The Next Next: Update #26
Momentum is building
For those of you tuning in for the first time, The Next Next is a ‘build in public’ type of expedition from founder Jason Jacobs (me!) to chronicle my path building a new kind of athlete development company from the ground up, starting with ice hockey.
I am learning in public, ideating in public, and building in public as we try to create a new kind of development experience for athletes. One that’s digital-first, built for modern families, grounded in real performance improvement, and accessible to anyone, anywhere.
I am still super early, and as anyone who has built companies from zero before knows, what comes out the other side will likely look far different from where I am starting. But the benefits of building in public along the way are invaluable for accountability, feedback, accelerated learning, and meeting lots of interesting and relevant people and potential collaborators along the way.
Each week in the newsletter (subscribe here) I share behind-the-scenes updates: what we’re testing, what we’re hearing from parents and athletes, and what’s coming next. The podcast goes deeper, featuring conversations with coaches, founders, athletes, and experts who are shaping the future of sports and human performance.
If you want to catch up, the historical weekly updates are here:
Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12, Week 13, Week 14, Week 15, Week 16, Week 17, Week 18, Week 19, Week 20, Week 21, Week 22, Week 23, Week 24, Week 25
Thanks for coming along for the ride!
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Hi all,
Third full week in building mode. The weeks are flying by.
I am continuing to center my exploration around athlete development. While we will focus on ice hockey as the initial market (for as far as the eye can see), it is not a hockey company, it is an athlete development company, and we will eventually expand to other sports assuming we earn the right to do so.
I have been continuing to read player development books (almost done with this one!), and talking to lots of coaches, scouts, players, club owners, executives at digital platform companies in adjacent areas, sports academy leaders, etc etc. I am learning so much from these discussions, and expect the podcasts chronicling many of them to begin shipping next week! I am so passionate about this topic, and I am pinching myself that I found a way to make it my job to learn about it all day (assuming I get this company off the ground, of course!).
Here are some of the thoughts percolating in my head as I get deeper in my exploration
Boring exercise bikes were made fun by in-person Soul Cycle classes. Peloton brought those classes into your home. Who is packaging at home skills training in a similar way (live class format and fun)? You could imagine a Bedard class on shooting or a Crosby class on face-offs, for example. This is a topic I am exploring in earnest on the pod.
Can hockey IQ be taught in a remote classroom format? Possibly, right? This is a topic I am exploring in earnest on the pod.
What is the goldilocks balance of enough guidance/pushing from parents but not too much? Where is the line drawn between healthy and unhealthy? At what age should the kid take the reins fully? These are topics I am exploring in earnest on the pod.
What role does nature vs nurture play? Same question for the mental side. Can mental toughness be taught? These are topics I am exploring in earnest on the pod.
For kids that love the game and want to be great at it, how do you balance maximizing their development path with avoiding burnout, overuse injuries etc, giving them rich, well-rounded childhoods, and preserving their love of the game for a lifetime? These are topics I am exploring in earnest on the pod.
How much of an advantage is it to be raised by parents who played the game at a high level? What about it brings that advantage? Can that knowledge/guidance/etc be packaged in a digital platform for those that have parents that are supportive but not informed? This is a topic I am exploring in earnest on the pod.
Are the path to building the most profitable company and the path to driving the most impact for kids/families at odds? Or is there fertile ground at that intersection? This is a topic I am exploring in earnest on the pod.
I could go on and on, but that’s a sampling of what is on my mind. Not the most efficient path to take if I just wanted to build a company and make some money, but mission is super important to me so I am trying to make sure I am setting up this company to have real positive impact over the long-term.
We are continuing to chip away at the product vision as well. Part of this is through our own internal back and forth and brainstorming. Part is through spending a bunch of time using other tools/services in the hockey world and otherwise. And part is through socializing our ideas far and wide with well-placed experts throughout the game. Prototyping hasn’t started yet, but it is not too far behind!
Other points of interest
I am Linkedin official, haha. The pressure is on!
I bought my son a Helios membership to try out, which is shipping soon. Looks like an awesome product! Maybe a potential partner down the road, who knows.
The quality intros have been accelerating, and it sure feels like once the hockey content machine rolls out in earnest starting next week, the floodgates are going to open even more. The ice is broken!
I am having so much fun! Truly. I love this game, love player development, love building companies from zero, and love building movements/tribes of likeminded people while creating important stuff for the world. I feel really lucky to get a crack at making this work, and do not take this opportunity lightly.
Two new episodes shipped this week
One is with Mike Redbord, who is a longtime customer success leader in software companies, talking about the future of SaaS, the future of customer success, and how AI is impacting them. This is a legacy episode from before I honed in on this athlete development focus, but it is still an awesome discussion! You can find it on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.
And the other is with Jordan Fliegel, who ran the TechStars NYC and Sports accelerators until recently. While Jordan is running away from working in sports while I am running towards it (we still love you, Jordan!), his new venture, Shareholder Ventures, is pretty cool and we get into what it is (and why!) in depth. You can find it on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.
And as I mentioned before, buckle up for the hockey content, because it is coming in hot starting next week!
How you can help
Feedback/ideas/book suggestions/guest suggestions/etc
I think that’s it!
Thanks for tuning in, everyone. Until next week.
Jason