My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

NIL Athlete Brand Accelerator

For: High-profile college athletes with social media followings

Buildability

The Problem

College athletes can now make millions through NIL deals but lack infrastructure to build authentic personal brands and products beyond basic endorsements

The Solution

Full-service platform that helps athletes identify their unique cultural moments, rapidly develop products, and build sustainable brands that schools can integrate into recruitment

Why Now?

NIL legislation is new (2021), top athletes making $7-10M annually, but most money goes to simple endorsements rather than owned brand equity

Build MVP in 7 Days

Day 1

Create simple landing page offering brand consultation

Day 2

Identify 5 athletes with recent viral moments

Day 3

Reach out with specific product ideas for their moments

Day 4

Test demand with simple pre-order pages

Day 5

Document what resonates vs what doesn't

How to Validate

Survey athletes about brand building interests

Test product concepts with their existing followers

Interview school marketing departments about recruitment needs

Run small product test with one athlete

Revenue Model

Revenue share on athlete brand sales, consulting fees from schools for recruitment integration, licensing deals

Competitive Moat

First-mover advantage, relationships with athletes and schools, cultural moment identification expertise

Risks to Consider

NIL regulations could changeAthlete controversies damage brand valueCultural moments are unpredictable and short-livedSchools may resist new recruitment complexity