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Inside the Growth of Pins and Aces: Scaling a Golf Lifestyle Brand with Nicklaus Mertz

Today on the DTC Podcast, we sit down with Nicklaus Mertz, founder of Pins and Aces, a golf brand that grew from a side project to a $25M+ powerhouse. Nick shares the step-by-step tactics that fueled their expansion, including limited-edition drops, a focus on profitability, live selling innovations, and the acquisition of Edel Golf.

Key Moments:

How Pins and Aces started with $6K and a headcover idea

Building a brand beyond Alibaba sourcing

Launching viral products like the Beer Sleeve and Liquor Stick

Omnichannel expansion: Retail + DTC synergy

Growing without raising outside capital

Leveraging community feedback to design new products

Acquiring Edel Golf to move into hardware

Takeaways for Entrepreneurs:

Start small, iterate fast, and evolve from customer feedback

Community building beats traditional influencer marketing

Drops are a sustainable engine for long-term growth

Data-informed product development with tools like Particle

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Timestamps

00:00 – How Pins and Aces Started from a $6K Side Hustle

02:00 – Turning a DIY Golf Product into a Real Business

08:00 – Building a Brand vs. Drop Shipping Products

14:00 – Collaborations with South Park and Hey Dude Shoes

19:00 – The Bud Light Collab That Changed Everything

22:00 – Drops, Content Strategy, and Creating Community

26:00 – Exploring Live Selling and Whatnot Platform

31:00 – Scaling the Brand While Maintaining Profitability

35:00 – Exit Strategy and Potential Strategic Buyers

38:00 – Using Particle to Track Competitor Performance

Hashtags

#dtcpodcast #pinsandaces #ecommercegrowth #golfbrand #founderstory #productdrops #liveshopping #influencermarketing #dtcmarketing #brandcollabs

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