[00:00:01]
AND WELCOME TO THE SCORE HOUSTON TV SERIES, THE ENTREPRENEUR'S JOURNEY WITH SCORE.I'M YOUR HOST, ANDREA GOLDSCHMIDT, BUSINESSMAN AND SOCIAL MEDIA SHARED SCORE.
FOR THE LAST 60 YEARS, SCORE HAS BEEN PROVIDING EXCELLENT SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, PROVIDING FREE, CONFIDENTIAL MENTORING, AND MANY TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR DIVERSE BUSINESS AREAS.
OUR LATEST ENDEAVOR, PARTNERING WITH THE TEAM AT HOUSTON TV TO DEVELOP A SERIES WITH ACTIONABLE BUSINESS INSIGHTS.
EACH EPISODE IS A HANDS-ON GUIDE TO ELEVATE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE EXCITING JOURNEY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
IN OUR LAST EPISODE, WE EXPLORED HOW SCORE SUPPORTS AND MENTORS NONPROFITS.
TODAY WE WANT TO INTRODUCE SMALL BUSINESSES, SOLOPRENEURS, AND ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS TO THE MASSIVE BUSINESS POTENTIAL OF SOCCER IN THE UNITED STATES, ESPECIALLY AROUND UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS LIKE THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2026, WHERE SEVEN GAMES WILL BE HOSTED IN HOUSTON.
OUR FOCUS TODAY IS THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO SOCCER IN THE LARGER HOUSTON METRO AREA, BUT EQUALLY APPLY TO TEXAS AND THE US OVERALL.
I'M EXCITED TO WELCOME A NUMBER OF SPECIAL GUESTS FROM TEAM HOUSTON, AN EXPERT IN THE BUSINESS OF SOCCER.
AND MARK WINCHESTER, THE DISTRICT DIRECTOR OF THE SBA FOR HOUSTON.
WELCOME BACK TO TODAY'S EPISODE TITLED SOCCER, A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY YOU CANNOT MISS.
SO, ARE YOU READY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF SOCCER, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SOCCER FAN, THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO SOCCER AND THE WORLD CUP, AND WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO PREPARE FOR AND OPERATIONALIZE THE OPPORTUNITY? THEN LET'S GET STARTED.
JOIN ME IN WELCOMING OUR TWO SOCCER BUSINESS EXPERTS FROM TEAMS, HOUSTON Y, LUKE BLACKBORN, AND E EMMANUEL, JOHN Y, LUKE AND E EMMANUEL.
SO DO YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF, YAN LUKE? YEAH, A LITTLE BIT.
I MEAN, MY NAME IS YOLI BLACKBORN.
I AM A PROUD DUTCHMAN, UH, LIVING SINCE 1999 IN HOUSTON.
UHHUH ACTIVE AS A BUSINESS CONSULTANT, BRINGING COMPANIES FROM EUROPE TO THE US AND SINCE A LITTLE BIT OVER A YEAR, UH, CO-FOUNDER AND CO-LEADER FOR THE TEAM HOUSTON EFFORT, TRYING TO HELP BUSINESSES UNDERSTAND SOCCER.
UH, EMMANUEL, DO YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AS WELL? SURE.
MY NAME IS EMMANUEL JOHN, UH, BORN AND BROUGHT UP IN PARIS, FRANCE.
UM, TRAVELED ABROAD FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS BEFORE LANDING IN HOUSTON ABOUT 12 YEARS AGO.
UM, AND I'VE BEEN MANAGING MY OWN COMPANY IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY, UHHUH I CONSULTING WITH THE BRANDS AND LEAGUES AND CLUBS, UM, HELPING THEM GROW IN NEW MARKETS.
UM, AND I JOINED TEAM HOUSTON COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, UM, TRYING TO HELP ON THE, UM, LOCAL ORGANIZATION, LOCAL BUSINESSES, SUPPORT.
SO LET'S DIRECTLY DIVE INTO THIS.
SO, JAN, LUKE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SO MANY PARTS IN THE US, YOU KNOW, SOCCER ECOSYSTEM.
CAN YOU GIVE US A BIT OF AN INTRO INTO KIND OF WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT LEAGUES AND THE KIND OF THE DIFFERENT TOURNAMENTS? SO GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.
SO, WELL, UM, SOCCER, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE THINK IT'S NOT A BIG SPORT IN THE US BUT YOU CAN, UH, YOU CAN REST ASSURE, I MEAN, IT'S ALREADY VERY BIG AND IT'S GONNA BE BIGGER.
YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IT AS A BIG PYRAMID.
YOU HAVE THE RECREATIONAL SOCCER, THE YOUTH SOCCER, THE STUFF THAT IS HAPPENING OUT IN THE STREET.
AND THEN AS YOU GO UP, YOU HAVE HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER, YOU HAVE COLLEGE SOCCER, AND THEN YOU GET AT SOME POINT TO THE PROFESSIONAL LEVELS WHERE WE HAVE MULTIPLE LEAGUES IN THE UNITED STATES.
UM, AND THEN YOU HAVE IN THE END, I MEAN THAT THE TOP, THE MLS RIGHT? THAT IS WITHIN THE US AND THEN THERE'S OF COURSE ALL KIND OF INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS BEING PLAYED THAT ARE BASICALLY ON TOP OF THAT.
UM, SO YEAH, A MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY, UH, WHERE THE MLS AT THE TOP IS ALREADY ONE OF THE BIGGEST LEAKS IN THE WORLD, UM, AND COULD POTENTIALLY BE THE BIGGEST LEAKS.
I MEAN, JUST PURE OF THE NUMBERS IN THE UNITED STATES.
SO EMANUEL HOUSTON IS REALLY BECOMING MORE AND MORE A SOCCER HUB.
SO GIVE US A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, OF AN OVERVIEW OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE LOCAL TEAMS, WHAT ARE THE LOCAL, UH, LOCATIONS, YOU KNOW, WHERE SOCCER IS, YOU KNOW, CELEBRATED, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE EVENTS? JUST GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE ECOSYSTEM LOCALLY LOOKS LIKE.
WE HAVE TWO PROFESSIONAL TEAMS, THE HOUSTON DYNAMOS AND THE EASTERN DASH, UH, MEN AND WOMEN TEAMS FROM FOR, FOR HOUSTON UHHUH.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE TWO, UH, MAJOR STADIUMS, UH, WITH THE ENERGY STADIUM AND THE, UM, SHELL CELL STADIUM FOR THE DYNAMOS.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE ENTIRE YOUTH, UH, YOUTH MARKET FROM, YOU KNOW, THE VERY YOUNGS TO OLDER FUN LEAGUES, UM, THAT ARE ALL AROUND THE CITY, UH, POPULATING, YOU KNOW, FROM FROM EAST TO WEST.
[00:05:01]
WHAT'S, YOU KNOW, THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY THAT COMES WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THIS MUST BE A MASSIVE, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITY.WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW BIG THIS IS IN PARTICULAR WHEN WE ACTUALLY START THINKING ABOUT THE UPCOMING WORLD CUP THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HAS SEVEN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GAMES HERE IN HOUSTON.
SO GIMME A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW.
I MEAN, THERE'S GOTTA BE SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITIES ON THE TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY AND, YOU KNOW, MARKETING SIDE.
SO GIMME A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT'S ACTUALLY INVOLVED HERE.
THERE IS, WE LIKE TO SAY THERE IS TWO TYPES OF, OF, OF POTENTIAL REVENUES IS THE IN, IN STADIUMS AND THE OUT STADIUMS. MM-HMM
UM, AND REALLY YOU HAVE, IT'S A MULTI-LAYERED, UH, ECONOMIC REVENUES THAT CAN AFFECT A, A WIDE VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES GOING FROM, UM, FOOD AND BEVERAGES, HOSPITALITY, UM, TRANSPORTATION, UH, FAN ENGAGEMENT AND EXPERIENCES, UM, THAT ALL THE FANS ARE LOOKING FOR.
SO THAT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SMALL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AMONG THOSE, BECAUSE IF I THINK ABOUT RESTAURANTS, I MEAN, ALL OF THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE TYPICALLY DONE, YOU KNOW, FREQUENTLY BY SMALLER BUSINESSES.
SO, UH, ON LUKE THEN, YOU KNOW, TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE SOCCER FAN, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE LOCAL SOCCER FAN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE, YOU KNOW, NATIONAL SOCCER FAN, AND THEN ACTUALLY VERY IMPORTANT OBVIOUSLY WITH, YOU KNOW, UH, ALL THE INTERNATIONAL SOCCER FANS COMING IN AS PART OF THE WORLD CUP.
SO GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF A VIEW OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOCCER FANS.
SO, SO HOUSTON IS A SOCCER CITY.
WE HAVE A LOT OF SOCCER FANS, RIGHT? OUR ESTIMATES ARE, LET'S SAY THAT'S OVER 2 MILLION SOCCER FANS, BUT WE ALWAYS SAY THERE'S NOT ONE SOCCER FAN MM-HMM
RIGHT? YOU HAVE THE CLUB FANS, YOU HAVE THE NATIONAL TEAM FANS, THEY OBVIOUSLY OVERLAP, BUT IN THE CLUB TEAMS, YOU HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENCES.
I MEAN, NOT EVERYBODY IS PER SE, HOUSTON DYNAMO FAN.
WE HAVE THEM FROM FC BARCELONA TO R MADRID, RIGHT? I MEAN, SO THERE'S A VAST ARRAY.
UM, YOU HAVE FEMALE FANS, YOU HAVE YOUNG FANS, AND THE SOCCER FAN IS VERY INTERESTING FOR EVERY BUSINESS TO UNDERSTAND.
IT'S VERY SKEWED TOWARDS MORE AND MORE FEMALE, MORE AND MORE GEN Z, RIGHT? AND ALSO VERY MULTICULTURAL.
AND THAT PLAYS TOTALLY INTO, UH, LET'S SAY THE COLOR AND NATURE OF HOUSTON.
WE ARE A GLOBAL CITY, RIGHT? WE ARE THE MOST DIVERSE CITY, AND THE NUMBER ONE SPORT IN THE WORLD IS SOCCER.
SO THERE IS A LOT OF SOCCER GOING ON.
IT MIGHT BE NOT YET AS VISIBLE, BUT THE WORLD CUP WILL MAKE ALL OF THAT VISIBLE BECAUSE THEN WE GET THE INTERNATIONAL SOCCER FAN COMING TO TOWN, AND THEN WE GET EVEN MORE COLOR ONTO THAT WHOLE, UH, GROUP OF SOCCER FANS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
THAT SOUNDS REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING.
SO GIVE ME A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF ABOUT THE FAN CULTURE, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT DRIVES A LOT OF THE ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR ULTIMATELY OF THE SOCCER FANS.
SO GIMME A BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT ACTUALLY PLAYS INTO CANADA GAME HERE.
SO, SO YOU CAN THINK OF THE FAN, RIGHT? I MEAN, THE FAN IS YOUR CUSTOMER AS A BUSINESS, AND THEN YOU CAN ADDRESS THAT FAN IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
UH, I CALL IT THE PHYSICAL LEVEL, RIGHT? I MEAN, IT'S TRANSPORTATION, IT'S FOOD, IT'S BEVERAGES.
I MEAN, ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS.
UH, BUT THERE IS ALSO THE EMOTIONAL LEVEL, RIGHT? I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE FANS.
WE ARE WEARING, YEAH, WE ARE WEARING, OUR JERSEY FANS ARE GONNA GO WEAR JERSEYS, THEY'RE GONNA GO WEAR HAT, THEY'RE GONNA BECOME MEMBERS OF FAN GROUPS AND SO ON.
THEY'RE GONNA SUBSCRIBE TO THINGS.
THEN YOU HAVE THE WHOLE LEVEL OF, OF MEDIA AND ENGAGEMENT, RIGHT? FROM SOCIAL MEDIA UP TO APPS, UP TO ALL KIND OF THINGS.
AND THEN ALSO, I MEAN, GOING INTO THE STADIUM AND BUYING TICKETS, RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE ALL THESE DIFFERENT LEVELS, ALL THESE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.
THAT'S REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING.
AND SO IF YOU WOULD WANT TO KIND OF TRANSLATE THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF INTO MORE THE INTERNATIONAL KIND OF VIEW THAT'S NOW COMING IN, YOU KNOW, WITH THE WORLD CUP, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE HAVE TO EXPECT? YOU KNOW, DO WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE GAMES ARE? DO WE ALREADY HAVE A SENSE OF, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE? WELL, SO, SO YOU'RE ASKING SOMEBODY WHO IS SITTING HERE IN ORANGE, RIGHT? AND SO I WON'T, I MEAN, I WON'T GO AND DO THE DUTCH PITCH, BUT I MEAN, WE HAVE FIVE GAMES, RIGHT? AND THERE'S GONNA BE, THAT MEANS 10 COUNTRIES PLAYING IN THE, IN THE GROUP MATCHES.
THAT'S GONNA BRING A LOT OF INTERNATIONAL CROWD HERE.
UM, AND THAT MEANS WE'RE GOING TO GET PEOPLE VISITING, RIGHT? UM, THAT ARE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, THAT ARE FROM OTHER CULTURES.
THE GOOD THINGS MOST OF THESE COUNTRIES AND CULTURES ARE HERE.
BUT WE HAVE TO PREPARE FOR THAT AND UNDERSTAND WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE.
IT'S GONNA BE A WONDERFUL MIX AND MATCH OF LOCAL CULTURE, LOCAL FANS WITH INTERNATIONAL FANS.
AND WE THINK ALSO BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ARE GOING TO GET MORE LOCAL FANS IS BECAUSE TO SEE ALL THE EXCITEMENT HAPPENING.
IN THE NEXT SEGMENT, WE WILL TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES RELATED TO SOCCER AND THE WORLD CUP IN PARTICULAR.
SO, STICK AROUND AS WE CONTINUE TO TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE OPPORTUNITY AREAS IN THE NEXT SEGMENT COMING UP.
[00:10:54]
WELCOME BACK, I'M YOUR HOST, ANDREAS GOLDSCHMIDT, AND WE ARE TALKING TO OUR SOCCER BUSINESS EXPERTS, JAN, LUKE BLACKBURN, AND EMMANUEL JOHN FROM TEAM HOUSTON.IN THIS SEGMENT, WE'LL DIVE INTO HOW TO POSITION YOUR BUSINESS IN THE SOCCER ECONOMY, AND IN PARTICULAR IN PREPARATION FOR THE UPCOMING WORLD CUP IN 2026.
SO, JAN, LUKE, WHAT ARE ACTUALLY THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO THE BUSINESS OF SOCCER? THERE'S GOTTA BE ENORMOUS, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES AS YOU ACTUALLY START DRILLING DOWN INTO, YOU KNOW, HOSPITALITY AND A NUMBER OF OTHER ITEMS. GIVE US, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW WITH PARTICULAR FOCUS ON, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN ACTUALLY SMALL BUSINESSES BENEFIT, YOU KNOW, FROM THIS ENORMOUS, YOU KNOW, INCREASE IN, UH, ATTENTION TO SOCCER THAT IS GONNA COME WITH THE, UH, FIFA WORLD CUP, YOU KNOW, IN THE LATE IN THE YEAR.
SO, UM, SO REMEMBER WE ALWAYS SAY THERE'S 365 DAYS OF SOCCER, RIGHT? UH, BUT THE WORLD CUP IS GOING TO BE YOUR ACCELERATOR.
AND DURING THAT ACCELERATOR, UM, AS MANUEL POINTED OUT, RIGHT? I MEAN, A LOT OF THE OPPORTUNITY IS GONNA BE OUTSIDE THE STADIUM.
SO WE RECENTLY PUT ON OUR WEBSITE TEAM THAT HOUSTON.COM, WE PUT A BLOCK WHERE WE SAID, WHO ARE THE THREE WINNERS AND WHO ARE THE THREE SURPRISE SEGMENTS? THE THREE WINNER SEGMENTS ARE OBVIOUSLY HOSPITALITY, RIGHT? I MEAN, HOTELS, PEOPLE NEED TO STAY HERE.
RIGHT? I MEAN, SO, UH, THAT'S ONE.
UH, THE SECOND ONE IS OBVIOUSLY, UH, BARS AND RESTAURANTS MM-HMM
RIGHT? FOOD AND BEVERAGES ARE GONNA BE ALL AROUND.
UM, YOU AND I ARE BOTH FROM EUROPE, SO YOU KNOW HOW THAT'S GOING TO BE DURING THESE DAYS.
LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY ACROSS THE CITY, A VERY OBVIOUS ONE.
UM, AND THEN, UH, WE THINK ALSO A BIG AREA IS GONNA BE, UH, EVENTS AND, AND, UH, EVENT VENUES AND VENUE SERVICES.
FOR THE VERY SIMPLE REASON, THINK YOU HAVE 104 GAMES, RIGHT? THERE'S GONNA BE SEVEN PLATES, SO THAT MEANS THE OTHER ONES ARE NOT PLAYED HERE MM-HMM
BUT THEY'RE GOING TO BE WATCHED.
SO EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE MOSTLY A WATCH PARTY, AND THEREFORE THOSE THREE ARE GOING TO BE PHENOMENALLY SUCCESSFUL.
THEN WE ALSO PUT OUT, UH, THREE SURPRISE ONES, RIGHT? AND MAYBE NOT SO SURPRISING IF YOU THINK WHO THE SOCCER AUDIENCE IS.
UH, ONE IS EVERYTHING TECH RELATED.
SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE APPS, YOU'RE GONNA SEE AR, YOU'RE GONNA SEE ALL KIND OF, UH, NEW TECHNOLOGY AND SURPRISE KIND OF OFFERINGS COMING OUT.
UM, THE OTHER THING IS, IF YOU LOOK AT THE SOCCER FAN, AS I SAID EARLIER, RIGHT? I MEAN, IT'S GEN Z, IT'S A YOUNG GENERATION, SO THEY WANT TO ENGAGE WITH TECHNOLOGY, BUT YOU'RE ALSO GONNA GET DEDICATED MARKETING EFFORTS TOWARDS THE YOUNGER CROWD.
AND THEN FOR HOUSTONIANS, NOT UNFAMILIAR, WE ARE A VERY MULTICULTURAL CROWD, AND THE HISPANIC MARKET IS GONNA BE VERY, VERY ON TOP OF THIS.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE DEDICATED MULTICULTURAL EFFORTS, AND THEN WE THINK THERE'S GONNA BE SURPRISE EFFORTS, RIGHT? THERE'S ALWAYS, IN EVERY WORLD CUP, A LITTLE BIT OF GORILLA MARKETING.
SO EXPECT, UH, POP-UP ACTIVATIONS, THINGS THAT ARE SUDDENLY GOING TO HAPPEN THAT NOBODY THOUGHT ABOUT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THIS WORLD CUP, UH, LIKE ANY WORLD CUP IS GOING TO TRIGGER CREATIVITY.
UH, BRANDS WILL WANT TO STAND OUT BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S GONNA BE WATCHING.
EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE HERE, IT'S GONNA BE CROWDED.
AND THAT'S ALSO BACK TO THE BUSINESSES, RIGHT? I MEAN, THINK OF, UH, STANDING OUT, THINK OF BEING CREATIVE BECAUSE ON THE FIRST THREE, THERE'S GONNA BE MANY ON THOSE LAST THREE, MAYBE NOT SO MANY.
AND THAT'S YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BE UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT AND TO APPEAL TO THE, BOTH THE LOCAL AND THE INTERNATIONAL SOCCER FANS.
I CAN EASILY SEE THAT THERE'S GOTTA BE LOTS OF VERY KIND OF IMPORTANT SMALL TERM, YOU KNOW, SMALL TIME OPPORTUNITIES, WHETHER THAT'S, YOU KNOW, SHORT TERM RENTALS, WHETHER THAT MAY ACTUALLY BE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TRANSPORTATION THROUGH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF RIDE SHARE.
I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S GOTTA BE PLENTY OF, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESS.
AND NOT EVERYTHING IS FOR THE BIG BRANDS.
SO A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK, OH, THIS IS FOR THE BIG BRANDS.
NO, YOU CAN BE A SMALL BRAND, YOU CAN BE CREATIVE, AND YOU CAN DRAW A LOT OF BUSINESS.
UH, EMMANUEL, SO HOW DOES THAT CONNECT TO MARKETING STRATEGY? YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY YOU NEED TO MARKET TO THE FAN, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE WOULD TYPICALLY CALL IN MARKETING
[00:15:01]
SPEECH B TWO Z.UH, YOU NEED TO MARKETING TO MARKET TO, UH, BUSINESSES, WHAT WE TYPICALLY WOULD CALL B2B.
SO GIMME A LITTLE BIT OF AN INSIGHT ON HOW THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF RELATES TO MARKETING STRATEGIES AND WHAT SMALL BUSINESSES IN PARTICULAR SHOULD DO, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEXT KIND OF FEW MONTHS AND DURING, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE WORLD CUP TO STAND OUT.
LIKE JOHN, YOU SAID EARLIER, UM, THE MAIN, THE MAIN TARGET FOR YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY WITH THE B2C UH, CONSUMER IS REALLY HOW CAN YOU CREATE THE BEST EXPERIENCE FOR THEM? UM, BECAUSE THEY, WHAT'S DRIVING THEIR, THEIR EMOTION, IT'S THEIR EMOTION.
IT'S THE, THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU'RE CREATING.
UM, AND SO HOW CAN YOU CREATE THE BEST EXPERIENCE FOR THEM, UM, SO THAT TRANSLATE IN MORE BUSINESSES FOR YOU? UM, WHATEVER THE KIND OF ACTIVITIES THAT YOU CAN HAVE ON A B2B SIDE, UM, IT'S REALLY A DIFFERENT SET OF, OF METRICS THAT THEY'RE USING.
UH, AND IT'S MORE DATA ORIENTED, MORE LOI ON THEIR OPERATION.
UM, WHETHER IT'S HOW THEY CAN, HOW THEY CONNECT WITH THE, WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS OR ALSO HOW THEY CONNECT WITH THEIR EMPLOYEES.
SO, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY ANOTHER KIND OF ASPECT HERE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, VERY IMPORTANT IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF BIG BRANDS INVOLVED, RIGHT? UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE CLUBS, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, HAVE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY KIND OF, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TRADEMARKS AND OTHER THINGS IN PLACE.
LUKE, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE ACTUALLY KIND MAKE SURE, UH, WE'RE NOT CROSSING, YOU KNOW, ANY KIND OF LEGAL BOUNDARIES, UH, ON THOSE ELEMENTS, YOU KNOW, FOR NATIONAL TEAM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CHOICES, ALL THIS GOOD STUFF THAT, YOU KNOW, SMALL BUSINESS MAY WANT TO DO? SO I, I WAS EARLIER, OF COURSE, RIGHT? I MEAN, UH, TELLING EVERYBODY TO BE VERY CREATIVE, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE CREATIVE IN THE RIGHT WAY, RIGHT? MM-HMM
IN THE, IN THE LEGALLY CORRECT WAY.
WE'RE TALKING WITH ABOUT HERE, I MEAN, THE BIGGEST SPORT IN THE WORLD MM-HMM
UM, SO THAT MEANS IT'S ALSO THE BIGGEST SPORT BUSINESS IN THE WORLD, AND THAT MEANS IT HAS THE BEST LAWYERS IN THE WORLD, AND THEY ARE PROTECTING THEIR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, RIGHT? I MEAN, ALL THE, UH, ALL THE BRANDS, ALL THE TEAMS ARE BRANDS, ALL THE PLAYERS ARE BRANDS, ALL THE TOURNAMENTS ARE BRANDS, AND THEY ALL PROTECT THEIR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.
AND SO, PARTICULARLY THE FIFA, THE FIFA IS VERY RIGID ON THAT.
SO YOU, AS A BUSINESS, YOU CANNOT JUST TAKE THE FIFA LOGO OR NOT EVEN THE WORLD CUP NAME.
YOU HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY CAUTIOUS.
THERE ARE ALL KIND OF RULES FOR THAT.
UH, I MEAN, WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD THE FIFA IP GUIDELINES FROM THE WEBSITE AND STUDY THEM, OR YOU COME TO TEAM HOUSTON, AND WE CAN PROBABLY HELP YOU WITH THAT, BUT BE VERY CAUTIOUS.
IT'S BETTER TO BE, UH, CREATIVE IN, IN A DIFFERENT WAY, RIGHT? THAN JUST USING THE EXACT LOGOS OR EXACT PICTURES.
I MEAN, YOU CAN'T JUST DO A MESSY T-SHIRT AND STAND ON THE STREET CORNER AND START SELLING IT, RIGHT? IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT.
UM, SO THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO DO IT.
AND SO WHAT WE TELL EVERYBODY, BE RESPECTFUL.
YOU WOULD WANT PEOPLE TO BE RESPECTFUL OF YOUR BUSINESS MM-HMM
SO BE RESPECTFUL OF THOSE BRANDS, AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA BE GOOD AND OKAY.
THAT, THAT SOUNDS, YOU KNOW, REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
RIGHT? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD EASILY SEE THAT PEOPLE MAY JUST, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, PRINT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UH, CHOICES, YOU KNOW, OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PLAYERS AND ALL OF THAT, YOU KNOW, IS OBVIOUSLY KIND OF STARTING TO KIND OF CROSS THE BOUNDARY OF WHAT IS FEASIBLE AND WHAT IS ACTUALLY GONNA ALLOWED.
SIMILARLY IMPORTANT IS THE BROADCASTING, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO YOU CAN'T JUST PUT A, A, A, A THING ON A TV AND JUST OPEN UP A WATCH PARTY.
I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL.
CHECK ALSO THERE WHAT THE RULES ARE, BECAUSE IF YOU DO A PAID EVENT OR CERTAIN RULES, IF YOU ARE WITH CERTAIN CAPACITY OF EVENT OR CERTAIN RULES, SO YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT ALSO INTO ACCOUNT.
UH, LOTS OF MONEY HAVE BEEN PAID FOR THE, FOR THE BROADCASTING RIGHTS.
YOU KNOW, EMMANUEL, THANK YOU ACTUALLY SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US TODAY.
I KNOW YOU WOULD NOT GONNA BE JOINING US IN KIND OF THE THIRD SEGMENT.
THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, AWESOME INSIGHTS.
WE REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER QUICK BREAK.
WHEN WE COME BACK, WE WILL DIVE INTO THE ASPECT OF OPERATIONALIZING YOUR PLAN, RANGING FROM PERMITS, FINANCING, AND OTHER ASPECTS TO GET PREPARED AND BENEFIT FROM THE COMING SOCCER BOOM.
IN FACT, CLOGS FROM THESE ITEMS ARE THE MAIN CAUSE OF SEWER OVERFLOWS IN HOUSTON.
LEARN MORE@PROTECTOURPIPES.ORG.
DOWNTOWN IS AN ART LOVER'S DREAM WITH MORE THAN 65 PIECES OF PUBLIC ARTS.
[00:20:09]
WELCOME BACK TO THE FINAL SEGMENT OF TODAY'S EPISODE.SOCCER, A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY YOU CANNOT MISS.
WE'LL NOW DIVE INTO THE OVERDUE PREPARATION FOR A MAJOR EVENT LIKE THE UPCOMING WORLD CUP THAT INCLUDES PERMITS, FINANCES, AND GETTING READY OPERATIONALLY.
I ALSO WANT TO WELCOME ANOTHER GUEST AND FRIEND MARK WINCHESTER FROM THE SBA OFFICE IN HOUSTON.
SO MARK, WHY DON'T YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF? SURE.
I'M THE DISTRICT DIRECTOR, DISTRICT DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED STATES SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, UHHUH, UH, HOUSTON DISTRICT OFFICE.
WE, UM, OVERSEE THE DELIVERY OF SBAS MISSION IN 32 COUNTIES.
SO, SO MARK, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TALKING, YOU KNOW, QUITE A BIT, YOU KNOW, IN THE PREVIOUS SEGMENTS ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE RELATED TO THE WORLD CUP, AND AS YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY A NUMBER OF KIND OPPORTUNITIES, YOU KNOW, THAT MAY BE REQUIRING FINANCING AS AN EXAMPLE, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, UH, YOU MAY WANT TO KIND OF INSTALL TVS, YOU KNOW, IN YOUR RESTAURANT OR IN YOUR CAR, RIGHT? UH, YOU MAY ACTUALLY WANNA KIND OF BUY MORE CARS, YOU KNOW, FOR TRANSPORTATION OR, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FANS TO AND FROM, YOU KNOW, THE GAMES.
UH, YOU MAY ACTUALLY WANT TO KIND OF DO THINGS AROUND FENCE ZONES AND OTHER THINGS.
SO HOW CAN THE SBA ACTUALLY HELP ON, YOU KNOW, FINANCING AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY? ANDREAS, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
SBAS MISSION IS TO MAKE THE AMERICAN DREAM OF BUSINESS OWNERSHIP A REALITY.
AND WE DO THAT BY HELPING BUSINESSES START, GROW, EXPAND, AND RECOVER.
WE HAVE FOUR MAJOR PROGRAMS, CAPITAL CONTRACTING, COUNSELING, AND CRISIS.
SO WHEN IT COMES TO CAPITAL SBA, WE DON'T PROVIDE THE LOAN, WE GUARANTEE THE LOAN MM-HMM
AND HERE IN HOUSTON, WE HAVE ABOUT 130 LENDERS THAT OFFER THE SBA LOAN GUARANTEE.
THAT LOAN GUARANTEE IS FROM 50,000 ALL THE WAY UP TO 5 MILLION.
AND ANDREAS, WE ALSO HAVE MICRO LENDERS THAT OFFER LENDING FROM $500 ALL THE WAY UP TO $50,000.
SO WHETHER A SMALL BUSINESS IS, IS NEEDING SEVERAL, UH, MONITORS, OR WHETHER THEY'RE NEEDING BUILD OUT WORKING CAPITAL, UH, RENOVATE THE ENTIRE RESTAURANT, UM, THE LENDERS THAT OFFER OUR SBA LOAN CARE GUARANTEE CAN OFFER THAT CAPITAL TO THE BUSINESSES AS THEY PREPARE FOR THE FIFA CUP.
YOU KNOW, AND IF SOMEBODY NEEDS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW DOES, YOU KNOW I'M GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, SELF-CENTERED HERE AND HOW CAN ACTUALLY SCORE, YOU KNOW, HELP, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SMALL BUSINESSES GETTING PREPARED FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
SO ANDREAS, YOU'RE ACTUALLY ADDRESSING THE SECOND SEA, AND THAT'S, UM, COUNSELING AND, UH, WITH SBA, WE HAVE RESOURCE PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE TEXAS GULF COAST, SBDC, UM, WE HAVE THREE WOMEN BUSINESS CENTERS, BUT WE'RE ALSO VERY FORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE SCORE CHAPTER 37, SCORE, CHAPTER 37.
THEY ARE MENTORS AND THEY VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME, AND THEY, THEY HAVE EXPERTISE IN 63 INDUSTRIES.
THEY'RE ALSO SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS.
THEY HAVE EXPERTISE IN BOOKKEEPING AND ACCOUNTING, IN LEGAL, IN RETAIL, IN WEBSITE, AND, AND THEY'RE SERIAL ENTREPRENEURS, AND THEY CAN DELIVER, UH, THE GUIDANCE MENTORING THAT REALLY ALL BUSINESSES NEED TO HAVE.
UM, WHETHER IT'S JUST DOING BUSINESS IN, IN HOUSTON OR PREPARING FOR A BUSINESS FOR FIFA CUP.
YEAH, SOUNDS, YOU'VE GOT A REALLY KIND OF GREAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ALL AROUND SERVICE THAT, YOU KNOW, CAN HELP, YOU KNOW, BUSINESSES EITHER EXISTING CORRECT, OR ACTUALLY KIND OF GETTING INTO BUSINESS AS PART OF KIND THE WORLD CUP, YOU KNOW, REALLY, YOU KNOW, WITH GREAT SERVICES TO HELP THEM.
UH, YEAH, LOOK, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER KIND OF TOPIC AND YOU KNOW, MARK, YOU KNOW, PLEASE CHIME IN AS WELL, OBVIOUSLY, AS YOU KIND OF KNOW QUITE A BIT ABOUT THAT TOO.
HOW DOES THIS LOOK, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WITH, YOU KNOW, PERMITS AND, YOU KNOW, OTHER THINGS, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY YOU CANNOT JUST, YOU KNOW, KINDA, YOU KNOW, GO UP ON THE STREET AND ACTUALLY START, YOU KNOW, OPENING UP, YOU KNOW, KIND OF YOUR RESTAURANT OR SAY, OKAY, THIS IS NOW MY FAN, SO AND SO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PERMITTING AND SOME OF THOSE ELEMENTS AS WELL.
YEAH, SO, I MEAN, A LITTLE DISCLAIMER, WE'RE OBVIOUSLY NOT THE PERMITTING EXPERTS.
BUT WE DID A WONDERFUL THING TOGETHER WITH YOU GUYS.
UH, WE DID SEVERAL WEBINARS BOTH IN ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH, WHERE WE BASICALLY LAY THOSE KIND OF THINGS OUT, RIGHT? I MEAN, AGAIN, SAME AS WITH THE BROADCASTING, AND SAME AS WITH THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.
YOU CAN'T JUST GO OUT ON THE STREET AND, UH, AND DO YOUR THING, RIGHT? I MEAN, EVERYBODY WOULD, WOULD MAYBE WANNA DO THE HOTDOG ST STAND OR SELL T-SHIRTS ON THE STREET CORNER.
I MEAN, FOR MANY OF THOSE THINGS, THERE ARE PROPER, UH, AUTHORITIES THAT YOU NEED TO GO TO TO GET YOUR PERMITS.
AND I'M, I'M SURE BETWEEN YOU AND, AND MARK, I MEAN, THERE'S DIFFERENT THINGS FOR FOOD AND DIFFERENT THINGS FOR WHEN YOU WANNA OPEN UP A RESTAURANT.
SO AGAIN, AS WITH ANY BUSINESS, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU NEED TO PREPARE, AND THIS IS THE GLOBAL STAGE, RIGHT? I MEAN,
[00:25:01]
THIS IS NOT JUST A TINY LITTLE GAME.SO DO YOUR HOMEWORK, MAKE SURE YOU GOT ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS COVERED, BECAUSE THE LAST THING YOU WANT IS THAT YOUR PERMITS ARE NOT OKAY.
AND YOU HAVE TO DISAPPOINT PEOPLE WHO YOU BROUGHT IN WITH YOUR WONDERFUL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, AND THEY'RE ALL EXCITED, THEY WANNA SEE THE GAME, AND GUESS WHAT? YOU CANNOT OPEN YOUR PLACE.
THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU WOULD WANT.
SO DO YOUR HOMEWORK, RIGHT? YEAH.
I MEAN, UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE PIECES ARE, AND, AND AGAIN, UH, RESOURCES LIKE SCORE ARE GREAT TO HELP WITH THAT, RIGHT? YEAH.
YOU KNOW, ANOTHER KIND OF PART THAT OBVIOUSLY GOES WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, IS, YOU KNOW, UH, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, FEW MONTHS AWAY, YOU KNOW, UH, I'M SURE YOU CAN TELL ME EXACTLY HOW MANY DAYS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, WE'VE GOT LEFT, YOU KNOW, UNTIL ACTUALLY THE WORLD CUP KICKS OFF.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ALL THAT MUCH TIME LEFT.
SO IF YOU WOULD KIND OF PRIORITIZE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FOR TODAY, YOU KNOW, YOUR SMALL BUSINESS, YOU HAVEN'T REALLY THOUGHT THAT MUCH ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SOCCER YET.
UH, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU CERTAINLY SEE THAT THAT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO GET ENGAGED.
WHAT WOULD BE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY ITEMS THAT YOU WOULD ACTUALLY KIND OF, YOU KNOW, START WORKING ON RIGHT NOW? SO I, I WOULDN'T NOT CALL IT PER SE A PRIORITY ITEM.
I WOULD MORE THINK IN THREE STAGES, RIGHT? BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE WORLD CUP.
BECAUSE WE ALWAYS SAY THERE'S MILLIONS OF SOCCER FANS HERE IN HOUSTON, AND IF YOU DO YOUR JOB RIGHT, AND IF YOU BRING IN NEW CUSTOMERS, THERE'S GONNA BE MORE LOCAL SOCCER FANS THAN VISITING SOCCER FANS.
RIGHT? SO, MAKE YOUR PLAN BEFORE, TEST SOME THINGS, HAVE YOUR CONCEPTS VERY WELL DEFINED.
AGAIN, TEAM HOUSTON CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT.
BUT THEN YOU HAVE THE, I CALL IT THE TORNADO OF THE WORLD CUP.
AND THEN YOU COME OUT AND THE PROJECTIONS ARE THAT THE SOCCER FAN BASE WILL GROW 30 TO 50%.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE HUGE, RIGHT? IF WE ALREADY HAVE 2 MILLION SOCCER FANS HERE, IT'S GONNA BE EASILY TWO AND A HALF TO 3 MILLION.
SO PLAN WITH THE LONG TERM IN MIND PLAN, WITH THE SPORT IN MIND, THAT IS ALMOST THE MOST IMPORTANT PRIORITY.
YOU WANNA GO AFTER THE SPORT, NOT JUST THE QUICK BUCK.
YEAH, SO ANY KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IN POSITIONS, I THINK THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THIS IS NOT, YOU KNOW, JUST A SHORT TERM PREPARATION FOR THE WORLD CUP, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, IS GONNA STAY AND HOPEFULLY IS GONNA BE AS AN INTEREST LEVEL, YOU KNOW, REALLY KIND OF BOOST IT.
SO ANY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LAST, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FINAL THOUGHTS, YOU KNOW, UH, MARK OR, YOU KNOW, UH, JAN, LUKE ACTUALLY ON, YOU KNOW, THE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BUSINESS OF SOCCER C COUPLE OF THINGS.
ONE, I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE PERMITS.
I, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THEY WORK, AND THIS REALLY GETS BACK TO YOUR IMMEDIATE QUESTION TOO.
NOT ONLY PLAN, BUT PLAN WITH RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE THAT ARE AT NO COST TO YOU, AND THEY'RE CONFIDENTIAL, AND THEN THAT CAN HELP YOU PREPARE THAT PLAN AND, UH, INCLUDING THE SBA RESOURCE PARTNERS, INCLUDING, UH, SCORE AND, UH, MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE THAT GAME PLAN IN PLACE.
BUT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ONLY THE LICENSE AND PERMITS, BUT WHAT IS YOUR COM COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE, YOUR OPERATIONS, YOUR MARKETING, YOUR SALES, YOUR FINANCIALS, YOUR MAN MANAGEMENT TEAM.
AND YOU KNOW, TO JEAN LUKE'S POINT IS, DO YOU HAVE, DO YOU HAVE THE WORKING CAPITAL TO SEE YOU THROUGH, UH, BEF YOU KNOW, BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER, TO CARRY YOU THROUGH FOR FUTURE EVENTS AS WELL? AND THE, AND THE SUCCESS WILL BE TIED TO WORKING WITH THE SBA RESOURCE PARTNERS AND IN SPECIFICALLY WITH SCOR CHAPTER 37.
SO I THINK THAT'S A REALLY KIND OF GREAT PLACE TO ACTUALLY KIND OF END THIS.
YOU KNOW, MARK, UH, YOUNG LUKE FOR COMING, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU FOR KIND OF REALLY PROVIDING THIS GREAT INSIGHTS.
UH, SO IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE ONE OF US OR ARE SEEKING A MENTOR FROM SCORE, YOU CAN REQUEST A MENTOR OR FILL OUT THE CONTACT US FORM ON OUR WEBSITE@SCORE.ORG, UH SLASH HOUSTON.
IF YOU NEED SPECIFIC GUIDANCE ON SOCCER QUESTIONS, VISIT THE TEAM HOUSTON WEBSITE@TEAMUHHOUSTON.COM WHERE YOU CAN FIND RECORDED SCORE AND TEAM HOUSTON TRAINING EPISODES IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH, AS WELL AS LOTS OF VALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT SOCCER AND SOCCER IN HOUSTON.
IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR TOPICS YOU'D LIKE US TO COVER IN FUTURE EPISODES, DO NOT HESITATE TO REACH OUT.
YOUR FEEDBACK IS MOST IMPORTANT TO US.
STAY TUNED FOR OUR NEXT EPISODES AND DON'T MISS ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES PROVIDED BY SCORE.