Meet Jasa Rhone, CEO @ SportsTrip

SportsTrip offers a travel management platform that helps sports teams navigate hotel bookings and transportation logistics. Rhone said the company has benefited from the Lincoln entrepreneurial ecosystem and its sports tech connections. 

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur or support other entrepreneurs?

I’ve always enjoyed building things through a combination of discipline, creativity and a desire to help others. Growing up on a farm in central Nebraska, I’ve been working as long as I can remember. Farming taught me a work ethic and discipline that I carried into my career after college and now as a business owner. 

I like to think these traits helped SportsTrip grow from a scrappy startup into a trusted partner for some of the most respected athletic programs in the country. While I’m focused on growing SportsTrip at the moment, my long-term goals include helping other entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of business ownership.

What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to when you were just starting out?

It’s going to take twice as long and cost twice as much, but if you stay consistent in your belief it will be worth the journey. We recently achieved more than 10 times growth since pre-pandemic levels, and there were certainly moments along the way where reaching a milestone like that may have felt out of reach. 

Consistency and belief we are doing the right things have been at the core of our transformation from a two-person startup to a nationally recognized partner for championship housing and team travel.

How do you stay motivated when things feel overwhelming — or stagnant?

I get a ton of energy from my team. We’ve got a great group at SportsTrip that believes in our mission. When things get murky or stagnant, I know that collectively we’ll be able to work through both overwhelming or stagnant times. 

In a wild way, the COVID pandemic helped our company culture. There were days that we would come into the office and have no games being planned or played. When we’d call a prospect, they wouldn’t be in the office, available or simply unsure of their travel. We stayed consistent with our outreach. 

When team travel came back online, we had momentum and a renewed excitement. That hard work and consistency during stagnant times is paying off dividends — and now sometimes overwhelming at times.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome and how did you overcome it?

Keeping the business afloat through COVID. There were plenty of times I felt like throwing my hands in the air and giving up, but showing up each day is how we approached the challenge.

I’ve always felt drawn to Ryan Holiday and his books, and his message of discipline, addressing obstacles instead of avoiding, and consistency was key. There was never a big speech or crazy message I communicated to the team. We just kept showing up. 

We also had so much support from the City of Lincoln through that time, as they came up with innovative ways to support small businesses when companies were searching for partners to help them through the tough time.

How can the Nebraska community support you?

The Nebraska community has already been a huge support to the success and continued growth of SportsTrip. Our employees are, by and large, Nebraskans, who reflect the value and drive embedded in the identity of this state. 

We also wouldn’t be where we are today as a company had we not rooted ourselves in Lincoln. The city is a proponent of small business, and we have absolutely benefited from the resources and opportunities the city makes available to help startups like us thrive here.