ISSUE 010: A winding path back to soccer

A 1-on-1 mentorship opportunity

Author

Kyle from Pathway ⚽️
January 10, 2024

IN THIS ISSUE

  • 🤝 Introduction: Happy New Year!

  • 👨‍🎓 Soccer Thought Leaders: Joanna Soricelli’s winding path back to soccer

  • 👥 Mentorship Opportunity: 1-on-1 with Joanna

  • ⚽️ Soccer Jobs: The most interesting new jobs in soccer

  • ⭐️ Featured Job: Director of Team Operations at Austin FC

  • 🫵 Do This Now: The Unexpected Note of Gratitude

ONE CLICK POLL

How would you describe your current approach to working in soccer?

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INTRODUCTION

Happy New Year, Pathwayers! 🎉

Yes, it’s officially too late to be wishing people happy new year, but we didn’t have a newsletter last week so give us a break, would ya?

We’re really excited to introduce you today to someone who has carved out a very unique place for herself in American soccer. Joanna Soricelli’s path is not one many would call “traditional,” but she’s working with some of the biggest stars in Major League Soccer - DeAndre Yedlin, Paul Arriola, Sebastian Lletget, and several others.

We know you’ll find some helpful nuggets in learning about her journey as well as the advice she shares.

-Kyle Sheldon, Co-Founder & CEO

SOCCER THOUGHT LEADERS: JOANNA SORICELLI OF JS MANAGEMENT

“I think that having different experiences outside the sport is probably even more valuable because it just teaches you how different industries work.”

Joanna Soricelli didn’t necessarily intend to find her way back to soccer. 

A lifelong player, she had built an impressive career primarily in the ad agency world - working with massive brands like Mastercard, Nationwide, Diageo, Levi’s, Pepsi, and many more. It was during her time at VaynerMedia - where she spent 8+ years - that she had the chance to work on a project with several MLS players, including Sebastian Lletget (who was with the LA Galaxy at the time). The two hit it off and it was Lletget who first inquired about Joanna’s interest in joining forces to help with his off-field brand and business. It was the start of what would eventually become JS Management.  

Joanna describes her company as a marketing and management company for athletes that supports off-field business interests: Marketing, sponsorships, contracting, business development, PR, etc. And it’s been massively successful after just a few years. In addition to Lletget, her client roster includes MLS stars Paul Arriola, DeAndre Yedlin, Kellyn Acosta, Mateusz Kilch, Dayne St. Clair, and several others.   

Joanna’s journey is a good reminder that there are a ton of ways to find your spot in American soccer. There are, of course, traditional paths worth pursuing but there's also value in applying an entrepreneurial mindset to forge your own path where you see opportunity. 

We were thrilled Joanna was willing to share a bit about her experience and the lessons she’s learned along the way. 

Note: Questions and answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity (and any emphasis below is ours)

PATHWAY: Joanna, to start, how did your extensive experience outside of soccer help you prepare for launching and leading a company within the sport?

JOANNA: I think like sports in general, they say multi-sport athletes tend to become some of the most elite at what they do because each of those sports taught them different skills that improve their overall performance. And I would say for me, it's the same parallel. Working on the agency and brand side taught me so much about the other side of the coin. Everything from how those agencies work, how brands work, the problems they need to solve, how their planning works, budgeting, consumer research. And then it’s the relationships that I now have. I've worked with a number of ad agencies and clients across almost every brand sector or product category you can think of, both domestically and globally. I've got relationships at every touch point of the brand marketing journey, which has been super helpful.

PATHWAY: At VaynerMedia, you worked for one of the great marketers in the world in Gary Vaynerchuk - what do you tell young professionals about the value of working under strong leaders and strong mentors?

JOANNA: First, I think what you put into it is what you get out of it. I was really fortunate to be an early employee at VaynerMedia and so I got to spend a lot of time with Gary and I got to know him before he became who he is now. I mean, he was always GaryVee, but I got to watch the climb. I got to watch him work super, super hard to get to where he is. So, first and foremost, just observing him and his worth ethic was incredibly valuable.

And more from the entrepreneurial perspective, thinking about the phrase “it's a marathon, not a sprint.” I can remember sitting in a taxi with him in New York going to a meeting and him saying, “Jo, you have no idea. Just wait five years, 10 years. It is going to be crazy. Just be patient. Be patient.”

I would also say he taught me about being proactive and being solutions oriented. We were a small company, we were sort of an underdog. And so we were young, much younger. I would be sitting in meetings with CMOs and I was in my mid twenties and every other agency representative was like the VPs and the SVPs, and they were all a good 10-20 years older.

And then I would say lastly, just finding what you're good at, what brings you joy and building on it. It's something Gary talks about a lot, but I really do think it's important. I mean, I loved working there and I loved being on the brand side, but I think I've really found what I love and what I'm good at and what feels more rewarding at the end of the day helping a person more than a brand. 

PATHWAY: If someone wanted to follow a similar path to you, what’s the road map? What advice do you give?

JOANNA: I think learning is the most important thing, just gaining those basic skills is so important. I do calls a couple of days a week with people that reach out that I want to get into what I’m doing and they say “I'm thinking of building my own thing.” They have almost no work experience but they know people - they might know players, they know athletes, they might know brands, but without really understanding the background and how it all truly works, knowing people only goes so far. I'm a perfect example and, to be honest, I think that having different experience outside the sport is probably even more valuable because it just teaches you how different industries work. I think there's different pieces that you can pull. I don't have a traditional path, so I would just say get as much diverse experience as you can, but I am also just big on not doing things the way everybody does things. 

PATHWAY: As you’ve worked with athletes over the years, what do you believe is most important to establishing a trusted and collaborative relationship?

JOANNA: First and foremost, trust is earned and not given, and I don't think that trust is earned overnight. I think it's something that truly, really does have to be earned. I think our approach may be a little different, maybe not, but when we're speaking with potential clients, we make it very clear that they're the CEO, they need to be the CEO of their brand. It is a business where we are looking for clients that have big goals for themselves and are looking to be the CEO of their brand. They're the decision maker, not us. We're not here to force anybody to do something, and so we really approach everything like a partnership.

An example I always say [to clients]: “I'm not the one that’s invited to the party or the dinner. They don't want me there. We will get you in that room, we will get you at that dinner, but it's up to you to leave an impression and make something out of it.” There are so many people competing for the same attention, and I think today it's all about what sets you apart. So, it's really that we will put you in the right places, but it's going to be what you put into it and the impression that you leave is ultimately what you're going to benefit from.

PATHWAY: Finally, what is your favorite thing about working in soccer?

JOANNA: For me, it's helping my clients achieve their goals beyond the sport. I really have such a close relationship with all of them, but I would say outside of that cheesy obvious answer - if you're familiar enough with GaryVee, he always talks about underpriced attention. And that just means “where is there a lot of attention, but there aren't a ton of brands or people paying to get in at this point?” And so there's massive upside. It's a space that I feel most comfortable in and truly feel that that's where soccer is right now in the United States. Obviously it's been around forever and it's the largest sport in the world, but being part of something that feels early here is super, super exciting for me, and where I think I can leave an imprint.

Ed. note: You can connect with or follow Joanna on LinkedIn or Instagram.

PATHWAY MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITY: 1-ON-1 WITH JOANNA

Our pal Joanna Soricelli has generously offered to conduct two (2) 1-on-1 mentorship sessions next week. If you’re interested in speaking with her directly, click below to raise your hand for the opportunity.

  • PATHWAY MENTORSHIP APPLICATION: Joanna Soricelli, JS Management [click here]

SOCCER JOBS: THE MOST INTERESTING NEW JOBS IN SOCCER

Every week we pull a handful of the most interesting new jobs in soccer. Here are a few thought caught our eye this week:

Want more? Sign up for our weekly “Pathway Jobs Newsletter” where we aggregate and share as many as 100 new soccer jobs all in one place - and drop it into your inbox every Friday.

FEATURED JOB: Director of Team Operations at Austin FC

This is an intriguing one, soccer friends. Austin FC - who has sold out every single MLS match they’ve played at Q2 Stadium since 2021 - are looking for someone to lead team operations for the club.

The person in this role will need to be highly-organized and also be comfortable wearing a number of different hats working with the players, coaches, and entire sporting department. The role reports to the Sporting Director Rodolfo Borrell who was previously a Man City assistant coach under a fellow named Pep Guardiola.

If this sounds right for you, apply here.

[If you have a job you’d like to be featured, you can book here]

DO THIS NOW: THE UNEXPECTED NOTE OF GRATITUDE

As Joanna noted in one of her answers above, so much of grabbing attention - from a potential client, a colleague, a hiring manager, etc. - is doing things that set yourself apart, standing out from the crowd. Today’s recommendation was crafted with that in mind.

It’s a simple thing but one *so* few people do with any consistency - take a few minutes to express thanks and gratitude. Here’s how you can approach making this a regular habit to stand out and build deeper relationships.

  • Today’s recommendation: Institute a process to regularly write unexpected notes of gratitude

Here’s how you can get started:

  • Put a simple 30-minute “Unexpected Gratitude” hold on your calendar every week

  • During that window, reflect on your recent work (or school) activities:

    • Who showed you kindness?

    • Who helped make an introduction?

    • Who helped solve a problem?

    • Who simply gave you time to talk through something?

  • When you’ve identified someone who was helpful to you, it’s as simple as writing a few sentences to thank them for what they did:

    • Be specific in describing the impact their action had on you

    • Call out something you appreciate about who they are

    • Be sure to say thank you

    • Offer your support/help if they’re ever in need

    • PATHWAY RESOURCE: Steal our templates

  • Sending your note via email is perfectly fine, but if you really want someone to feel the care you’ve put into it, send a handwritten note card (when’s the last time you got a handwritten note in the mail?)

  • If you don’t have someone that immediately comes to mind based on the last week or two, consider writing a note to an old friend, a former colleague, a teacher or professor from your past, etc.

While the intent of this activity is to express gratitude to others (you’ll make their day, we promise), the benefit of staying connected and standing out from others will see you build deeper relationships over time.

Taking time each week to reflect on who has been kind and helpful will undoubtedly also lead to you being more considerate in your day-to-day - and we could all benefit from a little more consideration for our colleagues and neighbors, couldn’t we? 🤗

WHEN YOU’RE READY, HERE ARE A FEW WAYS WE CAN HELP:

  1. If this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up here to ensure you get every issue (sent on Wednesdays!) directly in your inbox.

  2. You can subscribe to our Pathway Jobs Newsletter, which hits inboxes every Friday and lists as many new soccer jobs in North America as we can find - sometimes that’s 100+ new jobs!

  3. And, if you’re a club or brand looking to hire the most ambitious talent in soccer, drop us a line and we can tell you about our process, our growing talent pool, and the services we offer.

TELL A FRIEND?

⏩ Finally, if you’re willing to help spread the word, please forward this issue along to a friend or two who love the beautiful game. It’s the top way people find us and we’re grateful for the assist.

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See you next week, Pathwayers!