Throughout his life, Abdoulaye Sow ’18/’19 imagined himself in many roles. Professional basketball player. Lawyer. Athletic director. However, an opportunity to dive into a field he never considered before — business and finance — kickstarted a new passion he can’t imagine a life without.

“A lot of the skills I learned in the Admissions Office and at Brockport are what I still use now.”
Abdoulaye Sow

“I never planned to do this. Prior to Earn Your Leisure I didn’t have a lot of interest in finance and business, at least not knowingly,” Sow said. “We were just figuring it out as we go, but a lot of the skills I learned in the Admissions Office and at Brockport are what I still use now.”

Sow’s childhood mentor and friend Troy Millings co-founded Earn Your Leisure (EYL) — a podcast that focuses on financial literacy — and brought Sow on board as a manager.

“It started as a business podcast in 2019 and over the years we’ve evolved from that.” Sow said. “The biggest thing is we want to give people insight and information that they can’t typically find in school. We’re breaking down complex things into simple concepts that people can understand.”

Sow is now the Chief Operating Officer of Earn Your Leisure. In his current role, the company has launched multiple other shows, hosted live events, and created “EYL University” where customers can take online business and finance classes.

Abdoulaye Sow

 

“I describe it as I’m like the point guard, I have a hand in overseeing all the operations taking place,” Sow explained. “I speak with our lawyer almost every day, our CEO, CFO, and our network… There’s no typical day to day.”

Sow is a lead organizer of EYL’s live events, including Invest Fest. The first Invest Fest in 2021 had around 4000 attendents. In 2022, that number more than tripled as speakers including Steve Harvey and Tyler Perry took the stage.

“What we wanted to do was combine business seminars with music festivals. We have music performances, business panels, a food truck village, and different vendors.”

Even though his studies never quite lined up with his career, Sow believes there is value in higher education.

“I do think school is necessary, but you have to be purposeful, so don’t just go through college to go through college,” Sow said. “Rub elbows, shake hands, meet people, and build real connections. Not just with students but with professors. Network in college and network with a purpose.”