- What is exemplary or unique about these young entrepreneurs? Sean Clifford is the quarterback of the Penn State Nittany Lions. His entrepreneurship is unique because he is not just an entrepreneur, but he’s also a college student and college athlete. The fact that he is able to excel as a student, as a football player, and as an entrepreneur is incredible.
- What drives them? In an article published on ESPN, Clifford was quoted saying, “It’s the agency that I was looking for that I couldn’t find. It’s for the players, by the players. I wanted to do something to leave even more of a legacy than just on the field. And I thought that this was kind of the way that I wanted to go.” In this quote, it’s clear to see what drives Sean’s entrepreneurial efforts: the opportunity for players to help each other in the realm of Name, Image, and Likeness, and the opportunity to cement his legacy.
- What makes their idea or business model interesting? Sean’s business model, Limitless NIL, is interesting because it is the first player-based organization to be created since Name, Image, and Likeness laws were passed. Sean Clifford founded the company on three pillars: talent representation, brand and content creation, and financial literacy. By signing with Limitless NIL, athletes will have access to aide in all three of these categories. Again, something that hasn’t been done in their field.
- What entrepreneurial traits do they demonstrate? He embodies a hunger to solve problems from new angles. Sean embodies conventional wisdom, as he used his own personal experiences with signing NIL deals to organically create his business.
- How are they innovating? On the Limitless NIL website, their message says, “Run by current and former college Athletes, Limitless seeks to help Student-Athletes build cutting-edge brands and business relationships designed for the World of NIL.” By composing their staff of former and current college athletes who have experienced the struggles of the NIL space, Sean and his colleagues are able to relate with these athletes on a level that nobody else can.
- How do they specifically inspire you and help you in your own thinking about entrepreneurship and innovation? Sean and his company inspire me because they identified a massive need in the market and they attacked it. He also inspires me because as busy of a student athlete as he is, he went all-in on something he was passionate about as an entrepreneur. This shows that ANYONE can be an entrepreneur.
- What principles have you learned? Sean is a great example of what happens when you are passionate and fully commit to something. I’ve learned to be brave, to continue to strive to help others and to share your experiences; you’ll never know who you can help!
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Its awesome that Sean was able to start a company that fills a need among college athletes to have support as they navigate sponsorship agreements and the benefits that come with them. As NIL is something that is still relatively new, having the ability to provide guidance to athletes will help them to thrive in their athletic careers.
It’s super interesting that Sean used a three-pillars system to found his company. It shows how much thought he’s put into his mission and how much passion he has for the product. It’s also cool that he uses a combination of conventional wisdom and different-angled approaches to develop and innovate on his product!