Starting a club from scratch

Yo-Yo Contests, Clubs, and Events
21

As with everything else, it’s a life long learning process. Problem is, it’s all OJT. :upside_down_face:

Good to see ya again.

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22

If you end up moving anywhere near a store that is interested in selling yo-yos and you wanted to coordinate a ‘class’ with them let us know - we could help with organization for it! That kind of setup can be a real win-win since the store has an audience they can advertise too - you have a place to run it, etc. :blush:

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23

Excellent! I already have one or two stores in mind! I’ll keep in touch, thanks Andre!

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24

You’ve already gotten a ton of good advice, I’d just add a couple more things.

  • As soon as you figure out where you are moving, hunt around here/FB/reddit to try and rustle up a few more throwers. Clubs tend to have a core that is solid and bunch of folks who float in and out. If you can find a few folks to make up that core, you are going to be ahead of the game.

  • The store angle is excellent advice. Stores have a vested interest in promoting stuff like this, it gets people through the doors. In addition, they may have space you can use for meetings, newsletters or mailing lists that you can use for promotion/advertising, and don’t underestimate the “legitimacy” that a store can lend a club. It’s one thing to ask parents to drop their kids off at “ABC Brainy Toy Store” and another to ask them to let their kids hang out “at the covered picnic shelter in dirtbag park”.

  • As was mentioned earlier, skilltoys tend to attract skilltoys. Is there a juggling club in the area you are moving to? Get to know those people and perhaps see if you work with them. They may be interested in throwing or they may just be willing to let you piggyback on their meetings for a while.

  • Consider connecting with a local elementary school PTA and running an after-school “class/club”. This will get things off the ground quickly and give you the same sort of promotion opportunities and legitimacy that I mentioned above. Depending on the school/PTA, you may even be able to get paid a few bucks (or at least get some money to use for club supplies). Yes, your club will be mostly beginners, but kids pick things up quickly and tend to be stoked about them.

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25

:rofl: depends how many kids you have, I think…

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26

I just wanted to say that I am still super stoked about this. Yoyos, yoyos everywhere… :heart:

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