There are few people in fitness — much less fitness entrepreneurs — who keep it honest and real like Aaron Hinde. He’s an open book, someone who’s just as eager to explain the bad as he is to celebrate the good. The Co-Founder and President of LIFEAID Beverage Company — makers of FITAID — Aaron is a constant presence at the CrossFit Games, where his company is one of the sport’s most visible sponsors. He counts top athletes and coaches among his friends. But that success didn’t come without major sacrifice and some serious “lean times” that left Aaron questioning whether his path was really correct.
In this episode of The BarBend Podcast, we talk about LIFEAID’s rise from scrappy startup to major fitness player. That includes guerilla marketing campaigns, bootstrapped operations, and trying to build a brand while living from one week to the next.
We also dive into how Aaron’s background as a clinical chiropractor impacts his perspective today, allowing him to spot trends in fitness before they even take off. Aaron also shares some of his craziest CrossFit Games stories, along with what you might not realize about the world’s top CrossFitters.
If you want to know what’s coming next in fitness, or simply need a dose of perspective when it comes to fitness entrepreneurship, tune in!
If you have a shitty day at work, it’s going to affect you at home. If you have a fight with your spouse, it’s going to affect you at work. It’s just life. Knowing that it’s just life, when I’m on the road, 55, 60 flights a year like I was a few years back, I’m going to enjoy myself as much as I can because I’m grinding it out.
In this episode of The BarBend Podcast, guest Aaron Hinde and host David Thomas Tao discuss:
- The inspiration behind LIFEAID as a company and FITAID specifically (3:10)
- Early guerilla marketing that included sneaking product into the CrossFit Games (FITAID is now an official presenting sponsor of the event) (3:30)
- Why party-goers were the first target market for the company (4:01)
- How Aaron and his team “brought the party” to CrossFit through a work hard/play hard mentality (7:18)
- Aaron’s personal experience with CrossFit, including his background as a chiropractor (11:55)
- Weathering the “lean times” as an entrepreneur and family man (14:50)
- Working through financial struggles and rough times during the company’s early days (17:42)
- Aaron’s craziest CrossFit Games experience — what he can and can’t recount! (18:00)
- Why CrossFit’s elite are poised for continued success (23:00)
- What most fans might not know about the top CrossFit athletes, their training, and backgrounds (25:31)
- The next frontier for performance products and services (27:20)
Relevant links and further reading:
- Follow Aaron Hinde on Instagram
- Follow FITAID on Instagram
- Learn more about the HindeSight Newsletter
