Today we’d like to introduce you to JENN-JENN MARSHALL.
Hi JENN-JENN, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Basketball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, but one of the most interesting parts of my journey is how the skills I learned through basketball carried into business, and years later, the skills I learned in business carried right back onto the court.
I started my career in the sign industry in 2005 and eventually managed four FASTSIGNS locations over a six-year period. Two of those locations were struggling and at risk of being shut down, so I had to learn very quickly how to rebuild operations, develop a strong team and create systems that worked.
What I did not realize at the time was how much I was managing those businesses like a basketball team.
I looked at employees the way I looked at players. Everyone had a position, everyone had different strengths, and my job as the leader was not to try to do everything myself. It was to make sure we had the right people in the right roles and that everyone understood how their role contributed to the team.
I learned how to make adjustments when something was not working, how to communicate with different personalities, how to build culture and how to keep people moving toward the same goal. In basketball, you can draw up the perfect play, but it does not matter if the players do not trust each other or understand their responsibilities. Business taught me the same thing.
In 2013, I took a huge leap and started my own sign company, SIGNFLOWS. I did not necessarily have all of the financial resources I should have had when I made that decision. There were projects I had to turn down early on simply because I did not have enough capital to execute them. So I learned how to be resourceful, build relationships, grow through smaller opportunities and keep going even when the path did not look exactly the way I imagined it would.
Over the years, those relationships grew into opportunities to work with national brands, nonprofit organizations, social impact movements and some really meaningful projects. Entrepreneurship also gave me something I did not fully appreciate until later, a completely different set of tools for leadership.
Years later, when basketball became a much bigger part of my professional life again, the process reversed itself.
Now I was bringing entrepreneurship back to the basketball court.
Running businesses had taught me how to build systems, organize programs, develop partnerships, manage people, communicate a vision, create a brand and think beyond what was happening in front of me that day. Those skills changed the way I coached.
Today, when I build a basketball program, I do not only think about drills and wins and losses. I think about infrastructure. I think about the experience of the athlete and their family. I think about leadership development, sustainability, community partnerships and what happens to a young person long after they leave my gym.
That philosophy eventually became a major part of the work I do through Grand Basketball Training and throughout my coaching career.
Looking back, I realize I used basketball to teach myself how to manage a business, and then I used business to teach myself how to become a better coach.
They were never really two different careers. They were the same playbook being used in two different arenas.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been a smooth road.
One of the biggest challenges throughout my journey has been learning how to build things without always having all of the resources I needed at the beginning. When I started my own sign company, there were opportunities I had to turn down simply because I did not have enough capital to take on the project. That was difficult because the work was there, but I was not always financially positioned to say yes to it.
I had to learn how to be resourceful. I built relationships with vendors, subcontractors and other people in the industry. I learned how to grow from smaller projects, protect my reputation and be patient enough to build something sustainable instead of trying to look bigger than I was.
There were also the normal challenges that come with entrepreneurship. You are responsible for the sales, the operations, the customer experience, the finances and the decisions when things do not go as planned. Some seasons were really good, and others forced me to reevaluate everything.
Being a woman in the sign industry also came with its own experiences. It is a very male dominated industry, and there were times when I had to prove that I understood the technical and operational side of the business before people took me seriously. Over time, I learned that I did not have to lead the way someone else expected me to. I could build systems and manage people in a way that made sense to me.
Basketball was actually one of the things that helped me through those challenges. I understood that you do not quit a game because you are behind. You make adjustments. You figure out what is working, what is not working and who needs to be in what position.
That mindset has followed me through every part of my career.
Even transitioning more of my focus back into basketball has required me to start building again. Coaching and community work may look completely different from the sign industry, but many of the challenges are the same. You still have to create opportunities, build partnerships, find resources and earn people’s trust.
I think the struggles have taught me to be comfortable building before everything is perfect. Sometimes you do not have all the resources, all the answers or even the complete plan yet. You just have to know what you are trying to create and be willing to keep making adjustments until you get there.
That is really what led to Grand Basketball Training. I saw a need in the basketball community and decided to jump in before I knew exactly where the people, funding or resources were going to come from. I just knew there were kids who needed access to development, opportunities and a community that believed in them.
Entrepreneurship had already taught me that sometimes the resources do not show up before you start. Sometimes you have to start, show people the vision and build the relationships that eventually bring those resources to you. Grand Basketball was another one of those moments for me. I saw the need, believed I could help fill it and started building.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
GRAND BASKETBALL is a nonprofit basketball development organization built around a simple belief: BASKETBALL IS FOR EVERYBODY.
Our focus is developing the whole person through basketball, regardless of age, experience level or where someone sees themselves going with the game.
I created Grand Basketball after seeing a need for more accessible development opportunities for young athletes, especially opportunities that were not completely centered around elite players, expensive travel programs or winning at all costs. I wanted to create an environment where young people could improve as basketball players while also developing confidence, leadership, accountability and a stronger understanding of who they are off the court.
Our philosophy is built around the G.R.A.N.D. framework, which stands for Growth, Resilience, Accountability, Navigation and Development. Those principles show up in the way we train, coach and communicate with our athletes.
What makes us different is that I approach basketball development with the same mindset I used when building businesses. I believe in systems. I believe athletes should understand what they are working toward and be able to see their progress.
That is one of the reasons we created our G.R.A.N.D. Certification Program. Athletes can progress through different skill levels, complete assessments and use a basketball passport to track their development. It gives them something tangible to work toward while also teaching them that improvement happens in stages.
But BASKETBALL IS FOR EVERYBODY is bigger than youth basketball for me.
Through Grand Basketball, I also coach the San Diego Golden Girls, an incredible team of women in their 80s and beyond who are still competing, learning and playing the game. Coaching them has become one of the best examples of what I believe basketball can be. The game can create confidence, connection, purpose and community whether you are 8 years old or 80 plus.
That is what I want people to understand about Grand Basketball. We are not trying to define who basketball is for based on age, ability or how far someone might go competitively. Not every young athlete is going to become a college or professional basketball player, and that is okay. There is still so much the game can give them. They can learn how to communicate, respond to adversity, work with other people, lead and become more confident in themselves.
I think that is what I am most proud of about the Grand Basketball brand. It represents the type of basketball environment I wish I had access to when I was young, while also giving me the opportunity to prove that the game can continue creating meaningful experiences throughout someone’s life.
We want families to know that when their child comes into one of our programs, we are going to care about the basketball player, but we are also going to care about the person.
Our tagline is “Developing Queens & Kings of the court and the community,” and that really sums up what we are trying to build.
We offer training, group development programs, skills assessments, certification opportunities, leadership development and community-based basketball experiences. As we continue to grow, the goal is to create more access, more partnerships and more opportunities for people to develop through the game.
At the end of the day, Grand Basketball is about giving people tools, experiences and a community they can carry with them long after the basketball stops bouncing.
BASKETBALL IS FOR EVERYBODY. The young player picking up a ball for the first time and the 80 plus year old athlete still competing both have a place in this game.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I have been very fortunate to have people and organizations throughout my journey who saw something in me, trusted me and gave me opportunities that helped shape where I am today.
One of the first people who deserves credit is Dimitri, who hired me when I was 20 years old and trusted me with a level of responsibility that I do not think I fully understood at the time. Through the FASTSIGNS corporation, he gave me the opportunity to manage multiple locations under his ownership. That experience became the foundation for so much of what I later learned about leadership, operations, people management and entrepreneurship. He trusted me early, and that trust helped me learn how to trust myself.
In basketball, GYB (Girls Youth Basketball gyblv.com) played a major role in helping me grow within the youth basketball community. They brought me in as a director and allowed me to become part of one of the main hubs for youth basketball in Las Vegas where I’ve traveled back and forth weekly to San Diego for the past three years. That opportunity connected me with players, families, coaches and organizations throughout the city and eventually helped lead to my involvement with the Las Vegas Aces Academy.
The Las Vegas Aces Academy has also been a huge part of my journey. The program originally started under Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Famer, Jennifer Azzi, and over the past three years the team there has given me the freedom to show up as myself as a coach. They have allowed me to pour into young players in a way that feels authentic to who I am. That kind of trust is meaningful because it gave me the space to develop my own voice, coaching style and approach to youth development.
I also have to give a lot of credit to the people who have selflessly shown up for Grand Basketball. Our volunteer coaches, team moms and dads, and other members of the community have stepped in to help in whatever way they can. Grand Basketball would not be what it is without people who believe in what we are building and are willing to give their time, talents and energy to support it.
Ollie Bailey of OB ATHLETICS (obathletics.com/) is one of those people. He has volunteered as a lead clinician for Grand Basketball and continues to show up for us and our athletes.
Sakura Bradley (@sakattachvisuals) has also volunteered her time and talents for Grand Basketball in different cities and, soon, different countries. She helps us capture our stories through photography and video so that people can actually see the impact of the work we are doing. At the same time, there have been countless group training sessions where she has put her camera down and stepped onto the court to help coach when we did not have enough coaches. She really is the ultimate multi-tasker.
Having people like Ollie, Sakura and so many others willing to invest in what we are building reminds me that community really is at the center of Grand Basketball.
Another important connection came through legendary women’s basketball player Coach Byrd. Coach Byrd introduced me to Mama Day of the Golden Girls (@goldengirlshoops). Mama Day recruited me to coach the team and helped bring me into the San Diego Senior Women’s Basketball Association, or SWBA (swba.info)
That introduction opened an entirely different chapter of my coaching life and gave me the opportunity to work with women in their 80s who are still competing, learning and loving the game.
That experience has become one of the clearest examples of what I mean when I say BASKETBALL IS FOR EVERYBODY.
When I look back, there has never been just one person responsible for my journey. There have been people at different stages who opened a door, made an introduction, trusted me with an opportunity or simply allowed me to be myself.
I think that is also why I care so much about doing the same for other people. Sometimes one opportunity, one connection or one person believing in you can completely change the direction of your life.
Pricing:
- DONATE: https://givebutter.com/GBTFundraiser
Contact Info:
- Website: https://coachjennjenn.com
- Instagram: @coachjennjenn
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgex4JERqUk
- Other: https://givebutter.com/GBTFundraiser
