Before You Sign. A process for the first offer, and every one after.
You don't need to know every business term to ask a useful question. You do need a process. Start with the free toolkit, check your readiness, and run the numbers.
Get Before You Sign, free.
A 23-page guide and fillable workbook, plus Kim's monthly NIL newsletter: rule changes, deal trends, and practical guidance for athlete families and coaches.
- Offer snapshot, deliverable planner & compensation worksheets
- Questions to bring to counsel on rights & exclusivity
- Eight ready-to-adapt messages for brands
- One email a month. Unsubscribe anytime.
Nine sections. One clear path through the offer.
A 23-page guide and fillable workbook. Type into the fields and save a copy, or print the worksheets.
Set your priorities
A family brief to define a worthwhile opportunity before the first offer.
Understand the offer
Offer snapshot, deliverable planner, and the real cash picture.
Prepare your questions
Agreement, usage rights, and exclusivity questions to bring to counsel.
Evaluate representation
An interview guide for any agent, manager, or adviser.
Compare opportunities
A side-by-side comparison and a worked example.
Communicate clearly
Eight adaptable messages, from requesting the full offer to declining professionally.
Manage the partnership
An eight-stage workflow and readiness checkpoints.
Keep the records
Campaign and payment records that keep everything on track.
Make the decision
A decision checklist and next-steps plan.
NIL Readiness Check
Eight quick questions. Get a readiness score and the specific areas to focus on before the next offer arrives.
Takes about two minutes. Nothing is stored or sent.
What will the offer actually put in your pocket?
Cash compensation, minus athlete-paid expenses and representative fees, equals estimated cash remaining before taxes. Products and services are tracked separately.
A big market, unevenly shared.
Brand deals are where women athletes are winning. Donor-funded collectives still send most of their money to football and men's basketball, so knowing how to evaluate a brand offer matters.
Speak the language of the deal.
NIL
Name, image, and likeness: the athlete's identity used in a partnership.
Deliverables
The posts, appearances, or other work promised.
Usage rights
Permission to use the athlete's identity or content: where, how, and for how long.
Exclusivity
A restriction on other partnerships, often by product category or competitor.
Disclosure
Paid or gifted posts must clearly say so, e.g. "Ad" or "Sponsored," and inside the video itself.**
Have an offer in hand?
Don't sign under time pressure. If there's a deadline, send an urgent request and we'll triage it right away.
The toolkit and tools on this page provide general educational guidance and are not legal, tax, or investment advice. Consult a qualified professional about your specific circumstances before signing an agreement. Rules change; check current official guidance from your school, association, the NCAA, and the FTC.
Sources
- * NCAA, "Name, Image and Likeness." NIL compensation may include money, products, or services, and NIL income is generally taxable. Checked October 2026.
- ** Federal Trade Commission, "Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers." Checked October 2026.
- *** Opendorse, NIL at 3: The Annual Opendorse Report (July 2024). Market figures are Opendorse projections; commercial = brand, fan, and sponsor deals; collective = donor-funded NIL collectives.
- **** National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), "Participation in High School Sports Hits Record High with Sizable Increase in 2024-25," September 9, 2025 (2024–25 High School Athletics Participation Survey).