123: The Endurance Pre-Workout of the Future: G.1.M Sport +

Today, we introduce the newest product from BPN, G.1. M Sport + This episode focuses on its unique benefits and formulation. Unlike conventional product launches, I'll cover the 'why' and 'how' behind G1M Sport +. We discuss the differentiation from previous BPN launches, the extensive research and development process, and the combination of fuel, hydration, and mental focus support ingredients that make this product stand out. Later, we're joined by Jordan Utter, BPN's Brand Director, who shares insights into the creative and marketing strategies behind the launch and what made this one so unique. This episode is a must-listen. CHAPTERS 00:14 Introducing G1M Sport Plus 01:16 Product Development and Creative Team 03:30 G1M Sport Plus Ingredients Breakdown 10:08 Usage and Benefits of G1M Sport Plus 20:25 The Origin Story of G1M Sport 28:52 Market Evolution and Brand Growth 45:26 Creative Marketing Strategy 49:39 Project Sierra: The Secret Launch 50:57 Creative Challenges and Team Dynamics 57:52 The Two-Phase Launch Strategy 01:05:58 Reflecting on the Journey and Future Vision PRE-ORDER MY UPCOMING BOOK HERE:https://www.amazon.com/Go-One-More-Intentional-Life-Changing/dp/1637746210 FOLLOW: Become a BPN member FOR FREE - Unlock 20% off FOR LIFE https://bpn.team/member IG: instagram.com/nickbarefitness/ YT: youtube.com/@nickbarefitness

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:06Nick Bare?

  Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the podcast. Today's episode is a little different. Today I'm talking about the newest product we launched through BPN and that is called G1M Sport Plus. And before you tune out, I don't want you to think that this is just an episode of product advertisement. The reality is, it is, part of it is, but it's so much more than that. There's a reason that I'm dedicating an entire episode to this product, this launch.

• 0:49Nick Bare?

  And I want to share the why, the how, the reason we created this product and the process of launching and bringing a new product to market. And we've approached this product specifically, G1M Sport Plus, different, completely different than anything else we've ever done in the past. And towards the end of this episode, I will be bringing you on Jordan Utter, who is our brand director, who leads all things creative here at BPN. Jordan was the first creative hire that we ever made.

• 1:33Nick Bare?

  And that was in 2019. And Jordan has grown, he has evolved, has matured over these last six years now tremendously. And he has led the creative execution of this project, of this product, and I want him to speak into it. Because the truth is, I cast vision, high level vision, when it comes to creative deliverables, but Jordan and the team, they are the ones that bring it to life. When you're on social media or you're on our YouTube channel and you're watching our athletes

• 2:15Nick Bare?

  and the product, that is that team bringing that vision to life. That is the execution. There's a lot that goes into that. And I think I would be doing the creative team a disservice by trying to speak into that on my own without Jordan and the team. So this episode is, like I said, much more than just explaining a product launch and why G1M Sport is beneficial and what problem we've tried to solve and we are solving. It's a brand, it's a business operation that I want

• 2:54Nick Bare?

  to bring you alongside. G1M Sport Plus, our tagline for this product is "The Future of Endurance." And we've been working on this product for over a year now. I am extremely proud and excited to finally be able to launch it and bring it to the market, bring it to you guys. It is something that I've been using around my training, around my running specifically, every time I go for a run. And it has made a big difference. Now, what is G1M Sport Plus? Well, it is the base of G1M

• 3:37Nick Bare?

  Sport, which is 20 grams of carbohydrates per serving in the form of cluster dextran. As I've said many times before, cluster dextran is a very fast gastric emptying carb source, which means that it doesn't sit in the stomach, it has a high molecular weight, moves through the stomach quickly, so it can be utilized as a fuel source, it can be used to replenish muscle glycogen, stored energy, and it reduces the risk of gastrointestinal distress, GI distress, gas, bloating, gut rot.

• 4:19Nick Bare?

  So it's 20 grams carbohydrates from a high quality, a very high quality carb source. Uh, cluster dextrin doesn't have any sugar either. So you'll see there's 20 grams of carbs per serving, zero sugar.

• 4:33Nick Bare?

  There's also 350 milligrams of sodium per serving, which the goal there is electrolytes to replenish what is lost during training and to maximize and optimize hydration levels. So you have fuel and you have hydration. That was and is the foundation of G1M Sport, the original. And we launched G1M Sport in 2020.

• 5:06Nick Bare?

  And I'll eventually get into the origin story of G1M Sport. But now we're launching and have launched the plus version. What is the plus version?

• 5:19Nick Bare?

  It's the foundation, the 20 grams carbohydrates, 350 milligrams of sodium, but now with energy and focus. 150 milligrams of caffeine per serving, 300 milligrams of alpha GPC, 1.5 grams of N-aceto-L tyrosine.

• 5:42Nick Bare?

  So for the energy, the stimulant caffeine. And when we landed on 150 milligrams, how did we land on 150 milligrams? We found that's a sweet spot.

• 5:55Nick Bare?

  Anything less than, uh, you might not necessarily feel the effects based off of your sensitivity and experience and and usage with caffeine. Anything less than 150 might be a little too little for most people. You won't feel, uh, the stimulant, the energy, and caffeine also has the ability to blunt the feelings and effect of fatigue. So caffeine can actually, um, reduce feelings of fatigue, mental and physical. Anything over 150, you know, 200, 250, 300,

• 6:37Nick Bare?

  might not be optimal for endurance training. It might be optimal for strength training, but not necessarily optimal for endurance training, because you don't want to over stimulate the central nervous system and energy. Because what ends up happening is that when you over stimulate the central nervous system with caffeine or other stimulants, you start affecting heart rate. And as we know, when it comes to endurance training, you're trying to moderate and control heart rate. So when we go on our easy runs, our sub-max aerobic heart rate runs,

• 7:22Nick Bare?

  we want to maintain a lower heart rate to get the benefits of lower heart rate training. And we're building this aerobic engine. And then when our heart rate gets too high, we get into different zones and we're starting to utilize different systems. So with too much caffeine prior to endurance training, especially running, it can elevate your heart rate at an unnecessary level and it can move you into a different zone of training than you might be aiming towards for that specific session. So that's how we landed on 150mg of caffeine. We have found that's the sweet spot. And then when it comes to mental energy,

• 8:06Nick Bare?

  mental acuity, focus, cognitive support, cognitive enhancement, that's why we incorporated nootropics, such as Alpha GPC and tyrosine. So Alpha GPC, choline in the brain can create this mental alertness, acuity, awareness. The combination of caffeine, Alpha GPC and tyrosine, very powerful combination. They work very synergistically together, especially at the dosages that we've incorporated into this formula.

• 8:46Nick Bare?

  So if you look at what GUM Sport is, you have the perfect combination for a pre-workout endurance supplement. You have fuel, carbs, you have electrolytes, sodium, you have energy, caffeine, and you have nootropics, focus, mental awareness, mental clarity. That comes from the N-acetylcytirazine and Alpha GPC. I'm extremely proud of this formula. Extremely proud of this formula.

• 9:22Nick Bare?

  And the way we got to these ingredients and these additions is through a lot of trial and error and testing.

• 9:33Nick Bare?

  And we had our bottle of GUM Sport, and we would add, we would, you know, supplement with different levels of caffeine, different stimulants, different nootropics. And we did this for months and months and months, and we got to the sweet spot of 150mg caffeine, 300mg of Alpha GPC, 1.5 grams of N-acetylcytirazine. Lots of trial and error, lots of research and development, R&D, to get to this formula, which works. Who is it for? And how are you going to use it? Well, I'll share multiple different ways you can use it, case studies,

• 10:16Nick Bare?

  and how I personally have been using GUM Sport. This is for someone who wants and needs a little bit more of a pick-me-up for their endurance training or that morning run.

• 10:32Nick Bare?

  And what I was finding for a long time, and I know a lot of our consumers and athletes and partners were doing the same thing, is part of my morning routine was I'd wake up and I'd slam my GUM Sport.

• 10:49Nick Bare?

  Two scoops of G1M Sport to get 40 grams of carbohydrates, 700 milligrams of sodium. And that was the first thing I would do every single morning in preparation for morning run. To let those carbs sit in, digest a little bit. And I would also make a coffee. So I'd go to the coffee machine, I'd make a coffee, I add a shot of espresso on top of that. And that would get me to about 150 milligrams of caffeine. And I would then drink that after I would consume my G1M Sport. I wake up at 4:30 every morning and I'm running by 5:30 a.m.

• 11:30Nick Bare?

  So between 4:30 and 5:30, I'm drinking two different beverages. Because I want the stimulant, I want the energy, I want the focus from the coffee. But I also want the fuel from G1M Sport.

• 11:46Nick Bare?

  And the idea came to us of, how do we simplify? How do we make it where you reduce the number of steps you have in the morning? And you can get more out of your product? You can get more out of your performance than just coffee? What's going to add a layer onto that, that mental acuity? What's going to add a layer onto that mental edge and awareness and clarity?

• 12:19Nick Bare?

  What no tropics can we incorporate into this formula? That enhance the feeling, the preparation and the outcomes of that run?

• 12:32Nick Bare?

  Simplification was the goal. Simplification was the outcome we were looking to achieve. That was the desire.

• 12:42Nick Bare?

  So this is for someone who wants some more energy, who wants some more mental clarity, who wants better and stronger concentration for their endurance training, who wants to perform at a higher level, who wants to accomplish their goals, who wants an edge that they can apply to the workout and the training and performance in pursuit of their goals. Now, the way that I use G1M Sport Plus is just like this.

• 13:19Nick Bare?

  So every morning, I wake up at 4:30 a.m. Like I said, that hasn't changed, but now I consume one beverage as opposed to two.

• 13:31Nick Bare?

  I mix one scoop of G1M Sport and one scoop of G1M Sport Plus in my shaker bottle. And I do about 18 to 20 ounces of water, sometimes a little bit less.

• 13:47Nick Bare?

  And with those two scoops, I'm now getting 40 grams of carbohydrates. I'm getting 700 milligrams of sodium, but I'm also getting 150 milligrams of caffeine, 300 milligrams of alpha GPC, 1.5 grams of N-acetylcytirazine.

• 14:07Nick Bare?

  And the way that my morning routine works is I wake up, I mix it up, I drink that right away, and then I make a bottle for my son. I make about an eight-ounce bottle, and he's typically waking up when I'm waking up in the morning. It's just been part of his morning routine ever since he was born. So I go into his room, I change him, I give him that eight-ounce bottle, and that takes about

• 14:34Nick Bare?

  10, sometimes 15 minutes for him to drink that whole bottle. As I'm sitting in the chair in his bedroom and I'm giving him that bottle, I can feel the effects of the caffeine and the nootrobics sitting in. I'm starting to feel the stimulant effects. I'm starting to feel the tunnel vision focus. I'm getting energized. I'm not trying to fall asleep on that chair. I am literally feeling like I'm ready to attack that workout. I am itching to go put on my socks and put on my shoes and throw my hat on backwards and go take off my run, dialed in and focused.

• 15:15Nick Bare?

  And you can feel these ingredients kicking in within five to 10 minutes.

• 15:22Nick Bare?

  What's beautiful about Cluster Dextran and the team over at Cluster Dextran actually ran a few studies on this raw material over the years, very strong clinical studies. One of those studies, they showed that the addition of Cluster Dextran with caffeine amplified the effects and feelings of caffeine.

• 15:45Nick Bare?

  And I can confirm this because before we actually launched GUM Sport Plus, and I found out about this research through the Cluster Dextran team, I was actually starting to mix my Cluster Dextran, my GUM Sport with my Flight, our traditional pre-workout primarily used for strength training, and I could feel the effects of Flight, I could feel the effects of the caffeine in Flight significantly more with the addition of Cluster Dextran, with the addition of carbohydrates.

• 16:21Nick Bare?

  So I could confirm that even prior to the R and D process of bringing GUM Sport Plus to life. Now, you're not going to want to or need to use more than one scoop or one serving of G1M Sport Plus per workout, which is different from G1M Sport, the OG formula. Because the OG formula was created to be able to use multiple scoops, multiple servings, around your training based off of your energy demands. So if I look back to when I was in my last marathon prep, doing big track workouts,

• 17:03Nick Bare?

  I would have two scoops of G1M Sport before my workout, before my run. And then on the side of the track during these big interval sections, I would have a water bottle with two more scoops of G1M Sport in a bottle, so I could keep replenishing the carbohydrates during my workout, during these high effort training sessions, while on the track, or a tempo run, or a speed workout. So G1M Sport can and should be used multiple times throughout a day or a training session, based off of the distance, the duration, and the intensity. G1M Sport Plus is different.

• 17:46Nick Bare?

  You should have to or want to use one scoop prior to training, 20 to 30 minutes prior to a training session, but it's not something you're going to keep using throughout a workout. You don't want to keep adding on more caffeine and more nootropics. If you need more fuel, if you need more sodium, more electrolytes, then add more scoops of G1M Sport OG. So that's kind of the difference there. You can use G1M Sport Plus not only for pre-run.

• 18:21Nick Bare?

  Nutrition, fuel, energy focus. You can use it prior to going to a swim, before a big bike session, any type of endurance training, high rocks workouts. It's great for circuit training. I was using G1M Sport Plus a lot during my high rocks prep. Before I went and competed at my high rocks in Dallas, I used G1M Sport Plus before the competition. But I'm also using G1M Sport Plus before some of my, my strength days. There are days where I still use flight, but there's also days where if it's a more high intensity, a more conditioning based strength workout,

• 19:04Nick Bare?

  and I want the addition of carbs and electrolytes, I will actually use G1M Sport Plus before a strength workout. So it's not just for running. It's not just for triathlon. It's not just for hitting the trails. This is a product that can be your go to pre-workout because it has everything you want and need to fuel and support massive efforts and effective training sessions. But for me, the way I'm using it right now, one scoop of each before my morning run. And then occasionally I'll use this and replace a flight

• 19:46Nick Bare?

  for my strength training workout later in the afternoon. The entire team here at BPN has been using G1M Sport Plus for a few months now. And I don't just say this to say this. And I don't say this with the obvious bias that there is. We're obsessed. We're obsessed with this, this product. And we do believe that this is the future of endurance. But it's also the future of BPN. What we're building, what we're focused on, and where we're heading.

• 20:25Nick Bare?

  So I want to provide a little bit of context for those of you who don't know the origin story of G1M Sport.

• 20:32Nick Bare?

  2019, I started training for my first Ironman. And this really came from, after my second marathon, I wanted to really push myself and challenge myself. And I've shared this story many times before, but I saw this viral video of this triathlete from the 80s, Joey Moss, at the Ironman World Championships, crawling, literally crawling across the finish line, suffering, but fighting for that finish. And I saw that, and I said to myself, I want to feel that. I want to experience that. So I signed up for Ironman Florida,

• 21:18Nick Bare?

  which I completed in 2019, November of 2019. And I trained for months in preparation. This was my first introduction to big effort endurance training. Prior to that, I had experience with forced endurance training, if you will, from my time in the military, but then marathons. Two marathons. I've done long ruck marches in a day. But this is my first time really training for high intensity, high effort, long, multiple hour endurance efforts. And when I was training for my first Ironman,

• 22:03Nick Bare?

  I was, I was using all these different fuel sources, all these different carbohydrate sources that were available on the market.

• 22:12Nick Bare?

  And they were wrecking my stomach. You know, there were days where I was on the bike for hours and I was consuming 16 to sometimes 100 grams of carbohydrates per hour. And these carb sources were killing me. I was hunched over, holding my stomach from cramps in GI distress and pain.

• 22:35Nick Bare?

  And I did some research and I found out that most carbohydrate sources meant to be formulated and used for endurance training in the market were maltodextrin based. Maltodextrin is a cheap carbohydrate source. Most of the endurance gels on the market are maltodextrin based. Because it's cheap, it's easy to flavor, it mixes well, it's pretty adaptable and universal. However, it has notoriously caused gut rot and stomach issues in athletes. It digests very slow. It doesn't necessarily work with the athlete. It sometimes works against the athlete.

• 23:20Nick Bare?

  And at the time in BPN's history, we were not an endurance brand. We had strength supplements, we had pre-workout creatine, amino acids, protein. We had health and wellness supplements, strong greens, strong reds, multivitamin, joint support.

• 23:37Nick Bare?

  There was no

• 23:40Nick Bare?

  vision for us to be an endurance brand or to ever launch endurance products. But I wanted to create something for myself in 2019 because I couldn't find something on the market that I could or wanted to use. So this is where we started a huge research and development project with one of our manufacturing partners. And I tested 20 plus carbohydrate sources over months. And I couldn't find anything that worked for me in my training until I came across ClusterDextrin.

• 24:18Nick Bare?

  ClusterDextrin, the research behind it, the trial and error, the testing.

• 24:25Nick Bare?

  I mean, the writing was on the wall. This is the the material that we have to use for this this product. And there were some brands out there that were using ClusterDextrin, but not in the full

• 24:38Nick Bare?

  20 gram serving.

• 24:42Nick Bare?

  There's this phrase in the supplement industry known as pixie dusting. So you take the expensive ingredients and you add a little bit of it to say that it's in there. So there were some companies in the industry in the market at the time. That would have, you know, say 20 gram carbohydrate powder per serving. 15 of those grams were from multodextrin and maybe five grams were from cluster dextrin. So majority of it was multodextrin. Because cluster dextrin is significantly more expensive than these other carbohydrate sources on the market. I said, no, if we're going to do this, the whole 20 gram serving.

• 25:26Nick Bare?

  The only carb source in this product has to and will be cluster dextrin. So we created this product while I was in my Ironman training. We brought it to market. And initially, we actually, I don't know how long some of you guys have been following the brand. But when we first launched G1M Sport, it was in a bag. And the reason being is that a lot of the endurance powders that I was aware of at that point were put into bags. So we just took that route. But what we were finding was as our team was opening up pallets and boxes and through shipment.

• 26:10Nick Bare?

  Bags were popping and they were getting cut and they were opening and the seals weren't working really well. So we decided we're not going to do the bags. We're going to transition to bottles like the rest of our products. And when we first launched G1M Sport, it was not a top seller. I mean, it was far from. And I didn't expect it to be.

• 26:37Nick Bare?

  I created GM Sport selfishly to fuel my training and in hopes that there were other athletes out there that were potentially experiencing the same problems I was experiencing GI distress, gas, bloating, gut rot, pains, cramping. And I thought if we could create a solution that fuels us, that works for us, but also helps other people as well, that's a win regardless of how many units we sell. It doesn't have to be a top seller because we weren't positioning ourselves as a brand to be endurance focused back then. But over time, as the brand slowly

• 27:17Nick Bare?

  started to evolve, like a natural evolutionary process to where we are today, being an endurance-focused consumer brand, I mean, we are endurance at the tip of the spear. And strength and wellness will always support those endurance goals, but the priority is endurance. That's who we are, that's what we do, that's who we serve, those are the problems that we solve. So it's been a very natural evolution from 2020 until today, 2025, these last five

• 27:57Nick Bare?

  years. There was never one moment where we said, okay, today's the day, change your plans, we're an endurance brand, and we're shifting focus. No, it's very organic and natural over time. And if you've been following the brand, I'm sure you have experienced that, felt that, saw that. And a lot of that just natural evolution organically was based off of my and our interest and passions and pursuits, and it just became part of our story. It was by no means strategic. I would love to, for us to have the ability to take credit for that and say it was strategic, but it was just what felt right to us and what we wanted to do, who we wanted to become.

• 28:42Nick Bare?

  So in January of 2023, to just show you the the growth trajectory of G1M Sport. January of 2023, we are selling about 2,000 units of G1M Sport a month. Today, at the time of this recording, May of 2025,

• 29:06Nick Bare?

  we are now selling nearly 30,000 units of G1M Sport per month.

• 29:14Nick Bare?

  The trajectory of growth has been wild.

• 29:20Nick Bare?

  But I believe truly that that's what happens when you create a product that actually solves problems, a product that is a solution and that works. And when people find it and love it, they keep buying it, they tell everyone about it. And that growth was again very natural, word of mouth, organic. And a few things happened from 2020 to 2023 and then now 2025. Our brand has evolved and transformed, yes, but also the market and the consumer has transformed and evolved as well simultaneously.

• 30:07Nick Bare?

  Endurance has become more popular, running has become more popular. People who said they would never run a day in their life are now running marathons and ultra marathons and signing up for Ironmans. Run Clubs are exploding all over the world. Marathon signups are at its at its peak, larger than it's ever been in history. I mean, I just recently found out about this stat, but the amount of people who who signed up to run the London Marathon last year was 850,000.

• 30:47Nick Bare?

  850,000 for one marathon tried to get into that race. Now, I believe the London Marathon has maybe 50,000 runners. So 800,000 plus didn't get in. But that is not an exception to the rule. That is not an anomaly. That goes for all the major marathons in the world. That goes for marathon signups all across the country. Marathons are selling out faster than ever before. Endurance sports like high rocks are exploding. High rocks is the perfect combination of strength and endurance.

• 31:32Nick Bare?

  The industry is shifting. The consumer mindset is shifting. Consumer behavior is shifting towards endurance. So I believe, and I've shared this with our brand and our team many times before. But if we look at this experience, this opportunity, this moment in time as a chart. As BPN has been moving in one direction, this natural evolution, growth and transformation to become the best endurance consumer brand in the world.

• 32:15Nick Bare?

  That is one of our goals, to become the best, the most trusted and respected endurance consumer brand in the world. The market is also moving in a direction and that market is moving in a direction in the industry that is endurance focused. And I believe the way I see it is that we as BPN and the market are at a point where we are crossing paths and we have the opportunity to lead the market, lead the industry to become and to accomplish one of our goals, to become the best, the most trusted, the most respected endurance consumer brand in the world.

• 32:58Nick Bare?

  Those transformations and those evolutions of BPN as a brand in the consumer behavior, landscape and industry, they're just crossing paths at the right time, in the right place, and we're primed to seize the opportunity.

• 33:21Nick Bare?

  And I also believe that the consumer, not just in endurance training, but in the fitness industry and fitness as a whole, the consumer is now understanding the value of two things. One, fueling. Two, strength training. So historical endurance athletes, many of them ran away from strength training because strength training meant building muscle. Building muscle meant additional weight, and additional weight meant slower. But that's not the case. Strength training can now complement endurance training to make you stronger,

• 34:04Nick Bare?

  make you more durable, reduce risk of injury. It is only a benefit for endurance athletes. So the mindset and training philosophy of endurance athletes has evolved over time. And now we understand the value of carbohydrates, electrolytes and proper fueling. There's a reason that something we've been saying the last few years has connected with so many people, and that is, once you train fueled, you will never train fasted again.

• 34:38Nick Bare?

  I can speak into that from personal experience. There were times in my life where I thought training fasted was going to make me stronger. If my body can get through these workouts without the need of carbohydrates, electrolytes, water, fuel, it will only make me stronger. I don't want to have to rely on food and fuel and supplements to make me a stronger athlete.

• 35:05Nick Bare?

  That was such a naive, ignorant, outdated way to think.

• 35:10Nick Bare?

  Carbohydrates are our friend. It is a benefit to our training. It will maximize performance. It will maximize output. And it will optimize recovery. We want and need carbohydrates and electrolytes around our training, especially endurance training.

• 35:32Nick Bare?

  So for all those reasons, I believe that is why G1M Sport has blown up for us. That is our hero product, our hero SKU.

• 35:43Nick Bare?

  It's all these things that have come together.

• 35:48Nick Bare?

  And that is what led us to really feeling called to create G1M Sport Plus. One, there was an opportunity to take a product that is and was already crushing it for us and that so many people loved. And it's how do we simplify our consumers' life? So they don't have to consume two beverages prior to a workout or a run in the morning. And we can highlight and increase and improve those training sessions, those workouts.

• 36:28Nick Bare?

  Something I wanted to add in there as well.

• 36:32Nick Bare?

  That I think is really important to touch on is you know, some people might be asking themselves, why don't I drink an energy drink? Prior to endurance training?

• 36:46Nick Bare?

  The reason I don't like traditional energy drinks around

• 36:52Nick Bare?

  training, whether that's strength training or a run or endurance training is because what most energy drinks are on the market is carbonated water and caffeine. And sometimes they'll throw in some trace amounts of B vitamins and very trace amounts of other ingredients. You'll never or rarely get a full dosage, an efficacious dosage of a really great nootropic in a canned energy drink that you're picking up at 7-Eleven or the gas station or convenience stores.

• 37:31Nick Bare?

  But carbonated beverages are not ideal prior to training. You don't want that bubbly, carbonated water in your stomach sloshing around because carbonated beverages are naturally going to create gas, it's going to create belching, some stomach discomfort. So avoiding carbonated beverages at all costs around training for me is a non-negotiable. I will not consume a carbonated beverage around training for that reason, that it just upsets my stomach and for most people, it's going to create

• 38:12Nick Bare?

  the same and similar effects.

• 38:19Nick Bare?

  So that's what GUM Sport Plus is. That's how we've come to the desire to create it, to formulate it, to bring it to market. And just like all of our other products, GUM Sport Plus is NSF certified for sport. It is naturally sweetened, it is naturally flavored.

• 38:47Nick Bare?

  Our entire product line is enrolled in the NSF certified for sport program. So what does that mean? That means that our products, we test our products every batch, every lot with NSF certified for sport, which tests for banned substances. So being enrolled in the NSF program, they also test for label accuracy and claims. So if it says on our product that we have 20 grams of carbohydrates from cluster dextran, 150 milligrams of sodium, we have 300 milligrams of alpha GPC, we have 1.5 grams of NCDL tyrosine. By being enrolled

• 39:29Nick Bare?

  in the NSF program, they test our products to ensure that that amount of that ingredient is in that product. And then we're also enrolled in the For Sport program, which tests for banned substances. So if you are an NCAA athlete, college athlete, professional athlete, military, or law enforcement, or subject to frequent drug testing, you can know that our products have been tested, certified, and are safe.

• 39:58Nick Bare?

  They've been tested for banned substances. They've been tested for label accuracy in claims. Our entire product line is enrolled in that program.

• 40:11Nick Bare?

  And I believe that every endurance athlete deserves a pre-workout too.

• 40:18Nick Bare?

  You know, I fell in love with the supplement industry. I fell in love with the supplement industry because I fell in love with pre-workout. I remember my first pre-workout experience.

• 40:31Nick Bare?

  It was like 2006. I went to the local supplement store in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I was getting really into strength training and the bodybuilding. And I heard about this thing called pre-workout. And I went and bought my first bottle of pre-workout in the supplement store. I came home, I took it before my, my training session. And I, I, I don't say this in an exaggerated way. It changed my life. It changed my life. That first time taking pre-workout. I fell in love with the whole experience. The energy, the tunnel vision focus, the, the tingling feeling on my skin from the beta alanine. I fell in love with that.

• 41:17Nick Bare?

  Like that was the spark that led me to where I am today.

• 41:23Nick Bare?

  Truly. From that moment on, I was obsessed with supplements. I was obsessed with training, trying different pre-workouts, trying different ingredients.

• 41:33Nick Bare?

  That expanded my love and passion for bodybuilding and strength training and going to the gym. Cause going to the gym for me wasn't just this one hour I spent every day. It was the lifestyle. It was waking up in the morning and having my meals planned.

• 41:53Nick Bare?

  In eating a clean diet, which back then it was a lot of egg whites, oatmeal,

• 42:02Nick Bare?

  rice, broccoli, chicken, which still is like the foundation of my, my diet, but it was like, keep my diet as clean as possible. Hit my meals every three hours, drink a gallon of water. Take my pre-workout 30 to 45 minutes before the workout starts. Build the effects. I would then go on YouTube and I'd watch motivational lifting videos of Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler. So by the time I got to the gym, I was dialed. I was mentally prepared. I was in it. I was ready to go to war with myself with those weights. And then post-workout, you have the protein shake. You're getting your meals back on track. Everything about the lifestyle I loved.

• 42:45Nick Bare?

  And that sparked my interest into this industry and do everything I'm doing now.

• 42:52Nick Bare?

  That experience in 2006 literally changed my life.

• 42:57Nick Bare?

  And I don't believe that there's

• 43:00Nick Bare?

  a great pre-workout supplement solution for endurance athletes on the market right now. Something creates that same feeling, that same, I'm ready to attack it feel.

• 43:14Nick Bare?

  That mental edge, that energy, that focus, that fuel.

• 43:20Nick Bare?

  I approached my training sessions for endurance, for running, the same way that I used to approach my strength training sessions for, you know, those early college days.

• 43:33Nick Bare?

  It's not just going and doing it to do it. It's not just going and do it to, to check the box and say, did this for the day, done, on to the next thing. Now I want to show up and I want to embrace it. I want to be focused and I want to be locked in.

• 43:46Nick Bare?

  And treat it like I'm going to war for that next hour or so.

• 43:51Nick Bare?

  I think that endurance athletes deserve that experience as well. It shouldn't be something that is saved for and reserved for strength athletes and just the gym. No. As a endurance athlete who was at one point a gym rat and is still a gym ratted heart. I wanted a pre-workout experience for my endurance training. And I believe a lot of other people do as well. That's what brought us to creating the solution for the endurance industry. The future of endurance. G1M Sport Plus.

• 44:36Nick Bare?

  So we're going to take a quick break in this episode and when we come back. I'm going to be sitting down with Jordan Utter, Brand Director of VPN. To talk about all things creative and marketing around G1M Sport Plus. Which has been hidden behind code word Project Sierra for the last couple of months. So we'll be back soon.

• 45:07Nick Bare?

  All right, we're back at it. We got Jordan Utter now joining me. Welcome, brother.

• 45:13Speaker 01

  Thanks for having me back. Grateful to be here.

• 45:15Nick Bare?

  It's been awhile.

• 45:15Speaker 01

  It has been since the Nashville day.

• 45:18Nick Bare?

  Yeah, that was a fun one.

• 45:19Speaker 01

  That was a fun one. Studio is a lot nicer. Did a lot better job with this one.

• 45:24Nick Bare?

  We did some upgrades. All right, so for the remainder of this episode. I want to talk about like our marketing plan, creative process for this product because we took a completely different approach than ever before. And I'll kind of share like the way I was thinking about this.

• 45:43Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 45:43Nick Bare?

  And then I'd love to hear like your initial reaction and then what you kind of took from that and then next steps. So as I was thinking about G1M Sport Plus.

• 45:56Nick Bare?

  This product for me and for us is so special, especially with the success of GUM Sport and the way that we're positioning our brand moving forward. And I was thinking on a run one day, I was like, if we just rolled this out like we do everything else, it would feel like all of our other products and it wouldn't highlight it in any different or special way. So as I was thinking about this, I was like, how do we create hype and buzz around this new product in a unique way? And I thought, well, what if we don't share anything until the morning of launch? So if anyone has, you know, up until this point,

• 46:41Nick Bare?

  because the day this episode is going live, is the day that the product goes live,

• 46:47Nick Bare?

  all of the content we've created up until this point has been very disruptive, abstract, secretive. We haven't shared the name of the product. We haven't shared the formula. All we've really shared is this is the feature of endurance and this is a pre-workout solution for endurance athletes. And my goal was that we build so much hype and awareness and buzz through our athletes, through our social, through our website, through our marketing efforts, that the day that we launch, all of that buzz goes to the website, ready to buy, without even knowing what it is they're going there to buy.

• 47:32Nick Bare?

  I wanted to feel like a Black Friday sale. I wanted to feel like a summer sale where we have tens of thousands of people on the website. Site traffic is nuts, conversion is wild, because we took a completely different creative and marketing approach to this. That was my vision in my head, much easier to visualize than to execute. So I shared that with you, all your initial thoughts and reactions.

• 47:59Speaker 01

  That's what Nick does best, challenge the team. I was excited. I kind of see it as it shouldn't matter what we're selling. The content that we put out leading up to this should make people feel like, I don't care what VPN is about to launch, I want it. And you do that through a lot of ways. One is, we can't speak about the product benefits. We can't tell people the ingredients. We can't break down the formula. We can't. We can barely touch on how it will make them feel. So ultimately, what it comes back to is we have to make people feel the. I love what you said, and now we can actually say it, the, the high that this product comes with, the focus, the sharpness, the clarity, the energy.

• 48:38Speaker 01

  But we can't really say that yet. So I was really excited, but also it was like, this is a challenge and it, it still is a challenge, truthfully. But I was excited. I saw it as an opportunity to push the team. I saw it as an opportunity to take a very unconventional approach and, and kind of stretch myself creatively. I think, like you said, it's easy to kind of see all the content that gets put online, see all the content we've done before and get stuck in that, that. It's not a rut because it's working, but as you do best, as a pioneer, as a visionary, say, what if we did it differently? Let's take a risk. And I think a lot of creatives talk about taking a risk, but this is truly a risk because we didn't even say the product name up until the day we launched it, which

• 49:21Speaker 01

  obviously for anyone with common sense or in marketing is pretty contradictory to what you usually do. So I was excited, but also nervous and felt really challenged.

• 49:31Nick Bare?

  Yeah, a lot of my goal with it was honestly to challenge the team.

• 49:35Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 49:36Nick Bare?

  Like I wanted to see how the, the team would respond from like, not just a brand creative department, but also performance, marketing and partnerships and activations. And these last couple of months, we've hidden this project under the code name Project Sierra. So all of the, the bottles that our athletes have had, the bottles that we have had, didn't have the G M Sport logo or label on it. It was a, a Project Sierra. Bottle and label and said, the future of endurance.

• 50:12Nick Bare?

  One of the pieces of feedback that I got from multiple people in the team was that fear. Like pulling me aside and saying, hey, I'm afraid that when we launch, it's not going to have the effect that you want because we can't share everything about it. And that's what I wanted people to come to be saying. Because I said, I want you to be afraid. I want you to fear that. So now go and eliminate and mitigate that fear by execution and planning. It's not on me to create strategy and tactics for everyone. That is to challenge our team so that we can grow through this and become better on the other side.

• 50:57Nick Bare?

  What was some of the pushback you potentially got from team members?

• 51:02Speaker 01

  What do we talk about? If we can't say the name of the product, if we can't talk about the ingredients and the benefits, where do we even start? Which ultimately I was like, that's why we're here. That's why we're at a roundtable right now to come up with that. Because as kind of stated earlier, the product is amazing and it will sell itself. And we could take the same approach and it will absolutely crush. And I think to kind of echo what you said and what I kind of then echoed to the team was like, we know we can do what we've always done. This is an opportunity to stretch ourselves and to try something new and to make some real noise. And if it doesn't work, we learned a ton, as we always say, like it's a failure, but we learn from it and it provides clarity.

• 51:45Speaker 01

  But if it does work, it could 10x that that original goal of whether it's revenue, it's sessions on the site, it's awareness on social. And so that's what comes with risk is ultimately what I told the teams. That's what comes with risk is if it works out, everyone's going to talk about it, which is kind of some of the inspo that we both had was, man, what are some of the marketing campaigns that we still talk about? And they're always the ones that are disruptive and they're they're new and they're fresh. In a world of just thousands of pieces of content going out every day, ultimately it's how do you stand out?

• 52:19Nick Bare?

  Yeah.

• 52:20Speaker 01

  This is one way to do it. Definitely, it's definitely not going to blend in. And now it's like, but we also can't let it get lost and not be exciting. So that was the challenge. It's going to be one or the other. There's no in the middle with this one.

• 52:32Nick Bare?

  And if it flops. You know, you you learn from the flop.

• 52:37Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 52:38Nick Bare?

  It's like, what did we miss? What did we do wrong?

• 52:40Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 52:40Nick Bare?

  That we can improve upon later.

• 52:42Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 52:43Nick Bare?

  Because the the easy way to launch this product was is the way that we launched the product. Every other product before this.

• 52:48Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 52:49Nick Bare?

  That is a blueprint that we know that works.

• 52:50Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 52:52Nick Bare?

  But like, what if, in order to go to this next phase and chapter, it's not trying harder, like James Clear says.

• 52:59Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 52:59Nick Bare?

  It's not trying harder, but it's trying different.

• 53:02Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 53:02Nick Bare?

  And that trying different can actually pen X the results of ultimately what you would have done otherwise. So from that initial brainstorm vision session, how does your creative process work? Like, what did you do from that moment until you and me sat down and you presented me that that creative presentation?

• 53:22Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think one of my jobs, one of the most important aspects of my job is to keep in mind that when this is all said and done, what does success look like? What are the objectives? What can I take from all these meetings that we've had amongst each other, but primarily you? And put that on paper of what are our objectives? Because I think it's easy for a creative team to take what you've said and just start moving and say, let's just make anything that looks cool. And it sounds cool and it gets people's attention. But I think for my job especially, it's to corral all the ideas and the thoughts we've had and say, okay, what does that look like in a three to five bullet point list of this is success at the end of the day? And so I always start there.

• 54:02Speaker 01

  And just for some insight, one of those that we wrote down was this is bigger than a product launch. It's a stake in the sand that BPN is here as an endurance supplement company aiming to be the number one. This is kind of our stake in the sand of a very innovative formulation. And honestly, kind of challenging the market. We're not creating a new. Product category, but we're really challenging how people fuel. We're showing endurance athletes, we're committed to them. And then, you know, it's not us versus other companies, but there should be a, an evolution that occurs from this. We should start to see more products that start to challenge this, that are, have nootropics and have caffeine added and start to label it as an endurance pre-workout.

• 54:46Speaker 01

  And again, not saying it's new or original, but ultimately I felt like this is a moment for us to challenge the market and say like, we're here. And I think a lot of the other products we've launched, go gels, go bars, ultimately was what you were saying earlier in the podcast, this kind of seamless crossover of BPN and the endurance market saying, we need this and we need you guys to make it. And they are innovative formulations, but this one feels different in a way. That was us just dipping our toes into the endurance and getting the foundation laid. So I started with the objectives and then from there it's called Blue Sky. And it's what could this look like? What could this be? What does the music sound like? What do the visuals sound like? Where are we shooting? And this one's really unique for people that follow BPN.

• 55:31Speaker 01

  Most of the settings we shoot in, we don't get to choose. It's Luke Hopkins is doing a race in Madison, Wisconsin. Well, that's our setting. That's what we've been given. Nick's doing Leadville and that's our setting. And those are amazing environments, but for this one, it was really fun because we could say, where do we want to shoot it? This, with what athlete? What does it look like? How do we want to shoot it visually? What is it? What does it look like as far as lens choice and all the tactical creative decisions? But it all starts in that blue sky. Usually I come up with about three approaches and I used to probably bring those three to you or to someone on the team, but now I think I've gained the confidence. Like I'm coming with this one, my best foot forward.

• 56:14Speaker 01

  From there, get alignment from you, creative, obviously put together a creative direction pitch, a deck that has visuals and really make you feel what this campaign will look like if it was on our YouTube, our Instagram grid and get your sign off. And from there it's.

• 56:31Speaker 01

  Go time with the team, essentially, travel, shoots, all the, all the things that come with producing a shoot to get it done. And then working with Trey on social deliverables and how are we rolling it out? There's a lot of phases, not to bore people with all the, all the details, but it all starts in, what if and what could it be? And

• 56:52Speaker 01

  blue sky is what we call it.

• 56:53Nick Bare?

  Yeah, we talk about the, the marketing flywheel.

• 56:56Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 56:57Nick Bare?

  All the time, which I don't think I've shared on, on the podcast before.

• 57:01Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 57:02Nick Bare?

  But it's like, how does brand tie into performance marketing? How does performance marketing tie into partnerships? How are all those things leveraged and supported through events and email and SMS campaigns? And every part of the business where it can't be departments operating independently on their own, but it's making sure they all tie together.

• 57:25Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 57:26Nick Bare?

  To leverage one another and then maximize the performance. What did you want the, the viewer, the consumer to feel with the content deliverables that you guys were creating? Was it inspiration? Was it hype? Was it energy? Was it curiosity? Like, do you think that way when it comes to shooting and delivering?

• 57:51Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'd say it was two phases with it being a unique launch. It was two phases. We knew phase one was going to be this kind of mid-May to, to launch day. And it was going to be very cryptic. It was going to be very aspirational, making people feel what this potential product that they don't know yet is going to do for them, but not saying it. We can't launch ingredients. People don't know it has caffeine. They don't even know it's a, a play on G1M sport yet. Completely just foundational, clean slate. So everything we shot in that is very immersive and cryptic and makes people feel something. So it's people out of breath. It's the chain of, of a bike moving. It's a skier on, you know,

• 58:35Speaker 01

  and a high rocks workout with Lucy. It's Max bombing a trail. And again, all of that should lead to this, I don't care what this product there is about to launch. Like, I want it. Like, I stand for this too. It feels, feels gritty. It feels like it's going to elevate my performance. I think at the end of the day, that Tease phase, if you call it, the phase where we're looking to just build hype, build awareness and kick off the conversation was all about starting conversations around this product, just getting people to say, what the heck is this? It makes me feel like I want to go train and I don't know what it is, but I want to use it. Phase two, launch and kind of to infinity is we had to make a hard pivot to education

• 59:19Speaker 01

  and start to really make up some ground on letting people into what is this product? Why was it formulated this way? When should I take it? What is it going to actually do for me? While still maintaining, you know, the brand equity of making people feel commitment and feel performance, but we have to make up some ground on the educational level. So it's kind of this two-phase launch, really. That's kind of the way we bucketed it internally as well.

• 59:45Nick Bare?

  It was almost two, two launches.

• 59:48Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 59:49Nick Bare?

  Like two separate launches in one.

• 59:50Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 59:51Nick Bare?

  Because typically when we launch a product, there is the lead up and then the follow through. So like lead up, execution, which is just launch, follow through. Here it's like lead up, launch, pivot. The follow through is now a brand new launch. So every department has to have a plan and strategy for our two-launch approach because we're building up all this hype behind something that has no name. Then we launch the name and there are a lot to showcase after that, which makes it extremely challenging and demanding for the team.

• 1:00:30Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think to the point of the content flywheel amongst partnerships and marketing is a great point and obviously something that we're continually getting better at. But a lot of, I get that question, a lot of how is brand and marketing different? How is brand and partnerships interact? And ultimately it kind of starts with that, that high level creative direction, which we get your sign off on and to the point you just made, making sure that's carried out through performance marketing, any ads people see, it should feel different intention and different strategy, but it should feel like our organic social. We have obviously went through a lot of phases of how our performance marketing looks and it's really dialed now. And that

• 1:01:12Speaker 01

  That flywheel, that communication is probably the toughest part of a successful product launch or campaign is it's easy to have the creative team go execute and not easy, but it's one part to have them go execute and make amazing visuals, amazing social content. But now it's how does that translate to email and SMS and how does our athletes talk about it? And I think this launch, we probably have done the best job we've ever done of making sure everyone's at least on the same page of what these two phases of launch look like. But it's ruthlessly every day checking in on that and trying to make sure people are still up to speed, especially from a creative brand director standpoint.

• 1:01:51Nick Bare?

  That's cohesive and consistency.

• 1:01:54Speaker 01

  Yeah, not operating in silos, like you said earlier.

• 1:01:57Nick Bare?

  Right.

• 1:01:59Nick Bare?

  For me, what makes this product, and you briefly mentioned this, this product's so special and the reason that it required, in my opinion, a special launch is because, like you said, we launched GUM Sport years ago and that was to offer a better solution than what was already on the market. And we launched the Go Gel to create a better solution than what was already on the market. And we created our electrolytes to create a better solution than what we believe was already on the market. And similar for the Go Bar

• 1:02:37Nick Bare?

  and similar for some of our other products. GUM Sport Plus, in my opinion, is the first of its kind.

• 1:02:46Speaker 01

  Yeah, agreed.

• 1:02:47Nick Bare?

  And like you said, it's our way of flagging the ground, playing it, saying, we are going to be the best, most respected, most trusted endurance consumer brand in the world. We're on that mission. Here's how we're going to start doing it. And it's something brand new, it's something different. It's truly an experience you can feel. With GUM Sport, you can feel the carbohydrates as you're putting out an effort. But with GUM Sport Plus, you feel it within five to 10 minutes. The caffeine, the nootropics, like it hits you, you feel it.

• 1:03:26Nick Bare?

  This is for me, an opportunity to truly pave the path. And I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, the creative and brand team feels that weight and that responsibility to carry through and execute.

• 1:03:39Speaker 01

  Absolutely, and I think it all comes back to, it feels like us truly trying to serve the committed athlete, like you and the product team, so much work into creating this formulation and it's not just to throw something together that sounds cool and oh, it'll make you feel this way, it's truly like, what do people need? And again, I feel like the last few years, getting into the endurance community has been more, let's lay the foundation, BPN launching their version of, you know, what's maybe already out there, the gels and the bars and, and again, this is out there, but it feels like it's a very specific product for a very specific type of person who is looking to train and change their life and have massive goals, whether it's a marathon

• 1:04:24Speaker 01

  PR or their first ultra or to win an ultra, not just electrolytes to stay hydrated. It feels like it's a real, honestly, a big brand play for what we stand for in a way. And all of our other products obviously are that, but this feels like it's just more, I don't know, has a weight to it, you said.

• 1:04:46Nick Bare?

  Yeah.

• 1:04:46Speaker 01

  It's a good way to put it. I don't know if we, if we know what it'll become. I think when you talk about serving the customer, you're meeting their needs, but you're also opening their eyes to like, what could be? And I think I'm living testament of that. When it came to this product, I was like, I don't really know if I would like, would use that, it sounds really cool, but, and I use it and I was like, oh, oh, like my eyes are now open.

• 1:05:07Nick Bare?

  This makes sense.

• 1:05:08Speaker 01

  I'm like, I just want this instead of coffee and then also take electrolytes next to that or Geo and Sports, like dude, just give me it all in one at 5:00 AM in the morning before I workout. I don't, I don't need all these different liquids. So, yeah, I think people don't know, we don't know where it'll go yet. The market doesn't know yet, so, yeah, it's a responsibility.

• 1:05:30Nick Bare?

  We've done a great job, you know, tying all this together and, and leading the brand team to. Execute on these shoots and launches and deliverables and watching it all come together. I mean, the time this recording, we haven't actually launched the tease yet.

• 1:05:49Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:05:49Nick Bare?

  So it's next week. The time this goes live, it's the product is now.

• 1:05:53Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:05:53Nick Bare?

  Launched. So we have a lot to discover these next couple of weeks.

• 1:06:00Nick Bare?

  But I'm curious from your perspective, like right now, if we take a snapshot of BPN, there's a lot going on, right? Like today, we're actually moving into our new HQ across the street.

• 1:06:15Nick Bare?

  We are preparing to launch a brand new product. We have really shaped and refined the brand over these last 12 ish months. From where you started in 2019, 2020, here at BPN until now, if you had to wrap it up and like what that experience has been like and what you've learned and what has changed from like the way you used to view creative and brand and marketing and business? What are some of those things that are top of mind that you just want to get out there and share?

• 1:06:56Speaker 01

  Wow, that's a good, good question. That's a heavy question. I thought we were just gonna talk about the product.

• 1:07:01Nick Bare?

  I'm, I wasn't planning on asking this, but I'm genuinely curious because of how you mentioned, you know, this is us planting the flag in the sand.

• 1:07:10Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:07:11Nick Bare?

  And you filmed my first Ironman. Like you've been along for this entire journey and this entire natural and organic evolution.

• 1:07:23Nick Bare?

  And one of the things I shared in the beginning of this episode was there wasn't a moment in time of like a day where I said, we're gonna stop being this brand. We're gonna start being this brand. It has just been this slow refinement where I can't even pinpoint a day or a period of time where we intentionally or strategically made this shift. Yeah, I look back at these last five, six years.

• 1:07:47Nick Bare?

  I mean, how do we get here?

• 1:07:48Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:07:48Nick Bare?

  Just slow refinement, chipping away, consistently chipping away over time. But I'm curious, like, for someone who's been along for that whole journey, what's that experience been like for you?

• 1:08:01Speaker 01

  Yeah, I mean, one, it's been amazing and so fulfilling and obviously, not to sound cliche, but insanely grateful for it and truly mean that. And I think ultimately, you just said it, like, when you're in it, it feels chaotic and it feels blurry and it feels fuzzy. But I would say, especially encourage anyone who's in the thick of it, we're still in the thick of it. But I would say at this point of time in BPN, it's the most clarity I've personally ever had. Everything we're doing, like you said, we have so much going on, everything we're doing, all the these massive projects, there's never really a question of why. Like, we do a good job of asking that upfront, I will say. Um, our process has just gotten better, whereas before it was like, amazing idea, move on it, we get halfway into it.

• 1:08:44Speaker 01

  And also three other projects going on, they're like, wait, why, why did we sign up for this? Why are we doing this? And now it just all feels so intentional, so clear. And I think that just comes from reps and reps and experience. And I think probably one of my biggest tensions over the time of BPN has been trying to get more clear, trying to provide more clarity for our team. And but sometimes you just don't know when you're in it. You just gotta just keep trudging forward and make decisions and live with it. And I'd say, I don't know how you feel now, but I would say at this point of BPN, again, this is the most clarity I've felt. And I can only, and just kind of, you know, off the cuff here, only attest that to just reps and experience.

• 1:09:25Speaker 01

  Like you said, there was never this kind of moment, even coming back from Nashville, there was never really this like, hard moment where you're like, Jordan, you're stepping back onto the BPN team as well. Cause I was, for anyone who doesn't know, only on Nick Bare's YouTube and his content, there's never this like hard moment. We just both kind of were like, starting to like pick up some slack here and there and take on projects. And then before we know it, we're back here and we're just in it. And I think too many people want to, everything to slow down and be methodical and be intentional. And I think you just have to trust your instinct and trust your gut and just keep trudging and trudging and trudging. And one day you pop up and it's like, whoa, look, how the heck did we get here? Like, I mean, the interview we did the other day for the, the new HQ YouTube video.

• 1:10:10Speaker 01

  I felt like I couldn't even start sentences because it's just so overwhelming to think about because I haven't really thought about it. We've just been in it. Uh, but it was a good moment in time to reflect. And even this question now, I'm like, dude, I never reflect on these things, but if I had to chalk up one thing right now, it would be absolute clarity and just intention with everything we're doing. We don't have it all figured out, absolutely not, but everything feels like it has a deep, clear why behind it, a clear purpose. And I would say in the last, the, the previous five years, it's, that's probably been one of the tensions is like, are, is this the right move? Why, why are we doing this again? And you just trust it and trust it and trust it. So I'm grateful that VPN has gotten to where it's at because when you're in it, it feels a little bit like we don't know what we're doing.

• 1:10:53Nick Bare?

  Yeah.

• 1:10:53Speaker 01

  And I know a lot of people feel that way. Um, anyone I talk to is in a similar position as myself or, you know, leading, um, teams and companies. Everyone's just figuring it out, man. It's, yeah, I don't know. There's no magic bullet, no magic answer. I think it just comes back to reps, experience.

• 1:11:10Nick Bare?

  Yeah. Clarity and focus comes with just time.

• 1:11:13Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:11:14Nick Bare?

  I was listening to, uh, uh, my first million podcast the other day. He's hosted by Sam Parrow.

• 1:11:19Speaker 01

  Yeah. Saw him in a coffee shop the other day.

• 1:11:21Nick Bare?

  Oh, do you really?

• 1:11:22Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:11:22Nick Bare?

  Here in Austin?

• 1:11:23Speaker 01

  Yeah. Uh, uh, Manana.

• 1:11:25Nick Bare?

  Oh, nice.

• 1:11:26Speaker 01

  Coffee shop off South Congress. Yeah.

• 1:11:27Nick Bare?

  You talked to him?

• 1:11:28Speaker 01

  Yeah. I, I didn't know if you remembered me because I was producing the podcast when he came on. Um, and I think you remembered the face, but yeah, he's a super nice guy. Love Sam.

• 1:11:35Nick Bare?

  Yeah. I was listening to a podcast between him and David Senra, who's the host of Founders.

• 1:11:40Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:11:41Nick Bare?

  And they made this like really good, uh, analogy that I actually shared in the Slack channel, the general Slack channel this past weekend. And like, there's this saying that life is a marathon. It's not a sprint, which I wholeheartedly believe in. I'm all about playing the long game.

• 1:12:03Nick Bare?

  And in being patient, but there's a difference between being patient and being complacent and procrastinating. And they made the distinction there. Yeah, life is a marathon. It's not a sprint, but in order to be the best, it's going to feel like a sprint. So you look at Kipchoge running the marathon, the best of the best. Go try to run one mile at Kipchoge's marathon pace.

• 1:12:30Speaker 01

  Like a 430, 433.

• 1:12:32Nick Bare?

  Yeah, you, you, you won't make it. You won't make it a mile. So even though life is a marathon and these goals that we set are marathons, it's still going to feel like a sprint. That doesn't mean you slow down. It doesn't mean you become complacent and you're lazy. You have to be patient, yes. But when you're in it, like we're looking long-term with this business. We're playing the long game, but every day it still feels like a sprint. It doesn't allow us to slow down and take a day off. No, it's, it's foot press against the pedal to the floor because we want to and need to be the best.

• 1:13:10Speaker 01

  That's great. And I think when I, uh, thinking about Sam and, um, David?

• 1:13:16Nick Bare?

  David, yeah.

• 1:13:16Speaker 01

  David, I want to say David, David from the founders. Um, both Sam feel inspired by this and also the guests that David's had on or he's talked about. Sorry, their biographies. Uh, one thing that I've like soaked in the last year that just made building BPN so much more fun and opportunistic. And just honestly, to even to this, a whole launch, if I tie it back into G1M sport plus, um, my reaction being like, yeah, let's do it. This is an amazing opportunity. Has been the guests he's had on, or he's, he spoke about, uh, the super successful billionaire entrepreneurs, and then also just Sam's demeanor is they use the word gamify it. And I love this because, uh, and to tie into your point, I think when you, uh, have that mindset of like,

• 1:14:03Speaker 01

  Foot on the gas, but like there's this, there's this end. There's like, we just gotta get here. It's because it feels so life or death business and brand and, and what they've done such an amazing job, both of their demeanors is like, at the end of the day, like, we're just in it for the long run. And at, and at that point, you, you accept there's going to be massive failures, massive successes, and it becomes kind of this, uh, like this game. They call it gamify, whether that's, you know, how people would choose the word or not. But I, I liked it a lot because it kind of gives it this, um, childlike, like, man, we're just, it's not life or death. We're just like playing this big game that we're gonna do for the rest of our life, whether it's VPN or it's some other venture in the future. And that's made like way more fun for me. Um, because you can care deeply,

• 1:14:45Speaker 01

  your foot can be on the gas, you can be running at full speed. But at the end of the day, you know, it's not always about like, when we get here, when we do this, you're like, we're just in it. There's no finish line. Like, let's just have fun and be in it. Uh, accept the chaos, accept the, the turmoil and the hardship and the failures and the, the highs and the successes. And then you're not too high and too low. And I think that's amazing advice. And I think, um, David talked a lot about that from Sam Walton, Walmart founder. Um, and I was like, dude, if that guy can feel like that and have thousands of employees, we can do the same. So I thought it was really cool. You can care deeply.

• 1:15:20Nick Bare?

  Yeah, I've always been told, just build it as if you're going to build it and work on it for every day.

• 1:15:25Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:15:26Nick Bare?

  For the rest of your life.

• 1:15:27Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:15:28Nick Bare?

  And building that longevity and ability.

• 1:15:31Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's good.

• 1:15:33Nick Bare?

  Well, thanks for coming on. Thanks for sharing the creative thought and process behind it and a little bit extra. G1M Sport Plus is now live. You go to bpnsubs.com, purchase it, try it and experience the future of endurance.