Meet John Verduin

We were lucky to catch up with John Verduin recently and have shared our conversation below.

John, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I get my resilience from the lessons I learned through sports. Growing up, sports weren’t just a hobby, they were my foundation. I wasn’t always the most naturally gifted athlete, but I was determined to outwork anyone I competed against. I couldn’t live with the idea of someone outworking me. That drive pushed me to train harder, stay focused, and never let setbacks define me.

One of my most defining experiences was working through a serious back injury. Being sidelined and in pain was incredibly tough, especially when you’re used to pushing yourself. There were days I didn’t want to do physical therapy, days where progress felt impossible. But I learned that giving up only guarantees failure. Whether it was my best day or my worst, I showed up and put in the work. That process taught me something powerful: resilience is built not in your victories, but in how you respond when things don’t go your way.

Through these experiences, I learned at a young age that giving up never leads forward. And if you never give up, you’re incredibly hard to beat.

This mindset fuels my work today. One of the reasons I’m so passionate about my business is because we’re creating opportunities for developing athletes to grow through the same experiences that shaped me. We’re not just organizing tournaments, we’re teaching kids how to show up, work hard, and build the kind of resilience that will serve them for life.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I own DYSports, a company that hosts youth sporting events specifically for developing teams. Today, every tournament seems to focus on featuring top athletes on the center court. At DYSports, we want to give that same opportunity to the athletes who are still learning the game, placing them on that same court, competing against teams at their level.

After graduating from college, I began coaching a team that would have greatly benefited from the type of platform DYSports now offers. Growing up in a family of business owners, I always knew that sitting in a cubicle and working a traditional 9-to-5 job wasn’t for me, so I started DYSports. What began as a single tournament with 12 teams has grown into a company hosting over 2,500 teams in 2024. We now operate in 9 cities with a team of more than 20 employees. in 2025 we are projected to host 4000 teams.

I take pride in creating events that give developing athletes the space to grow, while also building a company that provides dream jobs to hardworking, driven individuals who are passionate about making a difference.

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?

Hard work alone does not mean success, you have to have patients; today’s doubts are tomorrow’s limitation; the obstacle in the path becomes the path

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

The obstacle is the way; things happen for a reason and you can either run from them or lean into them

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dysportsllc.com
• Instagram: john_verduin
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnny.verduin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-verduin-17a208115/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@john_verduin