Sammi Ekmark, 29, co-founded personalized greeting and gift card company Ink’d Greetings in 2023 alongside her husband Andrew—a major pivot from her previous career as a star tennis player.
Ekmark picked up the sport when she was 10 years old, and by the time she was in college, she was playing on a Division I team where she was individually ranked among the top 50 tennis players in singles in the United States.
“I really focused on tennis. I was 92-0 in high school, so I never lost a match,” said Ekmark. “I played every single day for two and a half hours after school,” she said, adding that this was on top of her matches and tournaments on weekends.
Her goal was to become a professional tennis player, so she often prioritized the sport over her academics and social life. It didn’t take long for university recruiters to notice. As high school graduation approached, she received many offers from colleges around the nation. Ultimately, she decided to attend Arizona State University (ASU), which gave her a full-ride scholarship to play for their Division I team.
Unfortunately, one night while playing a late tennis tournament in college, Ekmark planted her feet wrong and tore her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), one of the main ligaments in the knee. This is known to be a major injury in sports.
“A lot of the times people do consider ACL [tears] a massive career-ender,” she said. “When I got my injury, it made me take a year off, and it was very tough. Tennis was still my life, but it was hard to get back into it as good as before.”
Ekmark recovered from the tear and returned to playing tennis, but along the way, she also developed an interest in business after taking an entrepreneurship class at her university. Although she had dedicated much of her life to the sport, she ultimately decided to pivot and focus on building Ink’d Greetings.
Today, her business brings in over $25,000 in revenue a month, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
### Sports “Are an Extreme Sacrifice”
Ekmark’s story is like many others in the sports industry. Athletes — particularly those who dream of going pro — dedicate years of blood, sweat, and tears to training, often backed by families who help bear the time and financial commitment.
In the U.S., parents spend on average $3,000 annually on their children’s sports, with 64% reporting rising costs in recent years, according to a 2025 report by insurance company New York Life. However, less than 2% of more than 500,000 athletes in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) schools are drafted into a professional sport, according to NCAA data.
“So sports, if you want to [play on] a high level, are an extreme sacrifice,” said Ekmark.
“I unfortunately wasn’t as serious about academics as I would have liked to be. I was there for tennis, and I know probably a lot of athletes are like that,” she added. “The room for error is so small.”
Those who want to play professionally often have to prioritize their sport over everything else. So, what happens to the 98% of NCAA student-athletes who don’t go pro?
For some, life after sports can be very challenging.
“After they graduate, there’s a lot of mental health [issues] and [some face an] identity crisis,” said Kate Fitzgerald, former student athlete and co-founder of SPORTx, a student athlete venture studio at Arizona State University. “A lot of athletes graduate with these incredible skill sets, but they have no true, quote, unquote, corporate resume experience to get them a job … they’re in a sense, behind.”
### The Athlete-Entrepreneur Connection
While many student-athletes are forced to play catch-up after university, Ekmark says the qualities that make a great athlete are the same qualities that make a great entrepreneur.
“I think the best entrepreneurs are going to be people who were former athletes,” she said.
### A New Breed of Entrepreneurs
In June 2024, the House v. NCAA settlement was approved, ushering in a new era for the college sports industry, specifically in compensating athletes. Following this landmark ruling, Division I college athletes who played from 2016 to 2025 are set to receive $2.75 billion in back pay.
Previously, athletes couldn’t legally collect compensation for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) from their schools. Colleges can now also “spend up to $20.5 million per year, escalating most years by at least 4%, to directly pay athletes.”
While many star athletes have been paid on the side by NIL collectives for the past four years, this ruling officially ends the era of amateurism, according to previous reporting by CNBC.
The NCAA historically operated under this amateurism model, which limited student-athletes in what compensation they could receive. Today, some agree the new NIL landscape will be great for student-athletes who want to become entrepreneurs or capitalize on their own brands.
“The opportunity is bigger than ever now, because they can start that [entrepreneurship journey] while they’re an athlete,” said Ekmark. “So the NIL [landscape] has created the opportunity for athletes to actually set themselves up for success in life after sport.”
Fitzgerald added, “Student-athletes today can be compensated for endorsements, commercials, or other deals that utilize their name, image, or likeness. Colleges have also stepped in to support their athletes with their entrepreneurial endeavors, such as Arizona State University’s SPORTx program, which aims to mentor the school’s athletes, help them navigate the new NIL landscape, and launch, build, expand, and grow their businesses.”
### Building a Supportive Community
“I think that we need to start giving athletes another route letter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money, and in life,” Ekmark said.
She also encourages athletes to join exclusive communities on LinkedIn to connect with experts and peers, fostering a network that supports their growth both on and off the field.
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Sammi Ekmark’s journey from a top-ranked tennis player to successful entrepreneur exemplifies the resilience and adaptability of athletes and highlights the emerging opportunities for student-athletes to thrive beyond sports.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/17/she-tore-her-acl-from-tennis-and-built-a-25000-a-month-business.html