Director of Partnerships & Licensing

Director of Partnerships & Licensing

Athlete Entrepreneur Index™ | The Lonely Entrepreneur

Build the commercial relationships behind a new platform at the intersection of sports and business.

The Lonely Entrepreneur is developing the Athlete Entrepreneur Index™ (AEI), an annual index recognizing athletes for what they build as entrepreneurs and business owners.

AEI combines an annual AEI 100, the Great Eight business evaluation framework, and year-round content, education and professional resources. Our focus is athletes as business leaders—their ownership, operating achievements and entrepreneurial impact.

We’re seeking an entrepreneurial sales professional to turn this platform into paid partnerships and licensing agreements, beginning before the public launch.

The opportunity

You will work directly with founder and CEO Michael Dermer to develop and close commercial relationships with organizations that serve athletes, advise business owners or want to align with athlete entrepreneurship.

This is a hands-on sales role. You will build relationships, create opportunities, develop proposals and close business. You should be comfortable introducing a new offering, identifying its strongest commercial applications and helping shape a repeatable sales process.

What you will sell

• Founding partnerships and sponsorships: relationships with organizations seeking year-round association with AEI.
• Professional and organizational licenses: use of AEI resources and the Great Eight framework within a firm’s advisory, educational, marketing or client programs.
• Association and institutional agreements: access for members, athletes, students and other defined communities.
• Sponsored access: arrangements in which a company, donor or alumnus funds access for a school, program or community.

Who you will approach

Potential customers include financial institutions, wealth management firms, private capital firms, family offices, sports agencies, brands, professional associations, universities and influential high school athletic programs.

You will identify both the people who can champion AEI and the decision-makers who control budgets.

What you will do

• Prioritize prospects and develop a focused outreach strategy.
• Use existing prospect research while building your own relationships and pipeline.
• Secure meetings and lead discovery conversations.
• Translate AEI’s value into clear proposals tied to each buyer’s objectives.
• Negotiate and close paid agreements, involving Michael in key conversations.
• Maintain accurate pipeline records, forecasts and next steps.
• Bring buyer feedback into the development of offers, messaging and sales materials.
• Coordinate with the team to ensure commitments can be delivered.

What we’re looking for

• A demonstrated record of personally closing sponsorships, partnerships, licensing agreements or comparable business sales.
• Experience selling to senior decision-makers and navigating multiple stakeholders.
• The ability to generate opportunities independently and carry them through to a signed agreement.
• Strong business writing, presentation, negotiation and follow-through.
• Comfort working in an early-stage environment where the opportunity is substantial and the sales playbook is still developing.
• Relationships in sports, financial services, brands or professional associations are valuable.

How success will be measured

Success means signed agreements, revenue collected, a qualified pipeline and commercial relationships that can renew and expand.

AEI’s credibility is fundamental to its value. Commercial relationships must preserve the independence of its methodology, rankings and selection decisions. Inclusion and placement are never for sale.

Working arrangement and compensation

We are open to discussing full-time, part-time or fractional arrangements based on experience and fit. Compensation structure will be discussed with qualified candidates and will include meaningful incentives tied to results.

To express interest

Please share your background and two or three examples of relevant agreements you personally originated and closed. Include the type of buyer, your role in the sale and the approximate agreement size where you can disclose it.

Pay: $60,000.00 - $250,000.00 per year

Benefits

* Flexible schedule

Work Location: Remote