I have always been physically active and performance driven. I grew up as a skater, and I played lacrosse in high school and my early years of college. After school, I stayed moderately active in the gym, but never focused on changing myself or making any progress. After a bad breakup, I found myself going to a new gym and surrounded myself with new people. I picked up on the bodybuilding scene and learned what to do to really push myself and make changes to my body. In 2016, a friend of mine who owns a gym decided to do a show and gathered up a few of us who attended his gym to “mentor” for free to lead us into the show. Not being able to afford a coach at the time, I took advantage of his free mentorship and went through my first contest prep. Ultimately I did horrible, but the show was so much fun and so rewarding it ignited the passion inside me to continue to follow the path of competitive bodybuilding.
I find inspiration from a few people, some incredible yet humble bodybuilders who see themselves no differently than any other normal person. Our late teammates Luke Sandoe and Dallas McCarver are two of my biggest inspirations. These guys were larger than life but they never took themselves too seriously to where they felt any better than those who looked up to them. Steve Kuclo, Chris Bumstead, and of course my teammate James “the Shed” Hollingshead are a few other bodybuilders who inspire me. Their work ethic is unmatched.
As far as motivation, I an driven to see how far I can push myself. Knowing that my success in bodybuilding lies solely in my hands is motivation to do the best I can. If I fall short, I have nobody else to blame. I refuse to fail myself or know that I didn’t do what it takes to be better than I used to be. And this isn’t something that is measured by awards and trophies on stage. On competition day, you can’t control who else shows up. The only thing you control is how you show up and how much work you put in to get there. I never want to step off that stage thinking that I used to be better than I am today.
My goals with bodybuilding are to earn my IFBB pro card and take my pro career as far as I can. I continue learning each and every day how to become better. This isn’t a sport, it is a lifestyle. In order to become better and reach my goals, I must continue to submerge myself into this lifestyle and focus on being better every day. Complacency kills careers.
My goals with Redcon1 are to continue growing myself as brand alongside Redcon1. I truly love being part of this company, and I want to become synonymous with the name. When people think of me, in a fitness sense, I want them to think of Redcon1 and vice versa. I’ve been around since the beginning stages of the company and I have no desire to ever leave this family.
Redcon1 products are unmatched. My progress has been exponential since I was introduced to Redcon1. I never have to question the quality of effectiveness of what we offer. Being a part of the team has allowed me to grow as an influencer as well and I’ve developed countless relationships with “customers” who I can now call close friends. It also doesn’t hurt that Redcon1 pays me well on my commission check each month. Since becoming an Elite Athlete, the salary has been a nice boost in income, and having the financial support for my competitions is a massive benefit. This year with the coronavirus lockdowns, I have been out of work since mid March. Without Redcon1 behind me, I wouldn’t have stepped on stage a single time this year. Thanks to our amazing leaders, not only did I compete at one state show, I was able to do 2 national shows as well.
MRE lite is by favorite protein by far. Snickerdoodle is my go to, and oatmeal chocolate chip/peanut butter cookie follow right behind that. I can’t go through a single workout without Big Noise, and I’ve been addicted to vice city since it came out. I can’t go a day without med kit, foxtrot, and GI juice (pineapple banana).
Finding support and guidance is key to success. This tier operator team is over 10k strong in knowledgeable people and like-minded individuals. I haven’t met anybody yet who is unapproachable or who doesn’t have anything to offer. Back in the beginning, we had small numbers and had to seek each other out and build from the inside out. When we spoke to customers about Redcon1, we were just one random person talking about one of the countless new supplement companies on the market. We kept pushing though, and we kept growing through support and guidance of one another. The more we built up our family and connected with each other, the more our customers began to recognize us as a brand that was worth looking at. Fast forward to 2020 and after 4 years we are one of the most recognized and highly awarded companies in the industry EVER. Looping back to the question, my success can be measured by the success the company has had with the effort I have put into this.
Be original. Be approachable. Don’t be afraid to talk to people. Not many tier operators find success in just posting the graphics and copy/pasting captions. Use the products, learn the ingredients and benefits of each one, and speak to customers with confidence. Ask about their goals and be able to make tailored recommendations based on their unique needs. If you show a customer that you care then you build rapport with them. They will keep coming to you for more orders, and they will refer other people to you, creating the snowball effect. Before you know it, you will have a large customer base and make plenty of commission. When people at the gym talk to each other about supplements, you will be that person they are talking about when they say “hey, I have a guy!”
