Athlete CEO

It’s with great pleasure that we bring on Fred Claire, former General Manager and Executive Vice-President of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Most notably, Fred orchestrated the 1988 World Series Championship team. He continued his historic run through June of 1998.

While Fred (or Mr. Claire as some call him) admits to not having the skill to play baseball, his love for the sport grew into a position – and a 30-year career with the Dodgers.

Since then, he’s maintained an active schedule as a columnist and analyst for MLB.com.

He also has served as an instructor at the University of Southern California and as a consultant to companies involved in sports. Fred serves on the advisory board for the Sports Management graduate program at California State University, Long Beach and is a lecturer in Social Sciences, Humanities, and Social Services at California Institute of Technology.

Fred is a member of the board of directors of the Rose Bowl Operating Company and is also holds board of director positions for the Special Olympics of Southern California; the Los Angeles Sports Council; and Life Skills FORE Pasadena Youth, Inc.

Fred is the co-founder of Scoutables, which is revolutionizing the way professional sports organizations manage financial risk around the most valuable financial assets.

But what may be more impressive than the numerous business and leadership success Fred has achieved over the years is his recent battle with cancer.

At City Of Hope Fred has 28 lymph nodes and nerve endings in his jaw bone removed through surgery followed by 33 radiation treatments and seven rounds of chemotherapy.

Fred came out the other side with a new appreciation for the teamwork that it takes to treat cancer, and in Fred-fashion has turned his focus to raising awareness and funds for City Of Hope through the Fred Claire Celebrity Golf Classic.

A couple things to listen for in this episode:

• A controversial decision Fred had to make in the 80’s
• How the strike of 1994 and a World Series loss changed the MLB
• What clubhouses, players, and free-agents should think about when it comes to joining a team
• How his love for the sport (but lack of skill) helped Fred shape a career in the Major League
• The secret to the Dodgers success
• If you’re at the end of your athletic career: what you should be thinking about and be doing
• The one thing you should be thinking about in your sports career
• A new technology that’s quickly revolutionizing the way sports organizations manage their financial risk

• “One game could make a difference.” – Fred Claire
• “The only thing I wanted to do was do the job I was assigned to do to the best of my ability.” – Fred Claire
• “The fundamentals of teamwork are the same ingredient in any successful business.” – Fred Claire
• “The most important aspect you have in business is your integrity.” – Fred Claire
• “Enjoy every moment, because it will be gone in the blink of an eye.” – Fred Claire
• “There’s an advantage when the spotlight is on you.” – Fred Claire
• “When the phone rings. We answer the phone.” – Fred Claire
• “As our world changes, some of the fundamentals get lost.” – Fred Claire

• The Los Angeles Dodgers
• City of Hope
• USC
• The Fred Claire Golf Classic
• Fred’s Company – Scoutables 

• Good To Great

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In this episode, my good friend and former teammate, Aaron Klusman, talks career, investing, and upcoming market trends.

After becoming an All-American as a Freshmen at ASU, Aaron Klusman went on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.

Following a successful career as an athlete, Aaron has turned his attention to investing in sectors like food and beverage, retail, private education, real estate, and most recently – film.

Aaron has a sharp eye for current and upcoming trends that will shape the way our society functions and performs over the coming years.

Aaron is a Dad, investor, and pursuer of things he loves.

A couple things to listen for in this episode:

• Aaron’s love for business and branding (and experiences that have shaped his career)
• How one of Aaron’s first businesses sparked while in college
• The hurdles in the retail business that Aaron overcame (and his advice from experience in his clothing line)
• What Aaron’s transition from minor league baseball player to entrepreneur taught him about life
• A simple mindset that you can apply to business that help you live your dream lifestyle
• What to do if you’re invested in the real estate market and it crashes
• Aaron’s no-nonsense advice to athletes who haven’t invested (and how to get started)
• Why being second-to-market can be a wise strategy if you’re investing in new companies
• The strategy Aaron learned from Warren Buffet for finding companies to confidently invest in
• What Starbucks, Instagram, and other big-name companies are trying to figure out (that you should too)
• How Aaron would treat his career while he’s playing a sport, so that he’s seen as an attractive investor
• How to stay true to yourself while growing your career and creating your legacy
• What “big loss” Aaron experienced in his investment career (that you can learn from so that you don’t bleed cash)
• What you can learn from the Starbucks business model when it comes to investing
• What Aaron see’s happening in the education space in the coming years (and how it affects the workforce for coming generations)
• The questions you should ask yourself daily if you want to be a successful athlete, business person, or family man/woman
• How Aaron continues his self-development
• Why validation can lead you astray in your business, family, and career

• “The environment is worth more than the paycheck” – Aaron Klusman
• “The things that are the sexiest tend to be things you want to invest in that you shouldn’t” – Aaron Klusman
• “The creation of content is the new frontier.” – Aaron Klusman
• “Starting to look at yourself as a brand is a key step.” – Aaron Klusman
• “Each thing that you put your name into further defines your brand.” – Aaron Klusman
• “Fail cheap. Fail fast. Fail often.” – Aaron Klusman
• “Don’t go all in and burn through a career’s worth of cash.” – Aaron Klusman
• “Sometimes you just can’t learn it enough until you invest in it.” – Aaron Klusman
• “Everyone is in a real-time narrative. No one is a one-time failure.” – Aaron Klusman
• “Failure is not final.” – Aaron Klusman
• “You have to put yourself in positions to make small bets and miss a little bit…” – Aaron Klusman
• “If you don’t invest in yourself, you’re a depreciating asset” – Aaron Klusman
• “You can be the best in your space and the World forgets about you.” – Aaron Klusman
• “The best investment is in yourself.” – Warren Buffett “Think of failures as investments of learning.” – Aaron Klusman

• Warren Buffett
• Uninterrupted
• The Players Tribune
• Hershey Chocolate Company
• Tim Ferriss
• Pocket App
• NPR Podcasts
• How I Built This

• The Bible
• Today Matters
•  
• The Compound Effect
• Mastery
• Apprenticeship

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When Scott Donnell blew his ACL playing tennis, he thought it was all over.

As an All-American at Willamette University, tennis was Scott’s ticket to a potential career with a sustainable cash flow.

After finding the Acton School of Business and many 100-hour weeks, Scott launched a business in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis aimed at helping schools fundraise more than ever before while teaching students leadership skills.

Fast-forward to today, Scott’s company – Apex Leadership Co. – has helped raise more than $50 million for 2300 schools in 26 states, ultimately, serving over 2 million students. In 2017, Apex was awarded the #1 Ranked Franchise in their category by Entrepreneur.

A couple things to listen for in this episode:

• Why common fundraising methods for non-profits are faulty (and a better approach with more upside)
• Why event-based fundraising has exploded and helped Scott create a multi-million dollar business
• How a $1 million lawsuit (that happened a week after launching) almost put Apex under (and the 73 year old lawyer who saved the day)
• Scott’s advice for navigating business deals when you’re just getting started
• What bad traits in business relationships to look for so that you don’t lose your investment capital
• How Scott creates a win-win with his franchise business model that results in long-term royalties and lucrative investment opportunities
• Why even the most popular names might not carry the weight of a franchise investment
• Where to start with business and investments (whether you’re an athlete or just curious about building your wealth)
• The tried and true piece of wisdom that makes or breaks your long-term wealth
• The controversial (but best) piece of advice Scott ever received about building wealth
• Why you have to eat, sleep, and breath your business when you’re first getting started
• The million dollar question: what’s the most important piece to growing a successful business?
• The mindset you must have if you’re looking to bring on people in your business
• The core steps to creating a self-managing company
• The boring and unsexy book that’s been a huge part of Scott’s business success
• Scott’s ambitious goals in business
• The advice Scott would give to a smart, driven athlete, who’s transition from closing out their career to jumping into the business world

• “Our society takes money away from those who need it the most and puts it in the pockets of those who might not be not adding much good to society.”
• “In business you have to have grit and perseverance to never give up.”
• “The best people are always one step ahead and going the extra mile. Finding the things they can do to serve.”
• “The key to wealth is just spending less than you make.”
• “Don’t ever be afraid to have money burning a hole in your pocket for awhile.”
• “Bringing on people is an investment, not an expense.”
• “My goal by bringing someone on is that they’re going to set me free by doing something better than me.”
• “There’s a lot of things I can do that somebody else can easily do just as good, if not better than me.”

• Apex Leadership Co.
• DISC Personality Assessment
• Tim Ferriss
• Acton School Of Business
• How I Built This

• Tools Of Titans
• No-Nonsense Management
• Work Rules
• Traction

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Welcome to the first episode of the Athlete CEO Podcast!

I’m your host Erik Averill from AWM Capital. On this episode, I’m joined by my brother and business partner, Brandon Averill.

The Athlete CEO podcast brings you real success stories and insights from startup founders to world class investors, digital media experts to athletes, about how to build a successful business, become an attractive investor, and leverage your success to make an impact.

Whether you are a professional athlete wanting to carry your success into the business world or the entrepreneur trying to break through the next ceiling, we dig deep to find the tools, tactics, and tricks that you can use to reach the level of success you want to achieve.

Our goal with this show is simple:

Bring you world class interviews with some of the brightest and most successful entrepreneurs, athletes, and business minds today, sharing actionable insight on how to get more out of your business, finances, and life.

In this episode, you will discover:

• What fuels the burning passion behind Athlete CEO
• What to expect when you listen or watch the show
• Exactly why listening will be a profitable INVESTMENT of your time

Whether you’re an athlete, entrepreneur, or just looking to hear from some crazy successful guests, this podcast is for you.  

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