010: Owning Your Odds with Charlie Olson of Pando Pooling

Athlete CEO

Turning pro in any sport is an extremely rare, and risky situation.

Few players that face the opportunity get to see the fruits of their labor, and most are left to figure out a longer-term career that doesn’t involve professional sports.

For instance, only 44% of first-round draft picks will make it to the big leagues, and most will play less than one year.

Enter Charlie Olson and Pando Pooling – A company that helps professional athletes lower their career risk while giving them unique opportunities to invest in other athletes.

Charlie’s diverse background ranges across private equity, investment banking and search fund investing.

You don’t want to miss this episode.

During this interview, we talk about:

• The one time Charlie was voted the best hockey player in Hong Kong
• How he raised $500 mil
• What the “search fund” model is (and how it works)
• How pooling gives you leverage when negotiating
• The biggest obstacles and misconceptions Charlie faces when dealing with sports agents and players

Quotes

• “If we can increase the likelihood that you make that life changing money, than that’s the best gift we can give players in the World.” – Charlie Olson
• “The most important thing a player can do is to play baseball at a high-level. However, you gotta also plan.” – Charlie Olson
• “If there are options for you to capture value to set yourself up, to improve your odds, you should take advantage of that.” – Charlie Olson
• “You should own your odds.” – Charlie Olson
• “You should be able to take chips off the table and control your financial future. Even as a young baseball player.” – Charlie Olson
• “It’s like Tinder, everyone has to swipe right.” – Charlie Olson
• “It’s players helping players.” – Charlie Olson

Resources Mentioned:

• Pando Pooling