Industry Spotlight, Blaine Isbell, Team IP

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

BLAINE ISBELL, TEAM IP

What’s your current position?

Corporate Vice President.

How long have you been in this position?

I was promoted to this position in September of 2019. I oversee all operations for our Corporate Division, which handles all things related to decorated apparel and promotional products.

I oversee 6 business developers and 5 sales support specialists, and I personally manage about 120 client partners. My ultimate goal each year is the same. Find more amazing client partners and nurture them to ensure their brand stands above. Since taking over this position, I’ve grown the division 5X.

What would you say most motivates you for your profession?

I love that each day is different from the next. My partners have unique needs, and the fact that I can offer them over 2 million products assures that no two days will look the same. I am my own worst critic, so I’m always motivating myself to continue to grow the division exponentially, and the best part of the job is the network of amazing people I’ve grown over the past 5 years.

What are you most excited or passionate about?

I get excited seeing the new products that become available throughout the year. I am a nerd when it comes to continuously learning my industry. Knowledge is power, and what I mean by that is if I can pass along my knowledge to my client partners, it makes them feel like they’re in the best of hands and can trust me with any project that comes my way.

My goals are ever-changing. I’m never satisfied with my efforts. I want to be known as the best vendor partner with all my clients. Of course, I set financial goals for the division, but I never want my partners to think that I only see them as dollars. I love collaborating on projects of all shapes and sizes and creating the perfect assortment of promotional merch for them.

Outside of work, my personal goals revolve around my golf game and getting in as much travel as possible. I want to see it all!

What led you to this line of work?

I’ll tell the shorter version of this story, but I tripped and fell into this industry. Before this, I was a partner in a small start up company in the collegiate licensing space. One day while trying to sell my product, I met the CEO of Team IP. We got to talking and the talk lasted for HOURS. By the end of our second conversation, I told him, “I want to come work with you. We could do some amazing things together.”

Then, less than a month after I started, I learned about Team IP’s Corporate Division, and I told him, “I want to run this division”. He looked at me like I had two heads, but 6 months later, I was promoted and haven’t looked back since. I was attracted to the industry as a whole, and of course, partially remaining in the sports/collegiate industry was a huge factor.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. I lived there most of my childhood. I loved it. My family still lives there. Even though the population is over 1 million, I still feel like it’s the smallest place on earth. I did go to college. I started at a small school in Texas (Stephen F. Austin) but got bored with rural Texas. I took my talents to Austin and attended the University of Texas. HOOK EM! I still bleed burnt orange to this day. College for me was as it should be for anyone who goes….the experience of a lifetime. Worked hard, played hard, and took so much away from it to help mold me for my professional future.

Did you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are, what you believe in, and what you’re committed to in your work and life?

Easy question. My grandfather. He was my hero. My best buddy. He taught me the game of golf and, more importantly, the game of life. He taught me to make sure I never met a stranger and when I walk into a room and, be sure that everyone knows who I am. He taught me to be the first to the office and the last to leave. He taught me that God should be in my life every day. He taught me that family always comes first. He embraced all my passions as a child and took them on as his own. I felt like his only grandchild, even though he had 6. I was the first, and that allowed us to form an unbreakable bond. I still have the letter he wrote to me before I was even born. Everything he said all those years ago still rings true to this day.

What projects are you working on now?

We are working on a huge project that will entrench us in the NIL world. Working with a company that represents over 20,000 college athletes and helps them generate revenue as an athlete. Also working on a new POD (Product On Demand) platform to allow our client partners to have an ecommerce solution that allows their members, staff, etc to buy branded products individually as one off purchases. Think Amazon, but with the product branded with their respective logos.

Were there any key turning points in this project?

Both projects are like fine wines or aged whiskeys. They take time before they’re ready to be introduced to the masses. Patience has been key in both projects. With the NIL project, the key turning point was finding the most economic way for our partners to see their vision come to life. Once we did that, it’s been smooth sailing ever since. As for the POD project, the key turning point was getting the software to do exactly what we wanted it to do. No sense in launching until it’s perfected.

Were there any surprises?

Our industry has so many variables. There’s always surprises. Nothing we couldn’t handle. It’s like they say. Whatever doesn’t break you makes you stronger.

What were the key relationships that mattered most?

What were the key sources of support or resistance you encountered? I will speak regarding the NIL project. As with any of my projects, the key to the relationship is the client. Once the client partner understands I only have their best interests in mind, the collaboration becomes seamless. The support I get from my partners makes me feel blessed every day. I learn just as much from them as they learn from me.

That’s when you know the partnership is solid.

What was most difficult or challenging?

I’d say the most challenging factors of this project are the number of variables you’re dealing with. Considering that we are creating products on demand for thousands of athletes at hundreds of schools, you can imagine the amount of data that’s required to get such a project off the ground.

Did the work fail in some ways?

Haven’t you heard? Failure is not an option. All kidding aside, no there were no failures because we were patient with the process.

What was most rewarding?

As with any order or project, the most rewarding is when it all comes to fruition.

Blaine, during your career you have worked with an impressive list of clients. Yet, you continue delivering creative product offerings that drive numbers, and more importantly, revenue. How do you keep the creative wheel turning and determine what may work for one client may not show dividends for another?

Probably my favorite question. That’s what I love about my career. Every single day is different. Every client is different. I tip my cap to my network of suppliers. They’re constantly coming up with new products, new trends, new ideas that I can share with my client partners and come up with a winning product selection no matter the job. Creativity and outside the box thinking are musts in this industry. I love seeing the reaction of a client when I suggest a product or even something as simple as the packaging of a product to make it stand out above anything they were thinking about before.

Team IP recently came out with a Whitepaper in partnership with Sports ETA. Tell us about the project and what moves the needle for its readers.

The idea behind the Whitepaper was to show destinations how they can leverage promotional products and decorated apparel to enhance the experience for athletes and spectators while showcasing their destination.

The 5 key points were increase revenue, enhance fan engagement, brand visibility, memorabilia, and data collection to gather data on consumer preferences and behaviors.

What would you say are your best skills?

Communication, being a problem solver, being a good listener, making all my clients feel like partners and friends and feeling comfortable knowing they’re in the best of hands working with me.

Industry knowledge only gets you so far. Knowledge about your client partners is where you separate yourself from the competition. Knowing your partner’s interests outside of work, their passions, their pain points, and all the above, and being able to adapt and cater my services around that knowledge. I never want to be known as a sales guy or someone who sells me that particular widget. I provide service and trust, and all my client partners know my end goals right up front.

Where and how did you learn those skills?

Life lessons, job experience, and good old-fashioned hard work.

What’s next for you in your work?

Great question, and I love the fact I can confidently say I don’t know. Whatever God has in store for me, I will trust and follow. That doesn’t mean I don’t think I’ll be where I am today, but I can’t wait to see what His plan is moving forward and where it takes me. I have lots of ideas I can’t wait to execute in 2025. I also can’t wait to hear my partners’ ideas moving forward. At the end of the day, I want to be seen as the best in the industry, the best partner anyone could ask for, and the rest is out of my control and I’m ready for the ride!