Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Firestone.
Joey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I think I’m one of the few people that lives in Miami that grew up here. I used to do security and work doors of nightclubs when I went to the U (University of Miami) which I turned into a full-time marketing business. After having built up a good network, I started a luxury concierge company for high net worth clients (which I sold later).
Growing up as a competitive athlete, I was always into working out and fitness. I think I got it from my dad as he was really active when I was a kid and he would do 100 pushups in the morning and go for a couple of mile run. I would always go to the expos and shows and over time became friends with a lot of the top people in the fitness industry. I worked with ingredient companies and manufactures behind the scenes to get a lot of experience and knowledge of the business side of the industry.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s never a smooth road on the journey… if anyone says that, they are lying, lol.
There is always issues with securing materials and production timing printing labels, etc. Unforeseen issues like snowstorms can cause delays on shipments so you really can’t plan for a lot of obstacles that come up… just try and minimize them.
BYLT Sports Drinks – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Having a background in sports nutrition, I felt there was a void in the market for something to help athletes train longer and harder but was safe, too. Something kids could drink and any athlete at the collegiate or professional could take it without worrying about failing a drug test. The supplement industry is all saturated with so many “me too” products and everyone has the “best” product now, so I saw it was very confusing for people and a lot of people didn’t understand supplements unless they were bodybuilders or hardcore workout enthusiasts. I would look at the mainstream products like Gatorade and Powerade and wonder why did coaches tell you when you were growing up that it was the best sports drink athletes could take? It’s a very simple formula of sugar, water with some minerals and salts… this can’t be the best thing out there…
Back in 2015, I developed a sports nutrition supplement with different minerals, amino, and salts that helped buffer the lactic acid when athletes worked out to help them train longer but it was in powdered form. I used that formula as a benchmark and worked on ways to make it better and more efficient, not to mention convenient since most people don’t want to carry a little tub of powder with them.
After about two years of research, working with PhDs, scientists, and testing new ingredients, I was able to make a ready to drink beverage that was like nothing on the market. It’s the first drink that provides sustained release of energy, provides faster hydration, more endurance, and maximum recovery. BYLT (pronounced “built”) was born. BYLT which stands for Beyond Your Limit Training launched on Nov. 2018 and its designed to do what the name says… taking your training to beyond your limits. Not just for the professional athletes, but for the kids playing soccer to the moms doing yoga to the weekend warrior that is doing a 5k run, this drink is made for anyone looking to increase their endurance and performance without all the refined sugar and artificial colors and flavors from other sports drinks. What makes this drink unique is the main ingredient called Outlast Amino. It’s a combination of amino acids for recovery and a natural carbohydrate called Palatinose. Palatinose is derived from sugar beets but the bond is stronger than normal sugar, so it’s a slower digesting sugar which doesn’t spike blood sugar levels so there is no crash and it gives you a sustained release of energy.
We wanted to start small and upscale as we grew so we started with two flavors in Texas and California. And even though we are fairly new, it’s caught on very well with athletes in the first couple of months. People started posted the drink on social media and the awareness caught on more and more. After six months, we launched two other flavors and those sold out within the first six weeks. We are looking at coming out with two more flavors and expanding to Florida and New York market now.
BYLT can be found in over 2300 locations in CA and TX like Gelsons, Central Market, 7-11, local gyms and online at Amazon and www.drinkBYLT.com.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I think having an idea and being able to take an idea and actually bring it to life and execute it makes me most proud.
Pricing:
- BYLT retails for $2.49 a bottle
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drinkBYLT.com
- Phone: 844-426-2958
- Email: info@drinkbylt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkbylt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinkbylt
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/drinkbylt
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