Intro
This is a one on 1 with Grant Broggi, the founder of The Strength Co, primarily known for its Made in America Iron plates. He’s also a Starting Strength coach and veteran. The bulk of the interview discusses his experience building The Strength Co, but we also discuss his time in the military, coaching, the future of the industry, and more.
The episode can be watched or listened to on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Anchor, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Show Notes
- (0:32) Before we get started, can you give a little background about yourself, including explaining your experience in the military? Grant started weightlifting about 15 or 16 years ago and ultimately found Mark Rippetoe’s writing about training. When he got into the Marine Corp, he quickly realized that many were struggling with strength. He was able to have quite a bit of influence after guiding a few.
- (3:57) When did you take it to the next level and begin to coach? After seeing performance issues among some of the Marine’s, Grant was able to coach quite a bit of people. His “slots” became quickly filled up and he continued to do this through the rest of his time in the military.
- (6:44) 2020 is when he first had the idea of creating equipment. Why did you go for it? His entire coaching business had been disrupted so he started building racks and finding other ways to sell equipment while others were in need. It even brought in some media who put his story on the news. This, along with seeing deficiences in other weights on the market, ultimately led him to look into the process of “creating weights.”
- (12:26) You’ve been in contact with the foundry. What were the next steps needed after that? He took the advice from “Rip,” and ultimately wanted to create something along the lines of a “deeper lip York option,” so that it was easy to grab onto. Grant sent them the drawings and went from there.
- (15:10) What was the cost needed to get that first order in? “Like $150,000.” Grant wasn’t sleeping much at this time.
- (16:00) What were some of the lessons learned within the first six months (between March and August)? Design, shipping, and distribution were all items that took some trial and error to get down. “Wow, you’re going to test your shipping methods with 44,000 pounds.”
- (23:45) Were you already rolling on the second-order, or were you hesitant to do it again? The second order was already rolling and managing of finances/inventory was a learning process.
- (26:30) While you were doing this, were you keeping an eye on Rogue? Did you end up beating them to the market? They did in both design, production, and it was extremely helpful releasing the full line of plates while the largest competitor did not.
- (28:20) When did your gym open back up again? It wasn’t quite legal at the time, but they opened around Memorial weekend.
- (28:59) How has your time been split since starting this? All of it seemed like it happened over night. Grant’s largest priority is to make sure the product ships. He’s also spending plenty of time coaching still. In general, he’s hustling to continue coaching and advancing his products as well.
- (31:44) What does The Strength Co sell today, and what was the reasoning behind new products? Steel has gone up a ton recently so power racks are not a top priority today, but they do sell weights, bars, collars, and weight trees today.
- (33:20) What separates your plates from the rest of the market outside of Made in the USA? They are quite a bit thinner than bumper plates or other style options. In addition, they have a nice lip to grab and match from 1.25 to 100 lbs.
- (36:50) Can you tell me about your barbells? There are three different options. All include a bright zinc finish so it shouldn’t rust. The lineup includes a versatile multi-purpose bar, power bar, and a 33 pound bar.
- (41:20) Do you see any other shifts that you see coming to the industry? Globo gyms may not be as successful as they’ve been in the past and boutique gyms will rise. In addition, the tech platforms like Peloton may just be a fad. Grant believes that a large amount will continue to workout at home though.
- (47:51) How is 2022 looking for The Strength Co? 35’s are coming, a bar around Memorial Day, and there is potential for a number of items as well. The biggest focus this year though is on improving distribution.
- (50:52) Would you say the most significant issue you face is to figure out where to store everything for shipping? Gas prices this year are definitely going to be a challenge.
- (52:49) Do you have any predictions about where The Strength Co will be in 5 years? Adding additional sales channels like gym lines, military bases, universities and more would be solid ways to grow their business. Hopefully, just expanding their plates and getting more eyes on them as well would be huge.
- (56:15) Why is American manufacturing significant to you? Grant has always wanted to buy American and help his country. However, as he’s gotten into it, Grant has seen the values of hiring people within America.