#73 Bedros Keuilian - Discipline, Motivation & Wisdom that Made a Multi-Million Dollar Empire
Sep 4, 2023
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In this discussion, Bedros Keuilian, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Fit Body Boot Camp, shares his incredible journey from being an immigrant escaping communism to building a multi-million dollar empire. He highlights the importance of mentorship and community support for young men, reflecting on resilience and personal growth through childhood trauma. Bedros also dives into the significance of discipline, effective leadership, and redefining masculinity in today's world, offering powerful insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and anyone seeking transformation.
Bedros Keuilian shares his journey of escaping communism and finding opportunity in the United States.
The speaker emphasizes the impact of positive role models and mentoring on his transformation.
Through his journey, the speaker learns that trauma can lead to great achievements and emphasizes the importance of having a mentor and paying it forward.
The speaker shares the profound impact of his mentor, Jim Franco, on his personal training business and overall life.
The speaker pays it forward by becoming a mentor and helping a young African American kid develop entrepreneurial skills.
Baidros discusses the importance of effective leadership, communication, multiple income streams, and work-life balance in building a successful business.
Deep dives
Escaping communism and immigrating to the US
The podcast episode explores the speaker's personal journey of escaping communism in Armenia as a young boy and immigrating to the United States with his family. They faced challenges and lived in section 8 housing, experiencing a significant decline in their quality of life compared to their previous life. The speaker shares how he became involved in criminal activities, including carjacking and home robberies, due to influences and circumstances in the neighborhood.
A turning point and a decision for change
The speaker describes a pivotal moment in his life when he was involved in a high-speed chase as a getaway driver during a home robbery. After narrowly escaping arrest, the speaker realized the consequences of his actions and made a decision to change. He decided that if things didn't change, he would end up in a bad place. This incident led him to reflect on the guilt he felt and seek guidance from talk radio shows, particularly Dr. Laura Schlesinger, who influenced his decision to break free from his past and strive for a better future.
The importance of mentoring and positive role models
The speaker emphasizes the impact of positive role models and mentoring on his journey of transformation. He highlights Dr. Laura Schlesinger's role as a mentor, providing valuable guidance through her radio show. Furthermore, he acknowledges the significance of having a father figure and the absence of a proper rite of passage in his life. His own experiences motivated him to develop programs such as the Squire program to help young boys find guidance and purpose, and to encourage fathers to actively mentor their sons.
Changing Path: From a Life of Crime to Entrepreneurship
The speaker shares his transformation from a life involved in carjackings and robberies to pursuing a better life through entrepreneurship. One night at the police station, he realizes he needs to change and decides to better his life. He seeks new influences and becomes a personal trainer, thanks to the guidance of a mentor named Jim Franco. With Jim's help, he opens his own personal training studio and learns the importance of selling long-term packages. He expands his business, opens multiple gyms, and eventually sells them. Jim Franco continues to be a mentor in his life, teaching him about valuation and negotiation. Through his journey, the speaker learns that trauma can lead to great achievements and emphasizes the importance of having a mentor and paying it forward.
The Power of a Mentor: Jim Franco's Influence
The speaker shares the profound impact of his mentor, Jim Franco. Jim teaches him about sales, influencing others, and how to run a successful personal training business. He helps the speaker navigate the challenges of opening multiple gyms and guides him through negotiating a lucrative deal to sell them. Jim's influence extends beyond business, as he becomes a father figure and provides support and guidance. The speaker's success is a testament to the power of mentoring and having a strong advocate in one's life.
Paying It Forward: Mentoring Layton
After experiencing the benefits of mentorship, the speaker pays it forward by becoming a mentor to Layton, a young African American kid. He provides guidance and support, helping Layton develop entrepreneurial skills. The speaker realizes the importance of filling his goodwill bank account and helping others to succeed. He offers Layton a position to work in his office, exposing him to a high-performance environment and teaching him sales. Through their mentor-mentee relationship, the speaker embodies the value of mentoring and the impact it can have on someone's life.
Building and Growing Fit Body Boot Camp
Baidros shares his journey of building Fit Body Boot Camp and navigating challenges, including the pandemic, losing and regaining franchise locations, and the importance of effective leadership and communication.
Creating Multiple Income Streams
Baidros discusses the importance of creating multiple income streams as an entrepreneur and shares his experience in launching Truly Supplements and FitProTracker software.
Maintaining Structure and Focus
Baidros emphasizes the importance of structure in managing multiple companies and maintaining a work-life balance. He shares his daily routine and the significance of setting goals and utilizing effective time management.
The importance of delegating and building a competent team
Building a successful business requires delegating tasks and creating a competent team. The speaker shares personal experiences of feeling overwhelmed and anxious when trying to handle everything on their own. They emphasize the need to find a second-in-command who understands the vision and can take things off your plate. By assembling a competent team that can replicate your vision, you can scale your business and achieve better results than you could on your own.
The demasculinization of men and its impact
The podcast explores the demasculinization of men and its impact on society. The speaker discusses how the tearing down of masculinity is gaining momentum, particularly through media, movies, and popular culture. This erosion of masculinity aims to control and gain compliance from the citizens. The speaker highlights the importance of men embracing their true nature and living congruent lives. They encourage men to be the CEOs of their own lives, take control of their well-being, and reject the narrative that portrays masculinity as toxic. By doing so, men can find hope in shaping a better future.
This week on SRS, Bedros Keuilian tells us all about business. Bedros is a serial entrepreneur and investor in over a dozen industry leading brands and businesses. He’s the founder of Fit Body Boot Camp, three times listed in Inc Magazine as well as Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 fastest growing franchise brands in the world. Bedros is the author of the Wall Street Journal Best Selling book "Man Up – How To Cut The BS and Dominate In Business and In Life."
This episode explores his childhood as a immigrant, escaping communism and finding opportunity in the United States. Bedros takes us through his formative years as an early entrepreneur; wins and losses. Shawn and Bedros get into heavy topics like society, values, faith and how to get the country back on track. If you are interested in business or investing, the episode is for you.
