Creating Demand from a DIY Game Idea | Tyler Simmons | BucketGolf
On this episode of Honest Ecommerce, we have Tyler Simmons, the founder and CEO of Elevate Sports, the makers of BucketGolf, a portable par-3 golf game that started as a backyard idea and grew into a seven-figure brand. We talk about how Tyler launched with no product experience, why action beats planning early on, the most rewarding parts of building a business from scratch, and so much more!
Honest Ecommerce · Chase Clymer with Tyler Simmons
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Show Notes
Tyler Simmons is the founder and CEO of Elevate Sports, the company behind BucketGolf, a portable par-3 game that transforms backyard spaces into playable courses and brings a competitive twist to casual golf. Elevate Sports designs products that blend athletic training and outdoor entertainment, helping families connect and athletes sharpen their skills through hands-on play.
Before launching Elevate Sports, Tyler was a Division I college athlete and worked at a lacrosse equipment company. With no prior experience in product development or ecommerce, he started by building a lacrosse training aid from scratch. That early prototype sparked a journey into consumer products, culminating in the launch of BucketGolf, a category-defining game that hit $1 million in revenue before Tyler hired his first full-time employee.
Whether turning a homemade backyard game into a seven-figure business or figuring out paid media strategy through trial and error, Tyler brings a scrappy, product-first lens to brand building. He shares insights on launching without a playbook, designing products that go viral on video, and bootstrapping high-growth businesses without outside capital. His story is proof that you don’t need a perfect plan, you just need to start.
In This Conversation We Discuss:
- [00:37] Intro
- [00:53] Launching products that bring people together
- [01:46] Validating demand with zero research
- [03:53] Making mistakes instead of waiting
- [05:47] Building momentum before it’s perfect
- [06:44] Choosing action over endless planning
- [08:09] Learning to sell before scaling up
- [12:05] Electric Eye, Social Snowball, Portless, Reach & Zamp
- [18:27] Learning paid media through trial and error
- [20:21] Boosting what already works organically
- [21:30] Standing out in a saturated market
- [25:27] Pushing through constant setbacks
Resources:
- Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
- Elevate Sports for Lacrosse Training Gear elevatesportsequipment.com/
- The Ultimate Backyard Golf Game bucketgolfgame.com/
- Follow Tyler Simmons linkedin.com/in/tyler-simmons-771b5718a
- Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
- Drive revenue through affiliates & referrals socialsnowball.io/honest
- Revolutionize your inventory and fulfillment process portless.com/
- Level up your global sales withreach.com/honest
- Fully managed sales tax solution for Ecommerce brands zamp.com/honest
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