Author Archive for WilhelmME20

Dude Perfect

Posted by WilhelmME20 
· Sunday, December 13th, 2020 
· 1 Comment

Dude Perfect started out as just a group of friends wanting to have some fun. Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and Tyler “Ty” Toney, were your typical friend group. They had been buddies for years and loved to have fun. Eventually, they all decided to try something; “Why not film some trick shots and post them on YouTube?”, they thought. I mean what is the worst that could happen. On April 9th, 2009, the friends posted their first video on their brand-new channel: Dude Perfect. The group had no expectation for the video would fare on the YouTube landscape, and left it thinking it would maybe amount to a few hundred views. But they were wrong. The video grew into an overnight sensation, garnering hundreds of thousands of views and attention from several top media outlets. Over the next few months, the friend group would continue dropping trick shot video after trick shot video, each one trumping the previous. As the attention and popularity of the channel grew over the years, the group had a choice, give up on the channel to pursue a “normal” career, or quite each of their jobs and go all in. The choice was clear, and not long after each of the friends had quit their jobs in pursuit of their passion. Almost immediately the channel exploded yet again, with tons of deals and sponsors pouring in, and the views and subscribers continuing to rack up.

 

As the channel grew in popularity, the videos and deals grew in magnitude. Through their channel, Dude Perfect broke numerous Guinness World Records, traveled the world, partnered with big brands like Nerf, made videos with many celebrity appearances, and even went on tour.

Throughout it all, there were three things always at the center of Dude Perfect: faith, family, and friends. Through these cornerstones, Dude Perfect was able to not only excel, but reach levels far beyond their imagination. Each member of the group admits that if it were not for their strong family connection, friendship, and Christian faith, Dude Perfect would have been nowhere close to its current level.

Dude Perfect is an excellent example of what is possible when pursuing one’s passion. Each member of the group made a risk when chasing their dreams. Through hard work, focus, prayer, and dedication, these friends reached new heights; but the best may be yet to come.

 

1 Comment
Categories : Athletics, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Sports, USA, YouTube

The Mac Life

Posted by WilhelmME20 
· Sunday, December 13th, 2020 
· 3 Comments

 

Greatness starts with a dream. For a young, broke, Irishman, this was all he had. A dream. Conor McGregor did not seem like anyone remarkable in his early twenties. The young Irishman, fresh out of school seemingly had no plans for life. He was working a grueling job as a plumber and hated life. Something had to change. That change came in the form of fighting, and McGregor took to it like a fish to water. Conor broke onto the Irish MMA (mixed martial arts) scene, rising through the ranks and eventually becoming champion of Cage Warriors, a fighting promotion popular in many European countries. Eventually, Conor became a two-weight division champion, earning him fame and recognition all over the world. This caught the eye of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and its owner Dana White. Conor later signed to the UFC, arguably the leading fight promotion company, and was set on a new path to greatness.

McGregor continued to rise through the ranks of the UFC, earning win after win. Eventually, Conor earned a title shot, winning it, and becoming the UFC’s first ever Irish Champion. However, this was not enough for McGregor, who then jumped weight classes and fought for another belt, becoming the UFC’s first ever double champion (holding two division belts at the same time). These two incredible accomplishments gave McGregor countless fans and high prospect fights. From 2013-2016 Conor would dominate the sport, raking in win after win. Eventually, he stepped away from MMA, instead pursuing an enormous fight against boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and developed his own Irish Whiskey company: Proper Twelve.

In late 2018, Conor returned to MMA and the UFC, only to have a major loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Conor’s troubles were only just beg

 

inning, over the next year McGregor was constantly surrounded by public drama and scandals. This prompted Conor to take a step back and rethink some of his choices. In early 2020, Conor returned yet again to the UFC, this time more dominant than ever, defeating legend, Donald Cerrone in only 40 seconds.

Conor McGregor is an example of what it is to be driven, dedicated, and tough. All attributes every entrepreneur should try to imbody. McGregor’s rise to fame and fortune through his skill and businesses further show him to be the excellent entrepreneur he truly is.

 

 

3 Comments
Categories : Athletics, Celebrities, Martial Arts, Uncategorized

T.Rex Arms

Posted by WilhelmME20 
· Sunday, December 13th, 2020 
· 2 Comments

T.Rex Arms

Lucas Botkin was 19 years old when he first started designing. A volunteer firefighter and avid firearm user, Botkin began constructing custom equipment for his own personal use and firearm training. Through the encouragement of his parents, Lucas began to sell products on eBay. Later his fire chief asked Botkin if he would make him a Glock 17 holster for his own use. Lucas did so, and after finding out his chief was able to protect himself and family from a home intruder while using the specially designed holster, Botkin realized the impact he could have through his products.

From that point on T.Rex Arms was a go. It started small, with only Botkin filling and shipping orders out of his garage. However, within a few months, orders grew to the point where Lucas hired David Botkin and David Noor to help with the flourishing business. After more time and more growth, Lucas had a decision to make, to remain a small company more as a side job; or to take the business to the next level, hiring more employees and expanding their workspace. Botkin chose the latter.

Over the years, T.Rex arms has grown from the small, garage based business, to the highly profitable and successful company it is today. This success is due to Botkin’s creativity and focus, as while as T.Rex arm’s core message and goals. T.Rex Arms has made constant efforts to enable and encourage “citizen responsibility”; in other words the responsibilities by citizens of the U.S. to protect themselves and others. On top of this, the company has always stuck to its core competencies: choosing quality over quantity and always seeking to tear down what is useless and build up something useful. Through Botkin’s entrepreneurial vision and creativity, Lucas was able to break into a market with new innovations and create a well known and trusted social media presence. Because of these excellent qualities, Lucas truly embodies what it is to be an entrepreneur.

 

2 Comments
Categories : Firearms, Military, Millennial Enrepreneuers

Corridor

Posted by WilhelmME20 
· Friday, October 9th, 2020 
· 2 Comments

What do you get when you give a video camera to two industrious and imaginative teenagers? Fun and innovative movies, that’s what. And that is exactly what happened for Sam Gorski and Niko Pueringer in the early 2000’s. Two Minnesota natives, Gorski and Pueringer were always fans of movies and entertainment, in particular, action movies. Their dip into the world of cinema began with Gorski’s father’s video camera. The two teens spent days and weeks creating their own elaborate stories and action scenes. As the years passed, the two’s hobby grew, and they began to produce more and more intricate shorts and videos. In their early twenties the teens made the big decision to move to L.os Angeles. A huge step forward for the pair, the move to L.A. brought with it a host of new opportunities.

Around the time of Gorski and Pueringer’s move, the site YouTube began to become a household name, with many videos achieving “viral” status and several creators climbing the ranks in viewers and subscribers. Although it was not Gorski and Pueringer’s intention to be famous YouTubers, the two were inspired by creators like Freddie Wong, to upload their own videos.

The pairs videos were an instant hit, garnering millions of views and many reaching the front page of YouTube. The two creators had found a golden opportunity and turned all their attention to growing their YouTube channel: Corridor Digital.

Over the next nine years, the two creators continued to produce more and more videos, pulling hundreds of millions of views, creating new, creating new channels, adding more and more people to their team, and eventually working with prestigious brands to produce commercials and product inspired shorts and videos.

Gorski and Pueringer truly elevated the story-driving shorts scene on YouTube, became widely recognized throughout the sight and pioneered the landscape of internet videos. Without a doubt, this pair’s exploits and achievements will shape a new generation of entertainment.

2 Comments
Categories : Film, YouTube

“For the Underdogs”

Posted by WilhelmME20 
· Friday, October 9th, 2020 
· 2 Comments

 

The internet and YouTube have been a huge innovation for hundreds of millions of people around the world. It has presented new ways of expressing one’s self, communicating with others world-wide, and a unique way of teaching. No one understands that last part as well as Shane Fazen, and his company: FightTips.

Fazen was first introduced to the world of martial arts at the age of 9 via Taekwondo. As he progressed through the art, Fazen began to look at other martial arts, eventually turning to Muay Thai at age 15. At 19, Shane had his very first pro-fight in Thailand, winning by 4th round KO. Due to a foot injury, Fazen began to explore Western Boxing. Upon attending a Gym Coaches Clinic by Coach Kirian Fitzgibbons, Shane realized his calling was not to be a fighter, but rather teacher. Over the coming years, Fazen dedicated himself to not only improving his own skills, but the striking abilities of those he taught.

With the advent of YouTube, there came a new landscape fully ready for innovation and capitalization. Fazen began uploading tutorial and How To videos on his YouTube channel late 2011. However, it was not until late 2012 Fazen truly started uploading on a regular basis. As the years went, Shane’s fan base and following grow, as well as the quality in content. Fazen’s channel began to move away from a “How to win in any street-fight” channel, to primarily focusing on striking techniques and how to’s. As the years passed, Shane’s channel “FightTips”, grew, pulling more and more views and having appearances of professional MMA and martial arts fighters/coaches. In the spring of 2018, the FightTips team began to grow, with the introduction of Vince “The Anomaly” Cachero, a professional MMA fighter, followed by PJ Shirdan, and Erin Herle. This influx of new talent and coaches took Shane’s brand and channel to a new level, providing even more in-depth break downs and material. At the same time the FightTips channel was growing, so were the FightTips products, with the release of numerous quality martial arts equipment (speed bags, double-end bags, gloves, etc.) and apparel.

Fazen and FightTips have ushered in a whole new opportunity for learning and teaching through the internet. As of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, the FightTips channel has uploaded numerous quarantine-workout videos, offering those who cannot leave their houses/access a gym an opportunity to grow and perfect their striking. Shane has truly pioneered and innovated the market for online coaching, and in the coming years, I for one am excited to see where it leads.

2 Comments
Categories : Martial Arts, YouTube

Not Your Average Joe

Posted by WilhelmME20 
· Friday, October 9th, 2020 
· 4 Comments

 

Evan Hafer joined the United States National Guard at the mere age of seventeen, and right away he knew it was a fit. Excelling in all that was required, Hafer strived to obtain an even higher goal, the coveted Army Green Beret. After going through the grueling training, selection, and eventual graduation as a Green Beret, Hafer spent 20 years serving in the U.S. military. Throughout his deployments, Hafer was always drinking coffee. This carried over to civilian life-likewise, where Hafer would seek out different coffee and espresso shops in the Seattle area. This eventually culminated in Hafer roasting his own coffee for personal use and to sell to friends. As more and more people flocked to buy Hafer’s roasts, Hafer made the leap of faith from producing coffee simply as recreational, to an actual day job.

Where are they now?

In the winter of 2014, Hafer made the next big decision, to start his own company. Hafer founded Black Rifle Coffee Company with the purpose of being by veterans, for veterans. BRCC is known for its quality coffee, but also for its top-notch costumer interaction and involvement. The company effectively cuts out the middleman by selling its coffee directly to consumers via online subscription. In 2020 alone, BRCC had over 100,000 subscribers to its coffee deliveries, not to mention its two physical coffee shops in Boerne, and San Antonio, TX. As mentioned before, Hafer brought with BRCC a unique being of experience and community, and that community is what really sets the brand apart from the competition. By selling primarily to veterans, Hafer found a strong target market but also an almost militant (pun not intended) fan base. And it is that same fan base that sky rocketed BRCC revenue from $1 million in 2015, to $30 million in 2017, and finally a stunning $80 million in 2019; all within 5 years of operation. Hafer’s drive, dedication, and entrepreneurial mindset serves as an inspiration and shows just what is possible to be achieved with hard work and a clever mind

4 Comments
Categories : Food, Military