Why this serial entrepreneur bought ‘a giant beach in Kansas’ (and how he plans to make it KC’s next outdoor hot spot) 

Lance Windholz is already digging his new position on Shawnee’s sand volleyball courts: owner. 

“This deal was about six years in the making,” said Windholz, a serial entrepreneur and small business owner. “I had been playing volleyball out at Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball three, four times a week — and just thought, ‘Why not own a business that I’m really passionate about?’ So I reached out to the owners.”

Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball is a sand volleyball complex in Shawnee, Kansas. The eight-acre facility features 18 volleyball courts, a full service bar and grill and a two-tier courtside deck. 

Click here to check out Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball.

Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball; courtesy photo

Windholz announced in March on LinkedIn that he was taking over ownership of Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball. As a Sports Management major from The University of Kansas, the deal felt like a full-circle moment, he shared.

“I interned for the Athletics Department at KU and then got a job in the startup world with a sports tech company,” Windholz recalled. “… From there, I ran a software development company for about seven or eight years. Then I bought a liquor store and hood cleaning company — now, I’m finally back to sports. I’ve always been drawn to sports, so it feels good to pick up where I left off about 15 years ago.”

With Windholz having become a regular at Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball, he and his team have a clear vision for how they can grow the business, he said. 

“We’re going to be making a lot of changes [and] improvements over the next year,” Windholz said. “We’ve been a volleyball facility that has a bar and grill attached to it, and we want to switch that to be a great bar and grill that also comes with entertainment. We have this huge patio, possibly the biggest patio in Kansas City, and we want to be the place that people think about when they’re grabbing lunch or dinner. You can enjoy the weather — plus watch these great athletes play and have a good time.” 

Along with emphasizing the bar and grill at Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball, Windholz is in the works of bringing other beach games to the facility to accommodate for those who do not play volleyball, he said. 

Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball; photo by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News

“The unique thing about us is that we’re a giant beach in the middle of Kansas,” Windholz said. “If you think about going to the beach, there’s all kinds of games that people play — whether it’s Spikeball or Frisbee or bags — so we’re going to bring those games out there and open up an additional sports area.”

Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball; photo by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News

Volleyball players of all skill levels are invited to rally at the courts, Windholz said — noting that Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball is in the works to host everyone from senior citizen leagues to professional beach volleyball tournaments. 

“Volleyball is a sport people can play from youth to old age, so we want to make sure we are providing everyone with an enjoyable experience,” he shared.

Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball has been Windholz’s largest deal to date, but his previous experiences allowed him to take the risk, he said. 

“When you run your own company, you don’t have any choice but to learn the finances, the bookkeeping, the sales, the training, the operations — you pretty much wear every hat,” Windholz explained. “… When you go into the next you, all those skills become very valuable; but the biggest advantage is the ability to take risks. You buy something, you learn it, you’re successful — and then when you buy the next thing and the thing after that, risk becomes less and less oppressive.” 

Lance Windholz; photo by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News

For those who are interested in building a portfolio of business, Windholz advises them to diversify the businesses to mitigate risk. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Windholz’s liquor store and hood cleaning company thrived. 

“If I would’ve owned Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball at the time, we would have struggled — but having a diverse portfolio would have helped me survive that,” Windholz noted. “Because all of the businesses are independent of one another, one industry struggling is not going to affect all of them. Just as someone would diversify their investments, they should do the same with ownership.”

Windholz plans to buy or invest in a business every two years, he said, explaining that he enjoys improving a company and bringing in a robust team. 

“I learn the business from the inside-out and then bring in a strong manager to handle the day-to-day operations so that I can focus on the bigger picture,” he said. “I think that’s why we’ve been able to see growth in all these companies, because I can work on it — not in it.”

Click here to connect with Lance Windholz on LinkedIn.

Spring volleyball season is currently in session at Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball, and Windholz encouraged the community to come down to play a game or to grab some food and watch. 

“Being able to be in this environment with the camaraderie and community is something so wholesome and genuine,” Windholz shared. “The volleyball community is very close; I’ve never seen a sport where you play against each other, and then you immediately socialize and hang out afterward. You see the same people every week and end up making a ton of new friends. I think that community is something everyone has been really looking for, and this is a fun place to find it.”

Registration for Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball’s Summer Session opens 9 a.m. May 2. 

Click here to register.