Meet The Innovators: John Peters of The Sports Lifestyle Network

DK: How do you deal with change?  

JP: “I freaking love it. If there’s anything that won’t change, ever, is the fact that change always happens.”

If you’re involved in the sports, fitness or wellness industry, you need to get to know John Peters. I first met him a few years ago through his role at the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), where he was leading business development and the primary point of contact for the rapidly-growing, tech-enabled side of the industry. As i’ve gotten to know JP, I’ve been continually blown away by his strategic vision and tactical understanding of a complex industry, despite only having a few years of experience. It’s rare to hear a panel about the future of the sports + fitness industry that doesn’t include JP as a moderator or panelist, where he’s either representing the voice of the Millennial or the cutting-edge innovator.

A couple of years ago, JP started the Sports Lifestyle Podcast with Mike Gugat and Neil Schwarz - it has since become a must-listen for anyone interested in the business of sports and lifestyle, and has featured an incredible list of industry CEOs, investors, leaders + influencers from these companies: Birkenstock, StockX, Sketchers, Lululemon, the NFLPA, the WNBA, the Boston Celtics e-Sports franchise, Deckers, KB Partners, FleetFeet, Playsight, Solidcore, TSG Consumer, RW Baird, R/GA, Brooks, Hyperice, EverybodyFights, and Reebok - just to name a few. (I’ve even been a guest. Twice.)

To the interview…

What are you doing now - tell us a bit about your day job (and other pursuits / side hustles)? 

“I launched BPT Works, which is my consulting practice. I came up with a lot of buzzwords early on to avoid telling people I was a consultant because the irony here is:  I believe consultants rarely add value, especially in larger, corporate businesses. I know, incredibly hypocritical of me, but that same belief helps me push myself and the entrepreneurs and brands I advise. If you talked to some of the entrepreneurs I advise, they’d probably tell you I’m constantly sending them things at 11 PM on a Saturday night…It’s motivating and fun to lift up others.

Put simply, I’m helping entrepreneurs, corporates and investors understand ground level innovation and how that plugs into their respective ecosystems. Also, just 4 weeks ago, my two co-founders and I launched the Sport Lifestyle Network where we are moving to create content for tribes in the active lifestyle space. We currently have several shows under development – both branded Podcast content as well as original content with badass executives who have run some of the world’s biggest brands. This was spun out from our current Sport Lifestyle Podcast that we have done for 3 seasons now and have several thousands downloads per show.

I just refuse to believe that I’m the only person in the world who thinks hearing from a former footwear SVP is not interesting – we will find our tribes! (BTW, It should probably be noted in bold and BIG CAPS that David Knies, the puppet string master, had a lot to do with getting this vision off the ground and train in motion – so thank you DK! I owe you a beer(s) post Covid…)”

Fun fact about you that would surprise people to learn?

“People have the funniest look on their face when they inevitably ask:  What are you? (referring to my race). So let it be known:  I’m half Korean which probably explains the next surprising fact that hardly anyone knows, I trained for 14 years in Taekwondo, which led to an early teaching / instructor career and a third degree black belt with a lot of hard-earned trophies now collecting dust in my mom’s basement.”

What led you down the path that you’re on now? How did you get to where you are?

“Lots and lots…and lots of internships. I had over 10 internships before 23. It’s really a shame there’s no reward for that, but I don’t regret any of the experiences because they helped shape my perspective today. I used to get coffee for John Wall, he liked 6 sugars per coffee and always let me ‘keep the change’ when he gave me a $20 (the highlight of my mornings, sadly). I once got a CMO job offer off Craigslist before turning that into a consulting gig.  I launched a consulting practice at age 24 (figures, they add no value!)…What really helped shape my path today was my time at the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. I met so many amazing executives (DK included), brands and ultimately now friends who I learned from and continue to grow from those relationships. Without them, no way would I be doing what I am. The amalgamation of all these experiences really helped me leaps and bounds. I’m very grateful.”

What was your career plan when you started out? (How often) have you had to change your career path? 

“I wanted desperately to be a sports agent (thank you Tom Cruise for lying to us all in Jerry Maguire) and was going to go to law school. The plan was this:  major in journalism because I had a scholarship offer, get as close to a 4.0 as possible because journalism was ‘easy’, then hopefully my GPA (3.8) would cover up for the fact that my LSAT score was awful, then the JD would propel me to the ranks of Jerry as a sports agent. I decided to take a year off and understand what being a lawyer was like. This was the single the best thing I did early on because I learned so much. I landed a corporate law office job as a paralegal in DC, where after 30 short days, I realized I did not want to be an attorney and the structure made it challenging to feel like I was making a real impact. I worked countless hours, stayed in the office until 4am more times than I can remember, and I quit exactly one year on the dot. All my peers thought I was crazy. I just couldn’t take it, forced myself to figure it out. I would say it’s just as important to realize what you don’t want as it is in understanding what you do want. I could go on, but I’ve changed my career path probably 20+ times, and that was before I turned 30. (yikes!)”

How do you deal with change?  

“I freaking love it. If there’s anything that won’t change, ever, is the fact that change always happens. Always. So, I decided to embrace it years ago – It’s very hard to do this when change goes against your personal bias, but I keep trying to get better at that each week. Embracing changes always beats denying it.“

Have you had to deal with major upheaval(s) / transitions in your career?

“I’m laughing because I can’t wait to send this response to my mom. I went through a huge transition last year and quit what was once my dream job at the Sports and Fitness Industry Association / SFIA. I actually did the thing everyone tells you not to:  “Don’t quit until you have a secure job in place!” The timing was insane – I keep thinking what if I would’ve waited until the “time is right” and tried to launch my practice post-Covid, or worse, during Covid. I got lucky with timing but ultimately, this helped me the most:  Once you realize you aren’t learning or being challenged anymore at your current job, and by those around you, it’s time to leave – no matter how you slice it. This weighed heavily on me for almost a year, until I finally ripped the band aid off and I’ve been having a blast; haven’t looked back once.”

What are your Superpowers? 

“Curiosity and empathy. Curiosity – I enjoy reading, talking to and soaking up as much information as possible. Often times, this has nothing to do with the sports/fitness industry. I love asking questions and turning those insights into actions. Most importantly, I always, always, always take a cold outreach (unless it’s a pure cold call).

I actually think this is where high flying CEOs fall flat – it’s way too easy to say I’m too busy (I do this all the time) …Let me remind everyone:  Mark Zuckerberg learned Mandarin in just a few months, while running this small company called Facebook. If you are busier than Mark, this msg is not for you.

I’ve found some of the best friendships, business ops and relationships in general are formed that way. In fact, one company I advise who was just acquired, I met off Instagram. (Yep, slide straight in their DMs)

Empathy – related to curiosity. I almost feel guilty if there’s an opportunity for me to help someone and I don’t. It’s weird and time consuming, but it’s just how I’m wired. Probably relevant to say here, that when I cut my teeth at SFIA, I went out of my way to help hundreds of execs, brands, and entrepreneurs…And often times, I never got a penny out of it because I was just doing the right thing.”

How / When did you discover them? How do you work to develop them? 

“The only real explanation is my childhood. I was raised with manners and to always put yourself in others’ shoes. That’s powerful. I never really thought about ‘working to develop them’ as it was natural for me after my childhood.”

How do you use your Superpowers in your career?

“I just took a cold outreach email last Friday night. This entrepreneur had the toughest luck after Covid happened and still has an opportunity with MLB, of which I said I would help him anyway possible. Turns out, he also manages a private equity group who needs some due diligence projects done. The point of the story is:  I had no idea about possible private equity engagement, because I was helping out for the right reasons. Was never looking for what’s in it for me.”

What Superpower(s) do you wish you had?

“Being able to predict the future would be great and I’d be rich and trade stocks all day. One of the realistic superpowers that I’m constantly trying to learn is understanding the rate of change. I think we all constantly misunderstand how fast innovations are sprouting up. It is that misunderstanding that leads to poor decisions, bad partnerships or potentially a bad technology investment. It’s very hard, if not impossible to fully comprehend.”

What is your kryptonite? How do you manage your weaknesses?

“Definitely time management. I suck at this. Partly blame my curiosity superpower, but no excuses. I have to get better at this. I’ve started to say “No” a lot but I always make an offer to send one quick email intro if I can quickly help.” 

What keeps you up at night?

“Lots of things – mostly the industry, my clients and those challenges associated with it. I’m constantly thinking about how I can grab something outside the sports industry and apply it to a client’s business or my own.”

What gets you going in the morning / everyday?

“Coffee and rolling out / stretching. Gosh, is this was 31 feels like?!”

Who inspires you most in work + life?

“This one is way too tough to name names…

My entire family comes to mind as people who motivate and inspire me.

In the business world, I have become obsessed with the late and great Clayton Christensen. He’s known as the Father of Disruptive Innovation, Harvard Business School Professor and has many great talks online. I’ve watched them all. He’s so well-spoken and thoughtful also. I mean…This guy single handedly shaped Intel’s future and Andy Grove’s job with one 30-minute speech. Andy Grove himself has been on record crediting Clayton’s talk to Intel’s development of the Celeron Processor in the early 90’s.A real treasure to the business world. “ 

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

“I really don’t have much, man. Nothing to write home about at all, other than I’m super proud of the fact I was somehow allowed to adopt a puppy when she was 8 weeks old…And after 12 years, I think she likes me…and she’s alive! One other thing (full disclosure I totally made this up on my own)

The first person to win at life is the one who surrounds him/herself with a close, trusted group of friends you can do business with. I feel my greatest achievement to date is the success of others, and them allowing me to go along for the ride.” 

What are your life + career goals right now? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

“My career goal is to have as big of a positive impact on as many good people I meet. Lifting those up around me is refreshing and you can’t BS your way through that. It’s real. My life goal is and always will be to spend as much time with loved ones as possible. No clue where I’ll be in 5 years which is scary and exciting at the same time. Hopefully, in 5 years, I will be working on something I haven’t even imagined yet – a new challenge, since change is constant (bring it!).” 

The Infamous Korean Man Bun

LIGHTNING ROUND:

Title of your biography?

n/a

Mantra you repeat to yourself when you need motivation?

Fuck that, bring it! You’re not working hard enough! Let’s go!

Hero(es) in real life?

Family and my best friend Karina. 

Companies / brands you admire the most?

Too many…but here are a few:

I am amazed by the Allbirds story. I laugh every time someone calls it a fad. Excited to see how their run shoe sells.

Been very impressed at the Shopify story as well and their resilience. They are investing heavily in distribution. I can’t wait to see it play out.

Apple is the easy answer here – does anyone design better products?

Two dark horses to watch: 

I’ve been blown away by Discord’s success. They have built an insanely passionate tribe.

Similarly, I think NextDoor will be a great company for a long time. Amazed at their community building capabilities, engagement numbers and excited to see their future.

Companies / brands you’d love to work on?

Brooks – because of the culture and people there. Top notch.

Square – they are revolutionizing banking right before our eyes. They also have the Cash App which is consistently one of the top ranked consumer apps worldwide. They also were key in distributing PPP.

Twilio is another one. They power pretty much any instant notification you get. I’m amazed by Jeff Lawson’s execution and product brilliance. 

Blogs, websites, podcasts, books, shows, etc…that you go to for inspiration?

As a rule of thumb, I like to read things that oppose my viewpoint. It’s hard, but worthwhile. Too many to list…

But a few books:  The Third Wave, The Long Tail, The Happiness Hypothesis, Creativity, Inc.

Blogs:  Alex Danco’s has been great, a16z, Farnam Street, Wolf Street Podcast: Sport Lifestyle Network (duh), Mike Maples, 20 Minute VC, James Altucher Show, a16z, How I Built This.Shows: 

I’ve been consuming way too much CrashCourse on YouTube. It’s amazing.