Brittany Gilman is an international sports agent and entrepreneur. As a former professional snowboarder, she brings a unique perspective to the business of sports.
I last sat down with Brittany for an interview in July of 2019, so I wanted to reconnect and find out what she’s been up to since then.
Let’s get right to it.
How would you describe what you do to someone you’ve just met?
I’m an international sports agent. I run an international sports branding agency and tech platform in the same space.
Our clients consist mainly of sports agencies, corporations, charities, and individual athletes/talent.
When you left your internship and decided to start your own sports agency, what gave you the confidence that you’d succeed?
I decided to leave my internship because I really wasn’t receiving the opportunities I had envisioned. I was hungry for knowledge and experience. Chomping at the bit to learn and discover how it all worked, and to prove myself.
I knew that if I stayed with this particular company, I wasn’t going to achieve what I dreamed of.
I knew there had to be another way. Thus, I decided to launch my own sports marketing agency. From my own experience as an athlete, I had confidence I could make it work, and I would figure things out as I went.
How has your background as a professional snowboarder helped you in your entrepreneurial journey?
Being a professional athlete taught me more than I could have ever imagined. The discipline it takes to get to the top level of your sport, and the courage you have to constantly embody to face your fears.
Learning how to balance training, rest, and recovery. All of these characteristics which are a part of me have been instrumental in my entrepreneurial journey.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?
I’ve faced many challenges in my career, thus it’s difficult to say that there has been one “biggest challenge”.
Being a woman in the industry presents its own challenges. Not as much today, as we’ve made tremendous progress, but it still is arduous.
Knowing your worth, and what you bring to the table is of the utmost importance. This ties in directly to another huge lesson I’ve had to learn, that there is an ending to all partnerships. The competition in this industry is fierce, and it’s only increasing in saturation.
Acquiring clients and business opportunities take a lot of work. Once acquired, the time you dedicate to your clients can be years. But at some point, the partnership may have run its course.
Learning to let go and not take things personally has been a huge challenge as you naturally develop rapport with clients and business associates. Shifting gears is most often a very uncomfortable conversation to have, but it’s necessary.
Understanding that all relationships naturally evolve and that so long as you gave it your everything, that’s all you can do. If you didn’t give it your all, then figure out what you could have done better, hold yourself accountable, and apply the lessons to your future clients.
You’ve worked with and managed over 500 professional athletes. What are the characteristics you most commonly observe that separate these men and women from the average person?
Working with so many professional athletes globally and across sports has been an incredible blessing. This is actually something that I discuss in my book (which will be released sometime in 2022) – common characteristics of elite athletes.
I won’t give them all away here, but a few that are extremely common include dedication, self-centeredness (I explain why most athletes have this trait as well as the negatives), and courage.
Without dedication, you cannot achieve anything in life, but to be an elite athlete requires an entirely different level of dedication. This goes hand-in-hand with self-centeredness, which is almost a guarantee in professional athletes, at least to some degree.
To dedicate oneself to a craft, and to achieve the level of greatness necessary to be the best, one must dedicate himself/herself completely to their sport.
Lastly, courage, no matter the sport, is in all professional athletes. The courage to put yourself on the line, in some cases your life, each time you step on the field, court, course, mountain, whatever it is. That takes tremendous courage.
If you had the opportunity, what message would you put on a billboard for millions to see?
Love conquers all.
Where can our readers find you (Twitter, IG, websites, etc.)?
All my social platforms are: @BGSport
My company IG’s are: @BPOPList and @BGSportsEntInc
Related reading:
- Chelsie Schweers: From D3 Basketball to International Stardom
- Dempsey Arsenault: Overcoming a Torn ACL & The Future of Pro Lacrosse
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