Episode 25: From Scrappy to Successful: Love + Business Edition

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Hey Cupply Fit fam, Welcome to another episode of the Cupply Fit podcast.

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We are your hosts, kurt and Deanna Mangum II.

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We're going to be talking all things health, marriage and mindset, but on this episode we are actually celebrating eight years of Cupply Fit.

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We started just three months after our wedding, so we're going to get into all the tea.

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We are going to get into the highs and the lows and, ultimately, how we got here today.

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It's been an incredible journey.

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I will say I wouldn't have wanted to do this with anybody other than you, just because I know how like we get along and how we can do anything together, because entrepreneurship in general is not for the faint hearted.

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Like, if you're starting a business or trying a business, just know, like, stay in the game.

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If you're dealing with challenges like that's normal you don't know what a lot of things we were.

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I mean, how much did we learn on the way?

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I would say probably at least 60 to 70 percent on the way, but a lot of times just getting started, and sometimes that's the hardest, because you're dealing with the thoughts that it should I be doing this, am I good enough to do this like there's a worthiness component to it.

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You don't know what you don't know, so a lot of times you are just trying to figure it out as you go, which is why it is so important to have some sort of mentor, even if that's in life or that is preferably in business, if that's something that you want to start, to have somebody that's already been there and that can help you navigate that situation is fantastic, I think.

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For us, though, we didn't really have a mentor.

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We just were kind of going off of each other and each other's strengths, and I think that's one thing we learned very early on was and more so when we started the business is we learned that we have different strengths than what we have in our relationship.

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Gallup Strength Test.

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The Gallup Strength Test Colby Index was another one.

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Colby Index.

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We did that as well.

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A lot of those made a huge difference.

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But that also is I'm thinking of.

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That was as we got into the business correct and got started.

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Let's, let's give, let's go back to our viewers a little background.

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So, like, I'm thinking back to the night we met New Year's Eve in the club red revolver, scottsdale bottles popping nightclub is jumping.

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It's lit love in this club for some reason.

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That's, that's what.

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That's what it comes back to.

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Yes, but it wasn't the fairy tale that most people would think of.

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Like you meet in a club, yeah, we kissed at midnight.

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No, you know, happily ever after.

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It wasn't that, like, interesting enough, I really thought that she flaked on me.

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I'm going to tell y'all what happened.

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So well, first off, I'm going to let you tell the story of how we met.

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Oh, so you want me to tell the truth, gotcha?

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Okay, let me do that.

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We're going to get two versions.

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So y'all about to get two versions of what happened I have the actual truth.

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So listen to me y'all.

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Go ahead.

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So we met New Year's Eve.

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I was already out with my girls, like we were at another club before that.

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Obviously, you know you're having some libations.

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You're enjoying yourself.

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I was 22.

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I just turned 22 that October.

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I think you were 23.

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And went to the nightclub in Scottsdale and if you know, you know that was the club, especially those two booths in the back, yes, by the bathroom.

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You already know what it was.

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So we were there at another table, which you can't wait to say.

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You got me from gen pop.

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We were at another table what does gen pop mean, just for those that are listening general population.

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That's just.

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You know you're on the dance floor, which nothing wrong with that.

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Okay, that's, you can still have a great time so you're saying it's in question whether or not I brought you to the VIP area past the red rope?

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Well, first off, I was already at another VIP area, so I just went from one to the other.

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Did I see you in that VIP area or did I see you in general population?

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That's my only question for the people.

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Doesn't matter.

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So after that, one of my girls was like hey, I have somebody that is at the back, two tables which, if you know, those are like the largest tables at the club.

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Those are usually where, like, the athletes and entertainers and those things are.

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She's like come with me, because girls, we travel in packs.

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I said, let's do it.

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So we're going through, we're going through Gen Pop and I.

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Literally we get to the stairs where you get to go up to the two booths and she just leaves me.

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I mean, she just dips and she just goes, and so I'm sitting here and he read it.

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I'm like, okay, well, I guess I'm just going to stay here and wait for her.

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I'm like, looking, okay, she's not looking back for me, so I guess my song comes on.

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So I'm going to start dancing.

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So I start dancing, I'm getting it, I'm getting it, and then I get a tap on the shoulder.

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I look over and it's a gentleman that is standing at.

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Cause I don't even think you tapped me.

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That's the thing.

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I think you had the security guard tap me.

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I might've done that.

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Yeah, you try to be big baller.

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See you try to be, and I don't like that Like, if you have something to say, you come and say it to me and I will say I don't send.

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I'm not the type of person that sends someone to speak for me or to like get your attention.

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I do genuinely think, and that's why I remember the general population, because I actually don't think I could get to you.

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I think he had to.

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Oh my gosh, I can't believe, I can't, I can't anyways.

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Security guard was helping me out.

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Let me continue the story.

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So I get a tap on the shoulder and I look over and you say to me, like you, lean over the railing.

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You say to me you're like hey, do you want a drink?

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I'm like yep, sure do.

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So I go up there with you and we're just talking.

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I remember we were just talking.

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It was so, so easy.

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I do remember that.

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I remember it being really easy to talk to you.

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You were like yeah, so, um, you know, basically, what are you up to?

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I was like, oh, I'm about to.

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You know, I'm just graduated from college.

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I'm so excited, I'm about to go get my master's degree, and you were really excited about that.

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And you were talking about how you're getting ready for the draft and those things.

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But I remember the whole time.

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Do you remember I'm just squeezing his arms?

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I was like, ooh, he's buff, I like that, I like that.

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So I'm squeezing it the whole time.

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And we were just chatting and then the club ended and, if you knew, this was back in 2013,.

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So blackberries were popping, like if you have the blackberry where he was like do, do, do, do, do BBM, if you know.

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You know BBM was going off.

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So we exchanged numbers and I was leaving with my girls.

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We're on the cart.

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You know the guy that he rides the bike in the front.

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There's six girls in the back.

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We've got to go from downtown Scottsdale to Hayden and Indian school so I felt bad for him.

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So he's pushing, but meanwhile the way that I'm on I'm kind of like laying on top of the girls.

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The Blackberry Falls hits the street and just shatters.

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I was like, oh my gosh, I'm saying just I can't believe it.

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So then next day go to T-Mobile, I get a new phone and I get a text message from a guy named Kurt.

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I'm like, who's Kurt?

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That sounds like somebody I talked to.

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Like who's Kurt?

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You know too many brothers named Kurt.

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I don't know.

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It's me, my brother's name, kurt.

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So then I said, okay, well, let me just go back.

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I was like I really don't know who this person is.

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We were literally talking, talking for two weeks and I had no idea who you were.

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But I'm like, if I gave my number to somebody and I didn't give you a fake number, then like, then I'm interested.

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So I was like, okay, just going back and forth.

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Then I had my friend who I was living with at the time.

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She is a real one, ladies, we all have that one who is a sleuth.

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She said give, give me his first name, give me his phone number and give me like one more piece of information.

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I'm going to find everything on him.

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I said, girl, got it.

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Boom, boom, boom.

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So then he told me that he was a football player.

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Just me being in sports, like I'm just not going to date anyone that is mediocre in a sport.

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I just that's not what I'm going to do.

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I looked at your highlight tapes.

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I looked at your transcripts.

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No joke, I looked at your transcripts.

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Cause again, are you cause?

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You were like oh, I'm, I graduated in Magnum Cum Laude.

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I'm like okay.

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Like did you, though, and you did 3.7 GPA.

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Found that on Facebook and then I also found, um, you were at Howard university, university of Washington.

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I'm looking at all of your stats like, oh, okay, so he's a baller, like he's actually good.

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Okay, we can, we can make this work.

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We can make this work.

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And it took what?

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Five, maybe six months for us to have our first date longer than that, probably like six months at least six months, at least six months, but we were always just sending each other things.

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I remember one of the first things you sent.

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Well, first off, the photos.

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Oh my gosh, you know, like you know when guys are dating, and women too.

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I had some photos.

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So you know, when you have like your shots, where it's like, if somebody asks for a photo, these are the ones I'm gonna send this is the one he, he had three or four like back to back to back to back.

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And I remember saying to I remember when I was at a CJ and, um, I was a server at the time and I said to my manager I was like, girl the photos, like I can't.

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Is he into himself?

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Is this arrogance?

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What is this?

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She's like girl, it's confidence.

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I'm like, is it though?

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I don't know if I that's a little bit too much, I'm not sure.

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So then we, um, we're just sending each other.

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You know, if I that's a little bit too much, I'm not sure.

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So then we, um, we're just sending each other.

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You know, kind of.

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You sent me a world star video and some vine vine comps and if you know, you know about vine, and it was just very easy, like we really started like a friendship truthfully in those six months, and then we went on our first date to Dave and Buster's.

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So that's my well, that's the truth.

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And then let Kurt go ahead and tell whatever he's going to say.

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So no, I mean everything that you said happened.

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So all of that was true.

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There's just a different vantage point from where I'm coming from, of like how I saw some of those things which everything, pretty much everything you said about the club, I will say for me, being at the club that night and then texting you, first, I follow up game is strong.

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So, fellas, if you out here and you're trying to figure it out, if you've got somebody's phone number, you've got to do the follow up.

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Nice, to meet you, right, look forward to chatting with you.

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And that was what I did.

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What?

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What to me was just devastating Was sending the follow-up text.

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It was great to meet you and getting the Kurt.

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Who is this?

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Who is this?

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Immediately, my mind, immediately my mind, went to well, damn, how many people did she give her number to last night?

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Did she give her number out, like to three to four guys?

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It's New Year's Eve.

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She doesn't know who I am.

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I'm like this is crazy.

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So she's saying I'm sending all these pictures, I'm trying to make sure she remembers what I look like.

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I'm like it was dark in the club.

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Clearly she didn't really remember me.

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I'm like dang.

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She doesn't know what I look like like.

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I'm hitting her with different angles.

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Side profile hey, you did caesar haircut Fresh Cesar, check the waves, come on, button down.

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Hey, now South Beach, I'm like I'm sending all my favorite shots Like hey, you don't remember me.

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So that was.

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That answers the picture.

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So that was in my defense there.

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Secondly, you did do your recon because she didn't believe that I was like a scholar athlete, right Like.

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She just didn't believe it, which I understand.

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It's like most people.

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Well, people are.

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I mean, you're in the club.

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People are hyping up all the time.

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Yeah.

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And everybody says that they're an athlete, which is why it was hard that night for me to not say that I was a football player or with athletes because shout out to Beanie I was with Beanie Wells, former running back for the Cardinals.

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But uh, we were out together that night and so, naturally, you know you're having a good time, you're out and about, but I'm so glad that we met and it was like full circle, because I didn't see you again until five months later.

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But we're doing the social media back and forth.

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I'm liking all the pictures on Instagram and this is way.

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This is like earlier Instagram.

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Like no, there's no professional pics at this time.

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No, everybody's got the weird filters.

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It's all you just see weird filters, weird filters like the yellow filter whole grid looks kind of funny, oh my gosh.

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So it was like early times.

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But I remember following you.

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I remember being really impressed with one.

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You were just graduating from ASU.

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I was impressed with the fact that just your vibe, like you were locked in, you were working, just like things like that.

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You were also a go getter and you can like feel that energy and so for me that was always really big Um, and then I didn't even realize that I was getting ready to go through like one of the biggest storms of my life.

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When we were meeting because I'm meeting you and you're like, oh, his career is getting started I remember you vividly saying like I'm not trying to date an athlete and for me, I'm persistent.

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I know your dad was an athlete too, right, football Mom was an athlete.

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So like there's reasons that you have Like I'm good on that.

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So I'm like, yeah, right, like no, we're going to push past that.

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I don't want to date an athlete thing.

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I did have persistence for sure.

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Be persuasive, be persistent.

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Uh, the two P's the two P's persuasive and persistence can overcome a lot.

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Um, but I remember being like man it's crazy because my football career ended when it was literally getting ready to take off at its peak, and so that time was kind of crazy for me because I was going through different struggles and challenges of just like one trying to continue to play football.

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For those that don't know, my NFL pro day so after college, you know, you kind of touched on some of it but got went to grad school, university of Akron.

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I just got back home from University of Akron so I was still enrolled in grad school but I was home getting ready for my pro day and for, like, working out NFL pro day in front of all of the scouts at my college and you know, team captain, defensive VP, all of this stuff.

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So it's like there was an article in the Arizona newspaper and it said three players from Chandler High School are, you know, are going to get drafted this year.

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You know Dion Jordan, mark Anthony, kurt Mangum.

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I'm like I'm like, yeah, like this is what I've worked for my entire life, like naming lights, I'm hearing from teams, talking to different teams, and go out on my NFL pro day and I tear my hamstring in front of 13, like 13 NFL teams, and I have to say that moment was a low moment but, like what followed after that was probably like my lowest, like being in that was the only time I probably say that like I've been in a room that's like completely dark and I've just stayed in there for like two or three days, like barely eight, like it was like the world was ending.

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You know what I mean In a way.

00:14:31.130 --> 00:14:37.741
Yeah, that's literally what it was and I'd never like dealt with that because for me it's like I'm going to create the energy I'm going to be more positive.

00:14:37.741 --> 00:14:47.722
But it was so like shakening for me to see like it's so close and leading up to the injury I had played into like all-star games, nflpa games, stuff like that.

00:14:47.763 --> 00:15:00.947
But I'm just so glad that we were able to read like connect when we did the timing, because also, when we think about Cupply Fit and like where things went, a lot of it was like the foundational stuff of you.

00:15:00.947 --> 00:15:07.173
Like preparing my meals, because after the injury, you're helping me get back, so like preparing my meals, us going and working out together.

00:15:07.173 --> 00:15:19.703
I'm seeing your work ethic in the gym and like the fact that you train and I'm like what she doing the same workout as me, maybe not the same weight, but like training, and there's dudes in the gym looking at her like yo, she's really.

00:15:19.703 --> 00:15:22.970
You know, she got 185 on the squat rack running it for reps.

00:15:22.970 --> 00:15:28.320
Like this is crazy work, and so it's power lifter genes, power lifter genes.

00:15:28.681 --> 00:15:39.741
So it started to unlock like this connection for us of like the getting back in the health, the wellness, but also even the mindset of like again, you're dating somebody you also want to.

00:15:39.741 --> 00:15:42.530
I wanted to present myself like the best that I can.

00:15:42.530 --> 00:15:45.746
I want to be like you know that candidate, just like anybody wants to right.

00:15:45.746 --> 00:15:53.831
Like I want to be a great partner, a great person to be with, and it's like I need to like figure out where I'm going and what I'm doing and what's next.

00:15:53.831 --> 00:16:03.129
And I feel like that was such a I can't believe it's such a big part of that, because it allowed me to also stay in our passion, and my passion of health and wellness is something that we've been so drawn to.

00:16:03.629 --> 00:16:06.134
Yeah, no, you're spot on.

00:16:06.134 --> 00:16:11.712
And it was interesting because at that time I was still in food and beverage.

00:16:11.712 --> 00:16:19.889
I already graduated, but I started in food and beverage because it was just it's fast money, like I know, if I work today, I'm going to make money today.

00:16:19.950 --> 00:16:22.708
Hold on, we can't just say food and beverage, though you got to tell them about the grind.

00:16:31.163 --> 00:16:32.085
So you're working at ASU full-time.

00:16:32.085 --> 00:16:34.009
Yeah, how old were you when you started working at um, at CJ?

00:16:34.009 --> 00:16:35.111
I was technically 17.

00:16:35.111 --> 00:16:50.230
I've been working since 15, but uh, so 17 started working there and started off as a host and then worked my way up to lead host, then worked my way up to server, then I became a uh lead server and then a trainer server, so I was able to go and like actually open up other stores and things like that.

00:16:50.230 --> 00:17:00.083
So I was working full time, going to school full time, and I lived on my own too for most of uh my college, uh career.

00:17:00.966 --> 00:17:08.067
And then, interesting enough, I was thinking to myself I'm like, gosh, okay, so this food and beverage thing is not working for me.

00:17:08.067 --> 00:17:25.057
Because when you just talked about kind of like a mild depression, I went through about three months where I was in a depressive episode and I was just every day felt mundane, every day felt I don't want to be here, every day felt just I'm what is my next step?

00:17:25.057 --> 00:17:28.627
And for me I was like, well, I want to help women.

00:17:28.627 --> 00:17:34.365
I want to be able to help women in not only feel better, but then also I wanted to help them with their nutrition.

00:17:34.365 --> 00:17:39.816
I wanted to help them with, you know, whether it's their physique or you know kind of anything they wanted to work on there.

00:17:40.218 --> 00:17:47.516
So I was actually looking at starting my own business called Pretty Fit, and then somebody randomly said to us they said, well, why don't you guys just go in business together?

00:17:47.516 --> 00:18:02.221
I mean, you guys work out together, you guys are, uh, you prep all of his meals and I'm weighing all of your food, like it's that prepped, where it's six ounces or eight ounces of a protein, and then I have my carbohydrates for a half cup, like it was that intense.

00:18:02.221 --> 00:18:08.943
And then we were also documenting, though on social media too, though we always snap was Snapchat, that was our thing.

00:18:08.943 --> 00:18:13.980
So we were documenting on Snapchat of just us working out together and eating.

00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:18.307
And people used to DM us and be like, hey, you know, do you guys do custom meal plans?

00:18:18.307 --> 00:18:19.327
Do you guys do workouts?

00:18:19.327 --> 00:18:21.130
And we're like, no, we don't do any of that.

00:18:21.130 --> 00:18:27.363
And it just continued to evolve as more and more people started asking us, we're like, well, shoot, maybe we should do this.

00:18:27.363 --> 00:18:28.407
What do you think?

00:18:29.271 --> 00:18:32.701
Yeah, 100%, and to that point, like you mentioned food and beverage.

00:18:32.701 --> 00:18:42.065
But that was another thing that we ended up having in common, because you spent 10 years, you know, working at Clamjep or doing those things with like the Landry, you know company and all of that.

00:18:42.125 --> 00:19:00.563
But then for me I ended up falling back, knew nothing about food and beverage right but when I got injured, falling back and helping a family business in Phoenix, sky Harbor's airport, run a cafe, coffee shop, and I knew nothing about food, nothing about food and beverage, but we both were going through this similar grind of one.

00:19:00.563 --> 00:19:04.115
You're serving people, yeah, which there's, that's a whole.

00:19:04.115 --> 00:19:17.001
Another episode, not for the faint-hearted to the customer service and just like it's all about the customer and the people, which that's something that we both like definitely resonates, but then also just the hustle and the grind.

00:19:17.395 --> 00:19:19.300
Like if anybody's ever been a server like your.

00:19:19.300 --> 00:19:21.145
Base wage is not great.

00:19:21.635 --> 00:19:25.138
Yours was much worse than mine, Like yours was even worse, no, mine was so back then.

00:19:25.138 --> 00:19:26.784
And Arizona is a right to work state too.

00:19:26.784 --> 00:19:29.304
So they always used to say to us well, we don't have to pay you.

00:19:29.304 --> 00:19:42.723
And like when we would have meetings and things like that, they would tell us not to clock in because this is a right to work state, we don't have to pay you for this.

00:19:42.723 --> 00:19:52.008
And just being able to deal with different types of people, which helped us a lot with coupley fit, because we're we can talk to anybody really like we've learned through food and beverage customer service also, us both being servant leaders.

00:19:52.008 --> 00:19:57.518
Naturally we want to serve, but not literally serve, literally like oh, you want some extra ranch?

00:19:57.597 --> 00:20:03.018
okay, let me go get that hurry to get my coffee, hurry up go get it like and people are just have me.

00:20:03.439 --> 00:20:03.700
Yeah.

00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:04.741
So back to the wage.

00:20:04.741 --> 00:20:07.347
Though, I was getting three dollars and fifty cents an hour.

00:20:07.347 --> 00:20:11.121
Wow, three dollars and fifty cents an hour.

00:20:11.121 --> 00:20:16.828
So when you, when you hear people say like I live off of tips, I lived off of tips.

00:20:16.828 --> 00:20:20.402
If I didn't get you know, I, I was always getting 20%.

00:20:20.402 --> 00:20:25.701
If I did not get 20% on a table, I was like, oh my gosh, this is how am I going to pay my bills?

00:20:25.701 --> 00:20:29.257
And I was a budgeter, so I'm going to budget every single thing out.

00:20:29.257 --> 00:20:39.151
I know how much I need to make every single day in order to to make sure that I'm paying my bills, living on my own, going to school full-time, also paying for school and everything that comes with it.

00:20:39.151 --> 00:20:46.586
I mean, you learn to be resilient, you learn to be persistent, which both come in handy when you start a business.

00:20:47.194 --> 00:20:48.340
Yeah, and I was super impressed.

00:20:48.674 --> 00:20:54.799
Like you were, just like you had your own place, your own car, full-time job, just graduated from school.

00:20:54.799 --> 00:21:25.222
You're doing all of this on your own and like you're, you're beautiful inside and out and there's so many people seriously, and there's so many people and I'm saying this and I'm glad we're telling this story because when people think about business, what you're doing now as a co-founder, but there's so many people that lean on, like don't want to put in the work, like right, men, women, just in general, right where it's like I want to either hand it to me or like I want it to be an easier path, or like I don't want to put in those 40, 50 hour weeks or those 10 hour days.

00:21:25.222 --> 00:21:31.105
But like I legit remember you coming back with you know the country fried gravy on your apron and like I remember us.

00:21:31.105 --> 00:21:40.430
Like me pulling up like we're dating, but like me pulling up here like yo, I just got off work, but like I legit smell like country fried gravy and like ranch that was you remember, in and out.

00:21:40.856 --> 00:21:41.460
That was in and out.

00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:45.317
That's where we made our handshake too we did make our handshake, made our handshake at in and out.

00:21:45.317 --> 00:21:54.823
It just was like but that's where it was all for us relationship and a part of us even starting a business, us being best friends, us being able to spend quality time together.

00:21:54.823 --> 00:21:57.066
We were always able to like bounce ideas.

00:21:57.066 --> 00:22:05.641
It always felt like, no matter what we were doing, even if cause we, as we think about the journey and go through the years, there were things that we did that were like Ooh, what do we?

00:22:05.641 --> 00:22:06.584
How did we end up doing this?

00:22:06.584 --> 00:22:07.586
Like what's going on here?

00:22:08.815 --> 00:22:12.039
But we always found a way together because you're working with the right.

00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:17.970
It's almost like if you're working with the right people or the right person, or like you're paired with the right person, you can get through anything.

00:22:17.970 --> 00:22:23.840
And I feel like our example with Cupply Fit in our business is exactly that and like even how it was birthed.

00:22:23.840 --> 00:22:26.736
It wasn't like cause you mentioned pretty fit and wanting to start a business.

00:22:26.736 --> 00:22:28.900
For me, I wasn't even thinking about starting a business.

00:22:28.900 --> 00:22:32.267
I was trying to get back into the NFL and going through that journey.

00:22:32.267 --> 00:22:44.930
But it's crazy how your experiences that you go through a lot of times, your audience or people will indicate like what you should be doing, or what you should maybe be doing like the frequently asked questions correct.

00:22:45.030 --> 00:22:47.565
So, like a lot of times, people are like, well, how do I know what my niche is?

00:22:47.565 --> 00:22:49.054
Or like what I'm passionate about?

00:22:49.054 --> 00:22:50.319
Or like getting into my purpose.

00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:52.449
Sometimes it's like, well, yes, what do you enjoy?

00:22:52.449 --> 00:22:55.180
But also like, what are people, what are people asking you about?

00:22:55.180 --> 00:22:58.412
And so for, like you mentioned, weighing my food out and the prep.

00:22:58.432 --> 00:23:05.038
I remember walking Sky Harbor's like trail, in addition to the work, because I'm working at a cafe and I'm making $8.25 an hour.

00:23:05.038 --> 00:23:07.586
Family business, but they didn't want it to be any nepotism.

00:23:07.586 --> 00:23:10.022
So it's like you got to start at the bottom and work your way up.

00:23:10.022 --> 00:23:21.420
I'm like I got a bachelor's, I got a master's, I'm making 825.

00:23:21.420 --> 00:23:22.041
Like this is not luxurious.

00:23:22.041 --> 00:23:22.904
I did not have my own place at the time.

00:23:22.904 --> 00:23:23.946
I didn't have all the things that you had going on.

00:23:23.946 --> 00:23:29.344
I'm like trying to figure it out, but I think about the fact of like it prepared us for starting a business, for the adjustments, the struggles, the highs, the lows together.

00:23:29.344 --> 00:23:53.223
But we literally started just within our current environment of what we did, by letting people that we knew know like, hey, we're starting a business, coupley fit, we're at the park, which it's always like when I think about our start and, like the first phase of coupley fit, it's such a great reminder for people to just get started because people see like, oh my gosh, like you guys have done this.

00:23:53.243 --> 00:24:10.676
You won these awards and you're on this big stage and you're doing, and it's like we literally started at Kiwanis Park in Tempe shout out to Kiwanis Park in Tempe but like we didn't even have and this is not saying that this is the approach that other people have to go but we didn't even go the like, the formal route of like reserving space, getting a permit.

00:24:10.676 --> 00:24:13.384
We didn't have money for that table, man, listen, we up at our table, man, listen, we have balloons.

00:24:13.404 --> 00:24:14.227
Look for the balloons.

00:24:14.227 --> 00:24:15.951
That's how you know where we're at.

00:24:16.011 --> 00:24:16.532
Red balloons.

00:24:16.553 --> 00:24:17.255
That's how you know where we're at.

00:24:17.255 --> 00:24:21.355
But, interesting enough, so we started Cupply Fit three months after our marriage.

00:24:21.355 --> 00:24:29.297
That's when we realized like, okay, everyone's asking us about health and wellness, they're seeing us on social media, so let's do something.

00:24:29.297 --> 00:24:34.181
And then we couch when we were living in South Phoenix and we were just coming up with ideas.

00:24:34.181 --> 00:24:42.609
We're like, okay, couples, fitness, couples, couple, couple, coupley, coupley fit, coupley fit, coupley fit, coupley fit, that's it.

00:24:42.609 --> 00:24:44.371
And we were talking to one of our good friends, sierra.

00:24:44.371 --> 00:24:57.801
She is, she is an OG, like, she is man, love her to death.

00:24:57.801 --> 00:24:58.455
And she's like that's it, you guys got it, that's it, now start.

00:24:58.455 --> 00:25:01.780
And so we the how we knew how to start was okay, people are looking for personal training, they're looking for bootcamps, that's what people resonate with.

00:25:01.780 --> 00:25:04.045
So we were like, okay, that's fitness, so let's do that.

00:25:04.425 --> 00:25:08.696
So we started there and by at that time, I think, I was getting certified in nutrition and wellness.

00:25:08.696 --> 00:25:15.144
So I wasn't, I didn't have it yet, but I knew that that was going to be the route that we were going to go, and so that was 2016.

00:25:15.144 --> 00:25:23.704
And that was really just preparing us and getting you know, you have to get all of your licenses, you need to get your insurance, like really setting your business up.

00:25:23.704 --> 00:25:30.448
And then in 2017, march of 2017, that's when we well, we went official on IG.

00:25:30.448 --> 00:25:33.964
So that's how you know, that's when you start is when you go official on IG.

00:25:33.964 --> 00:25:36.964
So we went, that was in 2017.

00:25:36.964 --> 00:25:40.203
And so, 2017, we're doing the boot camps at Kiwanis Park.

00:25:40.625 --> 00:25:42.917
We're doing and hold on.

00:25:42.917 --> 00:25:45.025
Let people know how much we were charging for the boot camps.

00:25:45.025 --> 00:25:47.884
Now, people, this wasn't, we weren't making.

00:25:48.035 --> 00:25:52.484
I think it was like $15 a person, two people for 25.

00:25:52.506 --> 00:25:54.770
Right, it was cheaper than that it was cheaper than that.

00:25:54.770 --> 00:25:56.355
It was cheaper than that $10?

00:25:56.355 --> 00:25:56.355
.

00:25:56.355 --> 00:25:59.003
It was almost like you bring somebody, they almost work out free.

00:25:59.479 --> 00:26:00.813
Yeah, it was In the beginning.

00:26:00.813 --> 00:26:04.762
It was In the beginning, it was like sometimes we just wanted somebody to pull up.

00:26:04.974 --> 00:26:06.340
We like damn, we just don't want to come out here.

00:26:06.340 --> 00:26:08.842
Set up, be out here for an hour and nobody show up.

00:26:08.994 --> 00:26:17.634
We set up and I have, and we even had merchandise like shout out to Quez um logo logo yeah, so the logo that you see the Cuffley.

00:26:17.634 --> 00:26:21.965
Fit logo, yeah, so that's uh, quez Wheaton and he did a really great job.

00:26:21.965 --> 00:26:23.758
And then we had merchandise.

00:26:23.758 --> 00:26:27.690
Like we were having merch, we had, um, I think we were set.

00:26:27.690 --> 00:26:29.154
We had a, a quick collab.

00:26:29.154 --> 00:26:31.540
Our first collab ever was with Quest Bar, do you?

00:26:31.560 --> 00:26:32.163
remember that.

00:26:32.163 --> 00:26:33.946
I do remember that yes was with.

00:26:33.994 --> 00:26:34.316
Quest Bar.

00:26:34.316 --> 00:26:37.522
So we used to have the Quest B bars out there so everyone can get their protein.

00:26:37.522 --> 00:26:44.865
Afterwards we would have water take off, you know, like the fries logo put our own logo on all the water.

00:26:44.884 --> 00:26:49.662
We're at home right taping the waters taping the waters and we made wristbands.

00:26:49.701 --> 00:26:52.327
Remember that we made wristbands like we had.

00:26:52.327 --> 00:26:55.651
We knew that if we want to do this, we're going to do it big.

00:26:55.651 --> 00:26:58.239
We don't do anything that's mediocre, like.

00:26:58.239 --> 00:27:02.047
If we're going to do it, we're going to do it, and um, that was what.

00:27:02.047 --> 00:27:02.488
So that's?

00:27:02.488 --> 00:27:08.211
2017 was heavy on the boot camps and content was key and content was key.

00:27:08.211 --> 00:27:15.016
That's one thing we always knew, especially growing up with, because instagram came out when we were in college yeah, I remember training.

00:27:15.056 --> 00:27:20.528
I remember being a trainer at my high university and, like I think I think I posted my first like ig pic.

00:27:20.895 --> 00:27:29.146
It was like arizona ice tea, like in the training room like yes, yes, this is it, but we also, we had my space before that, if you know, you know my space friend was it?

00:27:29.166 --> 00:27:30.171
was it friend top eight?

00:27:30.351 --> 00:27:31.214
yes, top eight.

00:27:31.214 --> 00:27:32.136
Shout out to tom.

00:27:32.136 --> 00:27:34.623
Tom was always everyone's your friend.

00:27:34.702 --> 00:27:35.825
I was like, who's this guy?

00:27:35.825 --> 00:27:36.586
Who's this guy?

00:27:36.586 --> 00:27:36.928
I don't know.

00:27:37.915 --> 00:27:39.900
I don't know this guy, so we.

00:27:39.900 --> 00:27:43.008
So that's when we always knew social media.

00:27:43.008 --> 00:27:49.545
You have to have high quality content and it wasn't what it is today, where everyone's getting this.

00:27:49.545 --> 00:27:55.042
You know, everyone's have the Nikon cameras and we have professional teams coming in.

00:27:55.042 --> 00:28:00.788
No, it was literally just us, um, knowing that this is going to be the next wave.

00:28:00.788 --> 00:28:06.420
And then we also, we employed our friends, like remember we had, um, I don't know if we had take two at the time, though.

00:28:06.961 --> 00:28:08.277
So he was making, so we had.

00:28:08.277 --> 00:28:09.821
Take two was our DJ making playlists.

00:28:09.821 --> 00:28:13.018
Yes, we had Mike, we had Mike photography.

00:28:13.198 --> 00:28:14.259
He was our photographer.

00:28:14.299 --> 00:28:16.002
We had Charles Drone footage.

00:28:16.022 --> 00:28:17.685
Drone that was over our boot camp.

00:28:17.726 --> 00:28:18.647
And this is at Kiwanis Park.

00:28:18.807 --> 00:28:26.722
This is at Kiwanis Park, but we had the drone out there showing you like.

00:28:26.722 --> 00:28:28.567
This is a sizzle of what the boot camp looks like.

00:28:28.567 --> 00:28:31.055
But speaking of sizzle, though, I'm the one that's cutting up an iMovie the sizzle.

00:28:44.365 --> 00:28:59.586
I don't recommend starting a business and like quitting your full-time job no I do not do that do not do it, do not do that even if you, even if you have initial funding and someone's like, hey, I'm gonna give you, family's gonna give you money, which wasn't our case, right?

00:28:59.586 --> 00:29:03.289
But especially if you're funding yourself and you're bootstrapping and I'm gonna cut you off.

00:29:03.309 --> 00:29:14.742
But, like you, definitely don't want to be in a situation where now you're solely reliant because the it takes time to build a brand and that's what you're doing and even if if it's you personally, you are a brand.

00:29:14.742 --> 00:29:18.289
But we were building a brand together and it takes time.

00:29:18.289 --> 00:29:21.304
So we were both still working our full-time jobs.

00:29:21.304 --> 00:29:23.943
We were also doing couple-y fit.

00:29:23.943 --> 00:29:28.105
I was doing couple-y fit full-time and you were part-time there and it was.

00:29:28.365 --> 00:29:29.166
What does that look like?

00:29:29.166 --> 00:29:32.124
I just wanted to just like working full-time jobs.

00:29:32.183 --> 00:29:36.353
That means Well I was working three that Working full-time jobs that means like Well, I was working three that's what I'm saying Like three jobs and then a couple.

00:29:36.373 --> 00:29:39.222
Well, yeah, no, two jobs, two jobs and then a couple of fit, yeah, yeah.

00:29:39.222 --> 00:29:46.164
But I'm saying like for most people to think of, like it's not luxurious, it was us working our full-time job, being like dog tired.

00:29:46.224 --> 00:29:46.686
Dog tired.

00:29:46.795 --> 00:29:49.719
Looking at each other and being like, damn, we have to drive.

00:29:49.719 --> 00:29:57.269
Arizona's too hot, so it got to the point during the time of year where it's like people aren't going to work out in 120 degrees.

00:29:57.269 --> 00:30:03.144
So now we transitioned into a gym, renting a facility and renting a facility in Mesa.

00:30:03.144 --> 00:30:09.836
So that was a whole nother commute, because now we're going from Chandler to Mesa, which was a little bit farther, and it's like a couple nights a week it's.

00:30:09.836 --> 00:30:22.898
We had like weekday, uh, tuesdays, thursdays, then we had Saturday and it was times where we're like yo, I'm not interested in going to host this boot camp at all, like I like I'd love to get my workout in, but I don't want to go and like host this boot camp.

00:30:22.898 --> 00:30:29.784
But it was just a part of like us really doing brand building and also feeling like how do we meet people where they're at?

00:30:30.125 --> 00:30:33.460
exactly, and so when we had the gym in Mesa, we were able to do, I think we did four.

00:30:33.460 --> 00:30:38.094
Do we do four classes a when we had the gym in Mesa, we were able to do, I think we did four.

00:30:38.094 --> 00:30:39.539
Do we do four classes a week?

00:30:39.539 --> 00:30:40.837
We had Monday.

00:30:41.077 --> 00:30:42.604
Monday was the booty blast.

00:30:42.604 --> 00:30:44.140
I want to say six, because it was a bicep blast.

00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:45.938
Typically did a double.

00:30:45.938 --> 00:30:48.405
Two hours three days a week.

00:30:48.405 --> 00:30:50.482
Yeah, I think that was Friday and Saturday.

00:30:50.555 --> 00:30:51.861
We did like two hours back to back.

00:30:51.861 --> 00:30:59.762
But then what we also had which is how we kind of expanded Cupply Fit is I would set up our merchandise that we had.

00:30:59.762 --> 00:31:14.642
So we had Cupply Fit hats, we had leggings, we had sports bras, we had tank tops, and so the matching whenever you guys see us matching, that's why it started there really, because we would have matching tank tops with the Cupply Fit logo hats everything started there.

00:31:14.642 --> 00:31:19.542
But then people started asking us about nutrition hey, nutrition, what should I do?

00:31:19.542 --> 00:31:22.986
And so that's when I was certified in nutrition and wellness at that time.

00:31:22.986 --> 00:31:25.063
So then I started creating the custom meal plans.

00:31:25.063 --> 00:31:28.184
People started asking you because they saw your biceps.

00:31:28.184 --> 00:31:32.193
They said, hey, I need some custom fitness, I need a custom fitness plan.

00:31:32.193 --> 00:31:38.125
So you were creating those, and then we were able to meet somebody.

00:31:38.125 --> 00:31:44.489
I don't know how we met our meal delivery carrier.

00:31:45.035 --> 00:31:48.976
Yeah, so we ended up getting connected with somebody through, like somebody I knew through high school, somebody at the boot camp, right, you know?

00:31:48.976 --> 00:31:53.420
Somebody I knew from high school that was like hey, working with somebody, they're in a meal prep space.

00:31:53.420 --> 00:31:57.679
They've got like this amazing restaurant, mediterranean, mediterranean.

00:32:01.075 --> 00:32:02.278
Everyone's asking us for meals.

00:32:02.278 --> 00:32:05.166
Everybody's going back to the FAQs you were talking about before.

00:32:05.976 --> 00:32:18.028
We didn't want to have to create our own meal prep company or, you know, get a kitchen, because we were already technically overextending by having the rent, the overhead and the the things to continue to do these boot camps.

00:32:18.028 --> 00:32:22.222
But we're like, we want to serve and meet people where they're at with the meals and so that was a.

00:32:22.222 --> 00:32:24.714
I mean our revenue jumped like 120.

00:32:24.795 --> 00:32:26.930
Yeah, I think one quarter we jumped like 80% revenue.

00:32:26.930 --> 00:32:28.701
80% revenue jump Just by having the meal delivery.

00:32:28.875 --> 00:32:50.807
But what we learned it's so important who you partner with in those elements, because there were just aspects that what we realize and this is like it counts for our relationship personally and when we think about business professionally we never, like we never really had an issue where, like we wouldn't get on the same page or, you know, yeah, you could argue or disagree on something, but like we're on the same page.

00:32:51.476 --> 00:33:15.079
But what we really found that that was a challenge was relying on other people and it's so important to make sure you have the right people in the right seats, because we essentially found like wait a minute, like we're vested not just in doing the boot camps and doing the things we're doing, but also like if we're recommending somebody and they're doing the meals, like it's got to be on time, delivery's got to be prompt.

00:33:15.079 --> 00:33:34.777
We had drivers, like we literally were doing meal delivery all across Arizona with these Mediterranean meals, and so we had some challenges there, just of some inconsistencies and sometimes, like people's personal life can, you know, cross over into the business side and we just saw, like you know, there was a scenario, just to give an example, where like literally the partner went zero, dark, 30 on us.

00:33:35.377 --> 00:33:38.641
So like just imagine, you have your business, I had to reach out to his wife.

00:33:39.041 --> 00:33:42.125
I mean, just imagine like what's going on.

00:33:42.125 --> 00:33:44.728
You have your business and people are like waiting on a delivery.

00:33:44.728 --> 00:33:48.531
We just think about like some weight and we've already collected money, I already have.

00:33:52.555 --> 00:33:56.742
I was creating meal plans where you would let me know if you want to maintain your weight, gain weight, lose, weight right, and then I'm making your meals based off of that.

00:33:56.742 --> 00:33:59.528
So everyone's already prepaid, they're waiting for their meals.

00:33:59.528 --> 00:34:09.846
This is my meal prep for the week, and so when he's not answering the phone, we were saying to ourselves okay, so we need to make a change here, because he's not going to be the one for us.

00:34:09.846 --> 00:34:12.500
And we did end up making a change.

00:34:12.500 --> 00:34:18.864
But, interesting enough enough, as we're going through all of this, this is how we came up with our philosophy swan.

00:34:19.385 --> 00:34:37.710
So what we noticed was, when we were doing the boot camps meal delivery, everything like full service we noticed that if people were going through something emotionally, spiritually, mentally, outside of what they're doing physically, it would affect them physically.

00:34:37.710 --> 00:34:39.137
And so we said you know what?

00:34:39.137 --> 00:34:49.268
We've got to do something and think of something where we can make physical health easy for everyone to be able to do, if they don't necessarily come to the boot camps.

00:34:49.268 --> 00:34:58.211
And so what we always used to promote was hey, you guys need to sleep, you need to rest, your body has to recover Us both being athletes, that was you guys need to sleep, you need to rest.

00:34:58.211 --> 00:34:58.954
Your body has to recover.

00:34:58.954 --> 00:35:03.400
Us both being athletes, that was something we naturally do.

00:35:03.420 --> 00:35:03.983
The other thing was water.

00:35:03.983 --> 00:35:04.786
You have to be drinking water.

00:35:04.786 --> 00:35:09.126
Like we said before, we would have our waters with our logos on it, so you would have water if you come in Activity.

00:35:09.126 --> 00:35:10.773
That's why you're coming to the boot camps.

00:35:10.773 --> 00:35:12.097
You're coming here to get active.

00:35:12.097 --> 00:35:15.507
And lastly was nutrition, and we were doing the meal delivery service.

00:35:15.507 --> 00:35:18.376
So we're thinking.

00:35:18.376 --> 00:35:19.882
We're thinking we're like okay, what are we going to call it?

00:35:19.882 --> 00:35:20.545
What are we going to call it?

00:35:20.545 --> 00:35:21.931
So then we said well, what about Swan?

00:35:21.931 --> 00:35:22.856
And you came up with Swan.

00:35:22.856 --> 00:35:23.838
Actually, do you remember that?

00:35:23.838 --> 00:35:26.554
Yeah, we were sitting at the table and you came up with Swan.

00:35:26.655 --> 00:35:29.659
And all of that, we still have this kitchen table, which lets you know.

00:35:29.858 --> 00:35:30.860
It's time for us to we.

00:35:30.880 --> 00:35:40.590
We're going to be upgrading the kitchen table, but we still had that table and we were literally writing down brainstorming many nights, like two in the morning and we're like working and we're just at the table and we're brainstorming ideas and rolling things out.

00:35:40.610 --> 00:35:41.032
Maybe not 2 am.

00:35:41.032 --> 00:35:41.972
You can't stay up that long.

00:35:41.992 --> 00:35:43.655
That's true, there were a couple late nights.

00:35:43.655 --> 00:35:44.679
I'm up until 2, 3 am.

00:35:44.679 --> 00:35:46.181
I'm up closer to five.

00:35:56.135 --> 00:35:57.860
So then we came up with Swan up it means transformation, and then swans mate for life.

00:35:57.860 --> 00:35:59.206
And then also we always used to tell people, two can do it.

00:35:59.206 --> 00:36:12.108
That's another one of our philosophies is if you have a partner that can hold you accountable, that you have a connection to, that's going to motivate you, you're more likely to continue down your physical journey, your mental, emotional or spiritual health.

00:36:12.108 --> 00:36:16.302
And that was the other thing too is we realized it was a whole person approach that we were doing.

00:36:16.302 --> 00:36:18.105
We just didn't have a name for it.

00:36:18.105 --> 00:36:21.717
So Swan was like our physical name for it and then our two can do.

00:36:21.757 --> 00:36:42.780
It was our overall driver for Swan 100% and to your point, creating now a philosophy and what we did which is really unique, because it's a reminder for people that you don't have to feel like what your today is has to be your tomorrow, Because for us, we weren't personal trainers, we didn't want to be personal trainers.

00:36:42.780 --> 00:36:54.306
I love to work out, I love doing my own bicep workouts, but like I don't want to have to be responsible for somebody else's goals right Per se, right and all of these other things but it was a part of the journey and so we learned so much doing it.

00:36:54.306 --> 00:37:04.380
We don't regret it by any means, but we knew, like coming away from a bootcamp or driving home in a car, we're like man, we're glad that that's over.

00:37:04.681 --> 00:37:06.565
We're drained Like man.

00:37:06.565 --> 00:37:21.878
The setup, the breakdown we knew it just wasn't something that brought us joy to where we wanted to do that every day, and so we were also looking for that of like yes, we want it, we want it to be profitable, we want to make money, but it's also we want it to be something that we're passionate about and that we enjoy.

00:37:21.878 --> 00:37:25.987
So it went from being the bootcamps, the gym, the meal delivery.

00:37:25.987 --> 00:37:33.019
Now we've created Swan and we've got this trademark philosophy how do we roll this out and also help more people?

00:37:33.019 --> 00:37:35.146
Because we realized we knew we didn't want to do individual training.

00:37:35.146 --> 00:37:36.547
We knew we didn't want to do individual training.

00:37:36.547 --> 00:37:37.487
We knew we didn't want to do group training.

00:37:37.487 --> 00:37:48.096
But how do we help the masses and more like generational health or populations, and we're speaking at schools, we're getting invited to do more things as subject matter experts, and that opened the door for us to get into corporate wellness.

00:37:48.597 --> 00:37:57.601
Yes, and to that point, just quickly going back to the bootcamps, that's when we had a lot of employees that were from the airport.

00:37:57.601 --> 00:38:01.585
They were coming to our boot camps and our first client was actually from the airport.

00:38:01.585 --> 00:38:04.023
Her name is Maricela.

00:38:04.023 --> 00:38:06.181
She is absolutely incredible.

00:38:06.181 --> 00:38:07.164
We love her so much.

00:38:07.164 --> 00:38:10.291
She lost 80 pounds in one year.

00:38:10.291 --> 00:38:12.056
Absolutely it was.

00:38:12.056 --> 00:38:12.719
It was.

00:38:12.960 --> 00:38:15.105
The transformation was incredible.

00:38:15.105 --> 00:38:19.902
I remember we were sitting down with her where again we're sitting right across the terminal.

00:38:19.902 --> 00:38:27.596
We're sitting in as if we're like at a gate and we're just going over like a quick meal plan with her, and she asked me what is a carbohydrate?00:38:27.596 --> 00:38:38.197


And I remember thinking to myself okay, this is another reminder for me on how important nutrition is, but how many people don't know the basics of nutrition?00:38:38.197 --> 00:38:41.182


And that just turned into okay.00:38:41.182 --> 00:38:45.257


Well then, chella is now making this incredible transformation.00:38:45.257 --> 00:38:48.905


Her two sons are making incredible transformation.00:38:48.925 --> 00:38:50.822


This is at the time her two sons were making incredible transformation.00:38:50.822 --> 00:38:53.538


They're hiking Camelback mountain, they're drinking water.00:38:53.538 --> 00:38:56.266


She has, you know, she never had avocado before.00:38:56.266 --> 00:39:01.376


She was having avocado on all of our salads, and so those were the people that originally were coming to the bootcamps.00:39:01.376 --> 00:39:10.018


Those were our first clients, and that transformed into okay, well, we were essentially doing corporate wellness or employee wellness.00:39:10.018 --> 00:39:11.820


We just didn't know at the time.00:39:11.820 --> 00:39:24.355


And so when it transitioned into 2018, right, 2018 and early 2019, that's when we got into corporate wellness and we said, okay, let's, like you said, let's reach the masses.00:39:24.355 --> 00:39:27.623


We're already doing all we're posting on social media.00:39:27.623 --> 00:39:32.237


So people are seeing what we're doing and they're asking us about you know, they're asking us questions.00:39:32.237 --> 00:39:33.737


Can you guys host webinars?00:39:33.737 --> 00:39:35.878


Can you come into the speaking engagements?00:39:35.878 --> 00:39:38.880


And we went into.00:39:38.880 --> 00:39:42.784


We had a pilot at a nonprofit in Tempe, arizona.00:39:42.784 --> 00:39:44.065


Go ahead.00:39:44.224 --> 00:39:54.672


I didn't want to cut you off but before we get to the nonprofit, something I just wanted to mention was our first nonprofit was our church and it's just a reminder for me, our home church at the time.00:39:54.672 --> 00:39:59.507


But just finding, a lot of times when you start a business, people like where are all the customers?00:39:59.507 --> 00:40:01.579


Like where's all this business at, where's everybody?00:40:01.579 --> 00:40:24.072


And a lot of times it starts with the people that you know it's your inner circle and just us I'm thinking about like we always were giving back in a servant mindset, because before we got more opportunities with like a bigger non-profit, we literally were just serving where we could, helping out at our church, doing speaking engagement at our home church at the time, being able to like we're literally doing you know, relationship and marriage, like boot camps and sessions.00:40:24.072 --> 00:40:28.304


People are in tears, people at the church are losing weight and having transformations.00:40:28.304 --> 00:40:36.355


You know diabetes, people are like it just was so many elements where people were improving all of their health metrics and that felt really exciting for us.00:40:36.394 --> 00:41:00.914


So like the transformation element was what we really loved, not necessarily having to like do the whole program, but it was like really the you're seeing people's lives change in front of your right, in front of you, and then you're seeing the trickle down, which that's why you always hear us say, uh, creating generational health, because that is our mission is to do that, and so we we saw that firsthand, like we said, chela with her two sons, and then the families that were at the church.00:41:00.914 --> 00:41:08.619


You're seeing their kids because, again, when their parents are happier, the whole situation is just better and everyone feels like it's a safe space.00:41:08.619 --> 00:41:22.360


And actually, back to 2018, that's when we had our first trade show at kadima ventures and, just to tell, we've never done a trade show before the trials and tribulations, whoa, we had to go to Rent-A-Center.00:41:22.822 --> 00:41:23.222


Oh man.00:41:23.454 --> 00:41:25.161


We had to rent two TVs.00:41:25.161 --> 00:41:29.523


Don't have money for it, really, we're just putting it on our credit cards.00:41:29.523 --> 00:41:32.842


At the time, we had two TVs from Rent-A-Center.00:41:32.842 --> 00:41:40.978


We're setting up this entire booth and it was an absolutely incredible experience.00:41:40.978 --> 00:41:46.041


We actually met some really wonderful people that we've worked with since then, one of them being Nomaly.00:41:46.041 --> 00:41:47.621


They hosted our app that we have.00:41:47.695 --> 00:41:55.166


That's how we brought quote unquote our swan to life was through our Cupply Fit app, because that led into 2019 with the church.00:41:55.166 --> 00:41:56.523


People were using the app.00:41:56.523 --> 00:42:01.925


Our pastor lost 40 pounds we had, I mean, people were making incredible transformations.00:42:01.925 --> 00:42:08.128


Our bootcamps that we used to host there I mean we used to have probably 30 plus people come we're speaking at.00:42:08.128 --> 00:42:09.418


I was speaking at women of wisdom.00:42:09.418 --> 00:42:13.802


You were speaking to the men and just telling people that you know about Swan and coupley fit and the two can do it.00:42:13.802 --> 00:42:16.735


People were loving it and just telling people that you know about Swan and Cupply Fit and the two can do it.00:42:16.735 --> 00:42:21.385


People were loving it and just saying like, oh my gosh, you guys have to continue to do this.00:42:21.385 --> 00:42:22.307


Like, don't stop.00:42:22.307 --> 00:42:30.164


So we were getting that positive affirmation and reinforcement from others, but then we said, okay, let's go a little bit bigger.00:42:30.164 --> 00:42:32.123


Let's go to corporate wellness.00:42:32.123 --> 00:42:34.835


That's when we went into the nonprofit in Tempe.00:42:34.835 --> 00:42:36.581


We did a three-month pilot.00:42:37.643 --> 00:42:46.161


Yes, no, I want you to keep going on this, because I was just thinking about something before that, because that's when we this is when we basically pivoted to both being 100% full-time.00:42:46.181 --> 00:42:47.646


That's right, that was in 2018.00:42:47.646 --> 00:42:49.443


That was April 2018.00:42:49.775 --> 00:42:54.918


Which was a whole thing because you know at the time, right, you were working your job and food and beverage.00:42:54.918 --> 00:42:58.701


I'm still in the family business which I put in like five years now.00:42:58.701 --> 00:43:12.311


I was supposed to like carry that and take and continue to like lead that and be almost the face and I was like, well, wait a minute, I'd much rather be the face of Cupply Fit and us do this together and do our thing, which anybody that's in family business.00:43:12.311 --> 00:43:13.972


There's a lot of dynamics.00:43:13.992 --> 00:43:14.932


A lot of dynamics.00:43:21.675 --> 00:43:23.159


There's a family business, there's a lot of dynamics, a lot of dynamics.00:43:23.159 --> 00:43:24.885


There's a lot of people I was also working yeah, he's working too in the business too.00:43:24.885 --> 00:43:30.322


So, adding into the mix of us starting a business, us being newly married, my family can be very dominating in a lot of ways, just like, naturally, it could be about us and the business and all of these things.00:43:30.322 --> 00:43:53.324


And Dan is now in and she's in the business, and so, thinking that we went through that journey in 2018 of you know, having some really candid critical conversations, but one of them led to us essentially putting in our two weeks and saying, you know, we're going to double down and do Cuddly Fit full time, and I will say it was one of the best decisions.00:43:53.425 --> 00:44:06.835


But it also was like such a pivotal moment and, looking back right, you would typically be like, man, I wish we'd have more savings and, you know, more contracts, more money coming in, before you make a move like that and leave your steady Freddie or your main job.00:44:07.398 --> 00:44:20.184


Um, that's a big step, and so that's just something I wanted to bring up, because we had that happen before nonprofit, going into an organization, all of this Like we really took that leap and had that faith.00:44:20.184 --> 00:44:29.710


But it also was a tremendous risk, because now we go from having two incomes and with the business, what you're investing, what you're doing, is in addition to that.00:44:29.710 --> 00:44:32.864


Or you know there's months where you're investing more and you lost money this month and you're making sacrifices.00:44:32.864 --> 00:44:35.994


You're not maybe taking that vacation, or you're not going out to eat, or you're not doing, and you lost money this month and you're making sacrifices.00:44:35.994 --> 00:44:50.219


You're not maybe taking that vacation, or you're not going out to eat or you're not doing some of the things I know there was like we had people that got mad at us, even friends, when we had to say, like yo, we can't go to your bachelor bachelor party 2019 yeah, we like we can't go to your bachelor bachelor party because the money's funny, right?00:44:50.318 --> 00:44:50.639


and that.00:44:50.699 --> 00:44:51.440


well, yeah, and we also.00:44:51.440 --> 00:44:52.262


It was like work.00:44:52.262 --> 00:44:55.228


We literally have have RFPs out right now.00:44:55.228 --> 00:45:01.961


We have to work Like we are in a situation where we have to catch what we eat, and it's not just one of us, it's both of us.00:45:03.786 --> 00:45:04.755


And so go ahead, no, go ahead.00:45:04.755 --> 00:45:21.266


I was just going to say we had just this moment that was so big, that gave us the confidence also to be able to step out and do it on our own confidence also to be able to step out and do it on our own which was being invited into one of the largest, the largest ride share company, um, you know, in the country.00:45:21.266 --> 00:45:28.010


Being invited in there, being able to present, being offered a contract, a significant contract.00:45:28.030 --> 00:45:36.735


That's like game changing for a small business, but it also six figure contract and, I'm gonna be honest, your boy was ready to sign.00:45:38.458 --> 00:45:39.742


I don't need to read anything.00:45:40.456 --> 00:45:41.159


I don't need to read anything.00:45:41.159 --> 00:45:42.202


Where's the pen?00:45:42.835 --> 00:45:44.481


Show me the money.00:45:44.481 --> 00:45:54.204


But meanwhile, at this time, this is also when you have to think about what is your business going to stand for?00:45:54.204 --> 00:45:56.563


And then also, that is a reflection of we were co-founders, that's a reflection of us.00:45:56.563 --> 00:45:58.864


So business going to stand for, and then also that is a reflection of we were co-founders, that's a reflection of us.00:45:58.864 --> 00:46:00.067


So what do we stand for?00:46:00.628 --> 00:46:13.518


So at this time when we're in this ride-sharing company, there was number one it, the uh automated uh cars at that time were brand new, like they were just kind of getting on the road.00:46:13.518 --> 00:46:17.827


There was, unfortunately, one of these cars killed somebody in Tempe on Mill Avenue.00:46:17.827 --> 00:46:19.108


There was that.00:46:19.108 --> 00:46:32.748


Then there was the CEO was sexually harassing women that were working for him and amongst some other things, and they just moved him from being CEO to still being on the board of directors, where he still has a say.00:46:33.295 --> 00:46:37.684


And so for me, I said I'm not going to stand for that.00:46:37.684 --> 00:46:43.043


As a woman I'm, I can't get behind a company that's doing that.00:46:43.043 --> 00:46:49.771


And you and a couple of other people were like you're Deanna, you're bugging, like you're losing out on money, what are you doing?00:46:49.771 --> 00:46:51.958


And I thought to myself what do we stand for?00:46:51.958 --> 00:46:56.407


Are we, if this was us and if this was our business, are we standing for that?00:46:56.407 --> 00:46:57.648


Absolutely not.00:46:57.648 --> 00:47:05.742


So that was one one deal that we did not take, cause it's a dirty deal in my opinion, and you do not have to take dirty deals.00:47:05.742 --> 00:47:08.043


Not all, not all money is good money.00:47:08.275 --> 00:47:19.702


And I will say this was, and I will say this was also one of my contacts that had made the introduction, and I'm having to make this phone call and they're literally looking at me like or like we're crazy.00:47:19.702 --> 00:47:22.257


I remember being on the phone and saying we're not taking a contract, we're not going to sign.00:47:22.257 --> 00:47:22.659


They're like.00:47:22.659 --> 00:47:29.755


They literally were, like it was as if, yeah, you turned down the lotto, like you won the lotto and you're saying like I don't want the ticket.00:47:30.076 --> 00:47:31.579


It's how they like literally looked at us.00:47:31.579 --> 00:47:31.981


You're crazy.00:47:31.981 --> 00:47:36.132


You're crazy, yeah, um, and that opened the door like that did.00:47:36.132 --> 00:47:42.418


Like every action or decision has a reaction, because a lot of people not not a lot of people, most people would take the money right.00:47:42.418 --> 00:47:44.487


And I was on that note of like man, where do I sign?00:47:44.487 --> 00:47:53.599


You made the right decision right and going very focused on it's a hard decision it's a hard decision and to that point the hard decision had some hard consequences.00:47:53.679 --> 00:48:17.721


Because if we would have locked in that contract since figure contract we're growing we maybe have more investment, supposed to go into chicago and go to their flagships uh, location we were supposed to go to, like two other locations we were set for, you know, almost a three, like a three-year contract yeah, basically like y'all won't need other, you guys don't need anybody else, like you're only going to be the wellness for this ride, share company, and so we thought that's incredible, what an amazing opportunity.00:48:17.721 --> 00:48:19.961


But again, it's a dirty deal in my opinion.00:48:20.503 --> 00:48:45.326


Yeah, and so, with that decision, the consequence of that and I'm thinking about us getting into before working with the nonprofits, because, also, you're working with nonprofits, it's not like you're getting huge contracts or people are not offering six figure contracts every day, and so a little bit maybe in my mind I'm thinking I was a little naive, because when you have this early success, it's almost like someone that like goes to the pros your first contract's a million dollars, like at 21,.00:48:45.326 --> 00:48:50.137


The rest of your life you're like, oh, there's a million dollar contracts, right, like this is, this is what it's like forever.00:48:50.137 --> 00:48:58.324


And it's like no, like that was a once in a, you know a one in a, you know a one in a million situation, or like that's very rare and that was for me.00:48:58.324 --> 00:49:01.436


I'm like, oh, you know, confident same guy to send all the pictures to you after we met.00:49:01.436 --> 00:49:05.346


I'm like, oh well, they offered us a six figure contract.00:49:05.346 --> 00:49:07.096


They out here, like you know what I'm saying.00:49:07.115 --> 00:49:09.719


Well, don't forget, I think it was 2000.00:49:09.719 --> 00:49:17.670


So when we did corporate wellness that was 2019, like end of 2018, beginning of 2019 we had 12 rfps out.00:49:17.670 --> 00:49:20.541


Yeah, and if you don't know what rfp is, it's a request for proposal.00:49:20.681 --> 00:49:30.838


One of them was for the city of phoenix yeah, like huge, like we're talking once in a lifetime opportunities that we were having where it made sense for us to leave the situation that we were in.00:49:31.000 --> 00:49:34.978


But you don't realize how much not only red tape there is, how much you have to.00:49:34.978 --> 00:49:36.885


There's levels like you're you.00:49:36.885 --> 00:49:44.675


If you're not talking to the actual decision maker, you have to go through maybe three, four or five people just to get to the decision maker.00:49:44.675 --> 00:49:47.945


By that time it might be four or five, six months.00:49:47.945 --> 00:49:50.041


And then it's like, oh shoot, we have not been paid.00:49:50.041 --> 00:49:52.840


What are we going to do?00:49:54.478 --> 00:49:57.385


And that's the side of entrepreneurship that nobody talks about.00:49:57.385 --> 00:50:02.655


You just see on Instagram, right, it's lit and there's, you're making money, your business is successful.00:50:02.655 --> 00:50:08.139


Go from, you know, $1,000 to a million, you know, to $10,000 in one month and that wasn't the case for us.00:50:08.139 --> 00:50:11.835


Like, we really went through some real challenges.00:50:11.835 --> 00:50:16.682


Like I think about you know, we went to the nonprofit and wrote out a program there Incredible real challenges.00:50:16.682 --> 00:50:27.902


Like I think about you know we went to the nonprofit and wrote out a program there incredible results, um, at that organization, transformative with Swan and everything, the church, right, how we proved it out and then got recognized by South, by Southwest, as one of the top startups.00:50:27.922 --> 00:50:34.398


But what was crazy in that journey in 2019 and that lesson for us was we went through some really serious hardships.00:50:34.398 --> 00:50:35.561


That was one of our hardest years.00:50:35.561 --> 00:50:43.204


That 2018, 2019, I mean I'm talking about we were talking about it earlier I mean the sound of anytime you heard like a truck.00:50:43.204 --> 00:50:52.242


You know that was like a serious truck the feeling and the chill of like that's a tow truck coming to get our car because we're behind on our car payment.00:50:53.077 --> 00:50:55.342


Like that going through but you're presenting to companies.00:50:55.342 --> 00:50:57.284


You're behind on our car payment like that going through but in your presenting the companies.00:50:57.284 --> 00:51:04.791


You're behind on mortgage we, I mean we're still paying like the lights and the electricity and those things, but we're behind on oh, things were just of our bills it was.00:51:04.911 --> 00:51:10.096


It was so bad, and for me as a husband too, because, like we're business partners right, but it's not just like business partners.00:51:10.115 --> 00:51:13.465


We go home to separate houses and it's like, oh, deal with the business tomorrow.00:51:13.865 --> 00:51:28.708


It's like, how does that impact in, like overcoming to the personal where, like I know, for me confidence was like getting a little bit shot because I'm like man, I'm used to football, high performer, this we had this contract.00:51:28.708 --> 00:51:29.998


We end up turning it down.00:51:29.998 --> 00:51:37.161


Now we're struggling financially, like, and I feel like I just left this family business, I've got it, we bet on ourselves and I feel like I bet, like I'm losing, like I feel like I just left this family business.00:51:37.161 --> 00:52:00.773


I've got it, we bet on ourselves and I feel like I bet like I'm losing, like I feel like we're losing right now, not with the opportunity, not with the lessons, not with the like million dollars and really even more than that, of like money that we're getting and wisdom and experience, but it was like man, our counter in the negative, $200, like something just got pulled, and pulling up at the gas station, putting my card in and literally account so far in the negative.00:52:00.773 --> 00:52:02.137


They won't even go in the negative anymore.00:52:02.137 --> 00:52:03.181


They're just like you can't get gas.00:52:03.221 --> 00:52:04.625


You just can't.00:52:04.625 --> 00:52:05.637


We're going to shut your car down.00:52:05.637 --> 00:52:06.157


You know what I mean.00:52:06.219 --> 00:52:15.143


And driving Uber and things like that, to just to like, in the meantime, to stay afloat to keep the business alive, um, but having the belief as well.00:52:15.282 --> 00:52:24.284


Yes, and so in 2019, that's when we actually had the opportunity from South by Southwest, which, if you know about them, they're absolutely incredible.00:52:24.284 --> 00:52:27.585


They have about 75,000 people annually that come to their event.00:52:27.585 --> 00:52:35.362


Yes, it's like a music festival and those things, but they also have something called a startup spotlight, so it's the top 30 startups in the world that get invited to come there.00:52:35.362 --> 00:52:46.697


We were invited to come because of the work that we did in corporate wellness and we, literally two weeks before, cause we said we're not, we can't go Like we literally do not have the money to go.00:52:47.318 --> 00:52:49.565


So then we were talking to Sierra.00:52:49.565 --> 00:52:51.552


She's a real one, we love her so much.00:52:51.552 --> 00:52:52.835


We were talking to our friend Sierra.00:52:52.835 --> 00:52:55.121


She said you guys, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.00:52:55.141 --> 00:52:56.103


You don't realize how big this is.00:52:56.324 --> 00:52:57.005


You have to go.00:52:57.005 --> 00:52:59.572


So we crowdfunded for two weeks.00:52:59.572 --> 00:53:04.652


Shout out to every, shout out to every single person that donated to our GoFundMe.00:53:04.652 --> 00:53:06.155


Y'all were the real ones.00:53:06.155 --> 00:53:09.860


I can't even tell you how much you guys mean to us.00:53:09.860 --> 00:53:12.204


You all are the OGs of Cupply Fit.00:53:12.204 --> 00:53:14.226


You guys helped us tremendously.00:53:14.646 --> 00:53:16.208


So we got to South by Southwest.00:53:16.208 --> 00:53:20.788


Everyone that is there has money to have somebody set up their booths.00:53:20.788 --> 00:53:22.574


We're in there with Amazon boxes.00:53:22.574 --> 00:53:27.693


We're cutting the boxes, we're assembling everything and the work that went into that.00:53:27.693 --> 00:53:31.101


We're going to have to even just talk about that on a separate episode.00:53:31.101 --> 00:53:40.677


Because that was that was for me, because that was that was for me.00:53:40.677 --> 00:53:42.621


I was not only so overwhelmed, I was overstimulated, I was worried about finances.00:53:42.621 --> 00:53:46.536


I'm like I, I didn't shut down, but I, if I would have shut down, I would have been done.00:53:46.536 --> 00:53:48.221


It was that type of thing Like I haven't.00:53:48.221 --> 00:53:49.764


I have a choice right now.00:53:49.764 --> 00:53:54.842


Um, and that goes back to the resilience of not only being an athlete and then being a server, right, and those.00:53:54.842 --> 00:53:56.403


You have to just keep going.00:53:56.403 --> 00:53:58.927


Yeah, and we did that.00:53:58.927 --> 00:54:00.789


We got invited to an incredible dinner.00:54:00.789 --> 00:54:01.496


Do you remember that?00:54:01.577 --> 00:54:08.242


we got we're surrounded by like billionaires yeah, we're like, surrounded by billionaires, literally we're sitting at a table with billionaires.00:54:08.242 --> 00:54:09.726


That was the wildest.00:54:09.726 --> 00:54:11.717


It was the wildest thing.00:54:11.717 --> 00:54:19.949


And then we go home after this and there's, we pull up, an uber is taking us there.00:54:19.949 --> 00:54:22.079


We pull up to our house and we were like is that what?00:54:22.219 --> 00:54:22.902


is that it's like?00:54:22.902 --> 00:54:23.163


Is that hoa?00:54:23.182 --> 00:54:30.021


there's a piece of paper on our front door and I'm like what is that?00:54:30.021 --> 00:54:31.663


We get closer.00:54:31.663 --> 00:54:38.811


It's a pre-foreclosure paper saying you guys have six months before we take your house.00:54:38.811 --> 00:54:44.887


Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.00:54:45.047 --> 00:55:01.077


Okay, so it's getting, it's getting real and and to your point, that was so real and in addition to that I think about that wasn't even the lowest low, because we came off the high of the South by Southwest, but but then trying to get yourself out of that and you feel like you're in a hole, like I would probably say.00:55:01.077 --> 00:55:06.818


One of my lowest lows was, you know, going into the pawn shop, had a man I had.00:55:06.818 --> 00:55:09.284


I had my gold chain.00:55:09.304 --> 00:55:13.237


And we're coming up on the end of the episode, so I think we're going to have to do a part two.00:55:13.237 --> 00:55:15.923


But yeah, the pawn shop was something.00:55:15.943 --> 00:55:39.099


That was probably one of the hardest, because we were like, literally, we're at a place where I had a gold chain that is literally resembled after my grandfather's so it's like an identical and the money that I spent had pawned it D diamond, I mean gifts, earrings it was like my shoe, shoe, my entire sneaker collection which I'm like a sneaker head.00:55:39.239 --> 00:55:47.844


All my sneakers were sold all of my designer bags, all of my designer heels and shoes everything, sold my car sold we're down.00:55:47.884 --> 00:55:49.527


We're down to one car we're down to one car.00:55:50.115 --> 00:56:15.346


But then also I remember we had the conversation I, babe, I just want to let you know that if we have to do this, I don't want to, but if we have to do this, I will, whether we sell my, my ring, or pawn the ring, whatever that looks like, just to be able so that we can continue to move forward, cause we also knew we couldn't go back into the situation that we were in, so we knew like to stay afloat.00:56:15.346 --> 00:56:21.172


If I have to sell, we have to sell our diamond ring, then that's what we're going to have to do.00:56:21.193 --> 00:56:29.737


Yeah, that was the lowest low for me, and I'm so glad that we shared that too, cause we don't really tell anybody about that Almost makes me tear up Cause that was like a really hard conversation to have.00:56:29.737 --> 00:56:30.918


Yeah, that was, that was.00:56:30.938 --> 00:56:36.224


Like your ring, like this is how we started.00:56:36.224 --> 00:56:43.811


Couplely Fit was we're married and it's couples, and this is what we're about, and now we're talking about selling our rings.00:56:49.914 --> 00:56:52.643


Yeah, and for me it felt like I was failing as a provider, as a partner, all of those things.00:56:52.643 --> 00:56:56.434


But I'm so grateful because in those moments I knew how blessed I was in having you as my spouse.00:56:56.434 --> 00:57:07.822


Because even when my confidence was shaken, even when I was down and out, I'm like man, I feel like a bum, like I got no, I literally have negative, I don't have no money, like I'm negative, like we're splitting a fry in and out.00:57:07.822 --> 00:57:11.036


Now we used to go in like, oh, we're going out to nice restaurants, we're at the club, whatever.00:57:11.516 --> 00:57:24.181


It was just crazy to be in this reality but to be in it together and to know that even when we're down to our very last and even if we have nothing, we still have something because we have each other and we're together.00:57:24.181 --> 00:57:38.527


That was what meant more than anything else, and I think that's what is the reason why, no matter where we pivot, where we go, cupply Fit was going to be successful, but also we're going to be successful because love is at the foundation, faith is at the foundation.00:57:38.527 --> 00:57:44.510


Right, we are servant leaders and we've been selfless and we've made it about helping other people in generational health.00:57:44.510 --> 00:57:48.572


So it's like how can we truly lose, and the material things, that's.00:57:48.572 --> 00:57:51.153


It ended up being a blessing, because I'm glad you kept your ring.00:57:51.554 --> 00:57:52.036


We didn't get rid of it.00:57:52.056 --> 00:57:55.123


Yeah, we didn't, but everything else is like I could go buy Jordans again.00:57:55.123 --> 00:57:59.623


I didn't buy another chain, but it's just like, did I really need this perspective?00:57:59.795 --> 00:58:02.559


I'm not a material person anyways, so all of that can go.00:58:02.559 --> 00:58:05.304


I could care less about any of that.00:58:05.304 --> 00:58:06.217


That's not something.00:58:06.217 --> 00:58:07.864


I'd rather have us.00:58:07.864 --> 00:58:12.963


I'd rather have our foundation and have us, and we are going to have to absolutely do a part two.00:58:12.963 --> 00:58:14.826


We're going to wrap this episode up.00:58:14.826 --> 00:58:16.809


We only are, we're only in 2019.00:58:16.809 --> 00:58:22.547


So you can imagine, from 2019 to 2025.00:58:22.547 --> 00:58:24.373


So we will absolutely do a part two.00:58:24.373 --> 00:58:28.204


We just want to say thank you so much, coupley fit fam for watching another episode.00:58:28.204 --> 00:58:32.266


As always, please find us on YouTube at coupley fit.00:58:32.266 --> 00:58:45.889


Please like, subscribe, share Also, if you need to share this with maybe an entrepreneurial friend or somebody who is just starting out, who maybe needs a little bit of motivation and know that if you are having a low, the highs will come.00:58:45.889 --> 00:58:53.059


And then also please follow us on social media at Cupply Fit C-O-U-P-L-E-Y-F-I-T.00:58:54.079 --> 00:58:54.480


Thanks.