Athlo Agncy
About the Company
Athlo Agncy is focused on personal branding for student-athletes navigating NIL opportunities. The agency's flagship product is the "Brand on Purpose" workshop, which helps college athletes build their personal brand in alignment with NIL deals. Jay Fuller, alongside co-founders Aly and Isaac Nauta, works with university athletic departments and individual athletes to provide branding education. The agency’s clientele extends to semi-professional and professional athletes, as well as players associations.
Athlo Agncy emphasizes authenticity in branding, guiding athletes to create meaningful partnerships instead of accepting every deal that comes their way. Their workshops aim to help athletes identify their strengths and find opportunities that match their personal image and values.
Idea Behind Company
The concept for Athlo Agncy emerged when a mother of a college athlete approached Jay Fuller about helping her daughter navigate NIL opportunities. NIL, introduced in July 2021, allows college athletes to monetize their personal brand without penalty. Jay, with a background in sports management and business development, saw a gap in the market and reached out to Aly, a personal branding expert, and Isaac, a former University of Georgia football player, to co-found the business.
Aly had prior experience working on personal branding with professional athletes and corporate teams, making her an ideal partner. Isaac brought recent college athletics experience, allowing the team to tailor their product to student-athletes' unique needs. Together, the team realized that they could offer a valuable service in helping athletes navigate this new frontier.
Creating the Company
Athlo Agncy’s core product, the "Brand on Purpose" workshop, was designed with input from athletes and compliance directors at universities. The feedback was used to develop a pre-recorded, easily digestible format that allows athletes to consume the material at their own pace. The product features short modules facilitated by Aly and Isaac, making it accessible and engaging for busy student-athletes.
Building the company involved extensive networking and outreach to athletic departments, sports tech partners, and branding experts. Through these relationships, Athlo Agncy gained traction, even before officially launching the product. The founders also focused on creating a team of student-athlete ambassadors who could test the product and advocate for the company among their peers.
Launching the Business
Athlo Agncy used grassroots marketing strategies to build awareness prior to launching its core product. These strategies included university-level partnerships, podcasts, and social media initiatives. By offering free experiences to college athletes and athletic departments, they were able to showcase their product's value and generate organic interest.
The team focused on building a network of athlete ambassadors, who went through the workshop 1-on-1 and spread the word within their athletic communities. This grassroots approach kept marketing costs low and allowed the team to build meaningful relationships in the NIL space. As the product approached launch, the agency was already working with universities and forming strategic partnerships.
Earnings
Athlo Agncy currently generates around $16,000 in monthly revenue, primarily through branding projects that have covered startup costs and built a portfolio of successful case studies. The team continues to focus on expanding partnerships, with plans to grow their offerings to additional universities and athletes over the next six months.
In terms of strategy, the founders prioritize relationship building over rapid growth, preferring to move deliberately in the crowded NIL space. By maintaining a long-term vision, they believe Athlo Agncy can continue to grow steadily, offering authentic branding solutions for college athletes.
