Find Clarity Through Action - Steve Madden, Co-Founder of Swingtweaks

04/24/23 • 36 min

Colin met Steve Madden at The 2023 PGA Show in Orlando and after hearing his entrepreneurial story over a couple of pints of Guinness we had to invite him on the show to share his experiences with you.

"Five years ago my ex-girlfriend's dad invited me for a round, so I played an 18 hole round at Mountainside golf course. The next day I went and played the par 3 course there which had the massive holes and I became addicted to golf that weekend. When I got back to Calgary, I played three or four rounds next week and then I joined a golf course for the remainder of the season. Once new golfers feel that awesome shot or they hit that really close approach, smash that driver or make a long putt, that addiction really hits you. I made a decision a few years ago that I wanted to create a lifestyle, or a job where I could golf and do my own thing tech-wise. I've had two apps now that revolve around golf and Swingtweaks is the second one."... Steve Madden, Co-Founder of Swingtweaks

______________________________________________

After testing the deWiz biofeedback swing analysis product we were so impressed with the results that we invited them to offer you an exclusive 10% OFF your purchase using promo code MODGOLF! CLICK TO SAVE on deWiz to see (and feel) lasting results in your swing tempo, length and path improvement.

______________________________________________

Episode Chapters
[03:00] Steve opens the show by sharing his level of play after picking up golf only a couple of years ago. Spoiler alert - his handicap is waaaay lower than Colin's. 😂
[04:20] Steve tells us how a rugby-playing lad from Ireland ended up becoming a tech entrepreneur in Calgary Canada by way of Vietnam.
[05:20] Colin asks Steve to share his first golf experience five years ago and who invited him to try the game.
[06:50] Steve gives us the "Elevator Pitch" for his latest golf venture Swingtweaks.
[09:10] Steve talks about the rise in popularity of golf lesson and training technology ventures such as Sportsbox.ai
[10:05] We learn the back story and AHA moment of Swingtweaks
[12:45] Steve shares business model, user experience, value proposition and customer profiles for Swingtweaks.
[16:40] Colin asks Steve to share how they came up with the name Swingtweaks and the concept of users purchasing "Tweaks".
[18:45] Steve talks about how Swingtweaks generates revenue and how they developed the pricing model cost per "Tweak".
[22:00] Colin asks about the Swingtweaks strategy to acquire new users, retain/engage existing ones and how they incentivize PGA teaching pros to join the platform.
[27:00] Steve shares some stories from satisfied users and the most unexpected places around the world that golfers are using Swingtweaks.
[28:30] We learn about the future plans for Swingtweaks and which markets, countries and languages they look to expand into next.
[30:50] Steve shares some positive user experiences and how they are building community on Instagram and Reddit.
[33:00] Steve offers you - our ModGolfers - 20% OFF your first Swingtweak using promo code MODGOLF.*
*(FYI we don't receive a commision if you buy one! 😎)

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Steve on our Youtube Channel!

To learn more and get 20% OFF your first Swingtweak using promo code MODGOLF, check out the Swingtweaks website.

You can also connect with Steve on his bio page.

______________________________________________

Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

As the creator and host of The ModGolf Podcast and YouTube channel I've been telling golf entrepreneurship and innovation stories since May 2017 and I love the community of ModGolfers that we are building.

I'm excited to announce that I just launched our ModGolf Patreon page to bring together our close-knit community of golf-loving people! As my Patron you will get access to exclusive live monthly interactive shows where you can participate, ask-me-anything video events, bonu...

______________________________________________

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Steve on our Youtube Channel!

To learn more and get 20% OFF your first Swingtweak using promo code MODGOLF, check out the Swingtweaks website.

You can also connect with Steve on his bio page.

______________________________________________

Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

Previous Episode

Time is Our Most Precious Commodity - Brian Esposito, Founder/CEO of Esposito Intellectual Enterprises

Colin met Brian Esposito on a HYPE Sports Innovation "Ask Me Anything" webinar and was so impressed with his genuine desire to help entrepreneurs and their companies that we had to invite him on the show to share his experiences with you.

"I have a simple rule with what I build. When they're my companies it's my ass on the line, so it's my rules. But when they are other people's companies like the great startups that I get to work with its their vision, their passion. I'm there to support them and be a turnkey resource for whatever needs to be done, a utility player. I know what they need because I needed it for most of my career and I didn't have it. So it's very rewarding for me now to take all of my learning experiences and help guide these companies to success and be a complete soundboard and resource for them and keep it fun for them."

______________________________________________

Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

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

______________________________________________

"I need to make sure that tech founders don't dilute themselves out of their own company. I tell them to get off this BS "raise money/run out of money/raise money/run out of money" hamster wheel because they can't be half pregnant. You're either out there, raising money or you're running your business. You can't do both at the same time. So I've been through hell and back, I made every mistake you can think of and I'm honoured and excited to share those experiences with the great companies that they get to work with."

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Brian on our Youtube Channel!

Brian shared a couple of companies and products that Esposito Intellectual Enterprises invests in and advises on, including Virtual Stax. Virtual Stax allows fans to participate in the athlete's journey with blockchain verified digital trading cards.

To learn more, check out the Virtual Stax website.

You can also connect with Brian on his bio page, along with checking out the Esposito Intellectual Enterprises website.

Episode Chapters
[02:30] Brian opens the show by sharing his connectivity to golf and his first golf experience.
[04:20] Brian tells what he and his team have built with Esposito Intellectual Enterprises and what motivates him to help founders create sustainable businesses.
[08:30] Colin asks Brian to share his insights regarding the future of web3, blockchain, NFTs and cryptocurrency, using the company Devour (a web3 food ordering and delivery marketplace) as a case study.
[11:45] We learn about Brian's investment in Virtual Stax, where people can buy virtual playing card assets of athletes that are already famous or are just getting their careers off the ground.
[17:30] Brian describes how professional sport leagues and team are focusing on increasing fan engagement in a web3 environment, the learning curve they face and what is needed for them to succeed.
[20:45] Brian talks about his investment in Metasport Arena, where you create, trade, collect and play in the first sports and entertainment virtual world as part of a co...

Next Episode

SEASON 13 WRAP-UP / SEASON 14 PREVIEW

That's a wrap for Season 13 of The ModGolf Podcast! Our team is currently working on your next twelve episodes for Season 14, which launches early July 2023. We heard some amazing stories from a diverse group of guests who discussed how inclusion, technology, entertainment, music, celebrity, hospitality and community building intersect to shape the future of golf.

Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

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

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

If you didn’t get the chance to listen to all of our twelve Season 13 episodes, this bonus show gives you a recap of the great conversations I had with some of the golf industry's top influencers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Hopefully this will inspire you to listen to a couple of the episodes listed below. Let us know which ones you enjoyed the most and why you liked them!

Our Season 13 guests were:

Episode 1
John Simpson - Founder and Chairman - On Course Foundation
"Being disabled myself, I chatted with a few of the injured veterans and told them what had happened to me. I saw some of them looking back at me and I realized that golf was something they could do. That's when I thought, "if we could start a charity which teaches golf on a long-term basis with the idea of then getting them some form of employment within the golf and related industries, that if we could do that, that would be quite something". And that's where it all started." We open Season 13 with an inspirational conversation with John Simpson, Founder of On Course Foundation.
Click to listen >>MAKING A DIFFERENCE: SUPPORTING THE RECOVERY OF INJURED VETERANS THROUGH GOLF

Episode 2
Kat Ramirez - Founder of Golfing Buddy
"Golf is a great game to get to know people. That's why we go on the golf course with new people and spend four hours with them. It's because golfers really want to have a good time, instead of feeling like they're not good enough. So Golfing Buddy was created to empower people to find other people just like them to go play golf with."... Kat Ramirez, Founder of Golfing Buddy joins us to share how to successfully self-fund a startup as a side hustle.
Click to listen >>CONNECTING GOLFERS WITH LIKEMINDED PLAYING PARTNERS

Episode 3
Bob Winskowicz - Founder of SQAIRZ
Working for Arnold Palmer and having "The King" in your mentorship corner is one of many positive experiences that Bob Winskowicz - Founder of SQAIRZ - has as part of his secret sauce. Host Colin Weston learns about the influences that helped shape Bob's world view to become the entrepreneur and business leader that he is today.
Click to listen >> DO A COMMON THING IN AN UNCOMMON WAY

Episode 4
Nick Conrad - Founder of Twilight Golf Association
"I thought it wasn't crazy that you could pull together lots of strangers and create a golf league out of it. If I could allow those people that regularly fill out the tee sheet to create organized games, that really would resonate." Twilight Golf Association Founder Nick Conrad joins us to share how partnering with a technology company has turbocharged his startup.
Click to listen >> SCALING A GOLF STARTUP WITH PARTNERSHIPS

Episode 5
Lesley and Clare McMahon - Breaking the "grass ceiling" in the golf industry
Colin was invited to atten...