Hidden Gems: Meet Austin Stanley of A to Z Sports

Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Stanley. Them and their team share their story with us below:

AtoZ Sports Nashville was created in August of 2016 by Austin Stanley and Zach Bingham. Who used their background in sports talk radio to build a digital network of content that reaches millions of Titans, Vols, Preds, and other sports fans across the state every month. AtoZ was at the forefront of internet live-streaming sports talk shows. Currently, AtoZ has multiple weekday shows in Nashville, Titans & Vols game day reaction shows, a full podcast network, social media content, and a dominant website machine that churns out dozens of pieces of content per day. What separates AtoZ from other digital media companies is the ability to blend content with effective sponsorships for local and larger businesses across Tennessee. AtoZ has expanded three times since August of 2021, the first being in Dallas to replicate the Nashville model. AtoZ Sports Dallas has two-weekday streaming shows, a Cowboys game day reaction show, a website staff, and a podcast network. AtoZ’s website has expanded to 13 of the 32 NFL markets in 2022. The website will continue its NFL coverage expansion until it includes all 32 teams by the 2023 season begins.

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We’ve been fortunate to catch some breaks along the way, but no small business and entrepreneurial experience are very smooth! In the two years we did local radio shows, the Titans were a combined 5-27. They’ve only won seasons since we started our company in 2016 and have had playoff success. The team’s success raises interest and fan engagement overall. The Predator’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in the summer of 2017 also benefited our growth. These are just a few “breaks” that went our way. Scaling a business adds strain on us as co-founders. There have been struggles, but all you can do is learn from them. The Covid-19 pandemic was a massive curveball (to say the least) for everyone. We immediately lost a significant percentage of our revenue due to our local advertisers needing to react to the pandemic. We had to completely re-sell a lot of sponsorships we had already sold that year, but it made us better. The pandemic also taught us to be more efficient in running our day-to-day operations. All our employees work remotely, so gaining trust is an important part of our training process. We love the staff we’ve built and are excited about continuing to build a team atmosphere.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about A to Z Sports?
A to Z Sports specializes in creating engaging content for sports fans across the country. Whether it’s a live-streaming show, a podcast, Instagram or Facebook post, or a website article, we always want to give sports fans the information and opinion they are searching for.

Two things I’m most proud of at this point in our A to Z Sports journey:
1) Our growth: 2022 has been a massive year as we’re on pace to triple our revenue and website traffic from 2021. We’ve also built a social media following network across the country to be able to distribute our content to passionate fans who crave it.

2) The careers we’ve helped jumpstart. Many people want to work in the sports industry, but it’s tough to break into it and make a living. We’ve had several examples of people going from being an intern to part-time to full-time employees. We’ve had people quit other jobs outside of the sports industry to go all-in on the career they’ve been working so hard to get into. We’ve been able to create full-time career opportunities for passionate people who are just looking for a chance to earn a living doing something they love.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Zach and I have always discussed “taking the jump” to go all-in on this business. We didn’t make a single dime in the first six months of our existence. Luckily, we were privileged enough to stick with it and give it a chance in our mid-20s. There’s zero chance AtoZ would be where it is without taking the jump to go all-in. We try for every risk we take to be worth it and be smart. I’m sure there are several other risks we’ve taken, but our confidence in our process makes it worth taking. I wouldn’t call myself a “risk taker.” I think risky decisions are worth taking, as long as you can live with the different possible results, then learn from the actual result of the decision.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://atozsports.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atozsports/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atozsportsnashville/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AtoZSports
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3GSRnuKIZc1IFJSJiEYhdw
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@atozsportsnashville