Let’s Talk About Fitness

When we first launched, we didn’t have a brand, we didn’t have anything. We just bought the product and I started selling them locally to people I knew just to see if I could. We wanted to validate the product and concepts before we dug too deep into our brand and distribution strategy. We literally just bought the product and started selling it with no plan. I think that’s what honestly worked best for us. We just took it really in stride in the sense that we knew we were hustlers and we knew we could move them. We just started selling locally to stores without packaging. The first sale is one you’ll always remember. Our first sale, I was talking to this trainer and he just said “I’ll buy a mat for 50 bucks” so I ran back to my house to get it. That was one of the first guys I talked to and he bought it.

The fitness industry is booming and people are taking their health more seriously, which is awesome. KANGABOOTS are something that are different and unique, and I’m just grateful that so many people have been receptive to them. It’s awesome that I’ve been able to bottle my approach as a fitness trainer into this product and brand, which can be spread a little bit more widely.

I am mercilessly honest. I don’t sugar coat things even if it’s to my own detriment. You could argue that I’d probably have 50% more business if I would water it down, put my arm around people and say, “Hey, we’ll gettem’ next time.” What makes me different is the confrontation. If you fail because you did not do what was necessary I am not going to allow you to leave the studio without forcing you to look at yourself in the mirror (metaphorically). Aside from the highest level of fitness, I’d say my biggest differentiator is that I’m going to tell you what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear.