Okay so I had this idea that I should reach out to others who share my passion of excercise and in particular the sport of triathlon and reasearch the idea of finding a better career choice that really fulfills my passions. Why not really love what you do every day for work? Suffice it to say, I am writing this posting to see what opportunities might exist out there in the world of sales and/or business development (inside or outside), with sports related companies, websites, products, etc. etc.
I have over seventeen years of experience with sales and business development in assorted industries across the country. I will refrain from getting specific unless contacted directly for privacy concerns (I’m currently working). While I am a Linkedin member for example, Slowtwich might be a more direct way of going about doing this. It might not be a bad idea to create an online job search portion of the website for just this reason.
Anyway, if anyone out there has any potential opportunities, please let me know and I’ll give you my credentials. Oh yes, and as far as my athletic experience is concerned, I’ve been racing triathlons of all distances (up to Ironman), since 1987 back when Bud Light was the one and only sponsor of races around the country; not to mention marathons, skiing, anything outdoor related.
As a degreed engineer with 17 years in sales/biz dev & marketing myself, I can assure you it is not a simple task attempting to transition to the sport you love
One option would be to look at becoming a manufacturers rep and sell multiple product lines to bike shops (IBD’s) within a region. This could be limited on your location and the types of shops and the products they carry. Also, you probably will need to be VERY flexible on travel (read: travel every week).
Obviously, you could hope there might be a manufacturer in your area for whom you could work. This is pretty tough, and I don’t know too many that would pay for relocation.
I believe there are a few other industry related job boards.
Then again, you can always think of your own opportunities and start your own company/service/etc. or search specific company websites for opportunities (that, if posted, will probably receive hundreds of resumes for). Good luck, and make sure you do some type of self promotion once you find that gig
Getting into repping took me quite a while. I started in the outdoor industry in the retail side (buyer/manager)where I got to know a bunch of reps and inside the industry types. From there I quit my job and started calling my rep friends and selling myself as a hired gun to help them do whatever. Started with helping with demo days and show set ups, then clinics and now sales. I basically went up to the people I knew in the companies I liked and hit them up for work every time I saw them. Also check industry sites for classified ads:
Once you get over the hill the work starts to come. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time–Called Emilio looking to pro deal a wet suit, asked him if he needed a rep in the rockies, and here I am!
I indeed share your passion for the sport, and wanted to do as you say - make a living following my passion. So, I did what made the most sense… started my own tri-related business. I’m based solely in Vermont right now (about 2.5 hours from Boston), but hope to expand down to your area soon. As of now, I’m a one-man operation, but maybe we can help each other in some way - either now or in the future. Feel free to PM me at any time.
Hey thanks for the reply. Sure what love to chat at some point. Do you have a link or something (without posting a email address)? Just not sure of protocol.
Sounds like you’ve followed an interesting path which has finally worked out. I suppose I could walk this line again while doing what I’m doing. It could be possible I’ll admit. I think I will begin to follow up with some of the ideas posted here.
It’s still prertty casual around here… if you’d like to chat, a PM here or an email to multisportmaps@gmail.com would work just fine. If not, I’ll try and PM you in the next few days.
Talk to you soon,
Brian
P.S. Does the ‘BTT’ refer to the tri team in Boston? I know a couple of those guys… race against 'em a bit.
Last I checked LG was looking for a Tri brand manager, based out of nowheresville VT (Newport, in the Northeast Kingdom). May be an interesting gig, not sure about living in Newport. It was on their website a few weeks back.
