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Founder of Proton: Why Our Paddles Last Forever
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New podcast episode featuring Charles Darling, the founder of Proton Sports, founder of softball bats and pickleball paddles.
Pique - Nandaka - http://piquelife.com/bpickleball - apologies, the discount is 15% off, not 20% as mentioned in the video**
If you're interested in the merch, send an email to buildingpickleball@gmail.com (I'm working on getting a site up, hopefully soon!)
https://protonsports.com/
PRO-BUILDINGPB - code is good for $25 off a Proton Paddle on PickleballCentral.com (The code is only valid through the end of August 2024)
#pickleball #pickleballpaddle
Chapters 00:00 intro 00:43 beginning 02:03 charles background before proton 02:34 who introduced you to PB and why did you get into the business 03:00 the origin of the Nanotech 05:20 how does 'built to last' effect the business model 08:48 the proton message 13:00 andrei daescu controversy 13:27 the benefit of proton paddles 14:19 announcements 15:13 key trait of being a founder 17:22 thoughts on future of pickleball, paddle testing 20:46 what's next for proton?
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Transcript
Achieving Dreams through Collaboration
00:00:00
Speaker
I had a dream and then surrounded it with the people that had the knowledge about making the dream come true. 20 years in the IT and aerospace and defense industry, and founder of Softball Bats, Proton. If you watched my previous interview with Andre Deescue, Proton's first sponsored pro player, you hear him talk about his relationship with Charles, the founder of Proton, and how the relationship led to him becoming the first sponsored
What Sets the Company Apart?
00:00:25
Speaker
pro. With the countless paddle brands on the market now, what can you provide that others don't? What do you strive to bring to the market that others may be overlooking? This is the story of Charles Darling.
00:00:43
Speaker
Welcome to another episode of Building Pickleball, the founder series. Before we get into the episode, I just want to make two quick announcements. One regarding the merch, the drop number three, the painting lines shirt is still available. It's still available in sizes small, medium and large.
Product Announcements and New Sponsorships
00:01:00
Speaker
And if you're interested, just send me an email at building pickleball at gmail dot com. Super, super excited to make this announcement. I have a new sponsor and they are called Peak. They have these two products. If you watched my previous video, you saw that I made the announcement with the Nandika and I included it in like the first 25 orders, but I'm going to uphold that. And I'm going to include these samples in every T-shirt order.
00:01:23
Speaker
As long as they don't run out, which I should, should be good. So regarding peak life, this is the Nandica. Um, as I mentioned before, this is a coffee tea alternative. So peaks Nandica provides sustainable all day energy and makes you feel like you're doing something good for your body. Try peak and get up to 20% off plus a free rechargeable frother and glass beaker. When you purchase exclusively at peaklife dot.com. Yeah, I really like their products. Their products are great. And if you're interested, remember, just go to the link in the video description down below. Enjoy this interview with the founder of Proton, Charles Darling.
Charles Darling's Journey into Pickleball
00:02:03
Speaker
Can you tell us a little bit about your background, about what you were doing before Proton?
00:02:06
Speaker
Prior to Proton, I was in aerospace and defense software. I spent a lot of time at some of the neatest projects and neatest companies in aerospace and defense. Had a lot of fun, did that for a number of years. and then was I fell in love with softball actually way prior to that and was playing a lot and then all of a sudden wanted to have the idea to make a better bat. And that's how I got into sporting goods. And then how would you who introduced you to pickleball? And then why did you think that it was a good idea?
00:02:41
Speaker
It was my kids, they asked me to come out and play pickleball and I didn't know much about it and I kept turning them down on that. And I'm sure with with everyone that that's watching upon first time playing, I fell in love with it. And I looked at the paddle and said, I can make these. And then started working on designing and engineering a paddle. How did the nanotech come about? good question so nanota It's actually an old NASA application that's used to provide resistance, as at the same time that they were, you know, developed Velcro and some other applications. And there there's really hasn't been much of a use for it. We first put it on our softball bats, because one of the things that softball players like that cut the ball is to generate some spin. And there was some other companies out there that had tried to do tacky barrels. And when we came out with our coding on that bat, kind of revolutionized the way that
00:03:31
Speaker
ah Spin was created and it lasted it didn't wear down. It's a very impressive ah Application for generating spin.
Innovation in Sporting Goods
00:03:40
Speaker
Why is no one copied you guys on nanotech? Yes, have it patented. that's That's a great question Yeah, we have a patent pending on that there really is no use for it But we're the first to think about using it for sporting goods. Yeah, and other than that I don't know where else you would use it but it's been working out very well on the bats and the paddles and Even in the pickleball space, how come no one's even copied you guys? Good question. Well, one, I don't know if they can ah because that would cause some problems. But number two, it's it's very expensive. I don't think it's it was on the forefront of anyone's mind. right it it was It came to me from someone when I said, hey, what's the best way to generate spin? And and many people are using, like and for for example, in the world of softball, they're spraying on this tacky stuff that
00:04:21
Speaker
collects dirt and wears down quickly and then in the world of pickleball right there trying to use that raw carbon right to generate roughness or spray on grit and it wears down and it was brought to me as a that this would be a great application for what i was trying to do and it it certainly has been so we lock that down and i know that i think that there was a paddle manufacturer a couple years ago that tried to use a chemical application uh... but then it didn't last very long uh... from a durability standpoint but Our coding is guaranteed for the life of the the paddle. It will be the same amount of spin as it is day one, as it is year three.
Durability and Design in Product Development
00:04:58
Speaker
right and And that's been proven true on our softball bats, which go through a far more horrific life than a paddle does. yeah They hit a ball, they get thrown on the dirt, then they get kicked, and then they get slid in out in and out of bags. But yeah, it's ah impressive coding. yeah Good for the players.
00:05:15
Speaker
Yeah, but it's so interesting because if someone were to look at that as like a business model, like the durability, they're like, oh, well, this might not generate recurring revenue for us. But then there's multiple ways to be a successful business in pickleball, right? Some people have like low, um, low prices, like Vatican pro. And then there's six zero who specializes in innovation. And then you guys who've created, you guys have innovated to a degree as well. And then you guys have that material, but you guys also have products that are doing the complete opposite of over 90% of the other paddles on the market, right? like it's like It's about durability. You guys talk about how a day is due.
00:05:54
Speaker
His paddle has lasted him since, like, August. Yeah, he used one through all of last year, and he's used one this entire year. Yeah. And Megan as well. Megan has used one paddle. By one, I don't mean, like, one model. I mean, one actual paddle this whole year. She's using it down here today. Yeah, sustainability. Yeah. Right? So we want them to get to a performance level and stay there as for as long as possible. With our Series 1, that's a very long time. For some people they could buy one and it will be good for life. And yes, that is taking the industry and kind of turning it upside down because in theory you would want to sell as many paddles to an individual as you can. This has worked out very well for us in softball, creating a bat that lasts longer, creating a paddle that lasts forever. I'm fine selling.
00:06:39
Speaker
If I sell one paddle to 50% of the market just one time, that's a major success. right So it's not for us, it's about value, it's about sustainability, it's about durability, it's about developing a relationship with your product, it's about having confidence that you're not gonna have to replace it you know every three months. right So it's really a value proposition to our players and our customers that you're gonna get something that is built to perform and built to last. yeah You know, that's the question they ask me. Well, if you if you sell a paddle to everyone, you won't have another one to sell them. And if I sell ah one paddle to everyone, then we're probably the one of the largest companies in the world.
00:07:19
Speaker
Right, so over you're doing just fine and that's fine if I don't sell another one after that point. Yeah. But we're going to always, and in regards to innovation, I would say that already even being a brand new company, I would challenge the other manufacturer. I'd say that we're already right there for the investments that we make in innovation, for what we're doing from not just issuing a PO and saying, let me, so or, you know, issuing, send me what you've got and then determining. No, we're, with the Series 4 Roadrunner, you've played with it. right That's a special paddle. yeah There's not one like that on the market. There's not one like the Series 1 either, that's for sure. The Series 2 and Series 3, those are more mainstream, right? We've done what everyone else is doing with those, so but that's because we like to have variety for our customers, for the players out there, to choose which one fits best for them. It's very easy to make a raw carbon-faced paddle.
00:08:05
Speaker
We've taken that and we've made them better, right? And and you're going to get back to your listeners after you've played with the
Word-of-Mouth Growth and Testing for Longevity
00:08:11
Speaker
Series 3, after you've played with the Series 2. They're each unique in their own regard, but they're all were built in mind to have sustainability, durability, and and at value to the players with each of them. Yeah, I mean it's great because if you guys aren't I mean yeah the durability has Given you guys the reputation that like anyone who's playing with that paddle like oh I've been playing with this for like a year now i've playing with us for six months and the group and this
00:08:37
Speaker
the paddle face surface is exactly the same as it was when I bought it. So it's like you're gaining more customers through word of mouth rather than just trying to sell the same paddle to the same customer. correct you're like You're growing in the market. And that story, that message that I'm telling you right now that no one really knows except for the people that have we're able to get a proton early on. As time goes on, we will prove out that message, right? You're going to help carry the message, validate the stories that we have and validate the technology and validate what we're saying is confirmed and real. I mean, we've done our own test and we've put our paddles through hell. We have testing that just literally fires a ball at a paddle, you know, and doesn't stop.
00:09:18
Speaker
right Then we have a sporadic one. Then we have the hammer machine just to see what the lifespan of the paddle is. And it's insane. right it's no one is No one comes close to that. So and as players figure that out, that will be a word of mouth. And and also, they stand out. right Our paddles, you know in a world of black paddles, right you can see clearly that our stand out. So first, they're going to say, well, what is that? Because it looks different. And then as that word of mouth gets out there, like, hey, I've had this proton. for a year and it's still performing the same as day one, that only way we can prove that is with a year of people having them. So I know in a year from now, I'll probably be back on your show, which way I'm a fan of, and you're going to say, hey, by the way, you're right. I've got people calling me and it's in the discord. It's not saying when the hell do I get my paddle, which is what they're currently saying.
00:10:03
Speaker
And that's going to change here soon. It's going to be, oh my goodness, it's true. I've had this paddle. it's It's my boyfriend or it's my girlfriend. I've developed a relationship with it. Yeah. And I feel like I'm going to have this paddle for years to come. That's what we want out there. It's such an admirable like trait because if you look at tech products, which I spent some time in the tech industry, you look at like how much they degrade over time and how quickly they degrade. And if the cost is increasing, but then the product quality is decreasing, there's just like, it's it's not a win for the consumer. And you look at like the centennial bulb, right? It's very feasible and possible that products can last a very long time, but
00:10:42
Speaker
Most of the people in the market don't want to create that because it's not good business, but then you guys are going the opposite direction, and it's very like admirable. It's great. yeah think of We're in a world of disposable products. These new laptops that you buy, they're disposable. Apple makes a good product, and that's why their laptop sells for basically the same amount two years later. or that you know They have high resale value because it's a quality product, but if we look at consumer electronics, we look at refrigerators, we look at irons. I mean, just anything that you can think of. It's all engineered to be disposable product. We, as consumers, have been trained that we need to replace stuff. And if we want some protection, we have to pay for it. Because what's the thing? They're always asking you anytime you pay for something, buy something. For $59.99, do you want the extended coverage plan, right? So you have to like buy to get good quality ah protection on your product these days. so
00:11:30
Speaker
And they're basically just going to replace it with another new garbage paddle but or a product. But yeah, we're that testament will be the true the one that's proven truest is, wow, Proton makes great equipment. They stand behind their product. They take good care of their customers. And I'm getting a lot of value out of the money I spent. That's what we and of course performance. Yeah, I think it's also tough as a business and like and the on the ah innovation side, because not only are you creating a durable product, but if it's a durable product, then it should be able to keep up in terms of technology over time, which the Proton has. Like, Megan doesn't have a problem keeping up. CJ obviously doesn't have a problem. Andre very clearly doesn't have a problem keeping up. So I think that's like even a more difficult challenge you guys have, is if you see this Gen 1, Gen 2, Gen 3, and you're like having to keep up and create
00:12:19
Speaker
different traits and features of a product so that keeps it maintains its position in the industry. like i would So I would go further than saying Andre Megan and CJ are keeping up those three are playing the best pickleball of their lives Okay, CJ just played the best pickleball out of MLP just this last weekend CJ Andre has been playing better probably than any player in the country for the past six months He's been beating, you know, the number ones and the number twos. He's been since Andre joined proton He has made every championship match go check this out. He's made every championship match APPs every single one made it to the championship match three MLPs
00:12:56
Speaker
Aside from the one that was most recent when this the paddle controversy came about oh, yeah And that's that's just a shame that I don't there's nothing more to get into that He submitted one that he shouldn't have submitted one that he's never used But if you look at them and and I encourage you to bring them on because they're here Megan's been playing the best she's ever been played There's a reason for that It's not that we're keeping up, we actually have a better product. right and what the The single thing, if you were to ask me why is it that they've gotten better with the product, it's not that the paddle is so much better than everyone else's. In fact, we're not number one in spin, we're close, we're not number one in power by any means, but what it is is it allows for
00:13:32
Speaker
the athlete to practice with the same paddle all week that they're using on the weekend. And no other manufacturer has been able to do that for the pro athletes. They're having to use a completely different paddle than the ones that they were playing ah playing with that or training with. right So Andre, Megan, CJ, they've been training all week long, all month long, monday ah morning, noon, and night. and they get to use that same paddle they've been training with in the competition so they know exactly how it behaves and it gives you just that mental edge to know that exactly how your equipment is going to be performed. right So imagine giving Tiger a new set of irons every tournament. He's not going to be as good because there is variance. So that's that's why that's how they would answer that question I'd imagine. At least that's what they tell me.
Expanding Reach with New Partnerships
00:14:17
Speaker
You guys made an announcement recently between Proton and Arizona Drive. What what was the news behind that? oh So we've been real quiet. We haven't even really disclosed that. We shared a post. But ah tonight, tonight's our our main event. We're going to be announcing some major things. We signed some new professional athletes. We've entered into a partnership with Pickleball Central, and that's exciting. Pickleball Central is going to be carrying proton paddles. We are the official title sponsor of the Junior PPA. We'll be announcing that tonight. So there among some other exciting announcements while we've brought everyone here, in the new paddles, the series two that you've seen and the series um sorry the suit new Series and the new Series 4 Project Roadrunner,
00:14:58
Speaker
unbelievable paddle. We have a ton into the development engineering of that thing. So a lot of exciting announcements coming tonight. This place is going to be packed. I don't know if you guys can see it, but we're going to have about 270 people here ah that we've invited to attend tonight's announcements. People have talked about you being, if you're going to take on a role and a responsibility at Proton, it's like to be a visionary. And you have the other side, you have your sales guy Mark, you have Tim, you have Matt, and they take care of, you know, some of the business side. Where did the trade of like visionary come from? Where did you kind of develop that? Oh, goodness. So I've always been a dreamer, right? eva I've always dreamt big in everything that I've done. And it's amazing how I always say that so much of what's occurred has been luck, right? Like it was amazing that we were able to get Andre. But it's if you if I ah have the dream, and if I always wanted the dream done, i had one is none, right? I have to surround myself with the people that have the knowledge and the experience
00:15:58
Speaker
to make the dream possible. right So when I had the dream to start my own softball bat company and I had never done a softball bat company, I surrounded myself with the guys that were carbon fiber PhDs, some of the smartest guys and in the world as it pertains to carbon fiber sciences, guys that are doing advanced things and went up to them and said, hey, if you were going to make the best softball bat, what would you do? right So it's the visionary thing comes like Tim, like Matt, and and you know anyone else that's been involved in proton. I had a dream and then surrounded it with the people that had the knowledge about making the dream come true. And a majority of the credit goes to the brilliant guys that have made great products for us. Our manufacturing, we have the most brilliant guys in all of Asia working in our manufacturing. Guys that are you know adjunct professors, the PhD equivalent at what would be the MIT of of China, right? that's the The Stanford of China. We've got sharp guys.
00:16:52
Speaker
So the vision, the dream that I had was only possible by getting the the the right guys to help make it true. And I'm in debt and in gratitude forever for the people that were involved to help us build this. And it's all for the players. It's not for Andre. It's not for Megan. That's not even possible without the players down at the court, right? So all of this, even you know what you do, you're reaching the audience of the players that are on the court. Those are the ones I think about. Those are the ones that we want to make the best products for. Those are ones that we want to spoil and take care of and say, thank you. Yeah, you've mentioned like sustainability, durability. You talk about the way you treat your players, um not just the ah professional players, but the mass market as well. Andre has talked about his relationship with you and why he, it was maybe not an easy decision. I won't take put words in his mouth, but why it made sense to be leave his previous sponsor and come on board with you guys. And then people have mentioned you're a visionary. no With all that in taken into consideration,
00:17:51
Speaker
what are your thoughts on like the current climate of pickleball as far as like paddle testing and also like you're also involved in the junior PPA now so you have like your hands a little bit a lot of different things which has given you a lot of like knowledge and perspective it's like what are your thoughts on paddle testing and just the way you know the sport the directions headed Yeah, that's
Ensuring Safety and Performance for Players
00:18:09
Speaker
another great question. So i think so let's just start with the rec players. i think that we I think that the paddles, and it looks like corrective action is taking place. I think the paddles got totally out of hand with the performance. i don't it's the The evidence of that is the new hot topic was eyewear. So like people are getting hit like to protect your eyes. That wasn't a topic of conversation.
00:18:35
Speaker
two years ago, right? um there's So there's a lot of people that, and and when you're playing at the courts, it's open play. There may be some guy that can hit the heck out of it playing against a lady that's not ready for it, right? So I think that the paddle testing has been doing the right things by eliminating paddles that are just dangerous, right? I think that the game, and then as we take that to the pro level, um We all want professional pickleball to take off. We all want it to be something that grows into a great sport. We want the MLP and the PPA to exceed. In order for that to happen, it has to be very exciting and entertaining to watch. The high performance paddles made it unfun to watch. The hand battles were so fast. like The hand battles is one of the exciting things of the game. That's when the crowd goes the most nuts.
00:19:15
Speaker
so That's where if you're watching on television, that's what you want to see. And no, no one was speeding up because, you know, you go to speed up and the speed up is not an offensive measure. Sometimes it's the counter that comes back. The counters were coming back so fast. It just was ending them. Right. And I've already seen an improvement in gameplay, you know, at Sacramento at Dallas where they've removed those. And now all of a sudden you have more hand battles and less balls are going long. So I think it's safer for the recreation players if it's less power. I think it's more watchable, more exciting for the fans in person and on television if the game's slower. You're already going to get enough power out of it, right? But you get more hand battles. And I also think that the game would be more fun with an increase in spin. I wish that they would increase the maximum allowable spin because the most boring part of pickleball is the serve. Imagine if we had new shots that were created because they had more spin. hurt by spin. But it would be more exciting if you saw more creative things going on. I think that would make it watchable. But I got to give a shout out to the testing entities. USA Pickleball has been doing the right thing by kind of removing these PicklePro Labs is doing the most advanced testing that's occurring right now. They're the ones that are testing paddles on site.
00:20:30
Speaker
for MLP, PPA, before and after, every match. And I'm a big advocate of that. I take the data that they give me to base the performance standards for our products, right? So here's the maximum spin you can have. Here's the maximum power you have. Okay, let's hit those as high as we can and make them last as long as possible. what's next for proton you've mentioned arizona drive junior ppa you mentioned a couple other things but you just it seems like you guys are who wouldn't really see where y'all came from in the beginning they just saw this very obnoxiously bright colored paddle and we're like what the hell is andre de scud using and then obviously he's like made his mark and like
00:21:09
Speaker
proven that Proton has not only the good product and then now you're starting to see it's a very popular product and the way you talk about it, the durability and all that and now you're like trying to leave an imprint in different areas of the market as well, not just the product side. So what's an next? What's next is to just get the message out. What's next is to deliver this message of value, quality, performance, sustainability to the people that are at the courts. And then when I walk onto the courts, they come to me and say, thank you for making an awesome product. I used to spend $250 every month, every two months, just to keep the paddle performance that it was the same. And with you, I've got i bought one paddle. It's eight months later. Thank you. Now I'm spending the money on, you know,
00:21:53
Speaker
the things for my family. That's what I want. I want people to, what's next for Proton is getting our message out there and showing that we're a player-based company and showing that we are dedicated and committed to only delivering the highest amount of value for them. That's what's next. And we'll continue to sponsor. We'll continue to innovate. But those things don't matter. It's the players that are down there right now at the court, which they're packed, I promise you. And it's them that that matter. And those are the ones that we're going to continue to reach. You reach them with your audience. And so it same with everyone else here. And that's why I'm glad you came. That's what's next. Players on the courts, everywhere across the country, we want you. We're coming for you. And we're going to give you the best that we've got to offer. And and then i once that happens, and then I think everyone will be happy.
00:22:40
Speaker
Do you have anything else that you wanted to talk about that I didn't ask you about? that you You asked some great questions. He asked some some great questions, you know, so I, no, I appreciate that. Thanks for having me on. thanks Thank you. This has been an awesome event. Even for something that was put together last minute. I appreciate the amount of effort that you guys put in. These aren't easy. Like putting getting all these people together, yeah yeah yeah getting everyone together, especially for the people who just came from MLP and getting everyone in town. Um, this has been an awesome opportunity and um honestly,
00:23:12
Speaker
So nothing but best wishes for Proton from here on out. Thank you, Brian. That's good stuff. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you, everyone.