Today, we’d like to introduce you to Sener Korkusuz.
Hi Sener, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Today, I own two businesses, one in tech and one in sports. If you would have told me when I was 17 or 18 this is the path my career would take, I would probably have laughed in disbelief, but my passions lead me to this career path and that’s exactly where I started, with a passion for technology.
My family has been a big support along the way; my mother and father bought my brother and me our first computers when we were around 7 or 8, the Commodore. Video games are what got me started in tech. I would be playing games on the Commodore, and they would crash sometimes, and sometimes they wouldn’t load all together; somehow, I was able to use the command line to get these games to work, and that was what triggered me down the path of programming.
By 17, I was self-taught in multiple programming languages, and by 18, I had started my first tech company with my friend Ryan DePaul, which we sold for a small exit. By 20, I went on to build Earth Skater to specialize in helping small business owners with their e-commerce businesses.
Growing up, sports was a big part of life. I started playing soccer around the age of 8 or 9, and I was 12 when I joined Pop Warner football. Football sparked my passion and was a big part of some of the major lessons I’ve learned in life that translate to business just as well, like teamwork, good sportsmanship, and what it takes to win.
My first coach, Coach Bruce, yelling “suck it up” sticks in my head when I’m down and feeling beaten, to suck it up and keep going. Failure is not an option mindset, and it is a big part of what it has taken to build the American 7s Football League, which I began when I was 34, and now we are completing our 10th season.
My girlfriend, Sophia and her mother, have been a vital support for me, especially after my parents both passed away when I was around 30, their good hearts and unique perspective have helped me to open up more and see a lot of things in a different light.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve faced struggles in each of my busnesses over the years as markets, technology, and policies change, I’ve had to adapt in both tech and sports.
In tech, the e-commerce market is now dominated by major players unlike when I started and that opened the opportunity to double down on Earth Skater’s focus on extra service for small business owners and helping them from A-Z with their e-commerce needs.
In sports, we successfully completed our 10th season on July 21st in the American 7s Football League and have gone through the challenges of playing a successful season during Covid in 2020, as well as shifts in the sports and media rights markets.
Thanks for sharing that. Maybe you can tell us a bit more about your business next.
The American 7s Football League (A7FL) has grown to 34 teams, 16 cities, and 1200+ athletes across the country by pioneering a familiar yet completely new format for America’s most popular sport: 7v7 tackle football without helmets or hard-shell pads.
The A7FL’s unique format retains the toughness that fans of all ages crave. In contrast, its unique gameplay delivers action-filled performances that generate tens of millions of views and attract a new, younger audience (more than 75% are 18-34).
Founded in 2014 by CEO Sener Korkusuz and President Ryan DePaul, the Spring (March-July) league’s exciting new style has also attracted UFC® Co-Founder David Isaacs as Advisory Board Chair. The A7FL boasts over 850K social media followers and partnerships with DAZN, HBCU+, and Sports.TV, and Stadium.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
For me, starting a second business and going from tech to sports was a bit risky, but that allowed me to use my business experience to get off to a running start with a new sport that quickly gained national attention on the topic of CTE and the safety of tackle football.
My goal was to build a national and then international football league promoting a safer and equally entertaining version of football that elevates head safety by removing the hard helmets and hard pads. Although industry insiders, coaches, and researchers in the science community understood the concept of risk homeostasis or risk avoidance and the evidence that football helmets and hard pads give players the feeling of invincibility, at first glance, no pads tackle football being safer was counter-intuitive and seemingly less safe.
Fortunately, A7FL received support early on, collaborating in a scientific study with the New Jersey Institute of Technology, my alma mater, where early research showed American 7s Football elevates head safety for athletes. Having grown up playing football, both with and without pads, it’s a blessing to have the opportunity to be a part of the team that A7FL has become, with over 800 athletes, 24 teams, and ten cities across the US representing millions of fans, I believe the risk was worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.a7fl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a7fl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/a7fl
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a7fl
- Twitter: https://www.x.com/thea7fl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thea7fl
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sener-korkusuz
