Bill Fagan was recently promoted to CEO of The Aspire Group. His career with Aspire started as Manager of the first ever Fan Relationship Management Center at Georgia Tech, innovating as the first ever outsourced ticket sales partnership in collegiate athletics. Bill was named to SportsBusiness Journal’s “Forty Under 40” Class of 2017.
Before becoming CEO, Bill was Aspire’s Chief Operating Officer. Under Bill’s leadership, Aspire has served over 250 sports properties, many of whom are iconic best of brands. Aspire’s Fan Relationship Management Centers have generated in excess of $1 Billion in new and incremental revenues for partners over the past 10+ years. While the core of Aspire’s partnerships support University Athletic Department ticket sales and fundraising, Aspire has also supported sports properties across the globe including in the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Mexico and England. The key to the growth has been the development of the ‘Raise Your Game-Executive Development Program’, which is The Aspire Group’s proprietary training and career growth program. Bill is known for recruiting the best talent and developing them into industry leaders. Bill was hired as Aspire’s first employee in June of 2009.
Bill completed his MBA studies at Emory’s Goizueta Business School and was recognized to Poets & Quants “Best and Brightest” across the top 20 Executive MBA Programs in the United States.
Sports Industry Journey:
Education
BBA as a Marketing Major, Minor in Sports Management | University of Miami
M.B.A. | Emory University - Goizueta Business School
Career
Sponsorship-Sports Relations Intern | Orange Bowl Committee
Game Operations Intern | Miami Dolphins & Sun Life Stadium
Sales Consultant | Phoenix Suns
Marketing Partnerships; Account Executive | Phoenix RoadRunners Hockey Club
Director of Sales & Service | Moncton Wildcats Hockey Club
Manager; Inside Sales | Charlotte Bobcats
Sr. Vice President & General Manager - Fan Relationship Management | The Aspire Group
Chief Operating Officer | The Aspire Group
CEO | The Aspire Group
Twitter: @billfagan
LinkedIn: Bill Fagan
What is the book (or books you’ve given most as a gift) and why or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?
‘Cancer on the Brain’ – Jay Lefevers
This book was very personal for me as I served as an assistant baseball coach with the author during the time he battled cancer. His positive attitude, joy and love for baseball, teaching and doing the right things for kids was an inspiration.
‘The Energy Bus’ – Jon Gordon
Positivity is contagious. And guess what, so is negativity. Eliminating energy vampires in your life enables you to soar. Jon’s stories can help anyone soar with the right attitude.
‘Dare to Serve’ – Cheryl Bachelder
Cheryl served as CEO for Popeyes fast serve chicken restaurants and helped them complete a dramatic turnaround during her tenure. She changed the culture and empowered her people to serve. The essence of the book is all about servant leadership. If you help people get where they want to get, you will end up where you never imagined you could reach.
What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?
My trial membership to Orangetheory Fitness quickly became an unlimited membership. Prior to joining ‘OTF’, my workout schedule was based on convenience and was therefore sporadic. The OTF experienced has transformed not only my health for the better, but has changed my daily routine and provided the morning jump off that keeps me energized throughout the day.
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?
At 19 years old, I knocked on over 6,000 household doors while serving for a non-profit during a summer internship in northern California. The number of doors slammed in my face were too many to count. Yet, those moments made me stronger. Luckily I had a great manager (coach) who taught me to take a consistent, positive approach to each ‘door’ and within a few weeks, my success blossomed. 4 years later I’d launch an inside sales career in the NBA which felt a whole lot easier thanks to the muscle memory response I learned in my earlier internship.
What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)
Going back to school for my MBA at Emory’s Goizueta Business School in 2015. After over a decade of working in sports business, focused on sales, marketing and fundraising, I needed to get ‘wider’. The program inserted me into a cohort of diverse professionals who had dramatically different experiences than me. The group style learning taught me both technical and soft skills which I will use for the rest of my life.
What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?
I’m superstitious about alarms. They must be set to odd (numbered) times. Can’t explain it, but it helps me jump to action!
What are your morning rituals? What do the first 60 minutes of your day look like?
5:13AM Alarm; Let the dog(s) out; drink 20 ounces of water; get in car and listen to 5 mins of news followed by 20 minutes of business, strategy, marketing or entrepreneurship themed podcasts, then at the gym by 6:10AM for Orangetheory.
In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?
Morning workouts. As the day goes by, its so easy to make excuses or have disruptions that lead to missing a workout. The time we wake up each day is totally in our control.
What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student who is looking to start a career in sports? What advice should they ignore?
Keep an open mind to a wide variety of career paths within the sport industry. Don’t limit your thinking to one ‘department’, ‘organization’ or ‘role’.
Listen to all advice. That doesn’t necessarily mean to follow it all. Know the source and what the perspective represents.
What are bad recommendations you hear in athletics or in your area of expertise?
(In Ticket Sales) “Lower your ticket prices and you will sell more tickets.” This approach may have merit for a single game promotion. However, if this is consistently practiced, there will be brand damage as the value of what you are selling will be diminished. Even worse, “Give away free tickets”. Data confirms that the redemption of complimentary tickets is dismal and these fans are extremely unlikely to return and pay for a full-priced ticket.
What are some tips you have for building and maintaining relationships in the sports industry? (It could be with a mentor, client, donor, co-worker, etc.)
Be intentional about who you surround yourself with. If you don’t learn, grow and feel challenged by those around you, find people who will. Then stay close to them. Having a mentor is great. But remember it’s the responsibility of the mentee to seek advice, guidance and direction.
In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)? What new realizations and/or approaches helped?
I’ve become more intentional about setting boundaries for meetings and presentations. Setting the tone at the beginning of a meeting and letting people know exactly what the ‘time box’ is allows everyone to lock in for that window without things dragging out and becoming less productive.
Was there a specific point in your career where you started handling tasks/projects that were outside of your comfort zone? If so, what was that specific point and how did you handle feeling overwhelmed?
There isn’t a specific moment, but there will always be times in your career where you will be asked to speak to things (or perform tasks) outside of your comfort zone. In these instances it’s beneficial to ‘phone a friend’ who has the expertise and ask for help. Be honest with the party asking for you to ‘stretch’ and manage their expectations.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your 20-something year old self?
Every person matters. The sports industry is an extremely small network of professionals. You may not like everyone you work with, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore them or not listen to them. You can learn something from everyone in your life if you allow yourself to do so.
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