Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tony Doellefeld, founder and CEO of Prospect2Player, located in St. Louis, MO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Prospect2Player is a USA college soccer recruiting agency. Our job is to provide opportunities to youth players interested in continuing their academic & soccer careers at the college level.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Tony Doellefeld, and my experience within the game of soccer is what inspired my idea for the business. I played professional soccer, and I am a former NCAA Division I college soccer player. I created Prospect2Player because I have experienced the amazing benefits of playing college soccer first-hand. I received my college degree, played for four more years at a high level, and made my best friends to this day in college. However, my soccer career was not a simple or straightforward journey. I figured out college recruiting on my own and even paved a professional soccer career really on my own. Everything I learned throughout my own soccer career & the network I've developed within that career, coupled with my work ethic, is what has allowed me to assist the next generation of youth players and grow this business to where it is today. I hope to bring the wonderful opportunity I had of playing soccer in college to prospective student-athletes like myself not long ago.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is working with young men & women every day to secure the best opportunities for them, not only as soccer players but as students & young adults in general. The years of college are when you begin to find out who you are as a young adult, and being able to have an impact on my clients' lives at this crucial stage is my biggest accomplishment.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is that the business never shuts off. I love what I do, so the constant work is what I like, and it is what gives me energy, but there is always another young player looking to play in college, so as an agent, I am constantly working to find these players.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be passionate about what you are doing or looking to do. Your passion is what will keep you going when you are building a business.
- Provide value. You cannot expect to have a full-time business if you are not providing a full-time service & value to the people within your market.
- Value your interactions. Every time I speak with a family, I try to relate my own experiences in this recruiting process to that young man or woman.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.prospect2player.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Prospect2Player/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prospect2player/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Prospect2Player
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prospect2player/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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