Chris Dell is a sports journalist-turned-sports entrepreneur with his social sports app called Go Baller. We talked to him about his product, how he came up with the idea, why he decided to become an entrepreneur and advice for others who want to pursue their idea.
Read his interview to learn about the next big trend in sports social media, and how to get the best feedback as an entrepreneur. Check out Go Baller here.
Más Wired: What does your company do?
Go Baller: Go Baller is a social discovery app for sports fans. We collect the most viral and shareable sports content on social media and put it in one place, personalized for each fan. Users can track their favorite players and teams on social media, participate in live in-game chats, and make in-stream purchases on everything from player fashion wear and sports apparel to discount event tickets.
Go Baller will garner revenue through affiliate marketing (users can make in-stream purchases on sports apparel, athlete fashion wear and discounted event tickets), native advertising and social media syndication, in addition to partnering with and sponsoring sports brands for specific user streams.
MW: How does it work?
GB: Go Baller tackles the issue of clutter on social media and streamlines personalized content based off what’s trending, going viral and shareable for each user. Most individuals don’t have the time or energy to be active on each and every social network out there. Instead of adding to the clutter, we curate the best content to create a more fun and efficient experience for each user. Right now we offer this service in the form of personalizing sports content. In the near future, we see ourselves offering the same service for all verticals such as breaking news, social justice commentary, fashion, entertainment and all things newsworthy.
MW: How did you come up with the idea?
GB: This is a problem I’ve experience both as a journalist and as a fan. When you’re scrolling through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, during a game (or at any time of the day), you’re inundated with content you don’t want to see when all you’re trying to see is your favorite sports. We add an interactive layer on top of the content (fans can vote up and down on content and comments, partake in live in-game chats and play games, quizzes, etc.) to add a personality and flavor to your typical news aggregator or RSS feed.
MW: Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
GB: There was never a single moment where I say, “Hey, I’m tired of being a sports reporter, let me become an entrepreneur.” It just happened over time, with the sole desire of creating my own media instead of working for a traditional media outlet.
MW: What are some lessons you’ve learned as an entrepreneur?
GB: The key to being an entrepreneur is to constantly learn from what doesn’t work. For example, I started with this grandiose, mega-millions idea of creating the next Facebook for sports fans, when in reality, people don’t need another Facebook. Finding out one of your startup features is disliked by many is a good thing. It means you’re getting closer and closer to the right place, to the grand prize.
Always be pitching. Always strive for feedback from a wide variety of people, whether it be your colleagues, family friends, fellow entrepreneurs, professors, even random pedestrians and strangers can often be your best source of feedback. Attend meet-up events where people are encouraged to stand up and give their elevator pitch for their idea or startup.
Go one step further, partake in a startup weekend event like Google Startup Weekend or 3 Day Startup, pitch your idea on the first night and see what happens! The most important thing in this startup world is feedback, and you get that by pitching.
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Sara Inés Calderón is a journalist and writer who lives between Texas and California. Follow her on Twitter @SaraChicaD.
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[…] of start up founders from non-white backgrounds,” said Dell, who is the founder and CEO of Go Baller, a sports social media app. “We brought in people from diverse backgrounds who came to the U.S. who […]