The Jedburgh Podcast #051: FitFighter - Founder & CEO Sarah Apgar
General George Patton famously said "you fight as you train." On The Jedburgh Podcast we say "how you prepare today determines success tomorrow."
Sarah Apgar found the gap between the way firefighters trained and the way they fought fires. To fill this gap she created the FitFighter Steel Hose. An All-American Rugby Player turned Iraq War Veteran turned firefighter, Sarah took her idea to Shark Tank where she landed a partnership with Daniel Lubetzsky, the founder of Kind.
Sarah invited host Fran Racioppi to her Long Island studio for a conversation on entrepreneurism, the fitness industry, her two minute uninterrupted pitch to the Sharks, how leadership in the Army set her up for the highs and lows of building her own business and the importance of partnering with Tunnel to Towers to give back to first responders.
Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.
Highlights:
-Sarah shares the founding of FitFighter, which started as an idea to address differences between training and real world fitness requirements.
-The FitFighter Steel Hose is built from recycled firehouse and steel shot. Sarah explains the importance of sustainability in the production model and the various iterations the product has gone through; including partnership with Sorinex Fitness Equipment.
-Shark Tank provided Sarah the opportunity to scale the business while bringing awareness through additional distribution channels.
-Sarah shares the top mentorship lessons on business and entrepreneurship she has received from Shark Investor & Founder of Kind Snacks Daniel Lubetzsky.
-Fran and Sarah discuss the importance of collegiate athletics in forming the foundation of work ethic, team ability and skill building as they prepared for their military careers.
-Fran challenges Sarah to explain the perspective gained from leading soldiers in combat, the loss of camaraderie upon leaving the Army and her difficult decision to leave Warby Parker.
Quotes:
-”I noticed there was this big chasm between the training that we were doing in the gym and the truck bays and what was really happening out there in the fire ground.”
-”I joined the volunteer firehouse to get back some of the camaraderie that I missed from military days.”
-“I’m an inventor. I’m stubbornly curious. I’m someone who, if there is something that seems good we need to make it 15 times better.”
-”Weightlifting in general is the single most important practice for our long term health. Period. Hands down. Every single day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
-”I had decided that if offered the opportunity for a partner from any one of the Sharks that I would walk out of there with it.”
-”I wholeheartedly reject the idea that early on in a company that the only way is to pick that one path and trajectory.”
-“I was getting less and less exceptional at the job I was doing…that was pretty scary.”
Sarah’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:
-Create moments of Curiosity
-Integrate movement into everything we do
-Speak to at least one family member and one friend in your village
This episode is brought to you by Jersey Mike’s, 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.