We had the good fortune of connecting with Gene Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gene, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As I was working my 9-5, I ran private basketball lessons on the side. The more I got into it, I realized the need for a platform meant to help coaches effectively scale their business – like Airbnb does for homeowners, or Rover for dog walkers – so I used my background in tech and built AU.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started private basketball coaching in 2017 (on the side) to stay involved with basketball & earn additional income. When it became too much to manage leads, scheduling, and bookings, I tried sourcing platforms to help – but couldn’t find anything I liked. Lightbulb goes off, and I start piecing the product/team together in 2021. Two devs got the platform halfway there, then they bailed. Give up? Nope. Found another dev (moonlighting – cost effective!) to finish the job. Platform goes live in early 2022. We start with basketball and soccer in the Philadelphia area. Enough sign-ups and bookings to know we’re onto something. 6x’d bookings in 2023, added 8 sports, expanded into 10 states, onboarded hundreds of coaches, and launched our app on iOS. What’s up for 2024? More growth, a host of new features for coaches, and a bigger team. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s worth spending the extra time proving your model while keeping a job. Just don’t quit!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife! She’s supported me throughout my entire entrepreneurial journey, and always encourages me to keep pushing forward.

Website: https://athletesuntapped.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athletesuntapped/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athletesuntapped/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/athletesuntapped/

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