How to sponsor someone?

ALWAYS get a contract with anyone you sponsor. If you put your name on a skater, you can become liable for what comes out of his or her mouth. KNOW who you sponsor. I've tried to sponsor skaters in the past and most seem to be glammered by MTV or movies. The first 4 young men that I interviewed for a clothing line I helped design thought that they could pick and choose what they would wear and when and then I actually heard one whom I thought was the best of them tell his friend he'd gotten two sponsors for the same type of clothing and didn't expect to wear any of them LOL. (we dropped him of course) Write up an expectations list. You know, the things you want from your sponsored skater. No competing brands on em, no negative words or opinions in public about your brand EVER, any videos they are in they HAVE to wear your stuff that you choose. etc etc. YOU control how your sponsored skaters look and how they talk about your product. Let them know that up front. In return you offer them-whatever travel to competitions, clothing, equipment, their own signature brands, a royalty on their signature products, input in the creative process etc. (even a paycheck sometimes). You have to decide what you want from them first then decide what you can do for them and put it on paper. Get a lawyer to look it over and bless it then go out and choose your skaters carefully. (feel free to make your offers individually and confidential)

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Make sure you set goals and speak with your sponsored skaters about your goals and encourage them to help you reach those goals with rewards for doing just that. If you allow them to take credit for what they do you will get loyalty, just don't be wishy washy about what YOU want.

From my experience the best ROI of amateur level sports is to sponsor the organized body that governs that particular sport, sponsoring specific competitions/events and sponsoring the venue that the sport is regularly held.

If you sponsor an individual at the local level and he/she has an injury, goes to jail, gets pregnant, goes off to college out of state, etc. then you are screwed. Even if they stay healthy and out of trouble, your advertising is limited to wherever they roam.

As opposed to sponsoring an event, organization, etc. where everyone comes to it and inadvertly sees your logo any and every where. These types of sponsorships are much less likely to let you down and are much more likely to lead to more sales. You will likely end up with oppurtunities to be the sole provider of X item for the host. An item that just happens to be a requirement of anyone participating in XYZ. Guranteed money in the bank.

If/when you do approach an individual, always ask if they have an agent or representation. Always make sure that they are of legal age to enter into contract. Explain your expectations to them as if they were a three year old without patronizing them. Get everything in writing. If your client isn't the brightest you may want to list the important terms of the contract as bullet points and have them initial next to them as well as signing on the dotted line at the end.

It's a good idea to look at the various tax options prior to negotiating. It may be more to your advantage to gift items here and there. At the other end of the spectrum, if you are constantly gifting and paying this person based on performance and/or appearances, Uncle Sam may have a slippery slope case of considering them your employee. That would bring up a whole 'nuther array of problems for some businesses.