Imagine, if you will, that you are about six foot, eight inches tall and that your name rhymes with…LeCron Rames. At six foot eight, finding a suit…or even casual clothes…with some style might be a bit of a challenge, amiright? That’s where Athlete’s Brand comes in.
Meet the founder of Athlete’s Brand, Kyle Mauch. Growing up in rural Klamath Falls, Oregon has a lot to do with the success of Kyle’s endeavors: a small town, where sports rule and those who excel at sports are the kings of the county. But how much of that has anything to do with Kyle’s success in the big world outside of insular Klamath Falls?
Here he is, in case you need to get his autograph.
Kyle and I have an understanding about autographs, don’t we Kyle?
Quite a bit, it turns out. “Sports make you a well-rounded person and helps reinforce a great work ethic.” Kyle told me about Mrs. Story, his business teacher who really inspired him and helped him find out that he had a knack for business. From there, the sky was the limit. He stole all the bases. He ran for the touchdown…well, you get the idea.
Kyle started out small, making connections on LinkedIn and Twitter. “Ninety-nine percent of business is networking,” he told me. “In college, networking just didn’t exist then.” So, he made his own networks. It wasn’t all blue skies and homeruns right from the get go, however. The first session Kyle held to get like-minded sports people together to share ideas only saw attendance of about four people.
But it’s all about quality, not quantity: as one of those attendees said, “Some who bring value are better than many who bring less value.” After that, Kyle turned more toward social media, built a website, and made connections with people who were in the global sports business world. Have I ever mentioned that the technology of today makes things possible? From his parental home in the wilds of Oregon to a global network of athletes and business folk, Kyle knows the value of technology firsthand.
My talk with Kyle has been one of the best interviews I’ve ever conducted, in part because I have more practice now (sorry for using you as a guinea pig Kyle), but also because of his friendly attitude, infectious laugh, and the fact that he rubs elbows with some of the top athletes of our day doesn’t hurt either. For instance, did you know that Kyle rode in a NASCAR GoDaddy Super Bowl Commercial with Danica Patrick!? Kyle, if you’re reading this, I’m still interested in having you get Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s autograph…just sayin. I’m sure you guessed from all the baseball references (that’s the small white ball that is hit with a stick) Kyle also played professional baseball and was in a show for National Geographic (one of my favorite channels ever!).
But Kyle’s main focus, and passion, is helping athletes. That’s why his company provides home goods and clothing for athletes outside of sports life. Athlete’s Brand is also heavily involved in the charities that athletes find important…because those are important to Kyle, too. And I say, living your life with purpose is the best way to live. Also,that’s the title of Kyle’s presentation at this year’s #RBIS16 (sorry for stealing that Kyle…but as a baseball player, I’m sure you understand). Kyle speaks on Thursday, September 15 at 2:30 p.m. Don’t make me throw a pointy ball at you! Be there, or you’re OUT!
(Disclaimer: all of the incorrect sports related comments are my own and in no way reflect the knowledge of sports of Kyle or Athlete’s Brand but mostly reflect that I am a complete nerd)
Learn more at KyleMauch.com and follow Kyle on Instagram and Snapchat at KyleMauch and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Kyle.M.Mauch.
