Blake Lawrence's journey from the field to the feed

One of the most impactful companies in sports was created to solve a specific problem for one NFL star.

That decision set up Opendorse to become a major player - years later - in the NIL space.

I spent some time recently taking a deep dive into Blake Lawrence’s journey from college athlete to entrepreneur.

Here’s what I learned.

Blake was a big-time high school football player.

The Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas, he starred at quarterback and on defense, leading his team to the state championship game as a senior.

That skill - plus a 4.35 GPA - earned Blake a scholarship at the University of Nebraska.

He played three seasons for the Cornhuskers before concussions unfortunately ended his playing career.

At 21, he started his first business, a social media agency.

His next would eventually become one of the most influential players in the sports space.

You won’t believe how it began.

Blake’s former teammate at Nebraska, Prince Amukamara, became a first-round NFL Draft pick.

Companies lined up to have Amukamara endorse their brands and products on social media.

But there was a problem.

“I was helping Prince manage all that, but it was ultimately on him to send out the tweet,”Lawrence said on the No Block, No Rock Podcast. “No matter what we did, he would never actually do it.”

Lawrence’s solution?

Build the first version of Opendorse.

The product automated Amukamara’s social posts.

Problem solved.

More professional athletes used to Opendorse to ensure they fulfilled their contractual obligation to brands.

As it turns out, that choice situated Opendorse well for what was to come in college sports.

In 2021, the college landscape changed forever.

Now collegiate athletes could capitalize on their name, image, and likeness.

That meant that Opendorse could help a huge, new, segment fulfill deliverables, manage compliance with NIL guidelines, understand their market value, and receive access to financial literacy programs.

“In most professions, you work your entire life to reach your peak earning potential. In the world of big-time college football today, there are a lot of individuals that are going to make the most money they’ll ever make in their life from the ages of 18 to 22,” Lawrence said last year.

Opendorse has now served hundreds of thousands of athletes at the pro and college levels.

Lawrence’s decision years ago to play college football paid off in a big way.

He learned lessons on the field that he can apply to “the feed.”

He met Prince Amukamara.

His decision to fix a problem to help someone created a business.

Opendorse now employs 80 people.

Lawrence’s office is a block from his alma mater’s campus.

His company is one of the most influential players in the NIL space.

Most importantly?

Blake met his wife at Nebraska.

"I made a really quick transition from sports and playing football into entrepreneurship. And I found a lot of comfort in being an entrepreneur,” he said.

2 Lessons to Apply

1. Stop trying to think of “the best business idea.” Instead, observe problems that exist. Work on solving one problem (others have it, too). Businesses exist to eliminate problems. Solve a problem, and you can build something, too.

2. Lean on your network. Blake’s first “client” was someone who was a teammate, and he created an entire product to help him. Years later, Blake still talks about the impact that attending Nebraska had on him.

   This brings to mind a quote from Dickie Bush and Nicholas Cole that I love. “Your niche is your network.”

Want to take a deeper dive?

Check out these links featuring more insights from Blake Lawrence.

Coach Mark Gottfried’s podcast

Laurie Baedke’s Growth Edge Leadership podcast

No Block, No Rock Podcast

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