SETS Coaching

Most people aren’t stuck. They’re repeating themselves.

Same habits. Same thinking. Same circle.
Same skills. Same excuses. Same results.
Year after year.

Then they wonder why their career hasn’t changed. I’ve noticed a few patterns among professionals who stay stuck:
They’ll invest in vacations, cars, equipment and entertainment…
But hesitate when the investment is their own growth.

They’re observers instead of players. They read the posts. Attend the conference. Watch what everyone else is doing.

Have opinions about the industry. But they aren’t building anything. Leading anything. Contributing anything significant. They’re watching the industry happen instead of helping shape it.

They keep repeating what already isn’t working.
Same résumé. Same interview approach. Same networking strategy. Same skillset. Same expectations.

Then they’re surprised when the outcome stays the same. They refuse to ask for help.
This one might be the most expensive.

They believe they should figure everything out themselves. So they spend five years learning something someone could have helped them understand in five weeks.

That’s not independence. That’s inefficiency.

Eventually you have to stop blaming the club or “the industry”. The Director. The GM. The industry.
The economy. Your circumstances. Maybe they’re part of the problem. But they’re also the part you can’t control.

You can control whether you learn. Whether you invest. Whether you ask. Whether you participate.
Whether you change. Whether you become more valuable.

So if your career looks remarkably similar to where it was last year…Don’t immediately ask:

“Why am I stuck?”

Ask:

“What am I still doing that keeps producing the same result?”

Because your next level probably doesn’t require more patience. It requires a different pattern.

Let’s fix that. SETS Coaching

Question that plagues our industry:
If you won’t invest in yourself…Why should a club invest in you?
Everyone wants the club to pay for their development.

Everyone wants leadership to “see their potential.”

But here’s the uncomfortable question:
What have you done to develop that potential?
Have you invested in becoming a better leader?
Have you learned the business side of the industry? Have you improved your communication?

Have you learned finance, budgeting and revenue strategy? Have you sought guidance from people who are already where you want to go?

Have you developed skills for the job you WANT…
Or are you still only developing skills for the job you HAVE?

Because potential isn’t enough.
A club isn’t hiring your ambition. They’re hiring your ability to create results. They’re betting on your ability to lead people, solve problems, grow revenue, create culture and make the organization better.

And before asking someone else to make that bet…Maybe you should be willing to make it first.

Stop waiting for a club to decide you’re worth developing. Develop yourself until the value becomes obvious.

Invest first. Improve second. Opportunity follows.
Kyle LaCroix

“I’ve been here 12 years.” That’s admirable.

But tenure isn’t a leadership qualification. Neither is loyalty.

Organizations don’t owe us promotions because we stayed. They promote people they believe can solve the problems of the NEXT position.

That’s a very different standard. Your current role proves what you’ve already done. Your development proves what you’re capable of doing next.

So if you want the Director position…Don’t spend another year simply becoming a better Head Professional.

Start becoming a Director.
Learn the budget. Understand staffing. Study leadership. Learn how revenue is created.
Build relationships across departments. Understand your GM’s priorities. Get comfortable having difficult conversations. Think strategically instead of only operationally.

Start solving problems bigger than your current job description. Because the title doesn’t magically give you leadership skills.

And the promotion shouldn’t be the moment you decide to develop them. Too many professionals are waiting for someone to give them the opportunity to prove they’re ready.

Reverse it.

Prove you’re ready before the opportunity exists.
Don’t wait for the title to start acting like the leader. Become the leader first. The title comes later.

💥The Future of Multi-Racquet Strategy in Private Clubs.
Pretty special to see this one. 🙏

Honored to be featured on the cover of BoardRoom magazine “Racquets Reimagined” issue alongside some incredible leaders in our industry.

The future of racquet sports isn’t tennis vs. pickleball vs. padel.

It’s about building ecosystems.

Creating better experiences. Developing better professionals. Building stronger communities. And understanding how every sport can work together to create greater value.

Facilities create opportunities. People create value.

Grateful to BoardRoom magazine BoardRoom Magazine for the opportunity to share my perspective and proud to represent SETS in the conversation about where our industry goes next.

Stop managing sports. Start building ecosystems.

Your August edition of Your Monthly Shot with SETS is here! 🎾

A quick read packed with insights, leadership lessons, and ideas to help racquet professionals continue growing.

Take your next shot at becoming a better coach, leader, and industry professional.

👇 Check it out:

📧 Your Monthly Shot with SETS: August Edition The best professionals don't leave their busiest season to chance.

😰The hardest-working racquet professionals are rarely the highest paid. Read that again.

Working harder doesn’t guarantee a better career.

We’ve worked with professionals who once worked 70-hour weeks…

…and still couldn’t get promoted.

Not because they weren’t talented.

Because no one had taught them how to think like a leader instead of an employee. The professionals who move into Director, GM, and executive roles don’t just coach better.

They communicate differently. Lead differently.
Interview differently. Build relationships differently.
Present ideas differently.

If you’re exhausted but your career isn’t moving…

The answer probably isn’t working harder. It’s developing different skills.

That’s what changes careers.

January 1st, 2021 feels like a lifetime ago.

The world was in the middle of COVID-19, I was a newlywed, we had just brought home a 10-week-old puppy (Duke) and our dining room had become my office.

In the middle of all that uncertainty, I made what many would have considered a crazy decision,
I started SETS.

I believed the racquet sports industry needed something it didn’t have. Too many talented professionals were navigating their careers alone, trying to figure out leadership, programming, operations, hiring, and growth through trial and error. I knew there had to be a better way. Flying blind in difficult conditions is no way to pilot your career. I know because I had done it.

My vision was simple: help racquet sports professionals become the very best version of themselves. Whether it was a coach trying to earn a promotion, a director looking to transform a club, or an owner searching for a clearer path forward, I wanted SETS to become a trusted resource for guidance, education, and mentorship.

Looking back at this picture, I don’t see a startup. I see the beginning of a mission. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside incredible professionals and clubs across the country, speaking at conferences, strategic advisory on major projects, mentoring future leaders, and watching clients accomplish things they once thought were out of reach. What started with one laptop, one dining room table, and a puppy at my side has grown into exactly what I hoped it would become.

Five years later, the goal hasn’t changed. Every day, SETS exists for one reason: to help racquet sports professionals build better careers, stronger clubs, and more meaningful lives. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has trusted me to be part of their journey. The best part is, I still believe we’re only getting started.

Freedom is one of the greatest gifts we have.

Today we celebrate the birth of a nation founded on courage, sacrifice, and the belief that ordinary people can build something extraordinary.

As racquet sports professionals, we’re fortunate to experience another kind of freedom every day:

* The freedom to teach.
* The freedom to lead.
* The freedom to positively impact someone’s life through sport.

Every lesson, every conversation, every junior we encourage, every member we welcome, it’s an opportunity to make our communities a little stronger.

As we enjoy time with family and friends this Independence Day, let’s also remember those who made these freedoms possible and those who continue to protect them.

From all of us at SETS, thank you to the coaches, club leaders, military members, first responders, and volunteers who serve something bigger than themselves.

Wishing everyone a safe, joyful, and meaningful 4th of July. 🇺🇸

Happy Independence Day.