The Blueprint by Smoking Gun Creative Agency8 Juni

All-American WR, NFL Draft Pick, Now Building Businesses: Mark Clayton | The Blueprint

Mark Jermaine Clayton grew up ducking family chaos in Oklahoma City - he ended up an All-American and a first-round NFL Draft pick. This is a pro athlete's post-career story that's less about what he lost and more about what he built next.

When we straight up asked him before the pod, Mark Clayton described himself to us as a “former baller turned entrepreneur” - he was a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams, a two-time First-Team All-American at Oklahoma, and a first-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. After football, he spent the next decade designing and developing LIVV Audio - a performance over-ear headphone brand built from the ground up for athletes, starting with a sketch he made while trying to run on an underwater treadmill with the Rams.

In this episode, Mark walks through growing up in a volatile household in Oklahoma City and using sports as his way out, his recruiting process as a "little bitty guy", what it was actually like to be drafted and play for the Ravens organization, the injuries that shortened his NFL career, and how a frustrating headphone experience turned into a business idea - LIVV Audio.

LIVV Audio: livvaudio.com

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/nosmokenofire/

Listen to the full uncut versions of all our episodes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2FYwcQ6bj5IfrvRUP2m7AN

https://www.nosmokenofire.com

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Intro/outro music courtesy of Pierre DeJournette (https://www.instagram.com/beatsbypd)

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The Warrior Maker: Born in Adversity, Raised in Rejection. Chris Harris | The Blueprint

Chris Harris was sleeping under bridges at 12 and eating out of dumpsters by choice - because the streets felt safer than the foster homes. Years later, he was dubbed "The Warrior Maker."Chris spent 2...

27 Juli 1h 44min

19 Years of Pinpoint Merch, and Why "Always Be Closing" Is Wrong: Scott Graham Returns | The Blueprint

Scott Graham has been on our show 3 times - you’d think that would mean something, but the truth is he won’t stop showing up at our door.Scott Graham is the founder of Pinpoint Merch - a DFW-based cus...

26 Maj 1h 56min

The "I Can Do Anything" Mindset: Rick Hopper (Shark Tank, ReadeREST) | The Blueprint

He lost his wife, lived on the street, and went to jail. A few years later, Rick Hopper was on a path that would take him to ABC’s Shark Tank and became a millionaire.Rick Hopper is a serial entrepren...

11 Maj 1h 57min

MMA Championships to Holistic Medicine: Guy Mezger & Boomer Cornwell | The Blueprint

Guy Mezger was shot, stabbed three times, and run over on his motorcycle - all before turning pro as a fighter.Guy Mezger is a former King of Pancrase World Champion and Lion's Den team member - one o...

27 Apr 2h 13min

You Can't Take This Music Away From Me: Brayden Stewart, Southern Rock Musician | The Blueprint

At 21, Brayden Stewart is already signed to Warner Chappell in Nashville and playing rock and roll "greasier than a chicken bone on the floor of a Jiffy Lube." He’s one of those rare youngsters who ta...

20 Apr 1h 31min

How Uganda's Brolin Mawejje Became a Pro Snowboarder | The Blueprint by Smoking Gun

Brolin Mawejje is a pro snowboarder from Uganda. Let that sink in! That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though - Brolin’s also a medical student and, as we cover in this episode, a survivor of some pre...

13 Apr 1h 48min

Compress Your 10-Year Goals into 4 Years: George DiGianni | The Blueprint by Smoking Gun

This week’s guest is George DiGianni - he describes himself as a consultant, keynote speaker and entrepreneur, but DFW listeners also may know him from the radio station The Ticket! George dives into ...

6 Apr 1h 42min