December 6, 2021 • 27 mins
This week Big Money Energy gets pumped up as Ryan is joined by Founder and CEO of Dogpound Gym, Kirk Myers. Kirk recounts how a major health diagnosis shaped his philosophy around health and fitness, what it took to become one of the most sought after trainers in New York City and just how far he sees Dogpound expanding world wide.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome back to another episode of Big Money Energy where
we talked to super successful and self made people to
find out exactly how they did it, how they went
from nothing to something. Today, I am joined by none
other than Kirk Meyer's Dog Pound Jim. We talked about
a lot of different things the creation of the brand,
but his story is so interesting. Dog Pound is a really,
(00:23):
really cool and real time example of how you take
an industry that has existed for a long time. You're
not reinventing the wheel. What you're doing is you're bringing
that personal experience to the forefront and making it about
the absolute best customer service. Now let's get into it.
Welcome to another episode. Take me back to like personally.
(00:56):
So you're born in Missouri, yes, good coal? Yeah, Kansas City, Missouri, Yes,
so one there and I lived there until it was thirty. Actually,
so I love Kansas City. Uh, other than the Chiefs,
I actually don't like the Chiefs. Was kind of ironic,
(01:16):
summeraders Van, But I do love Kansas City. Did you
did you go to college? Yes? So I went to
the first school I went through was very hard to
get into. It's called Blue River Community College. Not a
lot of applicants, No, So I mean it was just
community college. So like, basically I made terrible grades in
high school, barely graduated for the most part, and then
(01:38):
I made straight a's and community college. So so then
I got a scholarship to go to a four year school.
Since I graduated from University of Missouri Kansas City, it's
like two thousand and two or three, because I got
sick during that time period. So it's kind of all
(02:00):
vague and kind of yeah, that's kind of a blur
at times. So what do you want to do when
you graduated? I was originally going to be an elementary teacher,
so my dad's elementary principle. My mom used to be
a teacher. I just wanted to do something that was rewarding.
So I had worked at like this after school program
like part time, like when I was in high school,
(02:21):
and and so I really liked it because it was fun, right,
and my dad was a principal. I was terrible at
um managing though, like the kids like they would walk
all over me, which is somewhat similar to uh dog
Pound employees sometimes, but it is like the managing part
has never been like my passionate love, but anyways, so
(02:43):
it's gonna be an elementary teacher throughout the way. Like
I got sick. So I used to be really chunky.
I think you know this right, how much did you
weigh at the peak there? I kind of quit wing
and at over the three hundred pound barrier. Stop checking,
stop checking. Yeah, so so I would say, like, you know,
a little over three d pounds, but I'm only five five,
(03:04):
you know, uh on a good day. So I mean
I'm pretty sure. So uh So, basically this is when
I was sixteen or so, so I was pretty chunky,
and I was pretty like chunky most of my life,
but it really as started packing on the pounds, putting
on the carbs, and in high school, mostly with chocolate
milk for the most part, lots of chocolate milk, lots
(03:26):
of chocole milk, like and outrageous chocolate milk. So I
would drink up the two gallons a day. Actually yeah, so,
but I thought it was it was skim chocolate milk.
So in the Midwest, yeah, you thought that that was
like just not fat supers totally. Yeah, the results didn't
look like that, but but there's a ton of sugar. Yeah,
(03:49):
so are you okay talking about your your illness. Sure, yeah,
some of my the worst things that have happened to
me have been the best things that could have happened
to me. So, um, I graduated community college, got my
associates degree, right, and I moved actually went to Southwest
(04:09):
Missouri State which now called Missouri State. When I was there,
I started, like, um, I thought I had like mono
basically because I started sleeping a lot, I started coughing
a lot right as and I didn't really know what
was wrong. But my roommate, you know, called my parents
and they kind of like kidnapped kidnapped me and saved me.
So um, so I went to the hospital, right, and
(04:30):
they said I had a cardiomeopathy, which is an enlarged
heart and congestive heart failure. So that was actually a
total blessing in disguise because you know, I was overweight.
It wasn't really that confident, right and uh and so
it's like that was a shocking moment, right, But then
I was kind of forced to lose the weight. So
(04:53):
I'm lucky because a lot of people like basically they
have to just kind of set their own discipline to
lose weight. But I was kind of like just ever die, yeah, basically,
so that actually really pushed me to lose the weight
and specific like watching my food and changing my diet
and then just changing my lifestyle and so but over
the course of six months or so, I started feeling
(05:14):
a little bit better. And then I just started walking, right,
and that was kind of meditative for me. And then
I started doing the gym, which I did in high
school just was like more powerlifting style, So this was
like just a different style of training. So then I
learned how to do that, and I really learned a
lot about food. Right, So, just like anything in life, like,
(05:36):
I started gaining momentum, right, and I think momentum is
key with most things, right, it's just like your career,
like you do one thing at least the next and next.
So I lost ten pounds and it was twenty pounds, right,
and forty, and then people are starting to compliment you,
and then you feel better, and so it just kept
kind of growing a confidence a little bit, a little bit,
a little bit a little bit, and then so I
(05:57):
just started steamrolling then to the point where I lost
over a hundred pounds, right, crazy, you get this all
from walking and going to the gym and watching what
you eat. Yes, yeah, so and it it took itn't
It took a while. It took a little over two years,
and I was pretty young, so that probably helped me, right,
like from one to and so what had happened is
(06:22):
I was going to school to be an elementary teacher.
So I decided to, um switch it. Yeah, I decided
to when my friends were asking me how I lost weight,
So I started helping them, right, and then I just
realized it was super rewarding. They're almost proud of you
for helping them, right, so U So yeah, and then
I decided to become a trainer. So um, and that
(06:43):
was pretty much right out of college. And how did
you figure out like how to charge people, especially because
a lot of your first clients were we're friends. I've
always been bad about that, including now, right, I really
have been, because but the money always flows if you're
doing something you love and you're doing at high quality.
And that's that's always been my mentality and it's always worked, right,
(07:06):
So because what happens is you get referrals, right, so
and other people want to be a part of it. Yes,
So it almost doesn't even matter of who you're company,
whether they're known or they're work at the Delhi down
the street. Right, It's like when someone makes results, people
start talking about it, people ask about it, and yeah,
(07:28):
then you get friends and and other people tend to
start then asking you how much it is, and then
and then you don't really know them, so then you
can charge them like a fair rate, you know. So yeah,
so that's kind of how it all worked. And so
(07:51):
how did you get to New York. It seems like
your life was pretty great. You're set, you lost all
that weight, You're in Missouri, You're you're helping everyone in
Missouri lose weight. It was until I would say late
twenties I got kind of like, uh uh cocky, right,
Like I don't have no idea why because I'm I
don't know how trainers get cocky, but but I did myself.
(08:11):
So now I kind of realized that, right, my ego
got to me a little bit because when you were
in Missouri, yes, which is I know it's cancer to Missouri, buty.
But what happens is for the first time, I was like, um,
dating girls, right, and then then like I was going out, Sure,
I started starting the party, right, and I had like, uh,
(08:33):
fancy car, a nice car, and I had like this
nice loft right, And so basically like I was trying
to be someone I wasn't. Right. I was trying to
be cool, sure, I mean I like not thinking that
who I was was cool, if that makes sense. Was
trying to we're a totally different person than the person
you grew up as, Yes, and then people treat you differently,
(08:56):
which is amazing, But that doesn't mean you should change
who you are, right, I mean, of course we should
all grow and change and learn. But I think I
was trying to be um, like a party guy or something. Right,
So I started going out a lot so, which is
not good for me because I have like a very
(09:16):
passionate I used to call it addictive personality, but but
it is. It is just passionate, right. It's like I
get really into things without even realizing it. Chocolate milk
as an example, right, um, losing weight as an example. Working,
you know, I work the tause I'm just totally into it.
(09:37):
Tattoos is an example. I get really into things, which
is great if it's something good, but uh, if it's
drugs and partying it's not so good, especially if you've
had past heart problems issues and you're trying to build
a career. Right, Both those things tend to crumble if
you do a lot of drugs. So, um yeah, So
(09:59):
basically I I I started, Um, I got sick again,
basically the same heart. Yeah, but this time it was
worse right in theory, right, Um, So this when I
was thirty, because I have congestive heart failure. So they
said I was in the fourth stage of it, which
is like the last stage, right, So they would say
(10:20):
I needed a heart transplant, and my it's called an
injection for action was super low. It's like how your
heart pumps. Yeah, yeah, and I couldn't work, right, I
didn't have health insurance. Um. I was in the r
for like thirteen or fourteen days, right, And so I
came out thinking I would just bounce back, but it
(10:41):
just never really happened. So, um, you know, I basically
lost everything I had. I mean, it saved up a
decent amount of money for me. It wasn't that I mean,
it's all perspective, right, but for me, it was a
lot of money. I kind of blew through that just
with like the hospital bills that and also like really honestly,
(11:01):
not to be dramatic, I just didn't know how much
time I had left, and I didn't really care at
that time, you know, so uncause I lost my car,
that's my place, right, you know, I was really sick.
So I moved in with my sister, uh, and I
moved to Memphis, Tennessee. So anyways, so I was there.
(11:21):
I was there for about a year, and I started
feeling better. So it's a keep. Um. I had lived
in New York for like ten years or eleven years,
and we got in a fight when I got really
sick because he's my older brother and he's like yeah,
and like, so we had gotten in a fight. So
we had been in better. Terms were not great, and
(11:42):
I was still at this time period in my life.
I'm just trying to uh, you know together totally and
do things like, you know, like relationships that I that
were important. I was trying to bring them back, right.
So I moved here for I was only going to
be here for two or three months. I just didn't
(12:03):
want to move back to Kansas City quite yet, right,
So I came here to like switched up a little bit.
See your brother stay here, and no one wanted me
to move here. F y. I mean especially with your history,
you probably say. And this for sure. I also had
zero dollars, right, that's also not very helpful when you
(12:25):
moved to New York. But my sister had got given me,
you know, three d dollars or so, and like she
got me this membership to this meditation place that you
could do all the time, So I would do that
all the time. Um, just crashed with your brother. And
then my mom actually had a uh someone that because
(12:47):
she has like an orphanage and Africa other stay, she
had a place that was kind of given to her
part time. So I actually stayed there initially and then
then I would after that, I kind of stay with
my brother for a little bit. Um. But basically after
the three months, I started feeling better. So then I
(13:07):
decided to train. And so what did you go to first?
So at first, um, the irony is I got a
job at David Barton Gym. But they wanted me to
work any other ironies, They wanted me to work uh
full time, right, which like uh if if if you
know me, I usually like full times, no problem, right,
(13:28):
But I was like that was too too much, right
because I because I couldn't commit to it. I didn't
know how long it was gonna be, how you know.
I was just kind of getting my health back. So
I ended up getting a job at a small gym.
It was more of like, uh, you know boutique gym.
Was that the superstar gym? No, that was prior to that?
Is it different? Was a different gym, Um and so
(13:50):
and I just started working part time a couple of
days a week, and of course they became five days
a week, and I became every day a week, and
then uh you know, soon I was like, um, like
one of the head trainers. Right, this is like within
a pretty quick um, within a year, I would say,
But you still didn't have it in your mind to
(14:10):
start a business or do anything. Now. I was here
like buying time doing personal training because that's what you mean. Yeah.
My goal was just I love training and it made
me feel good. I just wanted to do it. Right.
Why do you think some of those early clients in
that Shim and Soho took to you as a guy
from Kansas City, Missouri who was just sort of here
(14:33):
figuring things out. I think one is because I was
genuine too, is because I was passionate and I really
actually I wanted to help help people, right, So like
if you came to me about training, I would be
totally into it, right. So it's at goals and we like,
I'm make sure you're accountable and like people like you. Yes,
(14:57):
So I think I think that's mostly mostly people can
tell if you're really into something, and so I think
that's and training that's all the all the differences being
really nice. It's a service industry, right, making sure you're
accommodating what they want. I was renting space out of
a bunch of gems, right. So you kind of started
(15:17):
your kirk Meyer's Fitness. Yes, it was like the relaunch
of kirk Myer's Fitness until you started a website. I
started a website and you just kind of put yourself
out there is this personal trainer, and you would work
out with anybody anywhere where. You going to people's houses
and the apartments and stuff. And I postcards that like
Captain Kirk that were quite ridiculous. I really just wanted
tend clients. Right when I started home clients, that was it.
(15:40):
Totally happy tend clients, and I want to start a
kids program. That was the two things. And so I
wrote down the list and then I wrote down some
dream list. And I knew that if I got a
big name, that would help, right, because it gives you credibility.
So I started like looking at other trainers that had
(16:01):
gotten big names before, and like we kind of looked
them up and how they did it right and so
but I really just wanted to take clients and you
would meet them anywhere any gym. Yes, you just wanted
them under the kirk Myer's Fitness brand. Yeah, so what
But what happened was like two clients came four, became eight,
became sixty really quickly, I had thirty forty clients right
(16:21):
by yourself. Yes, because a part of it is like
stars aligning and putting it out there. I made these
ridiculous postcards right, put them everywhere. Guaranteed no one signed
up from these postcards. But the fact that I was
going out doing this, it was like it was taking
action and I want yes, And like it's also like
(16:41):
a universe thing, right, like a run into you know,
I ran into. I picked so the ironies like Adam
Guy or you know Adam He started training with me
because he saw me walk around the neighborhood. But the
irony of Adam right, Adam's partner Jeff knew you. Jackman's
bodyguard Brian, and so that's eventually how I started training
(17:05):
Hugh Jackman. Right, And Hugh Jackman was your first celebrity clients,
and that was the name that puts you out there
in the industry and in your client base. And yeah,
yeah that that that was but for the biggest person.
But I always knew, and I would always say, like,
these ridiculous things they're looking back. I was like, well,
(17:26):
what if I'm training Beyonce right and the Rock and
they both come at the same time, right, You know,
you have to have people to help you, because at
that time I started hiring trainers help and like I
had zero celebrity. I'm like naming like the biggest names, right,
But it is kind of crazy because then we've had
a situations like this happened where two big people, right
(17:48):
or super at the same time. Totally we're like booking
the same things. So but but but Hugh was definitely
the the first big one and and such a big
impact because he's so nice and then he had friends yes,
and he brought them all. But you got known around
town is um as you know, Hugh Jackman's trainer, and
(18:11):
you guys had this group and then other people would
follow along who came up with dog Bound. So it
was really kind of huge thing because he would bring
the dog. He brings his dog to the workouts, right,
and so it's kind of like a joke kind of
like yes, like so that group got known as the
dog Bound. It was the early morning David Barton in yes,
(18:34):
in the village group, and so he would come like
Nigel and sometimes bring his dog right before he moved
the entry. Yeah. Nigel Parker, Yeah, yeah, Nigel is great.
He was so nice. And Nigel would just come around
and criticize everyone's you know, like I'm so much stronger
than me. I think part of it was that was
(18:54):
like it felt like a football team or right, or
any type of sports right, and Nigel was the perfect
person because he's picking on everyone. It didn't it didn't
go who was right. So I remember like meeting you
the first time, you're this guy, uh, you're covered in tattoos,
like that's cool, and then there's Hugh Jackman over there.
(19:16):
I'm like all right, so wolverines here, and then you've
got Nigel Parker, um uh, you know, like one of
the biggest fashion photographers in the world. And then it's
like Tom Farley, the CEO of the New York Stock Exchange,
you know. And then you've got big traders over year
and then there's like a model over there, and like
what what is happening? Like this is not you know, yeah, no,
(19:40):
I think we've been so fortunate with That's our biggest strength,
by far is our our clients, right uh. And that's
why I talked about talk upon a lot right building community,
building community and community, and like that's what makes the
world go around. That's why cities exist. Right. People like
to and around that group of people and before you
(20:01):
know it, they put a building up. That's a big
thing for anyone that's that's watching and listening that doesn't
know I mean dog no one, I think maybe other
than me. Dog Pound was not a gym where you
just go and work out. You go there to personal train.
(20:22):
That's it. You go there, you book of time, everyone
clocks in and you go personal train. So it's a
personal training gym. When we didn't want memberships, right because
then people are just kind of floating around, especially with
um uh with privacy and right, yeah, and I think
even that's a big business decision. I mean, you think
with the gym, if you think about the classic gym
(20:43):
business model, you want a thousand gym memberships, right, because
you're collecting that revenue every month. But then you know
they're not all gonna come, it's gonna rain, they're gonna
sleep in, and so then you're just looking at kind
of like you know, cost per space and figuring out
all of those KPIs, the metrics, and you probably took
the riskier route of saying, now we're not gonna take
(21:06):
recurring revenue that way, We're just gonna be totally personal training.
But we're also not going to give everyone the personal
trainer they want every single time. That was the other
thing that was a big thing there. It's like, well,
I'm gonna work out of ten. It's like, okay, well
you can't have him. We're gonna give you, uh, you know,
we're gonna give you Christian, right, so we're gonna give
you someone else. And everyone sort of said, okay, if
I worked out here, that's how it's done here, and
(21:28):
it's totally fine. No, And I think, like, and you
paid the trainers salaries, yes, didn't pay them. They weren't
like then incentivized by this or that they come in
And some of the what I've noticed, I was trying
to be very innovative and some of these things worked.
Some of them not as much as I would like, uh,
(21:48):
but some of them I think that can be tweaks.
But I think the goal of the right when we
opened the gym, I think my confidence start, you know,
I started raising the bar. The gym was never were uh,
it was always meant to be bigger than just the
four walls of the gym, right, So, like, because you
can only make so much money from that anyways, even
(22:11):
if you're making money off of every corner. Right. So
I think a part of it is what I knew
what we were good at, and I wanted to stick
with that. And if you like, you know, we did
boxing classes at the beginning initially, but but it would
overcrowd the space, right and the one on ones weren't
as effective and people would complain, right, so we we
(22:33):
took those away. Right, So I think, um, uh, the
the one on one model, right, we've always kind of
stuck to and the the irony is that actually definitely
went in our benefit is now covided, right, and like, yeah,
no totally. So it's like, um, so we still have
not executed on how to scale it, but we definitely
(22:56):
have the vision on how to scale. It's just a
matter of execution, timing and these things. But uh, but
I guess to go back to your question that that
business decision, I think, um, yeah, I was always pretty
stubborn about that because you know, even the people that
had invested, we're trying to convince me otherwise. And the
(23:18):
other thing I was stubborn about, which I'm lucky to
be stubborn about. It wasn't like I was a genius
by doing it, just some of it was just good timing,
is is. I didn't want a bunch of dog bounds, right.
I didn't want to scale because everyone, when we started
getting really hot, was like, Okay, we're gonna try to
make ten of these things, right. But uh but I
(23:40):
was always like no, no, right, So we're very cautious
on opening. So how many how many fund raising rounds
have you done? Now? So we did the uh, the
Angel round, right. It was actually called A, but it's
really the Angel round. So uh, and then I would
call it a Series A to get l A. So
those too, we had to do a note during COVID
(24:04):
right to just get a long runway and also to
kind of hope build out some of our digital platform
which we're currently working on. And so we're about ready
to do our biggest fundraise, which is super exciting. Uh,
you know, the within uh the upcoming months. Really it
(24:24):
may some of them maybe get pushed to quarter one,
but it will probably within the next few months, you know.
So and so what's next for dog Pound? What's next
for dog Pounds? So we're opening We're planning on opening
in Doha, Qatar before the World Cup. So we're hoping
totally random third location, but no problem. But I love
(24:46):
New York l A. Yeah. So, but I like doing
things outside of the box. But that is outside the
box more importantly here. Like I would think you'd say Miami, yeah,
that's a possibility, but personally, Doha all the way over
Miami over any any city. To be honest with you,
(25:08):
because you have you have Qatari investors, we do, but
for me, it's not even that. It's not like they're
begging us or making us good. I just really like it.
They're actually the people there are so nice, community is
so strong, they're very smart. When you're that rich, it's
easy to be that nice. Probably, But I remember when
(25:32):
the first time I was in the Middle East, not
to get you off or like, our driver was like,
so what are the people here? Like, It's like you
have two types of people here, rich and super rich.
He's like, oh yeah, god, yeah, okay, that's hilarious. Actually,
but the people I know are very very good people,
(25:55):
great people, uh and um uplifting right and so um
and also thinking about ways to improve all the time
and ways to change things and ways to to uh
to help the world. Right. So I also think that
they're um, we we we we can we can help
(26:17):
some of the youth. I mean the United States needs
as well for sure for sure. So not open dog
pound kids, Yes, I think we can do stuff to
help kids. Dog pound is not Also just be clear,
it's not cheap. It's not cheap. How much does it
cost to work out it at dog pound? You know,
like if you go in there today, like standard package
(26:37):
which you have printed. I know we bumped our rates
up and it's it's so bad because I don't even
know these rates, but I know it's a lot, or
it can't be a lot because sometimes I've seen the
numbers over of course the time, and I'm like, wow,
people are really into this. But I think it's like
(26:58):
you charge a lot, but you it's it's like that,
uh you know, it's like the Joker in the Dark Nights,
like when you're good at something, don't do it for free,
but you ask a lot. I mean it's it's it's pricey,
but then people pay it. It's like if you build it,
they will come there and they will pay you. Thanks man,
thanks for coming through. Thank you, this is great. Big
(27:21):
Money Energy is hosted by me Bryan Sirhand. It's produced
by Mike Coscarelli and Joe Lorreesca, an executive produced by
Lindsay Hoffman. Find more podcasts like Big Money Energy on
the I Heart Radio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome back to another episode of Big Money Energy where
we talked to super successful and self made people to
find out exactly how they did it, how they went
from nothing to something. Today, I am joined by none
other than Kirk Meyer's Dog Pound Jim. We talked about
a lot of different things the creation of the brand,
but his story is so interesting. Dog Pound is a really,
(00:23):
really cool and real time example of how you take
an industry that has existed for a long time. You're
not reinventing the wheel. What you're doing is you're bringing
that personal experience to the forefront and making it about
the absolute best customer service. Now let's get into it.
Welcome to another episode. Take me back to like personally.
(00:56):
So you're born in Missouri, yes, good coal? Yeah, Kansas City, Missouri, Yes,
so one there and I lived there until it was thirty. Actually,
so I love Kansas City. Uh, other than the Chiefs,
I actually don't like the Chiefs. Was kind of ironic,
(01:16):
summeraders Van, But I do love Kansas City. Did you
did you go to college? Yes? So I went to
the first school I went through was very hard to
get into. It's called Blue River Community College. Not a
lot of applicants, No, So I mean it was just
community college. So like, basically I made terrible grades in
high school, barely graduated for the most part, and then
(01:38):
I made straight a's and community college. So so then
I got a scholarship to go to a four year school.
Since I graduated from University of Missouri Kansas City, it's
like two thousand and two or three, because I got
sick during that time period. So it's kind of all
(02:00):
vague and kind of yeah, that's kind of a blur
at times. So what do you want to do when
you graduated? I was originally going to be an elementary teacher,
so my dad's elementary principle. My mom used to be
a teacher. I just wanted to do something that was rewarding.
So I had worked at like this after school program
like part time, like when I was in high school,
(02:21):
and and so I really liked it because it was fun, right,
and my dad was a principal. I was terrible at
um managing though, like the kids like they would walk
all over me, which is somewhat similar to uh dog
Pound employees sometimes, but it is like the managing part
has never been like my passionate love, but anyways, so
(02:43):
it's gonna be an elementary teacher throughout the way. Like
I got sick. So I used to be really chunky.
I think you know this right, how much did you
weigh at the peak there? I kind of quit wing
and at over the three hundred pound barrier. Stop checking,
stop checking. Yeah, so so I would say, like, you know,
a little over three d pounds, but I'm only five five,
(03:04):
you know, uh on a good day. So I mean
I'm pretty sure. So uh So, basically this is when
I was sixteen or so, so I was pretty chunky,
and I was pretty like chunky most of my life,
but it really as started packing on the pounds, putting
on the carbs, and in high school, mostly with chocolate
milk for the most part, lots of chocolate milk, lots
(03:26):
of chocole milk, like and outrageous chocolate milk. So I
would drink up the two gallons a day. Actually yeah, so,
but I thought it was it was skim chocolate milk.
So in the Midwest, yeah, you thought that that was
like just not fat supers totally. Yeah, the results didn't
look like that, but but there's a ton of sugar. Yeah,
(03:49):
so are you okay talking about your your illness. Sure, yeah,
some of my the worst things that have happened to
me have been the best things that could have happened
to me. So, um, I graduated community college, got my
associates degree, right, and I moved actually went to Southwest
(04:09):
Missouri State which now called Missouri State. When I was there,
I started, like, um, I thought I had like mono
basically because I started sleeping a lot, I started coughing
a lot right as and I didn't really know what
was wrong. But my roommate, you know, called my parents
and they kind of like kidnapped kidnapped me and saved me.
So um, so I went to the hospital, right, and
(04:30):
they said I had a cardiomeopathy, which is an enlarged
heart and congestive heart failure. So that was actually a
total blessing in disguise because you know, I was overweight.
It wasn't really that confident, right and uh and so
it's like that was a shocking moment, right, But then
I was kind of forced to lose the weight. So
(04:53):
I'm lucky because a lot of people like basically they
have to just kind of set their own discipline to
lose weight. But I was kind of like just ever die, yeah, basically,
so that actually really pushed me to lose the weight
and specific like watching my food and changing my diet
and then just changing my lifestyle and so but over
the course of six months or so, I started feeling
(05:14):
a little bit better. And then I just started walking, right,
and that was kind of meditative for me. And then
I started doing the gym, which I did in high
school just was like more powerlifting style, So this was
like just a different style of training. So then I
learned how to do that, and I really learned a
lot about food. Right, So, just like anything in life, like,
(05:36):
I started gaining momentum, right, and I think momentum is
key with most things, right, it's just like your career,
like you do one thing at least the next and next.
So I lost ten pounds and it was twenty pounds, right,
and forty, and then people are starting to compliment you,
and then you feel better, and so it just kept
kind of growing a confidence a little bit, a little bit,
a little bit a little bit, and then so I
(05:57):
just started steamrolling then to the point where I lost
over a hundred pounds, right, crazy, you get this all
from walking and going to the gym and watching what
you eat. Yes, yeah, so and it it took itn't
It took a while. It took a little over two years,
and I was pretty young, so that probably helped me, right,
like from one to and so what had happened is
(06:22):
I was going to school to be an elementary teacher.
So I decided to, um switch it. Yeah, I decided
to when my friends were asking me how I lost weight,
So I started helping them, right, and then I just
realized it was super rewarding. They're almost proud of you
for helping them, right, so U So yeah, and then
I decided to become a trainer. So um, and that
(06:43):
was pretty much right out of college. And how did
you figure out like how to charge people, especially because
a lot of your first clients were we're friends. I've
always been bad about that, including now, right, I really
have been, because but the money always flows if you're
doing something you love and you're doing at high quality.
And that's that's always been my mentality and it's always worked, right,
(07:06):
So because what happens is you get referrals, right, so
and other people want to be a part of it. Yes,
So it almost doesn't even matter of who you're company,
whether they're known or they're work at the Delhi down
the street. Right, It's like when someone makes results, people
start talking about it, people ask about it, and yeah,
(07:28):
then you get friends and and other people tend to
start then asking you how much it is, and then
and then you don't really know them, so then you
can charge them like a fair rate, you know. So yeah,
so that's kind of how it all worked. And so
(07:51):
how did you get to New York. It seems like
your life was pretty great. You're set, you lost all
that weight, You're in Missouri, You're you're helping everyone in
Missouri lose weight. It was until I would say late
twenties I got kind of like, uh uh cocky, right,
Like I don't have no idea why because I'm I
don't know how trainers get cocky, but but I did myself.
(08:11):
So now I kind of realized that, right, my ego
got to me a little bit because when you were
in Missouri, yes, which is I know it's cancer to Missouri, buty.
But what happens is for the first time, I was like, um,
dating girls, right, and then then like I was going out, Sure,
I started starting the party, right, and I had like, uh,
(08:33):
fancy car, a nice car, and I had like this
nice loft right, And so basically like I was trying
to be someone I wasn't. Right. I was trying to
be cool, sure, I mean I like not thinking that
who I was was cool, if that makes sense. Was
trying to we're a totally different person than the person
you grew up as, Yes, and then people treat you differently,
(08:56):
which is amazing, But that doesn't mean you should change
who you are, right, I mean, of course we should
all grow and change and learn. But I think I
was trying to be um, like a party guy or something. Right,
So I started going out a lot so, which is
not good for me because I have like a very
(09:16):
passionate I used to call it addictive personality, but but
it is. It is just passionate, right. It's like I
get really into things without even realizing it. Chocolate milk
as an example, right, um, losing weight as an example. Working,
you know, I work the tause I'm just totally into it.
(09:37):
Tattoos is an example. I get really into things, which
is great if it's something good, but uh, if it's
drugs and partying it's not so good, especially if you've
had past heart problems issues and you're trying to build
a career. Right, Both those things tend to crumble if
you do a lot of drugs. So, um yeah, So
(09:59):
basically I I I started, Um, I got sick again,
basically the same heart. Yeah, but this time it was
worse right in theory, right, Um, So this when I
was thirty, because I have congestive heart failure. So they
said I was in the fourth stage of it, which
is like the last stage, right, So they would say
(10:20):
I needed a heart transplant, and my it's called an
injection for action was super low. It's like how your
heart pumps. Yeah, yeah, and I couldn't work, right, I
didn't have health insurance. Um. I was in the r
for like thirteen or fourteen days, right, And so I
came out thinking I would just bounce back, but it
(10:41):
just never really happened. So, um, you know, I basically
lost everything I had. I mean, it saved up a
decent amount of money for me. It wasn't that I mean,
it's all perspective, right, but for me, it was a
lot of money. I kind of blew through that just
with like the hospital bills that and also like really honestly,
(11:01):
not to be dramatic, I just didn't know how much
time I had left, and I didn't really care at
that time, you know, so uncause I lost my car,
that's my place, right, you know, I was really sick.
So I moved in with my sister, uh, and I
moved to Memphis, Tennessee. So anyways, so I was there.
(11:21):
I was there for about a year, and I started
feeling better. So it's a keep. Um. I had lived
in New York for like ten years or eleven years,
and we got in a fight when I got really
sick because he's my older brother and he's like yeah,
and like, so we had gotten in a fight. So
we had been in better. Terms were not great, and
(11:42):
I was still at this time period in my life.
I'm just trying to uh, you know together totally and
do things like, you know, like relationships that I that
were important. I was trying to bring them back, right.
So I moved here for I was only going to
be here for two or three months. I just didn't
(12:03):
want to move back to Kansas City quite yet, right,
So I came here to like switched up a little bit.
See your brother stay here, and no one wanted me
to move here. F y. I mean especially with your history,
you probably say. And this for sure. I also had
zero dollars, right, that's also not very helpful when you
(12:25):
moved to New York. But my sister had got given me,
you know, three d dollars or so, and like she
got me this membership to this meditation place that you
could do all the time, So I would do that
all the time. Um, just crashed with your brother. And
then my mom actually had a uh someone that because
(12:47):
she has like an orphanage and Africa other stay, she
had a place that was kind of given to her
part time. So I actually stayed there initially and then
then I would after that, I kind of stay with
my brother for a little bit. Um. But basically after
the three months, I started feeling better. So then I
(13:07):
decided to train. And so what did you go to first?
So at first, um, the irony is I got a
job at David Barton Gym. But they wanted me to
work any other ironies, They wanted me to work uh
full time, right, which like uh if if if you
know me, I usually like full times, no problem, right,
(13:28):
But I was like that was too too much, right
because I because I couldn't commit to it. I didn't
know how long it was gonna be, how you know.
I was just kind of getting my health back. So
I ended up getting a job at a small gym.
It was more of like, uh, you know boutique gym.
Was that the superstar gym? No, that was prior to that?
Is it different? Was a different gym, Um and so
(13:50):
and I just started working part time a couple of
days a week, and of course they became five days
a week, and I became every day a week, and
then uh you know, soon I was like, um, like
one of the head trainers. Right, this is like within
a pretty quick um, within a year, I would say,
But you still didn't have it in your mind to
(14:10):
start a business or do anything. Now. I was here
like buying time doing personal training because that's what you mean. Yeah.
My goal was just I love training and it made
me feel good. I just wanted to do it. Right.
Why do you think some of those early clients in
that Shim and Soho took to you as a guy
from Kansas City, Missouri who was just sort of here
(14:33):
figuring things out. I think one is because I was
genuine too, is because I was passionate and I really
actually I wanted to help help people, right, So like
if you came to me about training, I would be
totally into it, right. So it's at goals and we like,
I'm make sure you're accountable and like people like you. Yes,
(14:57):
So I think I think that's mostly mostly people can
tell if you're really into something, and so I think
that's and training that's all the all the differences being
really nice. It's a service industry, right, making sure you're
accommodating what they want. I was renting space out of
a bunch of gems, right. So you kind of started
(15:17):
your kirk Meyer's Fitness. Yes, it was like the relaunch
of kirk Myer's Fitness until you started a website. I
started a website and you just kind of put yourself
out there is this personal trainer, and you would work
out with anybody anywhere where. You going to people's houses
and the apartments and stuff. And I postcards that like
Captain Kirk that were quite ridiculous. I really just wanted
tend clients. Right when I started home clients, that was it.
(15:40):
Totally happy tend clients, and I want to start a
kids program. That was the two things. And so I
wrote down the list and then I wrote down some
dream list. And I knew that if I got a
big name, that would help, right, because it gives you credibility.
So I started like looking at other trainers that had
(16:01):
gotten big names before, and like we kind of looked
them up and how they did it right and so
but I really just wanted to take clients and you
would meet them anywhere any gym. Yes, you just wanted
them under the kirk Myer's Fitness brand. Yeah, so what
But what happened was like two clients came four, became eight,
became sixty really quickly, I had thirty forty clients right
(16:21):
by yourself. Yes, because a part of it is like
stars aligning and putting it out there. I made these
ridiculous postcards right, put them everywhere. Guaranteed no one signed
up from these postcards. But the fact that I was
going out doing this, it was like it was taking
action and I want yes, And like it's also like
(16:41):
a universe thing, right, like a run into you know,
I ran into. I picked so the ironies like Adam
Guy or you know Adam He started training with me
because he saw me walk around the neighborhood. But the
irony of Adam right, Adam's partner Jeff knew you. Jackman's
bodyguard Brian, and so that's eventually how I started training
(17:05):
Hugh Jackman. Right, And Hugh Jackman was your first celebrity clients,
and that was the name that puts you out there
in the industry and in your client base. And yeah,
yeah that that that was but for the biggest person.
But I always knew, and I would always say, like,
these ridiculous things they're looking back. I was like, well,
(17:26):
what if I'm training Beyonce right and the Rock and
they both come at the same time, right, You know,
you have to have people to help you, because at
that time I started hiring trainers help and like I
had zero celebrity. I'm like naming like the biggest names, right,
But it is kind of crazy because then we've had
a situations like this happened where two big people, right
(17:48):
or super at the same time. Totally we're like booking
the same things. So but but but Hugh was definitely
the the first big one and and such a big
impact because he's so nice and then he had friends yes,
and he brought them all. But you got known around
town is um as you know, Hugh Jackman's trainer, and
(18:11):
you guys had this group and then other people would
follow along who came up with dog Bound. So it
was really kind of huge thing because he would bring
the dog. He brings his dog to the workouts, right,
and so it's kind of like a joke kind of
like yes, like so that group got known as the
dog Bound. It was the early morning David Barton in yes,
(18:34):
in the village group, and so he would come like
Nigel and sometimes bring his dog right before he moved
the entry. Yeah. Nigel Parker, Yeah, yeah, Nigel is great.
He was so nice. And Nigel would just come around
and criticize everyone's you know, like I'm so much stronger
than me. I think part of it was that was
(18:54):
like it felt like a football team or right, or
any type of sports right, and Nigel was the perfect
person because he's picking on everyone. It didn't it didn't
go who was right. So I remember like meeting you
the first time, you're this guy, uh, you're covered in tattoos,
like that's cool, and then there's Hugh Jackman over there.
(19:16):
I'm like all right, so wolverines here, and then you've
got Nigel Parker, um uh, you know, like one of
the biggest fashion photographers in the world. And then it's
like Tom Farley, the CEO of the New York Stock Exchange,
you know. And then you've got big traders over year
and then there's like a model over there, and like
what what is happening? Like this is not you know, yeah, no,
(19:40):
I think we've been so fortunate with That's our biggest strength,
by far is our our clients, right uh. And that's
why I talked about talk upon a lot right building community,
building community and community, and like that's what makes the
world go around. That's why cities exist. Right. People like
to and around that group of people and before you
(20:01):
know it, they put a building up. That's a big
thing for anyone that's that's watching and listening that doesn't
know I mean dog no one, I think maybe other
than me. Dog Pound was not a gym where you
just go and work out. You go there to personal train.
(20:22):
That's it. You go there, you book of time, everyone
clocks in and you go personal train. So it's a
personal training gym. When we didn't want memberships, right because
then people are just kind of floating around, especially with
um uh with privacy and right, yeah, and I think
even that's a big business decision. I mean, you think
with the gym, if you think about the classic gym
(20:43):
business model, you want a thousand gym memberships, right, because
you're collecting that revenue every month. But then you know
they're not all gonna come, it's gonna rain, they're gonna
sleep in, and so then you're just looking at kind
of like you know, cost per space and figuring out
all of those KPIs, the metrics, and you probably took
the riskier route of saying, now we're not gonna take
(21:06):
recurring revenue that way, We're just gonna be totally personal training.
But we're also not going to give everyone the personal
trainer they want every single time. That was the other
thing that was a big thing there. It's like, well,
I'm gonna work out of ten. It's like, okay, well
you can't have him. We're gonna give you, uh, you know,
we're gonna give you Christian, right, so we're gonna give
you someone else. And everyone sort of said, okay, if
I worked out here, that's how it's done here, and
(21:28):
it's totally fine. No, And I think, like, and you
paid the trainers salaries, yes, didn't pay them. They weren't
like then incentivized by this or that they come in
And some of the what I've noticed, I was trying
to be very innovative and some of these things worked.
Some of them not as much as I would like, uh,
(21:48):
but some of them I think that can be tweaks.
But I think the goal of the right when we
opened the gym, I think my confidence start, you know,
I started raising the bar. The gym was never were uh,
it was always meant to be bigger than just the
four walls of the gym, right, So, like, because you
can only make so much money from that anyways, even
(22:11):
if you're making money off of every corner. Right. So
I think a part of it is what I knew
what we were good at, and I wanted to stick
with that. And if you like, you know, we did
boxing classes at the beginning initially, but but it would
overcrowd the space, right and the one on ones weren't
as effective and people would complain, right, so we we
(22:33):
took those away. Right, So I think, um, uh, the
the one on one model, right, we've always kind of
stuck to and the the irony is that actually definitely
went in our benefit is now covided, right, and like, yeah,
no totally. So it's like, um, so we still have
not executed on how to scale it, but we definitely
(22:56):
have the vision on how to scale. It's just a
matter of execution, timing and these things. But uh, but
I guess to go back to your question that that
business decision, I think, um, yeah, I was always pretty
stubborn about that because you know, even the people that
had invested, we're trying to convince me otherwise. And the
(23:18):
other thing I was stubborn about, which I'm lucky to
be stubborn about. It wasn't like I was a genius
by doing it, just some of it was just good timing,
is is. I didn't want a bunch of dog bounds, right.
I didn't want to scale because everyone, when we started
getting really hot, was like, Okay, we're gonna try to
make ten of these things, right. But uh but I
(23:40):
was always like no, no, right, So we're very cautious
on opening. So how many how many fund raising rounds
have you done? Now? So we did the uh, the
Angel round, right. It was actually called A, but it's
really the Angel round. So uh, and then I would
call it a Series A to get l A. So
those too, we had to do a note during COVID
(24:04):
right to just get a long runway and also to
kind of hope build out some of our digital platform
which we're currently working on. And so we're about ready
to do our biggest fundraise, which is super exciting. Uh,
you know, the within uh the upcoming months. Really it
(24:24):
may some of them maybe get pushed to quarter one,
but it will probably within the next few months, you know.
So and so what's next for dog Pound? What's next
for dog Pounds? So we're opening We're planning on opening
in Doha, Qatar before the World Cup. So we're hoping
totally random third location, but no problem. But I love
(24:46):
New York l A. Yeah. So, but I like doing
things outside of the box. But that is outside the
box more importantly here. Like I would think you'd say Miami, yeah,
that's a possibility, but personally, Doha all the way over
Miami over any any city. To be honest with you,
(25:08):
because you have you have Qatari investors, we do, but
for me, it's not even that. It's not like they're
begging us or making us good. I just really like it.
They're actually the people there are so nice, community is
so strong, they're very smart. When you're that rich, it's
easy to be that nice. Probably, But I remember when
(25:32):
the first time I was in the Middle East, not
to get you off or like, our driver was like,
so what are the people here? Like, It's like you
have two types of people here, rich and super rich.
He's like, oh yeah, god, yeah, okay, that's hilarious. Actually,
but the people I know are very very good people,
(25:55):
great people, uh and um uplifting right and so um
and also thinking about ways to improve all the time
and ways to change things and ways to to uh
to help the world. Right. So I also think that
they're um, we we we we can we can help
(26:17):
some of the youth. I mean the United States needs
as well for sure for sure. So not open dog
pound kids, Yes, I think we can do stuff to
help kids. Dog pound is not Also just be clear,
it's not cheap. It's not cheap. How much does it
cost to work out it at dog pound? You know,
like if you go in there today, like standard package
(26:37):
which you have printed. I know we bumped our rates
up and it's it's so bad because I don't even
know these rates, but I know it's a lot, or
it can't be a lot because sometimes I've seen the
numbers over of course the time, and I'm like, wow,
people are really into this. But I think it's like
(26:58):
you charge a lot, but you it's it's like that,
uh you know, it's like the Joker in the Dark Nights,
like when you're good at something, don't do it for free,
but you ask a lot. I mean it's it's it's pricey,
but then people pay it. It's like if you build it,
they will come there and they will pay you. Thanks man,
thanks for coming through. Thank you, this is great. Big
(27:21):
Money Energy is hosted by me Bryan Sirhand. It's produced
by Mike Coscarelli and Joe Lorreesca, an executive produced by
Lindsay Hoffman. Find more podcasts like Big Money Energy on
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