Athlete representation as an industry chases already-famous names. I was building a new athlete-brand platform out of the same golf docuseries relationships instead, and I wasn't going to start by competing for established stars.
I built the representation platform starting with developmental and lower-tier professional golfers, the athletes an established agency wouldn't prioritize, instead of trying to win business away from bigger names first.
Competing for already-famous athletes means competing against every large agency with more resources and relationships. Building real, trusted relationships with athletes before they're famous, when nobody else is competing for their attention, is a more defensible way to build a platform from nothing.
The platform now works with several contracted specialists on athlete brand work, including named Olympic and golf talent, and the athletes' own results stand on their own.
If you can't compete for attention at the top of a market, build real relationships at the level nobody else is paying attention to yet, before they need you to.
It's a bet on people before they're proven. A relationship built on belief in someone's future rather than their current market value.