A former NFL star quit his football career to take his side hustle full-time and has made $8.3million, the equivalent to £6.5million, in the space of nine months.
Blake Martinez, 29, is a former inside linebacker for the NFL and was drafted into the Green Bay Packers during the 2016 season.
After a successful six-year career, Mr Martinez opted to retire from his football career to pursue his side hustle full-time.
His company is called Blake’s Breaks which he uses to purchase and sell Pokémon cards to consumers online.
As a lifelong fan of the franchise, the NFL linebacker noticed cards were selling for thousands of dollars for resale on various platforms.
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Already invested in the resale platform Whatnot, Mr Martinez decided to buy boxes of Pokémon cards on eBay.
These boxes cost the football star as much as $30,000 (£23,750.85) which he later sold on live streams.
Some of these cards sold for as little as $5 (£3.96) while one was purchased for $672,000 (£532,019.04).
Since its launch in July 2022, the side hustle has brought in over $8.3million (£6.5million) in revenue based on figures seen by CNBC.
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Currently, the business has around 60 employees, the majority of whom are live streamers who help sell cards to Pokémon fans.
The side hustle-turned-business also sells football and baseball cards to sports fans.
Speaking to CNBC Make It, the former NFL shared the difficulties of growing his side hustle into a fully-fledged business.
He explained: “When I was [reselling cards] on my own, I learned a lot about business — how to scale, how to hire, how to fire — from a friend of mine who owns three restaurants in New York.
Mr Martinez added: “We want to connect with people and have fun. [We’re] also understanding that even if you mess up, you’re capable of turning opportunities into something for yourself, or other people.
“I kept sticking to that foundation, and the right people started showing up.
“I tell my team all the time, ‘I don’t care if you make me $1million (£791,695) or $1 (79p)’. You have to abide by our concept of culture.”
Those interested in buying any of the cards on offer can visit Blake’s Breaks social channels for more information.
