In the spring of the 2009, five Texas A&M college students, Garrett Hilbert, Cory & Coby Cotton, Cody Jones, and Tyler Toney, made a crazy basketball trick shot video in their backyard in College Station, Texas.  Little did they know, that day would be the start of a multi-million dollar business empire known around the world as Dude Perfect.

I know what you’re thinking.  “Any bozo can make a goofy trick shot video on YouTube.  Since when does Dude Perfect qualify as entrepreneurs?”  I contend that the innovation of Dude Perfect lies not necessarily with their trick shots, but with their ability to turn them into an industry.

From their first video, Dude Perfect’s trick shot videos were an instant sensation.  However, when the dudes graduated from college in 2010/2011, each one of them initially chose to pursue their own careers in the “working world.”  Nevertheless, none of the dudes could get rid of the feeling that the trick shot videos were their true calling in life.  So eventually, after much prayer, the five best friends went all in on Dude Perfect, spending every spare minute of the lives on making the trick shot videos.  “As the popularity grew, companies started reaching out, and we realized it could be more than a hobby. We could turn it into a business”, said Coby Cotton, who handled marketing for the group.  But it wasn’t until 2014 that the Dude Perfect guys took the ultimate entrepreneurial leap of faith, quitting their jobs in order to devote their full time and attention to building their brand.

Since then, Dude Perfect has worked with high-level sponsors such as Walmart, Adidas, Toyota, Nike, Paramount, Capital One, and GMC, and has partnered with professional sports teams like the Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams, Dallas Stars, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas Cowboys.  They have filmed videos with sports superstars, including Aaron Rodgers, Chris Paul, and Odell Beckham Jr.  A conservative estimate speculates that the company nets at least $2 million in yearly revenue, and with Dude Perfect’s constant creative innovation, that number just keeps going up.   3.8 billion total YouTube views, 22 million subscribers as of September 2017, and the holders of multiple Guinness World Records, all because 5 guys from Texas had the determination to pursue their passion, and to go all in on their dream.  $20 million dollars in the rearview mirror, Dude Perfect’s goal has not changed.  As it states on the front page of their website, “(A)bove all else, our ultimate goal is to glorify Jesus Christ in everything that we do. We want to use this platform for something much bigger than us.”