Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlie Givens.
Charlie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have spent much of my life going to Aspen, CO and always been inspired by the heath, wellness and social culture of the iconic mountain town. It is literally the perfect balance of fun and fitness. People who live in Aspen and or visit Aspen mostly have unique backgrounds and or inspiring stories, which inspired me to start PowderHeart. The name PowderHeart came about after skiing with one of my best friends on a day that was dumping snow and we were in waist-deep in powder. Skiing powder is an entirely different experience and workout. It is without a doubt, a full-body workout. After we had skied all day in these conditions, my heart rate was beating through my jacket, hence ‘PowderHeart’.
After spending summer and winter seasons in Aspen, I would always return to Dallas in the best shape of my life and returning with a true sense of empowerment and happiness. I often thought to myself how do I take this same ideology and results to people at sea level, wanting everyone to experience this feeling. After careful thought on the best way to achieve this, PowderHeart slowly started to morph into what it is today.
I wanted to create something far more than just a workout format and or a fitness brand. A unique culture with attributes of accessibility, inclusiveness, fun and cool factor. Democratizing this type of culture and accessibility is at the core of everything we do. At the end of the day, very few people can travel to places like Aspen and experience what it has to offer.
Has it been a smooth road?
Any new company has its struggles. Very rarely is anything a home run from day one. Typically if something is a home run day one it is either a scam or a lie.
The best decision I ever made was to validate my idea and concept before I decided to spend all my time, money and resources. This validation phase has allowed us to alter the product, culture and brand to best fit our true mission and customer objectives. We started with a minimum viable product, moved to proof of concept and now hitting our stride with product-market fit.
People open businesses and think people will just come to them. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Peoples time and money is valuable. You have to be strategic and articulate about how you capture that customer. We have taken a slow and steady approach to this, which has now resulted in over 900 registered accounts, nearly 3,000 visits and a retention rate of almost four times at our Pop Up. Not bad, considering our Pop Up is in an old laundry mat!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with PowderHeart – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I am the creator and CEO. I wear many hats, from building the workout format, branding, messaging, customer service, etc. My background is in professional sports, media and entertainment. I worked for the NBA for a long time and helped grow its international business across Lat Am, Asia, Africa and Europe. This gave me an inside look into how brands craft a marketing strategy across different cultures. Additionally growing fandom across the globe for the NBA was a great lesson in customer acquisition.
One way, we are different from others in the Fitness and Wellness space is the mountain culture aspect. Our “Après” platform allows our members to connect with like-minded individuals outside of the workout. We curate experiences and perks for our members across multiple categories from Food and Beverage, Nightlife, Fashion Travel, etc. Out “Après” platform is rolling out mid to late February in partnership with several top of mind brands as partners. We want to engage our members at all touchpoints.
Additionally, our Trademarked Green, Blue, Black Method allows our athletes to set personal thresholds and levels each and every class. Not only does this provide accessibility and inclusive component to our format, but it also provides our athletes with clear benchmarks to track improvement. This is why we have some of the highest repeat and retention in the industry. There are so many concepts out there, where you have no clue if you are getting better, faster, stronger, etc.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I think Dallas is a very image-conscious city. This might sound shallow, but I think that is a good thing. It helps people prioritized health and wellness, which is so important to live a happy and long life. I love that Dallas is so young. So many great ideas and companies are starting up in Dallas as it is VERY business-friendly.
I do wish there was more green space in Dallas. I do think it is improving, but there could always be more green space.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6039 Oram Street (Pop Up Location)
Dallas, TX 3636 McKinney, TX (Permanent Location)
Dallas, TX - Website: www.powderheart.com
- Phone: 972-7077010
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Alicia Gasser
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