Adam Torres and Chad Eichten discuss Athletes Touch.
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Show Notes:
Athletes Touch is a community of former college and professional athletes. In this episode, Adam Torres interviews Chad Eichten, Consultant at CVE19 Consulting, explore CVE19 and the success of Athletes Touch.
About Chad Eichten
Former collegiate basketball player, who has a passion for helping/connecting others, which has allowed Chad to accomplish many achievements…
Driven Business Development Executive who serves his customers, striving to move companies forward through impactful relationships, while creating effective strategies leading to significant results (developed a non-existent territory, while growing his book of business 100% YOY).
Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres, and if you’d like to apply to be a guest on the show, just head on over to missionmatters. com and click on Be Our Guest to apply. All right, so today’s guest is Chad Eichten. He’s a consultant over at CVE19 Consulting.
Chad, welcome to the show. Yeah, appreciate having me, Adam. Look forward to it. All right, man. So, , for everybody listening, just, you know, man, I’ve been trying to get Chad on the show for a long time. We met now, maybe going a year ago or so, would you say, Chad? How long has it been? Yeah, , sure. , , last summer.
. Time flies. I swear. , , I’ve been working with Chad and I’ve seen him just kind of operating around in, in LA and about, and I always see him online and social media and doing other things. And I’m like, man, I got to get Chad on the show, see what he’s up to and, pick his brain because he’s out there providing a lot of value to different companies and communities.
And, , Chad, this is great. This is one of the things that I wanted to kind of get in into your brain, , or pick your brain about today is, , like the power of community and that whole concept. Like I’ve noticed how you’ve helped a lot of companies. I’ve noticed what you’re doing. What is the power of community? What does that mean to you? power of community. I think we can all relate that people essentially buy from people. People really gravitate around other people. So we always feel music, food, drink, , helps to bring people together. And so when you provide those types of environments and have authentic conversations, usually quality things come out of those conversations.
Now, were you always a community builder? Would you say like, even when you were younger or did you kind of stumble upon this idea? and by the way, I was late to the game, like Chirag Sagar, the other co founder, he’s the one who taught me about power of community and what this means and what it is to build a community.
For my long time listeners, they know I was in finance and I was a financial advisor , and I did that for many years. And that I would argue, , at least the way that I did it was a very like a solo sport. It was, , you know, you’re out there hunting for your book of business and that’s pretty much it.
It’s. You and your clients, , there was no real community around that. At least for me, maybe I was doing it wrong, but I did decent. when did you discover , or stumble upon that concept? Was it young on again, just to repeat the question? Or was it like later in life? , how’d it come about for you?
Yeah, that’s actually a great question. it takes me back to my days playing basketball. , I think many folks in business What age was this? What age was this, roughly? Mean, quite frankly, we’re talking like 10, 12 years old. Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.
Huh. But , many of us obviously grew up playing some level of a sport to try it out to see if you liked it, whether it was baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball. I’d say those are some common ones, at least here in the States. And, basketball was the one that I gravitated
towards the most and specifically being a point guard and as many folks in the basketball world know a point guard It’s really you addition off those opportunities, huh? Yeah, so I Really grasp the concept of Being a pass first point guard, trying to get other people involved in the game to help to build confidence.
And when you did that, I played college basketball, so I think I had a little bit of talent then you can pick and choose where you could, Really make the most impact over the course of the game. So parlaying that with community, you identify some commonalities within people, give you an example.
We did actually a collaboration with mission matters media with a community I’m involved in called athletes touch, which is business leaders that many of us are former athletes. And so we obviously brought people together and heck, I think there’s probably still five to seven conversations that came from that event.
Earlier this year that have led to some business opportunities that we’re very grateful for. I want to go further into athletes touching. I’m going to ask you some follow up questions on that. But before we do that, , I want to circle back to that concept of community, because as you’re kind of talking about this, I think about like some of these sports and, you’re a natural community builder.
It comes to you, but just, there’s other people out there like me that aren’t natural community builders and Chirag helped me along the way. So I’ll give you an example. Like when you say basketball, I loved basketball too growing up and everything else, but the way I played it, I don’t even know how I managed to do this now that I didn’t even realize this until you just said this, that I was never really a good team player.
So my specialty was the playing the Reebok one on one competitions and all that stuff. Then I played by myself, which is kind of odd now that I think about it in baseball, I was first baseman. base and I just was kind of like on my own island, just throw it at me and I’ll catch it forever.
And there you go. So, I’ve never been a natural community builder, which I mean, it might sound odd because of my current position and what I do. I think most people , would just like, think I always had that, but it was a learned skill for me again, that Chirag dripped down for me for many years. So for those out there, That aren’t natural community builders, such as myself, what would be some tips or some thoughts around, , maybe even how you’re able to do what you do, because what you do is unique, by the way, because I’ve seen you navigate through many different, not just many different organizations and provide value.
, so what are some tips? Yeah, I think two things come to mind. think the easiest one quote tip is obviously identifying interests you have hobbies you have, whether it’s personally and or professionally. So for me, if it’s like, okay, Hey, , I’m really involved in sports and now I’ve gravitated to really being a fan of golf.
, where can I find people that are so, okay, go to the driving range. Right? So now you start talking about consistently showing up. So that people can get to know you, see you now you start a conversation, obviously, you know how that evolves, but I think it’s identifying something you enjoy and putting yourself in an environment,, that you want to be around those folks.
Obviously here we have different pockets of L. A. That have their own vibration. Yesterday I was at this membership based co operating, co working place that’s newer in the Venice community called The Kin. And I can see, these people intermingle, that really this community is built around founders.
So, these people come because they’re comfortable and they want to be around other founders. They want to know, understand their journeys. How can they help each other? So, I think it’s the commonality. Tip number two. Don’t be shy. Don’t be afraid get comfortable being uncomfortable. So if it’s something that you want to be, learn more about or get better at, well then show up and listen, pay attention, ask some questions.
So. I’m not a founder, but I showed up because I want to better understand about founders , and hear their stories. , I have a couple ideas in mind that if I wanted to really push the gas pedal, that now, you know, I’m surrounding myself around another community that I’m not the most comfortable around because I don’t speak that quote unquote language.
How beautiful is that space, the KEN? And they have a crazy, amazing podcast studio and all that upstairs and their co working space. Like, how cool is that place? And their community, it’s amazing. It’s so Venice. I’ve only been there once, but it’s so Venice. How cool is it? Like you get there and you’re like, yeah, this feels like Venice.
Yeah, another reason is to is right. I’m showing up supporting one of the gentlemen. That’s a co founder. Shout out to all of her. But we’re looking to do a collaborative event that I could foresee can being a host. We do a mission matters podcast panel, something or other that’s powered by athletes touch, right?
So that’s what my head goes into as we navigate, obviously, into 25, right? How can we put these events together to bring people closer? And so circling back to athletes touch, , maybe just give a little bit about the organization for those that aren’t familiar with it. Like, maybe go a little bit deeper and tell us about the organization.
At a high level this was originated two co founders. We’re both high level athletes, one at USC and then the other at University of San Diego, baseball and tennis, respectively on provisors. Many folks know, or maybe be part of provisors. They’re one of the nation’s largest networking communities.
And. They liked the model, but they thought there could be a better purpose around athletes, because as many athletes know, especially the high level ones, your career comes to a stop maybe at 22, maybe at 24. If you’ve been fortunate to make it to the professional ranks, maybe 28, maybe 30, you’re still quote unquote young, but you’ve been so dedicated to your sport.
You’re like, well, what do I do next? And so they ultimately wanted to get, build a community If you’re already in business, great. But if you’re looking to get into business, , this was , an opportunity to meet people that were like minded lived in your shoes, quote unquote. So this started as here in LA with one chapter 15 years ago.
And fast forward we have nine chapters here locally Santa Barbara to San Diego. I helped lead our West LA Venice chapter. And this year we felt we had a proven concept locally that we launched Nashville in New York, and we’re to success this year, which has been great. And now we’re launching Dallas in Q125 and looking to continue to expand.
And now it’s great because if you are in a profession that you’re not territory specific, now we’re building bridges across the country, , especially in the virtual world, now we’re making it easier for you to expand , your business operations and opportunities. What do you think has made Athletes Touch , so successful or so sticky , and helped it in growing community?
Because there’s a lot of people listening too that, you know, , they want to grow their own community, whether it’s for their businesses, for a, cause or otherwise. Like, what do you think may has contributed to making Athletes Touch so successful as a community? Yeah, that’s another quality question.
The common feedback we get is it’s authentic. Like, people are really. Encourage to build a relationship. So it is relationship forward over transaction. So if you’re looking to come in and try to sell something and do business quick, maybe it’s not the fit for us.
But if you’re like, Hey, I want to build a relationship and then let’s ultimately find ways that we can help each other. And , we were big advocates of not just networking, but connecting. So we coined it the art of the introduction. So if I’m like, okay, Adam, nice to meet you. Hey, I’m just curious, like what kind of people are helping you move all the ball down the field?
And you’re like, well, Chad, with what I’m building today, I actually could use some more guests on my podcast. Okay. Well, guess what? Let me introduce you to Rob Gregg, the founder of one of the companies I’m consulting for stay in shoes. . , now I want to try to connect you with some people.
And you’re like, holy heck, , that’s pretty cool that Chad thought to connect some people to me and didn’t just take my business card and maybe or maybe or not I’ll hear from him or I just end up on his weekly newsletter. Yeah. And actually that’s, that’s a great transition. So you mentioned consulting for Stan’s shoes, which I’ve been the beneficiary of your consulting, man.
Those shoes are so comfortable and I’ve been wearing them now For I think a week straight now. You told me you were like three days, give it at least three days. And , I did. And Oh my gosh, , I just feel different. I clock and do at least 13 to 15, 000, sometimes as much as 20, 000 steps a day when I’m covering conferences, whether it’s in Vegas or California or Florida , Believe it or not, , I’m walking, man.
I only get to sit down during the interviews and that’s only a certain portion of the day, but the rest of the day I’m walking, whether it’s standing up, greeting people or otherwise, I’m getting my steps in, whether I want to or not, by the way. So the shoes have been super helpful,
, I see your community building.. You’re reaching out, you’re making these connections. Like you’ve managed to turn that into a business. And so how have you done that? Cause it’s quite remarkable for me to watch you operate and not, like you said, providing value, for example, to stand shoes, like have you done that?
Yeah, I think it really goes back to the journey. It’s just crazy. We all I think it would agree. Time flies and coming up on almost 20 years of undergraduate and then to graduate school and was really in the human performance world as a certified athletic trainer and so was able to see How athletes and individuals operate at high level, whether they’re being professional athletes.
And then I was an executive health coach with executives down in Orange County that were running businesses, sold businesses for 100 millions of dollars. And that led me and motivate me to The business world a little bit, let’s just call it corporate America and was partnering with CFOs and HR leaders in different capacities to help protect their business and their people.
Then I just trial and error was like, you know what? I feel like there’s an opportunity to do this directly. With select businesses that I actually had a little bit more passion about, and I can be selective on who we want to work with. So I think that’s really it, right? Is through your experiences, identifying what you do and what you don’t want to do and know that, unfortunately, we’re not here for the longest time.
So enjoy it while you can and then, of course, you enjoy what you can, and then you find opportunities to maximize the monetization of what the time you’re putting in. So lot of different events, a lot of different types of companies you’re working with, I mean, I’m curious, what kind of trends are you noticing?
I mean, it could be technology business or otherwise, in general, give me a bird’s eye view of what you’re seeing, Chad, what kind of trends are you noticing in business right now that are, or technology that just excite you that, that interest you? I think a common theme here is going to be around sport, just because that’s one of my passions and everything that I’ve really have known over my personal and professional career.
one other community that I’m a big fan of that my buddies have been building out. So. Like athletes touch, that’s more of an interpersonal community. This other community that I’m involved in called pro fluence as a digitized community at the intersection of sport, media, and tech built for sport founders, operators, advisors, investors.
And I say this because now that I’ve immersed myself around this community, there is a huge market an attraction, and quite frankly, an asset class around sport. And it’s getting the. Eyeballs of not just your smaller quote unquote investment firms, companies, but the larger ones, institutional, private equity, family offices that are really taking a strong look at some of these emerging sport leagues that are popping up around the world that you don’t even know about today.
But quite frankly, it might even end up being a sport in the Olympics. I think it’s an aggregation around sport, because then what happens within sport, you got the fan, you got the engagement, you got the technology, you got the platforms, you got the softwares to continue to keep that flywheel moving.
Then you got the brands and the food and the beverages and then , how is that integrated? And then of course, you got the teams and then you got the leagues, right? So there’s this whole. Ecosystem around sport that I think is gaining a lot of momentum. I mean, look at the viewership numbers. Look at the media right deals.
I mean, this is great. What did they just announced the other day? I think it was the N. C. A. A. For basketball or just maybe N. C. A. Specifically, billions of dollars. I mean, it’s just eye opening. So everybody sees this and, you know I’m not in the quote unquote crypto world, so I’m not going to try to start there, but look at what all that’s fluctuating in that realm of the The ethos of call it blockchain, call it digital asset.
So yeah, I think sports specifically is something that is highly trending. And so getting back to the athlete side of things, , you’re an athlete, you’re thinking about how to monetize. You’re a former athlete. , let’s talk about that. A former athlete, you’re thinking about how to maybe monetize some of your experiences or some of , you know, how you add value after sports, what kind of things are on your mind?
Like looking at that big old landscape that you just now painted a picture of
Thinking about what’s next after sports and you being out there maybe. And so this would be for somebody younger, maybe that’s just getting kind of started and they’re just making that transition and you’re out there, you’ve been hitting the pavement, , you’re in the know, because you’re, out on the front line of this.
And you’ve been on the front line for a long time. They’re listening to this podcast episode right now. And they’re thinking, Oh, wow, , Chad gets me. , what are some of the things that should be on their mind? Yeah. identifying where they might be able to add value. So if I’m, I’m like putting myself in this person’s shoe and I’m thinking, okay, if I took notice of something I had an interest on, and let’s just use LinkedIn from a professional standpoint, or maybe you are scrolling personally on your IgE and you come across an ad.
Right. So then what would be that ask? What would be , that reach? Right. Well,, how would you be able to capture their attention? I mean, I thought it was pretty cool. This call I was on before getting calling with you. We had a student at a university that not only is a D1 athlete today, she’s also a founder and is building an application to help better serve student athletes when it comes to managing their nutrition programs.
She feels it’s a little fragmented and I’m thinking, I’m sitting there like, wow, how cool is this? You got a D one student athlete that is building a business on her quote unquote spare time. I’m like, man, that’s, that’s pretty cool. Right? So I think it’s just Paying attention to what’s happening out there, and if that’s somebody that you want to be like well heck How do you?
Get in front of that person. How do you know who they are? I think we have so much access at our fingertips today. So quite frankly, I think the best way of answering your question is how are you leveraging the technology you have access to? Yeah, it’s a great way to think about it. And I think there’s a lot of overlap there between anybody that’s, coming out right now into the marketplace and thinking about how they’re going to add value.
So I think that’s a great, great concept. Last thing I’ll ask you here, Chad, is maybe tell us a little bit more about your consulting practice and, companies , or founders you’re looking to work with. Maybe give us a little bit about that. . Yeah. I appreciate that.
. In closing you’re essentially, Enjoy helping founders and folks that are looking to continue to grow their sales distribution teams, channels opportunities through connecting them with the right people. So , I’m a big fan of sport, health, fitness, nutrition, let’s call it. I’ll sprinkle in a little bit of, healthcare.
That’s yeah, just enjoy, Wanting to see what we can do to add value to move their conversation forward. Fantastic. And Chad, if somebody’s listening to this or watching this, and if they want to follow up and learn more, either about your business, CVE19 Consulting, or even Athletes Touch, because there’s some former athletes that are watching this or listening to this, and they want to get involved.
How do people follow up? How do they learn more? Yeah, I would say the best way LinkedIn very easy. Chad Eichten, I anticipate my spelling will be notated. And, email, I would say is probably the best. First initial C dot last name Eichten at gmail. com. Fantastic.
If everybody listening, just so you know, we’ll definitely put some links in the, show notes. So you can just click on that and head right on over and speak into the audience. If this is your first time with Mission Matters, and you haven’t done it yet, hit that subscribe or follow button. This is a daily show each and every day.
We’re bringing you new content, new ideas, and hopefully new inspiration that can help you along the way in your journey as well. So again, hit that subscribe or follow button. And Chad, man, thank you for coming out. Finally, we got to do this. So appreciate you. Yeah, man, this is great. Really look forward to it.