Nate Randle

When you’re scaling past 50 units, amateurs talk financing. Pros talk field leadership. In every rapidly growing multi‑unit business I’ve worked with, the most critical asset is the Area Manager layer - the people accountable for performance across multiple locations. The best Area Managers are true player‑coaches. When a Store Manager is on PTO or a role is vacant, they drop in to run the store while supporting the rest of their portfolio. In many concepts, they’re also leading newly promoted Store Managers who are stepping out of an individual contributor role for the first time, teaching them how to run the operation and how to lead people. In my experience, if your front‑line manager turnover is above ~15%, your Area Managers will almost always have at least one Manager seat open. That reality should shape how you invest in your bench, from your future Store Managers to your Area Managers. This is why I place so much value on our quarterly Area Manager sessions. We bring them together in person to focus on three things: 1. Speaking to the KPIs and financial performance of their regions 2. Professional development material, intended to build their competencies, and most importantly - 3. Relationship building, the cornerstone of business and a fulfilling life If you’re running multi‑unit retail, how intentionally are you investing in your managers as your primary growth strategy?

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𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲. Baseball asked, “Does he look like a ballplayer?” Billy asked, “Does he get on base?” Old scoreboards protect old power. New scoreboards surface real leverage. I see this every week. Dashboards full of “activity” while profit, lead time, and retention lag. That’s not strategy, that’s noise. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁: leaders don’t delegate tasks; they delegate outcomes. And outcomes live on the right scoreboard. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: 𝘖𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: In my Automation Wins example, we stopped counting emails sent and measured time-to-ready.  Typeform → Sheets → Airtable → Make.com.  Five hours/week back. Onboarding 75% faster. 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 & 𝘕𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦: From Growth Tool Thursday, “digital employees” (Calendly, Zapier, Beehiiv). Not tasks completed, but zero back-and-forth, <24h booking, weekly pipeline touch. 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵: From the “What if I got sick?” exercise, don’t ask who presses buttons. Define the outcomes that must hold: invoices out, customers updated, orders shipped, cash collected. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 (𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀): • Use it as a contrarian thinker and strategic advisor. • Ask it to red-team your metrics, propose leading indicators, pressure-test your bottlenecks, draft outcome-based scorecards, and turn those into SOP skeletons. • AI should amplify your curiosity, not replace it. 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Which metric on your dashboard looks impressive but doesn’t move the business? — Week 3 of 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁: 7 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 #MoneyballMindset 𝘕𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬: “𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.” 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵.

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The golf industry sells complexity. We sell clarity. Before starting at Stix Golf Co, I was (and still am) a serious skier. A few years ago, I walked into a ski shop excited to buy new gear…and walked right back out. Too many options, tech specs I didn’t understand or care about, and price tags that made no sense. I just wanted skis that would help me enjoy the mountain. So I ordered online. Are they perfect? Probably not. But I’ve had amazing days on the slopes, and that’s what matters. Shopping for golf clubs feels the same way. The industry makes buying clubs intimidating for most people: endless fittings, tech talk, confusing choices, and price points that make it hard for most people to access high-performing golf equipment. You’re told you’ll need a fitting session, maybe a few hours and a few hundred dollars, to find the “right” clubs for you. The truth? Most golfers just want to enjoy their time on the course, not overanalyze their swing data. And it’s not just us saying this. MyGolfSpy summed it up perfectly last week: golfers are increasingly fed up with $700 drivers, $2,000 iron sets, $500 putters—and getting almost no service after they buy. A new wave of golfers isn’t loyal to the old guard; they want fairness, transparency, and performance without the inflated price tag. Price, service, performance. That’s the opportunity. And that’s exactly what we’re building at Stix Golf Co. We’re focused on simplifying this whole process. Beautifully designed, high-performing clubs presented to golfers simply. Golf is hard enough. Shopping for equipment shouldn’t be.

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For those that apparently need to hear it - the going rate per CCV per hour isn’t $.27-$.33. It’s usually between $1- $1.20 and up depending on circumstances/usage. If your budget is tight, adjust your campaign, don’t lowball creators. It’s bad for your brand, tarnishes reputations, and creates negative sentiment for future campaigns. Happy to chat.

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Travis Kelce becoming a strategic partner and investor in Sleep Number is a smart signal of where athlete-brand relationships are heading. This isn’t a traditional endorsement. Kelce is acquiring common stock on the open market, receiving restricted stock units tied to long-term performance, and becoming one of the company’s top shareholders. That structure matters. We’re seeing a clear shift from “pay me to promote” to “let me participate in value creation.” Sleep, recovery, and performance sit at the center of modern athlete longevity, and Kelce’s involvement gives Sleep Number credibility far beyond a logo in a commercial. At the same time, the brand gains an operator-level partner whose career is built on consistency, durability, and preparation. For brands, this model aligns incentives. For athletes, it builds equity, not just income. For fans, it feels more authentic than a short-term sponsorship. This is also part of a broader pattern. Elite athletes are increasingly choosing partnerships where they: • Have ownership, not just visibility • Influence product and messaging • Commit for multiple years, not campaigns • Align with performance and lifestyle, not categories Expect more public companies to structure deals this way, especially in health, wellness, and performance-driven sectors. The endorsement era isn’t disappearing, it’s evolving into something more durable. #SportsBusiness #AthleteInvestors #BrandPartnerships #SportsMarketing #Performance #Recovery #EquityOverEndorsement #FutureOfSports

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MLB data shows pitchers who hit their spot are 3.28x more likely to succeed, regardless of velocity. But here's the kicker: throwing harder makes you LESS accurate. Velocity explained 21.5% of accuracy variance, inverse relationship. New article breaks down accuracy vs speed. https://lnkd.in/gNAr42eg

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Most coaches don’t have a talent problem. They have an operating system problem. EliteOS is our solution. EliteOS is a 1-of-1 operating system built to elevate coaching businesses and the operators running them. Not a generic app. Not another dashboard. Not “one more tool.” EliteOS integrates: • Offer execution • Client success accountability • Content → call → cash tracking • Operator KPIs and enforcement • Daily execution standards • Decision visibility at every level This is not built for motivation. It is built for precision. Every operator sees: • What to do today • What is broken • What moves revenue • What is wasting time Every coach upgrades from “working hard” to running a system. EliteOS removes guesswork, chaos, and personality-driven inconsistency. It replaces it with leverage, standards, and repeatable outcomes. This is how elite operators are built. This is how coaching businesses scale without breaking. EliteOS is the spine of ECA.

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Most baseball facilities (and families) don’t realize this: Your “training ball” choice can affect hitter development… and how much facilities pay for repairs (I personally played Whac-A-Mole with cage net holes for years at our spot). 🕳️ That’s the whole idea behind these Attack Pitching Machine Balls. Both real baseballs and rubber dimple balls come with hidden costs: ▪️Hand sting hurts (especially younger hitters + cold weather) ▪️Bat damage (composites and wood can take a beating) ▪️Equipment wear (L-screens, nets, backstops get chewed up) ▪️And a sneaky one: some hitters can enter a "protection" mentality far from the aggressive "attack" approach you'd want. So these Attack Balls are better because: ✅ Zero sting so hitters can take more reps at higher intent without “survival swings.”  ✅ True flight + seam visibility: sunken, painted seams help machine wheels grip clean and help hitters read spin/seams more like live BP.  ✅ High-velocity stability: built for consistent flight in the 30–95+ mph range (less flutter = better timing training).  ✅ Equipment safe: foam absorbs impact to help screens and nets last longer. #baseball #battingcages #trainingfacility #baseballhitting #sportsequipment

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Industry Insight: What clubs look for beyond talent In today’s game, talent is expected. What separates players is discipline, mindset, and structure. Clubs observe how players approach training, how they respond to correction, and how consistent they are when no one is watching. A strong mindset shows in preparation, resilience, and the willingness to learn. Structure — both personal and environmental — gives talent direction and sustainability. This is why strong developmental systems matter. When players are raised in environments that emphasize discipline and structure, clubs gain professionals, not just prospects.

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Golf Monthly reports that traditional club memberships are declining due to rising costs and changing social norms. Flexible and inclusive models are emerging in response. Rigid annual memberships are priced out of reach for many. Golf is evolving your offers must too. What clubs can do today: Pilot a “Family Flex Membership”: packages with limited entry, social events, and family perks. Promote it with messaging like: “Affordable access for modern families.” It’s not just about fee flexibility - it’s about relevance. #GolfRep #GolfMembership #GolfClubs #FamilyGolf #GolfCommunity #ModernGolf #GolfLife

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A brand isn’t an abstract idea. It’s not a slide, a framework, a logo, or a clever line of copy. All of those are important but they are just the intention we all aligned on (months ago) and they don’t *make the brand*. A brand is the sum of its actions. And behind those actions are the people who work for the brand—and not just the marketing team. When the team at Wodify acts, that’s when the brand is made real. It’s when our team goes out into the world; talking to customers, partners, showing up at events in interesting ways, asking questions … answering questions, and being helpful. That’s the moment our brand takes on real meaning. Which is why building a strong brand is about how our team develops ideas, shows up, works hard, and has fun.

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Multi-unit ownership has become the new standard for serious franchise investors. The real question isn’t, “Should I scale?” It’s, “Can this model scale without multiplying risk?” That’s what we explored in our latest blog: why swim school franchises are uniquely built for multi-unit growth. Many franchise categories become more complex as they expand, more real estate exposure, larger teams, and higher fixed overhead. Growth often adds friction. Swim schools operate differently. Because the model is service-based, territory-driven, and supported by standardized systems, expansion builds on existing infrastructure rather than duplicating heavy assets. At Baby Otter Swim School, multi-unit growth is supported by: • Low overhead by design • Essential, recurring demand • Replicable curriculum and safety systems • Territory-based expansion This isn’t about opening five locations at once. It’s about launching one, refining it, and expanding responsibly. If you’re evaluating franchise opportunities with long-term scalability in mind, this perspective may be worth reading. 👉 Read the full article: https://shorturl.at/VnsYy #FranchiseOwnership #MultiUnitFranchise #ScalableBusiness #BusinessModelMatters #LongTermGrowth

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AI won’t replace golf operators. Operators who use AI will outperform those who don’t. Every course already has the data: • Tee sheet demand by time block • Booking velocity • Pace of play by interval • Revenue per round • Repeat play patterns Most of it just sits unused. The advantage isn’t “AI for fun.” It’s smarter decision-making. If you manage a course, try this: Ask: “Analyze my last 12 months of tee sheet data. Identify my highest-margin time blocks and lowest-performing windows. Recommend spacing or pricing adjustments.” We don’t need more software. We need better visibility.

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