First, let me acknowledge, this will be my first blog in nearly three months and I’ve missed you all! It’s good to be writing again. I’ve been away for a few reasons: First (and most importantly), my wife and I just welcomed a beautiful baby boy to our family, second, our Sports Business Solutions client portfolio continues to grow and take us all out on the road, third, I figured you all may have wanted a break from my “opinion pieces” and lastly, I’ve been laser focused on building our new content platform… theClubhouse, which I’m eager to launch to the world today.
So what is theClubhouse?
Good question! It’s a virtual destination for current and aspiring sports business professionals where they can learn and share industry best practices, connect with other sports business professionals, apply to jobs, and in short, gain the edge and support they need to succeed in the sports industry.
Why did you build this?
Most of you know my story, but for those who don’t, I spent the first 8 years of my career working in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns. It was an unbelievable experience and I can’t say enough good things about my time there and about my time working in the NBA. The NBA as a league does a great job of connecting its teams and people to each other through it’s TMBO consulting group and the league meetings they host. The networking and best practice sharing alone were so helpful for me that I’m confident I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for those resources, and the relationships I built there.
As I left the Suns and launched Sports Business Solutions, I learned more about how each league helps it’s teams. I also observed the inner workings of hockey, football, basketball, baseball, soccer and college business operations and after a few years what I came to realize is… Regardless of the team, league, and market we’re in, most (if not all) of us in sports business are working on similar things and struggling with similar challenges. My goal for theClubhouse platform is to take all the best practices, best people, and best resources out there in the world of sports business and bring them to one place in hopes that it helps others achieve industry success, the way the NBA did for me.
How can it help me?
Prior to starting this project, we surveyed nearly 100 people and asked what they’d be looking for in a platform like this, here are the most common responses: Access to industry professionals, networking opportunities, gaining industry experience, and learning sports industry best practices. That feedback became the building blocks on which theClubhouse was built. Inside you’ll find:
· Mentorship Network – We have 50 industry professionals to start (and the list is growing) that have raised their hand and said they’re willing to help you.
· Blog – Our new blog will no longer be a Bob/SBS opinion piece, but rather, a collection of industry best practices, innovative ideas and stories from people around the sports business community.
· Webinars – We will host regular webinars with sports business and corporate America influencers, movers and shakers. You’ll have the ability to log in remotely, follow along, ask questions and interact with the guest speakers.
· Jobs – We’ve improved our job board and are working hard to bring new jobs and career opportunities right to your inbox and we’re also focused on making sure your application gets reviewed and you get the feedback you need to refine your job search process.
· Career Services – We’ve rolled out a number of new 1:1 career services designed to help you plan for and land your dream job or take your current career to the next level.
· Future events – Down the road in 19’ our goal is to host events, conferences, and networking functions in the cities we visit. Sometimes it’ll be us, and sometimes we’ll grab some guests from the local teams but we hope it’s a way to access and connect the industry in a way that hasn’t been done before.
Why is there a fee, and what can I get for free?
In theClubhouse you can access much of the content for free. You can see all the blogs, register for our newsletter, and get industry advice and best practices emailed directly to you. You can also see all the open jobs, apply for jobs, and email us with any questions you have about your career at any time. We want to give you the access and information you need to get where you want to go.
There is a premium membership called the “Clubhouse Pro” which will unlock even more resources for you such as the personalized 1:1 support, access to webinars and live events, and more.
I get countless requests for calls, advice, training, networking connections, general Q/A and more and honestly, I wish I could do them all for free (believe me, I’m trying!). The challenge is, I wouldn’t be able to stay in business long enough to get you all the help you’re looking for and support my family if I did that. So, I thought this was the next best option.
That said, I’ve made the purchasing process easy, low-risk and affordable for everyone. It’s just a $7/month-to-month membership. Much like Amazon Prime, you either have it, or you don’t. You can cancel at any time, and you’ll get the first 30-days for free to try us out. My hope is that you think we’re worth it and choose to stick around, but if not, we’ll understand!
Where do I go to try this out?!
This platform was built by and is currently managed by the team at Sports Business Solutions, so you’ll find that theClubhouse lives within our current website platform. The direct link will always be https://clubhouse.sportsbusiness.solutions/ and you can access us from anywhere on our old site (the link is in the top right corner). You can email us with questions about the platform, or questions about your sports career directly at clubhouse@sportsbusiness.solutions. Be sure to follow our new platforms on social: Twitter Facebook Instagram
In closing, I’ve heard from both aspiring and current industry professionals about what they’re looking for and I’ve tried to build something here that takes the best parts of the industry and brings them to the masses in an effort to help others. That is my focus now and will continue to be in the future. If you feel we’re mis-stepping in this mission somewhere, or there’s something we can be doing better, feel free to email me personally at bob@sportsbusiness.solutions.
Bye for now and hope to see you in theClubhouse!
-BH
Bob Hamer is the President and Founder of Sports Business Solutions and Founder of theClubhouse. He launched Sports Business Solutions in 2014. They provide sales training, consulting and recruiting services for more than 75 sports teams all over the country. He decided to expand their platform and launched theClubhouse in 2018. theClubhouse is a virtual destination for current and aspiring sports industry professionals where they can learn industry best practices, network, and gain the edge they need to grow their career(s) in sports. Prior to all of that he worked for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA for eight years, most recently serving as their Vice President of Ticket Sales.