Ep.025 Athlete Story Podcast

Transitioning from athlete to entrepreneur - Athlete Story ft former pro footballer R Sasikumar

When transitioning from athlete to entrepreneur, R Sasikumar notes how it was initially difficult to lose that sports mentality of external competition. Once he understood that the only competition was the “person in the mirror,” Sasi was able to create several successful businesses within the sports industry.

R Sasikumar encourages us to think internally about the things you can control, rather than blame outside factors. He says that it's only you who can decide how hard you work, and it is only you who can determine the success of your endeavours.

Many athletes are used to being constantly motivated by peripheral figures like coaches and managers. However, in the world of entrepreneurship, Sasikumar maintains that motivation must come from within. He adds that routine and a systematic approach is needed to keep motivation from wearing thin. On the other hand, he warns about having your ego stand in the way of asking for help. Trying to do everything on your own is not the solution he would opt for today. It just takes too long!

Sasi also details how he's motivated by goals. If someone calls your goal crazy, then you know you have the right goal. Because 99% of the population won’t want to do the hard work to achieve that goal. But the 1% who go the extra mile will be significantly rewarded.

In terms of advice for current or recently retired athletes, R Sasikumar says sportspeople should leverage their personal brand and translate that into a business. People invest in personality, communication and human interaction. You don’t need millions of followers to make money, you just need hundreds or thousands who are loyal to you.

About our guest

Founder Red Card Global and other successful sports businesses.

From Singapore

Entrepreneur & Former International Footballer