CV Hustle
A Podcast created to educate, inform & inspire entrepreneurship here in our Coachella Valley.
We will be talking to some of the best & brightest entrepreneurs in the Coachella Valley about how they started their journey in entrepreneurship.
CV Hustle
Ep#23-Weights & Bake: The Resilient Journey of an Accidental Entrepreneur (How to Open A Health Food Business)
Jeremy Collier, founder of Weights and Bake, shares his incredible journey from sleeping on his mother's couch in Alabama to becoming a successful health food entrepreneur in California's Coachella Valley.
• Growing up in Alabama and moving to Nashville at 28 to attend Tennessee State University
• Meeting his wife on Instagram and supporting his family by working multiple jobs while in college
• Moving to California during the pandemic in 2020 with $20,000 in savings
• Getting laid off from his nurse recruiter position and starting Weights and Bake with just $1,200
• Creating innovative protein-rich "munchie bites" that appeal to both fitness enthusiasts and cannabis users
• Building his business by selling outside gyms before gradually moving into nutrition shops and cannabis dispensaries
• Maintaining meticulous handwritten records of all business transactions and personal schedules
• Balancing entrepreneurship with family responsibilities and personal fitness
• Finding success through persistence and faith despite numerous setbacks
• Expanding his product line with custom options and smoothies made with the same ingredients
Check out Weights and Bake on Instagram at weightsandbake_ and DM Jeremy to order his protein-packed treats that offer a healthy alternative to typical snacks.
(How To Open A Health Food Business)
Welcome back everyone. I'm Robert Mraz.
Speaker 2:And I'm Fina Mraz.
Speaker 1:And this is CV Hustle, a podcast dedicated to inspiring and informing entrepreneurship here in the Coachella Valley, and today we got a really special guest. This guy's an up and coming entrepreneur here in the Coachella Valley. He's in the health food space, which is a very new and up and coming space. He's one of the best in the game right now doing it. Mr Jeremy Collier, thanks for coming in from Wait and Bake how you doing man.
Speaker 3:I'm doing good. Thank y'all for having me, yeah.
Speaker 2:We're excited, you're here.
Speaker 1:We've been wanting to talk to you for a while man yeah for sure, for sure.
Speaker 3:Almost a year. Yeah, about this for a while. Yes, right, that's awesome, but it looks great. I mean, this place looks amazing, especially that picture, right?
Speaker 1:That Bob Marley picture? Yeah, right, near and dear to your heart, yeah, that's right, near and dear to your heart.
Speaker 2:Yes, so we know you, or we. I mean, you probably know him a little bit more than I do, but we met you kind of just walking to the gym and from the gym, and Bobby's been going there since he was 15.
Speaker 3:Oh wow.
Speaker 1:Been a minute right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I shouldn't age him too much. He doesn't. I'm getting kicked under the table here, no, but so that's kind of how we got to know you. But we don't think we really know anything about you, right? So we'd love to find out where you're from. How did you get here that kind of thing? So take us back a little bit.
Speaker 3:So I am originally from Huntsville, Alabama, from a suburb outside of Huntsville called Madison, Alabama. I went to elementary school there, middle school and high school From there heck, I didn't move out of Alabama until I was 28. I was staying on my mom's couch until I was 28.
Speaker 3:Wow, Couch surfing, couch surfing. Yes, I was couch surfing. I was couch surfing on my parents' couch. Then my dad kicked me out I was couch surfing on my friend's couch. So yeah, and then, like I guess you know, from there I moved to Nashville because I had to do something. I was like yo, I'm almost 30 living on my parents' couch.
Speaker 2:I was like man, I got to do something.
Speaker 3:So I was working at a gym Shout out to Empire Fitness, sarah Longshore, out there in Madison. I was working there and I was personal training and I met a guy Well, actually my mom's friend. He called me and was like hey, I got a guy that I want you to train and he might change your life. And I was like wow, I was like all right, I was kind of nervous, I was like what, I'm going to train them? And I was like yeah, so we started training together and he was a businessman. He, he owned a company where they like put Bluetooth and like Maseratis and stuff. So he was, he would. I would train him every Wednesday and one day. He was just like what are you going to do with your life? And I was like, uh, the big question with your life.
Speaker 3:And I was like, uh, the big question. I was like he was like I see you like working here. Then after here I know you, cause I knew his son we went to high school together and he was like I know you partying. And I was like, yeah, I just I don't know. He was like you thought about going back to school. And I was like, yeah, I would, but you know the money situation. And he was like, well, come work for me during the summer, save you some money and go back to school. So I was like all right. So I got a job with him and what I was doing was I was testing out his, I guess, these little like converter boxes and I was testing them and I would write down if they were high voltage or low voltage. And I was doing that in the back room and he was just paying me every two weeks, good checks that I've never seen before, and these are not even big checks. These are big checks. To me it was like $100.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, to you, that was at the time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm coming from Best Buy at $700.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I'm like so $1,100. I'm like so $1,100?.
Speaker 3:I'm like, oh my gosh, you're winning. So I took his offer. So I said you know what? I'm going to try and get into Tennessee State, which I picked Tennessee State because most of all my family had went to Tennessee State from my aunts, cousins, everyone went to TSU.
Speaker 3:So I said, well, let me see if I can get into TSU. Did the application Got in issue? So I said, well, let me see if I can get into tsu. Did the application got in and I was like, all right, god's giving me this opportunity, do not let me mess it up, right? So I said, um, well, I'll go. My mom and my you know my mom and dad um, shout out to zenobia, ryan and steve ryan, those are my parents and you know they. They helped me out. They, they said we'll get you a place, we'll get you in there, we'll help you pay rent. So I was like, all right, so I get to Nashville. You got to know I'm 28 years old, I don't have a wife at this point. I don't have any kids at this point. So I'm just up there in a nice condo in Nashville, my parents are paying half, I'm paying as much as I can, right? And my first semester I failed.
Speaker 1:Which is not that uncommon.
Speaker 2:honestly, I'm not going to come on here and be like, yeah, I had it all together.
Speaker 3:No, I didn't have anything together I'm still like, because you got to know I'm coming off of, you know, living with my parents. So now I got my own place in Nashville. So I was like all right, I failed my first semester like hard because I was partying like Broadway.
Speaker 1:It ain't high school, man. They ain't going to push you through, man, you got to do the work.
Speaker 3:So I'm like yo I need to do something, so I met him.
Speaker 2:That's a big wake up call.
Speaker 3:I'm like yo, jeremy, you need to. What's up with you, bro? Like you love partying. So I was like you know what? I was in exercise science. When I said you know what? Because I was already working out. So I was like, yeah, let me be like in exercise science.
Speaker 3:So I was just like failing, demolishing classes, and I went to the counselor and she was like Jeremy, to be honest with you, I'm going to be straight up you do not like helping out people when it comes to working out. You like to work out and look at yourself, but you don't like helping people working out. They're like you're good at communications, you, you know you like to talk, you like to, you know, be the center of attention. So I said, well, let me go into communications. I got into communications, I met my wife and I met my wife. She was living in Canada. I was here, we met on Instagram.
Speaker 2:What yeah?
Speaker 1:On Instagram. Dude, this is crazy. You just slid into those DMs, or what? How's that work, man?
Speaker 3:Pretty much. She had this video and it was so funny and nobody else laughed but me.
Speaker 2:And I thought it was so. We just get each other, babe.
Speaker 3:You connected right there, right, I thought it was so hilarious and like I was, like yo, that was funny and she was like.
Speaker 2:I know what's the video about.
Speaker 3:I need to know now, oh it was like this video of this guy and he was just like talking about like, like well, it was like he was saying how, like like I don't know how Caucasians speak, well, not speak, but seeing in the rock zones. So it was kind of like hey, mark, how you doing? It was like turn around and die. He was like and I thought it was so hilarious I brought it was high at the time, but I thought it's so funny.
Speaker 2:It was so hilarious.
Speaker 3:So me and her started talking on Instagram and I thought she was from California because all her pictures are in like a pond, because I always want to move to California. That was like I just had this dream from when I was smaller to move to Cali, and so I was like man, do you, are you from California?
Speaker 3:And she was like no, and the other yeah, and she was like no, and the other yeah, and it was literally no period and I was like, uh, okay, because I was like where are you from? She's like why do you, why do you want to know where I'm from? I was like I know it sounds like a creeper, but I was like she was like I'm from canada.
Speaker 3:I was like, oh, never mind, so you're not gonna get me closer to california and then she just literally just put okay, and we didn't talk for like three or four months after that and then we got in touch with each other. I just randomly DM'd her and I was like damn, you acting funny. And she was like what? So from that you acting funny, we started talking more. She came to visit me and then she ended up moving my second semester while I was in college. But she had a daughter and that was kind of. She was kind of in the situation where I could move. I don't have to move, you know. And I was like you know what, we love each other, let's try to make this work. So she took the chance on this guy that don't have any money.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Sounds familiar.
Speaker 3:I'm not talking about us now honey, it's not our show, she's just going off. I'm just selling her dreams. I was like baby, I'm going to make it, I'm going to do this. And I didn't have a. She had way more money than I did.
Speaker 3:Matter of fact, some of her money helped me get through college, yeah, so your team, that's yeah that's a real one right there, man so we, um, we got, uh, we got together and she moved in june. I remember, like it was yesterday, she moved in june and my my second semester when I you know, you know me and her started talking. That's when I changed my major. So now I'm on the ball.
Speaker 2:I was like well, you know, I got to start taking stuff. Now you got some motivation, right, yeah I got to start taking stuff.
Speaker 3:See, I got a lady now you know that's not with the bull and so I said I got to make this work. So from there, school became easy for me. Gpa started just rising.
Speaker 1:Because you could always do it. It's just a matter of focusing and making it a priority. I didn't really focus. You're 28.
Speaker 3:You got your own spot. You got your own car and I'm not the 28-year-old that's doing online classes. I'm on campus freshman year like huge university.
Speaker 3:yeah, so there were so many distractions, oh yeah, for sure so when I met her, I was like, okay, let me, let me settle down and and get this thing on the on the go. So I started doing that, I started working. So, as I'm working, she can't work because she's from Canada, she doesn't have a work visa. So now I'm in school full time. I'm working at this point at Staples. I'm working at Staples, I'm working at Smoothie King and I'm only making like $10 an hour. I left Staples because I want to become a manager at Smoothie King. So I'm like working like all day, every day, trying to get this man because I need money.
Speaker 3:You know we don't have like now my dad and mom's like listen, you called another lady out here. Now you know you need to like become a man. So I'm like all right, let me get this on the ball. So I got the manager job as assistant manager at Smoothie King and from there I became the assistant manager and I'm working trying to become the GM, ended up becoming the GM manager of a little kiosk that was in the YMCA.
Speaker 3:So I started just being like a small manager there, I ended up becoming the manager of my own store, and I'm doing all this while I'm in school full time and my wife's not working at the time either because she didn't have her work visa. So we're trying to get her work visa. So we're going to Memphis and stuff to like the government offices, offices, um, like we, almost like a funny story was we. We were at the government office and I totally forgot everything that was supposed to say like what, you know, where do you live? I didn't forgot the address where I lived. I didn't know, like, where's your wife? Yeah, so they're like are y'all?
Speaker 3:just doing this for her, just to get down here Like you know, 30-day, 90-day fiance or some stuff, yeah, yeah. And so they ended up, you know, giving her a work visa. So now we got low income coming in, she started working at the apartment complex we lived at. Now, hence, the apartment complex we lived at was oh my gosh. It was basically at the time we didn't know where we were living, but as now we're like yo, that was a bad area.
Speaker 1:Section 8?.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know, I thought it was Section 8 now because I remember when we were living there, we heard pop, pop, pop.
Speaker 2:And it was like gunshots you in the hood man, yeah, and it was like gunshots.
Speaker 3:You in the hood, man, yeah. So, and then, like we had like a washer and dryer, but you had to go in this basement to go to the washer and dryer and there were people out there like shooting up under yeah, my wife would go down there by herself because I'm at school, and so all this is going on.
Speaker 3:We have an eight year old my stepdaughter at the time so we're trying to get you know, she's picking her up from school. We only had one car, wow. So my wife's walking, taking her to school, then walking back to work at the front office and then walking home. So we're trying to get every because we only had one car. So, thank God, he made everything where she could like walk distance, because the school was like two blocks away and like the job was right in the parking lot. So now we got a little. We've got something going now. So from there I'm in school and now it's coming up where I'm about to graduate. So it's 2017.
Speaker 3:Okay, not that long ago, yeah, so we, we, we we found this groove and but now I was like, well, I need to graduate on time. And so I go to my counselors. They're like listen, you have 12 more credits that you need. You're not going to be able to graduate. So I was like, no, I've got to. So I went ahead and started taking summer classes. While I'm taking summer classes, my wife gets pregnant. So when my wife gets pregnant, I'm like now she can't work as much. So I'm like oh, I need another job. So I got a job at Domino's. While I'm working at, while I'm the manager at, Smoothie King and going to school and going to school.
Speaker 3:So, like I remember, because Smoothie King was like right here and Domino's was right here. So when I would get off from work I would change out of my manager outfit, put on just regular Domino's and go through the other door.
Speaker 1:I know I told you it's a crazy story. It's like straight out of a skit from Living Color man. I'm like yo. They're like hey, I'll go to my other job.
Speaker 3:So many jobs.
Speaker 1:When I come home, home, everyone be like dude, you jamaican, yeah right, remember that skit that's what I thought too.
Speaker 3:so I'm, I'm working, and the funny thing about working at dominoes and then working at smoothie king they're right next door to each other. I'll have my phone on me and I would get, because there would be people about his age, a little bit older than were my employees, so they'll call me like yo. Yo, the register's not working. So I'd be like, hey, can I run over real fast? They're like, yeah, so I'm working on the pepperoni pizza. I'm stopping going over there fixing the drawer and running back with pizza flour all over me and one of the customers was like, dude, you work both.
Speaker 1:I'm like, yeah, I run both of these places I'm like, yeah, shout out to you. I run both of these places, so I did that in the summer of 2017.
Speaker 3:I was working at Domino's and then I was working as Smoothie King, as a general manager, and my wife we just had the baby too. So my last semester is coming up fall semester. They told me, jeremy, you're not going to be able to graduate because you still need more credits.
Speaker 2:Jeez.
Speaker 3:So I said all right, I'm going to have to go overtime. So I did 20, I think it was 21 credits, 21 hours. So what I did was you had one it's I think it's over 18. I might be mistaken, but if it's over 18, you have to get the Dean to sign off on it, because they don't want a lot of kids taking that many hours. So the good thing I had a good gpa and she went ahead and signed off. So I'm taking like over 18 hours on during my fall semester, plus working 80 hours a week. Yeah, first, working 80 hours a week plus having a newborn, oh my gosh man with one.
Speaker 3:With one car. So I don't. And that's why I say like all this is like accident, because I'm just in it Like I'm just like just in the mud like just.
Speaker 1:Grinding it out. Grinding it out, sink or swim, right I?
Speaker 2:hope you had a really big graduation party.
Speaker 3:You know what I had so?
Speaker 1:the thing was I, we had a, so I went, I graduated. I ended up graduating with like a 3.7, wow, um, so I ended up with honors man, yeah, and communications right communications.
Speaker 3:Okay. So I I ended up graduating with a 3.7 and here, like after graduation, now I'm like okay, it's time to get to work now. So I was still the manager at uh smoothie king. Then I decided you know what, let me try something like a. Um, I got an adult job.
Speaker 3:You know, nine to five yeah, nine to five, so I got a job, uh working at vanderbilt medical, and I was uh working in the hematology oncology department as a um just someone that does appointments and things like that and I did that for about two years. But as I'm working there, I still needed more money because we just had our daughter.
Speaker 3:And so I was working at 9 to 5, but I also was working at Smoothie King still on the weekends. So while I'm working there, I doing the whole vanderbilt thing and I just didn't like. I'm sorry, I just didn't like nine to fives, I didn't like the cubicles, it was just not something.
Speaker 3:It's not for everybody and for some reason I just I don't know what it was like I just I kept messing up, like when on the computer work, doing like like I remember I remember one time they told me that like they had all these paperwork for me and I had to like do something and I totally messed up on every last one of them, so they moved me to a whole another building to see if that was going to help me.
Speaker 1:It was like that office scene where they move you to the back of the closet.
Speaker 3:Yeah, pretty much I'm like, and I'm like shit man, why can't I? I'm not getting like, this is not working, so but I knew I loved working in Smoothie King. I knew because I'm making smoothies, I'm talking you're interacting with people.
Speaker 2:I'm interacting. That's what I love to do. I love to talk, and you know so.
Speaker 3:so While I was working there, the owner called me. Shout out to Paul, he used to own like, maybe like he owned like 18 Smoothie Kings in Nashville.
Speaker 2:Got it.
Speaker 3:So one day I was working he called me. I was like, hey, do you want to be an area manager of our Green Hill stores? And I was like, yeah, I'll do that. I was like, what's the pay? Like he was like, what are you getting paid over at Vanderbilt? And I was like, well, I'm getting paid this. He was like, well, I can't do that.
Speaker 2:Oh Jesus.
Speaker 3:I was like I can give you this, but I can't do that and I didn't like that so much that I went back to Smoothie King. And for me, and that's why, when it comes to money, I I'd rather have more peace than more money. Yeah, that's just me, um, because, like, when I'm there, I don't care how much money I'm making.
Speaker 3:If I don't have a peace of mind, that money doesn't matter to me so I went back to smoothie king and I, I hustled, I hustled and me and my wife was like dude, let's try california, because we always watch, because we're foodies, right, so we always watch like foodies on youtube and it would always be in la or san francisco, new york, things like that. So I was like dude, we don't have nothing holding us back. We saved a lot of money because we didn't buy anything and then, plus, our rent over there where we're living was like 900 yeah, a thousand so you ain't finding that in california.
Speaker 3:So so we ended up, uh, saving a lot of money, all of our money that we got from our my refund from college or our tax refund.
Speaker 2:We would just save, it just save it, save it.
Speaker 3:So here's. Here's the crazy thing. When I was working as an area manager, I needed another job, so so I started working as a Lyft driver, so I'm doing. Lyft and also I'm an area manager as well. So we ended up getting enough money. We saved $20,000 and we saved that and we moved to California 2020.
Speaker 2:How did you know what area to move to, or did you have friends out here?
Speaker 3:No, you know, here's another story. So while I was working at Smoothie King I met a guy there and he would come in with his friend and they would get smoothies and stuff. And one day he came in like all beat up. He was like I was like dude, damn, are you okay? And he was like yeah, I'm a fighter. And I was like, oh, cool, and his name was Mike Chandler. Mike Chandler, he's a UFC fighter.
Speaker 3:And you know, he's like one of the top UFC or MMA fighters. And I told him, man, you know we were just talking. And I told him, man, you know we were just talking. I said, yeah, I want to move to California. And he was like, yeah, california is great. I think he said that he had some time out in this area, right here.
Speaker 2:Coachella Valley. The Coachella Valley and.
Speaker 3:I was like he was like you should look into there, it's nice there. And I said you know what I'm going to look into there. And me and my wife, we looked to this area. We like the school system. They got a great school system back home. This, you know, public school system is not not really that good right. So when we came out here, we really loved the school system and also that it was cheaper. Of course we want to move to la. Of course we want to move to san diego of course you know who doesn't.
Speaker 3:Everybody wants to move there, so I said you know what, but and that's still the goal to this day is to eventually move to LA or San Diego near the coast.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:So I said, well, let us get here, because you know, at first we were 2,000, 3,000 miles away, yeah, but now we're only 100 miles away. But you got to take your time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You got to climb up the ladder Right. So I decided to, we decided to move here and as I'm, as we're living here, I get a job at a nurse recruiting office. So I had all this, like just like I had like a freaking like book of what I was, how I was going to get to California. I said, well, the medical field is big out in California, let me get a job at Vanderbilt Medical, let me get a job in medical field. Yeah, I can get to get to California. I said, well, the medical field is big out in California, let me get a job at Vanderbilt Medical, Let me get a job in the medical field so I can get a job Transfer yeah.
Speaker 3:So I put that on my resume, got the job out here as a recruiter a nurse recruiter and I stayed there for about two years and became a senior recruiter.
Speaker 1:And from there, this is during, and all this, this, let me tell y'all this is all during covid, covid, yeah, 2020, right, everything that's the heart of covid right there. So everything shut down.
Speaker 3:Everybody wearing masks july of 2020, we moved to california, in the heart of covid. So, and that's why we look back and like I don't know how we did this- you're like what the hell were we? Thinking so yeah, we got two daughters. You know, we're just randomly moving to california, like what like.
Speaker 2:So did your older daughter want to move to california yes, everybody loves california, except the haters, right, yeah, yeah, anytime I would say I'm moving to cal. Why? Like, have you seen?
Speaker 3:california. I like to do. I love california. It's, it's beautiful, it's a beautiful place. So I said you know what we're gonna move, say I'm moving to California.
Speaker 1:Why have you seen California?
Speaker 3:I love California.
Speaker 1:It's a beautiful place, so I said you know what?
Speaker 3:We're going to move here. So when we got here it was still COVID. But COVID really helped me with my job because I was a nurse recruiter. So a lot of the travel nurses, they were getting those contracts and stuff.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry. How do you recruit a nurse? Is there like a recruiter school? Like what? How?
Speaker 3:are you companies that do it? Yeah, there's come. There's different like companies like the traveling nurses.
Speaker 1:Right, you're recruiting traveling nurses so we have like contracts.
Speaker 3:So what we'll do is we'll have like contracts with the, the different hospitals and stuff and say, hey, we're going to give you this amount of money and then you'll go to this hospital for six months at a time and they pay you.
Speaker 1:You're like a headhunter. Basically, yeah, cold calling, cold calling all day.
Speaker 3:Nurses, nurses, nurses, and I was doing that. But after COVID the travel nurses started going back to their regular jobs because those contracts weren't big anymore. So they started letting people go. So I get, let go.
Speaker 1:I have no other job, oh you're not doing and there's no smoothie kings out here there is somebody, but you're not doing the jamaican thing where you have like three jobs at this point. No, I'm just here because you know I got the nine to five. Nurse recruiter a nurse recruiter.
Speaker 2:I'm making good money.
Speaker 3:I was well. Now okay, let me back up, cause I was actually working. I was working at a Spartan nutrition right next door I was only working there on the weekends. Yeah, on, it's just on a Saturday. But when I got laid off and I knew it was happening, you know we ever noticed, like when you're about to, something's just weird. For months, you know you you know something's about to happen. You're just like I don't know, but it's just something's off feeling right in your gut.
Speaker 3:So I already knew when, when I was at my desk, at the cubicle, they were like jeremy, can we talk to you? For I said, oh, here we go. I'm about to call my wife I know what's not coming down.
Speaker 1:I was like shit. I got to tell her this.
Speaker 3:So they were like hey, we're going to let you go and the way they let you go at that place, man, you can't go back to your desk and pick your thing. They put it in a plastic container, give it to you and walk you out.
Speaker 1:the door With the security guard Yep and walk you out the door Sounds familiar, yeah.
Speaker 3:I was like really. So I'm in the car like I'm I'm kind of crying but at the same time I'm not because I'm very. You know, I have a lot of faith and I get that from my grandmother. You know, when it comes to, you know, trusting god, hey, it's gonna work out, so I knew I was like happened for me. God didn't put me here just to do that to me, right? So I said okay, something's going on. So what I decided to do. You remember I had told you that we saved 20 grand.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But we took some of that money to move out here, Right. So I said, okay, Well, when I was in Nashville during COVID, I was selling food on the side because, you know, I needed extra money so and I was making these little bites. But I wasn't, I was just giving the bites out for free.
Speaker 2:When I was working at Smoothie.
Speaker 3:King, I had like a little area and I put like banana breads and stuff. You can have that while you drink your smoothie, just so people can try to fill it out.
Speaker 2:Because, like I said, we love food and we're foodies.
Speaker 3:So I said you know what, let me see if this food thing will work. And so I started doing these little bites at Smoothie King. So when I moved here I was kind of selling food and that was probably something they probably got mad at because I was selling food at the company.
Speaker 1:Like I was selling and you weren't supposed to.
Speaker 3:Were you pocketing the? Yeah, I was bringing plates. I was bringing plates. I was bringing patty melts.
Speaker 2:Hey, that's where that kiosk worked from.
Speaker 1:That side little kiosk Getting all the game right now. Man.
Speaker 3:I'm waking up at 4 am, 5 am, while I'm working at this job, making patty melts and making sandwiches, and I'm coming in with protein bites and people were buying it.
Speaker 1:So I'm making a little money at the studio protein bites and people were buying it.
Speaker 3:So I'm making a little money at the studio. And so while I'm there, when they let me go, I said you know what? I'm going to start my own business, why not? So I took, I remember I took $1,200 and I started the Waits and Bake. Wow, and I did all this in one day. I did all this because I called my friend from back home in Huntsville that I've known ever since I was eight years old. I remember he was always doing like cartoonist work and stuff. Shout out to Clifford in Huntsville, alabama. That's where I get our logo from. So he came up and did a logo for me and we got that.
Speaker 3:I went to Staples. They put it on a board. I made a menu. They made me cards. I got a table from one of the guys that worked at the gym. He gave me a table. He was like do I have a table for you? I got a cloth and Mr Joe shout out to Mr Joe at Spartan Nutrition, next to EOS Fitness. He said Jeremy, you can work here Monday, monday through friday. On monday through saturday I can't pay you what you know they were paying you because he's a small business, but you can put your bites in my store and I said, well, you know what that's for me. I feel like that was a lot. So I said, well, let me run your instagram for you. So I took my degree and started doing all his marketing stuff so it's kind of like a trade trade.
Speaker 3:So I started doing that. But also I started to put the table outside in the morning. So before I would go into work at Spartan early in the morning, around 6 AM, I had a table outside of the gym and I was selling the bites um $5 a bite and or you could buy like a pack of them. What I was trying to do at the time was just get my name out there, because I knew I didn't want to just be outside all my life selling bites. I said, well, let me get my name out there, get some traction, and then from there I'll have like just a little small group of people buying the bites. And so I did that for like two years. I was just outside Dust, storms, all kinds two years I was just outside.
Speaker 1:Dust storms all kind just out there.
Speaker 3:Like you remember, I've seen you, I was job real like nothing was working in the wilderness.
Speaker 1:I'm like yo, this is wow yeah but I had to remember.
Speaker 3:I remember there was a quote from nipsey hustle. Rest in peace. He said you know you, it's supposed to be tough, it's supposed to be hard, it's supposed to make you, you know, question and it's supposed to have some kind of burden on you.
Speaker 3:Um, well, like they say, if it, if it was easy, everybody, everyone would do it, and so I said, okay, let me keep going, let me keep going. So from there, people started inviting me inside instead of outside, so I started going to EOS Fitness. They were like, hey, you want to come?
Speaker 1:in here, come in, yeah.
Speaker 3:So now I'm inside of EOS, so now I think I'm big money now, so I'm talking. That's how I met him. Yeah, that's right, and he came up and shout out to you because, like you kind of, you know, you kind of sparked me because you're like I see you're hustling. Oh, yeah, for sure, and it wasn't, you know. The crazy thing is I say I kind of failed my way to success. Or, you know, because you know you're just grinding, you're grinding, you're grinding, Then you fail, You're grinding more.
Speaker 1:Then you fail, then you win some Exactly, then you fail, then you win a little. It's not a straight up. It's not just a straight up, it's a roller coaster. Man, it's a roller coaster.
Speaker 3:It's ups and downs and you've just got to ride the wave, so. So I said you know what? I'm going to keep going, especially when I heard it from you I'm going to keep going, I'm going to keep going. So next thing, you know, I ended up at Get Fit and they started to let me come in there to set up.
Speaker 2:I wonder, I haven't seen you.
Speaker 3:Yeah yeah. I was like what happened again? I started and they started letting me go in there.
Speaker 1:You got a new partnership man. A new partnership, new partnership man.
Speaker 2:New partnership. Okay, I have a question, though Let me back up, because I'm just nosy and I want to know yeah, yeah, so weights and bake. Tell me how that name came up. I mean, obviously I kind of have an idea, but like because, are you still personal training or just lifting weights?
Speaker 3:I just like right now I do a lot of running. I've been on this hiking, Like when I moved to California. It's so beautiful, I just got into running and hiking. I work out still, but really into hiking and running. But weights and bake just came from me, just to be honest, just being stoned, Like I was high and I was like I was like I like to lift weights but, I also like to like bake goods.
Speaker 3:So you know weights and bake and I like to lift weights, but I also like to bake goods. So I said weights and bake and.
Speaker 1:I like to bake.
Speaker 3:And the guy who did my art. He came up with the droopy eyes and he came up with the mountains and palm trees.
Speaker 1:That's a cool logo. Check it out on IG when you get a chance.
Speaker 3:So it was kind of me looking over the valley like, hey, the pothead.
Speaker 1:But it also plays to your health food side right too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, Because.
Speaker 1:I mean, your snacks are full of protein. Yeah, they're full of protein.
Speaker 3:And you know, the cool thing about the snacks are there's no protein powder in them.
Speaker 2:It's all natural stuff, it's all natural.
Speaker 3:The only thing I'll either put extra peanut butter, extra almond butter, extra pecans almonds. I didn't want to do the powder because a lot of people have stomach issues. So because a lot of people have stomach issues, so I kind of stayed away from that. And yeah, so I started just making these bites. But the reason why I call them more of a munchie, because, instead of just being like your average protein bite, I started putting a little bit of Oreo in there a little Reese's.
Speaker 1:That's what separates you, man, because you get a little bit of the bad stuff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, a little bit of bad, but mostly good, just like me.
Speaker 2:You're all brand, you know.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, so it's all coming together. You're getting me.
Speaker 1:You're just getting the rawness of me. I can't fake it, man yeah.
Speaker 3:And I can't. I've tried to be very like, just like with my cubicle jobs, these nine-to-fives Like I can't be this. I can't suit and tie guy. No, yeah, corporate, corporate dude, no, I can't. So I, um, I did these, I did the bites and everything and I started the whole smoothie thing because I do smoothies as well, but I only do those that get fit. And my mom bought me a blender and she was like, hey, I'm gonna get you a blender and you can, you know, go, go see what you can do, but hence everything that's leading up to this. I've had eight years, six years experience in nashville, right, just grinding. So when I got here it was easy, you know, it's easy, like this whole grinding thing was easy and it's a whole different demographic here, too,
Speaker 1:right, so once you know that, know where your demographic is going to buy this, right, it's a whole different demographic here too, right, it's a whole different demographic. So once you know that, know where your demographic is going to buy this right.
Speaker 3:It's a lot easier to kind of tailor things for them right, exactly Because you know I never with my company, I never want to be, you know, too big for my business. I want to start just small. Get some customers learn, get a little bit of customers. I didn't want to be like oh, I want this I want to get the brick and mortar, I want to. No. I want to, because I know, Jeremy, you're going to fail in this process.
Speaker 3:So you need to learn from your, your fails. So Now I see like how far I've gone. You know, when I was just outside so, something's working, but the only reason it's working is because I'm failing and I'm learning. I'm failing and I'm learning, and I've just kept that with me. And now we're in Spartan Nutrition, we're in Get Fit and also we are in Cannabis 21.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're everywhere, man, so when?
Speaker 2:you say you're in there, you're dropping off product and then they're selling it, or are you like?
Speaker 3:So here's the thing. As y'all know, I like to work, yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm picking that up man.
Speaker 3:So you know I love the cannabis industry and I said, well, let me do this, like let me go to, because when I was working at Spartan Nutrition and then doing the bites I needed because I'm living in California so that's not going to get the bills but I didn't want to go back to corporate so I wanted to do stuff that I loved. So I started going around delivering bites to different cannabis shops. Get my name out there. Let them have it for free.
Speaker 1:Because you know they're hungry. Branding works with the cannabis shops too right. Your brand kind of fits that too. Yeah, and that's what I love that community.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I was like well, let me start just taking them and just giving them out for free. I was giving out so much product for free Like, oh my gosh, Even my wife's. Like, Jeremy, you free, advertisement free advertisement. You know you. And then I went to Cannabis 21 and I dropped off some bites and I was in this is a new cannabis shop that moved here from San Diego and the guy, the manager, bought some bites and I was like, hey, are y'all hiring? And?
Speaker 1:he was like, yeah, just bring in your resume. So I brought in my resume. I got the job there, dang Okay. So now they're back to your two job schedule. Back to my two jobs. Well, now I'm on three jobs because I have my business. I work for Spartan Nutrition and I work, but the thing was okay.
Speaker 3:if I'm going to work at these places, let me see if I can put my company inside of here. So now I have my company in Spartan Nutrition and in the cannabis shop. So, at the cannabis shop. You know I'm a bud tender, but I also I'll put my menu right there so you can actually see and they're like and then they'll be like oh, what's this?
Speaker 3:Because they'll see like the sun smoke and I'm like, oh, these are little munchie bites. They're great for after a workout or just a smoke test at night. You know you don't want to eat a bag of Snickers. You should go in here and then they would say do you have them? Of course I got them. They're refrigerated.
Speaker 1:You want one.
Speaker 3:You know, boom.
Speaker 1:Perfect marketing man.
Speaker 3:Yes, you never and I try to tell myself, jeremy, never, you know pass up an opportunity that you feel like you should do Now. If it's good people, then I will take the opportunity, yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, I have a question about like the munchie bites and you like to smoke cannabis and all this.
Speaker 3:Do you ever put those inside of your munchies? I tried and they totally failed Really. Yeah, I tried to do them one time you infused it, I infused them, I just gave them out, just to let people try them.
Speaker 1:Did it not work?
Speaker 3:They just said they didn't get anything from it, it didn't make them high.
Speaker 1:That might be something to revisit, though, right I?
Speaker 3:mean that's a whole different product set. Yeah, and that's something that I've always wanted to do eventually to start infusing them. But, I also eventually want to open my own nutrition shop.
Speaker 2:That you can get the bites and the smoothies, but when you bring cannabis into a shop.
Speaker 3:That's when it comes with like license.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, it starts getting real regulated.
Speaker 3:And yeah. So I still want to do that, but right now it was just more focusing on the product and making the best product, because I make one smoothie. I don't do like all different kinds. I make one smoothie. You know it's going to taste the same every time the bites. I don't go out of my way to start something new. I know what I do and I'm just going to do that. And I do it now and I'm going to perfect it.
Speaker 1:But you're consistent, so people know, so they know when they get it.
Speaker 3:It tastes the same.
Speaker 1:You're like McDonald's man or like In-N-Out. You know what you're going to get. Yeah, you know what you're going to get. You know what you're going to get.
Speaker 3:Especially with In-N-Out.
Speaker 2:You know, what you're going to get? Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 3:And their line's wrapped around, but it's perfected, it's downtown india, baby.
Speaker 1:Oh, I mean I see yeah, we'll have to talk after, but that that's a boom in and there's some, there's some, uh, economic opportunities down there for oh, not for younger businesses to kind of, yeah, we'll talk after that, but that yeah there's. There's all kinds of activity down there right now. It'll be good for you for sure, but just you know I, I and your story is pretty unique because, like you, you said I saw you first. You were outside selling these, you know, like in the wind.
Speaker 1:I'm like what's this guy doing out here? And then I just see slowly your business growing and growing and growing, and now I see you everywhere. I'm like we got to get this guy in the show man. He is a hustler man.
Speaker 3:He is the epitome of a hustler man I like you know, the crazy thing is about this whole hustle thing is I kind of do it to myself. I like to throw myself into the wolves and try to fight my way out. Yeah, and I don't even mean to do it. I just end up like, oh yeah, that's a good idea, let me try it. I'm in this mud Now I got to get out.
Speaker 1:I got kids and stuff you got to figure it out.
Speaker 3:But I want to tell people out there, you know, especially men my age and that are, because a lot of, especially a lot of African-American men Sometimes we don't know which way to go. You know, we, we, we get lost. And I want to tell them. You know, sometimes you have to get away from what you're used to, and when you do that it's lonely, it's scary, but I promise you it's a light at the end of the tunnel. And the reason why I brought these books in is I want to show people what I do. And they always ask me how did I do all this and manage all this?
Speaker 1:So I tell people like I said, I'm not a school guy.
Speaker 3:I fell a lot. They always ask me, how did I do all this and manage all this? So I tell people, like I said, I'm not a school guy. I fell a lot. So I write down everything. So they always ask me hey, jeremy, how do you keep in shape and still do this stuff? Well, I write down all my meals every day, every day. Every day what I ate, even if I eat bad. Okay, I ate Burger King.
Speaker 1:Wow, oh my gosh, you write down every meal every day, every meal man, that's serious.
Speaker 2:I think you have ADHD, maybe, and then I'm seeing it.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's pretty hardcore man, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:I mean, that's a way to track bracket, though. Yeah, and these are my daily notes, so every day I write down what I'm gonna do, so you know. So basically I'll give you example. Like I wake up, coffee with family, take my baby to school gym, I go to the shop, I post on ig what I'm gonna post, so I write down all my old, so I won't you know one. It also helps me say, oh, I did, I did what I need to do. When you start checking, yeah, I feel accomplished. It's like your to-do list, to-do list, to-do list, and then I write down all my workouts. It also helps me say, oh, I did what I need to do when you start checking out things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I feel accomplished. It's like your to-do list, basically To-do list, to-do list.
Speaker 3:And then I write down all my workouts.
Speaker 1:Oh shoot. And for those of you that are not watching, this guy's in shape man, when I saw him working out I thought he was an athlete. I thought you were like an ex-football player or something like that tell you work out a little differently than the average. You know weekend warrior, you know so and you know your stuff in that area and the thing is, and my workouts.
Speaker 3:The reason why is because I only have 30 minutes to get back because I gotta go to work so I'm and this is the reason why right I was like I have no time to I got things, I gotta get going so and so anybody think I'm being rude at the gym. It's not at all. I all. I'm not trying to get fired here here, here, those minutes ticked by.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I always tell people I'm on the clock. Man, I got to get out of here. I'm on the clock.
Speaker 3:But now you know, I started investing a lot now.
Speaker 1:Uh-oh, you know, in stocks, etfs and stuff like that. I love that. What about the crypto? You getting involved? I got into crypto, got into crypto.
Speaker 3:Okay. So, like I said, I like to write things down, so I write down everything I invest in, but I only do a dollar every day, so I do a dollar dollar dollar, really you do. Robinhood.
Speaker 2:I do Robinhood, yeah, okay.
Speaker 3:And you know this was and shout out to Rubio, this guy that I met at the gym. We started running together and I was kind of helping him out with his fitness journey. He would ask me questions, but he is a day trader.
Speaker 1:So he's giving you some game on that.
Speaker 2:So he's giving me game, so I'm giving him game while we're running. He's giving me game on the stock. It's all about relationships.
Speaker 3:So he helped me out with that and it's just been up ever, ever since. But yeah, man, that's where I'm at. Is, you know, the business family investing. But as you can see, I'm not very nifty with the computer.
Speaker 1:I'm not, I know. I was gonna say there might be some apps for that, that you might.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I know, you know there's another track, another reason why I do this is because I don't like to do it on my, my phone, because when you're on your phone, you start going to instagram, you start going to facebook so I said wasting time, you know. So I'm wasting time. So I said let me start to write it down, because I know once I get on that phone, well, let me go check this.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you're more focused, I'm more focused so and being out here alone in California, just me and my kids. We have no family out here, so I have to be on point All the time, all the time yeah.
Speaker 1:All the time.
Speaker 3:Of course you know my time to hang out is when you know we take the kids on vacation to San Diego SeaWorld or something.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:But yeah, that's how you know, that's where we're at.
Speaker 1:So this is how you keep your life straight. This is how I keep my life Right. Here is all these notes and to-do lists.
Speaker 2:You want to know a funny little story about your bites. Bobby would come home and like, oh, you got to try these or whatever, and then we'd put them back in the fridge and then I would go sneak one and eat one. And then he'd be like did you eat?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, no, no.
Speaker 2:Or vice versa. You know, like I'd buy some, yeah, we'd fight over them, We'd fight over them.
Speaker 3:That's awesome man.
Speaker 1:Definitely We'd fight over them.
Speaker 3:That's awesome man.
Speaker 1:Definitely the best I've had coming from that world. Well, thank you High protein and you feel good eating them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you don't feel guilty. You don't feel like eating a candy bar and you feel like shit after five minutes after You're like this is actually good for me and it tastes good.
Speaker 3:And there's so many different ways you can have them and, like I said, I kind of like you know, accidentally got here because, if you think about it, with those, after a hike, you can eat them. After a leg day, you can eat them. Heck, after a smoke sesh, you can eat them. Yeah, even if you want to put them in the blender, because it already has everything in it the peanut butter the oats. You know, you don't know what to make your smoothie.
Speaker 2:You just drop that in the toilet and it has everything that makes sense.
Speaker 3:You want to know what sounds ironic A smoker and a runner. Oh yeah, I know, and I just did six miles the other day.
Speaker 1:What I mean your lungs are pretty resilient if you use them right.
Speaker 3:Because, bob Marley, he would smoke before he played soccer. Oh, that's true.
Speaker 2:A lot of Rostas are in shape. Man, I'd probably break a leg.
Speaker 1:if I did that, a lot of Rastas are in very good shape.
Speaker 3:But you know it's fun because I'll take a gummy and I'll smoke and then I'll go run up in the cove and that's like my meditation to get my mind right for my day, because obviously I have a filled day. But I also want to tell entrepreneurs that want to become entrepreneurs but they know, oh my God, it's so much money, it's so much going on, like what do?
Speaker 1:I do so this is my other notes.
Speaker 3:This is for my business, so guys, I don't know anything about business, but what helped me was when I was a general manager at these other stores doing inventory and things like that. So what I do would I would just write down what I made for that day and just add it up. And I'll just add up, but I'll take weights and bake what I made cannabis 21, what I made for that two weeks and I would get all those checks and combine it together and that would be-.
Speaker 3:So this is like your spreadsheet of all your income, all my income, and then that's when I was like okay, I your spreadsheet of all your income, all my income. And then that's when I was like, okay, I made this, I made that. And what I would do is and I only I do that for my job, but I also do that for spartan nutrition whatever I made at spartan, okay so if we're not hitting our numbers. I need to.
Speaker 1:Oh, jeremy, you need to start selling more protein yeah because I need that job yeah, it's open and you're also tracking inventory, right, so you? Know, so you know what's moving and what's not moving.
Speaker 3:What's not moving, instead of me going out and buying crazy stuff at costco's and now it gets spoiled. Yeah, you know that's the thing.
Speaker 1:That's the thing with your line of work, right with food. It's like you gotta, you gotta, hit that number.
Speaker 3:You have to hit that number, yeah so I, I started, I started doing that. As you can see, I just, I just write down everything, guys, um, even from my spending like expenses, like my expenses, like my wife she gets so mad.
Speaker 1:You're a very numbered guy, man. I wouldn't have put that on you man. You have receipts. I have receipts.
Speaker 3:So every Tuesday I go, so every day I do my notes for my stocks, my investments, my banking and make sure and it's nothing a lot in my banking, but I make sure we got.
Speaker 1:Oh, you know where everything is at, though, right At, everything is Absolutely. You got to know.
Speaker 3:But on Wednesdays I would do my receipts. So I would just say personal, business, personal, most of it's personal with the kids, with groceries and stuff, just to be. So I would do that every Wednesday and so I would do that every Wednesday and from there now I have this circular motion. Now Because there was a point where I was so stressed, I was worried, I was like how's this going to work?
Speaker 3:But I said well, let me get a hold to it. So I just started just writing everything down, so there's not a day that I'm not writing my life.
Speaker 1:But your numbers though. You're writing your numbers down.
Speaker 3:I'm writing everything down, but that in the business side.
Speaker 1:that's so important, man, because you know people will lie to you but numbers will not, man, and if you know your numbers.
Speaker 1:As a business owner, you're going to be successful because you know how to tweak and how to quickly pivot and move on from things that are not selling to things that are. I mean, numbers are the name of the game. So I think you showing me this really lets me know why you're successful with that business man. It's because you know your numbers, man. You know exactly how much you're making, how much you're spending. That's the trap that I think a lot of entrepreneurs fall into is that they don't know their numbers initially and that's where people can really get in trouble and fail.
Speaker 1:You know right, right.
Speaker 2:So that's that's awesome man. That's. I have a great advice do you write your wife love letters you know so yeah, that's what she's thinking of.
Speaker 1:I'm thinking on the numbers, you know what's crazy.
Speaker 3:I'm not gonna say like you know, but I do, because I I have another instagram called relax and vibe and that's more like the motivational instagram and I do a lot of like, um, a lot of motivational talks and also, um, I do, um, um, like, I'll put like passages and and stuff like that. So every morning I do, every morning I try to and send my wife something, you know, because if I'm prepping myself up, I gotta prep up, prep up the whole family. So, but here's the thing you know, I'm trying to make, cause, like my, my, my 18 year old, I taught her like everything I do, I taught her how to do so. Cause I said, well, daddy doesn't is not, you know, wealthy, so I can't give you, you know, with you know, a bunch of money or money or like, hopefully I can be able to leave y'all things.
Speaker 3:But I want my daughter, I said I want you to be a boss as well. So she works two jobs, and so I told her you know, you don't have to pay for nothing If I can do anything. She's 18. I said you can stay here as long as you want. I'm going to, you know, get you a refrigerator in your room and you can stay here and save. If I'm not wealthy, if I can't, you know, put you in an apartment or anything. You can stay here, save as much money as you can, yeah, and you know when you're ready to go. You can, I don't want you to leave. You can stay with us forever if you want to. You know all my daughters can.
Speaker 1:I don't.
Speaker 3:I don't want, they can we can be a big family to you know. Yeah, I know right, dad's ready, especially the 18 year old. She's going to la actually today, but yeah, I just taught her how to, how to save her money and how to you know being, especially being a, a woman. I wanted her to be a strong woman, not saying an independent woman, but a strong woman that didn't have to rely on anybody, and if you need it, your dad can get it for you.
Speaker 2:Did you have any mentors that helped you? I keep thinking about the Maserati guy. Are you still in touch with him or how does that?
Speaker 3:No, you know, my mom saw him at a, at a party. They went to a, a party, it was like a banquet, and she saw them and you know, she she told him about me and he said next time I come in town, you know, come see him. But I didn't have a mentor. I wanted a mentor but, like I told you before, I was a kid that was partying, so nobody took me serious. So I was like, hey, I need a mentor. They're like, oh, I'm either busy or jeremy, you're not serious. I didn't have a mentor. Everything I learned and I want to bring this this was my mentor this is.
Speaker 3:You know, the bible. I read the Bible every day. I have to. That's the first thing I got to do every day.
Speaker 2:How much are you reading, though?
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm almost done with this. I'm on like, yeah, I'm literally almost done.
Speaker 2:Well, like you, read a page a day.
Speaker 3:No, because I read at least Four to five books a day.
Speaker 2:What time do you wake up in the morning? When do you sleep, man? You work all these jobs, you know I wake in.
Speaker 3:Actually I don't even wake up early anymore. I used to All that, all the stuff that I did in Nashville waking up early and stuff it prepared me for here. So when I got here I wake up around like seven. You know I get because you need, because I'm getting older, so I do need to rest, you gotta sleep, man, because I do work out too.
Speaker 1:Your brain, your brain gotta, your brain has to reset yeah.
Speaker 3:But I wanted to. But that's why I like the jobs that I'm in is because I I have time to be with my kids. I get up in the morning, I get to have coffee with my wife. I get to take my daughter to school every day. I get to take my other daughter to work early in the morning. So I do wake up around like six because my my first daughter, she has tutoring in the morning, so I take her there, and my other daughter, she works at a smoothie shop as well. Okay, so I take her there at 6 30. When I get home I'll have coffee with my wife and then from there I'll go work out so you, you're busy man, and then after that workout is the day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you got to sleep, man. That rest is important. You have to sleep. Ty, come on and bring in some of these. We're going to talk a little bit about your bites. Man, I don't know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, let me show you.
Speaker 2:I was like Jeremy, just bring some of your little bites. Little does he know, I want to eat them all.
Speaker 3:Yes, let's see here Taste tester so this guy's the king of healthy snacks.
Speaker 1:So we got to obviously participate and we wanted him to kind of bring some in here.
Speaker 3:So these are just the fresh granolas. Those are the fresh granolas, that's just your basic granola. And then we have the almond butter pretzels Fresh granola.
Speaker 1:And then we have the almond butter, pretzels, fresh granolas. These are one of your best sellers, obviously. I think you've been doing these for a long time, right, that's the almond butter, so that's filled with almond butter.
Speaker 3:I was expecting, like a pretzel. Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, what I mean. So I was like huh, Bobby loves pretzels.
Speaker 1:Are we okay to taste? Test these? Yeah, Because you know I got to taste it. You want a pickle, I want to. I like this one. That's the one we buy.
Speaker 2:Now we count top.
Speaker 1:Very good. Very good and healthy. I mean, this is like all natural stuff.
Speaker 3:Instead of honey, we use agave. Instead, I put a little pink Himalayan sea salt because, like I said, I have a one of the ladies who buy them. She does a lot of triathlons, so just trying to keep those electrolytes up. So I'll put a little Himalayan salt and also what I'll do is if you, if you want one, you can always send me a message and come up with your own, and I'll just go out and buy the stuff and I'll do it for you.
Speaker 2:Custom orders, custom orders. Can you put that in a blender and make a smoothie?
Speaker 3:And that's the crazy thing is the bite. Is the smoothie, is the bite? Because some people don't like the bites, oh really. They don't want to have something. They want something to drink. Really so you just drop them in there and blend them. So the ingredients that's in the bites are in the smoothies.
Speaker 1:Oh, it saves your cost, it saves my inventory cost. Yeah, inventory is all the same stuff. All the same stuff, all the same stuff. Well, everybody, let's listen in and watching. You guys got to check these things out they're they're, they're really good. I found, I found jeremy just by him selling these on. I think you were like outside or something and I bought one.
Speaker 3:Usually I was outside, outside, huh well, no, no, no, so um well, he was just outside of the store.
Speaker 2:I was saying earlier that he was inside so like, but now you're inside, right yeah now like so.
Speaker 3:At first I wanted to be outside because of just to get that.
Speaker 2:To get the eyeballs on you, right, yeah nobody knew who I was Right eyeballs.
Speaker 3:When I went to, when I my first inside was at EOS and they met me and so that blew up and then I started doing them in the nutrition shop, but I only had. I was doing them at the nutrition shop before when I was working at, um, uh, the health, like doing recruiting. Yeah, I was. I had them there in the like on saturdays, just little in plastic it seems like you've always been doing this yeah this is, like always, your little side hustle.
Speaker 1:Now it's turning into your main hustle, now it's becoming my main main hustle.
Speaker 3:So when I was working at the recruiting I already had a couple people that already knew about me because they were just buying them at the nutrition shop on Saturdays. So then when they found out I was going full time, they were like, oh, we can buy them all the time. And then I just started getting new customers and new customers.
Speaker 1:That's how you do it.
Speaker 2:I guess my question is if you have a couple of gyms under your belt you've got the nutrition shop under your belt are you going to try to expand and go to other gyms? Like we know Gabe, who has a gym. And then also I think like this would be a really good idea for kids, right? Because kids eat like shit.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, and so like that would be kind of a good angle to go and kind of go after that market and athletes. Right, we have our little athlete who needs an extra boost. Or he doesn't want it, or dad doesn't want him to eat a big meal before practice, so like something like this would be good, and they all think that it's like almost like it is. It's so sweet, it is, it's like a candy.
Speaker 3:You know when I first started well, not really when I first started, but you know, in the household there's this lady, a teacher. She would buy like a pan of them and take them to her class here in the valley. And the funny thing is is kids love them. They'll come by the Spartan Nutrition and get some. And the crazy thing is well, the other parent doesn't know about me. So when they see them in the refrigerator they think it's an edible.
Speaker 3:So they see their kids and like what the hell is going on, yeah, yeah, and so the other parent's like no, no, no, no, it's not edible, it's just weights.
Speaker 2:And bake, it's just protein, it's just protein.
Speaker 3:And they're like what weights and bake, you know, and not because and the crazy thing is, it can be in the schools, because it has. It doesn't say anything about marijuana on it, it just says weights, yeah, it's, it's just health food. It's just health food but when people see that picture, yeah, you know, they'll say because you might need to.
Speaker 1:I get it I need to rebrand for the schools.
Speaker 3:But yeah, but it's the same, same product, same product and the crazy thing is, a lot of people have told me they're like jeremy, you thought about, like, rebranding it so you can get more to the masses? And you know, to be honest, it's not my style. I told him no, I, I just I, I like it like this. You know, I like to be a person.
Speaker 3:I've always been the person to push buttons see how far I can go being the wild one, and so that's obviously got me here. So I want to keep on going, but I want to take my time with it because I like having fun with it, I like creating. Anytime I get into that hustle, like real, like got to have have it, gotta get this, my mind just goes blank and now I'm worried. So I decided to you know what, jeremy, take your time.
Speaker 3:Obviously, I'm kind of letting the I'm, I'm, I'm kind of let go and then letting my journey guide me. Yeah, instead of me trying to guide my journey, right, because for me that helps me out a lot more. Only because sometimes you get too excited, you get, you know, and for me, like, like I said, I'm big into my relationship with God and sometimes God will block things from you just to help you for your own, good for your own good, but if sometimes you want it so fast, you get there and then you sink, yeah, because you're not ready yet exactly so I told God you know I'm going to do your work.
Speaker 3:And you just got me. So, he guided me here and we're just going to do it.
Speaker 1:You're on the journey, man.
Speaker 3:We're on the journey and I love it and it's been a blessing, and I'm looking forward to what's next, because I look at it more of gratitude than anything. It's the gratitude.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:And I tell myself now that don't get overwhelmed, because I wouldn't say I blame social media, but before social media, if you had your own business, like this, or you know, and then you're working at a nutrition shop and then you had a condo in California, you're doing pretty damn good, pretty good yeah. But when social media comes out, well damn, I need the Ferrari.
Speaker 1:I don't got the.
Speaker 3:Ferrari, yet I don't got the six-bedroom house yet I'm doing horrible in life. No, you're not.
Speaker 1:Stop comparing yourself to everybody. Stop comparing yourself and a lot of people compare themselves in business with social media.
Speaker 3:Well, I'm not there yet. I'm not there yet.
Speaker 1:So I decided. You know what, jeremy? I want you to take as much time as possible.
Speaker 3:Do not let anybody rush your process, because it's your process. That's awesome, man, that's awesome. And yeah, I um the next. The next step is to um get a home, get a home, and that's me and my wife's goal is to get a home.
Speaker 1:I think you're well on your way, man. I think, I think that the hustle and the grind and termination and just your overall philosophy on what you're doing, and you're also doing the community a service by giving us an alternative to the junk that we can pick up at the grocery store. Thank, you.
Speaker 1:I'm very thankful that I've run into you, met you and heard your story. Where can our audience our audience got to check these guys out? They're really good. Me and my wife fight over them when I buy them, so you know where can our audience get some of your product and where's the best place to reach you.
Speaker 3:You can reach me on Instagram at weightsandbake underscore, and you can just DM me and just be like hey, you know, I want to get some bites. I can either deliver them to you if they're in the you know close around the Valley, um, you can always pick them up at spar nutrition every single day there it is you can send me a message and you know anytime I'm not doing anything but making bites and you know, hiking so and working out and working out and weights, and bake is with an n and with the n, with the m kind of like in and out, so yeah, so check it out everybody that's.
Speaker 1:You know that's the call to go check it out. Me and fina are happy customers. Lastly, we always like to ask our entrepreneurs what advice would you give. I kind of think you already touched on it, but kind of reiterate what advice you would give to somebody that's maybe thinking about getting in the game or starting their own business yeah, the food game or any game. At that point Like starting your own business, what advice would you give them to start out?
Speaker 3:Dive right in and don't look back, dang.
Speaker 1:Short and sweet, huh, that's it. That's it, man. Hey, you can't knock the hustle man. Hustle and grind, work people. So just take that from Jeremy's story. He's a prime example that you hustle and grind it out. You're going to be successful.
Speaker 3:So thanks, jeremy, for coming in. That's our time for today, man, it was awesome, your story is awesome.
Speaker 1:Like you know, if you guys found some value in this discussion today. You know the routine Like, subscribe and follow, and we'll see you next time on CB Hustle.
Speaker 2:Bye-bye.