New Pickleball Kingdom Franchise Aims to Become the Amazon of the Popular Sport

Mike "Ace" Rodriguez, founder and CEO of Pickleball Kingdom, opened an indoor facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, in May 2022, and is now preparing to franchise. The facility offers 15 courts, a party room, lounge area, viewing deck mezzanine, and two full locker rooms with bathrooms and showers. The company aims to bring all ancillary services to customers and franchisees, with the hope of becoming the "Amazon of the pickleball space." The idea for Pickleball Kingdom came to Rodriguez in January 2021 when friends came down to play in Arizona, and he saw the downsides of the sport: not being able to reserve a court, hot and cold weather, dirty courts, and wind.

The company's first year of operation has been a learning process. Rodriguez said they made good and bad decisions, but the experience allowed them to make changes to their model that set them up for success in franchising. Opening a facility helped them to learn "everything from as simple as how to clean the facility. It sounds so obvious, but these are outdoor courts that are indoor. That presents a whole bunch of challenges," he said.

Rodriguez is a serial entrepreneur who previously owned a financial services business with around 300 agents/brokers in three states. He got his nickname "Ace" 25 to 30 years ago in the investment world, long before he entered the pickleball business. He said that Pickleball Kingdom is not just building a new brand, but also creating a new industry, and he believes that the pickleball space is currently the Wild West, with different companies trying to become the apparel brand, dominant equipment manufacturer, or regulatory body.

https://www.franchisetimes.com/new-franchise-pickleball-kingdom-aims-to-be-amazon-of-popular-sport/article_642953c0-d562-11ed-ab25-67699a3c125e.html