Zach Colman (00:00):
Yeah. Hey everyone. Welcome to another episode of the brand power analysis today. I have Robert Turbin. Robert, why don’t you give everyone a little bit about yourself?
Robert Turbin (00:16):
Yeah, my name’s Robert Turbin. Um, first of all, I want to say thanks for having me on the show. it’s an honor and a privilege, you know, to be a part of this. but, yeah, Robert Turbin, for the bay area, I don’t know if you’ve been up there, the San Francisco area, not familiar with it at all, but I grew up there and, went to school at Utah State, graduated there with a sociology degree and a business minor in business management and, was Jackson in 2012 to, Seattle Seahawks played eight seasons in the, in the league.
Zach Colman (00:56):
Oh, that’s great. so you’re from the Chicago area. Are you kind of you you’re not too envious of the huge storm going on right now, right?
Robert Turbins Story
Robert Turbin (01:04):
Well, not, not, not, not S Chicago, um, more, Oakland, Oakland, San Francisco bay area, the bay area. You’re like, Nah, not right. Not dealing with the weather, but it’s certainly, you know, it’s certainly a different town for lack of a better word right now with COVID and everything going on. So I’m actually
Zach Colman (01:32):
Getting, we’re getting a lot of people moving here to Arizona from California right now, our house market is just booming right now. And you know, everyone’s buying houses for like 30, 40 over asking price over where we live right now. I’m, I’m tempted not to, I’m tempted right now to sell, but I’m, I’m not because I’m very frugal, so
Robert Turbin (01:51):
Yeah. Yeah. Now hold on to that thing, man. It’s gonna, it’s gonna keep going up. You know, Arizona’s always been one of those, one of those states, right? With, I guess, you know, lower housing prices and nobody wanted to move there though, because of the heat, you know, now they’re like I said, whatever, whatever, whatever gets me out of California or New York or whatever I’m going. So I’m not surprised.
Zach Colman (02:18):
No, it’s, it’s crazy now. I’ll probably just go buy some land and build while I still live here. That’s kinda my plan. Um, but, um, yeah, but, yeah. Why don’t you tell everyone a little bit about your journey as a player?
Robert Turbin (02:33):
Yeah, so, it started in Seattle, and, um, I was fortunate enough to win a title, early in my career. I won a title my second year and, you know, it was, you know, it was an amazing feeling, literally a dream come true. And the other, the other part of that, is having the opportunity to play in New York City, which is, which is, you know, my favorite city in the states. I tell people that always fantasized about, you know, being in New York City as a young kid, for whatever reason, I think it stemmed from like home alone too or something, but, but to be able to be in the super bowl, playing the super bowl and win it. And it being in New York City, which is a fantastic, experience, it was phenomenal. And, it’s, it’s certainly something I’ll never forget, you know?
Robert Turbin (03:23):
And, and so, and then the next year we came back to Arizona where you are, and, and played in the super bowl and lost, you know, so yeah, it was pretty gut-wrenching to lose on, basically the last play of the game. having an opportunity to repeat being the first team to repeat this. I think the Patriots did it like three or four. Yeah. Would have been, would have been a nice accomplishment. Um, but we, but we felt short. And so, you know, some people ask like, you know, when you win the super bowl and he reached the pinnacle, you know, that’s like the pinnacle of, of all your goals and aspirations as a football player, you know, how are you able to bounce back from that? You know, you know, some, some people, assume like there is a lull and there is, w with some players, some teams even, I think like the Eagles are a good example of that.
Robert Turbin (04:24):
You know, they won the super bowl, then all of a sudden they just disappeared. You know, what happened? They didn’t, they really didn’t know how to, handle winning the big game. And so it’s always important to, have, you know, new goals. You know, one of my favorite rappers is Nipsey, Nipsey, hassle. Um, I don’t, I don’t really talk about this a lot, but in one of his, one of his songs, he says, you know, now I have different goals because I’ve reached all my old ones, you know, and he, you know, he was one of those guys. It’s always like striving for the next thing. So even though you won a super bowl and that’s like the end goal at the end of the season, back to the matter is, you know, there’s a new season. And so, therefore, there’s an opportunity to go out and win again and even achieved some of the, you know, the individual goals that you have for yourself, um, you know, throughout your career.
Robert Turbin (05:24):
But, it started in, it started in Seattle and I’ll say this about the super bowl too, you know, winning it at, at 23. I probably didn’t understand what was happening and what I was doing at that time. I don’t think I had an appreciation for it. Obviously, I was a static to win. Right. I mean, you know, who wouldn’t be, but yeah, I don’t think I understood the depth of what it means to not only win the super bowl but to be the first team to do it for the city of Seattle. I mean, it’s really, been a huge thing, in my transition out of football, you know? And, and yeah, you know, I remember getting into an argument with my coach because I wasn’t a starter, you know, I, Marshawn was the starter and, um, you know, I got into an argument with him and I said, you know, I’d rather lose a Superbowl as a starter than win it as a backup.
Robert Turbin (06:32):
You know, he kind of looked at me like, you know, w what is that, what do you mean? You know, that, no, I would, I would never do that. And, and, but I was serious, you know, I was like, I was really serious, like, but as I got older and grew in my career, I realized that he was right. You know, I mean, I’ve, I’ve throughout the journey. I’ve, I’ve met countless players who are in their eighth and ninth and 10th years, and, and more, you know, who haven’t even made the playoffs. I don’t even know what the playoffs feel like, let alone the super bowl, you know? And so you just, you, you grow a different appreciation for it as you get older in your career and understand really how rare it is when the outside looking in. It’s like, well, somebody wins it every year.
Robert Turbin (07:19):
So we don’t really see the rarity of it when in fact it’s really, it’s a really, really tough, goal to attain. And So anyway, I started in Seattle. Um, I left Seattle. I was in Cleveland and Dallas in the same year in 2015. Um, and, and, was really, appreciative of that opportunity in Dallas because it led to the opportunity to go to the game that was Colts in 2016. I led the team in a touchdown is that that, that season. And, you know, I had a, had a, had a good, you know, I had a good run with the Colts, good through your run with the Colts. And, um, and that was the pretty much, after the 2018 season, you know, kind of battled through a couple of injuries, um, everybody’s going to go through adversity in a, in a, in an athletic career.
Robert Turbin (08:16):
Right. so it’s always about how you respond. It’s about how you’re responding to good things, too. We just talked about how you come back from winning the super bowl, right? How, how can you mentally get your mind right? To come back in and go and do it again? Pete Carroll was always great at presenting challenges. You know, I remember our first meeting after winning the super bowl, he says, Hey, I know you guys just won the super bowl, but can you do it again? And, and it was an instant challenge. It was like, it didn’t even wait, you know, it was like, can you do it again? You know, it was just like, whoa. Okay. All right, well, we’re going to prove that we can do it again, you know? but yeah, man, you know, I had dealt with some injuries and things like that, which really kind of derailed, my career in years, um, six and seven, really unfortunate, but battle back and was able to return to Seattle during that 2019 season. And, and so far that’s been the end of it.
Zach Colman (09:19):
Yeah. So you, so yeah, it must be challenging. I know running backs in general right now. Um, I feel like there’s somewhat a commodity for the NFL to kind of push towards bringing more running backs in. So, um, and I feel like they’re always changing. You’re always changing a, in a dynamic situation compared to other situations like a defensive end or, um, a linebacker. So with those challenges, with those challenges, how did you, how did you, what were some of those difficulties, with your transition, um, moving from the sport and starting your own thing after the fact?
Robert Turbin (10:01):
Yeah, well, to answer the first part of that question, the challenge is the challenging part of it. You know, I’ll never forget, you know, I was drafted in 2012, as I mentioned, and I had a pretty good rookie year, right? Playing behind Marshawn Lynch, but, and in the off-season, Seattle traded their first-round pick to get Percy Harvard. So their first pick of the draft was a second-round pick and they picked a running back. Yeah. You know, and it was just like instantly, you know, here I am going into my second year and they’re already drafting another runner back to replace me. You know, it’s just like, wow. You know, this happens fast. You know, what is this about how you discipline yourself in the off-season, and how you work? I’ve always told people. I said, Hey, and I, and I mean this too, you know, I can say this with real confidence.
Robert Turbin (10:55):
Um, you know, I may not be a hall of Famer, but I have the hall of fame work ethic. And that I know for a fact, you know, and that is what, despite the running back position being devalued and things like that, um, that’s what was able to keep me in the league so long, you know, paying attention to my health and nutrition and really being disciplined about what I’m eating and what I’m putting in my body on a daily basis for years. Yeah. You know, that’s, that’s, that’s not easy to do, man. I can’t, I can’t tell you how many times I had to look away from a bacon cheeseburger, you know, it was just, they just had to walk into another room or something like that. You know, my kids read fries and I’m just like, you guys all suck. Okay.
Zach Colman (11:43):
My son, we, we, he’s about, he’s almost two right now. And, and just to get out of the house, we go to Sonic to get him, get him fries. And I’m, I’m, I’m total keto now myself. So fries are my weakness. And so it’s, it’s I know what you mean by challenge, you would definitely have more of that athletic background cause your focus in the sport and you really had to have that mentality me right now. For instance, one of the reasons I got into growing with athletes is because I saw such a connection between the digital marketing world and how to grow a business. Very similar to how you, as an athlete, have to be rigorous about certain things and take one step at a time and take the next challenge and learn from your mistakes. And that’s why I, I, I pushed to this, but the food is a huge thing for me too.
Zach Colman (12:34):
And I don’t think a lot of fans, um, and, and probably some athletes too, depending on the team and how they provide the meals and stuff, but how much, how much working out. And I always tell, I always tell fans that you’re you, they always see the top of the line. They always see the end game. They always see the touchdown. They don’t see how much work goes beyond the playbook, behind the practices behind the food. And so I love that you said that in the rigorousness about it, um, because it really showcases, it really showcases to even the fan side that, Hey, there’s, there’s a lot more and I want you to get a little bit deeper if possible, and into your, and how that made you feel when, when they drafted a second running back. I mean, because I think that, yeah, you have to have a positive persona, but I also know that from, from your side, there’s always going to be that, oh, this happens fast. I have to stay positive, but what kind of emotions and stuff did you have in your mind while you were kind of well, while that kind of stuff happens in the league?
Robert Turbin (13:43):
Yeah, I was just really confused, to be honest, you know, um, what was cool was, you know, Seattle, they did call me and they let me know beforehand that they were going to, they were going to be drafting this kid. And, and, and I respected that a lot, you know, and, and it was one of those things where they were saying like, Hey, listen, it doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s just that we don’t have a need right now at any position. There’s no, you know, w w we’re pretty set. So whenever that happens, normally a team is just going to draft who they feel is the best player on the board at all the players in the draft. We don’t have a need. So let’s just draft the best guy. Who do we feel like is the best guy available right now at all the positions that I felt like the Cape plant running back was, was the best guy, you know?
Robert Turbin (14:35):
But here’s the thing. When you come into the league, you know, people are constantly telling you, it’s a business, it’s a business, it’s a business, but if you didn’t graduate college with a degree in business, how are we supposed to know what that, and it’s totality right. In generic terms, we know what it is, oh, it’s business. Okay. Yeah, we understand that. But in detail, we don’t, we don’t understand what, what, what did, what it means for the NFL to be a business. All right. And it’s a different entity then, then even some other businesses, a lot of similarities, but everybody knows that the NFL kinda, does its own thing and it plays by its own rules. Right. I mean, even, even like from a federal standpoint, like government, you know what I mean? Like the NFL kind of, they beat to their own drug in a lot of ways.
Robert Turbin (15:30):
So what does it mean? What does that mean? A business, you know, and when you’re a young player, uh there’s, you know, there’s that aspect that you don’t understand, there’s the relationship aspect that you don’t understand. And so, you know, this is the reason why you’ll see a lot of players frustrated over, a trade or a, or release or being cut or something like that. Now do some teams go about it in a, in a, in a, in a, you know, the wrong way, you know, for lack of a better word? Sure. I’m sure there are ways that some teams could go about some of these decisions a little bit better, you know? but you know, for the most part, you know, they’re, they’re really just making choices, you know, that’s best for the team. And I didn’t learn this until my fifth year, fifth year, this was 2016.
Robert Turbin (16:30):
And, I was with a coach it’s my first year with the Colts. And I was fortunate enough to be teammates with Frank gore, the legend. Right. And Frank, he, um, I, I mean, I can’t, there’s not a player in the NFL that I’ve learned more from their friend gore in two years that we were, that we were teammates, but Frank would talk to everybody. Frank was, Hey, how are you doing Scouts? The guy who comes in the locker room to take players, you know, upstairs, before they get cut, you know, Frank’s talking to that guy, you know? And, when I was at Seattle was a different feel, you know, as a young player, it was, you know, you can, you, I mean, you can be altered pretty early as a young player in the league, you know? And, and for me, for whatever reason, it was always displayed as like, it’s the players against everybody, pretty much coaches and GM’s and all the decision makers and stuff like that were not friends.
Robert Turbin (17:30):
They don’t care about us. You know, they don’t, they don’t care what happens to us. They just wanna, want us to play. Then, whatever happens, happens. If we get hurt, they’re gonna cut us. If, if we don’t perform well, we’ll get traded, et cetera. Right. They don’t, they don’t give an about it. Right. They don’t want him to pay us what we’re worth. You know, Frank just had this, I mean, he just had this, for a serious, as he was about the game. And, he obviously, he’s a hall of Famer. He’s third, all-time in rushing. I mean, the guy is just, you know, one of the greatest of all time, but, for a guy who was so serious about the, I mean, he taught me so outgoing. So one day I says American and asked him, you know, one day I had to ask them because I’m still relatively a young player of a young player, especially compared to Frank.
Robert Turbin (18:19):
Right. Frank, why don’t you talk to everybody, man? What, isn’t it like, you know, like it’s us against them, right? What are you, what are you doing? He was like, man, come on, man. That’s how he always says, man, you know, it’s not that serious. You know, it, you know, everybody at the end of the day, like in school, everybody has a job. He said, you know, and he’s like, you know, you gotta look, you gotta look at it from that standpoint. So I, so I got to thinking, you know, and he was right. And I started to develop these relationships. I have great relationships with general managers and people who make decisions and stuff like that. I didn’t know. You could do that as a young player. I didn’t even realize that, that you could, that you could do it. But if you think about it, how did those guys get those jobs?
Robert Turbin (19:06):
Yeah. Relationship, relationship. A lot of those, a lot of those people in sitting in those, sitting in those seats are former players. Yeah. How do they get those jobs relationship? They didn’t take a sports management class to get those jobs. No, they, some of them did perhaps. Right. But for the most part, it, all stemmed from the relationship. They all started as a scout and worked their way up, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And, as I got older in my career, what I started to do was I started to put myself in their shoes. Like if I was the general manager seriously, right? Honestly wholeheartedly, what choices would I make? Who would I trade? Who would I cut? What, choices would I make? What decisions would I make? Some of those decisions are hard, man. Some guys get cut or traded or whatever, and it’s not because it doesn’t have to do with the individual player and nothing against him.
Robert Turbin (20:13):
It can be a number of things, salary, cap, oh, we just don’t have it. We don’t have the cap space. Maybe somebody got injured and, and, and we need to fill that position, you know? So we have to let go of somebody at another position because we have depth there to fill the spot at a different position. That’s business, you know, that’s, that’s just the part of the business. It doesn’t mean we don’t like this player that we just released. This means that right now we can’t add them, but are we supposed to do, what am I supposed to do as a general manager? Do you know? Like, it’s it, it’s, it’s tough. You know, it’s hard now can some of these guys go about it better? Absolutely. You know, the great GMs will sit down with you, look you in the face, you know, say, Hey man, we’re gonna let you go or we’re gonna change you.
Robert Turbin (21:02):
Or other ones don’t have, yeah. I don’t know the, they don’t have, they still have the wherewithal to do that. You know, they, they, they, they send somebody else to do it. You know, maybe they’re not man enough to do. I don’t know. I don’t know what the term you want to use for it is, but it’s unprofessional at the end of the day, professionalism to me is being able to look somebody in the eye and say, you know, we’re going to make this choice. Right. But what I learned overall was it’s not personal. It’s just, it’s just a part of the business. And if you’re a player, if you just, it just, just for a moment to say, what would I do if I was the GM, there are so many things that go into it, everybody in the building has to get paid, right?
Robert Turbin (21:47):
There’s only so much money that can go around, you know? And so, you know, when you, when you look at it from that standpoint, you learn not to take anything, personal, and you don’t take anything for granted either. So you know what, man, it’s all good. Then, when I was reassigned to Seattle, I never really told this story. In 2019, I called John Snyder, who was the GM myself and talk to him in years since I left really, you know, but when I left Seattle, I left a frustrated, frustrated, the young player going into, and in his fourth year of the sitcom, I was sick of being in Seattle. I was just, there was just a lot of antics that would happen in the locker room. I wanted to be a starter. I was just tired of playing this role and happened to deal with the extra that came with that role.
Robert Turbin (22:43):
Right. And I won’t get into the details of that, but so they let me go, you know, whenever I, but it was, you know, I injured my ankle in the pre-season. I was pretty upset. Okay. So you guys are going to let me go because I’m not going to be ready by week one. Now I understand it. Now. I probably would’ve done the same thing probably, you know, but I can understand why they did it. That’s what I’m saying. If I put myself in John Snyder’s shoes, the day that he released me, and I remember him being kind of upset, like, man, you know, we have to, I got to, I thought it was fake. I’m like you’re full of, but it wasn’t, it was genuine. Especially when I look back on it now. Yeah. You know, and I say, okay, if I was him and I look at the running back room that we had, would I have done, you know, I get it right.
Robert Turbin (23:35):
I get the business. Now I understand it. Right. These choices are difficult. A lot of times where these guys, some of us man, some of us as players, we just think like, man, these guys just don’t give a. They just, you know, they just do whatever with this. I met some of these people actually have like, you know, good hearts, you’re trying to do the right thing, you know? But, um, I called John, um, one of their players went down, I think it was pro size. And I called them. This was like, I don’t know. This was like maybe like 12 or something 13. Um, it was later in the season. I hadn’t been picked up yet, you know? And and I, I, he instantly says, Hey Rob, Hey, listen, man, we still have four running backs. You know, I think we’re, you know, we’re still good at that position right now.
Building Relationships
Robert Turbin (24:24):
First of all, I was just really thankful that I took my call, you know, call me back. But I thought I said, John, I’m not calling you about a position with the team. And he was taken back. You know, I said, I know when I left Seattle as a young player, you know, I didn’t always have the right attitude. and, um, and I was pretty upset about, you know, leaving there. but the reason why I’m calling is that what’s important to me, especially now more than ever is to ensure that my relationship with you and the Seahawks organization is really, really good. It’s solid. Why? Because you guys drafted me, we won a super bowl there and we’re going to have a super bowl reunion. When I come back for the Superbowl reunion, I want the, you know, I want everything to be genuine.
Robert Turbin (25:19):
I want the highs and the pillows and the hugs and the handshakes to be for real, not fake, just because we’re there. That’s not the kind of guy that I am. Right. I want to genuinely be happy to like see everybody, including people in management who were making the hard choices, you know? And, it, it, it just really struck, you know, it really struck them differently, I believe. And it led to me, returning to the team later on that season, you know, after, after they were dealing with some injuries in the running back backward, but whether my career continues or not, what, what, what I love is that my relationship with the Seattle Seahawks, my relationship with the Colts and Chris Ballard, who’s the GM over there is solid. And as you transition what young players need to understand as you come into the league one day, you’re going to transition.
Robert Turbin (26:15):
And the relationships that you build, especially the ones who are quote-unquote up top. You know, these are guys that the decision makers, all right, there, they are major. They’re vastly important. I mean, they are really important. Who knows, you know, I’ve been able to talk to Chris ballad about a potential coaching job or potential job in the front office. I’ve been able to talk to John Snyder about those things. Um, I’ve been able to talk to Ryan Grigson, who was the GM for the cults before Chris Bauer, who was the one who brought me in, and he’s the one who signed me there. And Chris ended up keeping me, you know, and I’ve been in been able to talk to him about, you know, different opportunities and things like that around the league, you know, and coaches, especially, you know, I recently talked to Jason Garrett who I didn’t even think I had a good relationship with, you know, having a good conversation with him just the other day, you know?
Robert Turbin (27:16):
And, and so, you know, he was like, man, we don’t have any, you know, coaching positions open right now at the giants, but, you know, I’d be happy to, to, you know, you know, talk to someone else for you, you know, just, just things like that, but that doesn’t happen without relationship man. And so, you know, that that would be one of the things that I would advise a young player coming into the league, listen, yes, it’s a businessman. You gotta perform, you know, like that’s what it’s going to come down to, you know, you have to perform, but at the end of the day, don’t have anything against these people who are making decisions, man, you know, they’re just, they’re just trying to do their job the best way that they know how, whether it’s good to you or not. It’s totally something else at the end of the day, they’re doing their job to the best of their ability, the best that they feel like is good, you know? And as long as you establish a relationship, it’ll take you anywhere. You want to go, especially as you transition out of your career,
Zach Colman (28:27):
That’s no, that’s very, that’s very in-depth. And I appreciate that. It does sound like you gave me a whole new, whole new insight on it. And so I’m hoping that other people can take away from that a lot, especially other players. Because I do see from my end, when I’m talking to other players, that they do tend to ignore, you know, that first couple of years they sold full focus solely on the sport, um, which is fine. You should be focusing on the sport, but they do take that. We always say, Hey, you know, dedicate just a little bit of time to getting prepared. And like you did, where it was like over time being genuine and, and understanding that it is about building relationships and it, you are eventually going to have to find something else to do after, after the sport. Um, if it, ‘s with the NFL, if it’s with your passion in the game and you create something outside the game that continues on with your passions, you’re, you’re going to have to do that. And all businesses, it’s building relationships, you know,
Robert Turbin (29:28):
But that’s what it is. And it’s important to as also, you know, my first couple of years, I had my own radio show in Seattle and it was called the turbo show was the number one, listen to show on the radio. And during that two spans, when I went to Indianapolis, I was a co-host for, a TV show called sports locker. Um, and, and that was a really cool experience. Um, I interned for a real estate company in San Diego ropes and fix other bees, during my, during my third and fourth years, um, in the league. And, you know, just trying to diversify my portfolio, trying to get into different things. I knew that I wanted to be in the entertainment space. radio was something that I was really comfortable doing more so than being on camera, but I don’t, I don’t mind being on camera, but you know, on the radio, I don’t have to be seen. Yeah,
Zach Colman (30:26):
It’s funny because when I do my workshops with zoom, I’m the same way I’ll purposely turn off everyone’s camera. So I know they’re not looking at me, so yeah.
Robert Turbin (30:35):
So, no, I feel you on that. Right, right. But, but, you know, it’s, it’s it, you know, two things it’s important to have something that, um, you know, that you want to do post-career, and a something that you like, you know, it doesn’t even necessarily have to be something that you’re super passionate about, at least, at least not in the beginning, but it’s important to engage into something that you like, you know, that you like to do outside of football because you, you know, your off-season is pretty long. Um, but it, but it’s long, only in the sense of listening, there’s only so many hours in a day that you can train. Okay. I was one of those guys that spent a lot of hours training, but I still had more free time than I did training time. And so what are you doing in that free time?
Robert Turbin (31:30):
One of the things that I wish I would’ve done differently is, um, you know, I wish I would’ve created an income for myself. Like, you know, you don’t have to work to get another job or something like that. Right. but there, there are different ways, especially now, you know, during the pandemic, there’s so many online things and et cetera, et cetera, but you know, what is something that you can establish, maybe it is a job, but it’s something that you like to do. So it’s different, you know, it doesn’t feel like a job. Right. And doesn’t have to be a whole lot of money, you know, they have to go, you know, I’m not saying to go work a nine to five and get paid 20 hours an hour, you’re $20 an hour. Right. But just doing something that you like, maybe, maybe, maybe it’s $1,500 a month, maybe, maybe, maybe it is what it is.
Investing in your Brand
Robert Turbin (32:15):
But even that little bit of, of cash will, will keep you from spending the cash that you get from the league. Yeah. And an income. It just always feels good. You know, like, I mean, I don’t care. Like if you find 20 bucks on the ground, it’s 20 bucks, you know, and you’re finding money like in the laundry, you know, I mean, whatever, it’s five bucks, but I mean, it’s five bucks, you know, it feels, it feels good to re to receive income. I would establish that, as a young Claire, because then you have something that you can grow into, especially if you’re doing something that you like, that you can grow into. So when you are in years, you know, six, seven and eight, I mean, you’ve been doing this same, you know, you’ve been doing this same job or whatever, in the off-season, every year, you, you started your own business and it’s grown now, it’s grown now, it’s had 6, 7, 8 years of growth while you’re playing football, as opposed to starting fresh that years down the road.
Zach Colman (33:17): It’s very similar. It’s very similar to what, you know, financial advisors tell, um, people that are in the corporate world when it comes, because it is, they’re also working for another business. So when they say, Hey, you want to start your own business on the side, started on the side while you’re still in the corporate world, build up money in that business account for a little while. And so, you know, when you get out and you start your own thing, a hundred percent that you have this cushion of cash that you can focus on for, for while you’re trying to build that business. And I think it does, it, it also, I think helps. And one of the things I personally own in my own business as I’ve seen is what makes a really good business owner compared to, I mean, there’s, of course just like the sport, there’s a hum, a hundred different variables involved, but, um, is your finances is your expenses, your, this and that.
Zach Colman (34:09):
And when we work with athletes, we always say, Hey, go to your financial advisor. We want you to talk to them because we want you to kind of see the point, if you’re starting your own business, that one, this is a huge write-off, you know, but to, um, that it actually gives you a second sense, besides your personal expenses of really having like a layer of, of cash that you can kind of watch and make sure that you’re spending your money efficiently, but also learn about expenses, learn about, Hey, what things are going to help me grow, what things aren’t going to help me grow. Um, a lot, like you said, in the sport, um, I think being a business owner has the very same mentality. I mean, I’ve had to let some employees go in the past and it’s hard. I don’t want to let them go, but it’s the same as a salary cap, you know, sometimes, you know, like the pandemic happen and things happen and you lose clients and you have to kind of, you know, tailor as you go.
Zach Colman (35:03):
And so it, I think it’s a great learning experience. Um, and it helps them, especially when you’re in the game of what, now we have social media, we have podcasts, we have, um, digital marketing, we have a website development where they can create their own, basically, their own channel, where they can kind of put all their information up with building these relationships that they can leverage while they’re still in the game. Well, they can leverage their end game appearance while I mean, use that free marketing that you’re getting by being on the field. I mean, the NFL is doing, you know, so that’s what they’re doing. That’s, you know what you’re there for. So I a hundred percent agree with you on that. And so what, what, what are some of those things that in regards to athletes, building their brands that they can learn from players like yourself that have gone through the transition?
Athletes and Online Media
Robert Turbin (35:56):
Yeah. You know, brand the brand thing is, is, I mean it can go a couple of different ways. you know, some guys are really great at doing it because they’re, they’re already, you know, into social media and, and, and they understand the benefits of being on there and, you know, guys like do Jew and stuff like that, different platforms on the Twitch platform, Tik TOK, but some guys are just not, you know, some guys are really private. Some guys are really just like, definitely like, you know, I don’t, I don’t feel the need to, you know, you know, show my work. I was one of those guys, you know, I’m a horrible social media guy,
Zach Colman (36:38):
Immediate agency, man. Like we do social media for athletes. And I have, I, I hate social media, you know, like I have my employees do it and yes, I will say, yes, I have to approve it. And I do all that stuff, but I’m, I’m the same way, man. So, I mean, I totally get it.
Robert Turbin (36:55):
Yeah, yeah, no, I mean, you know, it’s, it’s some of us get in trouble because we want to surround ourselves with people who, who we know who we’re comfortable with, but don’t necessarily have the expertise of what we want them to do, whether it be management or social media building, or, you know, finances and stuff like that, taxes, et cetera. you know this is the area because, you know, we’re so consumed in the game and we’re so focused on improving each and every year. This is where, you know, this is where, your relationship building is really important. Um, again, you know, here it comes again and, and being able to connect with people who have the expertise and knowing how to build a brand and build a website and help you with your foundation, and stuff like that. You know, a lot of us are really dependent on our agents to do a lot for us. when at the end of the day, you know, the agent, his biggest responsibility, his number one responsibility for you as a player is your contract. Yeah. That’s really it.
Zach Colman (38:20):
Um, kinds of changes. It depends on the sports marketing agency, but yeah, either that or your, how to get you the right, how to get you, sponsors. Like those are the two things that, that they’re really for, you know?
Robert Turbin (38:32):
Yeah. But, but, but honestly though, if you talk to like most agents cause the sports market, you gotta think, you gotta, you gotta sports marketing agents and agencies are different than football agents. Now there are football agents that may be a part of sports marketing agencies, but that doesn’t necessarily make it, that their job. Yeah. There is a vein earlier. Yeah, yeah. Right. So when it comes to, you know, a guy, you know, the guy that you, that you hire out of college to be your agent is mostly for football. The great loans are able to establish some sort of marketing for you, but that’s not really their focus and really the ones that are able to do that. Aren’t really going out and, you know, putting in footwork to market, it’s coming to you because you’re scoring touchdowns on Sunday. So it’s easy.
Robert Turbin (39:34):
Yeah. He gets all the credit. But in all actuality, he’s really not doing it because these marketing opportunities are coming to you. Let’s just, I mean, let’s just be honest about it. The fact of the matter is agents are only focused on doing your contract. They talk like they do marketing and sponsorships and endorsement deals. They can, but they don’t put the groundwork in to do that. They talk like they do. They say that they do, but they don’t the ones that do it’s because somebody comes to them, this company T-Mobile wherever it is that, Hey, we want to do a commercial with your player. You know, what’s going to cost then they’ll oh yeah, of course. They know they’ll get 20% of that. Right. But for a guy, you know, I don’t know, drafted in maybe the third round or unless you’re a quarterback, right?
Robert Turbin (40:28):
That’s going to be a little harder to fund, than those marketing opportunities. So I, I’m gonna tell you right now, your agent is not going to be the one searching for those marketing opportunities for, you know, he’s going to say, he’s going to say you’re a six-round pick that, you know, we’re, we’re not going to get very many marketing opportunities. It’s not true. It’s not true. Still play in the NFL. If you’re a six-round pick and you run. So we will, as a backup corner, there are a massive amount of marketing opportunities that you can get. I’m just going to have the right person. It’s
Zach Colman (41:05):
Funny. You kind of say both those things, because first off you’re, you’re hitting some pain points of why I grew my agency, to begin with because I knew that sports mark, traditional sports marketing agencies, they don’t focus on the digital side of players. And two you’re hitting that marketing side without even knowing it where you’re kind of saying, Hey, the, you know, they, you have certain agents that just focus on an, a that’s basic niching right there. They’re niching on into NFL because what they’re good at, they’re not good at the other marketing stuff. They’re not good at, you know, developing a website. And I see it everywhere and I’m not gonna put names out there or anything, but I’ve seen hundreds of, sites where I’ve talked to athletes and I’m like, Hey, what is the purpose of, what is the purpose of your side?
Zach Colman (41:49):
Do you get any sales? So you get this and they say, no, it’s just sitting there. And I’m like, well, you’re supposed to define it in the process. As you said, that stuff’s important. And from a niche of a, of a business perspective, I have this capability, I have this problem, not just with working with athletes, but with working with anyone that understands marketing is that there is a discovery process. There is a huge process behind building a strategy. I mean, it’s all part of, I think the ever-growing technology where people think things just happen, you know? Um, but yeah, so it’s interesting that you kind of said that and, um, it, it showcases and that’s one thing I really try to tell a lot of the athletes that we work with, which is, Hey, you know, just like when you were playing the game, you know, you had a team and you’d like, you mentioned earlier, you have your coaches, you have, you know, they, everything works together.
Zach Colman (42:44):
You’re all part of the ecosystem. Um, when you’re building a business and a nonprofit, it’s all the same thing. I’m not going to come to you and say, Hey, I’m going to work on your finances. That’s not what I do. I’m going to say, you send that to someone that you feel is the value of that position. We’ll work with them in a way, or, um, a traditional sports marketing agency, as we’ll work with, we work with them, you know? So it’s, it’s, it’s good for, I think, athletes to look at it, like you said, and think to themselves, Hey, build relationships, um, find people of value. And, and one thing that I see a lot that, that you can probably relate to is I see a lot of, of these athletes coming out and you’re in the first or second year. And yes, I understand that there are a lot of people out there that, that understand that you guys make money and that you’re, you have to watch out with who you, you work with, but don’t be afraid to build relationships because those relationships are what are going to help you achieve what you need to achieve after the game.
Zach Colman (43:45):
You don’t have to be a first-round pick. we don’t even me and my agency, we focus on retired athletes. We, focus on building brands around them. We don’t focus on building brands around the Tom Bradys and, you know, stuff like that because they already kind of have that stuff figured out for them. And so I agree with you. I think that that’s very valuable that relationship building and kind of making sure that they, they value the importance of building relationships.
Hiring Outside the Game
Robert Turbin (44:14):
Yeah. And, and really hiring marketing, you know, as it pertains to marketing and things like that, digital marketing you’re going to have to, as a player, you got to hire somebody outside of your agent. if you really want to Excel in that role, everyone
Zach Colman (44:29):
Has their specialties. And I see, I see it in every field. I mean, you, for instance, you were running back. I mean, if, if someone told you, Hey, I wanted you to go out there and play quarterback. You may have, you may have a good throwing arm, but you’d probably say, Hey, I’m not a coach. I’m not a quarterback. You know, like it’s the same thing within any, any specific, you know, industry. And I see it just working with our partners as well, that they value their stuff. But then even if it’s, almost in the same field, but then they don’t value what their partners do. And it’s like, this all works together. You have to, you have to know that this it’s not all just on your agent. It’s not just about your finances. It’s not on visual marketing. It all works together to help build a cohesive brand and a cohesive, growing for anybody that’s in the industry.
Zach Colman (45:15):
And that’s why I rely on my employees because I know that they’re part of my team and I want them to feel like they’re part of my team and know that they’re getting us somewhere in our business. And so I, a hundred percent agree with you. So how do you feel like you can help athletes move forward? I don’t, I don’t think you really, talked a lot about, what you’re kind of doing now or what you’re trying to achieve outside the game. So why don’t you talk a little bit about that and how you can help other athletes move forward?
Robert Turbin (45:45):
Yeah. Um, I mean, there’s a, there’s a number of different things that I’m engaging in right now. some I can’t even get into depth with because I’m under NDA, but you know, I am doing TV for CBS right now. I’m in negotiations with ESPN to come on part-time, on the radio station, seven 10 here in Seattle. Um, I am in the process of acquiring my own radio station here in Seattle through my foundation. and, um, and I have a podcast, you know, and we’ve taken a little bit of a break from the podcast, but we, you know, I still, I, you know, I still plan on doing it and bringing it back, just in a different way. there’s a lot of, there’s a lot of game planning and things like that going on as pertains to the podcast.
Robert Turbin (46:36):
And here’s the thing about me, I’m an outside-the-box thinker. I try to be innovative. I’m not the most innovative person, but when it comes to things that I’m passionate about the podcast is something that I am passionate about. I’m in the process of curating some, some ways that we can be innovative in different, and, and, and produce a, you know, a really great podcast, you know? And so, part of that, you know, w a lot of it, you know, Twitch will be involved in that because we’re partners, which is fantastic, it’s been a fantastic relationship so far. I know they’re probably wondering what the hell is going on though. Cause I haven’t done anything in quite a while, but, um, you know, great things take time. And, but, but we, we are making a lot of progress, in this thing.
Robert Turbin (47:25):
And, you know, I mentioned that I did some real estate stuff, early in my career, some internship stuff. And, and so, you know, I’ve, I’ve been able to establish myself with a couple of partners that, we’re working on breaking ground on some, on some projects. And, I want to really use that mostly as pertains to helping, the young players in the league because, I feel like, you know, these guys that I’m with, a real blessing, first of all, too, to, to have been partnered with two different teams, but there’s an opportunity there, where I can go to the NFL PA and, and, and perhaps create a program for young players who may want to get into real estate while they’re playing, which I would recommend. And especially when they’re done, but more so when they’re playing, because like I said, listen, if you go on to play six years of your career, that’s five or six years of equity.
Robert Turbin (48:29):
You can be building, in real estate, you know, that’s gonna, that’s gonna do nothing but appreciate while you can focus on football. Do you know? And so a small investment, you know, in, in, in real estate is going to go a long way. especially when you talk about, you know, the type of projects that we’re doing, you know, you know, 25 and 50, you know, apartment complexes and things like that. And, and, and, and just, you know, having a bunch of properties spread out all over the nation. And so, but the NFL PA doesn’t have a program like that. They don’t have a real estate program, like that they don’t have anybody to head that, to be honest. And so, I, you know, I’ve been in talks with the NFL PA obviously we want to get ourselves a little bit more established. We want to, I mean, the numbers are there, but the numbers were there before I got there. So I want to be able to establish some numbers while I’m there. So I can have something to show him and say, Hey, you know, I want to pass this information down, and, and create some opportunities for players to invest while they’re playing so that their money is working for, you know, the game, the game is bigger than the stock market and all the that your financial advisors tell you to do your own thing.
Interview Conclusion
Zach Colman (49:48):
No, that’s, that’s, that’s some great advice. And, I want to thank you again for being on, why don’t you tell everyone where they can contact you?
Robert Turbin (49:56):
Yeah. all my social networks are at Robert J turbine, Instagram, Twitter, um, have a YouTube channel at Robert J turban, and on LinkedIn Facebook it’s all the same. My website is Robert J turban.com needs to be renovated, but still gets cited to go and check out. And you can find some information about my foundation there, which is the rent a few foundations. You can donate there as well. my Twitch channel is a Twitch that TV slash Robert J once again, that’s part of the podcast. so haven’t, you know, haven’t been on there and in a little while, but you can still subscribe and, you know, we’ll be up and running here pretty soon. And, you know, I can’t wait to get started
Zach Colman (50:43):
Well, thanks again for being on, and everyone will check you out on your channels. Appreciate that.
