Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan Munoz.
Hi Juan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Sure thing. To start we’d have to go back a few years. I’ve been playing soccer my entire life. I played at the high school, club, and college level. Soccer has always been a part of me.
I’ve always been the kind of person that likes to organize pickup games and tournaments with friends. Everyone always wants to play but nobody really ever wants to organize things. For a few years I organized 2-3 pickups every week as well as monthly tournaments with my friends. I started to notice that other people would see us on the fields and would ask me if they could play with us. Other people would see our pictures on social media and would ask the same, how can they play with us?
I noticed that there was a large number of people who didn’t necessarily have a group of friends to play with but still wanted to play. That’s where the idea for SportSocial was born. I wanted to build a community where strangers could come together and play the sport they love and by doing so become friends. I wanted to organize weekly pickup games where players could sign up and just show up and play.
I founded SportSocial 5 years ago with two other partners. The first 2 years we didn’t really do much as we were still trying to figure out what we wanted sportsocial to be. But the last 3 years have been amazing and we have been growing rapidly. Everyday we continue to expand and we are so excited to continue building Houston’s Soccer Community.
Below is a brief description of what sportsocial is:
SportSocial is a pickup soccer app designed to change the way players connect and play the game.
Our main goal is to connect players on and off the field by providing them with highly competitive and well-organized pickup games where they can share their love for the game and become part of a community.
We take care of everything (Rent the field, organize the game, confirm all the players, setup the teams, provide the equipment, etc). All you have to do is SIGN UP, SHOW UP and PLAY!
Here are just a few value-added services we offer to make sure we host the BEST PICKUPS IN TOWN!
- Team Captains: All our games are run by one of our Team Captains. They ensure that the games are run properly and that everyone has a good time.
- Game Coordinator: We have a team behind the scenes coordinating all the logistics (teams, players, equipment, field rental, rewards, etc.) to ensure our players have an outstanding experience.
- Reward System: Earn points for every game you play and exchange them for rewards directly on the app. Get free games, shirts, bags and much more!
- Equipment: We provide ALL the equipment. Our games are run with top-of-the-line equipment such as small goals, professional grade balls, branded bibs and much more.
- Community: Become part of our community. We host several gatherings to promote our community values and connect our players.
Pickup games are currently offered only in Houston, TX but we will be expanding to other cities soon.
Come join the best pickups in town and become part of something bigger!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s definitely not been smooth. As I mentioned before, the first 2 years we didn’t really know what we wanted sportsocial to be. At first we wanted to focus on soccer leagues and league management. We began building an app tailored to the league managers and how to make life easier for them. We spent 2 years chasing this idea and got probably 65% done with the app until we realized that it wasn’t going to work. It wasn’t what we wanted to do. If we focused only on the league managers then we really wouldn’t be able to build a community and connect with the users. So finally at the beginning of 2020 we decided to scrap that idea and start from scratch.
A lot of people told us we were crazy for wasting all those years and resources on that idea but ultimately it didn’t feel right for us. We wanted to build a community, we wanted to be able to connect players on and off the field so we decided to go a different direction, we decided to focus on pickup games. We felt this was the best way to connect people through the sport they love and be able to create a community. I can happily say 3 years later that this was the right choice. We have a large community of players in Houston, we have our own app and we have 25+ pickup games a week.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I was born in Colombia but moved to Houston when I was 12 and have been calling Houston home ever since. I am an Industrial Engineer. I graduated from the University of Houston main campus back in 2010 and immediately started working in the Oil & Gas Field. Due to my personality I didn’t really focus in the engineering side but instead moved into the commercial side. I’ve been in the Oil & Gas sales and account management for the last 12 years.
I think if there is anything I am known for is for my ability to connect with people and develop relationships. I have always been the kind of person that goes up to strangers and strikes a conversation. I have been fortunate enough to travel to several countries and cities through my job to attend trade shows and develop business and I think that has helped me further develop my skills.
The thing I am most proud of is my ability to manage time and work load. I currently have 2 full time jobs. I have my day job in the Oil & Gas and I also work full time in sportsocial. On top of that I have a 2 year old son that consumes whatever little time I have left.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My main advise would be to be patient and to never give up. Perseverance and patience are the key to success. There may be days, weeks or even months when things seem like they just wont work out but if you truly believe in your idea, in your product, then you have to persevere and keep pushing until you achieve your goal.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sportsocial.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsocialapp/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sportsocialapp/
