The Achieve Podcast - Brett Jaffee (Caddy Time)

Welcome to another episode of the Achieve Podcast, the show where we highlight leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs, those who are building meaningful businesses, shaping their industries, and having an impact. I'm Taylor Baker Baker, your host, and today excited to be joined by Brett, Brett Jaffe, the CEO of Caddytime. And you can find them at caddytime.com, or better yet, go to the App Store Google or Apple app and download their app. So Brett, first off, thank you for joining us today.

Thank you for having me, uh, Taylor. I appreciate it.

And so for those just getting to know you a little bit, give us the backstory and how you got into this space.

Yes, I've always been an entrepreneur, and about 6 years ago in 2020, when golf kind of was booming and people were social distancing, my business partner and I went and played a round of golf at a club where they require you to take a caddy. And I, at the time, was 55 years old and— 50, yeah— never had taken a caddy in my whole life, yet I was a lifetime golfer. You just never really, um, had the opportunity or understood the benefit of it. And we had the greatest time that day, right? It just was such an enriched golfing experience. And then we just said, well, You know, why couldn't you create an Uber platform, an Uber-like platform where you had a group of qualified individuals willing to caddy and golfers that would like to add? And so we started down that road and we found there was in fact a need in that space that 1% of golf courses have caddies and 99% do not offer a caddy. And it's not because caddies aren't wonderful for the game, it's just because they're— it's a difficult, uh, platform to manage for a club.

Mm-hmm.

We kind of came up with it, did our research, built the app, launched it, and, um, last year we're named App of the Year in golf. So, uh, we're pretty excited about that.

That's wonderful. Spectacular. So How big is the team in the organization now?

Right now, you know, we started very small as a group getting it out there. We're about 7 strong. Um, the beauty of Caddytime is that at full strength and global penetration, we'll probably be 11 strong, right? We, we don't need to grow this organization to manage what we're doing. Um, and we've really found that out, and we suspected it, so We've got a great team in place and just really growing the message about what caddies do for the game of golf. And it's just universally, unilaterally, multi-directionally wonderful for golf.

Yeah. Now, what would you say is actually driving growth for the organization right now?

The demand for us, or the sweet spot for us, are tournament play. in the amateur and in the professional space, not at the highest level professional, but at the mid-levels of professional. They travel around the country playing golf tournaments. They don't know people in those areas. And so Caddy Time offers them an opportunity to make an introduction with a PGA pro in that area or an assistant pro in that area and, and really develop a bond going into that tournament, that competitive tournament. But in the amateur universe, there are two things that plague amateur golf tournaments. It's pace of play. You go out there and it's a 7, 8-hour round and it's miserable for people and it really hurts the charity tournament and some of the others. And secondly, integrity of score. The drunkest team comes in with the best score. We see it all over the internet. And it, it really goes a long way to unincentive people to play in those tournaments. It's really demotivating to get pencil whipped in that case. And so you add a caddie to every group and it's very affordable, about $50 a golfer total tip and everything. It's really affordable. But you do that. You give every golfer on that course that day a first-class ticket because they now get a concierge assistant helping them maximize, optimize their pace of play and get around the course with— two heads are better than one, five heads are better than four. And then also you do it in a positive way. You tell people, you know, hey, we're going to upgrade your round, but in reality, We're going to take better care of the course that day because repair comes real time and we're going to take care of integrity of score and optimize the pace for everybody. You can't make a slow golfer play fast, but you could remove the things a slow golfer has to do that make them slower, like rake the trap, repair divots, find their ball in the woods, etc., etc.

Yeah. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Now, as you guys try to grow, what would you say is some of the— it just feels harder than it should, like getting that message out.

Yeah, it's really— in our case, we've, we've done a guerrilla marketing ground game campaign from the start. And so we've been a word of mouth. We haven't spent really a dime on marketing. Now, we've had a lot of terrific publicity along the way, and we've been in Forbes magazine and Yahoo Sports and all the major publications. So, and Golf Channel, it's done great for that exposure. But our challenge is just letting people know we're here. And the other side of it is, if you think about Uber, prior to Uber, I took about 2 taxis a year. So when Uber came onto the scene, I didn't pay any attention to it. What does it matter to me? I'm going to modify my behavior for 2 trips a year where I'm taking a taxi. What I didn't realize that Uber was doing is they were creating this brand new space for people to take that transportation. And now I'm up to 30, 40 Ubers a year. That's what we're trying to do with Caddy. We want people to say, if you have a buddy round or a special round or your birthday round or your member guest or member member, or, you know, all these great reasons to take— or you want to walk that day to get a little extra exercise, great reasons to take a caddy. People don't realize you burn more calories in an 18-hole walking event golfing than you do in an NBA basketball game. Wow. Yeah, it's that sustained, you know, heightened level of of, uh, energy and metabolism. And, and, um, it's so good for people, you know. So that's where cadine comes in as well.

Wow. So this next— looking back for you, what would you say, what turning points had the greatest impact on the way you think about running the organization?

You know, we, we originally got into the space and we were trying to tell people We were not a caddy company. We're a tech company. We're a technology company. And we always looked like a caddy company. And that was wrong. We are a caddy company and a technology company. And it took us embracing that label for us to really lean in and start to enhance the whole experience, you know, from, from many different levels like training and and customer service and etc. And so that was a big turning point for us too. And then we began to get different clubs and courses who had fluctuating demand for caddies. One week they might need 10, one week they might need zero. And that's where we come in, because if you don't get your best caddy work, your best caddy leaves. And so in a platform like us, a shared platform, we can get those best caddies work because they're working at 3 or 4 different clubs.

That makes a lot of sense. And so, okay, so as you look at the, the, your marketing systems, getting the messaging out there, first, what have you found has worked the best at attracting and retaining customers?

Well, I'd say earnest endorsement for sure, you know, where you get that social media person or you get a celebrity. In some cases, like, we've had people request our hats because our hats are so good. So that's, that's been kind of the most meaningful steps we've taken when we get mass exposure. We get signups every day. We have for 5, 6 years. But when we went on, you know, PGA Radio, you know, it just boomed. And we went on Golf Channel, it boomed. And Um, what we found is each sign-up eventually leads to demand, and people don't sign up the day before their golf round usually, you know, it'll be months in advance. They touch the system and kind of the way we all did for Uber too. And, um, and we've just seen demand organically grow and grow. We've, we've been at about 30% growth clip from year 1, and it just continues. And, um, again, all self-funded, bootstrapped marketing, everything. We never went outside for money. And, uh, we've had a lot of people— we've turned down a lot of money, and that's a rare thing in this space.

Yeah.

And so we're really excited about the future. Caddy Camp is a job engine, right? We create real meaningful jobs, $75 an hour jobs in most cases. And that helps pay bills, that helps move the needle in markets and economies, etc. And, um, and it's perfect for side hustling. You know, you can do it as a full-time effort, but it certainly fits very well into a side hustle or extra rounds for existing caddies who can get around closer to home or on their off days. And caddies love us because we untether them. Ordinarily, they work at only the club they usually work at, and that's it. If they don't get around, if they wait in the parking lot, if they have a day off, well, Caddy Time allows them to operate on their days off and their, and their time. And so we really have been a welcomed, uh, platform for them as well.

That makes a lot of sense.

Yeah.

Now Continuing with the marketing theme, where do you feel like there's still opportunity or money on the table?

You know, I would say such a small percentage of the world knows about us. And so we need to get more, uh, scientific and more methodical in our marketing approaches. And there's a plan for that. We've been approached by some brand ambassador celebrities that, you know, try to get involved. And we aren't a marketing company. We have some good marketing folks that got involved of late. And so it's just amazing we've had as much success as we have considering what, what really we haven't done.

Yeah. So I'm curious, with all the talk around AI and automation, where have you guys found ways to utilize that?

Um, we really haven't utilized it that much. We've created a customer service reward program that is started to use— we've used some AI there. Um, in our area, we've talked about potentially reaching out to different horses and clubs and knowing, letting them know we're here. Um, you know, we had to get our story straight. And, uh, there was that reaction that Uber got when they first burst onto the scene, which was, you know, well, you're gonna let a guy in a pickup truck and, you know, come pick me up? How do I know? And, you know, we get the same thing. How do you know? And so we had to kind of go out there and prove the product. And in our case, uh, 80% of our caddies are single-digit handicaps themselves. These are quality golfers who know how to get the ball in the hole. They can help you manage the course and your afternoon as well.

Um, I don't know if that answers your question, but, uh, wow, yeah, that's impressive. And to have that expertise on the field, and like, golf is just such a good business opportunity and socializing. I mean, a lot of benefits. And to have that—

yeah, business rounds, right? If you're trying to do a business round, bring a caddy so you focus on what you're trying to accomplish. If you have a competitive round, you know, caddies shave strokes off at the round. I mean, and often every time I've lost a tournament, it's been by 1 or 2 strokes. So that makes great sense.

So Brett, if you had to pick one constraint, just one to focus on for the next 90 days that would change the trajectory of the business, what would it be?

Uh, you know, my focus is this amateur tournament golf tournament universe where every golf course in North America has an amateur tournament every week. And, you know, adding a caddie is like everyone in that tournament flying first class. Who doesn't want to fly first class today? And like, you know, you can do it very affordably and we just have to introduce it. And it's in the best interest of everyone involved. The tournament, the cause, the course, the golfer, and the local Golf Savvy community. So if I could do one thing, it would really be to reach the golf courses and let them know that there's a zero-cost, zero-headache, uh, caddie platform available to them.

Wow, wow, that would be very beneficial. And what have you found has been the biggest struggle in getting that word to those golf courses?

Well, one, there's just a lot of folks to tell. Two, you got to punch through a lot of noise, of course. And three, the credibility. If they've never heard of us, they're not likely to hear of us once and then initially jump in. There needs to be some follow-up, you know, peppering of us. That's kind of what we've tried to do.

So when you think about the next stage of the business, what are you most excited about, Brett?

Wow. I'm most excited about lifting up the game of golf, right? This is an opportunity for people to stay in the golf business, get in the golf business. Golf is a wonderful sport. and it's, you know, for a lot of reasons. We have, you know, we have veteran programs where we're encouraging veterans to come out, and this is a great job for them to interim between their service and the private sector and public sector, etc. So in that case, I'm just excited to serve the game and create jobs. I really want to move the needle on, on job creation. And if we're able to do that at a $75 an hour job—

impressive—

that if you work 3 rounds at $50 an hour, you're making $30,000 extra a year.

Wow.

Yeah. With caddy time. And those dollars now aren't as scrutinized as other dollars. Right. Because it's a lot of cash and it's Now, tips are not taxed, but, you know, and it's just a nicer dollar bill in that space.

I can see that for sure.

Yeah.

Now, when you look at your own journey, the wins, the mistakes, what lessons stand out to you or things you feel like you should have learned sooner? Who?

One, focus. You know, I told myself to not— we got calls from all over the world. Spain, Portugal, and Brazil, and rounds booked in Aqaba, Jordan. And we started to chase that business like, you know, can we get a— can we go ahead and get something going there and get something there? And we burned a lot of calories in areas that would flare up and go away. And so if I could go back, I would focus more regionally, North America regionally, and then like we've done now, We started to get traction in Houston and Texas. We've got, you know, a dozen clubs out there using us regularly, and we've got traction down in South Florida, East and West Coast. And, you know, we've started to get regular use down there, and that just helps the caddies. So New York as well, Long Island, that area. And so we just chase that business. That where you have traction, chase it there.

That makes a lot of sense. A lot of sense.

We're doing that now.

So, appreciate you coming on, sharing your story. Any final thoughts for our listeners and those on a similar journey?

I mean, it's, you know, it's— you better be passionate about it. It's going to be harder than you think. Even great ideas fail, even great ideas are a lot of work. And so I have found my advice is you just better be tenacious and wake up each day, put out the fires, swat away the missiles, and keep climbing. And if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. We punched through in a very crowded golf industry and have really kind of, like I said, made a name, you know, we've become App of the Year 2 years running, and, um, it just is really serving the game.

That's awesome. And based on everything you were saying, it sounds like the biggest constraint is getting that, that name out there a little more, getting more people there. And so that's it.

And so unless we get acquired or unless we, you know, do some things, we're going to have to ramp up that. And we've talked about getting money and spending most of it on marketing.

That makes sense. And for those who want to learn more or reach out, caddietime.com, LinkedIn, anywhere else you want to recommend?

Um, Instagram, we have a great following, and we have Caddy Time Golf. And, um, you know, the app is at both app stores, the Apple and Google Play, and you can register to be a golfer or a caddy, but you can also send us a message and We have great customer service. Please, you know, download the app.

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Taylor Baker Baker.

And thank you to our sponsors of today's episode, Achieve Fractional, which provides fractional executive leadership for growing businesses. And if you enjoyed the episode, share it with a friend, with a golf enthusiast. Next time you're going out, download the app and just look at it. Like, you'll shave off that 1 or 2 strokes. You'll improve it. The game will be more enjoyable. So I agree, reach out to Brett and the team, and we'll see you all in the next podcast.