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sport entrepreneur

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Winand, M., Bell, E., & Zeimers, G. (2022). “it's not just a job, it's a passion”: passions and motivations of sport entrepreneurs. Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, 13(3), 269-288. https://doi.org/10.1108/sbm-08-2021-0096

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Passion Drives Play: What Fuels Sport Entrepreneurs

Starting a new business is never easy, but for sport entrepreneurs, passion is the secret sauce that keeps them in the game. A recent study surveyed 26 innovative sport business owners in Scotland to uncover what motivates them to turn their love of sport into a career. The findings? Passion is the MVP.

While traditional entrepreneurial motivations like seeking a career change or being your own boss were factors, it was the entrepreneurs' passion for sport that really got the ball rolling. For most, their sporting passion was directly related to their business - they saw an opportunity to solve a problem or create something new in a field they loved and just ran with it.


But passion works in mysterious ways. It's not just a sparkplug for starting the business, it's also the fuel that keeps entrepreneurs chugging along through the daily grind. The study found passion for work predicted by sport passion - in other words, caring deeply about sport translates into caring deeply about the sport business they've built. It gives meaning to the hard work of entrepreneurship.

Interestingly, most of these sporty startup founders weren't just in it for the money. They wanted to make a positive impact - on their customers' lives, on their community, even on the entire sporting landscape of Scotland. Turns out passion has a way of elevating entrepreneurship from a solo endeavor to a team sport.


So for anyone dreaming of merging their love of sport with a business brainchild, take heart. Let your passion be your guide, your purpose, and your #1 draft pick. It just might take you from the sidelines to the big leagues of sport entrepreneurship. Game on.

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