04/29/2025
If youâre a pro athlete, youâre gonna HATE this messageâŚ
When I was competing, I was pi**ed at first when I finally figured this out.
I raced snowmobiles growing up and turned pro when I was just 16.
I had local sponsorships and discounts for gear and parts, but I struggled to get a factory ride with Polaris.
Every year, multiple times a year, we pushed to land a deal.
After failing over and over, we finally took their advice and raced in a bigger series in the U.S. for a weekend.
You see, Iâm from Western Canada, and our race series (BCSF) had some of the best talent.
But we didnât have the spectators or media coverage like the Eastern Canadian and U.S. circuits.
(Thatâs the first clueâŚ)
We knew we were more talented than the racers in the U.S., but we just assumed we had to go there and prove ourselves,
But that wasnât whyâŚ
The reality was, we just didnât have a big enough audience.
Itâs ALWAYS been about the attention on you.
In our home circuit, there was no media coverage and barely any spectators.
But when we raced in the U.S., everything changed!
Thatâs why you might HATE this message if youâre super talented but see amateurs getting better deals.
Your talent has always come second to the most important reason for getting sponsored...
The number one reason has ALWAYS been about:
â
How many people are looking at you.
â
Who those people are.
â
If they are fit for becoming a new or repeat customer to the company.
Itâs ALWAYS about ROI: Return On Investment for the company.
And after racing in the U.S., guess what?
I got that factory ride we wanted!
So, does this mean you need to compete in bigger events today?
It wonât hurt, but thereâs a smarter and more efficient way to get noticed now.
Social media didnât exist when I was racing. But now you can use it to get more visibility outside of race weekends.
By building your own platform, you can open new doors to monetize your sport and even save on a good chunk of your sport expenses if you set it up correctly.
(Thousands of dollars a year)
Love it or hate it, all social media has proven to be true is that itâs never been all about your talent⌠Itâs just extremely obvious now.
And you donât need to become the next big âinfluencerâ.
You just need to build a laser focused audience that loves your sport as much as you do,
and how to show that value to brands rather than just asking for charity because youâre fast and you deserve itâŚ
So, you have two choices:
1. Stay in denial and hate on those who figured this out first.
2. Get with the times and take advantage the opportunity right in front of you.
I hope this shifts your perspective and you arenât too âbutt-hurtâ, because I know when I realized this, I was NOT stoked.
I hope you donât stew on this for years like I did, and instead embrace it so you can spend more time doing what you love.
-Aaron
P.S. If you want some help growing your brand so you can get into the bigger deals you deserve, hit me up đ
