April 8, 2025 • 18 mins
Evan, co-founder of Canyon Pickleball, shares his journey from corporate employee to entrepreneur, revealing the mindset shifts, automation systems, and tough lessons he learned along the way. His story demonstrates that success often comes to those who simply push through the "valley of despair" that all entrepreneurs face.
• Leaving the corporate world means accepting there's no safety net, guaranteed paycheck, or PTO
• The transition from idea to real business hits when you receive your first order and must deliver
• Having a co-founder provides someone to bounce ideas off of during stressful times
• Being vulnerable about your struggles is one of the strongest characteristics of successful entrepreneurs
• If you're doing something more than once, it probably needs automation or a template
• Use Toggle to track your time and see where you're actually spending your energy
• Follow the "three rule": write down what you're good at, what you want to learn, and outsource the rest
• Start before you're ready – confidence comes after taking action, not before
Use code BRILLIANT for 10% off any paddle on Canyon Pickleball.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Evan (00:00):
And I forget who it was that said this, but it's like,
the successful entrepreneurs andsmall businesses and
solopreneurs that do well arethe ones who just made it out of
the valley of despair.
Alyssa (00:10):
Welcome to Brilliant Ideas, the podcast that takes
you behind the scenes of some ofthe most inspiring digital
products created by solopreneursjust like you.
I'm your host, alyssa, adigital product strategist who
helps subject matter expertsgrow their business with online
courses, memberships, coachingprograms and eBooks.
If you're a solopreneur withdreams of packaging your
expertise into a profitabledigital product, then this is
(00:32):
the podcast for you.
Expect honest conversations ofhow they started, the obstacles
they overcame, lessons learnedthe hard way and who faced the
same fears, doubts andchallenges you're experiencing,
from unexpected surprises tobreakthrough moments and
everything in between.
Tune in, get inspired and let'sspark your next big, brilliant
idea.
Hello everyone and welcome backto the Brilliant Ideas Podcast,
(00:53):
where we talk about smartstrategies to building a digital
product business online.
I'm your host, alyssa Valcerio,and today I'm thrilled to
introduce Evan, a co-founder ofCanyon Pickleball.
Evan's story proves that agrowth-focused mindset, the
willingness to learn from eachmistake and a drive for scaling
ideas into real revenue is whatit takes to grow a thriving
(01:14):
brand.
We're going to be talking aboutthe mindset shifts he had to
make and the tough lessons helearned when challenges hit.
If you ever wondered how tostep off that corporate ladder
and onto the path of buildingyour own empire.
This episode is for you.
Let's get into it.
Welcome to the show, evan.
Thanks for being here.
Evan (01:34):
Yeah, thanks so much for having me, Alyssa.
I'm really happy to be here.
Alyssa (01:37):
Yeah, and I was really struck by your story, mainly
because the theme of this wholepodcast is what if this idea
could actually work?
And some of my listeners areout there right now building
their brands.
I think others maybe you knowthey're still waiting for their
next big break, wondering ifthere's something out there that
they can do that's better thanwhere they are right now.
(01:58):
So this thought really made mecurious about how you've
navigated the mindset shiftsfrom working at your typical
nine to five to becoming aco-founder of a fast growing
brand of pickleball gear.
So tell me more about that.
Evan (02:12):
Yeah, yeah, it's a really great question and honestly, I'd
be lying to tell you if I likehave fully navigated that shift,
because I'm still navigatingthat shift.
I'm actually coming up on mytwo-year anniversary here, which
will be in April, of leavingthe corporate nine-to-five grind
and going out on solopreneurentrepreneurial journey.
So I'm really excited aboutthat.
(02:33):
But for me, really the biggestshift was realizing that there's
no safety net.
I think that is one of thehardest shifts and I'm sure some
of the people listening arethinking the same thing.
Right, there's no guaranteedpaycheck, right, no PTO.
I just got back from a cruiseand I just took the days I
needed off and did what I neededto do.
So it's really all on you and Ithink that was a massive,
(02:55):
massive shift.
So I think knowing that youhave to own every decision,
knowing that you have to owneverything that you're doing in
your day to day now, is a reallybig shift.
And so, honestly, you knowthere was a it's a funny story I
had when I first got out of thenine to five where I had like
job applications up in onewindow on my screen like
(03:15):
thinking maybe I would go backto it, and it's really hard to
get out of that mindset.
So, honestly, navigating that,that mindset shift, is really
just about being open andvulnerable, that this is hard
and just kind of living in itthat it is going to be chaotic,
it's going to be messy, it'sgoing to be rough, but you will
get through it.
You just have to keep going.
Alyssa (03:34):
Yeah, that's a really cool story, you know, even with
all the risks and unknowns.
I think if we just push pastthat fear and I think that is
that fear of like I don't have asafety net.
I don't have a safety net, Idon't, you know, there's no
paycheck coming through everyweek and so but if we can get
past that, then we can get to aplace that I think takes a
certain level of bravery andcourage to go for it and just
(03:55):
like step outside your comfortzone, which is really funny,
because I have always knowneveryone who knows me knows that
I am a very cautious person,that I don't do anything without
thinking like 10 steps ahead orlike planning ahead.
But a funny thing is like I'mactually very reckless in my
business.
I'm like the complete opposite.
I am a risk taker.
(04:16):
Like people are scared when theysee me taking these big
financial risks because they'relike, what are you doing?
But I experiment and like I dothese really you know extreme
things, because I look at likeI'm not tied to a nine to five,
so I'm not tied by their rules,and my business is literally a
playground.
But having said that, what I'malso noticing is that it's not
(04:40):
just in fun, fun and games.
Like I wonder if there'smoments where you felt very
overwhelmed by your business.
Like talk to me about, like thereal lessons in business.
Like when did things start toget really serious, where you
took it very seriously and thenyou realized, wow, this is
actually a real business and nowI'm actually scaling this
(05:01):
company that you've created andall that added stress that comes
with having such a bigresponsibility how do you
navigate that?
Evan (05:09):
Yeah, yeah, that's another , another heavy question.
Um, that again, I think we'restill navigating and you know, I
I think I can probably speakfor every entrepreneur and
entrepreneur that if they saythey have they have it all
figured out, they're lying.
Um, none of us have it allfigured out.
So I would say that's one bigpiece.
To anyone listening that istrying to think that, like I
haven't figured out or anyonehasn't figured out, we don't.
(05:30):
Now to your question.
What I will say has reallyhelped with some of that and
where I've realized, like thisis real.
And let's just kind of take mybrand, Canaan Pickleball, which
we're kind of chatting aboutright now.
When we got our first order, Ithink that was when it really
hit me because it was like, okay, I now have to deliver a
product, right, like I now haveto package it up.
I am an actual business, I nowhave to deliver a product.
(05:51):
And now, really, the ball isrolling.
Right Now we have to, you know,start on.
You know, make sure we'recapturing customer info, making
sure we're doing all of ouremail sequences, making sure
we're trying to get reviewsright.
It's all those little pieces ofrunning like an e-commerce brand
, right.
But if you're just running abusiness, I think again whether
it's that first sale, whetherit's that first time you're, you
(06:12):
know, you have a portfolio andyou and you, you know, get your
first gig or something right.
It's like now you have toperform, and I think that's
really where it turned from anidea to someone gave me money
and now I have to perform, and Ithink that is like a really big
shift that, honestly, like youknow, again, I've been doing
jobs for years but to have it beyour own baby, your own thing,
(06:33):
that you're now getting paid for, it's kind of surreal and you
almost kind of that part wasintimidating to just collect the
money.
Alyssa (06:40):
Yeah, the pressure to perform.
Yeah, the pressure to perform.
That's interesting.
And so how did you navigate,like I can just imagine, when
the like one sale, I can imagine, okay, like one sale, yeah, you
deliver it.
But then the, the sales startedcoming in more and more, like I
would assume.
How do you, how did it happen,like, how did you start to
(07:01):
handle the big types, like thebig quantities that you were
starting to deliver and ship out?
Did you ever run into anyissues with that?
Evan (07:11):
Yeah, we did and honestly, with Canyon Pickleball
specifically, I would say thatreally the biggest piece that
was kind of like the foundationfor us was the fact that I had a
co-founder.
And while I don't say that youneed to have a co-founder to
start a business or anythinglike that, I've got other
businesses that I run that Idon't have a co-founder, which
I'm my own solopreneur, but forCane and Pickleball I do have a
(07:32):
co-founder.
So, from an e-commercestandpoint, having someone else
just to bounce ideas off of andbounce kind of some of the
stress and problems was really,really helpful.
But I think, going back to your, one of the points you made
earlier, Alyssa, was the ideaabout like being really honest
with yourself, and I thinkvulnerability is it.
For me it's it's one of thestrongest characteristics of a
(07:53):
really good business owner andentrepreneur is knowing, like,
when you're struggling, knowingwhen you're going through
something hard and kind ofliving in that, knowing that
this is a hard time and you haveto just keep moving forward.
So, um, yeah, you know when theorder started coming in or
we're dealing with somemanufacturing hiccups or
whatever the case may be.
You kind of just have torealize that, like you know,
(08:15):
nothing lasts forever, even thebad Um, and I think that's just
a really good idea to kind ofroll into, you know, as a
business owner.
Alyssa (08:23):
I love that.
I know when I was growing reallyquickly a few years ago, like I
felt like I, you know, when Iwas starting to like really
start to work with a lot ofclients, like I had to do more,
be more available, and Ipretended for so long that I
wasn't struggling but I totallywas like I had reached my
(08:44):
capacity of like what I could do, totally was Like I had reached
my capacity of like what Icould do.
But at some point and at somepoint all of us reach our
capacity of like what we can doourselves comfortably.
Before we need to eitheroutsource or find or do some
systems or automation systems orfind some kind of solution so
that we can scale even biggerand bigger and just make it
maintainable kind of solution sothat we can scale even bigger
(09:04):
and bigger and just make itmaintainable.
So my question for you is whatkind of automation systems do
you do in your business or toolsthat you use that you find
really helpful, that help youkind of stay on top of things in
your business, not just notjust like the everyday, but like
maintaining a level headedcompany where no one's like
burning out, and then also alsolike how do you continue growing
it using those systems?
(09:26):
I know it's a heavy questionthere.
Evan (09:28):
No, no, no.
That's a good question and,honestly, like I think again,
that's another piece about beingan entrepreneur, being out of
the nine to five, that is reallydifferent is like not, not
everything is urgent.
I think you, you know, you haveto realize that, um, and really
protecting your energy, right,Burnout is real.
It's not just real in thecorporate world, it's also real
as an entrepreneur and I forgetwho it was that said this, but
(09:48):
it's like the successfulentrepreneurs and small
businesses and solopreneurs thatdo well, are the ones who just
made it out of the valley ofdespair.
Right, we're all going to gointo it.
Right, you get really excited,things are going well, and then
you dip into the valley and it'slike you just got to keep
pushing.
So the burnout is real,protecting your energy is real.
So, from an automationstandpoint, yeah, we're, we're
(10:10):
huge, not just in Canyon onautomation, which I'll kind of
break down, some of those thingsthere, but also just in my own,
like personal, professionallife outside of Canyon there's,
you know, I'm, I'm, I'm a bigbeliever that if I'm doing
something more than once, itprobably needs some sort of
automation, if it probably needssome sort of template, it
probably needs some sort of umyou know thing that I can do.
That's going to take a littlebit of legwork on the front end,
but it's going to pay dividendsin the long run, right?
(10:30):
Whether it's something I'musing for, you know, AI and it's
helping me write something, orwhether it's, um you know, using
obviously, when we're usingClaypeo for email marketing,
that kind of stuff.
But even furthermore, to likean automation standpoint, I
think it's just starting torealize that just because you
have control of your day andyour time doesn't mean that you
just need to be flying by theseat of your pants, right, I
(10:51):
think you need to have aschedule, you need to write
things down and early on.
One of the biggest tips I tellfor solopreneurs and
entrepreneurs is using a toollike Toggle or something to
track your time, see whereyou're spending your time, right
, every single thing you'redoing.
I did this for probably threeor four months when I first
started and I left the corporateworld was I used Toggle.
(11:12):
It's a free app.
It plugs right into yourcomputer on your browser and you
can just start it when you'reworking on a task, and it
categorizes everything you'redoing.
And so if I had therapy, it washere's an hour for therapy.
If I went for a walk, I did 20minutes for a walk.
I did everything.
So at the end of the week I cansay where did I actually spend
my time, where was I actuallyspending my energy?
Right, and I started to realize, wow, I was spending more time
(11:35):
doing this than I thought.
I was not taking enough mentalspace.
So I think that's a reallyearly.
It's not necessarily anautomation piece, but it's more
of just like a how can you bemore efficient and how can you
really be getting the most outof your journey as an
entrepreneur?
Alyssa (11:50):
That's great advice.
I love that.
And so when you were setting upthis is a good question when
you were setting up thesesystems in your business, did
you do them yourself, did youlearn how, how, or do you think
that people should outsourcethis kind of stuff?
Evan (12:05):
That's such a good question.
I did this myself.
Do I recommend it?
I don't know.
Maybe you know I'm a bigbeliever of like, kind of like
the three rule and I just madeup as it's called the three rule
, but basically it means writedown what you're good at, you
know, write down what you wantto learn and then outsource the
rest.
So if there's something thatyou're not good at and you don't
(12:27):
want to learn, well, then youprobably need to look at
outsourcing it.
Right, like, I'm not a graphdesigner, I'm not designing a
logo, I don't want to learn howto be graph designer, so I'm
going to outsource that.
You know, we got our graphdesigner on Upwork.
We now have a long-termrelationship with our graph
designer.
She's great.
She designs a lot of our logos,designs a lot of our designs,
so that's great.
So I think that's kind of agood rule.
And so, from an automationstandpoint, we're also now at a
(12:50):
point where we have scaled,where we probably need some sort
of automation expert to come inand really who just lives in
the weeds of marketingautomation.
So, yeah, I think it's a fineline and obviously, like
budgetary concerns, you knowFiverr and Upwork are great for
those.
But yeah, I think if you don'thave an interest of learning it
and you don't know how to do it,you should probably look at
(13:10):
maybe outsourcing.
Alyssa (13:11):
No, that's a good idea too as well.
And what types of automationsystems do you have in your
business?
Like if you just list off ontop of your head.
Evan (13:19):
Yeah, yeah.
So I mean we use Shopify fore-commerce, we use Klaviyo for
email marketing, we use CapCutfor editing all of our socials
or for our videos and everything.
We use Canva a ton.
We've become kind of Canva pros.
We've done a lot of trainingson Canva.
We use Notion for kind oftracking ideas, projects, things
like that.
(13:39):
We've been starting to kind ofdabble a little bit in like
Zapier Zapier for just likeautomating small tasks and
things, but not a ton yet.
And so, yeah, we're starting to, we're starting to really kind
of hone in a lot of that,because before it was like I had
some automations that I wasdoing individually, my
co-founder did as well, and thenwe were using some of the ones
(13:59):
on like within the business.
So now we're really trying tobuild out that whole automation
system, but we're, I mean, newthings are coming up every day
and so, honestly, it's it's hardsometimes to keep up with, like
the latest AI innovation for,you know, automation and so yeah
, I've got some like shinyobject syndrome where it's like
a new AI bot comes out and I'mjust like, ooh, I want this.
Alyssa (14:23):
And then what happens is that you sign up and then
you're thinking to yourself atthe end of the year like what
did we spend our money on?
Because we got to cut some appsor some subscriptions and like
refine our tech stack and whatwe're using and what is really
important, like I think that's agood conversation to have with
your team as well.
Evan (14:42):
Totally, totally.
And we're also like we've done,even from an automation
standpoint, from like, let's say, like social content, like
we've we've you know we had anagency working with us for
social content for a little bit,where they were, you know that
was an automation obviously movethe needle for you the most,
and so that's why I tell peopleall the time is like you're
gonna have to try some thingsand see if it works right.
It's not, it's not going to bea perfect.
(15:10):
Like you said, like everyone'stech stack is gonna be different
.
Like if I googled you know bestautomation tech stack for e
commerce, there would probablybe hundreds of results from
different people and so manydifferent software.
So eventually, definitely,Awesome, yeah.
Alyssa (15:27):
So now we get to our next segment, which is the
brilliant bite of the week, andyou did.
You said something aboutprotecting your energy, so I'm
thinking that this would beperfect for this segment.
This is where the guests sharelike an insight, a mantra or
like a takeaway that helps mylisteners kind of take action,
something that they can do today, that'll help them grow their
(15:48):
brand and their business.
And so what could you sharewith us today?
Evan (15:52):
Yeah, um, I love this question, um, and I actually
just wrote this in, I want tosay, one of my newsletters
recently, but it was the idea ofstart before you're ready and
then figure it out.
And I think a lot of peoplereally believe that you have to,
like, have confidence first andthen take action.
But a lot of times confidencecomes after taking action Right,
(16:13):
when you take something andit's messy action and it's
imperfect action that is goingto build confidence.
Right, if you are waiting tohave confidence to start right,
to start the thing, start theidea to start connecting with
people, to start building onsomething You're never going to
start right, you need to juststart.
So I always say right, startbefore you're ready.
Right, I was never 100%prepared for starting Canyon,
(16:36):
for leaving my eight to five.
Do I recommend people go myexact path of you?
Know what I did?
Probably not.
It was a little morechallenging than it probably
could have been.
But perfection isn't the goal.
Right, momentum is so.
Alyssa (16:47):
I love that.
That's really great advice.
I mean, I'm the same as well.
I mean I still do part time,I'm a professor part time.
But I worked for a decade incorporate and then decided you
know like I'll take, I'll, youknow, try my own business.
But you have to do it before Iwasn't really ready.
But you have to do it before Iwasn't really ready.
I didn't know what I was doing,I was completely lost.
(17:08):
But you learn as you go and Ifeel like you learn by practical
, like by doing the thing everysingle day and working and
making mistakes.
And I always used to feel badabout making mistakes and like I
should have known better.
But it's like through thosemistakes I've learned how to be
better.
Evan (17:26):
Totally yeah and like, unless, unless you know, someone
listening to this podcast rightnow is striving to be a surgeon
or, you know, a firefighter?
Right, and mistakes areobviously not encouraged in most
worlds.
Right, like, like.
It's exactly like you said.
Right, like, mistakes are goingto happen and we're not, we're
not curing cancer, we're nottrying to, you know, operate on
(17:47):
someone, so mistakes are okay.
Right, it's a learning process.
And yeah, just start, juststart.
Alyssa (17:53):
That's great advice.
So, as we conclude this episode, I just want to thank you, evan
, for joining me today and forsharing all of your insights
with us.
Evan (18:01):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
It was great.
Alyssa (18:03):
And if you do play pickleball and you want to check
out Canyon Pickleball Evan wasso generous to our community of
listeners you do get 10% off anypaddle on Canyon Pickleball.
Is that right, evan?
Yep.
Evan (18:15):
That's correct.
Alyssa (18:16):
Okay, yeah, so just go to the websites and the show
notes by using the code in allcaps.
Brilliant, so make sure to takea look at that.
I love all your pedals, by theway, thank you so much.
Evan (18:29):
Yeah, that's some really good gear.
Alyssa (18:31):
So thank you, Evan, and for everyone.
I'll catch you next time onanother Brilliant Idea.
Thanks so much for listening.
Thanks for tuning into thisepisode of Brilliant Ideas.
If you love the show, be sureto leave a review and follow me
on Instagram for even moreinsider tips and inspiration.
Ready to bring your next big,brilliant idea to life?
(18:52):
Visit AlyssaVelsercom forresources, guidance and
everything you need to startcreating something amazing.
And I forget who it was that said this, but it's like,
the successful entrepreneurs andsmall businesses and
solopreneurs that do well arethe ones who just made it out of
the valley of despair.
Alyssa (00:10):
Welcome to Brilliant Ideas, the podcast that takes
you behind the scenes of some ofthe most inspiring digital
products created by solopreneursjust like you.
I'm your host, alyssa, adigital product strategist who
helps subject matter expertsgrow their business with online
courses, memberships, coachingprograms and eBooks.
If you're a solopreneur withdreams of packaging your
expertise into a profitabledigital product, then this is
(00:32):
the podcast for you.
Expect honest conversations ofhow they started, the obstacles
they overcame, lessons learnedthe hard way and who faced the
same fears, doubts andchallenges you're experiencing,
from unexpected surprises tobreakthrough moments and
everything in between.
Tune in, get inspired and let'sspark your next big, brilliant
idea.
Hello everyone and welcome backto the Brilliant Ideas Podcast,
(00:53):
where we talk about smartstrategies to building a digital
product business online.
I'm your host, alyssa Valcerio,and today I'm thrilled to
introduce Evan, a co-founder ofCanyon Pickleball.
Evan's story proves that agrowth-focused mindset, the
willingness to learn from eachmistake and a drive for scaling
ideas into real revenue is whatit takes to grow a thriving
(01:14):
brand.
We're going to be talking aboutthe mindset shifts he had to
make and the tough lessons helearned when challenges hit.
If you ever wondered how tostep off that corporate ladder
and onto the path of buildingyour own empire.
This episode is for you.
Let's get into it.
Welcome to the show, evan.
Thanks for being here.
Evan (01:34):
Yeah, thanks so much for having me, Alyssa.
I'm really happy to be here.
Alyssa (01:37):
Yeah, and I was really struck by your story, mainly
because the theme of this wholepodcast is what if this idea
could actually work?
And some of my listeners areout there right now building
their brands.
I think others maybe you knowthey're still waiting for their
next big break, wondering ifthere's something out there that
they can do that's better thanwhere they are right now.
(01:58):
So this thought really made mecurious about how you've
navigated the mindset shiftsfrom working at your typical
nine to five to becoming aco-founder of a fast growing
brand of pickleball gear.
So tell me more about that.
Evan (02:12):
Yeah, yeah, it's a really great question and honestly, I'd
be lying to tell you if I likehave fully navigated that shift,
because I'm still navigatingthat shift.
I'm actually coming up on mytwo-year anniversary here, which
will be in April, of leavingthe corporate nine-to-five grind
and going out on solopreneurentrepreneurial journey.
So I'm really excited aboutthat.
(02:33):
But for me, really the biggestshift was realizing that there's
no safety net.
I think that is one of thehardest shifts and I'm sure some
of the people listening arethinking the same thing.
Right, there's no guaranteedpaycheck, right, no PTO.
I just got back from a cruiseand I just took the days I
needed off and did what I neededto do.
So it's really all on you and Ithink that was a massive,
(02:55):
massive shift.
So I think knowing that youhave to own every decision,
knowing that you have to owneverything that you're doing in
your day to day now, is a reallybig shift.
And so, honestly, you knowthere was a it's a funny story I
had when I first got out of thenine to five where I had like
job applications up in onewindow on my screen like
(03:15):
thinking maybe I would go backto it, and it's really hard to
get out of that mindset.
So, honestly, navigating that,that mindset shift, is really
just about being open andvulnerable, that this is hard
and just kind of living in itthat it is going to be chaotic,
it's going to be messy, it'sgoing to be rough, but you will
get through it.
You just have to keep going.
Alyssa (03:34):
Yeah, that's a really cool story, you know, even with
all the risks and unknowns.
I think if we just push pastthat fear and I think that is
that fear of like I don't have asafety net.
I don't have a safety net, Idon't, you know, there's no
paycheck coming through everyweek and so but if we can get
past that, then we can get to aplace that I think takes a
certain level of bravery andcourage to go for it and just
(03:55):
like step outside your comfortzone, which is really funny,
because I have always knowneveryone who knows me knows that
I am a very cautious person,that I don't do anything without
thinking like 10 steps ahead orlike planning ahead.
But a funny thing is like I'mactually very reckless in my
business.
I'm like the complete opposite.
I am a risk taker.
(04:16):
Like people are scared when theysee me taking these big
financial risks because they'relike, what are you doing?
But I experiment and like I dothese really you know extreme
things, because I look at likeI'm not tied to a nine to five,
so I'm not tied by their rules,and my business is literally a
playground.
But having said that, what I'malso noticing is that it's not
(04:40):
just in fun, fun and games.
Like I wonder if there'smoments where you felt very
overwhelmed by your business.
Like talk to me about, like thereal lessons in business.
Like when did things start toget really serious, where you
took it very seriously and thenyou realized, wow, this is
actually a real business and nowI'm actually scaling this
(05:01):
company that you've created andall that added stress that comes
with having such a bigresponsibility how do you
navigate that?
Evan (05:09):
Yeah, yeah, that's another , another heavy question.
Um, that again, I think we'restill navigating and you know, I
I think I can probably speakfor every entrepreneur and
entrepreneur that if they saythey have they have it all
figured out, they're lying.
Um, none of us have it allfigured out.
So I would say that's one bigpiece.
To anyone listening that istrying to think that, like I
haven't figured out or anyonehasn't figured out, we don't.
(05:30):
Now to your question.
What I will say has reallyhelped with some of that and
where I've realized, like thisis real.
And let's just kind of take mybrand, Canaan Pickleball, which
we're kind of chatting aboutright now.
When we got our first order, Ithink that was when it really
hit me because it was like, okay, I now have to deliver a
product, right, like I now haveto package it up.
I am an actual business, I nowhave to deliver a product.
(05:51):
And now, really, the ball isrolling.
Right Now we have to, you know,start on.
You know, make sure we'recapturing customer info, making
sure we're doing all of ouremail sequences, making sure
we're trying to get reviewsright.
It's all those little pieces ofrunning like an e-commerce brand
, right.
But if you're just running abusiness, I think again whether
it's that first sale, whetherit's that first time you're, you
(06:12):
know, you have a portfolio andyou and you, you know, get your
first gig or something right.
It's like now you have toperform, and I think that's
really where it turned from anidea to someone gave me money
and now I have to perform, and Ithink that is like a really big
shift that, honestly, like youknow, again, I've been doing
jobs for years but to have it beyour own baby, your own thing,
(06:33):
that you're now getting paid for, it's kind of surreal and you
almost kind of that part wasintimidating to just collect the
money.
Alyssa (06:40):
Yeah, the pressure to perform.
Yeah, the pressure to perform.
That's interesting.
And so how did you navigate,like I can just imagine, when
the like one sale, I can imagine, okay, like one sale, yeah, you
deliver it.
But then the, the sales startedcoming in more and more, like I
would assume.
How do you, how did it happen,like, how did you start to
(07:01):
handle the big types, like thebig quantities that you were
starting to deliver and ship out?
Did you ever run into anyissues with that?
Evan (07:11):
Yeah, we did and honestly, with Canyon Pickleball
specifically, I would say thatreally the biggest piece that
was kind of like the foundationfor us was the fact that I had a
co-founder.
And while I don't say that youneed to have a co-founder to
start a business or anythinglike that, I've got other
businesses that I run that Idon't have a co-founder, which
I'm my own solopreneur, but forCane and Pickleball I do have a
(07:32):
co-founder.
So, from an e-commercestandpoint, having someone else
just to bounce ideas off of andbounce kind of some of the
stress and problems was really,really helpful.
But I think, going back to your, one of the points you made
earlier, Alyssa, was the ideaabout like being really honest
with yourself, and I thinkvulnerability is it.
For me it's it's one of thestrongest characteristics of a
(07:53):
really good business owner andentrepreneur is knowing, like,
when you're struggling, knowingwhen you're going through
something hard and kind ofliving in that, knowing that
this is a hard time and you haveto just keep moving forward.
So, um, yeah, you know when theorder started coming in or
we're dealing with somemanufacturing hiccups or
whatever the case may be.
You kind of just have torealize that, like you know,
(08:15):
nothing lasts forever, even thebad Um, and I think that's just
a really good idea to kind ofroll into, you know, as a
business owner.
Alyssa (08:23):
I love that.
I know when I was growing reallyquickly a few years ago, like I
felt like I, you know, when Iwas starting to like really
start to work with a lot ofclients, like I had to do more,
be more available, and Ipretended for so long that I
wasn't struggling but I totallywas like I had reached my
(08:44):
capacity of like what I could do, totally was Like I had reached
my capacity of like what Icould do.
But at some point and at somepoint all of us reach our
capacity of like what we can doourselves comfortably.
Before we need to eitheroutsource or find or do some
systems or automation systems orfind some kind of solution so
that we can scale even biggerand bigger and just make it
maintainable kind of solution sothat we can scale even bigger
(09:04):
and bigger and just make itmaintainable.
So my question for you is whatkind of automation systems do
you do in your business or toolsthat you use that you find
really helpful, that help youkind of stay on top of things in
your business, not just notjust like the everyday, but like
maintaining a level headedcompany where no one's like
burning out, and then also alsolike how do you continue growing
it using those systems?
(09:26):
I know it's a heavy questionthere.
Evan (09:28):
No, no, no.
That's a good question and,honestly, like I think again,
that's another piece about beingan entrepreneur, being out of
the nine to five, that is reallydifferent is like not, not
everything is urgent.
I think you, you know, you haveto realize that, um, and really
protecting your energy, right,Burnout is real.
It's not just real in thecorporate world, it's also real
as an entrepreneur and I forgetwho it was that said this, but
(09:48):
it's like the successfulentrepreneurs and small
businesses and solopreneurs thatdo well, are the ones who just
made it out of the valley ofdespair.
Right, we're all going to gointo it.
Right, you get really excited,things are going well, and then
you dip into the valley and it'slike you just got to keep
pushing.
So the burnout is real,protecting your energy is real.
So, from an automationstandpoint, yeah, we're, we're
(10:10):
huge, not just in Canyon onautomation, which I'll kind of
break down, some of those thingsthere, but also just in my own,
like personal, professionallife outside of Canyon there's,
you know, I'm, I'm, I'm a bigbeliever that if I'm doing
something more than once, itprobably needs some sort of
automation, if it probably needssome sort of template, it
probably needs some sort of umyou know thing that I can do.
That's going to take a littlebit of legwork on the front end,
but it's going to pay dividendsin the long run, right?
(10:30):
Whether it's something I'musing for, you know, AI and it's
helping me write something, orwhether it's, um you know, using
obviously, when we're usingClaypeo for email marketing,
that kind of stuff.
But even furthermore, to likean automation standpoint, I
think it's just starting torealize that just because you
have control of your day andyour time doesn't mean that you
just need to be flying by theseat of your pants, right, I
(10:51):
think you need to have aschedule, you need to write
things down and early on.
One of the biggest tips I tellfor solopreneurs and
entrepreneurs is using a toollike Toggle or something to
track your time, see whereyou're spending your time, right
, every single thing you'redoing.
I did this for probably threeor four months when I first
started and I left the corporateworld was I used Toggle.
(11:12):
It's a free app.
It plugs right into yourcomputer on your browser and you
can just start it when you'reworking on a task, and it
categorizes everything you'redoing.
And so if I had therapy, it washere's an hour for therapy.
If I went for a walk, I did 20minutes for a walk.
I did everything.
So at the end of the week I cansay where did I actually spend
my time, where was I actuallyspending my energy?
Right, and I started to realize, wow, I was spending more time
(11:35):
doing this than I thought.
I was not taking enough mentalspace.
So I think that's a reallyearly.
It's not necessarily anautomation piece, but it's more
of just like a how can you bemore efficient and how can you
really be getting the most outof your journey as an
entrepreneur?
Alyssa (11:50):
That's great advice.
I love that.
And so when you were setting upthis is a good question when
you were setting up thesesystems in your business, did
you do them yourself, did youlearn how, how, or do you think
that people should outsourcethis kind of stuff?
Evan (12:05):
That's such a good question.
I did this myself.
Do I recommend it?
I don't know.
Maybe you know I'm a bigbeliever of like, kind of like
the three rule and I just madeup as it's called the three rule
, but basically it means writedown what you're good at, you
know, write down what you wantto learn and then outsource the
rest.
So if there's something thatyou're not good at and you don't
(12:27):
want to learn, well, then youprobably need to look at
outsourcing it.
Right, like, I'm not a graphdesigner, I'm not designing a
logo, I don't want to learn howto be graph designer, so I'm
going to outsource that.
You know, we got our graphdesigner on Upwork.
We now have a long-termrelationship with our graph
designer.
She's great.
She designs a lot of our logos,designs a lot of our designs,
so that's great.
So I think that's kind of agood rule.
And so, from an automationstandpoint, we're also now at a
(12:50):
point where we have scaled,where we probably need some sort
of automation expert to come inand really who just lives in
the weeds of marketingautomation.
So, yeah, I think it's a fineline and obviously, like
budgetary concerns, you knowFiverr and Upwork are great for
those.
But yeah, I think if you don'thave an interest of learning it
and you don't know how to do it,you should probably look at
(13:10):
maybe outsourcing.
Alyssa (13:11):
No, that's a good idea too as well.
And what types of automationsystems do you have in your
business?
Like if you just list off ontop of your head.
Evan (13:19):
Yeah, yeah.
So I mean we use Shopify fore-commerce, we use Klaviyo for
email marketing, we use CapCutfor editing all of our socials
or for our videos and everything.
We use Canva a ton.
We've become kind of Canva pros.
We've done a lot of trainingson Canva.
We use Notion for kind oftracking ideas, projects, things
like that.
(13:39):
We've been starting to kind ofdabble a little bit in like
Zapier Zapier for just likeautomating small tasks and
things, but not a ton yet.
And so, yeah, we're starting to, we're starting to really kind
of hone in a lot of that,because before it was like I had
some automations that I wasdoing individually, my
co-founder did as well, and thenwe were using some of the ones
(13:59):
on like within the business.
So now we're really trying tobuild out that whole automation
system, but we're, I mean, newthings are coming up every day
and so, honestly, it's it's hardsometimes to keep up with, like
the latest AI innovation for,you know, automation and so yeah
, I've got some like shinyobject syndrome where it's like
a new AI bot comes out and I'mjust like, ooh, I want this.
Alyssa (14:23):
And then what happens is that you sign up and then
you're thinking to yourself atthe end of the year like what
did we spend our money on?
Because we got to cut some appsor some subscriptions and like
refine our tech stack and whatwe're using and what is really
important, like I think that's agood conversation to have with
your team as well.
Evan (14:42):
Totally, totally.
And we're also like we've done,even from an automation
standpoint, from like, let's say, like social content, like
we've we've you know we had anagency working with us for
social content for a little bit,where they were, you know that
was an automation obviously movethe needle for you the most,
and so that's why I tell peopleall the time is like you're
gonna have to try some thingsand see if it works right.
It's not, it's not going to bea perfect.
(15:10):
Like you said, like everyone'stech stack is gonna be different
.
Like if I googled you know bestautomation tech stack for e
commerce, there would probablybe hundreds of results from
different people and so manydifferent software.
So eventually, definitely,Awesome, yeah.
Alyssa (15:27):
So now we get to our next segment, which is the
brilliant bite of the week, andyou did.
You said something aboutprotecting your energy, so I'm
thinking that this would beperfect for this segment.
This is where the guests sharelike an insight, a mantra or
like a takeaway that helps mylisteners kind of take action,
something that they can do today, that'll help them grow their
(15:48):
brand and their business.
And so what could you sharewith us today?
Evan (15:52):
Yeah, um, I love this question, um, and I actually
just wrote this in, I want tosay, one of my newsletters
recently, but it was the idea ofstart before you're ready and
then figure it out.
And I think a lot of peoplereally believe that you have to,
like, have confidence first andthen take action.
But a lot of times confidencecomes after taking action Right,
(16:13):
when you take something andit's messy action and it's
imperfect action that is goingto build confidence.
Right, if you are waiting tohave confidence to start right,
to start the thing, start theidea to start connecting with
people, to start building onsomething You're never going to
start right, you need to juststart.
So I always say right, startbefore you're ready.
Right, I was never 100%prepared for starting Canyon,
(16:36):
for leaving my eight to five.
Do I recommend people go myexact path of you?
Know what I did?
Probably not.
It was a little morechallenging than it probably
could have been.
But perfection isn't the goal.
Right, momentum is so.
Alyssa (16:47):
I love that.
That's really great advice.
I mean, I'm the same as well.
I mean I still do part time,I'm a professor part time.
But I worked for a decade incorporate and then decided you
know like I'll take, I'll, youknow, try my own business.
But you have to do it before Iwasn't really ready.
But you have to do it before Iwasn't really ready.
I didn't know what I was doing,I was completely lost.
(17:08):
But you learn as you go and Ifeel like you learn by practical
, like by doing the thing everysingle day and working and
making mistakes.
And I always used to feel badabout making mistakes and like I
should have known better.
But it's like through thosemistakes I've learned how to be
better.
Evan (17:26):
Totally yeah and like, unless, unless you know, someone
listening to this podcast rightnow is striving to be a surgeon
or, you know, a firefighter?
Right, and mistakes areobviously not encouraged in most
worlds.
Right, like, like.
It's exactly like you said.
Right, like, mistakes are goingto happen and we're not, we're
not curing cancer, we're nottrying to, you know, operate on
(17:47):
someone, so mistakes are okay.
Right, it's a learning process.
And yeah, just start, juststart.
Alyssa (17:53):
That's great advice.
So, as we conclude this episode, I just want to thank you, evan
, for joining me today and forsharing all of your insights
with us.
Evan (18:01):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
It was great.
Alyssa (18:03):
And if you do play pickleball and you want to check
out Canyon Pickleball Evan wasso generous to our community of
listeners you do get 10% off anypaddle on Canyon Pickleball.
Is that right, evan?
Yep.
Evan (18:15):
That's correct.
Alyssa (18:16):
Okay, yeah, so just go to the websites and the show
notes by using the code in allcaps.
Brilliant, so make sure to takea look at that.
I love all your pedals, by theway, thank you so much.
Evan (18:29):
Yeah, that's some really good gear.
Alyssa (18:31):
So thank you, Evan, and for everyone.
I'll catch you next time onanother Brilliant Idea.
Thanks so much for listening.
Thanks for tuning into thisepisode of Brilliant Ideas.
If you love the show, be sureto leave a review and follow me
on Instagram for even moreinsider tips and inspiration.
Ready to bring your next big,brilliant idea to life?
(18:52):
Visit AlyssaVelsercom forresources, guidance and
everything you need to startcreating something amazing.
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