Erica Malbon: Cofounder of Malbon Golf

22:18Erica Malbon:and dorky like performance polos. Exactly. So, you know, I think there is an opportunity here. And, you know, at the time when we started, people were like golf's dying. And it was like it was really declining at that specific moment in time. But like we did believe that there was this opportunity for a brand who spoke to a younger demographic of golfers. And we started the brand with the intention and to inspire young people to continue to play the sport or to introduce them to the sport. And so we didn't have a formal business plan, but we had this vision and we had this instinct that there was going to be people like us that wanted a brand that spoke to them who also were passionate about this game.

22:57And so we kind of went all in.

23:00Erica Malbon:So at this point in time, aside from shopping for your husband for golf and not finding much. What was your personal relationship with golf? Like, were you golfing? I mean, obviously you knew sort of like what was going on in the apparel space. And yes, you had been around it. But how much at that moment did you know about golf and how much did you have to learn? You know, I think that part of the beauty of the fact that I wasn't so immersed in it was that I was a little naive to like the prejudices or the kind of older customs. So I wasn't intimidated by a lot of the things that I think other people could be intimidated by.

23:39Erica Malbon:You were an outsider, which is cool. Correct. And I think we were both looking at it like, wow, we're outsiders in this space. But it's almost like your superpower in the sense that you don't really understand or you're not fully versed in all of the little details that would make you not want to join or feel intimidated by that. We were kind of looking at it like, well, we could do this. This is fine. And I think that we also saw it as like, it's a community of people that they are sort of set in their ways. And there'd been a couple of brands that have thought about it a little bit differently that had grown to have some success.

24:13And so we were like, okay, look, that's not our vision, but like they've done it. And there was a group of people that thought a little bit differently about it. So why don't we just try it and see what happens? So we opened our first store up on Fairfax. At the time, again, it was a hub for street culture and for musicians and different people that were doing very interesting things in the arts and fashion. And we thought, okay, look, like if we can put a golf store in Fairfax and Melrose, a lot of people that are young and that are not interested in golf, but you know what, maybe this is their introduction to this sport.

24:45And so we did that. And at first we just started selling products that weren't our own because we didn't make our own.

24:51Erica Malbon:Oh, wait, I just want to set the scene a little bit. I used to live within walking distance to Fairfax in West Hollywood. For folks who are outside of LA or who perhaps were not in LA at that moment in time. I cannot express enough how important Fairfax has been in terms of influence, design, culture. This is where John and Vinny's was, where all of a sudden you started having all of these like cool and interesting eateries popping up, all of these cool and interesting stores. There was so much street culture, skate culture. Like it went from sleepy residential neighborhood to suddenly being sort of the epicenter of a really cool scene in LA.

25:32Erica Malbon:So to have the idea to put a golf store in the middle of this, I have to say feels radical because it's so counterintuitive in so many ways, but also brilliant because if you're going to appeal to a different, interesting, younger, cooler group of people, I think it's so smart to go there. Thank you. Yeah, and people at the time, especially golfers were like, oh my god golfers are never gonna come over here like it's so sketchy like what from the palisades they'd never come all the way to fairfax yeah exactly like oh no one from our club is gonna shop over there and i think that was the whole point it was like this isn't for you this is not for you because there's brands that already exist for you and i think that was the beginnings of the brand and we did understand what our mission statement was was to inspire today's youth to participate in what we consider the greatest game on earth and that was always our north star and it was how do we do that?

26:29And it's attract people that young people follow, right?

26:32Erica Malbon:Yeah. So talk to me about the store opening. As you said, you did not start with your own product at that point in time. How did you find the right product to go in the store for that initial offering? And like, how are you thinking about the assortment? So we had funded it ourselves. And, you know, obviously that's always a scary thing in the beginning when you're funding your own business. And we were like, okay, we're going to do this ourselves because we had had, again, experiences And we were like, we're not going to take outside capital yet. We want to make sure that we prove ourselves before we do any of that.

27:03And Steven, so with his agency, he had worked with Nike in Nike golf. And so one of our first products was we would have our logo on some of their product because they were also working to get the cooler crowd of people wearing their products. So we started working with them. And then we would buy other brands that we thought aligned within our vision. And so we have friends that own a golf bag company out of Oregon called Jones. So we'd carry their products. So we'd have some Nike sneakers. We'd have different polos from our friend's skate brand Huff. And we'd kind of curate like, OK, what could a golfer wear?

27:39Erica Malbon:So even thinking of products that are not necessarily made for golf, but could be used. Correct. OK, I like that. And then we made our own golf club. So I think that was our first product was I ordered like 2000 golf clubs, which was a lot at the time. Oh my gosh. Because it was a minimum that I was like, okay, we're going to sell these golf gloves and that's going to be like our first product. I've ordered them. And so that was kind of just like, okay, we're going to curate what our world looks like in the golf space. And, you know, one foot in front of the other. So I know obviously you had worked with your husband before and you had co-founded a different business without him before, but this is the first time you had co-founded a business with him.

28:22Erica Malbon:as you were first starting this project did you have like very clear conversations about how we're going to divide and conquer about whose responsibility things were going to be or how things would be different or did you just jump in without navigating any of that first yeah the first couple years not gonna lie like it was hard it was really hard one because we were married, two, because we were business partners, three, because we had two kids under five, and because we were self-funding a business that neither one of us knew was going to work. A business that was new to both of you as well.

29:02Completely new to both of us. Weren't working outside of that business. So it wasn't like this was our afterschool project. It was all or nothing.

29:09Erica Malbon:Erica, that is pressure. We were all in, right? And I think that took a toll on us as individuals, but also as a couple, because we were just under a lot of pressure. That being said, in the beginning, we held hands on a lot of things and it's taken us a while now. We're here, we're doing great because we have a lot of other people on our team and we delegate and we've kind of figured out our roles and responsibilities. But in the beginning, we didn't write it down and it wasn't that structured. And so it was like, who's doing what? Everyone's doing everything. Exactly. And so, you know, it's not for the faint of heart.

29:44And so we were kind of just like, let's do it. There was definitely screaming, but we're here. We're still married. We're on the other side, I hope.

29:52Erica Malbon:At that point, you had been together for a long time. You guys had children together, which I actually think if you can figure out having kids together, I feel like having a business together is in the realm of possibility. So at least you guys were starting from not scratch, to put it mildly. Totally. But, you know, we both had a shared vision and we both had each other's best interests. And I think that's, you know, hard to find sometimes when you have a partnership because everyone has their own interests, right? And if you have a couple, you know that you have each other's back and you have the same goal.

30:25And if you win, I win. And so I think the shared alignment helps for sure. You know, as the team started to grow, as the business started to grow, as we started to have, you know, more success and more time to be able to spend a little bit more time apart and figure out our roles. it's been really helpful because as Stephen will always say, like someone told him early on, like there's always someone on the register and someone in the kitchen. So it's like in every different element of our business or even in our lives, like someone's on the register, someone's in the kitchen, you know, this is your lane, this is my lane.

30:58And I think if we can continue to stick to that, then it works. Got it.

31:03Erica Malbon:Okay. So I also want to talk a little bit more about the positioning of the brand. As you mentioned earlier, it's not your grandfather's golf apparel brand, and certainly not in the first iteration as the store. It's buzzy, it's cool, it's progressive, it's the opposite of stuffy. I've seen some folks online describe it as like the supreme of golf, which is a dreamy way of positioning it. But for our audience, can you talk through a little bit about the aesthetic, any references that you were inspired by and like what someone would find from your brand that they might not necessarily find at another golf brand.

31:42We always like to look at it like we're a lifestyle brand inspired by golf. So we make product for playing golf, but we also make product for other facets of your life, whether that be going to work, going to dinner, picking up your kids from school, going to the beach. Like we have products for a lot of different elements of everybody's life and golf is always a part of that conversation, but it's not just for golf. I think that is a big component of why our brand is a bit different than a lot of the other golf brands who generally only make product for on course. I would say that we do a lot of collaborations with a lot of different brands, which is not something you've seen historically in golf.

32:22And I think that has also set us apart. So we've worked with Tag Heuer and Jimmy Choo and Lexus and Neighborhood, which is a brand from Japan. So wherever we feel inspired and we feel there's a connection to golf and we feel like it's authentic to someone that we know that loves golf, but also has other interests. That's really how we kind of vet how we work with brands. We also really built such an amazing community of people. And I think that's a big, big part of our brand is really community first and bringing people together through their love of golf. And people love to wear the product when we do our golf tournaments and come to our events when we open a new retail store.

33:02So I think those are things that have set us apart. And we really think about our brand as obviously more than golf. But, you know, I get people always want connection. And I think that's what we've really been able to achieve with this brand.

33:13Erica Malbon:And I think that in addition to challenging some of those traditional golf norms aesthetically, you are also actively trying to democratize the sport for young folks by also offering experiences in store, starting back with your first store in 2017. Can you talk a little bit about what those efforts look like in the beginning and what the response was? Definitely. So when we opened, we had a simulator, which is like a golf hitting bay that simulates golf outdoors. So it's a big screen and you can hit your golf balls into it, gives you metrics and tracking and all of those things. But we would do events where we would have like longest drive, closest to the pin contest and create parties around, you know, this experience.

33:57And I think that the idea of making golf like extremely fun and not necessarily so traditional in how you experience it, whether that be through screen golf or through putting experiences or just like events. It doesn't always have to be like you're going to play 18 holes. And I think that really broke down a lot of barriers for people who were reluctant to participate in the game or to start playing because they felt intimidated by what that meant and how they could access the game of golf. And so we would do lessons in the space and we'd bring kids in. And these were all things that historically were sort of frowned upon or looked down on where it was definitely more about, oh, the guys are going to play this weekend, you know?

34:40And so I think the idea that like this is a family brand with a woman and a man in charge with their kids involved and a great community of people that don't look like who a golfer should look like, but they're golfers. And so, you know, how do we tell that story?

34:55Erica Malbon:I also want to talk about all of the fans of your brand and ambassadors. So first of all, you had Justin Bieber and Travis Scott, who were early organic supporters. And you have some amazing golf talent that you work with, including Jason Day, who notably caused a stir when he started wearing your brand because it was different than traditional golf attire. Talk to me a little bit about the visibility, how that has impacted your marketing strategy, and how some of these partnerships, organic and otherwise, come to be? I would say that the early relationships, everything has been very, very organic.

35:33And so when Justin first came to our store, when we first opened on Fairfax, it was his friend who was a mutual friend of ours brought him by. And you meet people that love golf. They're very passionate about it. And they want to talk about it. And they want to take part in it.

35:47Erica Malbon:There are no casual enthusiasts. It's like all in or nothing. They're a little bit obsessive. And the idea that people were seeing a brand that was a golf brand, but also kind of spoke their language, I think that really attracted people into this brand. And then as the brand kind of grew and we realized, okay, we feel like we've established ourselves as this brand on Fairfax, but do people consider us a real like professional golf brand? And we were like, we need to legitimize that. And so we were looking at options for people to join Team Malbin. And, you know, Jason happened to be this diverse fella who has an incredible story.

36:25He was from Australia, but he had Filipino origins and didn't grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth and has really made it and become at one point the number one golfer in the world. And his contract with Nike was expiring and he had been with them for 10 years. And we were like, wow, this is our guy. And we really, really wanted to work with him. And then the idea that he was willing to take risks and wear the product and kind of had that confidence to be able to put himself out there. And not everyone has that. It was kind of a perfect storm of timing, of personality, of confidence. And Jason has been an amazing ambassador.

37:03We were really excited about him and his family and how he wears the clothes and, you know, how he likes to make the golf world more exciting.

37:10Erica Malbon:So talk to me about the women's line, because I read that you were at the helm of those design efforts. So obviously you have the longstanding interest in fashion. You like creating worlds, but I'm curious about what it was like to create a women's line, what your role was in it, and what has been working for you. Definitely. So as I said, I've always teetered between the operational side of a business, but also most enjoyably the creative side of a business. And so I would say that my strength is not necessarily day-to-day operations, but it's just understanding like a bigger vision and putting people in places to kind of achieve that.

37:52And so I think that's, you know, a skill, like just knowing who's the best person for the job. And I'm definitely not the best person for a lot of jobs. The women's line has been so close to my heart and something that I've been so passionate about because one, I love fashion. I love clothes. I love putting things together. It really excites me. And that doesn't change on when I'm going to play golf. And, you know, there was such a hurdle from when we started the brand and just creating clothing for the men, because that was still so underserved. When we felt that, you know, we were getting ahold of that and we were having women reaching out to us.

38:25When are you going to make women's product? Like, can I buy this? It's not in my size, but we really started to see that there's a demand. And then, you know, stats started to follow. Oh, more women are getting into the sport. People are playing. They don't have anything to wear. So if men were underserved, women were substantially underserved when it came to fashionable clothing for them to wear. I mean, again, shorts down to the knees with an oversized polo in pink isn't necessarily what I wanted to wear to play golf. Not the dream. Not the dream. And if you want younger people, if you want women to play, you need to make them feel like they look good.

38:57I mean, that's how we all want to get dressed and feel confident in what we're wearing. And so we started developing a women's line and I was very much involved in every creative aspect of that from the very beginning, working with technical designers to kind of bring those visions to life, working through looking at archives of, you know, classic silhouettes that I thought were beautiful throughout, you know, the history of golf or even tennis, because, you know, they kind of go hand in hand in the club sports world. And then just recreating those in more like performance fabrics that kind of are more modern to today and what we want to wear when we're playing golf outdoors.

39:33So I'm very involved. I mean, from every photo shoot to every line, every fit, every trim, I've really immersed myself and I'm obviously learning so much as we go. And we have great people on our team that bring my vision to life. But, you know, Steve and I both really sit on like, okay, well, this is the idea. This is the vision. Like now let's get linear and create the clothes that we need to make to feed into that overarching story.

39:57Erica Malbon:So can you tell me, like, are there any specific bestsellers or pieces where you're like, I think this is going to be a hit, but like, oh, my gosh, I had no idea it would be a runaway success in this way. Or I think we should make this one thing and it probably won't be a big sensation. But oh, wow, it has a real audience for it. I'm always curious about some of those like behind the scenes stories. There was a friend of mine, a girlfriend that we played golf with and she had just recently got engaged. And so she was wearing her engagement ring, but she wanted to wear it while she played golf.

40:26And so she cut like an X through her golf glove for her engagement ring and she just used scissors. And I was like, that is such a great idea. We need to make a glove. That's actually part of that. And so we did that and like it sold out immediately. And so that's become a part of like our permanent collection where it's not something that anyone's thought through, but it's like, oh wow, like women want to wear their engagement ring with their golf gloves. So let's create a cutout for them. Or another girlfriend of mine who had long nails, she was like, I can't ever wear golf gloves because I have long nails.

40:59And so we made a fingerless golf glove. And so, you know, there's just these details that, you know, if you don't experience it yourself and it's unauthentic to you, then you're not going to actually get that feedback. And so it's so fun and seeing like women come together and play golf and have a great time and have drinks and spend the day together. It's like, this is what the guys have been doing for so long. And now I kind of understand why, you know, they get a group together and it's fun. Like women definitely love to be competitive just as much as men and having, you know, the permission, I guess, to do so nowadays with what they wear and who they're playing with and making it a really great time is what we aim to do with Melbourne Women.

41:36Erica Malbon:I love it. I think that's so cool. So I want to talk a little bit about the retail expansion because you have quite the collection. You have stores in New York City, Carmel, Miami, Scottsdale, Chicago, Georgetown, Austin, plus you have gone international with expansion in China and the Philippines. It's so amazing to have that large of a footprint is an expensive and time-consuming prospect. How do you operationalize that? Like, what is your cadence for, oh, okay, we're going to open this many stores in this amount of time, or a store has to reach X threshold before we open another one. So the first three, four locations was really just where do we want to be for this brand?

42:23And it wasn't data driven. It was like, Stephen and I decided to spend more time up in Carmel during COVID. And I was having breakfast and I would saw a release sign and I was like, wow, this is a really golf centric, beautiful town. Like let's take this space. And so New York city, I think was our first location post COVID. And obviously it's New York city and we wanted a footprint there. And we knew that there were people that loved the sport, loved the brand there. So we opened that in Soho because it's just, it felt right. So the first couple of locations were really more instinctual. And then now as we roll out retail, we have a little bit more of a checklist where we're looking at the demographic around, we're looking at the customer base, we're looking at the location.

43:03And I go to each of these locations with a small team and we kind of feel it out too. So you can have all the data you want, but you want to feel right there. You know, when it came to Miami, we went and we looked at different locations in Miami. We're like, this doesn't feel right. And then we were in Coconut Grove and it was like a neighborhood feel and it had a very classic experience. And it was more on the up and coming side, I would say in terms of retail. And we like, this feels like a good space for us. Now it might not make as much money as going into a mall or going into where everyone tells you you should be, but it's the balance, I think, between brand and commerce where you don't want to just go because it's the most high trafficked area.

43:39It's what's the balance between what's best for your brand for the long-term and what's also great for, you know, the immediate or for the next year or so. So we have a good balance and I know that the brand is still very young and that we are still navigating that. And that's something we, you know, do every day. As we speak, our CEO, Aaron, who came on board a little bit more than a year ago, and he's in Houston because we're opening our new store in Houston. And so Erin and I will go to all these locations and we'll scope them out and we'll feel them out and make sure that it feels right for the brand and design something really pretty.

44:14Erica Malbon:I love it. That's so cool. So you have been so thoughtful and creative with the way that you're trying to expand the reach and the accessibility of golf. What else is in the pipeline? Like what other dreams do you have for this brand? As the brand continues to grow, I think the dreams continue to evolve as well. Because, you know, again, it's eight years old, so it's not even a decade old yet. And I think that we've achieved a lot at this stage, but there's still so much more that we want to do, not just in the golf space, but in the world of other sports, in the world of lifestyle, in the world of experience, in the world of hospitality.

44:54So, you know, again, Steve and I have a lot of big aspirations for what this can be, and we're still feeling very, very inspired. And I think that's the most important part is that every day we're excited about what we're doing. And, you know, there's some very fun collaborations. There's some new categories. There's a lot of great expansion on the horizon. So just taking it day by day. Okay.

45:17Erica Malbon:Okay. I'll keep my eyes peeled. Okay. So we asked the same three questions at the end of every interview. And the first one is about mistakes because everyone makes them throughout the course of their career. but we don't always talk about it. We tend to, as humans go for the highlight reel of like success to success. But I think folks learn just as much from the harder things and from the mistakes that everyone makes. And also I think it's important to talk about it because mistakes are ultimately humanizing and it reminds people that you can be resilient and push through. So I'm hoping that you can tell me about a mistake that you've made at any point in your career and what you've learned from it?

45:59Yeah, definitely. So I would say that be careful whose money you take and what that means, right? When it's your vision and then, you know, someone else has final say in what that is, you lose sort of your footing and where you wanted something to go. And I think that's something that I learned and I'm grateful for that lesson because, you know, without lessons, you wouldn't know what you should do and what you shouldn't do. But it's definitely something that I have taken with me. Sometimes the easiest path forward that looks like the easiest isn't always the easiest in the long run. I would definitely just be really considerate with who becomes your partner, who you're working with, and what controls they have in your business.

46:37Amen.

46:38Erica Malbon:So a lot of the folks who listen to this podcast are in their first life, and they know that they want to do something different, whether that's in the same industry or pivoting to a different situation altogether, but they're scared. As someone who has made pivots in her career, what advice would you give someone who's standing there thinking about making that next leap, but just hasn't done it quite yet? I think that we all get really caught up in what other people think and what it's going to mean. And it's all in our heads because everyone cares only about themselves. I think that when you're going through these transitions, it's like, what's the worst things that's going to happen?

47:17And I'm not saying everyone needs to jump off the cliff like I have done because there was definitely some hard times, but you don't want to regret not doing it. And so I always have looked at things that way. It's like, I don't want to look back and say, oh, I should have done that. And so I'd rather have done that and not succeeded than not tried at all. And I think that that's something to think about. And even if it's just getting your toes wet and seeing if it works versus going all the way in, like just try it. And if it's meant to be, it'll kind of unfold itself. So I think live without regret.

47:50And, you know, it's always going to be scary, but everything's scary.

47:52Erica Malbon:Everything is scary. So why not try? Yeah, exactly. That's true. So my last question is also my favorite question, which is, if you could go back in time and give your younger self some advice, what would you say? Take a deep breath. don't get so anxious and continue to follow your instinct because it will work out for you trust yourself more than you do because that's what's going to guide you through every aspect i mean the amount of time and energy i spent worrying and for what right it's all worked out although it's like it's so messy because there is that part of me that feels like maybe it's the worrying that also helped get me to where i needed to go and i don't like to think that but But there are times where it's like worrying when you can control something versus worrying when you can't.

48:43Erica Malbon:Sort of like learning that difference is key. And I think that's definitely something I've had to learn along the way is like you can only control up to a certain point and then you have to surrender it. And that's hard for people like us, I think, because you want to control as much as you can and you want to know the answer and you want to know now. And so I think those are skills that, you know, the patience and the what ifs and the kind of surrender is definitely a skill that I've had to practice over the years. And I think also just like, you know, being hard on yourself. And when you are an ambitious person, you want to achieve and maybe that's only for yourself.

49:19But you know, don't forget to enjoy yourself, because why are you doing all of this then if you're not having fun?

49:25Erica Malbon:Excellent point. Well, Erica, thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on all of your continued success. I have been watching your career from afar for a very long time, and it has been such a pleasure getting to chat with you today. I think what you're building is amazing, and it was such a delight hearing about it. So thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm so grateful, and it was wonderful chatting with you.

49:56Erica Malbon:that was malvin golf co-founder erica malvin for more inspiring interviews with women like erica head on over to secondlifepod.com where we have so many more for you to peruse if you like today's show please subscribe on apple podcasts or spotify or wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to rate and review us we love seeing you spread the word on social And now you can tag us in your posts. We are at Second Life Pod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. We always want to know who you're interested in hearing from on the show. So send in your request to hello at secondlifepod.com, or you can DM us on Instagram.

50:36Erica Malbon:I'm at Hilary Kerr. The show is at Second Life Pod. Our DMs are always open. I'm Hilary Kerr, and you've been listening to Second Life. This episode was produced by Hilary Kerr, Summer Hammeris, and Natalie Thurman. Our production assistant is Raven Yamamoto. Our audio engineers are at Treehouse Recording in Los Angeles, California, and our music is by Jonathan Leahy.