Meet Patrick Johnson | Owner of Rimpage 1v1 Basketball

We had the good fortune of connecting with Patrick Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patrick, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Before the internet, we had this idea about people on TV, that they were important, above the rest of us somehow. You had to be pretty special for some network to pick you and point a camera at you. Then comes Youtube, the platform that allows us to pick ourselves. Today anyone can point a camera at themselves and put their videos online for the world to see.

There was a time when book authors had to go through publishers to access the world of readers. Countless writers would send in their manuscripts to publisher after publisher hoping that one would pick them. Then Amazon came along and allowed us writers to pick themselves. Today anyone can write a book, bypass the publishers and go directly to the world with their work.

Rimpage will be equally as disruptive! What YouTube did to the entertainment industry; what Amazon did to the book publishing industry, Rimpage will do to basketball. The NBA is arguably the biggest stage in basketball. Thousands of players dream of the moment when the NBA will pick them. Less than 1% of them actually get picked.

Rimpage empowers players to pick themselves. Any player who believes his / her basketball skill is worthy of an audience may play on Rimpage. Rimpage gives 100% of players the opportunity to realize their dream of playing professional basketball in its global 1v1 league.

Rimpage’s mission is to find the best streetball player in every city, state and country. Rimpage has unlimited capacity, no limit on the number of players who can join. Rimpage is easy to access. No matter where you are in the world, if you have a camera and internet access you can join the league. These two factors are part of the reason Rimpage will have more events, more players, more fans, more and better basketball entertainment than any other league on the planet.

That will have an inestimable impact on societies at every level, city, state, national and international. To the 99% of players who get turned away from the NBA, Rimpage brings hope, freedom and opportunity. Rimpage will give basketball fans all over the world something no other league ever has – a single player who is the undisputed verifiable – best player on the planet.

Think about the impact the NBA has had on the world with 1% of it’s players competing in 1 country. Now try to imagine the impact Rimpage will have with the remaining 99% of players competing in every country. That’s the vision.

Thank you for this opportunity!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always been a lover and generator of big ideas. Ever since high school I craved distinction. I wanted so badly to be extraordinary. I’ve always felt that I was going to do something big one day. I don’t know why I felt that. It was just a feeling that lived in me every day, always there.

I remember when I worked at Jack in the Box in high school I would be tasked cleaning the dining room and bathrooms. When I would clean the bathrooms no one could see me, but I told myself, I’m going to do a good job cleaning Jack in the Box’s bathrooms because one day I’m going to have a business and I want my employees to do a good job for me. I was 17 or 18 years old. I had no earthly idea how to start / run a business or what that business would be. It was just a belief.

I bought a video camcorder to record myself practicing basketball. I would bring it to the gym and interview the guys. I noticed how they changed when they knew the camera was on them. Their faces lit up. The camera made them feel important.

Later when I went to college I started writing for the university newspaper and that brought me out of my introvert shell. I found that I loved interviewing people and listening to their stories. I was genuinely curious about people’s lives. I loved writing articles and designing the sports pages. It was a natural next step leading up to what I’m doing now.

As an adult I decided to read this book about starting a business. It was a thick intimidating book with a lot of big words that were foreign to me. It was so hard to read that it discouraged me. It made me feel like I wasn’t smart enough to start a business. I put it down and forgot about being an entrepreneur for a long time. Then, years later I found another book on business that simplified business to 5 basic processes. I’ve been using and teaching that ever since.

Finally, years later I discovered the MBTI research, and learned more about myself than I’d ever known before. That research succeeded in convincing me that I wasn’t some weirdo or loser, that I was different but in very special ways. I realized I was uniquely designed to be an entrepreneur, that that was where I could make my greatest contribution to the world. Finally I was comfortable in my own skin. I knew my place in the world. Out of all of this growth and development, Rimpage was birthed.

I learned that my people with my personality type are brilliant at generating ideas, but we seldom accomplish any of them because we abandon them for the next great idea. I could instantly see that trait in my past. So I was determined to stick with Rimpage and see it through. I’ve worked on this business struggling through each step, failing, learning, trying. I was in a homeless shelter sending email to Puma trying to pitch them on an endorsement. I’ve lived in motels, working on marketing videos for this business. It’s been a long journey through some very dark places. But I’ve stuck with it and I’m just now starting to see the fruit of that perseverance. Today, I’m grateful for it all.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Forgive me. I cannot say much on this. I haven’t allowed myself to indulge in the delights of Dallas. Whenever I go out, I feel guilty. I have not yet earned the privilege. I have a destination and I’m focused on reaching that destination. It is as if I have to justify my existence with some great achievement. That’s heavy, carrying that around Disney Land. I do not allow myself those pleasures very much. I have to get this vision out. I have to make it real. So the world can see and enjoy and benefit from it. Then I think I will be able to relax. I don’t like being entertained much. I like working because that’s how good things get done. I think when I reach my goal I would like to go out and enjoy going places and seeing things. But not yet. I’m not there yet.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First: Jesus! Thank you for giving me permission to be my best, for your truth and unparalleled teachings on seeds and faith and the power of belief. You taught me that I can win! I owe all my success to you!

“My Personal MBA” book by Josh Kaufman.
Thank you sooooooo much for taking a subject that was once so intimidating and explaining it in a way that was so simple that it encouraged me to become an entrepreneur.

Jim Rohn (rip): Thank you for being such a champion of personal development, for teaching me that success is not something I chase, but something I attract by the person I become.

Born Rich: seminar by Bob Proctor
Bob, thank you for demystifying faith and explaining in practical terms how thoughts become things.

Sharesa Alexander: My friend and business partner
Thank you for believing in me and in Rimpage at a time when I felt like no one else did. Thank you for your friendship and support.

Erika Johnson: M wife and friend
Thank you for supporting me and building me up even when I didn’t realize that’s what you were doing. Thank you for helping in the process of refining me and making me a better person. Thank you for staying. You stuck with me in the hard times when no one would have faulted you for leaving. Thank you for your love and devotion. Thank you for your friendship and support. Thank you for being my constant one.

Kenneth Johnson: brother
Thank you for helping me and supporting Rimpage.

Thank you Nik Lewis (AO Sports) Tony Charanduk (UFFS), Garrick Jones (Fancentric), Gerald Smiley (Chip-in), Andrea Ellis (UFFS), Alex Leblanc, Lindsay Theodule and everyone else in the #AthleteTakeBack movement.

Website: https://www.rimpage.club/

Instagram: rimpage_bc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rimpage/

Twitter: @rimpage

Facebook: Patrick Thomas Johnson