170. How I Built a $100M Brand from My Parent's House ft. Christian Guzman
THE 505 PODCAST
Navigating Brand Evolution
This chapter explores the changing demographics of a clothing brand, emphasizing the shift in women's purchases and the challenges faced in launching women's products. The speakers discuss strategic marketing efforts, successful product lines, and the complexities of inventory management while balancing consumer interest. They reflect on lessons learned from past mistakes and the importance of adapting production strategies to meet market demands effectively.
The 10 Minute Personal Brand Kickstart (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/personalbrandkickstart
What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we’re joined by Christian Guzman — fitness YouTuber, entrepreneur, and founder of Alphalete, Alphaland, and 3D Energy. His creator-led brands have generated over half a billion dollars in revenue.
Christian shares how he went from sleeping on a futon in a failing gym to building Alphaland, and the hard lessons most people miss behind the $500M headlines - from chasing top-line revenue at the expense of profit, to nearly losing it all during Alphaland’s buildout, to why the right hires matter more than more hires.
We also dive into what creators misunderstand about building a brand, why influencer marketing is fading, and why YouTube is still king. If you want the blueprint for scaling beyond content and turning vision into a business, this one’s for you.
Check out Christian here:
https://www.instagram.com/christianguzmanfitness/
https://www.youtube.com/ @guzmanchristian
https://www.instagram.com/alphalete/
SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-report
The Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative Services
Coupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the boulders
https://courses.the505podcast.com/pricing-guide
Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvs
More Free Products:
Our 5 Positioning Tips to Land Bigger Clients (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/5positioningtips
6 Questions to ask on Every Sales Call (FREE): https://the505podcast.courses/6questionsfordiscoverycall
COP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE:
https://courses.the505podcast.com/BFIGGYSFXPACK
KG Presets Vol. 1
https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresets
Kostas’ Amazon Storefront:
https://amzn.to/3GhId25
15% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15
https://bit.ly/42sNdej
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:29 - What makes creator brands scale vs. flop
2:22 - Separating from the brand
4:47 - Revenue isn’t everything
6:06 - Christian had no one to turn to for advice
7:53 - Dealing with ego
10:45 - Christian’s biggest lesson in business
11:50 - The power of A player hires
15:13 - Personal Brand Kickstart
15:39 - The dangers of being a checklist CEO
16:47 - Christian’s biggest hire to date
18:55 - Why Christian doesn’t ask for advice
21:29 - Alphalete’s infrastructure
24:40 - Bringing a team inhouse
26:37 - Getting people bought into your vision
28:11 - You lose everything tomorrow, how do you build back up
31:58 - Why YouTube will win
33:48 - Why Christian started a completely new YouTube channel
35:50 - The goal post is constantly moving
38:46 - Influencer marketing is changing
42:30 - Building a brand takes longer than you think
44:47 - Christian’s biggest rick
47:53 - Buying the Alphalete property during covid
49:27 - How Adderall affected Christian
51:43 - Customer Acquisition for Alphaland vs Alphalete
54:52 - What people don’t understand about building a brand in 2025
56:45 - Content is the #1 most important needle mover
58:39 - Christian’s YouTube strategy
1:00:28 - How Alphalete’s first package shaped everything
1:02:55 - How Christian handles messed up clothing
1:04:50 - Being obsessed with the details
1:05:30 - Alphalete’s first women drop
1:08:01 - The decision to do women’s clothing
1:09:18 - What happens when inventory sits in storage
1:10:39 - Holding inventory costs money
1:11:44 - Chasing Gym Shark
1:13:35 - The drop style business model
1:15:09 - When to bring back old styles
1:16:39 - Separating Alphalete Women’s vs Men’s
1:19:56 - Summer Shredding
1:23:07 - The response to Summer Shredding from the Body Building community
1:25:11 - How Summer Shredding has evolved
1:25:53 - Getting 3D back
1:27:31 - How to start an energy drink brand
1:30:01 - Re-introducing 3D to the world
1:30:34 - The pricing strategy of $2 per can
1:32:43 - Pitching 3D
1:34:45 - Christian’s time management
1:38:28 - Christian’s new training style
1:40:13 - Christian hypes you up
1:43:57 - How to build strength
1:45:48 - Christian’s in the best shape of his life
1:46:41 - Running a marathon
1:49:46 - Goals outside of fitness
1:51:41 - Finding balance
1:53:24 - Gaining clarity in your 30s
1:56:22 - How to refuel from burnout
1:57:50 - Advice to your 18 year old self
If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on.
DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!)
Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/
Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/
TikTok:
Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/
Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/
The AI-powered Podcast Player
