Broke Founders Who Turned Brain Boosters supplements idea → $200K/Month Biz

Hello Rebels

🏖️ Creative Entrepreneur fun one-liner:

Why did the entrepreneur always carry a spare tire? Because they're always ready to 'roll' with new ventures!

Onto Today’s story….

Benjamin Hebert loved taking supplements to enhance his fitness and physique.

He identified a glaring problem in the industry – a lack of transparency and secrecy surrounding product ingredients

He identified a specific niche for whom to solve this problem and started Natural Stacks and making $200K/Month.

Here is how he did it.

Benjamin didn't have a background in nutrition or the supplement industry, but he had a personal interest in this field.

In high school, he was introduced to supplements through a Men's Fitness magazine and

began using and experimenting with various products to boost his fitness and physique.

He blindly trusted the labels and believed in the marketing.

As he grew older, Benjamin wanted to see what ingredients were in the supplements he was taking.

He started researching these supplements and discovered the lack of transparency and trust in the industry.

Most labels used "proprietary formulas" to hide the actual ingredients.

Seeing an opportunity, Benjamin teamed up with his partner Roy,

to start Natural Stacks with a mission of bringing trust and transparency to the industry.

They did something clever to differentiate themselves.

Rather than going after the crowded bodybuilding market,

they decided to niche down and focus on the emerging niche of natural brain health,

targeting concerns like memory, cognitive function, and processing speed of the brain.

As Benjamin describes it, "We identified a problem in the market and worked our butts off to try and solve it."

To formulate their initial products,Roy scoured the world to source the best possible ingredients,

while Benjamin worked with an FDA consultant to ensure all their marketing claims were compliant.

To differentiate themselves, Natural Stacks made the decision to openly list all product ingredients on their website,

breaking with industry norms around secrecy.

Although this transparency risked competitors copying them,Benjamin and Roy believed it was essential to building trust with customers.

When it came to branding and design, Benjamin tapped a designer he had met on an online forum years earlier.

To this day, the two still collaborate closely on Natural Stacks' brand identity and packaging, despite never having met in person.

For the initial product launch, they decided to debut with two products rather than one because they wanted to be taken seriously.

They wanted to launch directly to the early adopters,

the people who understood the problems in their industry and would champion their message.

They launched on Jesse Lawler's Smart Drug Smarts podcast.

This really introduced them to the "hardcore" audience and started the hype around their products.

Recognizing that online forums are notoriously hard to penetrate, Natural Stacks took a unique approach to gain traction.

Instead of attempting to advertise directly, they identified the top posters in relevant forums and sent them free products.

As Benjamin explains, "Most of the time, brands want something in return from these top posters,

but we said, 'Hey, just have our product and if you like it maybe you can write about it. If not, it's cool.'

We believed that most people are good and would reciprocate accordingly when they receive free stuff."

This strategy proved effective,

as many of these influential forum members ended up writing positive reviews and generating buzz around Natural Stacks' products.

Combined with some lucky timing in catching the rising trend of cognitive enhancement,

Natural Stacks did over $100,000 in revenue in their first 100 days.

But it hasn't always been an easy journey.

In the early days, cash flow was tight, and Benjamin had to figure out things like invoicing and accounting on the fly,

often working from a local Panera Bread and hoping his checks wouldn't bounce.

Since then, Natural Stacks has continued to grow through a combination of great products,

right partnerships, and a relentless focus on serving their customers.

One of their biggest breaks came when Martin Jacobson, a finalist in the World Series of Poker, contacted them.

They ended up sponsoring Jacobson, and when he went on to win the $10 million top prize,

it was a huge coup for a brain health supplement company to have backed the champion.

In the initial stages, they dedicated approximately 80% of their time, effort, and energy to their existing customers.

They recognized that customers have a multitude of choices for supplements in the market,

and if customers choose their brand,

they were committed to going the extra mile to assist them so they come back again and again.

They also doubled down on content marketing.

That includes producing great content like their popular Optimal Performance Podcast,

collaborating on giveaways with other complementary brands,

doubling down on SEO, and always striving to put a human face on the brand.

Looking back, Benjamin says if he could do it again, he would have gotten out of the way in certain areas sooner,

bringing in team members who were strong where he was weak - like data analysis for marketing.

As he puts it, "Admitting your weaknesses and bringing in people who are strong in those areas where you are not is the difference between scaling and not."

They introduced more products and revenue grew.

Now they are making $200k/Month.

Benjamin says…

"You have to jump in headfirst with entrepreneurship. There's no dipping your toes in and then figuring out if you want to get in the water."

8 reasons why he succeeded

1. Picked an idea he was passionate about.

   • Benjamin loved taking supplements but identified a lack of transparency in the industry.

   • He started Natural Stacks to solve this problem, despite no prior experience in nutrition or supplements.

   • As he describes it, "We identified a problem in the market and worked our butts off to try and solve it."

2. Targeted an emerging niche market

   • Instead of competing in the crowded bodybuilding supplement market, they focused on brain health supplements.

   • They targeted concerns like memory, cognitive function, and processing speed of the brain.

   • This emerging niche helped them differentiate and gain traction.

3. Went against the status Quo.

   • Natural Stacks openly listed all product ingredients on their website, breaking industry norms.

   • This transparency risked competitors copying them but was essential to building customer trust.

   • They believed in the importance of transparency, even if it went against industry standards.

4. Highly pinpointed marketing

   • To reach early adopters, they launched on Jesse Lawler's Smart Drug Smarts podcast .

   • His listeners understood the industry's problems and they know these listeners would champion their message.

   • Targeting this "hardcore" audience helped start the hype around their products.

5. Leveraged a rising trend for growth

   • Natural Stacks caught the rising trend of cognitive enhancement at the right time.

   • This lucky timing helped fuel their initial growth.

   • They did over $100,000 in revenue in their first 100 days, partly due to this trend.

6. Figured out “how to run a biz” on the fly

   • In the early days, Benjamin had to learn invoicing and accounting quickly.

   • He often worked from a local Panera Bread, hoping his checks wouldn't bounce.

   • Despite these challenges, he figured out the essentials to keep the business running.

7. Prioritized existing customers

   • In the initial stages, they dedicated 80% of their efforts to existing customers.

   • They recognized the importance of going the extra mile for customers who chose their brand.

   • This focus on customer retention helped them stand out in a competitive market.

8. Investing in content marketing

   • They produced valuable content, like their Optimal Performance Podcast.

   • They collaborated on giveaways with complementary brands and focused on SEO.

   • Putting a human face on the brand through content marketing helped them grow.

🍦

Hope you liked the story and the tactics which made them successful.

Keep Rocking!

Yours "Build your Biz with almost no risk" Vijay Peduru