From NBA Summer League to Techstars Winter Class '23

Three years ago, the general manager of a Western Conference NBA team told me “If you’re thinking about running a tech company on the side of being a pro athlete, you probably won’t have a very successful pro career.”

I took those words and pinned them to my wall. It’s what many athletes would define as “bulletin board material”.

Looking back at that conversation, I think what he meant to say was, “In order to perform at the highest levels of something, you have to be all in.” Those words were hard to hear when you’re young, ambitious, and want to excel at the highest levels of everything you do. So, heading into 2023 after three seasons of playing pro basketball on G-league, NBA Summer League, and European club rosters, I had a big decision to make. I could continue to chase the hoop dream, or I could go all in on Gymble and join Techstars, one of the world’s top startup accelerators. As of today, we at Gymble are proud to have grown from idea to operational in 7 states… and we’re just getting started.

Now I assume you’re reading this because you’re somewhat interested about the intersection of athletes and entrepreneurship. However, let me give you some advice I wish someone told me before jumping two feet into the crazy world that is #startuplife.

#1: Great businesses are ran by great teams

There’s a reason why teams have training camp. It’s to identify strengths, weaknesses, and come up with a plan on how to use your roster to win a championship. Startups are no different. Everyone on a team has to excel in their own role in order to be successful. The teams who take the time to build good culture with clear roles and responsibilities will save themselves a lot of trouble when #startuplife gets difficult.

This is much easier said than done – I can promise you you’ll have to have some tough conversations. As long as the communication is rooted in respect for each other and an aligned goal, you’ll figure it out sooner and be better positioned for long term success.

#2: “Trust the work”

There’s a reason why as athletes, we can only lift/workout/practice but so many times per week. It’s because our bodies have limits, and recovery is equally as important in order to achieve the goals we set out to accomplish. In #startuplife, there is ALWAYS work to do; it’s easy to slip into long periods of constant work and no rest.

After fighting burnout from trying to do everything all at once, I’ve learned that consistency over time is greater than all-out sprints with no pace. Think of it as, how fast can you run on a daily basis when the finish line is nowhere in sight? Trust that the work you’re doing everyday is enough to get you there.

#3: The numbers never lie

Techstars taught me that the more data-driven decisions you can make, the better positioned you’ll be for success. This allows you to take emotion and opinion out of what you’re doing to come to an informed position. There’s numbers underlying almost every aspect of your business, but it’s on you to bring them to the surface.

High level athletes have all the tools to be successful in so many different areas of life. The athletes who aren’t afraid to explore new avenues will be winning championships for many years after they’ve played their final game.

-TP