Mike Lynne '61

 

Mike standing under the sign of the Michael Lynne Tennis and Pickleball Shop in St. Louis Park, MN

A Career Entrepreneur and Businessman

Mike Lynne is 80 years old, and is still going into work seven days a week, averaging 100 hours per week at the tennis shop he opened in St. Louis Park in 1990.  His plan is to just keep going–he does not have a plan to retire.  “If I sold the business, I would start something else.''  

I asked him, “What would you say to someone who asked you why you keep going?  Why do you want to do this to the very end?”  His answer:  “To have a purpose in life.  It’s not just a customer or shop transaction, but it’s all about relationships. I have built a lot of community and a lot of relationships over the years.” He has been able to help hundreds–maybe thousands of people in the store.  And he has been able to mentor people as well. 

Both Mike and Mimzy Weren't Good at Retirement

 

After 3 short months, he realized quickly that retirement was not for him

Mike tried to retire in his forties with his wife Mimzy in Sedona, Arizona.  After 3 short months, he realized quickly that retirement was not for him, and he opened a tennis shop in Sedona.  Why a tennis shop?  “I was good at tennis, and people figured, ‘if he is good at it, maybe he knows what he is doing!’”  He had never owned a tennis shop before but had worked as a salesman, a businessman, and an entrepreneur. His wife Mimzy wasn’t good at retirement either, and went back to work as a pharmacist after just 30 days.   

Mike and Mimzy Lynne

Michael Lynne's Tennis Shop was Opened

Mike’s dad passed away in 1988, and his mom was in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s.  Mike and Mimzy decided it was time to come back to Minnesota, and they closed the Sedona tennis shop. They renovated his dad’s South Minneapolis home, and opened  Michael Lynne’s Tennis Shop in St. Louis Park in 1990. His mom passed away in 1992.

In the last ten years or so, pickleball has taken the country by storm and has exploded in Mike’s tennis shop.  “Being one of the bigger dealers in the country, I get great deals. But the whole idea is to sell service.  One time Nordstrom’s came out with their crew to see our service.  Many years ago, Norwest Bank also brought people in to see our customer service. We are constantly wanting to make it better.”

Finding Purpose and Significance

I had a great conversation with Mike at his Minnehaha Class of ‘61 Birthday Party (where they were all celebrating turning 80).  At the party, Mike told me that all his friends were retired, but he was finding a lot of purpose and significance in what he was doing.  He had decided to keep working, and told me that he would have friends come into the shop and say “I wish I hadn’t retired.”  “A lot of people were really jealous of me because I still had purpose.” Gary Alfson, his good friend from Minnehaha said, “Now I finally see the purpose.” Mike counts several of his Minnehaha classmates as lifelong friends, and is still in contact with them. 

At the party, Mike also told me that he wished that he could get together with guys that were business and entrepreneur minded and just sit and talk about things.  He reminisced about when he ran a business out of the Southtown office park.  “My door was always open and the coffee pot was always on.” They had a group of businessmen who had coffee every Monday morning in his office who talked about different experiences they were having in business, and supported each other. “Young people can learn a lot from stories. Now everything is on their phone. I feel young people are missing out on relationships and community.” 

 

If you help other people get what they want, you’ll get what you want.

I asked him, “What has been the purpose for you?” His answer: “Helping people.  If you help other people get what they want, you’ll get what you want.  If you help people with their needs for a sport, you are able to help them in all kinds of ways such as their health, interests, hobbies, enjoyment, fun, and you begin a relationship. And you can feel some real purpose and meaning with that.  And then you also feel purpose with the other things that come with having a business, like being able to give to places and people where there is a need, and make a difference with that.”