Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Spano.
Hi Rob, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story starts in New York, where I was born and raised. I used to play Division 1 football at Marist College, and after graduating, I worked in sales for different companies in Manhattan before deciding that corporate life wasn’t for me. I left my job as a financial services recruiter and moved to Miami to launch a marketing agency with two friends of mine at the time. We had an opportunity to work with a hospitality company, and after almost two years of working in marketing with hotels, nightclubs, and restaurants and countless ups and downs, my business partners and I decided to split ways. I wanted to focus more on working with athletes and health and wellness companies rather than nightclubs, so I launched my current company, Brand Connect, Inc.
Since launching my agency, we have successfully helped over 250+ brands grow their social media presence as well as a number of athletes & influencers in nearly every industry while building an Influencer Network of over 100M+ We’ve helped everyone from entrepreneurs, fitness trainers, and start-ups to International brands & publicly traded companies create and establish their online presence.
In the last few years, I have been able to launch a few more brands, including Doctor Hemp, a CBD company dedicated to bringing high-quality CBD products to help ease the burdens associated with everyday life. I have also been able to expand the Brand Connect agency further into talent management with the addition of several NFL & NCAA athletes this past year. My focus is to connect talent with brands to help amplify their career and digital presence while encouraging them to create a brand that is bigger than the game. Every professional athlete should focus on creating businesses that they can capitalize and monetize long after their playing days are over.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
When I first moved to Miami, it was anything but smooth. I was bouncing around South Beach, living in hotels that my client provided me, so it was a little crazy. I also emptied out every dollar I had and was the only financier behind my initial marketing agency with my two friends. After multiple failed events and a disagreement on which direction to build the company, I was left with all of the bills and debt with no help from my previous business partners. At that point, I tried to come to a settlement with them but was ignored. I then decided to go out on my own and launch Brand Connect, Inc.
At the time, I had no camera equipment, no money and just a few clients. I ended up making some great connections with some content creators who were able to help me scale my business. Before I knew it, I had over 50 clients ranging from consumer goods to professional athletes and was able to build my business to six figures within my first year. After that, I was able to scale the agency to what it is today.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Brand Connect?
I own a Sports & Entertainment marketing agency called Brand Connect Inc. We specialize in Brand Development, Athlete Management & Influencer Marketing. We currently represent NFL athletes, NCAA athletes & Influencers in helping them build and monetize their brand.
My focus is to connect TALENT with BRANDS to help amplify their career and digital presence while encouraging them to create a brand that is BIGGER than the game. Every professional athlete should focus on creating businesses that they can capitalize and monetize long after their playing days are over.
We help leverage Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, and Influencer Marketing to increase warm traffic to their website or landing page. Our strategies have shown to help accounts increase traffic through social media by more than 300% while growing their follower base over 500% at times. It’s fair to say I believe in the power of social media marketing.
Our approach to helping athletes grow their online presence goes far beyond their playing days. We aim to help athletes leverage their Name, Image and Likeness during their professional careers to build a brand that they can transition to once their careers are over. I am proud to be able to help like-minded individuals build something that they can benefit from for the rest of their lives.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m looking forward to seeing what new and exciting opportunities the future brings, but for now, I am just focusing on building out my agency and my personal brands. I have recently been building out our talent management side of the agency and signed on a few new NFL & NCAA athletes. I’m looking forward to being more involved with the athletes and helping them create and monetize their brands.
Contact Info:
- Email: rspano@thebrandconnect.com
- Website: www.thebrandconnect.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rob.spano/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialrobspano
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rob_spano
