With “No Laying Up,” Chris Solomon put golf fans in the driver’s seat, and now hosts the number one golf podcast in the world.
Proof of concept for any successful entrepreneur is table stakes - without this validation of your product’s feasibility, you’re stuck in the starting gate. For Chris Solomon, proof of concept for “No Laying Up,” the podcast and media company he co-founded with Todd Schuster, Phil Landes, and Neil Schuster, arrived in 2016 on a golf course. Not just any golf course, but where the Ryder Cup was in play. From the ninth tee box, Rory McIlroy, one of pro golf’s most elite players, stops his play to tease Chris about the dream pairing Chris and his co-founders had suggested on a recent episode - and Rory was currently beating. Rory didn’t just agree to be a podcast guest, as an ardent fan and a believer in how they were completely disrupting traditional media coverage of the game, Rory pledged to help Chris and No Laying Up’s team in any way necessary. Then and there, Chris knew his life as an accountant was done. It was time to make this weird, hilarious hobby his career. Now, he and his team are broadcasting to the world from Neptune Beach.
The Accidental Entrepreneurs
As a self-professed “top 1%” golf fan, Chris didn’t start on his path to being the host of the world’s most downloaded golf podcast with any real intention of making it a full-time gig. Listen to our ninth episode of Innovate Jax, though, and you’ll soon hear he and his colleagues had all the necessary ingredients for success: passion, an audience who was being ignored by existing media, and, over time, a value proposition that resonated with pro golfers, sponsors and fans so loyal that No Laying Up’s engagement numbers dwarf those of established, global brands. Those things all contribute to a business model that Chris would never have guessed possible just three years ago.
Now, Chris and his team call Jacksonville home and retain that laser-focus on what their audience most wants: the best stories from pro golf’s most interesting players, told in an informative and entertaining way. With The Players Championship and dozens of private and public golf courses in our region - and weather that lets you play year-round - Chris couldn’t be happier to promote both his passion for the game and his new home to listeners around the world.
The Innovate Jax podcast will introduce you to the Jacksonville change-makers who are propelling our city into a new realm of sophistication. Our goal is to connect you to the people who are leaving their mark on our city today, in hopes that they inspire you to leave your mark tomorrow. Subscribe today and you’ll have fresh new episodes delivered to you each month. And feel free to recommend a guest by dropping us a note at innovatejax@forcura.com.
