The lessons I've learned from AceBoy Sports Group, so far...

Hey everyone!

I hope you’ve all enjoyed your week and are looking forward to a great weekend! I also hope all my Bermuda based readers and their families are safe following Fiona’s passing last Friday.

Similarly to last week, I thought this week I’d keep it sweet and simple and look at some of the key lessons I’ve learned about entrepreneurship since incorporating AceBoy Sports Group in 2020. Hope you enjoy this one, and if you haven’t done so already hit that subscribe button!

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I first started AceBoy Sports Group as a simple social media page in 2017 from my dorm room in university. Since then I had run it as a simple side-project, and then finally in October 2020 it was fully incorporated, establishing it as a limited liability company. Since then two years on, I have learned a lot about running a business from the day-to-day and the long term vision to ensure sustainability. Let’s dive into the main lessons learned:

What “being your own boss” really means…

This has got to be the number one reason people give for wanting to start their own business, and I can’t lie, it is something I said to myself at 20 years old too! I always wanted to be able to “do my own thing”, but along the way as you get older and your side project starts to become an actual business, you eventually have to actually be your own boss! That means staying on top of yourself, keeping yourself busy with productive tasks, being efficient since your time and attention is needed in various facets of the business such as admin tasks, financials, planning, etc. Not going to lie, but there have been a few times where I’ve just not listened to myself and taken a break instead of doing something productive for the business.

I think the biggest thing with this lesson is balance (more on that later), thereby being both an employee and a leader at the same time. What I mean by that is tasks like admin, finance, and standard operations are examples of duties that would be carried out by specific employees in a larger company, at the direction and guidance of their manager/superior. This has given me a good insight into how I’d like to operate and dictate tasks to myself and hopefully a future employee.

Aligning the short-term with the long-term…

I think my favorite part about building ABSG from a side project into a revenue generating business is the strategizing that goes with it. From networking with scouts and managers via LinkedIn and Twitter (sometimes the better of the two tbh), to planning the next pipeline of events, to scouting potential future clients, there is nothing I don’t like about this aspect of running my own business. However, it is easy to get caught up in the grandiose ideas and vision that you have for your project, and it is important to balance that with the crucial shorter term items that need to be completed on a more regular basis.

These smaller tasks such as keeping financials updated, maintaining relationships with existing contacts, and consistently checking in on clients before and after training and matches and during off-seasons, are incredibly important and must be done with care and attention to detail. While I enjoy all aspects of running my own business, the highs and the lows, it is important to not fall into a rut and have tasks that are daily or weekly or even monthly, become mundane and dull, as that is when you start to lose a bit of sharpness and care.

Ensuring self-development in conjunction with day-to-day…

Ironically, one of the main thing I’ve learned since starting AceBoy Sports Group, is that learning is a huge part of running your own business. To better your knowledge in the industry you’re hoping to break into has tremendous benefits for not only the business, but also yourself as a professional. I’m not suggesting to blindly sign up for courses or join groups just to say you’ve done so, you’ve still got to capitalize and put the work in yourself, which goes without saying.

A big self-development goal for myself, has been to learn as much as possible about talent identification in football. I’ve already completed quite a few courses of varying levels from renowned industry organizations, the Professional Football Scouts Association (PFSA) and the England FA. Completing these courses has introduced me to a network of like-minded professionals within the industry, and have also made myself more professional in the eyes of contacts and clients. Ever since I was in middle school (so around 12 or 13 years old), my dad would always say people are more likely to help those who want to help themselves. As the years have gone on, particularly from high school up until now, I have found that to be on of the truest statements I’ve ever heard. I’ve found that once I tell people about my accomplishments that have been self-driven, they seem to take a little more interest in what I’m doing and tend to offer a little extra assistance.

Balancing personal life with the business venture…

This has got to be the biggest challenge so far, and I’m sure everyone would agree, regardless of job type or status. For those that don’t know, I also have a full-time job as an insurance broker in Bermuda. International business is one of, if not the, largest sectors of our economy, so having a job in insurance has always been a safety net for me. Would I like to work on ABSG full time? Duh. But at the moment the revenue generated is just enough to sustain the business, not yet provide a salary to live off of (let alone enough to live off of in Bermuda!).

This has been a tough balancing act so far, as I’ve also got a family, friends, and a girlfriend, and most importantly a dog, who I want to be able to share all my time with. Fortunately for me, they all know what I want to achieve for the most part they are all very understanding of my commitments. Being a broker also allows me to still work in somewhat of an “intermediary” role, and I’ve actually picked up quite a bit from my day job that I’ve applied to ABSG.

All in all, it doesn’t always feel like extra work because it is something I genuinely have a lot of passion for and want to be successful in. The lessons I’ve learned along the way have helped to develop myself personally and have contributed to my own professional growth and to the current successes of ABSG. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing however, and I think I’ll go over some of those harsher lessons in another post in the future. When you’re working for yourself, everything is going to be a lesson, but I believe it is how you respond to it that determines if it was worth the trouble in the first place!

I hope you guys enjoyed this one, and if you have any comments please feel free to leave them below!

Check you later!

Jason