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

Hi Daniel, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
78% of professional athletes go broke or face financial hardship after retirement, and this didn’t make sense to me. Every professional player had an agent, financial advisor and marketing representative, but still 78% would go broke, so I want to solve this problem.
 

What should our readers know about your business?
Fortify Management Group is a sports and entertainment consulting firm that focuses on athletes and entertainers who are entrepreneurial minded. We offer business development, financial literacy coaching, marketing and branding, and research and development. We believe that athletes and entertainers are walking businesses and that the old structure of management is outdated. To truly be able to reduce the statistic I mentioned before, it will take a holistic management approach that other groups don’t engage in. I’m proud of the roster we’ve been able to build in such a short time and looking forward to changing the way that athletes and entertainers view themselves in the management landscape.

Getting where I am today business-wise was not easy by any means, but was necessary. The challenges faced allowed me to pivot and hone skills to help me do what I’m doing today. I suffered an injury playing football at SMU and made the decision to walk away from the game. Through that transition of no longer playing ball, I was able to tap into other things and discover different passions of mine. This included supporting friends on their journey to the NFL and navigating the business management side, as well as working on software development projects with my former teammate and now partner in another venture, Vision Research & Development, Rob Seals.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The number one food spot in my opinion hands down is Chef Nate’s Wangz N Mo. He operates a food truck mainly based in Arlington, specializing in clean food. He also spends time in Fort Worth and Dallas. There are several activity-based locations in the city as well for those looking for games, golf, and entertainment. The Dallas Cowboys Golf Course is a favorite spot of mine. Also, Texas Live! in Arlington is a great spot to hang out, catch a game, eat and drink all in one.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my Grandfather who was definitely a driving force in my pursuit of entrepreneurship. However, I cannot go without thanking my team at Fortify for all they do to contribute to the success of the company, Jake Reid, Mike Weber, and Brandon Johnson.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortifymanagement/ and https://www.instagram.com/dgresh33/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-gresham-bb824311a/

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