From the Ballpark to the Board Room

From his days as a major league baseball player, Kevin Thompson understands the value of resilience, coaching, and discipline for going after a goal in any realm of life. Now the founder and CEO of 9I Capital Group, he’s translated his experiences to the financial sphere to help him win in business every day.

Living his dream

Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Thompson developed a passion for baseball while at his first job: working in batting cages. There, he spent hours upon hours hitting baseballs and shaping his dream of donning an MLB uniform and playing for some of the most iconic sports franchises in America—a dream he eventually made a reality. “I played for the New York Yankees in 2006 and 2007,” he recalls. “I then finished the 2007 season with the Oakland A’s.” Afterward, he went on to play in the minor leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers.

In these top-level competitive environments, Thompson learned some of his greatest life lessons, and not just in terms of baseball prowess. “There was no experience better than playing with the Yankees,” he says. “Top to bottom, it’s just an upper-class organization. The Yankees run like a business, and it taught me how to run a business.”

Though he certainly gleaned a lot from his coaches, it was his fellow players who inspired his future business acumen most. Reflecting on playing alongside greats like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, he states, “The difference between the 1 percent and the rest of us is the mindset that when you have a bad day, you erase and do it again. Some of us might say, ‘Oh, that didn’t work, so I’m gonna start something else.’ But the greats say, ‘No, I’m sticking with the plan. It may not have worked today, but it’s going to work, so I’ll keep at it.’”

Thompson’s time as a major league baseball player, though cherished, was unfortunately short-lived. After a career-ending injury to his wrist, he was soon forced to retire from his dream sport.

A fresh start

Undeterred, Thompson dived headfirst into the world of financial management. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2011 along with several practicing licenses, including Series 7, 63, and 66 designations. Each of these allowed him to trade securities and ultimately help clients achieve their financial goals.

Swapping his baseball uniform for a suit and tie might seem like an out-of-left-field decision, but a profound earlier experience made this a natural transition. “When I was playing for the Pirates, I was making good money,” he says. Hoping to be responsible with his funds, he turned to investing. “I got involved with a company called the Stanford Financial Group, which turned out to be a Ponzi scheme. That led me into the financial world because I didn’t want my money involved in anything I didn’t understand.”

Equipped for success

Thompson’s sports prowess served him well as he launched his new career and empowered his professional success in the years following. Reflecting on another tenet he learned on the diamond, he explains, “The details matter; I don’t care how small they are. With the Yankees, everyone followed the same minor details, from wearing their pants the same way to shaving, each of which helped get everyone aligned with the greater goal.” Thompson continued to apply this detail-oriented mentality as he began his own wealth-management business, but he focused on more than just wearing neat business attire. He notes that a precise approach is crucial when it comes to following compliance, knowing his clients, and performing lucrative business practices to a T.

Another essential business-leadership principle Thompson has kept with him is a commitment to doing his best every day. “Do the service within your company at a very high level,” he says, “and clients will tell somebody else about the quality that was presented to them. There’s nothing better than warm referrals from the clients who love you best.”

He conducts his marketing with similar diligence, labeling it as one of his central tools for securing client loyalty. For example, he sends weekly, monthly, and quarterly market updates to his contact list, makes monthly phone calls to loop clients in on important developments, and sends greetings on important dates like birthdays and anniversaries. “The number one reason people may leave their financial adviser is because they either had bad service or didn’t hear from that person at all,” he shares, going on to advise businesspeople to contact each of their clients up to five times a month.

A mission-based career

Thompson notes that one of his predominant ongoing efforts involves inspiring others to succeed alongside him. “The African American community is underutilized in the financial sphere,” he says. “I want to change that. Me talking about topics like financial wellness helps represent our community in a different light: there are highly intelligent, ethical, and principled individuals working in this space, not just in athletics and art.” Thompson adds that economic challenges facing African Americans may leave some individuals feeling the greatest impact of recessions and other financial turbulence—but he has the skills and winner’s mentality to help all his clients ride that wave smoothly.

For more info, visit 9icapitalgroup.com

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Consider how you might apply Kevin Thompson’s discipline, diligence, and client-focused conviction to your own business practices.