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Pro downhill racer Rich Houseman joins SponsorHouse

Ridemonkey

This is not an active account
Sep 18, 2002
4,108
1
Toronto, Canada
<p><img src="http://www.ridemonkey.com/media/clip_image001.jpg" width="134" height="200" hspace="5" align="left">To race at an elite level requires a unique mentality. Racers have to be physically prepared for their event, determined to make sacrifices, and have an inner desire for competition. No matter how much one trains, or how many VO2 tests they&rsquo;ve taken, one factor will always be at the root of elite-level racing, money. It takes cash to be able to get to the races, have competitive equipment or even take time off of work if necessary. In mountain bike racing, it&rsquo;s possible to be extremely successful amateur racer scoring great results in National-caliber races, yet fly completely under the radar.</p>
<p>As any accomplished pro racer will attest to, marketing one&rsquo;s self as a valuable asset to a potential sponsor is the best way to get a foot in the door with sponsorship. But how do you do that? What if you&rsquo;re a talented rider who lives thousands of miles away from the heart of the mountain bike industry? What if you&rsquo;re only an amateur, but have aspirations of racing pro, and want to get the buzz about your skills to potential sponsor? That&rsquo;s exactly why the company Sponsorhouse.com was formed, to connect riders and sponsors. </p>
<p><strong>HANDS ON WITH BIKES </strong>
In an effort to show their dedication to helping riders make industry connections and land sponsorship deals, SponsorHouse sought out the knowledge of professional downhill racer Rich Houseman, and named him Director Of Bicycle Sponsorships. Houseman, 26, has nearly 20 years of bicycle sponsorship experience, dating back to his factory BMX days, to his current status as a Foes Factory Team downhill and mountaincross racer.</p><p>&ldquo;Rich&rsquo;s accomplishments as a professional BMX and mountain bike racer speak for themselves,&rdquo; said Scott Tilton, President of SponsorHouse, Inc. &ldquo;His attitude and professionalism is a great addition to the brand, and his efforts will help establish SponsorHouse as the premiere service helping to connect riders with sponsors in the bicycle industry.&rdquo;</p><p><strong>HOW DOES IT WORK?</strong>
With SponsorHouse, riders create a personal resume and bio on an account that they can access around the clock, and have the ability to send their profile to companies who&rsquo;ve willing signed up for the service. When a rider submits a sponsorship request to a company, it shows up in the appropriate section of their account (depending on their preset preferences and on the riders career level). The company will get an email notification regarding their requests.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Most of the companies will search the database of riders, looking for top-level riders. They also have tools and resources at their disposal to help find the riders that fit with their brand.</p><p><strong>WHO CAN USE IT?</strong>
SponsorHouse&rsquo;s services are applicable for pros to beginners, and each will get something different out of the experience. Top amateur riders and Pro's are put in different sections of the site for the companies to view. If you are at the level where sponsors are coming to you, then the site can be used as another outlet to get your name out and allow people to contact you. Beginners may not land a sponsorship right away, but will learn the ropes of how sponsorships are developed and career management.</p><p>Recreational riders need not apply: You have to be an action sports athlete that is trying to get to the next level or is looking to make a career out of riding. </p><p><strong>WHAT SPORTS ARE REPRESENTED?</strong>
SponsorHouse isn&rsquo;t only connected to the mountain bike industry; depending on the time of year, they also make rider-sponsor connections in Motocross, and BMX.<br>
Visit www.sponsorhouse.com to learn more.</p>


Story and Photo by: Ryan Cleek
Courtesy of : www.mbaction.com
 
Sponsor House and Rich have agreed to help with some swag for the YMCA freeride camp in Seattle, they have been nothing but great with everything. Congrats to these guys for trying to help all riders make their dreams come true.
Thanks again, Rich!


Cory Bibby
 

richhouseman

Chimp
Feb 20, 2002
81
1
Temecula
I also wanted to post some info on Sponsorhouse.com. I've read some of the posts on here, and I wanted to "clear the air" on some of the issues. Basically, Sponsorhouse is a service dedicated to the riders and racers who are serious about gaining solid sponsorship in the Bike industry. We offer the tools and resources for creating professional, clean resumes, and the ability to contact the right people at each company.
The annual cost for this service is $50 for MTB, and $40 for BMX. This fee is an investment into your cycling career. If any of you have taken the time to print and mail multiple resumes, you know costs can add up quick! I've been in the Bike industry for over 20 years. I've also been involved with every level of sponsorship there is. I wish I had a service like SponsorHouse throughout my whole career! You have 24/7 access to update results, Bio info, and send off sponsorship requests. In addition, you are guaranteed to get your resumes into the right hands at each company. If you are serious about getting some solid sponsorship, then check out www.sponsorhouse.com. It's worth it.

Rich Houseman
rich@sponsorhouse.com
760-722-3350
 

BoomSplat

Chimp
Feb 23, 2004
74
0
maplevalley
Why spend money? you do not need to spend money to get sponsorship. On you'r resume yes, but on who to contact or how, no way! come on man, this is a way for "other" people to make money off of you. You need to look professional and have a clean resume and good personality, contact the company you are intrested in do alittle research on them and start calling. If anything companies will more than likely give product. If you need help ask me, and it won't cost anything.
 

richhouseman

Chimp
Feb 20, 2002
81
1
Temecula
Mr. BoomSplat:

You are very correct in that you need to act professional, and have a good personality in order to get sponsored. SponsorHouse opens the avenue up to contacting the company's sponsor rep. in an efficient, professional way. Most companies have a "sponsorship season" and that information is accessible at SponosorHouse.com. This meaning, Companies only accept Sponsorship offers at a specific time of the year. We provide information, tools, and resources that increase your chances of getting sponsorship help. One thing we stress is that companies don't "give" anything out. Sponsorship is a 2 way street. You are representing the company you ride for, and It's your job to promote them in every way possible. More and More companies are utilizing the SponsorHouse service as a way to streamline, promote, and manage their Sponsorship programs. It allows companies to stay up to date, communicate, and manage their Sponsored riders efficiently. Riders who take the time to use SponsorHouse and create their Resume/Bio, are usually riders who are serious about getting sponsored and are looked at as being great representatives for companies. Companies like Foes Racing, Turner Bikes, Iron Horse bikes, Troy Lee Designs, Sun Ringle, and 661 all use and believe in the SponsorHouse system. Once again, SponsorHouse's main goal is "connecting riders with sponsors." If you have any more questions please feel free to contact me.
760-722-3350

Rich
 

Ridemonkey

This is not an active account
Sep 18, 2002
4,108
1
Toronto, Canada
BoomSplat said:
Why spend money? you do not need to spend money to get sponsorship. On you'r resume yes, but on who to contact or how, no way! come on man, this is a way for "other" people to make money off of you. You need to look professional and have a clean resume and good personality, contact the company you are intrested in do alittle research on them and start calling. If anything companies will more than likely give product. If you need help ask me, and it won't cost anything.
I spend money all the time on things I could do myself. Why? Cuz someone else can often do it better and I don't have time to manage every detail all the time.

Have you ever bought a hamburger somewhere? Why did you do that when you can grill it yourself at home?
 

Velocity Girl

whack-a-mole
Sep 12, 2001
1,279
0
Atlanta
The time alone is enough of a reason to get help with sponsorship. Trying to figure out who to talk to, and then getting a hold of said individual (when they don't know who you are or who you're affiliated with) can take up a good chunk of time. Now multiple that by the X number of sponsors you're trying to get and I know I can't handle all that plus a full time job, plus be able to go out and ride as much as I'd like too! This is probably why I've never managed a team myself but instead focus my energy on promoting my sponsors, and team, that my manager has worked to put together :D.
 

BoomSplat

Chimp
Feb 23, 2004
74
0
maplevalley
I have been promoting myself for about 3yrs, I take the time and go to companies or call and find out who to talk to. Get to know the person who does the sponsorship, build a simply relationship with them. I have a full time job plus ride too, almost everyday. But I have to give up ride time to invest into my future as a rider. I do have sponsors one who pays and the others are product, I found them on my own did the paper work(help of my dad) on my own,do the promoting, without having to spend my hard earned dollar on an company who already has the hook up, just now they are making money on it.
But, then again I'm not a pro or semi-pro(expert) but working on it. I guess it comes down to how hard the rider is willing to invest their blood and sweat into thier future and most importantly their TIME. :)
 

redical

Monkey
May 19, 2004
388
0
BoomSplat said:
Why spend money? you do not need to spend money to get sponsorship. On you'r resume yes, but on who to contact or how, no way! come on man, this is a way for "other" people to make money off of you. You need to look professional and have a clean resume and good personality, contact the company you are intrested in do alittle research on them and start calling. If anything companies will more than likely give product. If you need help ask me, and it won't cost anything.
Every form of business in this industry exists to make money. That is a given. But Sponsorhouse.com works. As a recent transplant from the BMX world, I did not know anyone in the 4X industry. The website connected me to people I did not know. My resume got to the right person at each company, and I knew he was looking for resumes like mine. Much better than a cold call situation, or twisting a receptionist's arm for a name, or being stuck in voicemail hell. Think of it as having an agent & Kinkos working for you, but only paying $50 a year rather than 10-25%. I immediately started getting reponses. More and better responses than doing the old calling/mailing/shmoozing thing for years in BMX. And this was only after my first year of racing MTX. I saved over $200 on my very first purchase on my very first sponsor. Is the $50 worth it? Yes, if you have the resume, writing skills and selling personality to back you. If you do not have these things, then nothing can help you get sponosored.