#104 Dan Uyemura: From Rock Bottom To $100M

Dan Uyemura is the CEO of PushPress and a fitness enthusiast who has been working on startups his whole career. He recently sold his second gym to pave the way for focusing more time on PushPress. https://www.pushpress.com/ Summary: In this conversation, Dan Uyemura, the founder of Push Press, shares his journey of overcoming personal struggles and building a successful software company for gym owners. He discusses the challenges he faced, including legal troubles and addiction, and how he turned his life around. Dan also explains the inception of Push Press and the problems it aims to solve for gym owners. He emphasizes the importance of reducing churn and increasing leads, as well as leveraging coaches to scale a business. Dan shares his vision for Push Press's future and media's role in the fitness industry. Overall, his story is one of resilience, growth, and the power of human connection. In this conversation, Dan and Carl discuss the challenges and mindset required for entrepreneurship. They explore the importance of endurance and resilience, drawing parallels between running and business. Dan shares his experiences of low moments and the stoic mindset that helped him overcome them. They discuss the need for structure and delegation as a business grows and the importance of creating a customer-obsessed culture. They also touch on the value of time and money as an expression of value and the role of mistakes in personal and professional growth. Takeaways: Overcoming personal struggles and challenges is possible with determination and support. Building a successful software company requires solving real problems and understanding the target market's needs. Reducing churn and increasing leads are crucial for the growth and sustainability of a gym business. Leveraging coaches and providing excellent customer service can enhance member engagement and retention. The future of Push Press involves creating a command center for gym owners and streamlining various aspects of gym management. Entrepreneurship requires endurance and resilience, similar to being an endurance athlete. Low moments are part of the journey, and adopting a stoic mindset can help you navigate through them. As a business grows, it's important to delegate and create a structure that allows for focus on core responsibilities. Creating a customer-obsessed culture is crucial for long-term success in business. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Early Days01:27Starting Push Press and Overcoming Challenges 03:20 Personal Struggles and Turning Point05:44Recovery and Rebuilding 08:08 Facing Legal Troubles 10:58 Building Push Press and Solving Problems 13:20 The Inception of Push Press 14:53 Challenges in Building the Software 17:19 Reducing Churn and Increasing Leads 20:36 Scaling and Leveraging Coaches 24:53 The Importance of Check-Ins and Churn Reduction 29:37 The Future of Push Press 38:09 The Role of Media and Social Component 43:23 Milestones and Fundraising 44:47 Highs and Lows of the Journey 45:15 Low Moments and Stoic Mindset 46:11 Endurance Running and Parallel to Business 47:10 Entrepreneurship as an Endurance Athlete 47:40 Lessons Learned from Dark Times 48:39 Headwinds and Tailwinds in Business 49:08 Transitioning Roles in the Company 50:03 Learning to Let Go and Trust the Team 51:29 Creating a Customer-Obsessed Culture 52:25 The Importance of Customer Feedback 53:24 Building a Team of Fitness-Obsessed Professionals 54:48 Roles and Departments at Push Press 55:43 The Importance of Structuring Your Life 57:05 The Value of Time and Time Blocking 59:59 Money as an Expression of Value 01:01:00 The Importance of Input and Output 01:02:53 Creating a Culture of Personal Growth 01:05:13 Reporting to Investors and Long-Term Thinking 01:06:08 Finite and Infinite Games in Business 01:09:03 The Joy of Being in the Trenches 01:10:39 Embracing Mistakes and Learning from Them