Meet Kevin Abrams

We recently connected with Kevin Abrams and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kevin with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

My work ethic comes from both the values instilled in me at a young age and the challenges I had to overcome. Growing up, one of the core principles my parents emphasized was to always give your best effort, no matter the task. That lesson became a foundation for everything I pursued.

Beyond that, I also developed my work ethic out of necessity. As a young athlete, I was often one of the smallest players on my teams, which meant I had to work harder, prepare more, and out-practice my competition just to stay on the field. That same mindset carried over into the classroom. Reading was a struggle for me early on, but at just seven years old, I experienced firsthand how hard work and determination can transform a weakness into a strength. What once felt like a challenge became an asset—one that fueled my academic and professional success.

Those experiences shaped how I approach every challenge today—not as a roadblock, but as an opportunity to outwork, improve, and turn limitations into advantages.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a former Division 1 college football coach who transitioned into business as the managing partner of an investment firm. Even after stepping away from coaching full-time, I remained deeply connected to the profession, working as a consultant for college and high school football coaches. Through that role, I saw firsthand how broken the coaching job market is—coaches often struggle with lack of transparency, visibility, and access to opportunities that could advance their careers.

That realization led my co-founder and me to create Coach Portal—the first centralized database and platform designed to help coaches navigate the job market and grow their careers. Coach Portal isn’t just about finding jobs; it’s about giving coaches exposure, expanding their networks, and making career advancement more accessible.

What excites me most is seeing the immediate, real-world impact we’re having on coaches across the country. Every day, we hear stories of coaches landing new opportunities, making valuable connections, and finally getting the career advancements they deserve—opportunities they wouldn’t have had without Coach Portal.

The future is even more exciting. We’re continuously building new tools and features to make the platform even more powerful, and our community of coaches is growing fast. We’re just getting started, and I can’t wait to see how we continue to change the coaching industry for the better.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

My answer is relatively simple. The three most impactful qualities in my journey have been:

Work Ethic – No matter the industry, hard work is the foundation of success. The ability to stay disciplined, push through challenges, and put in the effort when no one is watching has been critical in building Coach Portal.
Business Acumen – Having a background in business and investing has given me the strategic mindset and problem-solving ability to navigate the challenges of launching and scaling a company.
Coaching Experience – Being a Division 1 football coach for over a decade gave me firsthand insight into the real challenges coaches face in the job market. That perspective is what makes Coach Portal different—we’re solving a problem that I’ve personally lived through.
There are plenty of great business leaders and plenty of great coaches, but very few people have the intersection of both. That unique combination allowed me to identify a gap in the market and create real change in the coaching industry.

For those early in their journey, my advice is this: Reflect on your own unique combination of skills and experiences. Ask yourself:
✔️ What do I know deeply?
✔️ What am I passionate about?
✔️ How can I apply those strengths to make a real impact?

Your first idea may not be your best idea—and that’s okay. Stay patient, keep refining, and most importantly, keep putting in the work. We all have something valuable to offer, but it takes persistence, self-awareness, and a willingness to take action to turn it into something meaningful.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel played a particularly important role in my transition from being a Division 1 football coach to entering the business world. The book shifted my perspective on success—not just in financial terms, but in how we define and measure success in life overall.

A few of the most valuable lessons I took from it:
✔️ Money is a tool, not the goal. It should be used to create freedom, security, and meaningful opportunities—not just accumulated for the sake of having more.
✔️ Perspective is everything. Everyone’s view of success is shaped by their personal experiences, and understanding different perspectives is key to making better decisions.
✔️ Gratitude and patience matter. In both business and life, long-term thinking and a grateful mindset lead to better, more fulfilling outcomes.

This book reinforced the importance of staying grounded, focusing on what truly matters, and using financial success as a means to create positive impact—values that I bring into my work with Coach Portal every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.coach-portal.com
• Instagram: @TheCoachPortal1
• Twitter: @TheCoachPortal1
• Other: Email: [email protected]