We recently had the chance to connect with William Sixsmith and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning William, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I’m most proud of building the network of community members that i9 supports. So many stories of neighbors that live a block or a street away, would most likely have never officially met, and now their whole family groups interact, go to events, ect. I think our relaxed atmosphere that we promote on the fields really helps people to build those bonds while they attend games.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I started with the Chicago Fire of the MLS and worked my way onto the special events team. I would host all kinds of different soccer and promotional events which was a perfect precursor to owning an i9 Sports. We specialize in instructional style sports programing designed to be low stress and fun for both the youth players and their families.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My first mentor was my boss at the Chicago Fire Mike Ernst. He recognized early, even though it went against his managerial style, the best way for me to work was to be hands off and let me do my thing. He gave me the space to grow and feel confident about the events I was booking and operating, eventually leading to me being a business owner.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, like A LOT of small business, covid was very rough for us. We pretty much had negative revenue generation for almost a full year, and were close to bankruptcy. I wasn’t going to go into debt with everything so uncertain, so had it got there we would have shut down. Thankfully when everything did open back up we came back with a boom.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I’d like to think for the most part yes. Of course when I’m out there with the youth players I bring a lot of energy and positivity to the playing fields. I try and bring that attitude to most facets of my life.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope the story is about a guy that found a way to make a good living while being a positive part of the community. We pride ourselves on the experience our youth players have while with i9 Sports.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.i9sports.com
- Instagram: @i9sports317
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/i9SportsIS317
