Nina Wennerstrom and her fascinating journey, from Swedish national champ to struggling tennis pro to top of the sports agency business
Think of sports agents and the first image that comes to mind is that of Tom Cruise shouting his epic line "Show me the money!! Show me the money!!" from the 1996 film Jerry Maguire. That's the image I carried over when I first reached out to Nina Wennerstrom, a former tennis pro and now founder of Wesport, one of the world's leading sports agencies, to interview her.
But I was pleasantly surprised that Nina Wennerstrom was far removed from that image. After researching her background, I found it rather fascinating that a former Swedish national champion (eight times over) who also played pro tennis went on to become the founder of a leading global sports agency.
Tennis is one of the leading sports that Wesport works in. along with football and ice hockey, representing athletes including two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep, Slovakia's Alex Molcan and Swedish youngster Leo Borg among others.
Nina Wennerstrom recalls how her mother played against Margaret Court on Center Court at the French Open
The seeds of tennis in Nina Wennerstrom's life were sown young as she recalled how her mother played 24-time Grand Slam champion Margaret Court on Center Court at the French Open.
However, all the exposure and success at the junior level was not enough to help Nina Wennerstrom achieve glory on the WTA Tour, leading her to have enormous respect for the top 100 players in the world who do make it big on the international stage.
"I grew up in a tennis family, my mum actually played Margaret Court on the Center Court at Roland Garros and she was the reason I started playing as a kid. Growing up, my life was all about tennis and my dream was to become a pro player and play at the Grand Slams."
"I won eight Swedish National Championship titles but I just wasn’t good enough to succeed at the international level. There was so much competition and I have so much respect for the top 100 players in the world as I know how tough it is to get there and make a living," Nina Wennerstrom said.
How did she then move into the world of sports agents, first working with Octagon and then starting her own company? A former top 600 player, Nina Wennerstrom wanted to face the challenges at top-level sport once again and enrolled in business school, seeing as she missed the adrenaline rush of competition.
"I reached the Top 600 on the WTA Tour but felt that my game wasn’t ready to be in the top 100 so I started to study at Stockholm School of Economics. It was a very tough time in my life as I didn’t achive my dream and goal in tennis. I was a lost student trying to find a new mission and dream in life, and it wasn’t until I found the book “What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School” that the founder of IMG, Mark McCormack, had written that I realized that I wanted to become a sports agent."
"I truly missed the adrenaline, the people and the challenges within sport during my studies, so once I graduated from business school my whole mission was to become a sports agent and that’s how this journey started. That book truly changed my life, and I am very sorry I never got to meet Mark in person before he passed away," Nina Wennerstrom said.
While some may have been intimidated by the fact that the sports agency business is a male-dominated industry, Wennerstrom saw that as an advantage for her. Now, she wants other women to be inspired by her, calling it a "shame" that more women don't get to experience such a challenging field of work.
"This is a very male-dominated business. That's extremely suspiring as the characteristics needed to succeed as an agent, such as leadership, management, negotiations, sales and marketing, are found in women as much as men."
"However, I see the male-dominated side as an advantage for me as I believe that no matter which industry it is, it's always better to have different mindsets, perspectives, and competencies. As a woman, I do believe I think and act differently than most of the male agents."
"I am not saying that men or women are better – I am just saying we are different and both are needed in each business to develop it. Further, I have never received anything but respect and I am not focused on gender; rather, I'm focused on doing a good job and building up Wesport to become one of the leading sports agencies in the world."
"I hope my job and journey inspires other women. It’s the greatest job in the world so it’s a shame there aren't more women to experience this challenging and exciting work. I have loved it since day one!!" Nina Wennerstrom said.
Nina Wennerstrom on why tennis is the toughest sport in the world
While tennis seemed like a logical and natural area for her to work in for her company, Wesport today represents more than 150 athletes from 41 countries in sports as diverse as hockey and football as well as a few padel players. I'm curious to find out about some of the more challenging episodes that she has had to encounter on this journey.
"The success factor for us has been that we represent athletes within the major commercial sports in the world (tennis, football and ice hockey) and this has also been the most challenging aspect as I have never played ice hockey or football and I didn’t have any experience within these sports."
"I just had a business plan that I strongly believed in and a very clear vision of how I wanted to work within those sports. Tennis is great, but it's small compared to football, which is the biggest sport in the world and has so many more athletes that can make a living out of it. That’s why I always say tennis is the toughest sport in the world as it's extremely global but still just around 100-150 people can make good money in it."
"Tennis was relatively easy to enter management wise as I worked in it during my years as an employee in the United States and represented several top 10 players. I know the business inside out. But when I told people that Wesport was going into football and hockey, most people told me to just focus on what I could (tennis)," Nina Wennerstrom said.
Nina Wennerstrom is glad she stuck to her guns and followed her vision, the same reason her company is now recognized globally. She further added that they are in the process of expanding operations, radiating pride and gratitude at seeing the rewards of her hardwork.
"I'm very glad I had the guts to follow my plan and my vision as today one of the major success factors of the company is that we represent athletes from different sports and we have been able to scale up the business. This year, we are opening Wesport operations in South America through Wesport Latam and offices in Mexico city and Miami."
"It’s a dream come true to see the company develop this way. I was preparing for it and I have been working towards it but I never expected it to really happen so I am extremely grateful and yet our journey has just started," Nina Wennerstrom said.
Nina Wennerstrom reveals her upcoming plans for Wesport, without delving into the details
Like all great leaders, Nina Wennerstrom realizes that she can't do this alone and that she needs a great team of people behind her -- something she has consciously worked to build at her company.
"The other key factor to our success is the team at Wesport. I am very limited in a lot of things, I am very good at a few things but there are a lot of things I am really useless at and I know I could never do this alone. I need a team to succeed and today I have the most amazing people working with me."
"The energy is great, the teamwork is amazing, and we have a lot of fun and complement and support each other. When building up a company it’s all about finding people with different resources and competencies who have different expertise and complement each other. This way, the sky is the limit."
"When you run a business, you get the privilege of hiring the team of people you like and believe in the most. Each one of our team members is handpicked and unique and I am so proud of everyone," Nina Wennerstrom said.
With a 22-member strong team, plans to move into a new bigger office in Stockholm later this year and hubs in Madrid, Nice, Malmo, Mexico city and Miami, Nina Wennerstrom is not done yet. The 43-year-old has big plans for her agency, even if she is a bit reluctant to share those details with me.
Biblioteksgatan 8 is our new office address starting first or April! Looking forward to welcome our clients and partners!
On my way back home from Melbourne to Stockholm and SO excited about what’s about to come for Wesport agency as we just signed on a new office contract💥 Biblioteksgatan 8 is our new office address starting first or April! Looking forward to welcome our clients and partners! https://t.co/X76JHC02ai
"I want to make sure that we continue on the path that we are on. I don’t see financial numbers as a measurement of success. I am a passionate person who wants to have fun and enjoy. What makes me happy is to see our team develop, for us to do this together and to give the opportunity to young people who love sports and business to get into this fantastic business."
"Ultimately, happiness is to see our clients succeed, reach their dreams and goals, and do all we can to support them on their journey. I have my business plan that I created after I left Octagon and we have been following it since Day One. The plan is to continue doing that so there is definitely more to come, but I won’t tell you everything now (smiling)," Nina Wennerstrom said,
Is India a part of those plans? She is ready to make it so, provided she finds the right person to take things forward.
"I would love to. I need to find the right person to run Wesport India and maybe we can make it work (smiling)," Nina Wennerstrom said.
I probe Nina about her impressions of India, where she enjoyed one of her best runs on the international circuit: reaching the final of an ITF event in 2001.
"My mum had always spoken so highly about India and I was so curious to see the country and meet the people. It was a trip I will never forget as it was so strong emotionally to visit all the places. I was there for a month, and I went to Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi and I made friends from that trip that I am still in touch with," Nina Wennerstrom said.
Nina Wennerstrom on her biggest strength in life and how it helped her establish herself as a force to be reckoned with in the sports agency business
As a final question, I asked Nina something I try to take away from all the leaders and role models I have interviewed -- what helped them overcome the challenges that they faced during their journey.
"There have been a lot of ups and downs and setbacks over the years, and I would say that my biggest strength in life is that I am a fighter, and I don’t give up. I get so inspired by our athletes who never give up no matter their injuries, loss of confidence or bad and close losses."
"A successful athlete knows that there are no shortcuts to success and it’s the same mindset that helps you succeed in business life. I grind through tough times. I have spent two hours a day over the last 10 years just being creative. Those two hours have been the key in my career as that’s where great ideas have come up."
"I have also always tried to stay in shape myself as our bodies and minds are the key and here also, I have been inspired by our athletes. I eat well, I sleep a lot, I play sports, I go to the gym and I spend a lot of time with my kids. These things help me keep my energy levels high and help me deliver in my job and overcome challenges," Nina Wennerstrom said.
Whatever happens, you can be rest assured that you will hear about Nina Wennerstrom and her team fighting to make sure their dreams and those of the athletes that they represent come true in the years ahead. And who knows, maybe one of them may be an Indian tennis star!!