Today we’d like to introduce you to Jarrod Nichols.
Hi Jarrod, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My career has never been defined by one lane, it has been shaped by a passion for consumer technology, innovation, and bringing products to market that make every day experiences better.
Growing up in Kansas, I learned early the value of hard work, humility, and perseverance. Those values became the foundation of my professional journey. I’ve always been energized by businesses where technology meets the consumer, where great products, smart strategies, and execution can create real impact.
That passion led me to some incredible opportunities with globally recognized brands.
At Sprint, I gained firsthand experience in the fast-moving world of wireless technology and consumer connectivity. It was an exciting time in tech, where mobile devices were transforming how people communicate, work, and live. My time there taught me the importance of scale, customer experience, and staying ahead in highly competitive markets.
From there, I joined Garmin, one of the most respected names in consumer electronics and performance technology. Garmin was a natural fit because it sat at the intersection of innovation, hardware, software, and active lifestyles. Working with a brand known for precision and reliability deepened my appreciation for products that genuinely improve performance.
I later continued that consumer product journey with Vista Outdoor, a leader in outdoor, sporting, and enthusiast brands. There, I saw the power of connecting passionate consumers with products they trust. It reinforced how strong brands are built not just through marketing, but through consistent product quality, loyal communities, and solving real customer needs.
Across each of these chapters, one theme remained constant: I love creating new products, and growing businesses that sit at the center of lifestyle and performance.
That experience ultimately led me to my most exciting chapter yet, TAG Sports and Outdoor.
TAG Sports was founded with a vision to modernize sports and outdoor performance technology, for sports and outdoor enthusiasts. We saw that radar technology had tremendous value, but the user experience had not evolved enough for today’s consumer. Athletes wanted something portable, intuitive, connected, and designed for modern training environments.
That vision became the TAG One Sports Radar.
The TAG One combines accurate performance tracking with smartphone connectivity, MagSafe mounting convenience, durability, much improved battery life and an easy-to-use platform that helps athletes train smarter. Whether it’s a young baseball player in the backyard, a coach at practice, or a serious athlete chasing the next level, TAG One was built to make elite-level data more accessible.
What excites me most today is that TAG Sports is still just getting started. We are growing our brand, expanding distribution, building international partnerships, and continuing to innovate at the intersection of sports and technology.
My career has been built around helping great consumer products reach the people who need them. TAG Sports is the culmination of everything I’ve learned, and the opportunity I’m most excited to build for the future.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road, and honestly, I’m not sure any meaningful journey ever is.
When people look at a career from the outside, they often see titles, companies, product launches, or growth milestones. What they don’t always see are the setbacks, uncertainty, and difficult decisions that happen in between. My path has included plenty of those moments.
Early in my career, one of the biggest challenges was learning how to adapt in fast-changing industries. In consumer technology, markets move quickly, competitors evolve overnight, and what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. At companies like Sprint and Garmin, I learned that staying comfortable is not an option. You must keep learning, keep adjusting, and stay resilient when plans change.
Another challenge has been navigating corporate change, reorganizations, lay-offs, shifting priorities, economic cycles, and leadership transitions. Those moments can test your confidence and patience. They also teach you how to stay focused, lead through uncertainty, and create value no matter what the environment evolves to.
Entrepreneurship has brought an entirely different set of struggles. Building TAG Sports has been incredibly rewarding, but starting and scaling a business is never easy. You’re balancing product development, inventory, cash flow, marketing efficiency, customer expectations, and long-term strategy, all at the same time. There are days when you solve one problem only to uncover three more.
Launching a hardware product also comes with real-world challenges many people never see: manufacturing timelines, supply chain delays, quality control, software integration, and the pressure to get every detail right because customers trust your brand the moment they open the box.
Personally, one of the biggest lessons has been understanding that setbacks are part of progress. There have been moments where deals didn’t happen, plans took longer than expected, or results required more patience than I wanted. But I’ve learned that persistence often matters more than perfection.
If anything, the road has been long and windy, but that’s also what shaped me. The struggles taught me resilience, humility, and how to keep moving forward when things aren’t easy.
So no, it hasn’t been smooth. But I wouldn’t trade the lessons that came with the rough parts, because they’re the reason I’m prepared for what comes next.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At TAG Sports, we are focused on one core mission: making advanced sports performance technology more accessible, practical, and valuable for everyday athletes, coaches, and families.
We specialize in smart radar and training technology designed to help athletes measure performance, improve faster, and train with confidence. Historically, accurate speed and performance tracking tools were either too expensive, too complicated, or built primarily for elite programs. We saw an opportunity to change that.
Our flagship product, the TAG One Sports Radar, was created to bring professional-grade data into a simple consumer experience. It combines accurate radar technology with smartphone connectivity, MagSafe mounting convenience, better battery life, portability, durability, and a user-friendly app experience. In short, we wanted to modernize what a sports radar should feel like in today’s world.
What sets us apart is that we build products through the lens of the actual user. We think about the parent running practice, the coach managing multiple players, the athlete training alone, and the team that needs quick reliable feedback without wasting time. That means our products are designed to be easy to carry, easy to connect, easy to understand, and durable enough for real training environments.
We are also building more than a device; we are building an ecosystem around performance. Data, training insights, mobile connectivity, and future product innovation all sit at the center of where we are headed.
What I’m most proud of brand-wise is that TAG Sports represents innovation with purpose. We are not trying to create technology for technology’s sake. We are creating tools that help people get better, compete harder, and enjoy the development process. When customers tell us their son hit a personal best, their pitcher gains confidence, or their team uses TAG every day at practice, that means more than any marketing metric.
I’m also proud that we are building a challenger brand. We are competing in a category with established names, but we are doing it through better design thinking, faster innovation, and a closer relationship with our customers. That entrepreneurial mindset is embedded in everything we do.
What I want readers to know is simple: TAG Sports is just getting started. We are committed to creating smarter, more connected sports technology that helps athletes at every level. Whether you are a young player in the backyard, a serious prospect, or a coach developing talent, we want TAG Sports to be a trusted part of that journey.
We believe performance data should not be reserved for the few, it should be available to everyone willing to put in the work.
Pricing:
- TAG One Sports Radar with carry case is $299.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tagsports.ai/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tagsportsai/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TAGSportsAI/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tag-sports-ai/posts/?feedView=all
- Twitter: https://x.com/TAGSportsAI
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TagSportsAI
