Jan 17, 2025
As a football star at the University of Michigan, Blake Corum landed deals with Outback Steakhouse, 7-Eleven, Subway and Peloton. In the midst of cashing in on his collegiate fame, he made further moves to secure his financial future.
“My first house that I bought a couple months ago with my dad just hit the market,” Corum told The 33rd Team in a video published July 2023. “We’re flipping houses now. I’m into real estate.”
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The 24-year-old running back credits his parents with imbuing him with an entrepreneurial spirit that helped him navigate the business space before he was drafted into the NFL 83rd overall by the Los Angeles Rams in 2024.
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“What motivates me to be that entrepreneur is really growing up and seeing my dad and my mom start a business from nothing and turning it into something,” Corum said. “That’s why I’m doing business with my dad and also doing business with other people as well.”
He’s also cautious about repeating mistakes made by those who came before him, and has actively taken steps to boost his knowledge. Here are some lessons you can learn from the young pro athlete.
Learning from the past
Corum recalled watching his dad go through ups and downs in the real estate game — lessons he took to heart. He also reached out to college alumni for advice while he was a student.
“Learn from the people that are doing it,” Corum said. “That’s what I’m doing. Just trying to be a sponge and soak everything up.”
His approach is similar to that of another athlete who’s now a business mogul, Shaquille O’Neal.
“The common mistake business owners make is they think they know it all,” Shaq told YouTube’s School of Hard Knocks during an interview posted Dec. 12. “Make sure you hire people that are smarter than you.”
It’s advice you don’t have to be a millionaire to appreciate — if there are gaps in your knowledge, you can attempt to fill them by learning on your own or finding somebody with the right expertise. The point is understanding the limits of your business acumen and doing what’s necessary to exceed them.
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Getting into real estate
If you’re interested in real estate, there are a number of ways you can get into investing without being a varsity or professional athlete.
One approach is to put your money into real estate investment trusts (REITs), many of which are publicly traded on stock exchanges.
Another is to pool your funds with other investors into rental property investment companies and make gains on the housing market that way.
You could also try your hand at investing in commercial real estate, tapping into properties leased by recognized brands.
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William Koblensky Varela is a Staff Reporter at Wise who has worked as a journalist for seven years covering finance, local news, politics, legal issues and the environment.
