Biz plan The Important final one Dr Hainline XXXXX
Business Concept: A Proactive Mental Health and Wellness Program for competitive tennis players of all ages within a model emphasizing prevention.
Introduction: My name is Barry Buss, creator and sole owner of First Ball To Last.
The inspiration for First Ball To Last came to me on a recent book tour of my memoir You Can Get There From Here. During a Q and A session a lady asked if there was anything that could have been done to help young struggling me back when I was a rising American tennis star battling addiction and an undiagnosed mental health disorder. And my answer was no, what happened to me was 40 years ago. There were few if any services available then for talented troubled teens like myself.
Then she followed up her question with another. She asked 'What about today? What if you were to roll in to town today, all kinds of talent yet all the same problems you struggled with 40 years ago, are there resources available to keep young promising lives
like yours from spiraling so out of control? Unable to answer her there on the spot, I
began my research of this topic, and much to my chagrin, my answer would still be no.
So I've taken it upon myself to create the type of program my younger self and the athletes of today would benefit greatly from during their playing careers.
Mission statement:
Problem in need of solving:
Mental Health has dominated the news of late. Teenage rates of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and self-harm are skyrocketing, so much so the Surgeon General of the United States issued a National mental health advisory, declaring the declining mental health of America's youth the crisis of our time.
Nowhere
have the challenges of mental health appeared more gravely than
the world of sports, particularly in our sport
of tennis. World #1 Naomi Osaka stepped away from competition after
going public with her mental health struggles. Netflix documented the
anxiety
disorders of former world top 10 player American Mardy Fish. Enigmatic
Australian star Nick
Kyrgios finally came clean about his mental health struggles on and off
the court. With so many of tennis' stars struggling mentally on
and off the court, one would
not be amiss in asking why tennis is challenging to mental health.
Mental health struggles are not exclusive to tennis' stars. As a coach
of 40 years I see it daily in my young players, kids routinely
overwhelmed by the constant stress of competition, accompanied by well-meaning
yet frequently uninformed parents, trying to help but invariably doing
more harm than good, contributing to alarming burn-out and drop-out
rates, leaving tennis families disillusioned with our sport, with little to
show for their vast investments in our great sport
Yet there's a paradox here. As it pertains to mental health, as a society never have we known more, been more aware, and had so many resources available to us literally at our fingertips, yet this generation continues to fall further and further behind.
Are we just not doing enough of the right things or are we missing the mark entirely?
What
we do know is environment plays a pivotal role in one's mental wellness. Growing up in households riddled with violence,
substance abuse, tragedy, or neglect, few escape unscathed.
Yet there are far more subtle environmental factors contributing to the mental health struggles of today's youth, one in particular is the oft-stressful world of youth sports and in particular our sport of competitive junior tennis.
Placing vulnerable immature youths under the extended stress of the tennis journey without the proper safeguards in place has been proven prescription for trouble.
So
today I present to you my solution in my program named First Ball To Last, a program culled
from my life's
writings/studies/experiences. I've been able to
identify across the fields of emotional intelligence, positive
psychology, cognitive psychology, spirituality and recovery the numerous
traits and habits associated with the strongest and
healthiest among us, traits that prove to be not just
performance-enhancing but also life-enhancing if not life-saving in the
most extreme cases, providing
strength and resiliency against the many trials and tribulations the
tennis life can bring forth.
We've left the teenage emotional development space to chance for far too long. With my program, we need not any longer.
Business Description
A first of its kind Mental Health and wellness program for youth tennis, where if successful, be able to expand the program to college and adult players as well as professionals, ultimately with ability to scale our system up to be used in other sports besides tennis.
Why Mental Health:
As a child of the tennis boom, I've seen a few things over the
years. Ive witnessed tennis explode globally in popularity, I've
seen firsthand all the incredible technological advancements in
equipment and training, I now
believe strongly we are on the brink tennis' the next big wave.. the mental
health and
wellness of those who compete in our sport
Why an APP:
Never has it been easier to reach so many so easily. The idea of having an all encompassing tennis health and wellness APP at one's constant disposal is invaluable. What I would have given to have something like this during my many playing years
Smartphone users currently spend 90% of their phone time on Apps as compared to the web. Make signing up easy, the monthly subscriptions make for instant and regular cash flow.
Industry analysis:
Few business sectors have seen stronger growth than the mental health and wellness space, with ubiquitous self-help websites as well as an endless array of Apps ranging in content from Mindfulness to Meditation to Therapy and Recovery.
Target market analysis: The Tennis Industry Association (TIA) reported in 2018 there were 2.40 million junior players ages 6 to 12, 2.24 million players ages 13-to 17, and 17.84 million total tennis players in the U.S. Translate to other languages, and according to the ITF, the Int Tennis Fed, there's a market of close to 20 million youth tennis players worldwide as potential customers for our program.
Additionally, with tennis' steady popularity, a constant infusion of new players enter the competitive tennis space annually with the goal being competitive players make use of the APP for all their competitive years. I have several years of content already mapped out
Unique selling proposition:
TAG LINE: Performance enhancing as well as life-enhancing, all for the price of a private lesson:
First Movers: There's been an explosion of self-help therapeutic sites across the web, ranging from mediation, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, positive psychology, spirituality, character development, but nothing like this for youth sports and in particular junior tennis. We have a real chance to be first and best by a large margin over anyone entering this space
Secondly,
its a niche market that we know really well, being able to cater
directly to our customers needs. If successful, developing brand
loyalty and great word of mouth appeal should follow.
Thirdly will be My Board of Directors: Utilizing my contacts over my career in tennis, I've already had success bringing in several industry heavyweights like Patrick McEnroe, Kelly Jones Tennys Sandgren and several others which will give our program immediate authenticity and needed visibility.
Most importantly is what I bring to the table. I know this world intimately. I will be celebrating 12 years of sobriety March 10th. I know what it takes to not just to change, but to stay changed. I also work intimately with people struggling on a daily basis. I know what it takes to help others change. Its takes daily work, Having been through and gotten past many of the struggles young tennis kids experience, I know what it takes.Market Analysis
Market research findings: So needed, nothing out there like this. As a former player, I would have given a great deal to have a resourced laden APP on my phone to help motivate, educate and inspire me at my fingertips. The goal is for First Ball To Last to become an indispensable resource for every aspiring player, junior, adult, professional.
As of now, there are no direct competitors in this space, No apps currently in the marketplace that bring the entire tennis experience directly to a player's phone.
Organization and Management: Going to need help. My vision is a war room of creative types, banging out original inspiring thoughtful content every day. I'll be 60 this year, starting a tech start-up wasn't in my late-life plans. Looking for creative/financial partners to make this all work. I have no shortage of ideas. I need financial partners who know how to run a business
Products or Services:
The APP for the Kids
Web based Smart courses for parents and coaches
Annual release of Book in Volumes of the work we present as well as other supplemental content
All sorts of opportunities for in APP Advertising and relevant merchandise sales
Marketing and Sales Strategy
Different strategies depending on scope of project. If initial product appears sharp and successful, no reason not to pour fuel on the concept, major promotion/advertising blitz, get the big names of the sport to promote as well as participate and dominate the market right from the start. Go big, be big, discourage competitors for even entering the space. We have the pieces of the puzzle to do this.
Marketing plan
All the Social Media. Top players as well as sharp digital content creators.. Looking for that viral campaign to supercharge interest/sales. The talent is out there. Bring them in to our project.
Sales Strategy: Hit all the Conventions, get coaches, Academies and teams on board. Advertise on UTR, USTA, Tennis Recruiting sites etc..
Funding Requirements
For strictly pre-revenue product development
150,000 for 6 months
60 for App development
60 for salaries
30 for content creation and all other miscellaneous
Financial projections. If we execute, Potentially millions of customers for conservatively around 100 dollars a year who will use product for multiple years, providing a steady stream of new customers annually.
Not unrealistic to see this Project have gross sales in the tens of millions annually if we execute which I have every intention of doing, I need partners like-minded ambitious visionary partners to move forward with.
Timeline for achieving goals: My APP builder said that in 6 months we can have a working functioning product ready for market. According to him, my APP design is straightforward. This isn't Candy Crush or something far more interactive/complex
Risk Analysis:
Curriculum: Organizing the material. Importance of stream-lining best/most relatable concepts within manageable lesson plans with a sharp eye on youth uptake.
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