While you can earn a lot from being a professional athlete, that does not mean that things will always be easy. There are some Cinderella stories, but some athletes end up becoming broke during or right after their careers. This could be because of bad investments or spending habits. Some, fortunately, decided to take the passion and resilience to a field outside of sports and excel equally. Here are some athletes who have ventured into their business side and succeeded.

Rick Mirer – Mirror Wine Company

Rick Mirer had a successful college career at Notre Dame. This continued until he was selected as the number 2 draft pick when he applied for the NFL. He would play pro American football for 10 years until he would retire in 2004.

Right after his retirement, Mirer chose to tackle something else — the wine industry. Four years after his retirement from football, he joined forces with Rob Lawson, a winemaker and together launched a company base in Napa Valley, California called Mirror Wine Company. The business became a huge success. In fact, some of the earnings go to a foundation called the Mirer Family Foundation. The company has been doing very well and had sold out almost all vintage wines released.

[su_quote cite=”John Wooden” class=”cust-pagination”]”Winning takes talent. To repeat takes character.”[/su_quote]

Venus Williams – CEO of Two Companies

This tennis star did not even bother to wait for retirement before starting her own company. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion has now built an equally impressive resume when it comes to businesses as she does with her tennis career.

Venus Williams is the founder of clothing company EleVen and interior designing firm V Starr Interiors. She reveals that as an athlete she has been groomed to overcome all kinds of challenges. Applying what she learned about perseverance and setting goals has definitely helped her excel in the business field, as well.

Brad Pyatt – Muscle Pharm

Brad Pyatt’s football career never became overwhelmingly successful. He was constantly bouncing around from the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins until he signed up with the St. Louis Rams and ended up with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was quite prone to injuries during his career and this eventually led him to retire for good.

However, being the athlete that he is, he managed to bounce back into another field. In 2008, he joined forces with Cory McGregor to start a supplement business called Muscle Pharm. The goal was to develop and market nutritional products that were backed by scientific research and made accessible for all sorts of people. The company became a huge success. In 2014, sales went up and the company became worth $96.9 million.

Oscar De la Hoya – Golden Boy Promotions

At the young age of 28, De La Hoya was already nicknamed “The Golden Boy” since he had already won five titles in different weight classes. This made him the youngest boxer ever to achieve such a feat. His career generated a total of 10 championship belts, a 1992 Olympic gold medal and over $612 million for his pay-per-view fights.

After his boxing career, he founded his own company Golden Boy Promotions. His company manages over 40 fighters and covers many allied investments that collectively generate more than $100 million annually.

LeBron James – LRMR Marketing Agency

LeBron James may be one of the most successful basketball players of all time and is currently the highest paid athlete. However, not all of his success is related to basketball. LeBron, too, has a great mind when it comes to business. Even though he currently is at the peak of his career, he still founded a marketing agency called LRMR, which handles marketing for big corporations such as Sprite and Upper Deck.

Roger Staubach – The Staubach Company

After making it to the NFL Hall of Fame as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of American Football, Staubach decided to turn his attention to real estate. He worked rigorously for well known real estate titan Henry Miller for six years before building his own firm, The Staubach Company. His firm started out with just five employees until it expanded exponentially. The company sold for $613 million in 2008.

From the tennis court to the boxing ring or out of pads and helmets, these athletes truly show that success does not only come fro the athletic field. Do you know any other athlete who has been successful outside their sports? Share with us your knowledge in the comments below.