Exploring Life & Business with Ali Barnes of Pro Elite Training

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali Barnes.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
After playing Division 1 basketball at Miami OH University I went onto start my first business, “AB Training LLC” in 2016, which focused on sports performance, fitness and meal plans. One day during a private 1 on 1 training session I was struggling to improve my client’s crossover dribble. He was having a hard time understanding the rhythm I wanted him to dribble with. So I started clapping my hands to signify the tempo and timing of the rhythm. As soon as my client was able to hear the rhythm of my clapping and visually see the timing and tempo of my hands clapping the problem was solved. At that moment I realized I could train my clients using music.

So I rush home and start researching things like Hip Hop Dribbling and Music Basketball to see if there was anything out there remotely close to what I just discovered. After all my searches came up empty, I knew my next step was to protect my idea with a patent and luckily for me, I knew just the right gentlemen to ask! His name was Dr.Baker and he owned a business consulting firm. He told me to come by his office to show him my creation. So I put together a lean business plan and a video demonstrating dribbling on beat to the music. By the time the meeting concluded me and Dr.Baker were business partners.

He agreed to be the project manager and was confident that ProElite Training was a multi-million dollar idea. He had friends that played basketball in the NBA and when we showed them the demonstration video they told me the exact same thing Dr.Baker did. From there we were able to secure NBA Point Guard Trey Burke due to the relationships Dr.Baker had already established. Securing Trey Burke allowed us to recruit other athletes to training platforms like former NFL star Brandon Tate and MMA champion Tony Johnson.

Once we had the athletes, we turned our attention to fundraising for filming and development. We were able to raise over $250,000 from accredited investors. After successfully raising enough money the only thing left to do was filming the athletes, editing the videos, and app the development. Which was going to take a long time and oftentimes the waiting periods were 6+ months due to scheduling, family, holidays, and off-season availability.

So at this time I was still finishing my undergraduate at Miami OH University in Sport Management and Leadership and was only able to train my clients during the summer. Over time I began to lose business so I started to focus on training Professional athletes. As a result, I often found myself talking with agents and sports managers, which peaked my interest in learning more about the business side of sports. So I completed an 8-week online Agent Advisor Certification and convinced Dr.Baker to open a sports & entertainment division under his business consulting firm. He agreed and named me President of Business Management within that division. My goal was to become a sports agent and to leverage ProElite Training as a conversation starter and value add that gives my players a way to monetize. So during those ProElite Training waiting periods, I would focus on working with athletes and finding ways to create passive income so that I could own my time and focus on things that would advance my Entrepreneurial journey.

Fast forward to today… I have a trucking company, air bnb properties and a venture capital fund. In addition, our MVP (minimal value product) version of ProElite is available on both app stores. My plan right now for ProElite Training is to continue fundraising and a grow ProElite through unique NIL deals to gain momentum. I am currently serving as Chief Operating Officer for YG Sports.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The main challenges I experienced as a sports tech entrepreneur revolve around access to capital. It is very difficult for start-ups to get funding especially in the tech space. It is even harder if you are a young African American.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a serial entrepreneur and founder of ProElite Training. ProElite Training is a sports training app that uses music and science to increase athletes’ sports performance. I am responsible for overseeing the curation of the drills, editing videos, and marketing.

What sets me apart is my accomplishments at the age of 27. I am most proud of ProElite Training although having 2 degrees and several passive business ventures and executive titles makes me proud as well.

I want readers to know that they can download ProElite Training on the app store

Contact Info:

• Website: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/proelite-training/id1570986019
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alibarnes_3/