See an opportunity? Dive in. That’s the story of this week’s Wild Business Growth podcast guest, Cara Bognar. Cara is the Founder and CEO of Top Tier Lessons. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and your other favorite podcast platforms.
Episode 306: Cara Bognar – NIL Sports Lessons, Top Tier Lessons Founder
Cara Bognar, the Founder and CEO of Top Tier Lessons, joins the show to share her journey from Captain of the University of Illinois Swim Team to matching student athletes with parents looking for sports lessons for their kids. Hear the impact of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), how to expand your business to multiple cities, how to keep the hours flexible for your team, the hardest swimming stroke, and what Cara learned growing up as the oldest of 5 siblings. This episode covers everything from NIL to Champaign. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- How did NIL impact Cara
- When did she realize Top Tier Lessons was a real business
- Dandan Noodles at Mid Summer Lounge
- What are the perks of getting a sports lesson from a college student athlete
- C what I did there
- What does Cara look for in college student athletes
- Is a swimmer’s high like a runner’s high
- Are any Champaign Bars Champagne Bars
Connect with Cara at TopTierLessons.com and on LinkedIn.
Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.
Show Notes
- Intro & NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness)
- [0:31] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
- [0:41] Connect with Cara at TopTierLessons.com and on LinkedIn
- [1:57] GTL (Gym Tan Laundry)
- [2:25] Would be close
- [2:51] What is the impact of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness)
- [4:40] How did NIL impact Cara
- [5:05] Cara Bognar University of Illinois Swimmer
- The Top Tier Lessons Story
- [6:15] Well done, Max
- [6:30] When did Cara realize Top Tier Lessons was a real business
- [8:35] Dandan Noodles at Mid Summer Lounge
- [9:10] What are dandan noodles
- [10:02] What was the first step in building Top Tier Lessons
- [10:48] Urbana Park District
- [11:31] Code, Eventbrite
- [11:47] What are the perks of getting a sports lesson from a college student athlete
- [13:26] Very cool
- [14:15] How did Top Tier Lessons expand to multiple cities
- [14:35] MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- [15:15[ Champaign, Urbana, Evanston, Lake Forest College
- [16:50] C what I did there
- [17:12] How do you expand your business to a new location
- [18:10] Campus Directors
- [19:09] What does Cara look for in college student athletes
- [21:17] Is there an athletic component to the job application
- [22:16] Time Management
- [22:33] Olympics
- [22:57] How big is the Top Tier Lessons team
- [23:49] What is the time commitment for college student athletes
- [24:05] Calendly
- [25:45] How do college student athletes make money on Top Tier Lessons
- [27:05] What a deal
- [27:19] Caitlin Clark
- [27:48] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Cara
- [27:49] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
- [28:37] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23
- Rapid-Fire Q&A
- [28:38] Lolol
- [28:55] What’s the most challenging part of being a DI swimmer (Division I)
- [29:25] What did Cara learn being the oldest of 5 siblings
- [29:58] Backstroke, Butterfly
- [31:01] Can you tell when you’re swimming at a winning pace
- [32:18] Is a swimmer’s high like a runner’s high
- [33:12] IU (Indiana University), Verdell Jones III, “The Thrill” by Wiz Khalifa
- [33:40] Are any Champaign Bars Champagne Bars
- [35:05] Connect with Cara at TopTierLessons.com and on LinkedIn
- [35:40] What are Cara’s Final Thoughts
- [35:42] Martin Luther King Jr.
- [36:05] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
- [36:15] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Cara
- [36:24] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
- [36:25] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
- [36:26] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
- [36:30] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
- Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo
What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?
Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.
How do you start a podcast?
Interested in starting a professional-sounding and professional-looking podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.
Thanks for listening to Cara Bognar on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And try out Top Tier Lessons with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!
