Athlete CEO #002: Scott Donnell On Creating A Million Dollar Business Helping Kids

When Scott Donnell blew his ACL playing tennis, he thought it was all over.

As an All-American at Willamette University, tennis was Scott’s ticket to a potential career with a sustainable cash flow.

After finding the Acton School of Business and many 100-hour weeks, Scott launched a business in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis aimed at helping schools fundraise more than ever before while teaching students leadership skills.

Fast-forward to today, Scott’s company – Apex Leadership Co. – has helped raise more than $50 million for 2300 schools in 26 states, ultimately, serving over 2 million students. In 2017, Apex was awarded the #1 Ranked Franchise in their category by Entrepreneur.

A couple things to listen for in this episode:

• Why common fundraising methods for non-profits are faulty (and a better approach with more upside)

• Why event-based fundraising has exploded and helped Scott create a multi-million dollar business

• How a $1 million lawsuit (that happened a week after launching) almost put Apex under (and the 73 year old lawyer who saved the day)

• Scott’s advice for navigating business deals when you’re just getting started

• What bad traits in business relationships to look for so that you don’t lose your investment capital

• How Scott creates a win-win with his franchise business model that results in long-term royalties and lucrative investment opportunities

• Why even the most popular names might not carry the weight of a franchise investment

• Where to start with business and investments (whether you’re an athlete or just curious about building your wealth)

• The tried and true piece of wisdom that makes or breaks your long-term wealth

• The controversial (but best) piece of advice Scott ever received about building wealth

• Why you have to eat, sleep, and breath your business when you’re first getting started

• The million dollar question: what’s the most important piece to growing a successful business?

• The mindset you must have if you’re looking to bring on people in your business

• The core steps to creating a self-managing company

• The boring and unsexy book that’s been a huge part of Scott’s business success

• Scott’s ambitious goals in business

• The advice Scott would give to a smart, driven athlete, who’s transition from closing out their career to jumping into the business world

Quotes

• “Our society takes money away from those who need it the most and puts it in the pockets of those who might not be not adding much good to society.”

• “In business you have to have grit and perseverance to never give up.”

• “The best people are always one step ahead and going the extra mile. Finding the things they can do to serve.”

• “The key to wealth is just spending less than you make.”

• “Don’t ever be afraid to have money burning a hole in your pocket for awhile.”

• “Bringing on people is an investment, not an expense.”

• “My goal by bringing someone on is that they’re going to set me free by doing something better than me.”

• “There’s a lot of things I can do that somebody else can easily do just as good, if not better than me.”