Bryan Habana has swapped tries for ties with the launch of new digital sports marketin
It would seem that entrepreneurship is a fairly natural next step for professional sports stars once their time on the field (or track, or court, or…) is up. Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, David Beckham, George Gregan, Bob Skinstad – they all started their own businesses either after retirement or in the years leading up to it as a way to sustain economic prosperity, but this time on their own terms. In late 2018, local rugby legend Bryan Habana joined this group when he partnered with Mike Sharman, king of all things viral and owner of Retroviral Digital Communications, and Ben Karpinski, sports content sage, to launch Retroactive, a digital sports marketing and sponsorship agency that aims to turn the industry on its head.
Corporate life makes sense for the former Springbok. As Mark Alexander, president of the South African Rugby Union, once said, Habana showed great ‘discipline, leadership and professionalism’ on the field – all qualities that translate well to the business world. But co-owning a company in the communications space is an interesting change of pace for the athlete. We caught up with him to learn more about how he made the shift and what we can expect from his new venture.
GQ: How did you find sport prepared you for entrepreneurship, if at all?
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