October felt like a turning point for F42 Consulting. Alongside celebrating the business’s first birthday, the month saw the launch of F42 Talent, the arrival of a new client and my first interview with a former Premier League star.
Let’s take it away with the F42 Consulting October Update.
Introducing F42 Talent
One of the biggest developments in October was the launch of F42’s talent arm, an extension of the business that will utilise my network across the sports industry to create new commercial opportunities for both brands and individuals.
Having spent much of my career working across sports partnerships, I’ve built relationships with athletes, agents, managers and other industry professionals. This is an opportunity to put those connections to work, identifying opportunities where the right people and brands can come together.
It’s something I’ve been keen to develop for a while, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it leads.
My first interview with a Premier League legend
Another first for me in October was interviewing Brad Friedel. Having watched and followed hundreds of interviews throughout my career, it was a different experience to be the one asking the questions for a change.
Brad enjoyed an incredible career in the Premier League and with the United States national team, so it was a great opportunity to hear his thoughts and get his perspective on the game. There was one small complication: the interview took place at 1am Melbourne time!
Having previously worked with agencies that didn’t always give much consideration to time differences, I’ve always felt that if you’re trying to win someone’s business, you need to make things work for them. In this case, that meant accommodating both the client and the talent, rather than expecting either to work around my schedule. It’s something I’ve made a core part of F42’s approach: I’ll make calls and commitments work, whatever time of day that happens to be.
Despite the late finish, it was a really enjoyable experience. I was told afterwards that Brad had enjoyed the conversation too, which was reassuring, and I’m looking forward to putting what I learned into practice with the next one.
It’s another area I’d like to develop through F42, creating opportunities for brands to work with sporting personalities while producing content that has value in the digital landscape.
A Month of Sport in Victoria
October is always a fantastic month for sport in Victoria, and I was fortunate enough to experience two very different events across the month.
I attended the Caulfield Cup as a fan, where Sportsbet’s presence certainly caught my eye. Later in the month, I headed down to Phillip Island for the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix as a guest of BK8 News. It was another fantastic experience, and I wrote a little about the weekend, including some of the behind-the-scenes moments, in a separate article here.
From a sponsorship perspective, though, it was TAB that really stood out to me across the Spring Racing Carnival. If I had to pick a winner, I’d argue they nailed the famous four Ps of marketing.
Product: The features available through the app make TAB a standout in the horse racing market, with Venue Mode continuing to offer a particularly compelling experience for those following the action at the track.
Place: TAB venues across the country become hives of activity during the Carnival, and my local was certainly buzzing on Derby Day.
Promotion: The TAB Takeovers were a fantastic win for punters, particularly with Next Episode on Derby Day and Point of Law in the Melbourne Cup. Meanwhile, the television campaign featuring Emma Freedman did a great job of aligning the brand with its audience.
Price: World Pool and One Pool have made TAB’s offering even more competitive, giving punters another reason to engage with the product.
TAB had a presence across the racecourse and thousands of venues around the country, complemented by promotions that offered genuine value to punters. Combined with a competitive product, it made for a strong overall offering and a great example of how sponsorship can build brand affinity.
New client, new opportunities
October also saw F42 welcome a new client, with work beginning on a two-pronged marketing campaign.
While confidentiality prevents me from sharing the details for now, the project combines sponsorship strategy and digital marketing. It’s an interesting opportunity to bring together different parts of F42’s offering, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the campaign develops.
It’s another opportunity to put some of the experience I’ve built across sports partnerships and marketing into practice, while continuing to develop the range of services F42 can offer.
Learning the less glamorous side of running a business
One thing I’ve learned over the past year is that running a business involves a lot more than the work you set out to do. Cash flow was something I remember covering in business studies A level, but there’s a big difference between learning about it in a classroom and managing it yourself.
As F42’s portfolio of clients and projects grows, keeping on top of invoices, payments and receipts has become increasingly important. Knowing what’s been agreed, what’s been invoiced, what’s due and when money actually arrives is something I’m learning to manage on the fly.
It’s probably not the most exciting part of running a consultancy, but it’s an important one. And I suspect it’s something plenty of other first-time founders and sole traders can relate to.
Looking ahead
F42 recently celebrated its first birthday, and while the first 12 months have certainly had their fair share of stress and mayhem, there have been plenty of successes along the way too. The focus now is on building on that foundation.
I’m currently exploring opportunities across football, MMA, combat sports and motorsport, both here in Australia and internationally. The launch of F42 Talent also opens up another avenue for the business, while the work with existing and new clients continues to evolve.
One year in, F42 is a very different business to the one I launched in 2025. The next challenge is turning momentum into sustained growth. There’s plenty in development behind the scenes, and I’m excited to see where year two takes me.
Hopefully I’ll have a few more exciting updates to share next month.