Embracing Lessons: Wisdom Gained from Failure - Igor Vainshtein, Founder of GolfTrak.app

06/04/24 • 46 min

"It was a simulator venue that had six bays with lessons and it was going out of business. In the building I worked in there was a space for lease on the ground level. We ended up buying the business and moved it there for five years. An Indoor Golf Centre with 10 bays, an indoor bunker, massive putting green, a bar and a cafe. It did okay but the rent we were paying was huge so in the end we have to get out of there."

"Shortly after that I had an idea to pivot. 24-hour gyms were really booming in Australia at the time. Why don't we have a 24-hour golf simulator place where you can go and practice anytime? We built two bays and it did well. Then I opened a second venue and that one nosedived and just blew up. I closed it down, lost a lot of money with the four simulators that I had there. I put them on Facebook Marketplace and they sold in a week. I'm like "hmm, this is interesting." So I bought five more simulators to sell. Why am I busting my chops with these venues when I can just bring them in, sell them, make my money and never hear from the customer again? It was great. I pivoted the business. Ended up closing down my second venue and just went completely e-commerce." ... Igor Vainshtein

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"At the time it is horrendous. It feels horrible to lose a ton of money. I lost my money, I lost my parents money, which I borrowed from them and they had to bail me out again. It was embarrassing and as you are going through that pain, it's very difficult to see how you will come out of it. But if you're a true entrepreneur, perseverance and grit, you may not know how you're going to get there. But you've got to believe that you will get there. That's part of the job as an entrepreneur to find the "how". But if you don't believe that you'll get the you will never get there."

You can also learn more about Igor and connect on his bio page. And download the GolfTrak App for free at the Apple App Store for iPhone. https://golftrak.app

"I had extremely disastrous blow ups in my career. Moments where I thought there's no way I'm coming back from this. But if I look back now, I wouldn't change a thing because all those little "sliding doors moments" is why I'm here today. And I didn't go through the pain, maybe I wouldn't be able to appreciate the things and I would take things for granted and I wouldn't have the fun and the joy that I get out of life these days. For anyone who's experiencing that who's in that pain right now, I would say "You just don't know". There's a phrase "that it's gonna be alright in the end and if it's not alright, it's not the end."

Episode Chapters
02:40: How and when Igor took her first golf swing and who introduced him to the game
04:40: The story of Igor's family immigrating from the USSR to Melbourne Austrailia
06:20: Igor's early days as an entrepreneur and the experiences that have shaped his approach to life
08:15: Igor's return to golf and the creation of his 24-7 Golf venture
15:00: How a phone call with GOLFTEC CEO Joe Assel over the brand name grew over time into a flourishing collaborative partnership
18:00: The virtue of failure and how to learn from the experience and move on
22:00: We learn about the GolfTrak App, a "golf simulator in your pocket"
25:10: The camera technology and frame rate required to accurately track ball flight data
30:00: The business model behind GolfTrak App and the customer segment they appeal to
33:20: The GolfTrak App customer acquisition strategy
38:35: Igor shares his experience at the Golf Pitch Challenge and Mastermind Event in Orlando

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You can also learn more about Igor and connect on his bio page. And download the GolfTrak App for free at the Apple App Store for iPhone. https://golftrak.app

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Previous Episode

Taking an Entrepreneurial Approach to Build a Career in Sport Journalism - Ann Liguori, Author of "Life On The Green"

"It was tough. For every advertising sponsor that I brought in, I had a million rejections. I just persevered and ended up interviewing everybody from Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron to Wilt Chamberlain. The journey has been incredible, but I learned on the fly in a lot of ways."

Ann Liguori is a leader and trailblazer in sports broadcasting as President of Ann Liguori Productions, Inc., award-winning sport’s talk show host, public speaker, broadcaster, journalist, author and producer. Ann's latest book is Life on the Green: Lessons and Wisdom from Legends of Golf where 12 legendary players in golf share life lessons they learned from the game. Life on the Green is available on Amazon.

We want to thank our partner British Columbia Golf for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!

When I mentioned Ann's episode to the folks at British Columbia Golf they immediately wanted to support it, as one of their goals is to create a sport that is accessible and inclusive. They strive to create a golf environment that is respectful of participant's personal goals and is free from all forms of maltreatment. As a provincial arm of Golf Canada, British Columbia Golf supports women golfers and players of all ages and abilities, while continually working to improve partner relationships to increase participation in the sport.

If you're looking to plan your next amazing golf trip, British Columbia Golf is the place to explore and book from the over 300 golf courses they support across our beautiful province. To learn about the impact they are making and to discover your next golf adventure, check out their website at www.britishcolumbiagolf.org.

"Sports Innerview was the cable show that I did for 17 years, which I was able to syndicate on all these sports cable networks around the country and that's this show that I went out and sold. MSG Network said "Ann we love your work. We hear you on FAN. We see your byline. We can give you a time slot every week on WFAN, but we can't pay you." So I went knocking down doors on Madison Avenue trying to get meetings with advertising executives and they looked at me like I had three heads. Like "Wait you're a woman and you want to host a sports show?"... Ann Liguori, President of Ann Liguori Productions, Inc.

You can also learn more about Ann on her bio page. Life on the Green is available for purchase on Amazon.

Life on the Green: Lessons and Wisdom from Legends of Golf
12 legendary players in golf share life lessons they learned from the game.

Interviewed by award-winning sports journalist and broadcaster Ann Liguori, a select list of champions including Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player, Jan Stephenson, Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Nancy Lopez, and more, talk about their personal journeys and wisdom they gleaned from their time playing the game of golf.

Life on the Green appeals to all, going in-depth with exclusive content for die-hard fans while providing amusing anecdotes and inspirational content for everyone, humanizing and helping us understand a little bit more about each star and their success story.

Each person’s story highlights a different, central theme, allowing readers to have key takeaways and a clearer understanding of how the subject became so successful, and in turn, be inspired to utilize those life lessons towards their own lives and legacy. Encompassing universal themes like patience, goal setting, staying positive, pursuing one's passions, treating people right, never giving up, practicing humility, and more, Life on the Green inspires, entertains and enriches in equal measure.

Episode Chapters
03:20: Ann shares when she was first introduced to golf and who invited her.

Next Episode

A Brief History of Synthetic Turf

Over the past seven years I have interviewed almost 200 golf industry innovators to bring you stories around the future of the game. But on this episode we're going to try something different. As an entrepreneur myself, I'm always pushing to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. I enjoy documentary-style podcasts and have been looking to create one, but couldn't decide on what story to tell. I recently realized that the story was right under my nose - or more accurately, right under my feet.

While in Sarasota Florida I was invited to PopStroke, which is a fun and challenging 36 hole mini golf entertainment experience. I was impressed by the quality of the synthetic greens, fringe and rough and it got me thinking about the origins of artificial turf. I wanted to learn the why, when and how synthetic turf came to be, along with the evolution of the materials and fabrication techniques over the past six decades.

So who invented this product and why? Artificial sports turf was first brought to fame when used in the Astrodome in 1966, a newly-built stadium in Houston Texas. AstroTurf – a short-pile synthetic turf – was installed because they were struggling to maintain their natural grass field due to a lack of sunlight. For most of the 1965 major league baseball season, the Astros played on green-painted dirt and dead grass and were desperate for an alternative.

The stadium owners and engineers needed a solution quickly, so they decided to try out a grass substitute made of artificial fibers called ChemGrass. The product was first used at Moses Brown School in Rhode Island in 1964 and became popular quickly. Today, the brand is known as AstroTurf and is manufactured in over 60 countries around the world.

But AstroTurf is only part of the story. Since I am no expert in the world of synthetic turf, I reached out to a couple of people who are to fill in the missing pieces to this puzzle. I asked Jeffrey McDaniel - Global Director of Business Development at Synthetic Turf International and architect Bob Johnston, who specializes in designing high performance sport surfacing to help us understand the origins and future of synthetic turf.

Have a look at the Synthetic Turf International website and you can also learn more about Bob Johnston and Jeffrey McDaniel on their bio pages.

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I'm offering two monthly membership tiers at $5 and $15 USD, but you can also join for free. Your subscription will ensure that The ModGolf Podcast continues to grow so that I can focus on creating unique and impactful stories that support and celebrate the future of golf.

Click to join >> https://patreon.com/Modgolf

I look forward to seeing you during an upcoming live show!... Colin

Special Guests: Bob Johnston, Principal at JSA Sport Architecture Inc. and Jeffrey McDaniel - Global Director of Business Development at Synthetic Turf International.