From Athlete To Entrepreneur: Akin Ayodele of Sapoznik Insurance On The 5 Work Ethic Lessons We Can Learn From Athletes

Do your due diligence. You never go into a meeting, never approach a prospect, or go into a game without knowing more about your opponent than they know about themselves.

As a part of our series about the work ethic lessons we can learn from professional athletes, I had the pleasure of interviewing Akin Ayodele.

After nine years in the NFL playing for the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, Akin Ayodele retired to earn his MBA from George Washington University and start the next chapter of his life — entrepreneurship. But starting a wealth management and private equity firm was just the first step. Now he’s embarking on a new challenge in health benefits insurance, combining his business acumen with his entrepreneurial and athletic background.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is a great honor. Our readers would love to learn more about your personal background. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

That’s an easy one. I grew up in a single-parent household. My mother raised four kids by herself — three boys and one girl. I am the oldest of four. There are four years between me and my brother who came next, seven years between my sister and me, and eight years between my youngest brother and me. I come from a very humble background. I can remember most of my childhood moving and traveling and living in one-bedroom apartments, sometimes sleeping on a mattress on the floor. My mom worked 2–3 jobs to support us. My job was to babysit my siblings. We grew up mainly in the Dallas, TX area. I never met my father. What I did know was my mother’s strength in that she had to do everything — support us financially, raise us emotionally — on her own. As an adult and now as a parent, I cannot believe how much work it was for her.

What or who inspired you to pursue your career as a high-level professional athlete?

I’ve always been athletic. I’ve always enjoyed playing sports. My first love was soccer, followed by swimming. Being a young boy with a lot of energy — I gravitated towards anything that had me moving. I ran track which I loved, and played baseball. When I was a high school freshman, I read a Sports Illustrated article about Division 1 colleges giving out football scholarships. They paid for players’ education, housing, and especially (for me) food. I knew that education would be the key to my future, so I began to gravitate to football — especially my home team, the Dallas Cowboys. I played many different positions and always watched the players I thought were elites in their positions to learn from them.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?

Yes, I can. One of the first things that gave me confidence and courage to go into many situations blind without previous experience or anyone to guide me is my belief in God and my relationship with Christ. Secondly, there is my high school varsity football coach — Ray Oberton, aka Coach O. When I went to him and told him I wanted to play football, he asked me how good I wanted to be. Of course, I naturally told him I wanted to be the best player he had. He counseled me to go home and think carefully about it. And I did. I came back to him and said I still want to be the best player you can make me and that I can make myself. Coach O asked if I was willing to do the work. I said yes. So, whenever I slacked off, he reminded me about our conversation. After that first season playing football, I went on to play basketball, and then I ran track. At the end of my freshman year, Coach O told me he wanted me to play varsity football and he reminded me of the conversation where I told him I wanted to be the best player he had. And then he told me I would have to decide on which sport I wanted to be great in. Did I want to be great in football or basketball? I made a decision that day to be the best football player I could. And I never played basketball after that. I picked up golf, but never picked up another basketball. Now, given a choice, I’d rather be on the golf course.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your sports career? What lesson or takeaway did you learn from that?

Don’t apologize for doing your job.

My rookie year in the NFL, I was drafted by the Jackson Jaguars. During the season, we played the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. The Cowboys were my childhood dream team. I was hyped and I bought 50 tickets and invited all my friends. I also admit, in a few media interviews I did talk some trash about them. The previous week, Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith received the NFL’s All-Time Rushing Title. He was an idol! So, I’m really nervous about playing against him. It’s the first few plays of the game, and suddenly, they run the ball. Emmet Smith is heading straight at me. And the next thing I know, I am tackling the all-time leading rusher and one of my childhood heroes! I took him down to the ground, and as we lay there, I looked right into his eyes. And then, I jumped up and apologized. I said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Smith, for doing my job.” He smacked my backside, smiled, and walked away. And my teammates told me, “Don’t you ever apologize for doing your job.”

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. As an athlete, you often face high stakes situations that involve a lot of pressure. Most of us tend to wither in the face of such pressure and stress. Can you share with our readers 3 or 4 strategies that you use to optimize your mind for peak performance before high pressure, high stress situations?

1) I belong here, and I deserve to be on the same stage with you.

I’ve worked very hard to achieve my dream. I became an NFL starter after just the second game of my rookie career. In football and in what we in the game called “the real world,” and in business, you have to prove yourself every day. That lesson held true then, and it holds true now.

2) Dreams do come true.

The key is to show up. You can live in a world where your heroes can become your peers. But you have to show up. You show up to play those you admire. You show up to play those you respect. You show up to play those you dislike. But you always show up.

The key is self-confidence. Self-confidence is the driver to showing up on a daily basis. Self-confidence makes it possible for you to make mistakes and trust yourself to move forward even when you do not know the answer. Self-confidence is what it takes to put yourself into a situation where you can learn and grow.

3) The ability to be flexible.

Give yourself grace and the ability to open up new doors and stretch without putting so much pressure on yourself. As adults, we (I) get embarrassed when we have to admit in public, that we don’t know something. Or, we may already have our minds made up about something or not done proper due diligence. One of the tools that playing in the NFL gave me was the drive to study and research an opponent. Those skills translate on a daily basis in the workplace and on a professional level.

When you can be flexible, you reduce the amount of pressure on yourself. Better to be a hybrid kind of person — you can have opinions and allow yourself to adapt and evolve to new situations.

4) Know your process and pace yourself.

This adventure, my journey here to this place has an overall goal and that goal is set years down the road. I let myself get there, moving at an even pace. A pace that I know that I can handle without putting undue stress on myself. Setting certain goals gives you the opportunity to grow into your role and/or reduce unrealistic expectations.

Can you tell us the story of your transition from a professional athlete to a successful businessperson?

Yes! I would start with the decision to walk away from the game. That was one of the toughest decisions and conversations I had to have with myself. But I knew that most people don’t have the luxury of choosing when to end their professional sports career. Careers usually end due to injury or when team management closes the door because you are no longer wanted. I chose to walk away and find myself in what I like to call the real world — civilian life. I chose to enroll in grad school — that way, I could shorten the learning curve between my peers, who went from undergrad into the real world, and me, who got drafted and only focused on pro football. I learned a lot in graduate school. I learned how to network and became more proficient in the space that I chose — finance. And grad school is where I met my former business partner, who continues to be one of my closest friends.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now?

I’ve decided to make another pivot and enter the insurance space — focusing on employee benefits with Sapoznik Insurance, a World Insurance Associates agency. Before starting this new journey, I started my own private wealth management/PE company, which I really enjoyed. I loved traveling and finding deal flow, learning about different industries and how we could add value. But I also was searching for something integral to my core values — I’m a father now, a husband. I wanted my legacy and my family, my daughter, and my wife, to see daddy pursuing a passion/vocation. After researching and speaking with contacts, I met a wonderful person named Rachel Sapoznik. I did some background research on her and her firm and learned about her generous and wonderful philanthropic endeavors. I saw her passion for the industry when it came to providing benefits for employers and employees. And I saw that she and her firm offered a platform of health and wellness that has been an integral part of my core values since I was 13 years old. In talking with and meeting Rachel, I decided to move away from my PE company and jump head-first into the insurance space for several reasons.

Anyone who knows me knows how essential education is to me. I know the importance of having a better understanding of your body/job/life and education has been a huge component of that for me.

I am committed to health & wellness and my work with Sapoznik amplifies that. We are becoming more knowledgeable in society about the importance of taking care of ourselves, and employers also understand that their employees need a better balance when it comes to their health, nutrition, and mindfulness. If I can help people get a better hold and control of those issues, I am doing my part in giving back to society.

Both Sapoznik and World Insurance are exceptional community advocates. One of the things I enjoy and see myself as a servant of is building community. My foundation, Dreambuilders, provides programs for youth and adolescents. We support initiatives in education, extracurricular activities, and nutrition nationwide. Dreambuilders is in 23 different NFL communities and we’ve raised over $4 million to put back into communities. Knowing that Rachel and World Insurance share my commitment to helping others made me feel right at home here.

Do you think your experience as a professional athlete gave you skills that make you a better entrepreneur? Can you give a story or example about what you mean?

My years as a professional athlete absolutely gave me skills that have helped me navigate entrepreneurship and the journey of balancing ventures and growing a business. Whether it makes me a better entrepreneur — that’s still to be seen. But there are many intangibles that are positive contributors to starting a business, believing in yourself and going on your own, and learning to partner with other professionals in the same lane. I believe one of those intangibles is leadership traits. Learning to be an example or learning to inspire others and motivate them is an essential skill for an entrepreneur and an athlete.

For example, after grad school, I had an internship with a wealth management company. During that period, I discovered that what I really wanted was to start my own business. However, not having been in the industry long or even knowing enough about the industry, I began to have conversations with some of my colleagues. I was able to persuade them to join me to start our own company. I was probably the least knowledgeable of the five of us, but they trusted me, our conversations and our ability to venture out together on our own and grow a business.

Ok. Here is the main question of our interview. Entrepreneurs and professional athletes share a common “hustle culture.” Can you share your “5 Work Ethic Lessons That Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Athletes”? Please share a story or an example for each.

A typical pro athlete has a grueling work week/schedule. Most people think we spend a lot of our time on the football field. We spend most of our time in a room watching films of other games, scheming (strategizing with our coaches and teammates), breaking down players, breaking down coaches, breaking down plays, and also doing self-study. We spend time breaking down our own game tapes and reviewing our individual tendencies. In a typical week, I used to spend at least a good 40 hours watching game film. In an average week, we spent maybe all of eight hours on the practice field — all that just to prepare for a three-hour game. Being committed to achieving one’s goal is your only route to success. There is no magic formula or special shoe or pill that will get you to your goal. Just work — hard work. Committing to do the job is it. Here are my top five lessons:

1. Put in the time. You must be willing to put in the time it takes to reach your goal — whether it requires you to work out 8 hours/day or stay up past midnight or get up before everyone else in your house. Put in the time.
2. Do your due diligence. You never go into a meeting, never approach a prospect, or go into a game without knowing more about your opponent than they know about themselves.
3. Working a 40-hour work week is a low standard for success. Your work week might be from Sunday to Sunday. It might require you to work through an entire month. But understand that the investment of time you are making means you will work beyond somebody who is less interested in excelling and just interested in treading water.
4. Ask questions. You don’t need to know everything about every thing. You just need to know who to ask. Ask people you trust for guidance and help. For example, in pro football, if you come up against a specific play or scenario you aren’t sure how to address effectively, you ask your defensive or offensive coordinator. They’ve got the experience, and because of that, they may have the solution to the problem at hand. How does that translate to other business sectors? Hire experts in their field to help you excel at your job.
5. Holding yourself accountable. While it may seem an obvious trait to have in the workplace, it’s difficult to find adults who are willing to put aside their ego and admit when they need help or have made a mistake.

What would you advise to a young person who aspires to follow your footsteps and emulate your career? What advice would you give?

Don’t just DO it. RUN to do it. Even when it seems crazy! Commitment is easy when things make sense or when reaching the endgame is not hard. I would say consistency is key — always. If you are willing to pursue anything, whether it is a career, a sport, or even being a good romantic partner, what matters is your consistency and how you show up. You need to have the right mentality or mental state to show up ready to play — in business and in football. So here are my recommendations:

1. Show up ready to work, ready to shed yourself of what you think you know, and be open to embracing new lessons, new ideas and be ready to grow.

2. Show up prepared. Show up with your tool belt on. Use them. And make sure you have space on that belt to add more tools. The key is in your consistency in showing up every day. One of my college mentors just passed away. One of the lessons I got from him that resonated with me was that he was always there — when I needed him, when my daughter was born, when I didn’t have a parent to walk with me on the field on my senior day. The lesson I got from his example was that consistency matters. He was consistent and showed up whenever I needed him.

The other area in which he demonstrated his consistency was in how he loved me — whether I was wrong, whether I didn’t call him back for some time, whether I missed an appointment — he loved me the same. That goes a long way. And whenever we had our time together, he was present. He wasn’t elsewhere, thinking about somebody else. He wasn’t on his phone. He was present with me.

So, for me, understanding who I am as a person, as a man, and as a professional athlete — those are what you must bring to the table. You have to be present when you are in a game or sitting in a boardroom so you can add value to that room. When you disagree with your coworker, your boss, or you are the boss and don’t agree with others you are leading, you still have to be consistent in how you treat them and show them respect. Just being there when they need you. If you are going to be a businessman/entrepreneur, people will be there for you. Will you be there for them when they need you? These are key if you want to follow my journey.

You are by all accounts a very successful person. How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

That’s easy. One of the things I learned early is to give back of myself as much as I give of my finances. Organizations like what you give in donations. People love what you give of your time.

My time is valuable, but I understand the doors that I can open, the people I can inspire just from being in the room with them. I know that a conversation I may have with a single individual can have an effect in moving and changing lives. The foundation I started in 2006, which was once called Akin’s Path, and transitioned to Dreambuilders Foundation in 2011, does what I spoke about earlier. It is the conduit.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

The movement for me would be “Self-Reflection.” It is one of the things I learned during my adolescence and teen years. Giving myself grace and appreciating who I am and who I am trying to become. One of the things that my faith teaches me is that I am one of one. There is nobody who runs like me, sings like me. What gives me the power of knowing my uniqueness is how I am essential to this world in this time and this space. If I am to change anything, it is to tell people how much the world needs them. The world doesn’t want them to give up on themselves. The world wants them to accomplish their goals. If you approach every single day with this mindset and perspective — more people will wake up excited, more people will make those calls, tell people they love them, show up and be accountable.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

I have so many life lesson quotes. I don’t drink or smoke, so quotes are literally the things that get me over the hump.

“I’ve always believed I’m a square in a room full of circles.”

This quote helps me understand and appreciate my uniqueness. It also tells me how and why I belong in the rooms I choose to walk into. I am not an accident. I have the power and the control to dictate the outcome of my life. And it is by the choices I make — which accounts for choices, decisions, consequences.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

That’s easy, Barack Obama. I believe our journeys are similar and to see him reach one of the highest offices on earth and in the manner in which he did it, with grace and dignity. I respect his approach in the everyday, and I would want to learn more about his worldview, philosophies, process, and how he has continued to evolve as a man.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!