Sep 29, 2026 · 50 min
Mike Hollis turns kicking discipline into a business playbook
Mike Hollis: The Case Against Long-Term Goals, Frequent Pivots, and Being a Yes-Man | E14
Hollis’s path from an undersized, underestimated kicker to entrepreneur tests whether persistence and process matter more than rigid goals or constant reinvention.
- 1Present-focused execution can outperform long-term plans when circumstances and opportunities keep changing.
- 2Hollis carries repetition, consistency, and trust in proven routines from NFL kicking into entrepreneurship.
- 3Business success means creating value for other people, not simply accumulating money or avoiding failure.
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At age 49, Mike Hollis returns to football with the Jacksonville Sharks and competes against a former client, demonstrating that his technique and competitive drive remain.
The brief
Mike Hollis traces his rise from an undersized, overlooked athlete to an NFL kicker, showing how persistence created opportunities that conventional expectations denied him.
A 59-yard preseason field goal helped secure Hollis’s roster spot with Jacksonville, turning a high-pressure moment into evidence that preparation could outweigh doubts about his size.
Hollis rejects rigid long-term goals and unnecessary pivots, arguing instead for present-focused execution, self-competition, and staying with a proven process when pressure rises.
Those principles shaped ProForm Kicking Academy, a meal-prep technology investment, and Zealous Wellness, while a failed eBay franchise exposed the cost of entering business unprepared.
Nearly two decades after retiring, Hollis returned with the Jacksonville Sharks at 49, using the comeback to demonstrate that technique and competitive drive still mattered.
His definition of business success is ultimately service: helping other people, respecting the work, and proving value through consistent results rather than waiting for permission.