“We positioned Travis to be world famous”: How Travis Kelce built a business empire beyond the NFL with help from two brothers who saw his potential early

Travis Kelce is no longer just the Kansas City Chiefs tight end known for making big plays. He has moved into fashion, business and entertainment, with ventures such as Tru Kolors and Garage Beer adding to his growing profile. But this off-field career did not come together overnight. Andre and Aaron Eanes saw an opportunity in Kelce years before his NFL fame and built a plan to turn his personality into a brand that could reach far beyond football.Their story with Kelce began at the University of Cincinnati. What started as a college friendship eventually became a business partnership that helped shape the tight end's career outside the NFL. How Andre and Aaron Eanes saw a bigger opportunity in Travis KelceAndre first met Travis Kelce through D.J. Woods, the tight end's college roommate and Andre's childhood friend. The two became close at Cincinnati, where Andre was building an event management business. He helped Kelce and his teammates get into parties and other events.Their connection went beyond the social scene. Andscape reported on November 20, 2023, that Andre and Travis Kelce also worked together at a call centre during the period when Cincinnati suspended the tight end from football in 2010 after a failed drug test.Andre and his twin brother Aaron had launched A&A Management in 2011. They wanted to help athletes build businesses and careers that could last beyond their playing days. Kelce became their second client as he prepared for the 2013 NFL Draft.Aaron had a different idea of what athlete management could look like. In a New York Times profile published on January 2, 2024, he explained, "Agents are contract advisers. I thought instead about a music model and building a business where there's coordination with all their external providers."The brothers wanted to handle more than contract negotiations. They focused on commercials, public appearances, media opportunities and other ways to grow Kelce's name. Their ambition was to make him as recognisable as Dwayne Johnson.Andre explained the thinking in the same New York Times profile: "We positioned Travis to be world famous. We didn't know how it would happen, or when it would happen, or what would help push that further along. But it's always been the thought in the back of our minds."How Travis Kelce took that vision into fashion, beer and other businessThe brothers' strategy gave Kelce a platform beyond the football field. His commercial work and television appearances helped introduce him to people who did not necessarily follow the Chiefs. He hosted Saturday Night Live in March 2023 and continued to expand his media presence through the New Heights podcast with Jason Kelce.Aaron also explained why he wanted brands to see Kelce as more than an athlete. In Andscape's November 20, 2023, report, he said, "We had a strategy of we want to maximize national commercials to parlay his characters and his ability to be talent throughout the season so that when people are seeing him, they're seeing him as talent, not as the football player."That thinking fits the business interests Kelce has developed. He founded Tru Kolors, his sportswear and lifestyle brand, in 2019. On August 27, 2025, the label teamed up with American Eagle for a limited-edition collection. Kelce served as creative director and took part in the design process.He also entered the beer business with Jason. On June 12, 2024, the brothers announced they had become significant investors, owners and operators of Garage Beer, an Ohio-based brand. The deal gave them roles in areas such as marketing, sales, distribution and expansion.Aaron had a simple response when people described the previous year as unusually hectic. In the January 2, 2024, New York Times profile, he said, "Actually, it's not that crazy." He added, "It's because it's easy when you have a plan. We're executing that plan."The Eanes brothers did not build Tru Kolors or Garage Beer for him. Instead, they helped create a management strategy that gave him room to pursue opportunities beyond football. And the plan they began with a college connection has grown into a business relationship that continues to shape his life outside the NFL.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.