Comeback Kid

Thrilled with their success but hungry for more, the Hugheses plan to tackle fantasy soccer in Europe, South America and Asia. And FSPI has recently inked a hockey endorsement with the New York Rangers' Mike Richter.

As the lineup of companies striking deals with FSPI swells, the company is helping inspire future entrepreneurs in a link with Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). The nation's largest association of marketing students, DECA is using fantasy sports to enhance high school students' problem-solving and sports management skills. "The use of our products as an educational tool is one of my passions for our business," says Hughes.

Several years have passed since the daring entrepreneur took the stand that saved his business. At fourth and long, Hughes sidelined everything but his own business instincts and ultimately claimed victory. And Hughes' philosophy hasn't changed. "You have to stick to your instincts and make your decisions based on how you've gotten to that point," he affirms.

With the agony of defeat behind him, Hughes can see clearly where he wants the company to go. "We're still in the infancy stage," says Hughes. "We were technologically ahead of our time. Now that the Internet is infiltrating the average consumer [lifestyle] in America, that's what's going to make our business huge. We knew it would take a long time; we just had to wait."

Contact Source

Fantasy Sports Properties Inc., (800) 872-0335, http://www.fspi.com

This article was originally published in the July 1998 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Comeback Kid.