Brenton Sullivan is the co-founder of FieldLevel a coach to coach recruiting network. This online platform allows coaches to connect with one another making the recruitment process easier.
I asked Brenton about this new platform, how he started this company and where he plans to take it in the future.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about you company – what is Field Level all about?
Brenton: FieldLevel is the exclusive, social network dedicated to sports recruiting that connects coaches and helps teams find athletes that best fit their programs. Teams use FieldLevel to identify and evaluate athletes more effectively. For athletes, FieldLevel provides the first online gateway to successfully migrate from high school to college and even into professional sports. It’s the new standard for teams to find and attract better talent.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and also how you started your business?
Brenton: In 2007 at USC, after stumbling through the recruiting process as high school athletes, we were inspired to create a community where coaches could easily identify the best athletes, and athletes could be guided step-by-step through recruitment and ultimately be discovered by coaches who wanted to recruit them. Our mission is to ensure that the right players wind up on the right teams and that those teams become even better.
FieldLevel as a company is focused on becoming an essential resource for all athletes and all professional and collegiate sports organizations in the world.
Q: What are some of the projects you are working on right now?
Brenton: Like many tech companies, we’re always improving our user experience, and we are also enhancing our mobile capabilities.
Q: Please share a mistake you made starting out with your business, and if you could start over what would you do differently?
Brenton: We were the compliance and software solution for the entire USC athletics department after the NCAA sanctioned them. While it was an incredible experience, it led us to create (and support) too many products. The key is to always stay focused on your grand vision.
Q: Can you please share some online marketing tactics you currently use to grow your business?
Brenton: Because FieldLevel is a private social network, much like LinkedIn, we utilize email marketing, content marketing, and social media to market ourselves. From there, FieldLevel coaches gain a better experience when more of their peers are on the platform, so they also invite others.
Q: What was the best business advice you have ever received and who gave you this advice?
Brenton: Be passionate and focused on your overall, long-term goals. Stick to them. Companies established to solve problems and fix personal pains are the best ones. This cliché rings true: If you are passionate about what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
Q: What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your business?
1 – MailChimp: Email subscription and marketing tool.
2 – Stripe: Payments for developers. Stripe makes it easy to start accepting credit cards.
3 – Pivotal Tracker: Collaborative, lightweight agile project management tool.
Q: What’s your definition of success?
Brenton: My definition of success is “Achieving goals without compromising who you are”
Q: What are three books you recommend entrepreneurs to read.
1 – The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
2 – Great by Choice by Morten T. Hansen
3 – Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne
Q: What is your favorite entrepreneurship quote?
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision.” -Muhammad Ali
Q: How can our community get in touch with you?
You can reach us on twitter @FieldLevel, email us at info@fieldlevel.com, and visit our website at fieldlevel.com
