Getting Comfortable Together

• Tell me briefly how you started building your public profile and what attracted initial attention.
• Which of these best describes why you want NIL income right now? Options: Supplement household income, Pay college expenses, Build a professional brand, One-time opportunity, Other
• How would you describe your current understanding of NCAA and your institution's NIL rules? Options: I could explain them to someone else, I know the basics, I know a few rules that matter, I rely on the compliance office, Not sure
• Who on your side will want to be involved in deal decisions? Options: You (athlete), Parent or guardian, Agent or representative, Athletic department compliance officer, Coach, Other
• When a brand approaches you, what usually happens next? Options: You reply directly, Parent or agent reviews first, Forwarded to compliance, We negotiate terms immediately, I ignore most offers
• Tell me the last NIL offer you considered and the main reason you accepted or declined it.
• How soon do you need a paid opportunity to feel this program is working for you? Options: Immediately (within 1 week), Within 2 to 4 weeks, Within 1 to 2 months, Longer than 2 months, No firm timeframe

Where Eligibility Actually Breaks Down

• If one clause in a deal could cost you eligibility, which clause would you fear most?
• Which of these institutional restrictions apply to you today? Options: School requires pre-approval for all deals, Conference-specific restrictions, School disallows certain sponsor categories, Income reporting to athletics, No formal restrictions, Unsure
• Walk me through how a potential deal gets cleared by your school's compliance office today.
• Who typically receives the compliance notice first and how long does approval usually take? Options: You (athlete), Parent or guardian, Compliance officer, Agent/representative, Brand representative, Other
• Describe a moment when a campus compliance decision delayed or blocked a deal, and what changed as a result.

The Tax and Payment Question You Might Be Underestimating

• Most athletes are surprised by the tax side, what tax outcome would make you regret taking a deal?
• Select your current payment routing from the options below. Options: Direct deposit to your personal account, Parent or guardian account, Third-party payment processor, Trust or agency account, No setup yet
• Have you filed self-employment taxes or reported 1099 income before? Options: Yes, regularly, Once or twice, No, never, Not sure which forms apply
• What is your current tax posture when you receive NIL income, do you set aside a percentage, and if so how much? Options: I set aside 30% or more, I set aside 20% to 30%, I set aside less than 20%, I do not set aside funds, Unsure
• Describe any past experience where a payment or tax form created confusion or penalties for you or an athlete you know.

Which Stakeholders Will Make or Break a Deal

• Name the single stakeholder who can veto a deal instantly in your world. Options: Athletic department compliance officer, Parent or guardian, You (athlete), Coach, Agent or representative, Other
• List the people who must provide consent or signature before a deal is valid under your institution's rules. Options: You (athlete), Parent or guardian, Compliance officer, Athletic director, Agent or representative, Other
• How involved do parents or guardians need to be in contract review and payments? Options: Directly involved in all contracts, Review only large deals, Only involved for minors, Not involved, Other
• Walk me through the last time a stakeholder changed terms or stopped a deal, and why they did it.
• Estimate the typical time it takes your stakeholders to convene and approve an unexpected offer. Options: Within 24 hours, 2 to 3 days, One week, Longer than one week, Unsure

Where Deals Fail Before They Start

• Name the one deal failure that would make you walk away immediately. Options: Eligibility risk, Insufficient payment, Unclear contract terms, Brand mismatch, Payment delays, Other
• Explain how you validate a brand's reputation or suitability before agreeing to a deal. Options: Personal research, Agent or rep checks, Compliance office review, Ask coach or teammates, I do not check
• When a brand offer feels low, what process do you use to decide whether to negotiate, reject, or accept it?
• Have you ever declined an offer because it conflicted with season or academic commitments? Tell me what happened. Options: Yes, frequently, A few times, Rarely, Never
• What practical fixes would stop the most common breakdowns you face with deals?

Alternatives You're Actually Considering

• If you keep handling deals yourself, how quickly could a compliance or tax mistake escalate into losing eligibility or causing a financial penalty? Options: Immediately, Within weeks, Within months, Only a long-term risk, Unsure
• Select the alternatives you have evaluated or are actively considering from the list below. Options: Independent outreach and direct deals, Using an agent or third-party representative, Institution-provided NIL portal, Other marketplace platforms, Do it yourself with templates, Not evaluating others
• What would have to be true about your current DIY approach for you to keep using it instead of switching?
• Has anyone on your team proposed handling compliance and payments internally instead of using an external service? Options: Yes, family or agent suggested it, Yes, athletic department suggested it, No one has proposed it, Unsure
• If you switched vendors, which single capability would make you switch instantly? Options: Faster compliance approval, Higher guaranteed payments, Clearer contract language, Tax withholding support, Better brand matches, Other

Operational Readiness, The Things That Will Gate Onboarding

• Which single missing document or approval would stop onboarding immediately? Options: Compliance registration with school, Valid SSN and tax docs, Bank account for deposits, Signed signature authority, None of the above, Other
• Choose from the list which preconditions are already in place for you to receive NIL payments. Options: School compliance registration complete, Valid SSN on file, Bank account ready for deposits, Tax forms prepared, None of the above
• Do you have permission from your institution to use an external platform for NIL deals? Options: Yes, explicitly approved, Pending approval, No, not approved, Unsure
• Identify who can provide the necessary documents for compliance and tax registration and whether they can share them now. Options: You, Parent or guardian, Compliance officer, Agent or representative, Other
• Are there technical integrations required with your school's systems or payroll that could block onboarding? Options: Yes, APIs available, Yes, but no APIs, No integrations required, Unsure
• What single operational constraint would stop onboarding before your target launch date?

Signals That Tell Us This Is Worth Doing

• If a pilot could not show increased NIL income within 8 weeks, would you continue with the program? Options: Yes, continue, Pause and reassess, Stop immediately, Unsure
• Rank the outcomes that matter most to you in the first 90 days. Options: Number of brand matches, Total income earned, Compliance approvals secured, Number of campaigns completed, Cleaner tax paperwork, Other
• What target monthly NIL income would make this feel like a success for you? Options: Under $500, $500 to $1,500, $1,500 to $5,000, $5,000 or more, Unsure
• List the metrics or signals you use to judge brand match quality beyond follower counts. Options: Engagement rate, Audience demographic match, Past campaign performance, Brand relevance to my image, Other
• If the pilot meets targets, who on your side can sign final consent to onboard the full program within one week? Options: You (athlete), Parent or guardian, Agent or representative, Compliance officer, Athletic director, Other

Practical Next Steps and Timeline

• If we cannot align on a compliance owner and payment route within 7 days, what happens to this deal? Options: It stalls, We find an alternate owner, Proceed with a delayed launch, Cancel the effort, Unsure
• Choose your preferred communication channel for approvals and urgent clarifications. Options: Email, Phone call, Text message, Platform notifications, Parent or agent handles communications
• What is your realistic target window to run the first campaign? Options: Within 1 week, 2 to 4 weeks, 1 to 2 months, Longer than 2 months, Unsure
• Provide the three documents or artifacts you can share immediately to speed onboarding, for example a compliance packet, SSN, or signed consent.
• Provide the name and role of the single point of contact who will coordinate approvals and payments.
• Would you be comfortable completing an initial compliance registration and tax consent form today to accelerate onboarding? Options: Yes, Maybe, No

• Platform Experience Session

• Confirm the current state and its cost
• You confirm the demonstrated workflow prevents the eligibility risks and manual compliance work you described.
• Provide one recent athlete-brand deal or mock scenario with all known constraints for the live trial.
• Share the institutional and conference NIL rules or point of contact so platform checks can be aligned to your policies.
• Run the buyer's live scenario end to end
• You confirm the payment and tax outputs for the scenario meet your expectations for timing and documentation.
• Show how the platform blocks or remediates risky deals
• You agree the remaining evidence required to proceed to a trial or commercial decision and the timeline to produce it.
• Run the provided scenario in the platform and deliver an execution report showing compliance decisions, timeline to payment, and tax documentation within five business days after the session.
• Walk the payment and tax flow for the scenario
• Validate the future state with the buyer
• Agree evidence and next steps toward a trial or pilot

• Platform Experience Session
• Platform Experience Deck
• Platform Experience Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Create athlete profile and audience report
• Set up compliance rules and eligibility verification
• Review and approve deals for compliance
• Draft, negotiate, and execute NIL contracts
• Process deal payments and disbursements
• Manage tax filing, withholding, and 1099 reporting
• Generate deal valuation and market benchmarking
• License social content and manage usage rights
• Manage personal appearance contracts and fee collection
• Operate merchandise licensing and fulfillment
• Execute campaigns and deliver performance reporting
• Maintain compliance audit trail and institutional reporting
• Secure financial and personal data vaulting

Create athlete profile and audience report

• For the athlete profile, which social accounts should be connected for audience analysis (for example Instagram, TikTok, YouTube)? Options: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter/X, Other
• Regarding audience demographics, which age, gender, and geographic breakdowns do you require in the report?
• For engagement metrics, which KPIs should the report prioritize (select up to three)? Options: Engagement rate, Average views per post, Impressions, Click through rate, Follower growth rate
• For profile assets, do you have athlete headshots and a short bio ready to upload in JPEG/PNG and plain text formats? Options: Yes, Partial, No
• About historical content, how many months of social analytics do you want imported for benchmarking (e.g., 3, 6, 12)? Options: 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, Custom
• For audience quality, do you want the report to flag suspicious follower patterns (bot indicators, rapid follower spikes)? Options: Yes, No
• For verification, who will provide proof of account ownership (screenshot of account settings, login verification, or platform verification badge)? Options: Screenshot of account settings, Platform verification badge, Login verification, Other

Set up compliance rules and eligibility verification

• For institutional compliance, which institutional portal or reporting format must we align with (name of institution's compliance form or portal)?
• For NCAA and conference rules, which specific bylaws or restrictions should be enforced automatically (for example recruiting restrictions, agent interactions, apparel restrictions)?
• For athlete eligibility checks, which documents will you provide as evidence (for example current student status letter, coach confirmation, enrollment verification)? Options: Student status letter, Registrar enrollment verification, Athletic department confirmation, Other
• For automated rule triggers, which actions should block deal progression until verified (for example missing institution consent, unverified social account, conflicting team sponsor)? Options: Missing institution consent, Unverified social account, Conflicting team sponsor, Other
• For role approvals, who in your organization can sign off on eligibility exceptions and what is their title?
• To confirm completion, what acceptance criteria will validate that eligibility verification is finished (for example institutional clearance document uploaded and date-stamped)?
• For recurring checks, how often should ongoing eligibility reconciliations run during an active campaign? Options: Once per campaign, Weekly, Monthly, On change of status

Review and approve deals for compliance

• For deal intake, which deal artifacts will you submit for review (screenshot of DM, brand brief, offer letter, campaign scope)? Options: Screenshot of DM, Brand brief, Offer letter, Campaign scope
• Regarding prohibited brands or categories, please list any industries or specific sponsors that would conflict with institutional agreements or athlete preferences.
• For review SLAs, what maximum turnaround time do you require for initial compliance review of a submitted deal? Options: 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, Custom
• For review ownership, who on your team is the primary contact for clarifying deal elements during compliance review (name and role)?
• For conditional approvals, which deal attributes should trigger a manual compliance exception workflow (for example paid appearance, exclusivity clause, equity compensation)? Options: Paid appearance, Exclusivity, Equity compensation, Other
• For auditability, which evidence will you accept as final sign-off on a compliant deal (for example timestamped clearance report and institutional email)?
• For integration, do you need the compliance review to push clearance status to your institution's portal or to a custom API endpoint? Options: Institutional portal, Custom API endpoint, No integration needed

Draft, negotiate, and execute NIL contracts

• For contract templates, which contract types do you need prebuilt (social post agreement, appearance agreement, merchandising license, content buyout)? Options: Social post agreement, Appearance agreement, Merchandising license, Content buyout
• For negotiation, who on your side is authorized to approve contract terms and what is the required approval threshold (dollar amount or clause type)?
• For legal review, do you require our standard contract language or will you supply institution-specific contract clauses (for example indemnity, publicity, termination)? Options: Use standard language, Supply institution clauses, Hybrid
• For signature execution, which signing method do you prefer for athlete and brand signatures (electronic signature with audit trail, in-person wet signature)? Options: Electronic signature with audit trail, In-person wet signature, Either
• For contract fields, which deliverables and timing items must be captured in the template (number of posts, post dates, usage window, exclusivity period)? Options: Number of posts, Post dates, Usage window, Exclusivity period, Other
• To close the contract module, what evidence will validate a fully executed NIL contract (signed PDF with timestamp and signature audit log)?
• For redlines, how many rounds of negotiation should be included in scope before additional change orders are required? Options: 1 round, 2 rounds, 3+ rounds

Process deal payments and disbursements

• For payout routing, which payment methods should be supported for athletes (ACH to bank, check, prepaid card)? Options: ACH to bank, Check, Prepaid card, Other
• For payment timing, what payout cadence do you require after contract completion or milestone approval (immediate, net 7, net 30)? Options: Immediate, Net 7, Net 14, Net 30
• For platform fees or splits, which fee model applies to these deals (flat fee, percentage of gross, revenue share)? Options: Flat fee, Percentage of gross, Revenue share, Custom
• For bank verification, what documentation will athletes provide to enable ACH disbursements (voided check, bank authorization form, micro-deposit verification)? Options: Voided check, Bank authorization form, Micro-deposit verification, Other
• To confirm payout completion, what acceptance criteria will validate that payment disbursement is successful (bank confirmation, payment trace ID, athlete acknowledgment)?
• For failed or returned payments, what remediation steps do you require (retry, switch payment method, hold payment pending resolution)? Options: Retry, Switch payment method, Hold pending resolution, Other
• For multi-party splits, do you need automated allocation to multiple recipients (for example coach payment, agent fee, athlete net)? Options: Yes, No

Manage tax filing, withholding, and 1099 reporting

• For tax residency, which jurisdictions should be considered for withholding and reporting (state of residence, state of performance, federal)? Options: Federal, State of residence, State of performance, Local
• For tax forms, which documents will athletes provide or require us to collect (W-9, W-8BEN, SSN/TIN verification)? Options: W-9, W-8BEN, SSN/TIN verification, Other
• Concerning 1099 reporting, do you require consolidated 1099s from the platform or individual 1099s per brand payer? Options: Consolidated from platform, Individual per brand payer, Need recommendation
• For withholding, under what conditions should taxes be withheld at source (nonresident athlete, backup withholding, state-specific requirements)? Options: Nonresident athlete, Backup withholding, State-specific requirements, No withholding
• For year-end reporting, which delivery method do you prefer for tax statements to athletes (secure portal download, mailed paper copy, both)? Options: Secure portal download, Mailed paper copy, Both
• For tax vendor integration, do you need us to integrate with your tax preparer or your institution's payroll/tax system? Options: Integrate with tax preparer, Integrate with institution payroll, No integration
• For acceptance, what evidence confirms 1099 and withholding obligations are satisfied (filed forms and confirmation ID)?

Generate deal valuation and market benchmarking

• For valuation inputs, which metrics should feed market benchmarking (follower count, engagement rate, average views, audience demo match)? Options: Follower count, Engagement rate, Average views, Audience demographics
• For comps, which peer set should be used to benchmark the athlete (same sport, same conference, similar follower size)? Options: Same sport, Same conference, Similar follower size, Custom peer list
• For pricing outputs, which deliverables should valuation produce (recommended fee range, expected impressions, CPM-equivalent)? Options: Recommended fee range, Expected impressions, CPM-equivalent, Other
• For market data, do you want historical rate trends by region or by platform (for example TikTok rate trends)? Options: By region, By platform, Both
• For custom benchmarks, will you provide comparator deals or do you need the platform to source anonymous market comps? Options: We will provide comparators, Platform to source comps, Both
• For acceptance of valuation, what threshold or evidence will confirm the valuation is usable (for example fee range within 15% of negotiated deal)?
• For frequency, how often should benchmarking be refreshed for an active athlete (monthly, per campaign, quarterly)? Options: Monthly, Per campaign, Quarterly, On demand

License social content and manage usage rights

• For content licensing, which usage types must be captured in contracts (social-only, paid media, evergreen website, merchandising)? Options: Social-only, Paid media, Evergreen website, Merchandising
• For usage windows, what default license durations do you prefer for social posts and for paid ads? Options: 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, Perpetual
• For usage limits, do you require geographic or language restrictions to be recorded in the license (for example U.S.-only, English-language only)? Options: U.S.-only, English-language only, Global, Custom
• For IP and attribution, what credit or attribution line must be included when brand repurposes athlete content?
• For content delivery, which file formats and metadata must the athlete deliver (MP4, caption file, resolution minimum, usage tags)? Options: MP4, Caption file, 1080p minimum, Usage tags
• For compliance, who will own final approval of licensed content prior to paid placement (athlete, agent, institution)? Options: Athlete, Agent, Institution compliance office, Other
• For recordkeeping, do you need a license registry documenting content usage rights and expirations per campaign? Options: Yes, No

Manage personal appearance contracts and fee collection

• For appearance bookings, which event details must be captured (date, location, duration, travel reimbursement, backstage access)? Options: Date, Location, Duration, Travel reimbursement, Backstage access
• For fee structure, do you prefer flat appearance fees, per-hour rates, or fees tied to ticket sales or attendance thresholds? Options: Flat fee, Per-hour rate, Tied to ticket sales, Hybrid
• For travel and per diem, which expenses should be included in the appearance contract and which require pre-approval?
• For collecting evidence of appearance completion, which artifacts will validate performance of the obligation (event photos, host sign-off, time-stamped video)? Options: Event photos, Host sign-off, Time-stamped video, Other

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Subscription & Order Form
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
• NCAA & Institutional Compliance Addendum
• Payment Authorization & Tax Consent
• Signature Authority & Delegation Form
• Creator Service Agreement (Independent Contractor Terms)

• Go-live Health Check (Weeks 1-4)
• First Outcomes Review (Weeks 4-10)
• Acceptance Gate Review (Around Day 90)
• Quarterly Success Review (Ongoing)

• Deliver the prioritized enhancement plan for the next quarter with estimated delivery dates and verification criteria.
• Schedule a short sync 7 days before the acceptance gate to validate readiness and evidence completeness.
• Restate acceptance criteria and targets
• Produce a documented acceptance result for each numeric criterion recorded in the Solution Scope, with pass/fail status.
• If any criterion failed, agree a remediation plan with milestones and evidence required for closure within the remediation window.
• Confirm the incumbent wind-down status and the plan for archived data or retained read-only access to prevent fallback to the old process.
• Publish the acceptance decision and the evidence package used to reach it to the shared workspace.
• Execute any remediation tasks for failed criteria with named delivery dates and evidence requirements.
• Complete incumbent system archiving or read-only configuration and circulate confirmation of data retention and fallback closure.
• Quarterly metrics and trend review
• Confirm the quarterly count of compliant deals executed and that the average time from deal signature to payment (days) remains within the acceptable range set in the Solution Scope or identify corrective work.
• Reduce the compliance exception rate (%) quarter over quarter by resolving top compliance blockers.
• Agree prioritized backlog items and delivery windows for the next quarter to keep the platform aligned with buyer needs and institutional rules.
• Resolve top 3 compliance exceptions and report remediation evidence before the next quarterly review.
• Address payment failure root causes to improve average time from deal signature to payment and report improvement metrics.
• Re-confirm success criteria and ownership
• All deployment checklist items in the Solution Scope are recorded as complete or assigned an owner and resolution date.
• Critical blockers that prevent athlete eligibility verification, deal signing, or payment routing are identified and have remediation actions scheduled.
• Hypercare owners and communication channels for urgent compliance or payment issues are confirmed.
• Resolve any compliance registration failures and confirm institutional approval status.
• Fix payment routing or tax-recording errors blocking initial payouts.
• Publish a hypercare contact list and escalation path for the next 90 days.
• Present first outcomes data
• Determine whether the number of compliant deals executed and total NIL payouts processed within 30 days are trending to the Solution Scope targets, or identify corrective actions.
• Identify and assign remediation tasks for the top 2 root causes of any metric shortfall with delivery dates before the acceptance gate.
• Confirm the data sources and owners who will publish the acceptance-gate evidence package.
• Produce a metrics pack showing compliant deals executed, NIL payouts processed within 30 days, and compliance exceptions with source data and filters documented.
• Implement the agreed corrective actions (e.g., fix onboarding flow, clear manual compliance backlog, repair payment connectors) and report progress weekly.
• Present outcome evidence against each criterion
• Verify ongoing compliance and open exceptions
• Deployment and configuration validation
• Root-cause diagnosis for gaps
• Document pass/fail per criterion and capture the acceptance decision
• Early adoption signals and usage patterns (qualitative)
• Payments and tax filings status
• Agree corrective actions and timelines
• Open issues and blockers
• Confirm readiness timeline for acceptance gate
• Issue and enhancement backlog triage
• Incumbent wind-down and data handling
• Agree immediate remediation actions
• Agree remediation and close plan for any failed criteria
• Short operational decisions and next steps