NFL stars investing in startups and starting their own companies is not a new thing. However, in order to reach a stage where one can afford to be an entrepreneur, one has to first safeguard his future, and accumulate some savings, which in turn takes a lot of time, especially if that athlete isn’t among the superstars of the league. However, this is where Broncos’ backup quarterback Ben DiNucci stands out as an exception.
Roped in by the Dallas Cowboys during the 2020 draft, Ben secured a 4-year, $3.3 million rookie contract with the unit. However, he was released by the Cowboys in 2022 after which, he played in the XFL for one season, before eventually making a return to the NFL with Denver Broncos this year. Despite the fact that he hasn’t been able to establish himself at the highest level, Ben is heading towards financial stability and all the credit for that goes to his company, ‘True Brvnd’.
QB Ben DiNucci has already established himself as a successful entrepreneur
Back in February, Ben, who made a comeback into the NFL this year after churning out noteworthy performances in the XFL, sat down with Sports entrepreneur Andrew Petcash, in order to talk about True Brvnd. During the interaction, he revealed that he didn’t actually start the brand but became a partner later on.
“My business partner Sang Truong started the brand in 2020. Coincidentally right when Covid was happening. When the whole world felt upside down,” Ben told Andrew. “He(Sang) flipped Dallas upside down, put in on a few hats, they sold,” Ben stated, adding that Sang then reached out to him on Instagram, asking him to wear it around Dallas.
tweet https://twitter.com/AndrewPetcash/status/1626946922022928386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Ben then stated that while he worked out at the facility that year, several people reached out to him, asking about the hat. And then, he got a text from Sang who asked him to be a business partner. For Ben, it wasn’t tough to say yes as he knew that he could easily get a lot of members of his team to wear the hat which is the best way to make it a thing of youth.
tweet https://twitter.com/AndrewPetcash/status/1626946919724457986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As expected, True Brvnd went on to become a massive success, ultimately collaborating with the likes of XFL and Cowboys superstar Dak Prescott’s signature hat.
Ben DiNucci and Sang Truong figured out the right channels for advertising their product
As explained beautifully by Andrew Petcash, Ben and his partners utilized the resources at their disposal with utmost intelligence, which allowed them to make the brand a grand success without spending much on marketing and advertising. The Cowboys were set to be on HBO’s Hard Knocks when DiNucci made sure to wear True Brvnd hat at all times. This made the viewers curious about the product and it eventually reflected in their sales.
tweet https://twitter.com/AndrewPetcash/status/1626946918566834176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Moreover, Ben and Truong made sure that they sent these special hats to almost every pro athlete in Dallas. This way, they managed to gain a lot of eyeballs, without pouring in millions for doing the same thing through conventional channels. Without a doubt, Ben is an example for athletes who earn way more than what he is getting right now, but eventually burn it all on depreciating assets.
