Tennis GOAT and emerging tech player Serena Williams guests on a new episode of the Bloomberg podcast Masters in Business.
The podcast, available via iTunes, Soundcloud and more, finds Williams shedding light on her business interests – she sits on the boards of SurveyMonkey and the new Verizon-AOL-Yahoo cluster – and her approach to forays such as her fashion line, Serena Signature Statement and her longterm biz goals.
Podcast host and Bloomberg View columnist Barry Ritholtz steers this one-on-one conversation into territories both familiar and unexpected. At one point, in a speedy line of questioning, Williams shares that her favorite major event is the Australian Open, her favorite city to eat in is New Orleans, and that she prefers Star Trek to Star Wars.
As for the No. 1 item on Williams' bucket list – "24 ... 25," as in the number of major singles titles she needs to match and then eclipse Margaret Court's overall record.
Of her work in fashion, Serena tells Ritholtz, "I am very hands-on, maybe too hands-on. I am going to have to figure out a way to take at least one hand out." That's not so much the case for other products she endorses, which she says she must truly believe in before signing on for sponsorships. Stories about her Compton origins and later, not-unrelated decisions to work with brands such as Gatorade and Wilson stand out in this mix.
The interview, conducted at a conference in Florida, reveals more insights about Williams' career and character, including how her tennis acumen informs her approach to business. Consider giving the conversation a full listen so as to step inside a superstar performer's mind.
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