Off Season founder Kristin Juszczyk and former NFL star turned entrepreneur Drew Brees have teamed with Verizon for its “Small Business Training Camp” to mentor the next generation of small businesses.

This September, up to 20 U.S. SMB owners will win an all-expenses-paid three-day weekend trip to the Verizon Innovation Lab in San Francisco and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, where they will attend workshops, panels and networking events with industry leaders.

Verizon said this event is an extension of its Small Business Digital Ready partnership for SMB owners; the program provides SMBs with more than 50 courses on artificial intelligence, social media marketing and financial planning — as well as group seminars and one-on-one workshops with coaches. Since its launch, Verizon’s SMB program has reached nearly 500,000 businesses with a goal of reaching one million by the next five years.

Juszczyk said in an interview with WWD that her partnership with Verizon was important because they have continued to be supportive of her and her SMB journey.

“It’s so important for me to give back to the SMB community and help in any way that I can,” said Juszczyk. “They already have so many resources out there for SMB owners, but it’s so cool that they’re throwing this event and 20 lucky people get to go to an in-person training camp for three days where all the resources are actually in front of you instead of virtually. They have given back to the community so much and it’s an honor to partner with them.”

She shared that she loves doing community events, such as partnering with Verizon, meeting local business owners and being surrounded by fellow women entrepreneurs and artists in their field.

As a SMB entrepreneur herself who initially went viral for creating custom looks for her fellow NFL and sports WAGS, such as Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes in 2024, Juszczyk went on to launch Off Season with Emma Grede and in collaboration with the NFL and Fanatics in January of this year. The company just launched its NFL ready-to-wear collection as well.

For up-and-coming fashion designers, Juszczyk’s biggest piece of advice is to continue to put themselves out there. She said that in many ways, the internet has become a place where content is absorbed 24/7 and thus she’s treated social media as a portfolio. Her Instagram boasts more than 1 million followers.

“It only really takes one piece of art or, in my case, designs to go viral to change everything for you,” Juszczyk told WWD. “You have whole portfolio for people to look at [on social media]. Continue to put your art out there and keep pushing. I’ve learned and I’ve grown to accept is that fashion and art is completely subjective. Not everyone’s gonna love everything that you make. It’s completely ok and fine, as long as you’re confident in your own art.”

She said it’s been “amazing” to watch sports and fashion intersect in new ways — and blend her fashion career with her husband’s, San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

“People are so interested in the athletes outside of actually what they’re doing on the field or on the court,” said Juszczyk. “There’s such an element of how [athletes] start [their] day is how [they’re] going to play on the field. Players want to look good, feel good and play good mentality. The NFL tunnel walk lit the match with how fashion and sports are intersecting. People love seeing what players choose to wear to games and love showing their personality. These guys are in uniforms — and in football, their faces are covered. It’s really fun for them to express themselves, showcase who they are and their personality leading up to the game. They want to feel their best and put their best foot forward for the big game ahead of them.”

While Juszczyk has achieved success with the launch of her new business, she said keeping Off Season’s customers happy is paramount. While she teased that the company is looking to expand through potential new teams and leagues partnerships, taking feedback and having her customers continue to love the product takes precedence.

Cardi B — who is dating New England Patriots’ wide receiver Stefon Diggs — and Lebron James are just some of the ever-growing list of people that top Juszczyk’s list to custom dress.

“It’s been exciting to see how people are redefining women that are adjacent to sports, whether that is the rise in female athletes and the rise in the WNBA. Those teams and the league is that league is expanding like wildfire. Or whether it’s the different types of people viewing wives and girlfriends of players differently now. They’re seeing them as individuals of their own too — and they’re not defined by their husband’s career. Being able to support women and see women paving the way is nothing short of exciting,” concluded Juszczyk.