How to Prepare for NIL: Build Your Brand, Build Your Confidence, Build Your Future
Hi, I’m Vickie! I’ve spent the last 11 years helping athletes build strong personal brands that lead to meaningful NIL opportunities. From Olympians to high school athletes, I’ve seen the power of preparation firsthand. And I want to let you in on a little secret:
You don’t have to wait for an offer to get started.
In fact, the best NIL deals often go to athletes who prepared before anyone was even watching.
Let’s talk about how you can start now: by building your brand, your confidence, and your future.
1. Build Your Brand
Your personal brand is what people think, feel, and say about you when you’re not in the room. And the best part? You get to shape it.
Start by asking yourself:
What do I care about?
What makes me different from others in my sport?
What do I want to be known for?
I worked with a college athlete who thought she needed to wait until she “made it” to build a brand. But once she started sharing her love of cooking, her recovery journey after injury, and her community volunteering, the NIL opportunities started finding her.
You don’t need a logo or a tagline. You just need to be clear, consistent, and real about who you are.
2. Build Your Confidence
Confidence doesn’t mean being loud or flashy: it means trusting your value, even when you’re just starting out.
Ways to build confidence:
Practice talking about yourself: your story matters
Ask teammates or coaches what they see as your strengths
Reflect on what you’ve overcome: that’s part of your power
Say yes to small opportunities (like a podcast interview or team event)
One high school athlete I worked with started out terrified to speak on camera. But after doing a few short “day in the life” videos for Instagram, she found her voice, and her following grew because of her honesty and heart.
Confidence grows with action. Start small, keep going.
3. Build Your Future
NIL isn’t just about free products or one-time deals. It’s a chance to create something that supports you during and after your athletic career.
By preparing now, you can:
Gain experience in business, marketing, and networking
Create long-term partnerships that align with your goals
Use your platform for causes you care about
Open doors to career paths you haven’t even thought of yet
I’ve seen athletes use NIL to get internships, launch startups, speak in schools, and collaborate with nonprofits. These things started with a simple question: What do I want to be known for, and how can NIL help me get there?
Quick Start Checklist
✅ Write a short personal brand statement (1–2 sentences about who you are and what you value)
✅ Choose 2–3 topics you want to post about regularly
✅ Make sure your social media reflects who you are: bio, posts, and tone
✅ Practice introducing yourself in 30 seconds, as an athlete and a person
✅ Identify one small opportunity to say yes to this month (even if it’s just sharing your story)
Final Thought: NIL Starts With You
You don’t need a deal to get started. You need a direction.Start with your story. Grow your confidence. Be intentional.
That’s how you prepare for NIL, and that’s how you build a future that’s uniquely yours.