Debo Williams wants to foster human connections with SpendHer Hotline app

Debo Williams is opening the lines for conversation — about anything and everything.

Earlier this month, the former South Carolina Gamecocks linebacker launched SpendHer Hotline, a mobile application for people with questions, and those who can answer them. Designed to foster human connections in the age of AI, SpendHer provides a platform for its users to freely ask questions about any topic of their choosing and pairs users with employees who can provide them insight on the topic.

Following a great college football run, and a brief stint in the NFL, entering the world of social networking was the natural next step for Williams. With his leadership skills and an emphasis on teamwork, Williams knows all about community — and that, paired with education, is vital in this current climate.

The Athlete Lifestyle on SI caught up with Williams over the phone to talk about SpendHer, the importance of human connection, and what he’s looking for in his next team.

Let’s talk about the SpendHer hotline. How does it work?

When people think “hotline,” they usually think of something serious, like suicide prevention. This hotline is like a Google or a Reddit when you go for information, but instead you get real-life information from real-life people. No matter what you want to learn about as a customer, — you have an employee side and a customer side — If you go in there as a customer, you can search out whatever you want. It's going to bring up real people speaking about whatever you want to talk about, whether it's to work at McDonald's, whether it's to be an owner. You want to learn about cars? You want to learn about mattresses? Anything you want to learn about, you can search it up, and there'll be employees on the other end ready to talk to you about it. And these employees will have ratings like Uber, and it'll be 0 through 5 stars. And when you're done getting the advice that you want from them, you can rate them.

How did the hotline come to be?

I played college football at the University of South Carolina for four years. TI just graduated as a two-time captain. I played in the NFL for a second. And you know, NFL stands for “not for long.” I was with the Steelers and the Panthers for a second and I had a lot of time because I was a free agent. I always knew I was going to be an entrepreneur, but I always thought I would make money from the NFL and then invest from there. I'd invest in, like, Chipotle and start franchising different places and stuff of that nature through real estate. But then, I realized how creative I was, and I started coming up with ideas. I started thinking of things that could affect every market because it started hitting me. It's been God helping me the whole time. I call it the Holy Spirit because I felt like the Holy Spirit was giving me ideas.

I started putting stuff together. I was like, "Yo. Where do you go to get advice for everything instead of going online and searching AI stuff. What if it was real-life people? How do I put that together?” Me and my best friend started thinking of ideas, and I kind of just started putting it all together. From there, I had to find a coder, I had to put it through the screen because I can't code. Then I had to find a lawyer so I could do the terms and conditions.

How do you envision the platform growing in say, five years or 10 years?

It'll be the biggest platform in the world, because it affects every single market. No matter what you do or want to do, you'll go in there and get advice for that. You can go on there as an employee and get paid to talk about what you know, or you want to as a customer and get the advice, or just to learn something — anything that you need, education that you need. So it'll be the biggest thing in the world. I truly know it.

It will also show athletes that there’s more than just football. There’s more than just sports in the world. I can speak on football, because I play football, but you go your whole life playing football, or just any sports in general, and it's like, “Damn, what do I do now? I didn't make it as far as I thought.” I want to be able to show that it's possible to create generational wealth without sports.

What do these human connections mean to you?

I've been building this platform for so long. I went to school for broadcast journalism and I’ve always been a natural born leader. I was a two-time captain in high school at Smyrna High School in Smyrna, Delaware, and I was a two-time captain at University of South Carolina, and I just always led the way. It's just what I've known to do best. I wasn't just a leader by example, but I would tell you how to do it as well too, but I'm not about to just tell you and not show you that you can do it as well.

I’ve also heard you’re in the market for a new agent. I’m a firm believer in the idea that having a good professional team around you makes all the difference. What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned about the people you’ve worked with in the past?

The people I've worked with in the past, they did all they can do, and I'm forever grateful. But sometimes, you have to go a different way, because life turns you a different way. When that happens, you have to maneuver and you have to find ways to improve. That's all I'm doing, just finding ways to market and find a team the best way I can so I can get this out to the world, I know I can change the world in a great way, and start helping a lot of people. I'm building my team up so we can put this out to the world.

What is the biggest thing you took away from your time on the South Carolina Gamecocks?

You get in what you put out. The work you put in will definitely pay off — it might not pay off at first, it takes time, but it will definitely pay off. Being an SC man, it just taught me how to be a man. I was on my own. I was nine hours away from my family, so I didn't necessarily have the help that I would’ve wanted but it turned me into a man. I was on my own. I had to, I had to feed myself. I had to make waves for myself, because I was in college before NIL, which is how players get paid now. I really had to make a way on my own.

Jul 15, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; South Carolina linebacker Debo Williams speaking to the media at Omni Dallas Hotel. | Brett Patzke-Imagn Images

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