What or who inspired you to start your business ?
Blake
RENAUD
We were going to build an app for a different sport , but after falling in love with pickleball and seeing how it brings together people of all demographics , ages , and stages — and experiencing a lot of frustration on where we play , who we play , how we keep track of our group ’ s play schedule and who is coming — we knew it was time to shift our entire focus to pickleball .
Hannah
JOHNS
Now that the PPA has expanded so much , the on-camera work is only a small part of what I do . I run our PR department , direct content and media distribution , organize broadcast and on-air talent , and act as the pro player liaison for our touring pros . Our team members are all bouncing around doing a lot of things , but we enjoy the dynamic responsibilities and everevolving landscape in the sport . It keeps us on our toes .
Rachel
SIMON
I wrote my first pickleball article for the New York Times in May 2020 , after realizing pickleball made for an excellent pandemic activity , since you could social distance easily and it was simple and inexpensive to set up . The article garnered a lot of interest , and I decided to keep writing about the sport ’ s growth and popularity , which I explored further in my book “ Pickleball for All ” published by HarperCollins .
What does it mean to you to be a woman entrepreneur in the pickleball community ?
Aubri
STEELE
Being a female entrepreneur in this space has been an honor and an incredible experience . The entire pickleball community is so warm and welcoming . In addition , I find that people react very positively to me being a female entrepreneur — many of them offering support or wanting to get involved . It ’ s truly a humbling experience .
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 | MAGAZINE 51