Better With Buddies: Building Muscle In Business (and the Gym)

In this episode, we hear from Belal, the creator of an app that helps people find a workout partner. Belal shares insights into the development and launch of the app, his marketing strategies, the challenges faced and his ultimate goal of making fitness more accessible.

#GymBuddy #FitnessGoals #WorkoutCommunity #GainsWithFriends

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/48pgLuK

Episode Transcript

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The first week or the first few months of the bootcamp.

(00:03):
I didn't think I was going, I didn't think I was smart enough to actually do it. 3 00:00:28,240.303030303 --> 00:00:33,490.303030303 Getting fit and running a business can be challenging, especially in the beginning. 4 00:00:34,455.303030303 --> 00:00:35,945.303030303 But you don't have to do it alone. 5 00:00:36,735.303030303 --> 00:00:43,65.303030303 And in this conversation with Bilal, he shares his journey in business and what he wishes he knew starting out. 6 00:00:44,489.268638695 --> 00:01:05,739.267638695 I'm working on an app called Let's Gym and it's pretty straightforward It's just an an app that helps people find gym partners So like you can go on the app if you're looking for someone who works on strength You can filter on like what you need or what you want and gym partner, and you can easily find someone and start messaging to like try to get a workout in. 7 00:01:07,209.267638695 --> 00:01:11,169.267638695 So, I'm guessing you're living in quite densely populated area. 8 00:01:11,679.267638695 --> 00:01:11,999.267638695 Yeah. 9 00:01:12,59.267638695 --> 00:01:14,449.268638695 I am located in Denver, Colorado in the U S. 10 00:01:15,309.268638695 --> 00:01:24,999.267638695 So it's, uh, it's pretty populated, we launched in Denver on the first beta and it, like, the MVP was, like, so crappy. 11 00:01:25,329.268638695 --> 00:01:30,939.268638695 But, uh We got really good feedback because it's just, you know, where I live and I can go see and talk to users easily. 12 00:01:31,479.268638695 --> 00:01:41,709.26863869 Uh, but then I revamped it and actually like created an iOS app from scratch and relaunched in Denver and we got a lot, we got a lot more positive feedback from it. 13 00:01:43,19.26863869 --> 00:01:56,129.26763869 So, how did, how did you launch it? so at first, like before I even started coding the app, I thought of the name just one day on the hike and I was like, okay, I'm not going to think too deeply about the name. 14 00:01:56,129.26863869 --> 00:02:06,139.31863869 Cause I can always change it if it doesn't, you know, correlate to the customers and I created a logo and I just created my social media channels like Facebook and Instagram. 15 00:02:06,139.31863869 --> 00:02:10,539.26863869 That's the only two that we really have and I just put on like a quick. 16 00:02:11,304.26863869 --> 00:02:21,744.26863869 And an ad is like, Hey Denver, are you looking for a gym partner? And by the end of the week, we had like 75 people signed up and I was only like, ran like 10 worth of the ad. 17 00:02:21,874.26863869 --> 00:02:22,774.26863869 And I was like, wow, okay. 18 00:02:23,144.26863869 --> 00:02:25,864.26863869 That's a lot of people signed up for little to no ad money. 19 00:02:26,364.26863869 --> 00:02:27,604.26863869 So I was like, okay, people are interested. 20 00:02:28,689.26863869 --> 00:02:33,814.26863869 was that on Google or Facebook ads? We have Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, and Instagram. 21 00:02:35,359.26863869 --> 00:02:39,869.26963869 So, you're just targeting Denver to make sure that everybody's got somebody to match with. 22 00:02:40,429.26863869 --> 00:02:40,659.26863869 Yeah. 23 00:02:40,659.26963869 --> 00:02:48,489.26863869 And the proof of concept is like valuable just because people are matching within Denver or not matching because it's not a match based system. 24 00:02:48,579.26863869 --> 00:02:55,239.26863869 Just because the original model that I had, it was just like, you know, dating apps like Tinder or whatever you swipe left, swipe, right. 25 00:02:56,239.26763869 --> 00:03:01,519.26863869 But the biggest issue with that is, you know, someone might not be on the app every day. 26 00:03:01,669.26863869 --> 00:03:02,349.26763869 Someone might not. 27 00:03:02,679.26863869 --> 00:03:03,759.26863869 Swipe left to swipe right. 28 00:03:04,279.26863869 --> 00:03:06,489.26863869 So you'll have to match first before you message. 29 00:03:06,639.26863869 --> 00:03:13,369.26863869 And so like, if you're trying to find a workout partner, that could be a big, um, roadblock just to just find someone to work out with. 30 00:03:13,369.26863869 --> 00:03:15,199.26763869 So we try to make it as easy as possible. 31 00:03:15,509.26863869 --> 00:03:23,569.26863869 So now if you see someone you match with, you see their profile and you want to work out with them, you can just quickly message them and just try to get something. 32 00:03:23,634.36863869 --> 00:03:30,134.26863869 Yeah, and are people paying for this now? no, right now it's free. 33 00:03:30,384.26863869 --> 00:03:33,324.26863869 Um, and I feel like the base model will always be free. 34 00:03:33,844.26863869 --> 00:03:45,94.26863869 Eventually, you know, we'll have like a premium model and also advertising to bring in revenue, but the core value of the app of just helping people find gem partners will always essentially be free. 35 00:03:46,474.26863869 --> 00:03:53,474.26763869 And was there a reason why you decided to go direct to consumer instead of do a B2B model? Yeah. 36 00:03:53,544.26763869 --> 00:04:00,514.26863869 Um, so I originally thought of the idea and I'll reach out to gems just to see if they would do partnerships. 37 00:04:01,254.26863869 --> 00:04:12,559.26863869 Um, but a lot of major gems, they, they just said, yeah, we don't do partnerships or We can put some flyers in the break room for our staff, but it's not necessarily doing anything for me. 38 00:04:12,899.26863869 --> 00:04:21,109.26863869 So I was just like, well, um, I don't, I didn't, so I didn't really see a value of partnering up with the gym just because I wasn't necessarily getting anything out of it. 39 00:04:21,119.26863869 --> 00:04:26,659.26763869 It was just the gym staff would be able to see the advertisings or, you know, things of that nature. 40 00:04:27,249.26863869 --> 00:04:34,669.26863869 Um, so I know at the end of the day, the B2C is where I need to be. 41 00:04:34,919.26863869 --> 00:04:38,179.26863869 And I was going to utilize like gym and nutrition shops to get there. 42 00:04:38,724.26863869 --> 00:04:43,204.26863869 But it just seemed like that would be an extra hurdle to get to the consumers. 43 00:04:44,904.26863869 --> 00:04:52,709.26863869 It's interesting, isn't it? Because to me it's very similar to booking a class at the gym and it's just an extra add-on. 44 00:04:53,289.26863869 --> 00:05:01,69.26863869 And it would seem a bit safer too because the gym knows all the people who are. 45 00:05:01,769.26863869 --> 00:05:01,909.26863869 yeah. 46 00:05:02,519.26863869 --> 00:05:05,909.26863869 They've got all the details of the people that you're interacting with. 47 00:05:06,689.26763869 --> 00:05:11,289.26863869 And also, um, I don't know, I imagine it's the same in the States as it is here in Australia. 48 00:05:11,489.26863869 --> 00:05:14,239.26863869 So we have gym brands where you get a membership. 49 00:05:14,689.26863869 --> 00:05:17,859.26863869 And you travel, Oh, and you can use Oh, yeah. 50 00:05:17,859.26863869 --> 00:05:18,29.26863869 yeah. 51 00:05:18,89.26863869 --> 00:05:21,19.26863869 of gym, and that would be amazing. 52 00:05:21,799.26863869 --> 00:05:22,129.26863869 Oh, yeah. 53 00:05:22,129.26863869 --> 00:05:24,589.26763869 Because the gym I go to is called Shoes Fitness out here. 54 00:05:24,599.26763869 --> 00:05:29,69.26763869 And they have plenty of different gyms in Colorado and in California and Arizona. 55 00:05:29,669.26963869 --> 00:05:37,559.26863869 And that was the first gym I wanted to like just partner with just to get, like I said, I'll give you all flyers to just have on the desk. 56 00:05:37,639.26863869 --> 00:05:39,949.26863869 And I will also like sponsor your gym. 57 00:05:40,394.26863869 --> 00:05:52,54.26863869 And let's say like in advertising's where, where we have a, like a certain gym name, I'll use, you know, Truth Fitness, but they, um, they declined it because they said they didn't see the value that we would bring to the gym. 58 00:05:52,734.26763869 --> 00:05:56,824.26763869 And my response to them was, well, people need to work out somewhere. 59 00:05:56,874.26763869 --> 00:05:57,954.26763869 They're not going to work out at home. 60 00:05:58,414.26863869 --> 00:06:08,974.26863869 So like if, let's say I use a person from the gym, meet someone who doesn't have a gym membership, they can bring that person who doesn't have a gym membership to your gym and get a day pass. 61 00:06:09,604.26863869 --> 00:06:10,224.26863869 Let's see how it goes. 62 00:06:10,224.26863869 --> 00:06:15,439.26863869 So that's how I was pitching it, but it didn't, uh, Didn't fly. 63 00:06:15,684.26863869 --> 00:06:16,74.26863869 Yeah. 64 00:06:16,574.26863869 --> 00:06:19,604.26863869 Think the interesting things about gyms in general. 65 00:06:19,854.26863869 --> 00:06:25,964.26863869 Is if you look at their business model, it's almost like they don't want everybody to turn up either. 66 00:06:26,139.26863869 --> 00:06:30,64.26863869 exactly They can't sell as many memberships. 67 00:06:30,104.26863869 --> 00:06:36,114.26863869 So if your app actually encouraged more people to go to the gym, that might be a problem for them. 68 00:06:37,9.26863869 --> 00:06:53,779.26863869 Yeah, because right now we're building a What's the thing called like? A new feature that's somewhat of a challenge to like, you can create a group and if your groups record this many workouts, like, uh, it's pretty much like a leaderboard. 69 00:06:54,419.26763869 --> 00:07:07,279.26863869 So I can definitely see that being a challenge on the gym just because the gym I go to pretty reasonable size and it's never really packed, but I can definitely see it being packed in like a month. 70 00:07:07,459.26863869 --> 00:07:07,799.26863869 So. 71 00:07:08,844.26863869 --> 00:07:17,549.26763869 So how long have you been working on this, Uh, this, for about eighteen months. 72 00:07:17,709.26763869 --> 00:07:18,809.26763869 Between sixteen and eighteen months. 73 00:07:18,809.36763869 --> 00:07:25,469.26863869 I had the idea, I pushed out just ads, like, you know. 74 00:07:25,839.26863869 --> 00:07:27,939.26863869 A few dollars worth of ads to see if people are interested. 75 00:07:28,549.26863869 --> 00:07:32,509.26863869 And once I saw people are interested, I just started trying to build the app myself. 76 00:07:34,639.26863869 --> 00:07:45,319.26763869 So, so I went to the university of Memphis and the degree that I got was, in management information systems. 77 00:07:45,369.26763869 --> 00:07:47,429.26763869 But I learned how to code myself. 78 00:07:47,649.26763869 --> 00:07:51,549.26763869 I took a few boot camps and learned, uh, just learned how to code. 79 00:07:52,349.26763869 --> 00:08:06,89.26763869 Were there any particular ones that you thought were really good? So, the funny thing is, is I took a full stack development boot camp but for developing this app, I didn't have to use any of that. 80 00:08:06,389.26763869 --> 00:08:08,629.26763869 Just because, uh, the app that I built was. 81 00:08:09,664.26763869 --> 00:08:10,894.26763869 And iOS and Swift. 82 00:08:11,634.26763869 --> 00:08:14,214.26763869 Uh, so it's a lot of that and flutter code as well. 83 00:08:14,824.26763869 --> 00:08:23,844.26763869 And, but learning how to code like one language, I feel like is a good gateway to learning how to code all the languages. 84 00:08:23,934.26763869 --> 00:08:29,304.26763869 'cause you know, the figuring out the syntax and figuring out the flow of things. 85 00:08:29,604.26763869 --> 00:08:33,984.26763869 After I, after I figured out, you know, the first code, I was able to figure out all the other ones faster. 86 00:08:34,784.26763869 --> 00:08:36,164.26763869 And was that bootcamp free? I is. 87 00:08:37,44.26763869 --> 00:08:40,699.26763869 No, that bootcamp was, I think. 88 00:08:41,199.26763869 --> 00:08:43,189.26763869 It's either 800 or 1, 000. 89 00:08:43,989.26763869 --> 00:08:51,459.26763869 I want to say, I remember it being under 1, 000 because I just got out of college and uh, still wasn't really making a lot of money and that was a pretty big investment. 90 00:08:51,699.26663869 --> 00:08:56,759.16763869 Just because, you know, being early 20s you can do a lot of things with 1, 000. 91 00:08:56,759.26763869 --> 00:09:03,29.26763869 But, uh, but I just took a chance and I said, well, let me stop playing video games all day and learn how to code. 92 00:09:03,829.26763869 --> 00:09:10,649.26763869 And do you find now that you still have to pay to learn? Or is there anyone that you follow? No, no, no. 93 00:09:10,739.26763869 --> 00:09:10,959.26763869 Yeah. 94 00:09:10,959.26763869 --> 00:09:18,149.26713869 So like after the first bootcamp, I, I would say the bootcamp taught me the code. 95 00:09:18,149.26713869 --> 00:09:29,69.26763869 Yes, but what it didn't, it instilled confidence in me more than anything that I could code just because, um, you know, the first week or the first few months of the bootcamp. 96 00:09:29,369.26763869 --> 00:09:33,459.26763869 And I didn't think I was going, I didn't think I was smart enough to, to actually do it. 97 00:09:34,59.26763869 --> 00:09:37,639.26663869 So I saw the professor online and I was like, man, he's making this seem so easy. 98 00:09:37,689.26663869 --> 00:09:39,539.26663869 I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that. 99 00:09:40,249.26563869 --> 00:09:43,679.26563869 But then I just kept sticking with it, being consistent 30 minutes a day. 100 00:09:43,679.26563869 --> 00:09:45,739.26563869 I told myself if I spent 30 minutes a day, I'll be. 101 00:09:46,169.26563869 --> 00:09:47,469.26563869 I'll be okay at the end of it. 102 00:09:47,929.26563869 --> 00:09:56,199.26563869 So during that whole bootcamp, we built three different projects throughout the course, like three big apps and I built the first one. 103 00:09:56,229.26563869 --> 00:09:57,409.26563869 I was like, okay, I'm kind of confident. 104 00:09:57,419.26463869 --> 00:09:59,289.26563869 I built the second one and I was like, okay, I'm getting there. 105 00:09:59,299.26563869 --> 00:10:01,489.26563869 And then after the third one, I was like, all right, I got this. 106 00:10:01,819.26563869 --> 00:10:05,759.26563869 I was like Googling less so I would say it built my confidence up. 107 00:10:05,799.26563869 --> 00:10:08,829.26563869 So like now trying to build an iOS app for an iPhone. 108 00:10:09,794.26563869 --> 00:10:16,334.26563869 Um, I pretty much just Googled it and there was some great videos on YouTube that, helped me out. 109 00:10:16,834.26563869 --> 00:10:20,229.26563869 It's amazing now how much information is out there? Oh yeah. 110 00:10:20,264.26563869 --> 00:10:25,149.26563869 Whether it's coding or there's, you know, something wrong with your car, you can usually find Yeah. 111 00:10:25,219.26563869 --> 00:10:25,579.26513869 I hate that. 112 00:10:25,579.26513869 --> 00:10:26,384.26563869 The something. 113 00:10:26,824.26563869 --> 00:10:38,794.26563869 Now the idea that you'd spend 30 minutes a day is really interesting because for people that code, often when you're stuck trying to solve a problem or get something done, time gets away from you really fast. 114 00:10:39,244.26563869 --> 00:10:52,64.26563869 So did you find yourself just walking away from the keyboard or did you stay there till you sorted something out? so it took me a while to figure out what worked best for me. 115 00:10:52,504.26563869 --> 00:10:54,984.26563869 I'll say in the beginning, I would just get sucked in. 116 00:10:55,64.26563869 --> 00:10:56,334.26563869 It could be an hour. 117 00:10:56,344.26663869 --> 00:10:58,44.26663869 It could be two hours to be literally all night. 118 00:10:58,884.26663869 --> 00:11:04,794.26563869 Uh, but once, I realized that stepping away is also, this probably the greatest thing that you could do. 119 00:11:04,934.26563869 --> 00:11:07,414.26563869 So like, if I run into a problem or a bug. 120 00:11:08,264.26563869 --> 00:11:13,204.26563869 Um, what I'll do is, I'll try to identify, alright, what's going on. 121 00:11:13,844.26563869 --> 00:11:17,144.26563869 And then, if I can't figure it out, I'll start a timer. 122 00:11:17,264.26463869 --> 00:11:17,894.26563869 30 minutes. 123 00:11:18,654.26563869 --> 00:11:29,34.26563869 And if I can't figure it out within those 30 minutes, I'll just take a break for an hour, go work out, go play video games, you know, do something which way, anything else besides think or work on the code. 124 00:11:29,304.26563869 --> 00:11:33,84.26463869 But then, it could either be the same day, or the next day I'll come back. 125 00:11:33,574.26563869 --> 00:11:37,734.26563869 And just try to figure it out with a new set of eyes, uh, in a night's sleep. 126 00:11:37,864.26563869 --> 00:11:45,44.26563869 So, um, it usually just depends on like of the routine that best works for the person. 127 00:11:45,54.26563869 --> 00:11:52,534.26563869 And, and I realized that works best for me just because I will literally, like you said, not waste time, but time would just get away from me. 128 00:11:53,334.26563869 --> 00:12:03,254.26563869 And when you were talking about the fact that you built your confidence, it seems kind of crazy to me, but someone like Jerry Seinfeld, for example, he works in the same way where he just sets a block of time. 129 00:12:03,664.26563869 --> 00:12:11,854.26463869 And if he does the work, then he's achieved And there's some thought that even if you're writing something, whether it's code or something else. 130 00:12:12,729.26563869 --> 00:12:21,149.26563869 You stop mid-sentence and come back and that's actually better for us mentally to do that. 131 00:12:21,759.26563869 --> 00:12:28,349.26563869 It seems crazy to me 'cause I, I'd like to finish things, but apparently that's a really good way of working. 132 00:12:28,424.26563869 --> 00:12:29,164.26563869 Yeah, Oh, yeah. 133 00:12:29,254.26563869 --> 00:12:30,604.26563869 But, but, but I agree with you. 134 00:12:30,604.26563869 --> 00:12:40,714.26563869 Like I, I love finishing things and, that was the biggest hurdle is, um, because you can really beat yourself up, yep, exactly. 135 00:12:40,864.26563869 --> 00:12:48,164.26563869 And, and that is the thing, like, I would just kept, I kept beating myself, like, ugh, man, I feel like I haven't done nothing today, but I've been working for like six hours. 136 00:12:48,859.26563869 --> 00:12:59,899.26563869 But what helped me with it is the beginning of the week or like Sunday evening, I just think to myself, what do I think is feasible to accomplish this week? So I named my top three things I want to accomplish. 137 00:13:00,344.26563869 --> 00:13:05,274.26563869 And then two things that I also want to accomplish if I have time, like just quick, easy wins. 138 00:13:06,54.26563869 --> 00:13:10,871.90636205 Um, and I give myself a whole week to like try to work on it because each day is different day. 139 00:13:10,871.90636205 --> 00:13:15,111.90636205 So one thing could happen one day that can block off eight hours of my day. 140 00:13:15,111.90636205 --> 00:13:18,141.90736205 The other day I might have like 10 hours free not doing anything. 141 00:13:18,141.90736205 --> 00:13:27,891.90636205 So I don't necessarily beat myself up as much as I used to just because it is, I give myself that freedom of like, this is the only things that I need to accomplish this week. 142 00:13:28,801.90736205 --> 00:13:37,181.90736205 And, do you eat the frog? Do you do the most difficult thing first? Or do you try to knock off the easy things? It depends on the time that I have. 143 00:13:37,231.90736205 --> 00:13:39,891.90736205 So like, Mondays and Tuesdays are like one of my most busiest days. 144 00:13:39,891.90736205 --> 00:13:40,761.90736205 I just have meetings. 145 00:13:41,191.90736205 --> 00:13:43,801.90636205 So I don't necessarily start with the hardest things. 146 00:13:43,801.90736205 --> 00:13:47,511.90736205 I start with the things that I could stop and start pretty easily. 147 00:13:47,961.90636205 --> 00:13:49,581.90736205 Like the social media aspect of it. 148 00:13:49,881.90736205 --> 00:14:01,421.90736205 That's when I try to handle it on the earlier part of the week, just because it's, uh, But it's easier to stop and stop that then stop and start code in my opinion. 149 00:14:02,811.90736205 --> 00:14:04,331.90736205 So I tried to knock that off. 150 00:14:04,371.90736205 --> 00:14:07,171.90686205 And then near the end of the week, I usually have a lot more free time. 151 00:14:07,171.90686205 --> 00:14:09,941.90736205 So I try to tackle the biggest thing then. 152 00:14:10,991.90736205 --> 00:14:19,541.90736205 is the impact you want to have with the app? Um, I just want working out to be accessible. 153 00:14:19,811.90736205 --> 00:14:21,731.90736205 Like, if you want to work out, you can. 154 00:14:21,811.90736205 --> 00:14:24,61.90736205 Like, for me, I played American football, so. 155 00:14:24,786.90736205 --> 00:14:28,696.90736205 We started lifting weights when I was like 13, 14. 156 00:14:28,966.90736205 --> 00:14:30,786.90736205 So like they taught us the right form. 157 00:14:30,786.90736205 --> 00:14:31,886.90736205 They taught us the workouts. 158 00:14:31,886.90736205 --> 00:14:32,776.90736205 They taught us all this. 159 00:14:33,226.90736205 --> 00:14:36,126.90736205 And so my foundation was set from just going to school. 160 00:14:36,726.90636205 --> 00:14:42,816.90636205 But my brother, um, he never worked out a day in his life and he tried to get into fitness. 161 00:14:43,481.90736205 --> 00:14:53,251.90736205 Last year and he was looking at YouTube videos Of how to bench and how to squat and do all this stuff But when went to the gym, he did it he kept asking me. 162 00:14:53,261.90736205 --> 00:15:04,471.90736205 Hey, is this blouse this form, right? How do I know how much weight to do? Is this normal? So like the entry level for a beginner It's a lot harder than someone who used to work out. 163 00:15:05,281.90736205 --> 00:15:11,951.90736205 So having someone to, you know, just show you or be like, Hey, I would recommend this, or this is what I'm doing. 164 00:15:12,281.90736205 --> 00:15:19,21.90736205 Um, you know, X, Y, Z, it just helps the entry into fitness being a lot less scary and a lot more accessible. 165 00:15:19,821.90736205 --> 00:15:25,751.90736205 So it sounds like you're almost looking to create mentor mentee type relationships. 166 00:15:26,26.90636206 --> 00:15:26,406.90736206 Oh Yeah. 167 00:15:26,476.90736206 --> 00:15:26,846.90736206 yeah. 168 00:15:27,16.90636206 --> 00:15:27,276.90636206 Yeah. 169 00:15:27,326.90636206 --> 00:15:29,46.90736206 That's, that's a big goal. 170 00:15:29,46.90736206 --> 00:15:31,916.90736206 And also just to simplify that goal is just to. 171 00:15:32,436.90736206 --> 00:15:37,541.90736206 Just to have someone to work out with because I've been working out with the same group of friends since I was like 18, 19. 172 00:15:38,61.90736206 --> 00:15:43,181.90736206 And I noticed working out alone is a lot different than working out by yourself. 173 00:15:44,91.90736206 --> 00:15:49,961.90736206 Uh, and I know I'm, I know if I'm having that problem, I'm not the biggest gym person. 174 00:15:50,941.90636206 --> 00:15:54,1.90736206 If I know, I knew if I'm having that problem, other people to have that same problem as well. 175 00:15:54,551.90736206 --> 00:16:01,941.90736206 Just because, you know, you can talk and meet someone at the gym, but how often is that? Because everyone has their headphones in, everyone is zoned out. 176 00:16:02,456.90736206 --> 00:16:09,476.90736206 So just having the barrier of entry, just trying to resolve that is the biggest thing I'm trying to do with this app. 177 00:16:10,766.90736206 --> 00:16:21,26.90636206 And what is the ratio of, women to men? I was pretty surprised about the ratio cause it, it wasn't as one sided as I would have thought. 178 00:16:21,816.90636205 --> 00:16:23,786.90636205 Were you thinking it was going to be more male? No. 179 00:16:24,136.90636206 --> 00:16:24,456.90636206 Yeah. 180 00:16:24,456.90636206 --> 00:16:33,826.90636206 I thought it was gonna be like 85 percent male, 15 percent women, but, uh, it was surprisingly, uh, a lot better than that. 181 00:16:33,836.90536206 --> 00:16:39,346.90636206 It was 62 percent men, 36 percent women. 182 00:16:39,347.00636206 --> 00:16:41,476.8063621 No. 183 00:16:43,136.906362 --> 00:16:48,756.906362 think it's interesting how times have changed and strength has become more important for women. 184 00:16:50,866.906362 --> 00:16:51,16.906362 Yeah. 185 00:16:51,206.906362 --> 00:16:53,746.905362 But a lot of women just don't know how. 186 00:16:54,736.9063621 --> 00:16:55,366.9063621 And I agree. 187 00:16:56,16.906362 --> 00:16:58,176.906362 going to the gym, standing in front of the equipment. 188 00:16:58,811.906362 --> 00:16:59,931.906362 No idea how to use it. 189 00:17:01,406.9063621 --> 00:17:02,216.9063621 No, I agree. 190 00:17:02,216.9063621 --> 00:17:02,706.9063621 I agree. 191 00:17:02,796.9063621 --> 00:17:04,326.9063621 It's cause I have a little sister as well. 192 00:17:04,376.9053621 --> 00:17:09,546.9063621 And, you know, I invited her to the gym with me one time, but she was like, yeah, I don't like your workouts. 193 00:17:09,546.9063621 --> 00:17:12,376.9063621 Your workouts just like big meathead workouts. 194 00:17:12,376.9063621 --> 00:17:15,666.9063621 I need like someone that want to work out the body parts I want to work on. 195 00:17:16,386.9053621 --> 00:17:22,226.9063621 Um, and so I realized there is a big, big difference between. 196 00:17:23,181.9063621 --> 00:17:28,291.9063621 Female and male, like, workout routines based off of just my talk with my sister and a few friends. 197 00:17:29,341.906362 --> 00:17:46,371.9063621 So, what do you see those differences as being? Um, like, you know, with me and my friends, we I wouldn't say we ego lift, but we do lift a lot heavier and a lot more, um, like, quote unquote, like, meathead workouts. 198 00:17:46,371.9063621 --> 00:18:17,911.9073621 So do you see that there might be a need to split the app in two for those two different audiences? Um, not necessarily, and the only reason why I say that is there is, uh, a lot of women that works out with men, like there is, um, like I met a person named Chris, uh, and she's one of the first users of the app and I'm also on the app and she hit me up one day and we did a workout and I couldn't, like, there was no difference between me working out with a man or a woman. 199 00:18:18,51.9073621 --> 00:18:20,371.9073621 Like it was just, Felt the same. 200 00:18:21,61.9073621 --> 00:18:32,641.9073621 And how comfortable are people just turning up in that situation? I went on 10 different, workouts with people and I'll say probably only one person didn't show up. 201 00:18:32,711.9073621 --> 00:18:50,51.9063621 He like it was snowing in Denver So we just didn't work out But the because the biggest thing was people safety is my biggest was my biggest Problem to try to face they're meeting at public gyms. 202 00:18:50,51.9063621 --> 00:18:54,456.9073621 There's no, you know private gyms That I'm aware of around Denver area. 203 00:18:55,26.9073621 --> 00:19:04,891.9073621 So, um, so, you know, I just preference it just to meet at a meet at the gym and not at the house or somewhere like that Yeah. 204 00:19:05,621.9073621 --> 00:19:13,966.9063621 And what about insurance then? Yeah, so we're set up as a LLC and we just have business insurance through through there. 205 00:19:13,967.0063621 --> 00:19:16,116.8073621 Yeah, I have an advisor. 206 00:19:16,116.8073621 --> 00:19:18,246.8073621 So he told me that was the first thing I have to do. 207 00:19:19,891.8073621 --> 00:19:24,316.8063621 And where do you find your advisor? Denver is pretty big on the startup scene. 208 00:19:24,406.8073621 --> 00:19:24,846.8073621 So. 209 00:19:25,336.8073621 --> 00:19:30,516.8073621 You know, there's like a Reddit forums and stuff, uh, like for like Denver startups and stuff of that nature. 210 00:19:30,516.8073621 --> 00:19:39,296.8073621 So when I first moved here, I was really trying to get into the startup scene just to figure out, you know, how someone has an idea and creates it into a business. 211 00:19:39,296.8073621 --> 00:19:50,566.8073621 So I just go to these startup events and it's, all of them are free and they have like founders and, you know, uh, old CEOs of companies that come and just speak to the group. 212 00:19:50,981.8073621 --> 00:19:56,381.8073621 Or even have a panel sometimes, and you can ask questions just about the process of how they got from A to B. 213 00:19:57,51.8073621 --> 00:20:07,271.8073621 Um, so like just going to these events, you know, one of the questions I has is, had was, how do you get a mentor? And, you know, they gave me like a website called Score. 214 00:20:08,31.8073621 --> 00:20:18,651.8073621 Uh, Score, they give like, they have free mentorships, but also like, um, after I asked that, like, we had like a little networking session after the panel. 215 00:20:19,276.8073621 --> 00:20:28,386.8073621 And people just coming up to me and were telling me how they found their mentors and, or like, if they, if I need any help, you know, here's my email, feel free to reach out X, Y, Z. 216 00:20:30,91.8063621 --> 00:20:36,206.8083621 And do you meet on a regular basis or you just reach out whenever you need? Um, in the beginning it was a lot regular. 217 00:20:36,496.8083621 --> 00:20:42,896.8073621 It was like once every week, then we moved to once every two weeks and now we just meet like once a month. 218 00:20:43,266.8073621 --> 00:20:46,96.8083621 Um, but obviously like I could reach out to my mentor. 219 00:20:46,401.8083621 --> 00:20:50,681.8083621 Any time, just, you know, over email or anything like that, uh, to ask any questions. 220 00:20:51,481.8083621 --> 00:20:54,26.8083621 And why do you think that person mentors you? Yeah. 221 00:20:54,26.8083621 --> 00:20:54,251.7083621 Yeah. 222 00:20:55,241.8083621 --> 00:21:04,861.8083621 Uh, I'm not sure, like, I know for me, like, I love helping people in the sense, because let's say it took me three years to figure this out. 223 00:21:05,191.8073621 --> 00:21:13,491.8083621 And if you're going down the same path, and I can tell you what helped me, and it saves you two and a half years, and you solve it, and you figure it out in six months. 224 00:21:14,16.8083621 --> 00:21:15,446.8083621 I'm more than happy to help you out. 225 00:21:16,366.8083621 --> 00:21:21,406.8083621 Um, and that is the vibe that I get with the startup scene out here. 226 00:21:21,476.8083621 --> 00:21:23,326.8073621 People are, you know, pretty kind and pretty nice. 227 00:21:23,866.8083621 --> 00:21:26,856.8073621 And, um, and yeah, and that's what I just hope. 228 00:21:27,46.8083621 --> 00:21:29,176.8078621 Like, he never asked me for anything. 229 00:21:29,176.8078621 --> 00:21:32,346.8073621 I've known him since 2021. 230 00:21:34,366.8083621 --> 00:21:46,56.8083621 Like the only thing that he would ask me is if he gets, if he has an issue with like a computer or something, he might reach out to me and be like, Hey, Bilal, could you help me out with this X, Y, or Z, but it's, you know. 231 00:21:47,246.8083621 --> 00:21:48,496.8083621 That, that, that, that's about it. 232 00:21:48,716.8083621 --> 00:21:51,576.8083621 Like it's, uh, no monetary funds being exchanged. 233 00:21:52,376.8083621 --> 00:22:00,546.8083621 Is there anything that you wish you had known when you started out on this journey? The biggest thing is not to be afraid to just jump in. 234 00:22:01,346.8073621 --> 00:22:08,356.8083621 Um, like I know I was like reading books and reading articles online about like how to create a startup and X, Y, or Z. 235 00:22:08,876.8083621 --> 00:22:12,866.8073621 And there isn't like a solid blueprint of how to create a business. 236 00:22:12,866.9073621 --> 00:22:14,506.8083621 Like you just need to do it. 237 00:22:15,76.8083621 --> 00:22:22,246.8083621 And there's also like, there's a great resource of things that you need before you start a business, like an LLC insurance. 238 00:22:22,581.8083621 --> 00:22:30,311.8083621 It's stuff of that nature, but don't waste so much time in figuring out how to do it and just do it. 239 00:22:31,621.8083621 --> 00:22:38,102.7932788 It's probably the biggest thing that I wish I, knew before doing it App is more than a fitness app. 240 00:22:38,422.7932788 --> 00:22:45,502.7932788 It creates a space where seasoned professionals and newbies can come together to benefit from each other's experiences.