Jacob Soto, a sophomore finance major, sits down every night at around 9 p.m. for what he calls “me time.” The TV and video games consoles power on. He is in the zone.
Inevitably, his girlfriend, Natalie Rogers, a junior business major, bursts through the door asking an array of questions about soccer balls, parent phone calls and children’s birthday parties.
Soto waves her off.
“It can wait,” he says.
Soto’s late evenings are dedicated to video games and Netflix, not to answering Rogers’ questions about their business. Soto and Rogers co-own Core Sports Academy, a youth soccer company dedicated to coaching preschool and elementary-age children in early soccer techniques.
“I need that time during the evening to relax, and she just doesn’t know how to stop thinking of the business past a certain time,” Soto said.
The couple spoke with student entrepreneurs at the UCF Blackstone LaunchPad Wednesday.
The best way to be successful is to visualize success every day, Rogers said.
In 2013, Rogers’ aunt, a day care director, asked her to coach soccer. Rogers agreed, since she had played soccer since childhood. Rogers’ father purchased the business name, “Kick It with Natalie,” for $150.
In 2014, Soto joined the venture. The name changed to Core Sports Academy. In March 2015, the couple quit their part-time jobs to focus on the business.
“Now, all of our income comes from our business, and it’s doing well,” Rogers said.
Core Sports Academy is on track to earn $80,000 in revenue this calendar year. Since last year, it has grown from two to six employees and expanded service from one to six schools in the Orlando metropolitan area. During that time, the company increased enrollment in its programs by 1,150 percent.
Like so many undergraduate entrepreneurs before them—Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft mogul Bill Gates, Dell’s namesake Michael Dell, and even UCF-alum Jesse Wolfe who recently scored a $50,000 deal on ABC’s Shark Tank—the pair is focused on success.
Unlike Zuckerberg, Gates and Dell, the pair does not plan to drop out of college. Rather, Rogers and Soto balance perfection of their business model with studying for the next business exam.
“We have to consider what would happen if our business were to fail,” Soto said. “If I need to go to work nine to five, and I have a degree from UCF, I’ll be able to do that while I plan my next business venture.”
Striking a balance between business ownership and school has become second nature to the couple. Rogers said it works for one reason: organization.
“We have calendars everywhere and make lists every morning of what needs to be done, urgently, that day,” Rogers said.
The list often includes due assignments and study schedules for classes, along with coaching events and meetings with potential clients. Their schedules are exceedingly busy, but both say they intend to complete their degrees at UCF.
Owning a business and attending campus business classes gives Soto an advantage over his peers.
“I’m able to take what I learn in class and immediately apply it to what I’m doing when I’m not in
class,” he said.
Over the next year, Soto projected Core Sports Academy will serve 10 schools. By the end of 2017, he said the company will bring in over six figures in revenue.
“My purpose is to make my business successful and bring a love of sports to kids at a young age,” Rogers said. “And if you focus on your dreams, and really visualize them coming to fruition, it will undoubtedly happen.”
The couple approach every day with focus and enthusiasm. When the clock strikes nine, Soto’s business and UCF brain shut off and he wants only one thing.
“I just want to veg out and play video games for a while,” he said. “The business and school can wait.”
