Most of us are always looking for new ways to generate profits and create new business. Our thoughts tend to be directed toward the tennis court. Can we come up with a new and creative idea to increase revenue for our club? This is a very difficult question to answer. There are only so many courts at your club and only 24 hours in a day. A quick calculation will show you your maximum potential earnings. But what if I suggested that you could achieve very high profit margins through racquet stringing and customization. Would you believe me? Well, it's true! A club's racquet stringing concession can be very profitable if it is approached in an organized and professional manner. I have developed a three part education process that should help turn your stringing business around.

The first step in this process is to identify which member of your staff will do the major, if not total, percentage of your facilities stringing. Through default, this person will then become the in house expert. He/she must create an atmosphere that stringing, in itself, is fun, exciting, and most of all, important. The stringer must go out of his/her way to keep up with industry trends and should attempt to achieve any formal accreditation available. The club and the stringer should join the USRSA and make passing the Certified Racquet Technician (CRT) exam their first priority. In the meantime, the new stringer should continue to find ways to make themselves more knowlegeable. Try some of the following suggestions: 

• Attend an eight hour workshop sponsored by the USRSA
• Read as many industry magazines as you can
• Talk shop with other stringers outside your club
• Get to know your sales reps from the stringing companies
• Become a playtester for the USRSA or a manufacturer
• Keep an open line between you and the USRSA

What should a new stringer do next? Learn here.