult sports hub that could offer multiple sports leagues in an efficient and more coordinated way. We began with three leagues (Soccer, Flag Football, and Kickball). We immediately expanded over three years to 20 leagues from Pasadena all the way down to Long Beach. The part of this experience in starting and running LASN is that I love getting to see the lifestyles, friendships, and relationships that have been created throughout LASportsNet. In less than ten years, we have had over 15,000 players come in and out of our leagues, and a good portion of these players have been with us staying active for a long time now, which is amazing to see. I love the challenge of continuing to add to what we are doing and seeing how we can adapt and add to our growing list of leagues, tournaments, and trips. Just in the last year, we have expanded our Adventure Club and added the LASN Golf Tour, which has been an exciting journey, especially during these COVID years, which has been a struggle for many.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I mean, I would have to say simply starting LASN and getting past those first few years, which are so turbulent and can derail so many entrepreneurs. It's not easy following your dreams and sticking to them when it feels like you're getting knocked down every couple of days, so the struggle and perseverance are what I'm extremely proud of.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Definitely the responsibility and never really being able to turn it off. The buck stops with you at the end of the day, so you constantly have things coming at you from all angles that you have to wear a lot of different hats. Over the years, you begin to learn how to manage the stress and find the work/life balance that is needed, but it definitely is one of the hardest things to get a hold of, especially early on when you're directly running most of the day to day tasks of the company.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
When starting a business, you have to keep your head down, and you can't let roadblocks derail you. Never get too high or too low because you're going to have victories that are going to make you feel on cloud nine. Then next day, it can all come crashing down, so it's important to set goals and just keep punching away each day at reaching them. Also, in terms of starting a company, it is so important to find something you're passionate about because you are going to have those struggles early on; that passion is what is going to pull you through the trials and tribulations and continue to remind you why you're doing what you're doing.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.lasportsnet.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaSportsNet
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lasportsnet/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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