Catching Up with Former Player Rep: Jason Kyle

What are you doing in your current career? And how did you branch off into it?

I am in the coffee space which is retail brand press coffee and B to B brand in coffee support, so it is basically coffee all day every day for myself. It started with a small investment with a shop in town and the business began to grow and my business partners were guys I enjoyed working alongside. The space was a lifestyle investment and it has been a lot of fun growing the brand from top to bottom. This investment has taken up a lot of my time which is something I enjoy doing and in the foreseeable future this is what I will continue to do.

How did you adapt to being an entrepreneur?

I really enjoy it. It comes down to the team you have and the people you are working with on the daily basis which determines how much you really enjoy it. There will always be issues and problems in this space but we have a good group of 130 employees. I knew I liked doing things more entrepreneurial; coffee is just one of my investments and something I really enjoy doing. I have been in this business for 5 years so far and I am sure I will find something else along the way, but as of right now we have navigated through the craziness throughout the past couple of years.

What is your favorite part about your job and why?

The day to day is very interesting because there is so much opportunity; people love to drink coffee. From retail stores, opening stores and wholesale accounts, there are always fun brands to align with. Every day is different and every day is interesting rather it be good or bad.

What was your transition like from football into your current career?

I was always kind of passively investing into things and making a lot of mistakes along the way. By the time I left the NFL I played for a fair amount of time. I still make a lot of mistakes but at least they would not be as extensive as they would have been now. I think the transition for me happened while I was playing and helped me hit the ground running a bit with my coffee shop.

Do you have any advice for those playing trying to figure out their next career step? Or even debating retirement?

You want to be in the moment when you are playing football, focusing too much on the transition may be counterproductive as far as being in a locker room. It is something you do not want to put all your energy into because there is someone else that will if you don’t. Besides that, it is about the relationships that you make which are huge and have been an asset for me in a lot of ways. Take advantage of creating those relationships because they really go a long way.

What is the biggest lesson you took away from football and how did you apply this to your current career?

The biggest skill in my opinion coming out of football at the NFL level is you have a different tolerance for the grind on the daily. Being that NFL players have that ability to grind on the day to day, not everybody in the real world has that same ability. When you are dealing with things such as retail and business you have to keep in mind everyone does not have that same grind or mentality which you are able to recognize who already has it in them.

What is one piece of advice you wish you knew during your transition that you know now?

Having a little more patience. In the football world things happen fast and you have more control of things on the field. Now, it is more of everything going slower and it takes time to nurture. Patience, they are not all winning plays, but everything for me in the business world has not been a home run so it has been about taking the good with the bad and making the best out of it.