“King of NIL” Rayquan Smith on How to Market Yourself with Hustle
Snack:
Rejection is not “No” – Rayquan Smith doesn’t care about “rejection”. After companies initially declined the opportunity to work with Smith, many changed their minds when he demonstrated his brand and marketing value.
Origin story of “The King of Nile”. – Social media is more than just a place to post fun content. Rayquan Smith found his nickname, King of NIL, on Twitter and immediately jumped into it. Now, a Google search for “King of NIL” will take you to articles about Rayquan Smith.
The right partner is the best partner – Norfolk State is not a “Power 5” conference school. However, physical education students like Rayquan Smith who attend smaller schools are hungry, hardworking and willing to do whatever it takes to implement a plan, making them the perfect NIL representatives.
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Calling yourself the “king” of anything is ambitious, to say the least. Norfolk State student and athlete Rayquan Smith earned the title of King of the NIL through an unrelenting belief in himself and the ability to handle hearing “no” until you hear “yes.”
“I don’t care about rejection,” says Rayquan “King of NIL” Smith on the Restaurant Influencers podcast, hosted by Shawn P. Walchef of CaliBBQ Media. “Everyone gets rejected. And rejection is not a no.”
That tenacity and determination has led Rayquan Smith to nearly 80 deals with a variety of companies, from local companies to the big ones like Eastbay and Champ Sports and restaurant company Bubba’s 33. All despite being an athlete at a small college with one matriculation just north of 5,000 students.
NIL stands for Name, Image, Likeness. It refers to the way student-athletes can now capitalize on their personal brand.
The NCAA passed a rule stating that collegiate players who are notoriously unable to monetize their personal brand as student athletes can now make money using one of the three NIL elements: Name, Image , Likeness.
The question is how did the NIL champions manage to land such a large number of sponsorship deals as a student athlete at a small college?
As Rayquan simply states, “The great athletes aren’t always the good people to work with.” He sees the small market as an asset for athletes and encourages them to take advantage of it as he has.
Rayquan Smith is probably not a name that most people will know upon first hearing it, but it is one that you should get to know. From a young age, he found an effective way to market himself and help others do the same. He definitely has no intention of stopping here.
As he grows and leaves college behind, he strives to pass the torch to the next King of NIL.
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