• Home
• Solutions
  • Executives
  • Professional Athletes
  • Agents, Coaches & Owners
  • Athlete-Entrepreneurs
  • College Coaches & Players
  • Parents of H.S. Players
• Testimonials
• Our Team
• Publications
• Contact Us

At some point, every athlete has to make the transition from playing professional sports to doing something else. In our experience, there are two types of athletes: Those who plan for this transition ahead of time, and those who don’t. The ones who plan typically experience less of an emotional roller coaster and find more fulfilling roles than those who don’t. Even if you have plenty of money saved up for retirement, you will still have decades of productive life left in you to contribute, experience new challenges, and continue to make your dreams come true.

Following are six keys to planning for your career transition proactively:

1. Prepare mentally for the transition. The transition from the prestige and status of being a professional athlete to becoming a “regular person” is not always easy. Many athletes face a period of depression and grieving. Some make reckless decisions and get into trouble. Others find that they haven’t saved enough money to keep up with their spending, and get into financial trouble. EVERY athlete needs to be thinking about the inevitable transition with a realistic, positive, proactive attitude.
   
   
2. Leverage your relationships. Professional athletes have access to wealthy, powerful, and connected people that other people do not enjoy. Now – while you still have your status as an elite athlete – is the time to build your network. That way, doors will open for you long after your playing days end.
   
   
3. What are your dreams? Despite what you may believe, playing golf and sitting by the pool every day gets boring in about six months. You have lots of time left to fulfill new dreams – if you take time to think about your passions, ambitions, and aspirations. What would be something you could do after sports that would get you excited to wake up every day and contribute?
   
   
4.  Assess yourself and know who you are as the “product.” We all have different talents, values, and personality styles. Some athletes will make superb coaches or general managers, while many will not. Some will be natural entrepreneurs. Others will be leaders in the public sector or a non-profit foundation. Many will be excellent salespeople, or leaders in large companies. You need to invest some time to think about who you are, what you can offer, and what kinds of skills you want to develop to achieve your dreams.
   
   
5. What does the market have to say? Eventually, your dreams and talents need to find a niche in the marketplace. It is important for you to do some research now. For instance, many athletes want to start a restaurant chain with their name on the door. However, given that most restaurants fail within a year, these would-be entrepreneurs should do research to learn what it really takes to run a successful restaurant, and how they can attract the resources and talent who can make the restaurant thrive. Regardless of your aspirations, you need to be talking to people and doing some homework to learn about the requirements of the marketplace.
   
   
6. Create a transition development plan. Once you know what you want to do and what it will take to succeed, you can create a plan to be ready for your transition. What skills will you need to learn? Who are people you know who can help you? What is the action plan to succeed?