To people familiar with the NFL or Michigan Football, the name Taylor Lewan is not new to you. Lewan, a former First round pick and current Tennessee Titans tackle found his start in entrepreneurship a good time after he began his NFL career. On top of being almost a perennial Pro-Bowler, he has begun publishing almost weekly podcasts that include himself, former teammate Will Compton, and numerous guests which have included the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Larry the Cable Guy, Brian Urlacher and many other popular football and pop culture figures. The name of the podcast is “Bussin’ With the Boys”. The reason for this is simple: the podcast takes place in an old school bus, and it is hosted by the boys (Lewan and Compton). The podcast has become ultra successful as Barstool Sports eventually started sponsoring the Boys, widening their audience and influence. Lewan’s podcast is constantly near the top of the charts and they even started selling merchandise and clothing with his brand on it. The reason I believe Lewan is a good example to use for a young entrepreneur is because he did not try to reinvent the wheel. Podcasts have been a rapidly growing market for many years and Lewan noticed this and thought his platform as one of the League’s best players would be a good opportunity for him to not only have fun but maybe make a little more money.
I really like the way he uses the influence he’s gaining in the NFL, and turning it into a business opportunity. Also, I think the collaboration he is incorporating into his business is smart. The more influential people involved, the more of an audience you are going to attract. It also will improve the podcast itself as each person will bring their own kind of content to the table. I think this is a great idea, that allows him to double dip on his talents.
Lewan was able to predict the growing podcast market, like a real entrepreneur, and it paid off for him. He noticed the trend of society towards podcasts becoming a prominent form of media and made one himself that would market towards this societal trend. He was one of the first NFL players to make a successful podcast. This is very important in a marketing sense, and lots of times being first can lead to great success. In this case, Lewan made lots of money because of his entrepreneurial drive.