Sammi Ekmark, former star tennis player at Arizona State University (ASU), has swapped her tennis racquet for a life as an entrepreneur. After a successful athletic career, Ekmark co-founded Ink’d Greetings, a personalized greeting and gift card company, in 2023 alongside her husband Andrew.

“I really focused on tennis. I was 92-0 in high school,” said Ekmark. But her ACL injury during college was a turning point, leading her to explore new interests.

For student-athletes like Ekmark, life after sports can be challenging, with many struggling to adapt to a lack of structure and identity. Only 2% of NCAA student-athletes go pro, leaving the majority to navigate a world outside of competitive sports.

“A lot of athletes graduate with these incredible skill sets, but they have no ‘corporate resume’ experience,” said Kate Fitzgerald, co-founder of SPORTx, a student athlete venture studio at ASU.

In June 2024, the House v. NCAA settlement vastly changed the college sports landscape, allowing athletes to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness (NIL). This new NIL era has opened doors for athlete-entrepreneurs like Sammi Ekmark.

“The opportunity is bigger than ever now,” said Ekmark. “The NIL landscape has created the opportunity for athletes to set themselves up for success in life after sport.”

“I think the best entrepreneurs are going to be people who were former athletes.” – Sammi Ekmark

Sammi Ekmark, co-founder, Ink’d Greetings

Today, Ink’d Greetings reports over $25,000 in monthly revenue, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.