SOUTH TAMPA PAINTBALL, LLC
TAMPA, FLORIDA

About South Tampa Paintball Hello, my name is Casey Henry. I am the owner and founder of South Tampa Paintball and here’s my story. The first time I played paintball I was 12 years old. I went with a youth group in Dade City Florida to a field called Hosers and Snipers. After graduating high school, I attended Florida State University. A year later, I decided to transfer to the University of South Florida and pursue a degree in Finance. During that time I expressed interest to one of my friends about starting a paintball business. My friend at the time was also interested in making a monetary investment in real estate or something of that nature. In my final semester at USF, an email from one of my professor’s caught my eye with the subject line: “Business Plan Competition with $15,000 Prize.” In a matter of a month or two, my friend and now business partner started working toward creating a paintball business to make passive income while our real estate investment appreciated. I wrote a business plan for the paintball field operation and submitted it to the University of Florida’s Fintech Business Competition. Out of around 25 submissions, my business plan was one of seven invited to present in front a distinguished panel of local entrepreneurs. In April of 2013 I, the only undergraduate student presenting solo against six other groups of MBA students, won the top prize of $15,000 to help fund my paintball business. Then in August, I graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. From early 2013 until August 23, 2014, my business partner and I worked every day in addition to our full time weekday jobs. We built the entire field from scratch and bootstrapped all of the start-up costs. I provided all of the intellectual property for the business as my partner hadn’t ever even touched a paintball gun until we started the venture. I also invested about $30,000 of my own money in addition to the $15,000 prize money I secured, which was quite a lot for me considering I was only 20 years old and a recent graduate with student loans. The website, point of sale system, employee training, and operation systems were all designed and created by me. The paintball equipment, netting, field layouts, and most of the industry-specific requirements were completed by me. My business partner was largely the monetary investor who did a large part of the handy work, as well as getting utilities in place like electricity, a well, and other general amenities for the land. Since our grand opening, the business has outperformed even my wildest speculations and has been a great success. I worked every weekday at my full time job as CFO of a law firm and worked every weekend as a manual laborer and glorified cashier at my own business for the firs two years. Every Saturday I worked 6AM to 7PM and Sunday from 8AM to 9PM. Every Monday through Friday I worked 8AM to 5PM. It was the hardest three years of my life. And as a 21, 22, and 23 year old, I missed out on a lot of fun opportunities to hang out with friends and family on the weekends. In my business plan, I created a three year financial projection report. Our three year anniversary is/was August 23rd and we have grossed triple my original three year estimations. I’m so proud of what I have accomplished and the things I’ve learned along the way. However, it was not easy and was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. South Tampa Paintball was and still is a major success. I wouldn’t trade my experiences and the people I met throughout this journey for the world. Here are a couple tips for all the young entrepreneurs out there: First, make sure you hire a good lawyer to help you design an airtight operating agreement and other paperwork when forming your business. Second, choose your business partners wisely and make sure you have similar morals and values before entering into a business arrangement as well as complimentary skill sets. Four, it doesn’t matter if you make a penny or if the business fails. Failing is the greatest opportunity to learn valuable lessons and to create something even bigger and better in the future. Thanks for checking out the story of my first business venture. I hope you found it entertaining as well as enlightening. More Info About South Tampa Paintball Rain or shine, South Tampa Paintball is open for play and we only take a break from games when there is lightning close by for your safety. Otherwise, the field is open Saturday and Sundays 10AM to 5PM for your event. Large group events can be arranged on weekdays by request. Just fill out a reservation request online, shoot us an email, or give us a call and we can make it happen. At South Tampa Paintball we have three speedball courses with vinyl blow-up bunkers, a large woodsball field featuring 4 bases and a center area, an attack and defend scenario field, and a shooting range. If your party was hosted on a Saturday, all of your guests are welcome to come back to play on Sunday with free admission. If they need rental equipment, it’s $17 for the rental package and it comes with an additional 250 paintballs. At South Tampa Paintball, when you buy admission on Saturday, you can come back and receive free admission on Sunday. Thank you for choosing South Tampa Paintball. See you at the field. At South Tampa Paintball, when you Buy Entry on Saturday, you Receive FREE Entry on Sunday! If you Need Rental Equipment, the Standard Rental is $17 and comes with Additional 250 Paintballs! At South Tampa Paintball, we Pride ourselves on being Considered One of the BEST Paintball Fields in the State of Florida. We Specialize in Hosting Phenomenal Paintball Party Events for Birthday Parties, Corporate Team Building, Bachelor/ette Parties, and Many other Types of Events. South Tampa Paintball Opened on August 23, 2014 and has Been Rocking Tampa Bay Ever Since. Both New and Experienced Players Alike Indulge in Fun, Outdoor Paintball Play Every Weekend from 10AM to 5PM. We Also Throw Monthly Night Paintball Events, as Well as an Annual Halloween Night Paintball Party.