From Athlete to Entrepreneur

Last week, Wolf & Shepherd founder and CEO Justin Schneider participated in a panel discussion hosted by Luma Launch in Santa Monica. The conversation highlighted the unique challenges that come with the transition from athlete to entrepreneur-- as well as uncovering some of the parallels between the two.

Speaking about Wolf & Shepherd’s scrappy beginnings, Justin spoke about how sharing his authentic passion for design and performance brought around to the brand’s first customers. Three years later, maintaining a clear vision and communicating it with purpose remains an incredibly important part of generating opportunities and partnerships, he said. Instead of relying on a network or relationships with high-profile spokespeople, he argued that turning the tide of public opinion through informative (yet still aspirational) content is what has brought people around to the brand.

Speaking about moving from sport into the business world, Justin revealed that the same qualities that worked to his advantage on the field have informed his philosophy as the head of his own brand. His tendency toward teamwork, his leadership abilities and of course, his competitive edge, all draw from his instincts as an athlete.

Other panel participants included Marcellus Wiley of Fox Sports, who spoke about his transition post-NFL to being a sports commentator; Anthony Katz of Hyperice, whose performance-improving recovery tools have become indispensable to numerous pro-athletes; and Kareem Rush, who has dabbled in everything from styling to singing since he retired from the NBA.