The Team-Building Philosophy That Scales Companies | Eric Ravotti | E10
Business MVP
Eric Ravotti, a former Penn State linebacker and Pittsburgh Steelers draft pick, shares his journey from professional sports to scaling majo
Key takeaways
- Leadership is not defined by one role or moment; it's about perspective and long-term vision.
- Preparing for life after sports or entrepreneurship early creates resilience and opportunity.
Main topics
- Leadership development
- Team-building philosophy
Notable quotes
"Football doesn't define who you are. It's just something that you're currently doing, right on a much longer path in your life."
Conclusion
Eric Ravotti's journey illustrates that success in business stems not just from talent or luck, but
Transcript preview
Speaker 2 (0:00) Where 90 % of the people fail in entrepreneurship really is that if you're not thinking of what the final scope could be, then you're not doing what you need to do to actually get there now. Speaker 1 (0:10) Eric Rivati is a former Penn State linebacker who played under legendary coach Joe Paterno and was drafted by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. I Speaker 2 (0:18) think it was helpful that I wasn't a superstar coming out of college. And I think that gave me an opportunity to understand that it was only going to be something that I'm doing for a short period of my life. Can't let it or rule your life early on, then you're going to be petrified when you've got a family and you've got boys and you've got mortgages. A lot of people don't want to think that far ahead. Speaker 1 (0:38) He's built a career scaling some of the biggest brands in American retail, running his own commercial real estate firm for 15 years, serving as VP at Rue21, Chief Development Officer at GNC, and today as COO of MacBid, where he expanded the company to 27 locations across 13 markets. For the entrepreneurs listening who are trying to scale right now. what are they most likely getting wrong? I Speaker 2 (0:58) don't think they realize the power of... Speaker 1 (1:03) Eric Rivati is a former Penn State linebacker who played under legendary coach Joe Paterno and was drafted by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. But what he's done after football is what makes him a business MVP. He's built a career scaling some of the biggest brands in American retail, running his own commercial real estate firm for 15 years, serving as VP at Rue 21, chief development officer at GNC, and today as COO of MacBid, where he expanded the company to 27 locations across 13 markets. Eric Rovati, welcome to Business MVP. Speaker 2 (1:35) Thanks, Sammy. I appreciate it. Glad to be here. Speaker 1 (1:37) You're from Freeport, Pennsylvania, and you got drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, your hometown team. That's a dream very few athletes get to live. So what did that mean to you? Speaker 2 (1:47) Well, I mean, I'm obviously, like many people, big into family. So it gave us a great opportunity for my family to be a part of the whole career from start to finish. They didn't have to drive very far. So that was super convenient for us. Speaker 1 (2:00) Yeah. Yeah, that's amazing. I mean, it's really cool. And all your friends and your family, it was easy for them to get to all the games and support you. So that must have been really neat. Especially growing up watching those teams and then getting to play. So that's amazing. So Speaker 2 (2:13) played Speaker 1 (2:14) linebacker under Joe Paterno at Penn State. So what did that mean to learn leadership from a legend? So tell us about his philosophy, you know, what leadership skills you learned and gained and how did that then translate for you into the boardroom? Speaker 2 (2:28) I can't probably oversell it. It's impossible. I mean, the experience you have with somebody like that just is amazing. You know, it's the basic premise that he drilled into at a very, you know, early on in your freshman year is one that, you know, football doesn't define who you are. It's just something that you're currently doing, right, on a much longer path in your life where you're going to be accomplishing much greater things probably outside of. the football field. So that was something that, you know, at an 18-year-old, it hits a certain way. When you get, you know, to 55, it's completely different, and there's a lot of differences along the way. But, I mean, that's the biggest thing that I try to tell younger people as well, is that whatever you're doing right now doesn't define who you are. It isn't the end-all, be-all to your life or what direction it currently might be headed in or where it's headed in the future. And I think that's the biggest piece that he gave us that I was able to kind of rely on. throughout my career to kind of, you know, kind of ground me, so to speak, and point me in a better direction and understand truly to have a perspective on who I am and what I'm doing at this point in time. And Speaker 1 (3:37) did you start kind of building the second act while you were in the NFL or how did that come about? Speaker 2 (3:42) Yeah, it started, I think, I think it was helpful that I wasn't a superstar coming out of college, you know, like a first round draft choice. I was more like a journeyman that, you know, made the football team every year, like everyone. And, and I had job security, you know, concerns every single year where, you know, you played. So yeah, I started games and I played special teams and like most players do. And I think that gave me an opportunity to understand that it was only going to be something that I'm doing. for a short period of my life. And I need to start working on, you know, life after football right now. And I think that helped me focus to understand it's not like I'm going to play 15 years in the NFL as a starter with many contracts and I'll just ride off into the sunset. So I think that helped me, you know. Speaker 1 (4:30) Yeah. So when your playing days ended, you went into commercial real estate, right? And you ran your own firm for 15 years. So what pulled you in that direction? Speaker 2 (4:38) Yeah, it's funny because, and it's something I try to tell current players to do a lot of, is network, you know, while you have the platform of where you're at, you know, whether it's college or football or pros. So it's just one of those things where I did speaking engagements in the off-season as part of what the Steelers set up, and I enjoyed public speaking. It was something that I, you know, really enjoyed in college. Anyway, a gentleman saw me there and... when I retired from the NFL, he approached me and asked me if I'd be interested to work for him and that he would mentor me in business. And of course, you know, I might've taken some business courses, but I didn't really know. So sure, why not? You know, I'm looking for a job at that point in time. And it just, I started to learn a lot of things about different businesses and how to run them. And then I started running things and then people started reporting to me, which was great. One of those things was land development. So real estate development. Raw land development was something that I became somewhat versed in. It was kind of a baptism by fire, but I learned the hard way. And it was very comfortable for me. So I just ended up, after that, I decided, you know, this is something I could probably do for myself. And I took off and ran in that direction to do real estate development on my own. And it was because of just the speaking engagement where the one guy saw me. And that networking that led me into the next step, which then, you know, springboard into everything else that I did after that. Speaker 1 (6:05) Yeah. I always tell them, like, you never know when you're networking. I always, like, even consider going to an interview networking because even if you don't get that job or that job's not right for you, you're making another connection. It's an opportunity to impress somebody, right? Like, same with networking. You just never know. And I love hearing those stories come to fruition because I think nowadays people don't. put the value in that that they used to, like the relationships and networking. So, I don't know. Right. I mean, you know, likeability, you Speaker 2 (6:32) know, Sammy, likeability, like for lack of a better word, is super important, you know, in business. You know, I mean, if someone likes you, whether or not it's something they have an opportunity for you, they're going to find something for you when they talk to someone else who might be in need of something that you could provide. Speaker 1 (6:49) Exactly. And you just never know, right? And it's the same thing with, you know, people hire talent, right? They say like hire talent versus like someone that specifically fits into the exact seat that you're looking for. It's just if you hire talent and then you figure out, you know, how they can plug in, that's often really, you know, the way to go as well. So it kind of reminds me of that as well. So, you know, you started the firm, you did that for 15 years. So what did running your own company teach you? Speaker 2 (7:15) Well, it's humbling and it's terrifying at times. Exciting, but super terrifying. I mean, when you start off and it's just you doing everything yourself, that's one thing. You're willing to take the risks. It's just up to you to make things work. And then you start building an organization and scaling it. And when you do that, you have others that you bring on that now depend on you to make sure that they can earn their income. for their family. So now when you start to get that responsibility on your shoulders as a small business, the weight of it kind of hits you. And it's not for everybody. A lot of people like to just go in, punch the clock, do their thing, leave at five, leave it at the door, and that's perfectly fine. And organizations wouldn't run without those people. But when you're starting your own business and those type of things, those are other things that nobody really tells you about that keep you up at night. and sustaining your business and growing your business so that you continue to provide for those people that are helping you get there, that are super important that you can't live without. And of course, the more you build, the greater that responsibility becomes and the more you take on. And that's something that you can't really explain to somebody who's thinking of it. It's a good problem, but it's also incredibly terrifying at the same time. Speaker 1 (8:31) Yeah. So, you know, I'm assuming that you failed your way forward a little bit, right? That would come with running your own business. So what was your biggest failure as an athlete? And then how did that shape how you'd handle, how you handle failure in business, whether it was at the, you know, the commercial real estate firm or, you know, later on? Speaker 2 (8:51) I think the biggest thing that everybody expects instant gratification and success on the first try. Speaker 2 (8:59) And it's interesting because in professional athletics, at least in football, you could be an All-American in high school, right? Which I was. Great. And that gets you in the door at a Power Five school. Great. And then you started a Power Five school. great. But each challenge that you present yourself with and goal that you have has an additional set of competition that you have to deal with. And it gets tougher and tougher and tougher. And it's the same way in business. There's really not much of a difference. As you grow and compete, that small little pond that you're in now becomes a larger body of water or possibly an ocean at some point in time. So, you know, you may be super really good and super important at certain levels. And then as you rise, you're not as significant, you know, even in your own mind. And I think the quicker you understand that, the better off you are. So in my case, to your question, you know, understanding I'm not going to be this fantastic first round draft choice from Penn State. I'm just happy to be drafted. right? So I'm happy. And going to my hometown team, like you said, was wonderful. But now you're in the NFL and it's like, wow, this is the best of the best everywhere. And they're all competing for the same job on a 53-man roster. So, you know, you get humbled incredibly quickly as far as where you're truly at. And then how you handle that adversity really has everything to do with how you handle the little adversity moments in your life. up until that point in time. So, you know, from my perspective, that was really pivotal for me to make sure that I understand, listen, now I'm a part of a team. I have a role to play. And that's kind of like the DNA for a good business is do you have enough people that understand not everyone's going to be the lead or the superstar, but you need a group of people, each with individual talents that complement one another. And they each need to be bought in to do what they need to do successfully in order for the team to win. So, you know, you learn that very, very quickly. And I think that, for me, was a pivotal moment that helped me a lot with life after football. Speaker 1 (11:03) You then moved into executive leadership at some major brands, right? Route 21, GNC, and now MacBid. What made you want to go from running your own business to scaling someone else's? Speaker 2 (11:15) It was very simple. It was my wife. She said, I'm done with this. This is too stressful for you. Work Speaker 1 (11:21) normal hours. Yeah. Yeah. I Speaker 2 (11:23) had a couple of companies. The development was the big company. I've done a lot of real estate development for myself. I'm a small fish in a very big pond. Without risking the family's financial future, myself and others, I decided to segue out and sell those businesses. It just so happened at the time, I had a friend that was general counsel at Route 21. She understood about what I did in real estate and optimization and things like that. And she asked me if I would be interested in joining them. So she basically recruited me. It was the perfect time because my wife's like, this and enough, owning your own business, that's enough. I've had enough of it. You know, that's your dinner, done that, do something else, work for somebody, try that. And I'm like, you know what? Great timing.