How to Transition from Amateur to Professional

Posted at May 10, 2009

Sports Series

Are you an amateur or a professional? Do you get paid to play with what you love? Tiger Woods gets paid to play Golf, Kobe Bryant for Basketball and Lewis Hamilton for racing. Professionals make a living doing what they love, well; some of them don’t really love what they do, but that’s another story.

 Mass media and increased leisure time has allowed sports men and women to command high pay as professional players. These players are able to make sport their primary career and gain immense opportunities for training and skill development. Going pro opens a whole world of opportunities. Transitioning from amateur to professional can be a little tricky though.

 Decide

 Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time. Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Century in 1999. He started his boxing career at the age of 12 in Louisville, Kentucky. It took someone stealing his bicycle to set in motion his desire to fight. He quickly rose through the ranks of boxing and in 1960 won the light heavyweight boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

 Soon after, he decided that if anyone was going to watch him fight, they better be willing to pay. And with that, he went pro.  He won his first professional fight in November 1960.

 To be able to advance to the next level of sports, business or career, you have to decide. Zero in on exactly what you want to do and go for it.

 Apprenticeship

 To transition to a professional in any field of endeavor one needs a guide. Whether you want to be a professional golfer, professional preacher, professional dancer or whatever, you will save yourself time and money by getting a mentor.

 Identify someone who has already accomplished what you want. Make contact with them and develop a mentor relationship. Work under their tutelage and learn from them. It would be best to be coached face to face, but in the event that is not possible, bury yourself in books, DVDs or websites to learn from the professionals. There are some jobs that you can teach yourself by learning from experts, but a good majority of them require that you be under direct apprenticeship to be able to turn pro.

 Are you still studying in order to do a particular job? Are you struggling to start a blog or a business? Identify someone who already does it, someone who makes a living doing what you want to do and ask them to coach you. Many people would be flattered to be regarded in high esteem and would be happy to teach or mentor at no cost. Others might charge for it. Decide what a fair price is for your lessons. Regard this as one of the most important step of going pro.

 Attention to Details

 Going pro requires that you pay attention to details that do not bother amateurs. You may need to comply with more laws or comply with certain standards. Do your homework. Find the rule book for what you aspire to do and master it.

 If you are running a hobby and decide you want to make a living from it, you may need to start paying attention to how to make money, how to be efficient, how to scale, customer care etc. Cover all the bases.

 Market Forces

 Going pro in sports requires that you understand the sport better and the environment in which you will be playing. For example, a young football player could be having a time of his life kicking a football and be completely driven by the desire to win. However, once they go pro, they now have to think about providing a good return for investment to the team that hired him. They have to think of what other players in his category or quality are getting paid.

 Going pro requires that you spend time understanding your environment. Professionals do not operate in a vacuum. Find what other people in your industry or profession are up to. Utilize the internet to research the competition and the market in which you will be operating. Ignoring market forces can lead to missed opportunities and stunted professional growth.

 Processes and Systems

 Moving from amateur to professional requires better time management. The best way of managing time is to have systems and processes to make one efficient. For example, many professional golfers, basketballers, or footballers have their own agents and managers to handle their off pitch issues. This allows them to focus on what they do best.

 When you decide to go pro, be ready to delegate some of your non essential duties. You may need to cede control of some aspects of your life, but that is the only way you can be efficient and effective.

 Compensation

 Going pro is all about getting paid. Make sure you are paid for what you are worth. You can increase your level of payment by acquiring specialized skills and being an integral part of your team. Understand what others in the industry are paid and negotiate a winning contract.

 Remember money is the exchange of value. You are only paid as much as the value you provide. Package yourself nicely and promote yourself to get the best deal that the market can withstand. Focus on improving your value proposition and perfect your ability to communicate to others what you are good for.

 Let your reputation precede you. You will command higher compensation if clients or teams come looking for you and vice versa.

 Feedback

 Once you turn pro, you must be willing to listen to your team mates, customers and market. Do not be a silo. Solicit feedback from people who will be honest with you. Improve your value proposition based on this feedback.

 Be willing to accept criticism. Learn to take advice and correct your mistakes. Whether you are running a business, running for public office, or playing pro in golf, you need feedback, both good and bad to ensure your upward spiral is sustained. Failure to listen is a quick way of falling from grace. Falling from grace may not happen overnight, but every ignored advice or suggestion can cost long term success.

 All the best in your desire to go pro.

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