What I Learned Working With Olympians

While marketing for Olympic athletes and marketing for small businesses may seem like two different worlds, your brand and your business matter just as much, and there are many similarities between the two. After working in the sports marketing industry for many years, while competing at the international level in equestrian sports myself, I learned a lot about what is needed to build a successful brand while juggling running a business yourself. Different perspectives and seeing things from multiple angles can often lead to a more successful approach. Here are some things I learned along the way.

Athletes are running their businesses too. Like any business owner, athletes work around the clock to ensure their livelihood is intact while training to perform at their best. To say managing it all is tough would be an understatement. The same goes for any business owner. Managing your business, staff, and anything else that comes with it can be so daunting. That is why having someone there to spearhead your marketing efforts, often the one thing that can get people in the door or generate dollars, is so important. 

The same marketing efforts apply, but the ratio of each may change. I like to say athletes were the original influencers. For them, social media is hugely important, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need to emphasize website design, branding, email marketing, and more. While it is helpful to look at others with a similar business model, there is a reason athletes oftentimes have a high level of engagement. 

Businesses can bring a little bit of an athlete’s social media strategy, while athletes can take a page out of a business book. I can’t tell you how many athletes I worked with that didn’t even know what branding was. Just think, these million-dollar athletes, you are already ahead of them by reading this blog. You know what you need, and you’re motivated to learn how to market your business the best.