Transcription

3:40 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

Hello everyone and welcome to the shades of entrepreneurship. This is your host Chad.

3:57 - Chad

How are we doing? Doing great today.

3:59 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

How about yourself? Good. In fact, I'm very interested in this conversation because you have done a lot of things in your entrepreneurship career before we get into all that. Let's introduce the world. Who is at price?

4:11 - Chad

Give us a little background. Sure. I'm a seasoned entrepreneur. I jumped into entrepreneurship about 10, 12 years ago and I started several companies. My most notable being kettlebell kings, which is an iconic fitness brand in the kettlebell and the fitness space. My latest venture life goes green is a lifestyle brand around natural products like hemp derived products, natural supplements, natural lifestyle products, really anything that derived from nature versus use as pharmaceutical or plastics or anything that's not a natural substance. I started the journey with kettlebell kings about 10 years ago, 11 years ago now, 2012. We sold that company in 2021 and I'm really They just kind of transitioned to my next chapter with my other two companies and started my first book.

5:05 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

Nice. So let's talk about life grows green.

5:09 - Chad

What is life grows green? Life grows green is a it's kind of a culmination of, you know, I would say my entrepreneurship journey. I've owned several different companies and over throughout that journey, I've really one of the things that I think is lacking in our world and in the spaces, products or companies that try to create products from natural things and from what we can derive from earth. And you know, I think that's the ultimate goal of life grows green is really to create a lifestyle brand around those types of products. So you have stigmatized products and stigmatized plants like cannabis and hemp that you know we'll focus on and and provide products around that culture and kind of the healthier life. lifestyle that uses that you can make from those products. But then even the things that you use in your day to day when you're talking about the sheets that you use, you're talking about the types of dishware that you use, the supplements that you put in your body, all of these are different things that can be derived more naturally than what they currently use.

6:19 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

And that's an interesting point because I just recently read a report on the Portland Business Journal because I'm out here in Oregon and they're talking about the different states and the amount of crop that's actually dedicated to hemp. And it's been increasingly year over year except for last year, I think a lot of them, I think that the production was still the same but I don't think they made as much revenue but I think that's kind of safe to say almost in the industry on almost every level, right? But it's interesting because you're starting to see this need for alternative products like hemp. And now this is a very new and novel kind of of industry. What are some of the things that you're kind of learning that you're going through this process?

7:06 - Chad

Like, wow, I didn't know I had to worry about this. I mean, I think I knew what I had to gotten myself into when I started this. So, luckily for me, I did some research prior to kind of getting into this. And, you know, I like taking on tough challenges, to be honest. You know, right now, the most difficult thing is in advertising in the space, especially if you're talking about hemp and cannabis. You know, it's treated with the most extreme level of discrimination, basically online, by every single company. And then even companies that do try to legalize some form of promotional material or marketing, you know, they're going to have different standards. And, you know, at any given moment, you need to be kicked off the system or flagged. And it's the risk greatly outweighs the reward of these types of systems. And, you know, I think it starts with the laws of

8:00 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

from state to state from, you know, literally county to county in a lot of places where you just don't have consistency and People aren't allowed to really compete on a let's say a level playing field in this space right now Yeah, and I agree and I'm again I don't quote me but from what I read from this article it does sound like the federal government is starting to look at CBD and hemp and possibly Come out with findings of the positivity around it from the from a health perspective again This is this is what I'm reading in the Portland Business Journal of folks don't quote me But it is a new very new novel and I I believe that there is some benefits at least what from we're seeing from data But how do you build a business with so much, you know difficulty from the advertisement space from from getting it out?

8:51 - Chad

How did you build this? I mean, I think that's where you know the other lifestyle products come in as well You know, I I don't look at the hemp plant or the cannabis plant at as a singular item that exists in some type of void. It's a part of a bunch of different plants from nature that we can use to derive products that can help our journey, whether that's recreational, healthy ways to relieve anxiety and stress, or if that's ways that you want to use it to supplement nutritional benefits or workout routines, like I was saying before, even the cookware that you currently use could be basically made in a more natural way. There's a growing community of people, I believe, who are really shifting back towards trying to use products and use things that are derived from nature versus, like I say, the commercialized or form of food of a way that we're approaching things lately.

9:48 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

Now, since you're so kind of diversified, right, you mentioned you can consume it, you can be a lotion, it can be a clothing item, it can be a dishware. What, and it's so new, right? I know what kind of requirement, what are you laughing to go through to get it approved to sell? Like, what do people that going through this industry have to think about?

10:11 - Chad

Sure. I mean, if you're talking about specifically the hemp products, you know, you have a lot of different options. So there are quite a few different manufacturers who will sell you products that come with lab reports. So, you know, you can get those small batch lab reports from each one of your products and, you know, that's kind of the way that we're forced to do it. You know, unfortunately, I think it's a good thing to have lab reports, but I think when you force this industry to, you know, be more, when you scrutinize it more, then you scrutinize the alcohol industry or any other industry that would be consumed as a, you know, for recreational purposes or some type of plant, it makes it a lot harder. But at the end of the day, you're trying to, I think, separate the difference between the legal products that you can sell online. and then the different laws and legalities in your individual state. So what I do, my company is based in California, but I'm actually located in Austin, Texas. So the things that we can sell in California may be different than the things that we can sell in Texas. And I think you just, every company has to take those things into consideration right now.

11:19 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

That's very true. That's very true. Now you mentioned you have had worked with, you know, a couple of organizations as well. What was your first business that you started as an entrepreneur?

11:29 - Chad

My first business that I started, I actually started two companies at once. One was Kettlebell Kings, which is the fitness company. But I kind of started that with two friends of mine and I wanted that to be a lifestyle brand. You know, I really wanted to build a community around that. I didn't see that as some, you know, patented product that was going to make us rich overnight. So at the same time, I actually started a nail salon as well with my girlfriend. And we basically started. started that because I'd done some research, wanted to move to Austin anyway, and that was one of the quickest cash flow positive businesses that I'd done research on. At the time, my girlfriend was into actually doing nails, and so it was almost a perfect match. Once I was in corporate America, I decided to start my entrepreneurial journey. I knew I had to create a plan, and my initial plan was those two companies.

12:27 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

So, let's talk about the differences because they're two very unique markets, right? You went from really selling a product to a consumable, well sometimes a consumable good. What are the similarities and what are the differences between those two areas?

12:48 - Chad

It's major differences, and I learned a lot from those two different approaches with kettlebell kings. You're pretty much selling in commodity, if you will. It's a piece of cast iron. It comes from where everything else is going to be manufactured, which is typically China. You know, most of your cast iron is coming out of China nowadays. And then you're going to try to cope that with the best type of coating that you could. And you're competing in a competitor's space in the fitness equipment space. And then you're also competing on a national level. And then you take the nail salon and you're now you're zooming in quite a bit and competing on a much smaller geographical location in regions. So your advertising is a little bit different. But then you're also selling services and you're selling an experience versus an online website or digital experience. And so learning from both of those different experiences really taught me quite a bit. So there was a lot of overlap that I could learn from two different ones. And I think that one of the things or one of the ways I excel is really trying to build a brand and a sense of community around the people that purchased the service or the the. particular good with the nail salon. It was very similar. You know, we had Cultish type following and I think that's pretty much what any business has to really be going for nowadays is You know, if you don't have that kind of cultish following You don't have that brand along with the service or good that you offer I think you're just kind of holding that space until someone comes along that does That's a great point now One of the things you know, you didn't mention though you you played football at rice right the University of Rice Why entrepreneurship? I Mean that's a good question. You know, I think when you graduate from college You everyone goes on that same journey of like, you know, what do I want to do with my life? Some of us are fortunate enough to you know, no, we want to be lawyers or firefighters when we're three years old but For me, I always knew I wanted to be Part of a strong operation, you know part of a team that I could be proud of the work that we accomplished You know, I think that that could really come from my background in sports So I tell everyone my favorite job ever That was probably in construction because we actually got to complete projects and move on to another project and do that project faster than the previous project. So it was constant improvement and completion of things. And when I started excelling in the corporate America, it was a lot less of that and more, you know, networking, more politics and kind of positioning yourself for the position that you want to be in. And, you know, that's not really fit. That doesn't really fit in my personality. I can do it if I have to, you know, I'm an intelligent human being, but I'm more in my element, if you will, when I can actually be on small teams that are looking to complete projects and operations as effectively, as fast as possible, entrepreneurship just matched up perfectly with that. You know, I can constantly set up projects, set up teams, complete tasks and each building block that I put together, you know, leads to another. kind of part of the puzzle or another step down the road, if you will.

16:04 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

What would you say was one of the most difficult pieces of starting a company?

16:10 - Chad

The most one of the most difficult pieces would would probably be just what you not knowing what you don't know, you know, so you don't even know the right questions to ask. I think when you start a company, and I think that's a difficult time. So I suggest, I tell everyone, like if you know someone that owns a company already, or if you have a small network of people, take them out to lunch, just you know, take them out for drinks, just literally try to get a sense of what it's like, you know, what the experience of owning and handling the responsibilities of that is, you know. There's a, you know, I tell everyone all the time, there's a different level of intensity of employee and ownership level that, you know, it's not the same level of commitment, you know. and you own something, you know, you can think of it like a kid, you know, the teacher doesn't have to think about the kids when she goes home tonight. But the parent is always thinking about it. And I think that's a good analogy for trying to prepare yourself for it.

17:12 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

That's a great analogy. Now, what about easy? Has there been anything easy?

17:18 - Chad

Yeah, I would say I wish I think the easy part. I think the easy part for me is probably just the fact that it allows me to be competitive, you know, in some situations, if you're not really in sales or if you're not really in a position at your job, where you are competing on a regular basis trying to get better. You can see my thought is for me in business, it's never like that. There's a thousand things that you could be doing and probably should be doing every day and every day you wake up, you can be getting better. It's something to be helping some other part of your business get better. So, you know, I really just like the aspect of having some other things. something that's like an ever growing organism that constantly improves and it's something that day in, day out I can think about and constantly tinker away at it. It's my broken car in the garage sometimes if you will.

18:15 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

It does bring me some joy that way. Now why the pivot? You mentioned you were in the kettle bell and now you're in the green space.

18:26 - Chad

Yeah, I mean, I think just in general, you know, with kettlebell keys, I think my partners and I've built it up into a point where, you know, acquisition was being talked about both from, you know, internal and external parties and so on, you know, once we kind of. Decided to go the acquisition route. I had already started life growth green before we even made that decision so it wasn't that. It was going to be one or the other, but it did allow me to kind of focus more on this and I do think for my personal passions, you know, I've taken care of. of El Kings to the point where it's a global brand, it's a well-recognized brand in space. And I'd like to do the same in the hemp, the cannabis space, and the natural product space. I'd like to set an example of a company for people when they're thinking about how companies do it right. I think a lot of companies get stigmatized into hemp or their cannabis products or just a replacement for stoners or their design for recreational use only. And I want to really turn it on and say it and provide people with products that actually benefit their lifestyles and don't necessarily negatively affect the culture or their personal brands as well.

19:45 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

Now, what products are you going to be focusing on first in the hemp space?

19:50 - Chad

So we have quite a few products right now. I believe we have close to 30 products right now. So everything that's every type of CBD product that you can think of, we do have protein powder, so your natural hemp-based protein powders. We have peanut butter, honey, sports cream, salves. So, you know, really a variety of different types of products. I'm working on about 25 new products right now. Like I say, everything from glass teapots to sheets to sofa covers, you know, just anything that you can be replaced with something that's made from something natural. That's what I'd like to do. You know, I like when you look around your home, when you look around your kitchen to replace as many of those products as we can with natural products that are sourced from the highest quality manufacturers in the world. You know, I see myself as the quality control for the community to have built in. I just try to keep sourcing the best types of products for them.

20:54 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

I like it. I like it. You know, one thing I would, if I can figure this out, I would be a bit Right. I'm going to try to figure out how to create anti carbon furniture. So furniture I can have in your hand, but actually brings in and actually, you know, remove some of the carbon.

21:10 - Chad

Right. That's to be my dream. That's a good one. That would be a billion dollar idea.

21:16 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

I'm not sure if it's possible. Now, how do you market this?

21:22 - Chad

Because you mentioned you have issues because you do have that stigmatism with hemp and all these things. How do you market this? It's difficult. You have to segment your products somewhat. You have to segment, like I was saying before, from your state and local products to your, let's say, federally legal products are available to sell on products, if you will. Changing the word and changing the marketing pitch for. or the potential products that fit people's advertising guidelines. But at the end of the day, everyone is having to juggle and complaining about these same things. So I try to see myself as an advocate for that as well. And I hope to build a community of people around who want to see these changes and kind of can build some momentum, if you will, to push people in the right direction and say, hey, this is not just a stoner movement. This is not just this irresponsible culture shift that we're going through. This is kind of bringing us clear data and clear understanding of how to use natural products to live better lives. And it's not any more harmful and it's actually less harmful than any product, especially pharmaceutical products or alcohol that's already on the market.

22:52 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

Now, who is the life grows green typical consumer?

22:56 - Chad

Who's your target audience? I think it's, I mean, you know, I think... customer, you know, CEOs or marketing agents can say everyone can purchase it. You know, I think that is the general truth, but I do think it's a younger, a younger crowd that is, is really into kind of a more thoughtful mindset when purchasing things. You know, I do want to change some of the, you know, older generations as well, but you know, I think what I'm really going for is, you know, 25, maybe 22 to 35. That crowd of people who believe that, you know, they're purchasing power, the community that they build and the types of products they build can make a difference. You know, sometimes people think, you know, well, it's just a plastic cup and you're right, it is just a plastic cup, but you're supporting that plastic company and you could be supporting, you know, a company that's actually trying to source high quality, you know, natural products or something that some companies that has a vision that you may believe in. So, I don't really lose. landed myself, if you will, to the types of people that want to be involved. I try to set up different marketing angles and different products for the biggest community that I can. Even when you look at Kedibale King's, like my previous company, people would ask us that question all the time and we'd be like, well, we have 55 year old grandma's to do this. Then we also have 21 year old meatheads. It's not a one size fits all approach. I think it's more the small pockets or the small groups or communities that you build inside the larger community that share that common thread of wanting natural products with their lifestyle.

24:38 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

Yeah, it's very interesting because I think you kind of do hit a broad market. In fact, maybe this is a dumb question, but how do you get hemp to be so diverse and so many different products?

24:51 - Chad

How does that kind of process work? I'm just a lot of research. It's a lot of R&D. It's you're talking about an emerging market, emerging market. products emerging different marketing approaches. So, you know, every new week you'll hear a new CBD CBN CBG, right? You'll hear some new derivative that you can take from the hemp or cannabis plant. I think it's for me at least and for life girls of green. I don't want people to get caught up in all of that, you know, trying to become their own personal hemp experts and hemp and cannabis experts. You know, I like us to do all that research for you and we really just try to provide you with the highest quality possible. So, if there is, you know, if it's CBD, then we're going to try to provide you with the highest quality CBD. If it's a South, it's not a CBD South that we're selling. You were selling, it may have CBD in it, but we're trying to provide you with the highest quality South. And if it has CBD in the grave, if it doesn't, then that's also great. And I think that's the way product development we're doing is, you know, we're not. I'm trying to buy in or lean into those stigmas. We're actually trying to normalize, if you will, a lot of the products that would otherwise be stigmatized.

26:10 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

Now you mentioned Sal, I think.

26:12 - Chad

What is that? Sal. So Sal, there's like a bomb or a sports stick. You'll see like a nice, even like so we have sports creams and things like that. It's basically something that can soothe the skin or soothe the suit as a topical. But then it also can have joint or healing, let's say, benefits just because it has natural minerals and oils that your body may or may not have.

26:45 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

Let's see. Now what advice would you have for the listeners at home or an aspiring entrepreneur?

26:56 - Chad

Do your research. I think doing your research beforehand. And as an entrepreneur is one of the things a lot of people miss out on. You know, I think I tell people all the time, like if you don't actually want to learn about what you're, what you're doing, you know, you probably shouldn't do it. Like you, you should be the expert. You know, I believe that businesses that don't know what they're doing in a particular space are supposed to go out of business. So like I root for you to go out of business if you don't know what you're doing. And I think that's the way the world is operates the best. You know, no one wants a cell phone company that doesn't know what they're doing. So at the end of the day, I think, you know, doing research. And then if you're talking about in that preparatory or, you know, preparing for the journey of entrepreneurship, you know, I think it's huge to talk to other entrepreneurs that are already doing it and try to get that non-biased experience from them. Just asking normal questions about what it's like. I don't think entrepreneurship is for everybody. You know, I think it is true. for ending right now where everyone thinks they can be a boss, but I don't know how the world works that way. But at the end of the day, I think you really have to prepare yourself for a different lifestyle than what you currently have. There's no guaranteed checks. There's no comfort when it comes to entrepreneurship. It really is the ultimate risk of your own financial well-being.

28:24 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

Yeah, great point. I got to admit, I woke up this morning and I've been trying to learn business development. So I'm actually meeting with a couple of folks to talk about business development. And I'm in my current profession, right? I'm the president of the board of the national program doing like a lot of national speaking and all these things. And now I'm thinking to myself, well, why am I going to transition? I was like, well, if I'm going to do this, I just will be the fucking best at it, right? I just will bust my ass and be the best at it. And so I'm trying to learn what people are. Hey, bring another business developers. Tell me what you know, right? I want to learn from you. I want to figure it out. Because if you're going to do it, why not be the best, right?

29:02 - Chad

Yeah, and I think that's where just my competitive background comes from playing sports where I don't always think you have to improve. You know, I tell people, you know, like when you play football, it doesn't matter how how well you did the day before you go and you watch film of the things that you messed up on every single day. You know, that's a constant rotation. So even if you did great things at practice, you may watch it for a second, but you spend most of the time watching what you did wrong the day before, what you did wrong the game before. And my mind is kind of naturally like that. So, you know, I take that same approach to business where I actually like that constant improvement in the constant challenges of, you know, of new obstacles that we have to overcome as a team. And the effort it requires and, you know, the joy it brings when we actually achieve those things. So to me, you know, business is my new kind of competitive playing field.

29:58 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

I like it. You know, the folks that listen to the show. I've said this quote often. I've never felt it day in my life.

30:03 - Chad

I either learn or I succeed. There you go. Yeah, every day.

30:07 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

Now, so for the listeners at home, where can they find your information? Where can they find you online?

30:11 - Chad

What is your website, social media information? Sure. If you're looking to contact me directly, I'm on all socials linked in Instagram, chat price or real chat price. And then, you know, if you're looking for any type of business stuff, you can find it on my chat price website. But then also, my company Life Rose Green, all social channels as well, LifeRoseGreen.com for any types of products, natural lifestyle products. You sign up for our mailing list, but we'll kind of notify you of the different types of products. And we even crowdsource a lot of things we do. So we ask customers and kind of the community that we build what types of products they're interested in. So if you're just interested in being part of a community of like-minded individuals who want to support natural products, join up and join me at Life Rose Green.

31:00 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

I love it because you're talking about community, you're talking about support. In fact, that's a great time to plug the Shades of Entrepreneurship newsletter, which will have Chad's information, including Life Goes Green. So please go ahead and visit theshadesofe.com. Subscribe to the newsletter. You'll have all this information on there again.

31:18 - Chad

We'll put this information. Chad, is there any last words you have for the listeners? Yeah, I am. Like I said, I was selling it at the beginning. I'm about to publish my first book. So that will be at the end of the summer. So stay tuned for that. But you'll see that on my websites and on my social channels as well.

31:35 - Gabriel Flores (The Shades of Entrepreneurship)

I'm excited about my first book coming up. And you know what, in fact, make sure you send it over to me and I'll get it on the newsletter. Another reason why you should subscribe to the Shades of Entrepreneurship newsletter, Chad pricing to come out with the book and I'll have that information sometime later this summer on the newsletter. Chad, thank you again so much for taking the time. Life grows green. I'm going to have to check it out because I feel like, again, Oregon, it seems. That's where the organ, especially organ has a pretty big hemp field out here. So it seems it's a consumable good. Consumable goods are great from entrepreneurship perspective, right? That's kind of you certainly want something that people are going to consume and come back and you need again. And that's kind of hemp products sometimes. So I'm really interested to learn more about it. Chad Price, Life Grows Green, thank you again so much for those listening. Thank you and have a great night.