I want to become a sports product licensee - How can I learn more about licensing sports products?

Greetings!

It's 2023 and if you have an idea for a licensed sports product but are somewhat uncertain as to what your next step should be, I'd like to help you.

People who contact me generally fall into one of two categories:

1. People who have an idea for a licensed sports product(s) and want to really learn how to obtain their own sports license – be it from the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA, MLS, NASCAR or other sports licensors.

and

2. People who have an idea for a sports product but would prefer to work with an existing license in some way, shape or form.

I will listen very carefully to what you have to say, and then together we can come up with the best possible path to licensing. As mentioned above, sometimes this means working with an existing licensee, in other cases it means trying to obtain your own license(s) - and there are some other alternatives as well. Together we will carefully go over the pluses and minuses of each and determine what's best for you.

I am a consultant and that's how I make my living. Let me explain the three primary ways that we could work together:

1. Telephone Consulting 
I do telephone consulting at $US175/hour with a one hour minimum. If this appeals to you, all we would need to do is:
A. Schedule an hour that works for both of us
B. You would prepay the $US175 hourly fee using Paypal.
C. I ask you to consider creating a list of licensing questions that could serve as a check list near the end of our phone conversation.
D. Call me at the scheduled time


2. Meeting one-on-one in person for a full day anywhere in the US or Canada
If you have an idea for a licensed sports product and you want to obtain your own license(s) or work with an existing licensee, then a great way to move forward is for us to meet face to face for a full day (8.5 hours - $1500 fee).  I'm happy to come to you almost anywhere in North America. If you sign up for a full day session ($US1500) and pay a one-time all-inclusive travel fee of $US650, I'll come right to your front door. I can send you a suggested meeting agenda - just ask - but because our one-on-one time together will be totally focused on your needs and your story, no two sessions are ever the same so the agenda is highly flexible.

During our time together we will cover a lot of ground, all of which will be focused on helping you move forward with your idea. You are welcome to bring another person or multiple people with you to the session - the more ears the better.

If you would like to move forward with spending a day together, the next steps are:
A. Let me know by email ssillcox@rogers.com or phone 416-315-4736 when and where you'd like to meet.
B. We will then schedule a session date, time and location that works for both of us.
C. You would prepay the fee using Paypal.
D. I ask you to strongly consider creating a list of licensing questions that could serve as a check list near the end of our session.


3. Working with an existing licensee
A three-part offer for people who are fairly certain they want to work with an existing licensee vs trying to obtain their own license(s)

Offer Part A.
We would speak on the phone for one hour. The phone call will have several goals, including making sure I understand as much as I can about you, your company (if any), your history and your idea. We will then discuss the three main ways of working with an existing licensee and together we will try to determine which is the best fit for you. We will also discuss how best to contact existing licensees, protecting your idea and roughly what a deal might look like. The charge for this service is normally $175/hour.

Offer Part B.
Based on our telephone conversation, I will create a prospect list with roughly 5-10 licensees for you to contact - it's hard to predict exactly how many companies I will suggest because it depends on many factors including what licenses the ideal partner would hold (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, collegiate, player associations, etc.). The document would explain why I have suggested each company and it will give you a half dozen bullet points about each company. I will also give you six months of free access to my online d-base of licensees where you can find the contact names, email addresses, phone #'s, Linkedin url's, etc. of up to six key people at each company. Creating this report generally takes me 2+ hours and I normally charge a flat fee of $350 for this service. Access to my database costs $120 for six months.

Offer Part C.
Once we jointly decide which of the three ways of working with an existing licensee would be best for you and your circumstances, I will create a template agreement between you and the licensee. This 6-10 page agreement will be written to protect you and to be fair to both you and the licensee. I will send you the document in Word format, and I urge you to then spend 2-3-4 hours reviewing it line by line, clause by clause - editing, deleting and adding as you go such that you are making the document your own. You need to be able to defend/explain every clause to your potential partner, and you can only do that if you review it carefully and understand each clause. Creating this document takes me 1.5 - 2 hours and I normally charge a flat fee of $300. Often people are interested in A and B above but are not so interested in C - in my honest opinion C is by far the most valuable service that I can provide you with and it would be a mistake not to get this document from me. One reason it's so important, and why it's important to create BEFORE you contact a single licensee, is that it prepares you for the discussion/negotiation with the licensee - it forces you to have thought through how you will work together.


The services above (A + B + C) normally cost $US950 if purchased separately, but I will bundle all of these services together and charge an all-inclusive fee of just $US575. That's a lot of bang for your buck - no-one else offers anything remotely similar to these services, let alone for only $US575.

If you have any questions or need clarification of this offer, please email me - ssillcox@rogers.com .

If you would like to move forward, the next steps are:
A. Let me know by email ssillcox@rogers.com or phone 416-315-4736 that you'd like to move forward.
B. We would schedule a time that works for both of us for our live telephone discussion.
C. You would prepay the $US575 fee using Paypal.
D. I would ask you to consider creating a list of licensing questions that could serve as a check list near the end of our phone conversation.

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Scott Sillcox - Biography

My name is Scott Sillcox and I owned Toronto-based Maple Leaf Productions beginning in 1997 until I sold the business in 2010. We were a licensee of the NFL, MLB, NHL and US colleges. We were licensed to produce a variety of products that were decorated with team uniforms, team logos, team names and other licensed images.

Since I sold my business, I have worked as a consultant to people interested in sports licensing. I work with 300-400 people each year. I have a good deal of licensed sports product experience that I earned firsthand as a licensee. I enjoy sharing that information with entrepreneurs and anyone else interested in entering the licensed sports product business. It is a tricky business when viewed from the outside, so take advantage of my experience. Let me give you an insider’s perspective and answer every question you have about licensed sports products.

I have written a fairly widely-read 12 part series called “An Insider's Guide to the World of Licensed Sports Products in 12 Parts: Practical Lessons from the Trenches", which can be found here.

I have also created a searchable online directory of most of the licensed sports products companies and key personnel in North America. This valuable resource can be found here.

For more information, please contact:
Scott Sillcox
Aurora, ON
Cell: 416-315-4736
Email: ssillcox@rogers.com
Youtube video on sports licensing
Scott on Linkedin

Many thanks for your time!
Scott