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June 20, 2021 - How we got started
June 20, 2021 - How we got started
By Ben Laughter
Let's work out every Sunday morning
Let's work out every Sunday morning
Somewhere mid 2020, right in the midst of the still looming Coronavirus Pandemic, two dudes who worked together at an Atlanta tech company decided to start having beers together every other Thursday. An Irish pub was selected. It was quickly learned that Mike's drink of choice is a Jack & Coke. Mine is either a neat bourbon or a scotch ale.
Being guys who work together, we of course talked about work. What was going well. What wasn't. What the other wished they could accomplish, and so on.
But it wasn't all office chatter all the time. Mike and I talked about politics, religion, education, families, philosophies, and all the other crap that comes up when you spend two hours sharing time together in a budding friendship. Somewhere in there, we both started talking about the various tech innovations we'd dreamed up over the years but never had the gumption to go and actually create. My business analytics dashboard idea. Mike's office chores app. So many ideas and so little real action toward creating a product. The simple fact is that neither Mike nor I had the complete skillset within ourselves to go out into the world and create something. I needed a tech nerd. Mike needed a business guy. And what do you know... Mike's a developer and architect. I'm a sales/marketing/success/operations guy. Hmmm...Thoughts percolated but didn't initially lead anywhere actionable.
Then one day, I bought a Bowflex off of Facebook Marketplace. I'd gained that COVID-20 along with most other folks and was looking to start whipping myself back into shape. But it sucks to form a new habit alone. I was new to Atlanta and didn't have my network of friends after 18 years in Oklahoma City. There wasn't anyone there to motivate me and personal trainers are so damn expensive. Also, they're intimidating. They're so much faster, fitter, and energized. It's probably supposed to be motivating, but it never worked for me. I feel lesser-than somehow when I pay someone else who's already that far along.
Ever since my early 20s, I've been into cycling. First it was mountain biking, then road cycling. I lost around 40 pounds in one year riding the road bike chasing a goal. Ride a 100 mile event. I did 10 miles. Then 20. Then 40. Then 60. Then 100... Twice.
I felt great. Looked the best I had in years, and had found a new hobby. But the thing that really made it work were the friendships. The guys at the bike shop and my regular one or two cycling buddies who were always up for a ride any given weekend. They pushed me toward my goal through mutual accountability and shared goals. You see, they too wanted to ride farther and faster. They weren't superhuman or professionals. Just like-minded struggle buddies getting up at 6AM to ride bicycles.
So I had bought the bowflex and mentioned that I was having trouble getting going one Thursday over beers. Mike immediately offered that we should hook up and work out every Sunday morning. Our workout goals were a bit different, but that didn't matter. We were going to hold each other accountable to the activity. And we have! For months now, Mike and I have met in one of our basements and lifted heavy things together. We're both getting stronger and losing weight. We're both feeling better and more motivated. Our friendship is deepening.
Then, one Sunday morning in early June, 2021, we were talking through some startup ideas. We had a list of like five candidates and were starting to be pretty serious about starting something... not sure what. Then it hit me. The thing that's making this conversation and possible partnership possible is the fact that we're here in this basement together. Mike came up with the name. "We're struggle buddies!", he said.
The world has tons of self-help books and apps and videos. Billions of dollars are spent in the name of self improvement. But what's missing is the camaraderie. The mutual accountability. The shared goals and peer motivation. That text saying "on my way" when you'd just rather sip your coffee and watch YouTube videos.
So that's what we're creating. We want to help regular people like us adopt healthy habits by forming relationships with people who have the same goals. We want to enable the formation of struggle buddy relationships.
If you'd like to follow our journey, please take a moment to let us know. We're just now beginning to organize our thoughts and start to take action. The fact that you're reading this means we've bought a domain. So it's serious business! Mike and I are committed now. And we're going to struggle through this thing together and bring something powerful and positive into the world.
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