#35 BONUS EPISODE My Origin Story: How I Opened a Gym with Zero Savings, -$3.00 in My Bank Account and Copious Amounts of Confidence (and Luck).

Today we go over a recent interview that I did with Marketing Pro Dan Johal for his new podcast focusing on Bay Area Small Business Owners. 

He makes me dive into the nitty gritty on how I went from a college student/personal trainer with a dream to an actual gym owner in one of the most expensive cities in the country. 

I go over my upbringing, the countless mistakes I’ve made in the fitness industry and how I navigated through my quest to own my first gym. 

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Welcome to the nerd out and work out. Podcast Cast Cast. What is up? Everyone is coach awesome. We're coming to you from hyper strength and conditioning here and sounds in California with your nerd on a workout. Podcasts. And today, um, like a bonus episodes a Thursday. For those of you who don't know if you're listening on another day, Well, the time of this recording is a Thursday, and it's usually a throwback Thursday in the INTERWEBS. Everyone shares stuff and stories and all that and throwing it back. And, um, the other day, um, my, uh, the guy who helps me with some of my marketing stuff recently he wanted to start his own podcast and he actually approached me and wanted to do like a straight up interview with me and wanted to, you know, talk about, like, the story of of how high, you know, how did you become a gym owner? And in this world of entrepreneurship, I don't want to know your story. So, um, he kind of like, kind of kind of asked and dug in, and I started from, like, the beginning of how I got inspired all that stuff, but long story short. It was like the first time I've ever been interviewed of how I actually opened the gym and what actually inspired me to do it and the process and where we are now and everyone's always talking about Well, a lot of people like to talk about, um, stories, and and I think this would be a great time to kind of share the actual true full story of how I opened a hyper shakthi addition ing. I have, like, bits and pieces until about summaries and this system that. But this kind of this this episode goes this interview goes into the nitty gritty of what I had to do toe open the gym with little money. No, no crazy VC funding or investors like ages. It was just basically fucking going all in into something that I truly believed in. And, um, especially in this recently, a lot of people want Thio. I've just seen a lot of increasing interest of people wanting to own their own businesses and doing all that stuff in building their own brands and all that, and it's great. And so on this episode of you, if you have an inkling of starting your own thing or wanting to start your own business, especially the fitness industry or whatever. Um, or just anything in general. Maybe Maybe this story might help you. Maybe it might motivate you. Maybe not. But this is the true story of how I opened the gym with, like, $5000 cash. And I was negative $3 in my checking account. Once, though, when the doors were open or right before the Dodgers. Um, yeah. Uh, yeah. Give it a listen if you want. I guess it's like a little bonus episode. It's not really so much. I mean, it kind of goes into the nerdiness of stuff that I have been through, so But this is more so. I kind of like my origin story. Um, I hope you guys enjoyed. I hope you guys find something useful about it. Uh, yeah. Here we go. Well, so why don't we start with this? Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself? You know? You know who are you? Background. Why do you have a gym now? What made you interested, right? Like Hello, everyone. My name's Austin Solossa, and, um, I run and own and co founded Hyper Strength and Conditioning in San Jose, California, eh? And where we nerd out and work out and we specialize in personal training, semiprivate and group training. Um, you don't read that off your website. Did you know? I did it sound like I did? I remember. I was already right. All right. I do it all the time, but ah, long story short. So what you want? You want to know the story? And who are you? Who am I? Who are you? It's a big question. Who are you? Where's that from that quote? Who are you? Is that from Avengers? No, it's from the floor. It's from four, I think. Right. I was like, He's getting pummeled. And who are you? Like the Odin notices. Who are you? I have to go. Yes, I am Thor. God of Thunder. Liza Just know. So, um, I'm born and raised in sounds. A California Ah. Sounds a native. And I'm just a Filipino dude who got into fitness, played football. Played all these types of sports when I was little. Never really was good. Never really was that great. But my mom kept on rolling me into these different sports because there was something for me to do on the weekends because I was so hyperactive. All right, um, so that's what she wanted me to dio. And then I had a little brother. So I think all these stupid sports with him Thio and it was cool. It's just I always had to do the kid's class because he's my little brother and I was always the tallest one in there is what sucks. But long story short, uh, that's I grew up. I grew up loving Superman Batman, like all the comics, as with most, uh, typical nineties kids who grew up watching Batman, the animated series, we always like the guy that would ah, be into, You know, I'm Cem generally, say animated comics, you know, and fitness, like we're already doing this like you're Jim's based around about before when your I really was into the hero's journey before I was knew what the hero's journey was. I love the stories of like Star Wars, you know, following Luke Skywalker. Yeah, he's a farm boy, but he could be the savior of the galaxy once like like his dad's Lord Vader. Let's like like I was as you could like, the dark theater. Haven't, um I like, you know, I fell in love with the stories. Oh, like the hero of going through all these obstacles. I was into that stuff, you know, Batman and his tragedy, Superman Marvel, Any type of heroic story. I loved it. I loved it. And I wanted to be. I guess it played a part. Like I wanted to be that guy. I wanted to be the leader. You know, I always saw me. So I want to be leader. I want to read something. But, you know, growing up short, Filipino kid. It was always the case, but yeah, you know, I had a great group of friends throughout. Was it childhood? Still hang out with some of them. Ah, what was in the middle school? High school, s or lost or short? Uh, you know, I you know, I grew up knowing that I grew up being like the funny guy. I'm not really the funny guy, but the guy who always like to fuck around. How about that? Yeah. I wasn't really the comedian. I was just the guy who always fucked around in class, looked around, but at the same time cared about my grades grades, because I don't want my mom being my ass. So straight ahead. No, it was not a straight a kid. That's my wife. My wife was the valedictorian. Perfect attendance like that's her. My deals like Fifi could graduate. I'm good. Right? I'm good. Like, what do I need to not go under to graduate 2.5 or some shit like them? All right. Good. Like that. So that's so what you want to do when you I mean, obviously, you know, being hyperactive kid doesn't owe comics. And, you know, Batman, Superman. Want to be a leader, But you're You're over here in school. You said you just wanted to get out of it. Like, what did you want to do? Like out of college? When I was a kid, I wanted to be the Red Ranger. A story about that later. Um, not about when I was a kid, but lately. So when I was a kid, I wanted to see the Red Ranger because he was the leader, the leader, the Power Rangers. I really thought truly thought power Ranger was a thing. I could be a power injury if I would worthy enough. Ah, as a child. But yeah, After going out of college when I was in college, I wanted to get my feet wet into something athletic, something athletic training. But I thought athletic training of the time meant strength, conditioning. Two different things, though. Athletic training is more of rehab, injury prevention, injury. Ah, a lot of a lot to do with injury injuries and strengthen conditioning is that's what I want. I want to train athletes and all that stuff. Um, so I dive into the fitness world at 18 did my first certification, and I started training at a health club at the rights of Health Club in Campbell. And that's how I started getting my raps as a trainer. And the 1st 6 months as a trainer, I was horrible. Sucked ass, Uh, I didn't really wrong. I did. I'm looking back at it like Oh, my fucking God. Oh, it's like having people squat wrong on the Smith machine. Oh, do you don't Even it was just bad. It was just bad. Um, but luckily enough, I had a few trainers there My Gragg and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Um I wish. And Maria, who is one of the vets, those guys and John Hanger was my boss. But those guys help me build up to become a better trainer. Um, they, you know, I was a young kid. I know what the fuck I was doing. I thought I played football for, like, four years and no wait woman stuff. And I was like, Nah, bro, it's it's different, but because I had that experience I trained a lot of older people like I was an 18 year old training 30 year olds, 35 40 year olds, 50 year olds, eight year olds and find the client yourself. Ah, in the beginning, yes, I had to go out about How did I look? I said, fuck it. Let's go. My, uh uh, I remember my bosses like, Hey, here's a He's trying to guy. He had all these ideas. Right hand goes here. Here's how you could get clients do this. And I'm like, Okay, what I do and he goes, you know, here's a survey. Go up to all these people and tell them you're taking a survey about how their experiences with the gym and at the same time, because he took time to do the survey. They have a 30 minute free session with you, and I'm like, OK, and he thought I wasn't gonna do it. So then when he left and Maigret, mind you, I was still going to school. So my ships were only like Thursday, Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, right? And he wanted me to do this on a Sunday. He's like this guy. This kid's not gonna go do it on a Sunday night or this kid's gonna get anyone on Sunday. I was gonna do the gym on a Sunday like Well, I mean, he gave me something to do. He just didn't think I was gonna do anything with it. And then when Monday came around, he had I remember he had a stack. He told me he's like, Fuck do. When I went and I saw that stack of papers of all these people you booked, I was like Who the fuck you fucking book people? Holy shit! And he's like, what did you promise them at all? And, man, I just We're taking that shit. I said, I need a fucking clients. This is what I'm gonna fucking do. Your eyes went treadmill, treadmill asking I don't give up. Fuck who you were black, White like Like old young, purple, pink Like who the fuck I I need to train people because I wanted to coach people. That's what I wanted to do. So I went on everyone like an asset survey, went down the list and Azad the end and I started booking all these people. And then I think that's when I started getting my first my first few clients. And remember one of them. I was a kid. Herman was named to Zach Chastain. And I convinced his mom and himto by $1000 training package with me two times a week, Like like, two times a week, an hour session. And I was training him. And that took me three months. The land of consistently getting out there. Yeah. Is that without your first client? Or if that was my first official paid client? Yes. Wow. Yeah. Underwrite stuff. Health club? I don't know exactly. But right now I'm pretty sure he's a tall white kid. He gave Helen muscle, though, when he was training me. He went from, like, 1 60 to 1 85 But I I would count his puberty for that. He was already a tall kid. But, like, it's like you kids. Youth athletes, man. They already have all the juices flowing, bro. Hungry at the gym. Where you at? Right, Stuff? Clubs. How long were you training? You know, use obvious. Started there. Right? But did you Did you stay there for a long time? For, like, years? I stayed there for a couple years, I think, from 22,006. 2006 to 2000. It I mean, that was if if I didn't get fired, I don't know. I don't know if I would actually be here. I think I would be still be there. And I got fired because I'm a dumb ass and I was double dipping. I'll be straight up like that was one of the first mistakes that made as a coach, as as a professional, like I would clock in my hours entry in people because I would get, like, more money. So why not? But as as a young, stupid college kid, you're making money. I'm making good money so I could take off my girlfriend. We could go to Disneyland. We could do all this shit and long story short or, you know, they found out, You know, you don't talk to them. Oh, yeah. No, I still talk to I still talk to my old bosses. There was, like, a sorry man. Yeah, right. I mean, like my managers were behind me. I had I'm not gonna say names because they actually try to help me. Um, but like, the owners were like not having it. And one of them, one of the senior leaders, She was like, like a slick hard core, like, doesn't fuck with anything. So she was like, he needs to go and and I'm not look right, slave Elka, I get it like they had to do with the afternoon. I was being a dumb ass. I was being a dumb shit. They had to get rid of me policy, right? That's all it's. They were in the right date. The day did nothing wrong. It's just that I don't talk about me getting fighters like the first time one of the first times. One a few times. I talk about it. I'm honored. I'll talk about it like other people. But like so basic. Okay, like you get fired. I mean, you're making good money. You're like, OK, I'm a trainer now. I'm doing what I want to do, and then this happens. Like what it means to mess up your confidence. And you still want to do it like you just just go elsewhere. Well, when I was there, I was mentored. Allowed by John Hanger, who owns a Method three fitness now, Campbell killing it, killing it. Seven. Figure Jim and I always go to him for council. Um, but he is that I blame him for getting the idea of running a gym in my head because that's what he wanted to do. Nobody in your family ever had, like, a business, something I told you. Hey, like my dad had a business. Um, my mom and dad had a part time business, and they were trying to grow when I was a kid, but it didn't really pan out what kind of business they're doing. Like party service's balloons, balloon arcs, releases from a kid. Your was kind of that environment, though, right? I mean, Obviously you're your mentor. Inspired you? Yeah. Like it was still kind of like you grew up in that environment. Ah, kind of. I grew up in a very middle class. Ah, household. But what? I learned a lot when I grew up around his work. That's what I grew up around. I saw my dad was a postman. My mom was a loan officer. My dad would goto work 7 a.m. Come back at five. My mom would go to work. 7 a.m. Exam seven AM Come about five or six, sometimes even seven. Um, but they would work units. Are they the immigrate here? Yeah. Yeah, the immigrant. They immigrated here. Um, I don't know how valid these stories are. Cause again, all this store, like when they immigrated here, like my dad was Elena. Some, like computer engineer, but not really could be. You know, like when computers back then, like you're an engineer. But you're just seeing if it turns on or not. Wait. Just leave you with a test these out. Like now. You weren't an engineer. You're like a quality assurance person. But it's like I'm a hell of a body that I'm like to your point. You made a lot of money, but I got laid off, so fuck that. So he that he got a You got a job at the post office and good money, man. They get good retirement stuff like that. The post office. You know, he was He was one of the last few. Like our his his group, his squad, They had all of this shit. They had all the perks. The new squad. Now he's like, man, because I'm like, Hey, Dad, I saw I saw like this. I saw a few people post op, but I've heard that the post office is having trouble hiring people. He's like, Yeah, dude, they don't have the benefits we do. And I'm, like, really easily. Yeah. Now they're doing contract. We're doing contractors now instead of employees as he still is. Still post matters. You're tired. My guy's retired row. He made it sound like he stole every year. You don't know e No. I grew up around work out that he worked his ass off. He made it a point to retire at 60. So he retired a 60. Has Ah, yeah. A man like Who is he? He has a problem. He has a house in. My mom and dad have a house in Vegas. And they did it right, man. They didn't fall into that 0506 height where everyone was buying fucking five houses at once, and yeah, right. Well, I just got pages like he didn't want. He didn't fall for that shit. He just He went to Vegas one time, and he just saw a house that he really liked. It was in 1990 something or maybe $2000. 1990 something, bro. And he bought a house for, like, 110,000 in Vegas. And he's like, I'm gonna hang on to this and found a tenant and that that shit put us through college. You're a smart man. I'm not gonna sit here and be like, Oh, I grew up from the bottom like, No, I'm not Drake, bro. I start from the middle e I start from the middle, but because my parents worked so hard, they allowed us that opportunity to start from the middle. Um, but yeah, that's how he paid for our call. But I want to state So he paid for my college on that paid for my brother's college. Uh, it was just smart. Dude, like that's I learned that I'm like, Dude, I'm buying a property to pay for my kid's education. Right? Was this business is up and running? I would have by something small from, like Texas man charged diesel red feel like that? Rent going monkeys to shit. I just met a guy the other day. Um, I also I do camera installation stuff on the side just for anyone listening so they know the relevance. But this guy's over here living in an apartment. San Jose, and he's saving up to buy a house in Illinois. He was telling me, It's like a double story, three bedroom house. And he's like, Oh, my God, how much you save me up for when you move like I need to save like, 117 for House in Illinois, man, like in the middle of nowhere, he's gonna move their way. Xena. Really? Yeah. He's like I'm ready halfway there. I'm gonna move there. 170,000. It's gonna be nice, house. It's gonna be so much cheaper living here. I met a guy. When I used to work at a T T. We went to training and his house was in Memphis, Tennessee. Four bedroom, pool four, car garage. Guy paid like $300 a month for his mortgage. Three what? 300 a month for his mortgage. For homework. Where? In Tennessee? Tennessee? Memphis, Tennessee. Oh, don't be lying or what? But man, do, Hauser that sheep? That's ridiculous. Yeah, so that's so that's that. So I'll probably be at my house over there and then rent it out. But you never had your parents. I kind of go back to that. Like you never had the Asian expectations any, like, doctor Lawyer. Oh, yeah, I know I had it. I, uh, re supposed to. My dad wanted me to be, um uh okay. So I don't want to be a nurse. Wanted me to be a nurse. Here's the fucked up parts. That's a Filipino thing. That right there is a Filipino thing. But when I was in middle school, I want to be a computer science animator. Yeah, I wanted to be a computer animator. All right, Grover, I watched Beast wars. I said I want to do that? Yeah. I watched the first release of Pixar when Pixar is coming up. Um, I said I wanted to do that. I'm in it. And and I just thought that I was always bad at math, like that's the fucked up part. Even my dad was all you struggle in math, maybe shouldn't do, man. And my mistake was believing in that. And it's not my dad's fault. He was just, like, trying to tear my dad. He's like, Oh, man, for struggling on this. Maybe you shouldn't focus on that. Maybe your vocals on this and I'm like, Yeah, you know? Yeah, that's right. But, you know, I was also in advanced math classes, and that was how I was like, I wasn't doing well, you know how, like in there, like, I don't know in Hye Sun? Oh, they still did it. But in high school, middle school, they move you a grade forward. If you do well in math, right, some shit like that. And that's what I was doing. I was in sixth grade. I was in seventh grade math. Yeah, seven years I was in eighth grade math, and I was always struggling because it was like it was tough. I mean, I I had seized. I got B's, didn't get A's and that's struggling and quote unquote. When I got to high school, it was worse. So that's what deterred me like I want. I made it all the way up to AP calculus or AP statistics and senior while I was playing football and I had to drop out cause too much on. I thought I was like, I'm bad at math because I suck at AP Statistics Statistics. And I told my wife my wife was valedictorian, went to Cal, Berkeley got accept all that shit. She would know a thing or two about a P. And when I told her that I had told her like, Oh, yeah, I had a P statistics she gave It is weird that looked like you had a piece statistics and yeah, I did. And she goes, You got into a booth. That's because I just didn't expect. I thought you sucked at math and I'm like, and then I told her what I did. And she goes, You don't suck at math. You just We're struggling at grades higher than you and I'm like, Yeah, and she goes, That's okay, because you weren't at your great level. And I'm like, you never wondered why. You Okay, I'm struggling here. Why don't you just put me in normal? I was just an expectation feel like I should be doing great at this but long story short. It deterred me going away from computer science and, like, maybe look into the health room. Yeah. So? So, if you're ever gonna ask that question if you weren't a coach, if you weren't in the strength conditioning, finished field, what would you be? Would be like? I'd be working at Pixar full time. You ever have regrets, huh? You have regrets? Uh, no. No regrets. Because, like, it's like it's like, Okay, if I was in the Pixar, how would I feel? I don't know. Maybe I would have loved it. Maybe I wouldn't. Maybe. Why would it be like I get over my own gym, You know? You know, um, but for what? I'm learning for what I'm doing, I have no regrets. But if you're gonna ask like, oh, man, yeah. If if you were gonna change it, would you change the way I want to see how I would do as a Pixar animator, like as a storyteller. How would I do? I don't know, like if any, any other. I mean, may I'm speaking for myself. But like, I mean, if there's any other business owner, you know, you would ask why or entrepreneur, like if you had to do it any differently, if you would If you would be doing something right now, what would it be if it wasn't this? And they don't haven't, like if they would still be doing soon. Bullshit, bro. This Pixar animator as a response, Right, Dude, even to this day, I'll link message. I'll meet them on message their coaches and be like, Hey, you guys need coverage. Don't be like I know they're run by a company, But I would be like you. You wanna You've ever need coverage at Emeryville at the Pixar headquarters for a class I will cover. Like that's one of my goals. Like so, Yeah. So, um, shipment, we want for the tangent, But long story, short shit. What was that thing where? Well, where was that? Um, but that's how I get into the health field and That's how I got interested in in something health. And then what really got me into kinesiology was my my neighbor, who's the best friends Armor. And his older sister is Amrit. And she she went to med school. She became a doctor, huh? And she was telling me because I was kind of confused what I wanted to do in high school going into college, and she's like, You should look into kinesiology. So that's what I looked into. And I'm like, Oh, shit, What is that? It's like the study of human movement athletics and like, Yeah, what's that? Let's go. So I credit her. It's a pointing in the right direction. Um, yeah. Shut outs, Amrit Soapy. Okay, so you end up getting fired from this gym, Kind of going back back to that, You know, double dip in your college life tone. Every relative guys direct What happened next? I mean, obviously. So you getting interesting? Kinesiology? Probably. What, you finished with your kinesiology degree. I was still in college and I need a place to train. I was walking down the halls, a sparring complex, and it found if I saw Flyer, one of the bulletin boards next to one of our advisors rooms. I think those extra Janet Clair's office. But long story short, I looked at it and it's called X body Fitness. Um, looking for trainers, rent renting space to trade. Sounds like what is that? It wasn't Sounds a long Brokaw's look down that way. And it was a nice warehouse. It was like a nice open warehouse slash office space that Ah, this guy original owner Judgy John Jodhaa, Vieira and Fred. So Bala opened up together. You're good with names, man, huh? Remember everybody's names? Oh, yeah, Well, the yeah, the people that I've I worked with, Um but yeah, long story short. Ah, that was I saw that I applied and I got an interview like, Hey, we actually ran out space. That's 600 bucks a month to rent out space. But you bring your clients and I was like, Fuck, I reached out to my older clients that I had the right stuff, said, Hey, this is where I'm gonna be at. They followed me. Um, and I had to pay 600 bucks a month to train at this place, and I was only making 1200 a month. So I was like netting 600 a month. And instead of making men, I was making, like, 1500 a month as a trainer at as a part time trainer as a student. Ah, I write stuff and to get that shit cut in half, because now I have to pay for my rent to be there. Can you tell me a little bit about business on my Oh, shit. But it's like you're your own. You're a contractor. So you're on your own, boss. And that's when I started learning like, OK, I guess I'm doing this for real now. But how many clients do you have much? Are they paying you back then, for like, 1200 being 11 client, I think to call us, repay me, like 700 bucks a month to train him. That's not bad for 2800 bucks. And I was I was trading two times a week, three times a week, and I was training my morning class by my friends. They train them in the summer. I was trading out of out of shape. College students were basically they're my friends. There's like 10 of them. They paid me like 75 books for the summer with him 3 to 4 days a week. It just became a thing where we just take a toe workout that we go to so goes after. But it was like that that keep keeper working. Yeah, but I can't. It became a thing where, like I made, I made a name. I got a business license revoked body fitness that it A And that was a thing. For a while, it was like opening up my own little business. My trouble training business. You do that for thing for two or three years. Only the real ones that have been with me. No re that body. Read them. And then my motto was Revenge your body Revenge for life. Damn it! I have a I have a domain. And now it's gotten another re. That body fitness has it now they were doing it. But the real ones though that was my original grant. You were still running at that space over there at that, at that place of broken I wa sai waas. And for a fact that space is a friend. No, but my business partner told me, Don't ever go back to where you were. Not that I don't go back to where you were. Even though it's enticing, they'll go back like, move forward, do something new, evolved. And I was like what you did. You might be right. I could go back and try to rent out that space and I'll be our new space. And he goes, Don't go back to where you are. Do you really have good memories there? And I'm like, No, not really. So he's like, don't get comfortable, right? Huh? You come come. Don't be comfortable going. Bigger spacing code to do different things. Don't do that. So that when you started hyper strength right after that no, man, it was, um And then I worked at several clubs fitting. Ah, finished 19 club wine, Decathlon club. I mean, weren't you making more doing revamp, though? Then you wear it at clubs? No, I had to. I had to make more money. I got to go and be a trainer at other other other other gyms to make more money. But granted, I was still doing 18 units a semester. Oh, this Also, while you're in college. Yeah. Wow. Oh, yeah, I graduated 2010. Yeah. So some 8 4010 I was training. I was doing, like, 12 18 years. Ah, Semester. Yeah. So when I get trainers, you're like, ho, um I'm training and I'm doing the Amstel tired honey used to taking my own nine. And I'm like, Get the fuck outta here. D'oh! Get though, I mean, I get it. I get it now, but get the fuck outta here. Dio from your interns right now, huh? Are all your insurance college shoots? No, Most of them. Most. Any of them give you that same stun? Ah, May I let him know in the beginning? You here to work? I'm gonna fuck what you're doing Your good work. You had to learn your toe work. Let's do work. I need to read work ethic. Yeah, there's not a lot of people want to do like and you could hear this in any older generation. Rightly know the younger generation doesn't want to work. No, I've seen so young people are hungry. One of our interns, they're hungry. I say A couple of answers are pretty hungry right now. um What is the end goal that you give him? I mean, as far as I know, we're going, going a little bit forward here to the interns. But like, you know, when someone want to intern here, the gym Do you find them to the find? You find us? I don't find them. I'm gonna be straight up with you right now. They find they find us. And if my rule is like one of the rules I give him was like, you're late once. Shame on me. You're late. Twice. Get the fuck out of here. You're not coming back. Like I want them to be on point. Like there is there. Silver where I was trying to get another interning here, but she didn't show up on our first meeting. And then later she's like, only I meant to tell you guys. And this is after my business partner reached out there. Like because my best spirals I have found someone. Yeah, I found someone was go like I could could be chary book him and I'm like, Yeah, let's go. And then she did show up. And Bismarck Fuck! I'm so sorry, Austin. Why? Don't worry about it, nor about Cuba. Um and it pissed her often, and she reached out there later. What happened? Is everything okay? So I just forgot to tell you that my mom was having cataract surgery, and it's like you forgot your mom was having cataract surgery. Damn, You must be so busy. Toe. Forget that. It just didn't. Yeah, she was a student. But I'm like, you must be really fucking busy to forget that your mom was having surgery. Your mom, you must be not. You must not be close to her. But she's like, Oh, yeah, I forgot. And so I had to help her. And I also had to help her. So I think that's what you guys excuse. She's not coming back. I still have left it open in the summer, but she and come back if she's lives to this. Sorry. Not sorry. Um, but would you go with all your entrances? End of working here eventually is part of the team. I mean, the hope is the hope is ah, but only time will tell if there's a space with them or not. I mean, it's a great way to toe foster what I expect from our coaches. By the same time, I'm not taking all the credit here. My coaches, especially at an Ivy and Colon. They're the ones who who vet these guys. They're the ones we're putting him through the wringer, not me. Like they'll talk to me when I want to talk to them. But I'm so fucking busy that I don't even spend a lot of time with my interns. It's my coaches that spent a lot of time in the entrance. So anyone's any credit. It's Coach Anthony. It's called Ivy. It's Coach Colin, Jesse and Arthur, like my staff handles it. So let's talk about that. Remember, like first I met, you said you started with a team. You started things differently when you started this. Jim versus other people do it, you know, They get the gym that build the business and they add their team. So you have a business partner that helps shot everything. Like, how did all of this starts after college? You end up opening the gym. Okay, We're in this story. Do my water. All right. So how? I opened the gym, so I was working eventually on fast forward eventually got a gig at Intuit. Corporate fitness doesn't pay much. 50 k a year. That's corporate finished, guys. If you want against corporate finance Program manager, starting salary of Silicon Valley's 50 K a year. That's great to rent a room if you're if you're fine with that. Good. I was renting a couch in a house full of dudes. I was one of six. Um ah. Moved out of my folks house, Mom, you know, decided to do shit on my own. Um, as it should be, as if I wanted to embark as an entrepreneur, I needed to get out of the nest and just do my thing, Um, moved into my buddy's house, the party house. But it was We're all graduated at this point, right? Right. This is 2015 right? Uh, guys used to train with summer. Yeah. Yeah, they are the same guys. So So, um, I was still living on the folks. How's training? Part training? Full time court is trying to get back on. Get on my feet. Once I got my feet, I moved out. Um, but then I was I need open my gym. I need I need to do it. This is like I think so. When I moved out, I was right. I was paying for 50 a month, renting a couch, technically, a hat, a room. But it was right next to the freeway. And you can't sleep next to a freeway even if you close the window. Um, I mean, the last one moving My mother, who made me that room, always the last one moving. But my my other roommate, I technically shared that room with someone else. But I let Ramel take it like ramble took it cause he was their first. Um but he could sleep through it. Um, I couldn't so and also they ah ah J p. Best friend of mine. He didn't let us. He was used him in Angelo. Another good friend of mine. They were like the heads of the household. Call him like the mom and dad like that. And Dad like a dad. A debt of know. Angela had his own room. J. P had the master bedroom and shared it with the group ahead. There were the head on Joe's in their room. I'm the head onto it is a very sorry no I love those guys. And J p would not let us use the heater or the A C. He's like, No, you don't use that here. We have an electrical, but, you know, we don't use that. He does hope that fucks up the bill. And I'm like, Okay. Were you living in this apartment here in San Jose, huh? Well, he was in San Jose. It was off one on one, Like you literally could see 101 out of the room. I ran it. Yeah, and Ah. And so So I slept on the couch because it was on the lower floor, and it was It was like it was cooler. Yeah. So that's where that's where I operate from. So I would wake up to Dan the man, um, he would he would make coffee, and I would wake up to the to the small coffee, like 6 a.m. Every day. Bachelor's life, right? It was It was very fun. It was nice. It was actually really nice. Like I was still I know I said I was still in my, uh, my girlfriend, who is now my wife. But I was still with her then, But it was It was good. It was a chill time. And I was just doing my, like, startup life. So when I So when I decided to open the gym, I found a space on Craigslist. I literally found the space on Craigslist. Met with the landlord landlord. I met with the landlord's daughter. Well, looked around. It was like an open space vanilla shell ready to move in. Nothing. My already had an 88 bathroom ready to go 2100 square feet. Um, how much money did have safe? I had nothing. I just had my salary. I just had credit cards. So I said Okay, How much do you need? And they're all we need, Like, several 1000 up front. Typical thing when you run a space, but I don't know, like signing the lease and personal guarantee. Do you personally guarantee the space? And I was like, Sure for the whole term. And I'm like, What the fuck, man? Man, I was like, Yes, I I thought it was like a my charity. I will personally guarantee you I will be here this face I didn't know, like, financially responsible. If shit goes down like you're You're on the line for this shit. Like they could come after you. I don't know that you know that. So But I signed a one year lease, bro. One year lease because he knew I was such a young gun. And he's like, you're young business owner. This is your first thing. He said he gave me a chance, though, Like, as much as I'm gonna tell you right now, it hasn't been quite as friendly with the landlord because we do drop. We were growing as a business. We're getting too loud for him as he and he's kind of complaining now. But in the parking bat, But long story short, he gave me a chance. He'll say, I'll do year option to extend for another year. And I'm like, Okay for any other business owners were singing about doing that. Don't ever do a one year lease with an option of what year cause. Like if, like what? If you do so well, What if the I'm just lucky my landlord was cool and nice and was William Morgan. But if you in any other land where they could kick you out in a year. If you're building on moments of your fun, you're fucked. But I was lucky to have, like, his Al is good, you know, He let me do it my thing. So So we did it. And I signed the lease, and I'm like, fucking do. And I gave the deposit check, and I was like, Fuck and the way I just came up with I used my whole paycheck for that whole month. Like my whole month's paycheck. I just saved it up. He used it as a deposit. So I was eating ramen. I was eating shit. Like I had to ask my girlfriend for money for gas just to Phillip for that month. But and then I had to sell J p M I a man. Can you wait on the rent real quick? Like I got? I'm doing this right now, and he's on. Okay, Okay. But I paid him back. Belongs there a short like for that month. I put everything I had, and then it's like, cool. I drained my safe, All right. Anyhow, stays I drain my checking account. It was like, negative $3. So then it's okay. Now you gotta put equipment. I'm like, Oh, fuck. Big spaces. You right? What did you need that? So so, um, luckily, I was still training part time. Um, So I got I I asked several of my clients to pay like a Europe front. Like, can you? I'm doing this. Move. Can you pay your up front? And three of them said yes. So I I got, like, $12,000 up front and just $5000. Guys, this is $5000 cash ahead after spending fuck like 6 7000 on the deposit. Like I had $5000 cash. It's open a gym and already posted it a fucking Facebook and Instagram. And I said, you're a posted a picture of the warehouse of this. We're gonna do all these things. So I want to Craig's this again. Craig, this is my best friend, and I I searched barbells and I saw these guys selling their used barbells, and they lived up in the hills in the fucking male Penis area in Santa Clara and Cupertino. I drove up in these hills rich as people, and I I went with my brother. My brother helped me out and, um, I think he I think we even use this car. But we picked up barbells. Ah, use barbells. Really fucked up barbells. I picked up like five of them. I picked up Ah, 10 £45 plates used. I mean, one of them was like the Jack baleen plates, which I really needed have, which is great. They're still in the gym. And, um And then I met my mentor. Now Joe Gigante know he was that he's the godfather fitness here around sounds that he owned No Peter's Health Club at all. Scotus Health Club Health and finish my Penis All the Venice law's got some unfinished Gilroy health of vintage. Remember those? They're like health clubs back in the day. I don't know if you were here in the nineties, but they're like, well, ran health clubs. Um, and I just happened to meet a person I meet. I met Nat at a Funchal pop shop when I was buying. Focal Bonds are roommates. He's like, Hey, I was just talking and I mentioned opening a gym cause I'm trying to put the word he goes. Dude, you're open. And Jim, you have equipment. I'm like? No, I need equipment. He goes to be running equipment business. That's how I met Joe Joe. No, he fitness is his business. So he was like, Are you opening a gym? And I'm opening a gym. So it now, I met him in a point of his life where he wants to help Jim owners. So he drove down in his fucking Mercedes. Like the spot he goes. This is what you need. And he's like, you need rubber flooring. Is you need this. What? Your budget. I'm like zero start cracking off. He's like, Dude, you're in this all I brought up putting everything I have and more. Um, so I mean, everything's going well right now you're starting up. You open it up, you're getting excited. You're spreading what through word of mouth, your every every telling, every single person, I guess. And then I mean, he comes here and you're like, you need all of this. Like what you do. Obviously, that's gonna be kind of crushed. So, honey, So, um, so black mats. He I need a black mass to cover 2100 feet. I don't want to turf. I wanted to serve in black mats. And I wanted a rig, and I wanted all this stuff, and it was gonna cost, like, tens of thousands of dollars, right? And and he goes, uh, he goes all work a cash payment plan for you. Well, I'll get you the equipment. I'll get you the equipment. Pay me, like, pay me 2000 front. I'll get you the equipment we'll put. We'll deliver to you free delivery. I put it all up in here. And then once you start once you after your first month of getting your dues, you'll pay me this monthly. It was like 809. I was like, 1200 bucks a month until you paid off. Wow. And to this day, I remember I was like, I cannot be late with this guy. I cannot like Fuck this up. He gave me a chance, and to his credit to this day, um, he'll tell me because I did a podcast of them and he'll tell me he goes, You were never late. That's what I remember about you. Like what he goes. You were You were never late. And I I respect that. Like that's why even to this day, he's willing to help me out with the expansion of the gym, but also, their stuff s so basically what? He just 50 50 partner with you or something for the jamboree. Just he ended up being, you know, you just help me out. I'll help you with the equipment. Yeah. So you just helped me out. So? So he worked out a payment plan with me. Cash. And, um what was it you guys could still work out? You're good. Um, throws it. So he worked out that deal with me, and that's how I got most of the equipment in here. That's what that like. Like Joe, you could like he did technically, financing the gym, right? He just How did you end up meeting that, right? You're going from zero revenue. You already got your three clients to pay upfront. Right? So I got. When the doors opened in November 1st 2015 I was doing a hard marketing. I signed the lease in August. Um, effective. There was November, but I signed the lease in August. So what happened is I was still working part time at a C. C. I was still like the one of the main coaches at at a kickboxing gym. And when the I told the owner a month before, I'm Hey, I'm gonna open this, Jim, I got into it at this point. EBay. Still, i'ii be? I was program manager at eBay. Um, but I was still doing that, and and, uh, yeah, I was a program manager at eBay running their health and fitness club. If you guys were wondering I was not a coder, I was not making the six figure Silicon Valley salary. I was a program manager for their gym, and I ran their group backs classes and training and all that stuff, long or short. Um Ah, shit s o. I was out of there. And when I I told the owner of the other Jim that I worked out because I worked at a part time job taught classes that trade my clients out of their paid rent. And I told him, Hey, this is what I'm I'm going to do this. I'm going to open this gym. Yeah, and he's like, Okay, cool. I'm gonna go check it out all. I'll see it. And then when I I announced I I remember this. I announced that I'm opening this Jim. Finally, August 30th 2015. And the day after my birthday, he asked me, Hey, can we talk? I'm like, Yeah, we could talk. And I posted on, like, social media, like Facebook, instagram, whatever. And he's like, Hey, can we talk about me and Yeah, I'll meet you at the gym tonight when I teach class. This is a Monday, and he goes, No, no, I need I need to see you now. Okay? Come to eBay. The eBay has, like, a Starbucks, right? So we met at a Starbucks in your year. Sunnyvale. Casual, right casually. And I'll start with the vessel, then we check it. And then he met. He met up with me, and he goes, I need your key back. And like we talked about, he goes on your key back because I can't have you train anymore because you're opening your own gym. And I'm like, Dude, I told you in prison was Yeah, but that's not the way I wanted you to tell us. I thought you were gonna tell me first. And then I wanted youto wait until the last thing I wanted youto wait and not see it like that. And I'm like, Oh, so you don't want me to promote it? That's what you wanted to do. And he's like, Yeah, I know. Sorry. Also gotta make the call. You can't do it. So it's already out there. So you got You can't have you working at my gym anymore. Damn. And I had clients lined up for the whole week because that's how it was my income, right on top of everything. So I was like, Okay, well, that's cool. All right, so I got kicked out of a gym and I had nowhere else to train. I'm still I saw in my job eBay, but I saw it clients to train young art. Colin, it's up. And, um so I had nowhere else to go, and I talked to my landlord. I'm like, Hey, this is the situation. I get kicked out, and I kind of need to start training people. Can I just turn him in this empty warehouse? And he's like, Yeah, go ahead. He's like a sexy here, but yeah, go ahead, man. Don't worry about it. You still have nothing in here. You already have that. I had a black matte. I had a black mats. Oh, any and Joe hooked me up with one of my first of that rig you see over there, that power act That was my first rig sorting the store next rig. So he hooked me over that. That's a 35 $100. Um, but I had a rig. I had three used barbells and £45 plates. 8 £45 plates, three used barbells and a black men. That was it. Alan is an empty warehouse in an empty warehouses. You could ask Arthur he was one of the first ones training here, and he said, Are all we did was Arthur's a little guy with her and, um, all we did that day when we trained because at that group, we just did squats. And Yukio Goto 1 35 to 45 between You could go what Trayvon to 30 to 25 or 3 15 Those are the options today, gentlemen. Or you could just do the bar. So we do a lot of body weight work. I had four years on one small matt, like, one small matter that was as tall is like five feet by two feet dollars or three feet. That was how big that one Matt was. And I had five dudes do playing Sonic. I mean, did you ever get, like, backlash? I mean, you already have your vision, right? I already know you could train these people. But then, like, now you're selling. Your service is you have your own gym and they come in, They see, like, Okay, you only have this much. Well, these these are my group of guys who came in first, right? And they're like, we get it. I told the story, the situation, They got it. So they like fucking. And it was just funny to us like, Oh, my God, you're actually doing this, But fuck. Humble beginnings broke. So I was like, one black man. All these dudes that you are started from the bottom There were more than that boy out flock, man. So, like, say, no fucking grand opening of an orange theory. So then and then and then Facebook. I was able to get, like, 30 of my friends to sign up. Wow. Yeah, 30 my friends to commit. Sign up. Yeah, I got the credit card info, all that shit. So I had 30 people ready to go for the four for November, for grand opening. November 1st. Everyone was gonna get auto debited the start up fee in the first month. I mean, like, 3000 books on the first day. I mean, what, you still had to pay what, like, 12 1200 for the equipment and still had to be a lot of shit. Mind you, I didn't even talk about credit cards that I took out. I took. I took personal loans out. Yeah, your bootstraps. I took, I took a person. Okay, so I took a personal loan out for my mom's work. He's a loan officer, right? Yeah. So she's not allowed to give loans to ah, family's family. Right? So I'm gonna say names. I'm not going to the company. I just I don't want anyone in trouble, but, um, I took a personal loan out to pay off all my credit cards. Wow. Cool. Great. My credit card spiked up. Yeah, leverage that credit score to apply for more credit cards because I went from, like, 500 to 7 50 Yeah, So I leveraged that get more credit cards. So then I used. So now I have my fully refilled credit cards that I had and then these new credit cards that I just qualify for. Guess what? That's what I'm using a fund, this thing. So I white I max out all those credit cards to funnel the ship. I highly recommend everyone will have to do it. I had to do it because I needed to do it. That's that, Uh, were you ever like, you know, like, stressed out about this stuff, like, now I'm just racking up the credit card. Oh, yeah. I mean, yeah, any anyone they keep going. Any financial responsible person financially responsible for the freaking the fuck out. My wife didn't even know I did all that. Yeah. So she was my girlfriend. She's my girlfriend at the time, So that point, right? I know she was my fiancee at the time. She's my fiancee at the time, So it was like starting to count. Yeah. Started Calvin, You know, she didn't really know it. Need to know what was going on. And she just needed to know, like, Oh, yeah, you know, this is what I'm doing, you know? Yeah. If I did that now, she could rip my head off, like, but I had to do what I had to do. I use that money. Ah, and that's what kind of drove the momentum of getting more members and getting more Quinn. Meaning getting more people. And then you started cash feeling it right after you. Yeah, slowly. But even then I had to get like and then I had I started with staff, which was like my family and a couple of my buddies were trainers. That was tough. And, um yeah, so I started with that, and it's hard to start a business with stab because you don't really have a direction. So they already creates miscommunication a lot. Because you have this one vision, you're bootstrapping everything and doing everything the same time. You have a team waiting for them to tell you what to do. But you don't know what to do you because you're trying to figure it out yourself. So it's like it said in the cycle of like, all that stuff. Then you remember that you're the leader, right? You're the Red Ranger. Shit, man, I guess, Rachel, that was fucking power Agent suit like figures Fucking the out. So that's that was the first few months of opening HSC man and Maisy. Well, so what are some other big challenge that you ran through? Obviously. You know, after you got off the ground, you know, you're a star. Turn in a little bit now you're not not have ah, Your businesses is functioning. It's flowing in its functioning. Um, there's that picture you'll see. Like this is fine. It's a dog sitting in the house. It's like fire. Um, you know, for the most part, it was a struggle. Dude, my wife put in a lot. My wife put in a lot when we got married over. Well, I opened the gym. I was planning a wedding. Wow. Like, and she allowed me to use some of the wedding funds to help the gym. This is how much like she loves me. And it's like, Fuck, I I owe this girl the house, you know, like you know. So she's gonna get a house eventually, but so we six months, 678 months since opening the gym. First year, I had to take a week off to get married. So I had to, like, rely on, like, some my coaches to just run it run while I was gone, and it did it and ran Iran. Fine. It was just group classes and some personal training. That was that, um it made money, but we're still kind of You're so going negative, you know? And I thought my I remember, like, just always giving my wife always give me this, like this story. Like I remember we were sitting at a Starbucks or like some I was like, a coffee place. And I showed her, like, in three months, we're gonna be in the black. We're gonna make all this money. Cash will, Buzz. We're gonna kill it. Nah, bruh. She had to bail us out so many times. Like when I was working a full time job, too. So she had to bail us out so many times. And, um, when we got married, um, instead of getting a place of our own, you know, we still had, you know, she had a full time, and I was not making income grow the gym. So we we committed to moving into her parent's house and renting a room downstairs. So we rented a room. Um, t do that. It sounds like all the pieces there were in place. I mean, obviously with the hard work and everything, though, but it's like, Yeah, it all worked out in the end. Yeah. So we ran in a room, all that stuff, and then fast forward. And then along the way, I one of my clients, became one of my business partners. Wear one of my clients became a business partner. Wow. Because when I got married, I gave 50% of business to my life. Yeah. Um, I didn't have to. She said I didn't have to. She didn't want it. Like she didn't say. I need 50% but I gave you 3% to my wife because she helped fund it to do you help? You allowed us to use our wedding fund to fund this like, not the whole thing, but, like, write a good chunk of it and I'm like, Fuck, man, I felt so Buck. Okay. Thank you. So given 50% of business, and you know, she was doing her thing, and then, but we're still kind of struggling Yeah, you know, if I am. Did these seminars that flew out? I learned a lot of great things on these seminars. Leadership Starr's business seminars in the East Coast shout out to 567 Paul Reddick and all those guys. Those guys are solid, but I'm still kind of struggling. And then you know what my one of my clients is like a sad business owner entrepreneur with those guys. Just no nonsense bullshit. He was like he made his 1st 1,000,000 before he was 30. Wow, seeing you know, like so he was He was kind of like sitting and sad eyes watching me. And he's like to do it so much. And he's like, You know what? I help you. I hope you like. I'll buy 50% your company right now. I don't like what he's ill by 50% because you're frustrating me right now, bro. And I'm like, uh, long story Short sold in 40% of the company, and he gave, like, half of that part of that to his wife and then one of my interns who became a coach. She bought into the gym. She helped it out because we're still struggling. She became 10% owner. So she's She's now about business partner. So we have me and my wife, uh, and we have three other business partners. But I'm still me and my wife for some majority owners, right? Right alone. Majority of it. But for the first half of that, I think for the first half, almost a year of that was always going to Mike's house once a week, twice a week, training him to and having them just rip me apart every week like you're doing this wrong or be stupid. Shut the fuck up. This is it. You're being stupid that I know you're fat, that it like like all this shit that I needed to hear you're out of shape. You start working out more. Stop thinking about this. This and that. Start voting on this system that, like he was being a problem. You didn't turn around. Well, in any picked up guy got rid of people that were toxic to the community. Yeah, I got rid of people that were, like, not supposed to be a part of the team. I mean, that's what I had to do. I was shifting the direction of the gym, which phased out a lot of people that really weren't contributing to the culture. So that was that. And it was It was good. So he made me. He basically put me through it like a business boot camp type of thing. Like you passed your training him. But he was also training. Yeah. How you gonna change physically, Obama train you mentally? I'm gonna make you more of a savage business owner. And I'm like, Oh, fuck, He's like, don't focus on their focus on that. And that type of energy that's have attitude rubbed off on me. So now I'm a little bit more aggressive when I savage now the Red Ranger. Not about savage, but I'm a little bit more aggro when it comes to talking to people in being a deal. I'm not trying to be too nice anymore. We're not trying to be everyone's friend. You're trying to everyone's friend. You'd stop being everyone's friend. Yeah, because I'd be a fucking business. Ought to be a fucking leader. And I'm, like, fought and he goes, you're gonna have to do all the hardship. Fuck it like, this is why you take the lion's share because you're making are the hard decisions. No one's putting on this lease. I think about all the shit that you put at risk all these late and then you hear someone who I want to get paid more. Are you? Is your name on the line? What the fuck out here? That was his mentality. And when he shared that with me, I'm like, Oh, I make sense because it's like, you know, I want it with you. My staff ride. I want to do this right. But he's like, bro, at the end of the day, they're getting a paycheck and you're not. And whose idea was this? Whose name is on the line whose face is on every where you're not getting paid? So 1st 4 years, it was a campaign. Yep. Ah, 2019 was the last year I was getting paid this year, officially unpaid. Wow. So this year I'm getting paid. Um, we turned around we the gym. After installing everything it takes a while. It's not like an overnight fix. It took all of the things of putting it into place, and all of a sudden we were benefiting from it in late late last year. Like putting everything in place like four years of hard ass work. Four years artists working there, just changing little things here and then changed my business model because I'm working with another business coaching group, Um MP, and they just help me with systems and stuff like that. So I talked with them once a week now, and I just remember when we was when I was with me. When? When I was always once a week with my partner Mike and Rennie and Kilo. March was March 2019. He treat me out again and he said, This is it. Like you need a fucking go and just do this. Now that I've taught you a lot run with it. You don't need to be fucking meeting with me once a week anymore. Taking off the training wheels, taking off the training wheels through me like fucking. And he gave us like you shoot he like he ripped me apart from my wife like he chewed me the fuck out. And I'm you still like getting shoot out anyway, So it doesn't faze me, right? But my wife was like fuck like she was always crying, dear. You You talked to you like that and I'm like, I need it, like as a man. It's like you got a lot of men don't want a lot of people don't want to face the facts. Sometimes I don't want to face the brutal truth. Right. And he was giving you sling it all out there. He's letting you hear the heart. Yeah, And then you got to take it. And that took that. And I made it that fuel me. And now we're like, we tripled our income. We tripled our gross revenue, and we're just killing it. And going into January, I could pee myself. I have a bigger staff. That's a stronger staff. Everyone's consistent. Everyone's on fire like you have all these great reviews. Organic. You're number one? Yeah. They're all organic views. No paid reviews, but, like, um, the squad's firing on all cylinders. Thank you, sir. And, um, now, I could do things like this. I could fucking podcast like I was podcasting last year. But now I could just sit down with you and just do this shit like fucking four o'clock in the afternoon. Three o'clock in the afternoon on a Monday. You know what I mean? Like fuck to you before much anymore, right? I'm grinding so grand it. But it's a different level of it. Yeah, it's a different level. I could breathe a little bit to kind of wrap everything up, then. I mean, like, where you were gonna take the gym now? I mean, what what What are some ideas of? You know, obviously at this point now you're paying yourself right? It's all working. Yeah, we're moving out. What's that? You get one of those expensive as part of a civil vita is no joke. But it's just one of those things. Like meat. We need to grow as, Ah, we need anemone spot now. You my place, I mean, And then I'm bombarded with these questions like, Well, how come you didn't buy a house? How come you're not buying a house, or did you buy a house? It's like, Are you running a fucking business like did you like, have you heard? Have you not heard what I've been doing lately? But you know, Silicon Valley, everyone's comparing themselves, you know? I mean, like, that's the thing I saw a flash, right? Yeah. Well, it's like, Did you buy a house? I hope you bought a house. Then you must be successful. My guy's bullshit. If you bought a house, Okay, cool. That's great. But people don't think about, like property taxes and upkeep ing in on itself. I just find the whole method of the whole the whole I'm just going on right now. But I just find this whole notion of like, Oh, if you're renting, you're throwing away money. It's like, OK, live in Silicon Valley, bitch. Even Silicon Valley live. It's not like I rented rooms. $900 doesn't have a bathroom. And that's why it's ridiculous out here. Well, on social, it's ridiculous out here. And if I were if I wanted to buy house, yes, we'd buy house, But I opened a gym. I opened a business, and I I invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in this thing. Um, so we could pay me back tenfold in the future. So my future for the business expanding it, we're outgrowing our spot. Um, we're gonna expand into a bigger space and sounds a I want to stay in sounds a sounds is my because my kingdom right now, like I love sounds a I want to stay in it. I want to thrive in it. The communities here. I love the community. Um, and there's other projects that I'm not allowed to talk about right now that are in the works. Um, but the future is bright. That's awesome. Man. I'm gonna hit you with one last question. Cool. So if you could give advice, toe, let's say I'm gonna start my own gym. I'm this big hotshot personal trainer. You know, I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna start my own gym and start training people. And, ah, you know, you give advice to this kid, you know, on on how to do it, right? What would you What would you say to this person? I mean, anybody want to start the German right now? There's a lot of personal trainers. I want to have their own gym, like, you know, some people do it right. Some people make a bunch of mistakes. Like, what are some mistakes that you see out there already with some of the other gyms? And I mean, what advice would you give somebody who's trying to, you know, make their cells have Ah, good brand. A good branded Jim. Um, don't be too cool too fast, especially with instagram now and tic tac or whatever Ever wants to be fucking cool in viral and all that shit. But, I mean, there's a lot of trainers out there doing all the sexy shed posting pictures of them being shredded and all that, um, trying to be, like the new sexy Instagram influence or whatever. Fuck that. Like, if you want to do that, then go to L. A where everyone else is fucking doing, you know, because that's where that's where that seeds growing. Um, if you want to build a you know, Ah, breath fitness brand where you're shredded and all that stuff You will be forgotten in 10 years because I don't really give a fuck in the first place. Yeah, I'm pretty harsh, but that's what you want to do. Go ahead and do it. If you want to build a lot of lasting brand care about what the fuck you doing If you want to be, If you want to be a solid brand and coaching strength, if you want to open up your own gym and your passion about coaching and passion about training. Be passionate if you're if you If you're If you're gonna open a gym just for people toe, be open gym and work out. Be passionate about the equipment you have. No be. That'd be the go to guy knowing everything about every single type of bar Bell Della Barba, weight lifting barbells. What's the difference between Rogan, Sore necks and and bulldog and all this other? All these other brands that people may not have heard about being a connoisseur in the fitness equipment? If you're if you want to be that Jim like that, you want people to just do an open gym workout in If you want to do semi private. If you want to send my private coaching and and personal training, be a savant in personal training, know the type of training and modalities that you need to know, like learn how to really break down someone's movement patterns and weaknesses and Muslim ounces and be someone of value to them and know that you're worth 100 150 an hour. 100 150 a session like when you're when they When they spend in concert with you, they're like, Oh, fuck, I need this person in my life. Bring some fucking value. Bye. I see too many people trying to just build Fucking does build a gym to run itself so I could make money. It's like cool gold fucking by a franchise because they have everything paid out for you. Just fucking do it. Be a franchise being orange theory, be a Barry's bootcamp or whatever, because they're making money. I mean, if it 45 franchise makes 505 80 a year, you make a nice chunk as an owner. Go do that living wrong with that. But if you want to build a brand, you want to build a gym and brand that last, um, you got to work, bro. Like build up your craft. Be a master at it. Be a master at your craft because I'm seeing too many trainers walking these doors and wanna want to be part of our squad. And I got other trains running circles around them like, What's the difference? Putting flexibility, mobility? What's the difference between Hye bar squat low bars? What's the difference between doing this type of movement versus that. Simon was the difference between this type of training and this cyber training was difference between this diet and all that. What if you have a person who just survived brain cancer? How do you train them? What? You know, like I asked those type of questions to anyone who wants to train here. You've trained somebody? Yes. Yes, I've trained you some other brain cancer. Yeah, I've trained a girl. Her father was a founder of one of the companies in Silicon Valley. Can't say who? Um, I think was like something with Doc. I don't like I truly forgot. I have true. Forgot the name. Um but but she and this was like one of my training mistakes, but ah, not like training her, but like making the stuff a meter do. Um, she had brain cancer. The plumber eight out. Her destroyed a good chunk of her cerebellum message in charge of balance, and I wanted to really know we could do through exercise. You could train through this and we could do that. I had to do try to do this one balancing act like balancing type of movement and start crying because it reminded her of the things that she could not literally do in her life anymore. And balance on one foot was one of them. And I was a fucking idiot, like, you know what I mean. So it's like it's like, shit like that. Like people people nowadays in the training room, you know, they're like, Oh, I'm gonna train. I'm gonna train people. But most of the time you're gonna train someone who's been through some shit physically and mentally. Can't just tell him to do X, Y and Z and yeah, how do you assess it? How do you How do you How do you navigate around it? A lot of trainers that I find right now are just copying each other on instagram dude, or you too. It's like, Well, I saw someone I used to do is I'm going to do it like fuck dude, you know why they're doing it. If you're gonna prescribe someone and movement, you better know the progression and regression of that movement. If you're gonna do a pushup, you better know howto deal. Oh, that You better know how to advance it. You should be able to program that with your eyes closed. But if you're just taking a movement off YouTube and just giving it to someone, fuck you, dude. Get the fuck out of here. I'm seeing all those videos. People dead lifting with the backs. Curved them, huh? I mean, when you do, Ah, maximal wrap of dead lift. Your back's going to I'm talking like Hunchback of Notre Dame. Yeah, um, that's a different story, but I mean, yeah, that's my advice. Be a master of your craft. Don't focus on marking so much be, you know, focus on what you do well, and just the passion kind of and be great at it would be great at it. Put everything you have into it. Don't hold that. If you're going to do this, you're gonna open your own brand. Do this. Like, look at all the other brands. Look at all the organic brands that have risen to the top. Like a lift fit. Look at bar Bell Brigade. Look at, um fuck, man. There's ah, I mean, barbell apparel was on shark tank, and they're like, Yeah, you know, I mean, like, these guys who were building brands like, Oh, I project. I'm Project X Awesome Brand. I'm still trying to figure out how to work with, but Todd's good does solid. I mean, they need to work, man. They put in work they're not into the Not into, like, this gimmicky bullshit. Like when I meet these guys are, I see them. They do workman, like their work ethic is insane. It scares you. Like up at 4 a.m. Still fucking 1 a.m. and then doing it again. I'm not saying like, Yeah, well, we're 24 7 sleeve later. But it was like they were so passionate about doing their work that they lose track of time because they're so winning. Yeah, really Well played game that you're so into You just forget what time it is time. Despite that, that's what that's how they are as a business. They don't give a fuck if they haven't eaten in 32 days. Like I said, you do this. I still need that. That's how you're gonna be successful. But you gotta eat shit. And that's what Gary V says, right? Like, yeah, you gotta fucking you gotta put up with suck now so you don't have to put up with suck later by. A lot of people give up when they're still putting up with some. So that's my answer, man. I appreciate it. Hey, thank you for ah, you know, sitting down with me and kind of talking about the story of a Jesse. I appreciate it. And they also want to say That's good. No, I appreciate it. Thank you. Guys. Follow us at a Jesse Jim, check out hyper string. The addition ing and thank you for listening to Built in the Bay podcast. So, working on that name, I like that name built in the bay. That's a good That's a good name. Thank you, sir. Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to do it on DDE.