Spikeball: Chris Ruder

Spikeball: Chris Ruder

When Chris Ruder set out to revive a ball-and-net game from his childhood, he was pretty sure he would fail. He wasn’t really into sports and had never run a business. But after 15 years, Spikeball has grown into a thriving brand with a global following. Spikeball is a two-on-two game where players hit a rubber ball onto a circular net. Invented in 1989, it never took off. But in 2003, when childhood friends dusted off a duct-taped set, Chris began daydreaming about bringing it back to life. For a few years, it was just a crazy idea, until Chris dug deeper and discovered it was never patented. Chris ran the business by himself for six years and discovered Spikeball was taking off with PE teachers and Christian youth groups. When he was offered a deal on Shark Tank, he turned it down because he didn’t want Spikeball to be marketed as a toy, and instead focused on growing it as a competitive sport. Now, the game is popular around the world and its international governing body has Olympic ambitions.


This episode was produced by Chris Maccini, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Chris Maccini.


You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(836)

Justin’s Nut Butter: Justin Gold. He Was Waiting Tables, Then...He Reinvented Peanut Butter.

Justin’s Nut Butter: Justin Gold. He Was Waiting Tables, Then...He Reinvented Peanut Butter.

At 25, Justin Gold was making experimental peanut butter in his home kitchen with a food processor and a stack of recipe journals. His singular obsession: bring new life to a tired lunchtime staple.Wh...

25 Maj 1h 27min

Advice Line with Sarah LaFleur of M.M. LaFleur

Advice Line with Sarah LaFleur of M.M. LaFleur

Today’s callers: David from New Jersey struggles with self-doubt as he works to grow his muscle-scraping soap brand. Then, Marnie from Australia wants to convince customers that her colorful tick-repe...

21 Maj 48min

NVIDIA: Jensen Huang. From near collapse to becoming the world’s biggest company

NVIDIA: Jensen Huang. From near collapse to becoming the world’s biggest company

NVIDIA is one of the most valuable companies in human history. Its chips run the AI systems transforming everything from entertainment to warfare. But for years, almost nobody believed in co-founder J...

18 Maj 1h 7min

Advice Line: New Offerings, Bigger Markets

Advice Line: New Offerings, Bigger Markets

Today’s callers: Kristina in Florida wants to take her local pottery workshops nationwide. Then Jim from Colorado wonders if retail is right for his quick release camera straps. And Will in Ohio hopes...

14 Maj 41min

Room & Board: John Gabbert. A Broken Deal, a Family Rift, and the Birth of a Furniture Giant

Room & Board: John Gabbert. A Broken Deal, a Family Rift, and the Birth of a Furniture Giant

John Gabbert built a massive furniture brand. But in order to do it, he had to defy his family. John grew up working at his dad’s furniture store in the suburbs of Minneapolis. It sold classic, Americ...

11 Maj 1h 1min

Advice Line with Jonah Peretti of Buzzfeed

Advice Line with Jonah Peretti of Buzzfeed

Today’s callers: Anthony from Miami considers the best method to grow his pop-up outdoor movie theater business. Then Andrew in San Francisco asks how to set his cat wrestling toy apart from competito...

7 Maj 43min

Beautycounter: Gregg Renfrew. She Built Beautycounter to $1B… Then Got Fired From Her Own Company

Beautycounter: Gregg Renfrew. She Built Beautycounter to $1B… Then Got Fired From Her Own Company

Gregg Renfrew started a movement by making better-for-you cosmetics, then enlisted an army of women to build the business through direct sales. But after selling Beautycounter, she was pushed out of t...

4 Maj 1h 12min

Advice Line with David Neeleman of JetBlue

Advice Line with David Neeleman of JetBlue

Today’s callers: Barbara in Massachusetts wonders how her nutrition education theater company might live on past her own involvement. Then Jeff in Illinois looks to carry the momentum from his Ninja W...

30 Apr 44min

Populärt inom Business & ekonomi

framgangspodden
varvet
badfluence
rss-jossan-nina
rss-borsens-finest
uppgang-och-fall
avanzapodden
bathina-en-podcast
svd-tech-brief
lastbilspodden
fill-or-kill
rss-inga-dumma-fragor-om-pengar
rss-dagen-med-di
rss-svart-marknad
tabberaset
dynastin
rss-kort-lang-analyspodden-fran-di
borsmorgon
bilar-med-sladd
market-makers