Published October 17, 2024 • 5 Min Read
Drake Squarebriggs started Top Notch Golf on $80/month and a Facebook account. Today, he runs a thriving online retailer and popular local storefront, specializing in golf equipment, lessons and custom fitting. How did he do it? Here are five keys to Squarebriggs’ success.
TLDR
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A differentiated product or service offering can help you stand out in a crowded market
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Starting small can help your business gain traction before you start to grow
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A strong social media following can help to form the foundation of a loyal client base
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You don’t need to be face-to-face to provide personalized service
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Diversifying your offering can limit your risk and build your brand
1. Offer something different
With golf retailers abundant in neighbourhoods and shopping plazas across Canada, why would someone choose to buy at Top Notch Golf – a small, online retailer without the brand recognition of the larger chains? The answer is differentiation.
When Squarebriggs started out, he focused on selling products that were hard to find, leveraging the industry relationships he had formed in the golf business before striking out on his own. “I specialized in a lot of high-end product – things that stores wouldn’t carry.”
Thanks to his large network, Squarebriggs became the go-to for golfers looking to sell a vintage or high-end piece of equipment. “Someone could message me about a limited-edition golf club, for instance. I would put it on my website and market it on social media. In the early days, the main driver to my website over others was the limited-edition products I carried,” he says.
2. Start with limited risk and grow thoughtfully
Squarebriggs started Top Notch Golf as a solopreneur and remained on his own for the first two years. He spent $80/month maintaining his website and, after a few months, spent a bit more on online and social advertising.
Once he started generating enough revenue, he was able to expand. First, he hired support staff to help with administration. And after three years, he had enough cash flow to open a storefront in Charlottetown, PEI.
“Expanding was a safe play for me because I knew the online business was there. It wasn’t entirely risk-free, as having my own brick-and-mortar shop raised my margin, but the existing online business took the pressure off.”
3 Getting Started Tips for Aspiring Entrepreneurs from Top Notch Golf Founder Drake Squarebriggs:
1. Just Start
“It’s easy to second guess yourself and wait for the perfect time. But I just had to get started and work on the business as much as I could.”
2. Focus on customer relationships
“I feel like a lot of business nowadays is interacting with people and treating them the right way. I built some really good relationships throughout the years and I feel my customers are really rooting for me.”
3. Bring in good people
“One thing I’ve learned through the years is to hire good people. It’s a lot easier to build a brand with good people. My team is awesome – they take a lot of pressure off.”
3. Build a following
Squarebriggs launched his business during the pandemic, when one of the few permissible activities was golf. He tapped into the demand and set his mind to building an online following. He ran big-ticket giveaways to grow his social media audience and email distribution and was highly active on social channels – posting regularly, providing advice and tips and otherwise interacting with customers. “During the pandemic, when everything was shut down, and more people were online and scrolling through Facebook on their phones, I went really heavy on the marketing, especially in bigger spots like Ontario, BC and Alberta,” he says. That following established itself as a loyal base of clients that has sustained his online growth.
4. Provide a personalized experience
While physical golf shops were closed for several months during 2020 and 2021, Squarebriggs was able to provide a personalized experience online. “People could message me on Facebook and ask me questions about products,” he says about the one-on-one service he provided that filled an essential gap in the golf industry. Today, Top Notch Golf also offers online and over-the-phone consultations. “So, if someone tells us a bit about their game, we can recommend certain golf clubs – we offer a more personalized experience than other retailers.”
5. Diversify your offering
In adding a bricks-and-mortar location to the Top Notch Golf brand, Squarebriggs could tap into a thriving local market in PEI and reach a completely different audience than he does online. “Golf in PEI is huge. You can drive from tip to tip in under three hours, but we have about 25 top-tier courses on the island. It’s a really big golf community with a lot of tourists that come to play.”
He has also added golf lessons to his offering, with a pro on-site at his Charlottetown location. As lessons bring golfers in the door, they also serve as a sales pitch for products. “If our pro recommends a new club or an adjustment to existing equipment, golfers are going to do that with us – they’re probably not going to go anywhere else,” says Squarebriggs.
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