Niko Porikos – Hockey Player turned Superstar Entrepreneur

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Niko Porikos. Niko is a star hockey player turned super star entrepreneur. He is an e-commerce brand builder, consultant, and influencer marketing, expert. I asked him for his best tips, tricks, and practices.

Hey Niko, how old are you, where are you from, and what do you do?

I’m 26 years old, I’m from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I basically do anything related to creating online businesses – creating my own eCommerce businesses, and helping other businesses through consulting.

Did you go to college?

Yes, I attended the University of Michigan.

What lessons did you learn in Hockey that translated into entrepreneurship?

There are so many! Learning to love adversity and challenges, but the biggest one is to focus only on controlling the things that are in my power.  

What motivated you to be an entrepreneur?

My family, seeing what it is like to build something from the ground up through their business. Watching Shark Tank and the Profit religiously helped a bit too!

What does your company iTough do?

We create and customize premium iPhone accessories. Custom cases names, initials, logos. We’ve scaled very quickly, leveraging digital advertising, influencers, and the power of E-commerce.

How Important has having a positive mindset been?

It has been everything, obviously, there will always be doubts and challenges, but if you let those affect you then you won’t stand a chance anywhere in life, not just business.

How have you leveraged Personal Branding?

Personal Branding has been a massive asset! I played hockey for so many years, that I have some awesome teammates that were willing to help me grow the brand pretty quickly by shouting out the cases from day one.

What does your average day look like?

My days are all so different it’s hard to say. Some days I work 13 hours, some I just work a couple of hours and brainstorm, read, or watch videos to learn. I don’t really have a set schedule or routine day to day.

What is your core principle?

I have this theory, and I kinda want to write a book on it one day, but it’s “Love or Purpose”. Meaning, whatever you do in life better be for one of those two or else you are just wasting time.

What would you tell an aspiring entrepreneur in high school right now?

Set a goal and go for it. Just start right now. Don’t wait for the “perfect time”, because it will never come. Once you are on the way, think bigger. Never “hit” your goal just keep making it bigger and better as you grow.