This business pair made its 401 (k) s and sold its $ 110 million company to own a UK football team

• Like Ryan Reynolds Wrexham's Success, The American couple from Georgia buys British football. Bryan and Shannon Miles sold their HR company for $ 110 million to buy the UK Team Walsall FC and Irish Club Drogheda United FC, stocking stadiums with their own beer NOFO Brewery.

Many Americans romanticize the UK football or “football” culture, surviving through Ted lasso And the famous Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney owned by the Wrexham Club. But for Bryan and his wife Shannon Miles, football clubs are their reality.

The couple started their careers like any other: 9-5 office work in immigration law and corporate America. But by the time they reached the mid-30s in 2010, they could not ignore the entrepreneurial itching- so they decided to jump, setting up the team's remote control company Belay and Beer Company NOFO BREW CO., in addition to their activities in the field of international sports and business management. Miles AGTo.

And despite the fact that they do not have the same Hollywood wages as Reynolds and McELHENENY to support their clubs, they have found themselves against a record team. But Miles Duol is on the edge of the actors – they offer their NOFO beer in the stadiums.

“The thing is that we are building a brand,” says Bryan A treasure. “The brand is pulsating – we know it in the European market. People love to wear our sweaters there, they like to identify with the brand. And they really like our beer.”

Its 401 (k) s funding to build a $ 110 million business

Bryan and Shannon Miles took a big game to get their first on the ground of many activities. They sent $ 160,000 out in their 401 (k) s and founded personnel boxes in the company BelayTo.

“I do not necessarily have to be at risk by nature-I thought with money. But I thought,” Well, if that doesn't work, we are young enough. We can always go back [to our jobs]But at least we tried, '' says Shannon. “At that moment, I would choose a risk rather than regret.”

The beginning of their business anxiety is now very far away; 14 months after Belay's establishment, the company broke evenly – threw 40 consecutive market growth. The company's strength lies in virtual auxiliary services and technology. After years of success, private capital began to notice and the couple found it was time to sell. They surpassed the new CEO to take Belay over 2020 and sold the company's majority stake next year for $ 110 million, holding 18%for themselves.

“We started to know.” This business is further away from us. There is a potential for us, someone else with more resources, different networks, different ideas, could come in and maintain it well, “says Bryan. “We are like:” It doesn't define who we are. We are doing well. After leaving, there is life and we find other things to do. “” ”

This payday was a life -changing coin that led to a new adventure of a business pair: leading football teams and casting their Georgian beer pints for fans.

Living Ted lasso Dream: Selling beer and leading UK football teams

The entrepreneur pair wanted their own bars living in the Georgian region to bring people together – and at that time the spirit factories were all furious. By the end of 2019, they dived with their first brick and mortar brewery to the next passion project, Nofo brew coTo.

“By the time we started our spirit factory, we were already enjoying wealth. We are about wealth 'first generation',” says Bryan. They no longer had to work hard as a CEO. “At that moment we knew we were never going to do business.”

The couple appointed the CEO to turn the brewery, expanding the entire state of three NOFOs: Cumming, Cleveland and Gainesville, Georgia. But Bryan and Shannon Miles found another opening with their beer business: to connect with sports fans who want to throw the pint back during a tense stadium match. At the high point Ted lasso Under the leadership of Apple TV subscribers, British football was at the forefront of cultural Zeitgeist.

“We looked at England and Ireland and realized that it was a rabies fan base that follows the team from the rock,” says Bryan. “So we are like:” Well, what if NOFO were on our shirt? What if we put the beer on the stadium? “The Trojan horse took us to this market.”

The duo in Georgia brought together investors and bought the Walsall FC-Umbes of the British team in 2022 while Reynolds made titles to Wrexham. Then Irish club Drogheda United FC purchase came in 2023 as well as invest Danish team Silkeborg, as in December last year, and recently starting the African Club Trivela FC Togo.

In club stadiums, beer and players 'sweaters NOFO BREW CO CO -DEMMERDES EMMERDUDES Bryan and Shannon Miles' Fantasy of Football. It is far from writing at their desk just 15 years ago – and this is proof that predicting entrepreneurship and trends will cause huge wins.

“What we were able to do is speed up and go to markets where most Americans don't have,” says Bryan.

This story was originally reflected on Fortune.com