Don’t Panic! Key Lessons from the World’s Boldest Brands
#4
Coss Marte Founder & CEO ConBody
BRANDINGMAG | DON’T PANIC!
A Brandingmag Publication
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07.2017
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Don’t Panic! is a monthly 1:1 interview series with a fearless leader to discuss the key growth challenges of their brand – and how they’ve tackled them head on.
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Do your time!
Are you a SoulCycle super-fan? A Barry’s Bootcamp buff? An Equinox evangelist? Then you might want to keep an eye on ConBody, a new prisonstyle workout brand that might just be the next big thing in the booming health and fitness industry. The story behind this rising star is inspiring. The brand’s founder, Coss Marte, grew up in New York’s Lower East Side and started selling drugs at 12. At 20, he was sentenced to seven years in prison. Once in prison, Coss was told that he might only survive five years behind bars due to his obesity and high cholesterol levels. Message received. Coss started to exercise daily in his 9x6 foot cell, ran laps in the prison yard, and developed a routine that made him shed 70 lbs. in just six months. He didn’t stop there. Fellow inmates, inspired by his transformation, asked to train with him. Before long, Coss had helped more than 20 inmates lose over 1000lbs! Today, ConBody applies the same techniques that Coss used in prison to keep New Yorkers fit and healthy, and the brand is a sensation: the ‘ConBody Life’ app launched to spread the programs online; Saks just integrated a prison-style fitness studio into its Fifth Avenue location; a book is in the making; and a documentary film will hit box offices in 2019. And even more impressively, ConBody only employs ex-cons because Coss wants to use his brand’s sphere of influence to remove the stigma from formerly incarcerated individuals. Dominik Prinz sat down with Coss to talk about the origin and the future of ConBody – and learned a lot about a truly purpose-driven brand.
BRANDINGMAG | DON’T PANIC!
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07.2017
Q1
What inspired you to found ConBody?
About two months before my scheduled release, I got into an unfortunate altercation with a correctional officer that landed me in solitary confinement and added a year to my sentence. It was devastating. I was so desperate that I started to write a 10-page letter to my family telling them to forget about me. But I didn’t even have a stamp to send it... Some time later, I received a letter from my sister, telling me to read the Bible for consolation. As I opened the Bible, the stamp I needed to send my own letter fell out. It was an enlightening sign to me. It was in that moment that I decided to turn my life around, starting the day of my release.
ConBody is my way of doing the right thing and to give back to society.
That day, in that cell, the idea of ConBody was born. It is my way of doing the right thing and giving back to society. I hope it will remain the footprint that remains long after I’m gone.
BRANDINGMAG | DON’T PANIC!
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Q2
What was the biggest challenge you’ve faced in trying to make it happen?
Honestly, the biggest challenge for me personally was to show up, day after day; even when no-one seemed to really care about ConBody, or wouldn’t even show up to the scheduled workout sessions.
Honestly, the biggest challenge was to show up, day after day; even when no-one seemed to really care about ConBody.
You have to understand that in the beginning, nobody had heard of ConBody. We were operating out of rented studios and backyards. My first customer was my own mum! It was tough and I started to doubt whether my idea was good enough and if people would actually like it.
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It was incredibly important during those times to continuously keep at it and to trust the process!
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07.2017
Q3
Which bold moves have you made to tackle this challenge?
There was not one single thing, or something that happened over night. It was much more about consistently and steadily building a relationship with every single client, about trying new things and seeing what works. And most importantly to listen and learn along the way.
It was about consistently and steadily building a relationship with every single client, about trying new things and seeing what works.
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One big step for us was the recent re-branding of ConBody. We’ve developed a whole new and fresh identity together with a designer who had much more experience than any of us did. The result and response was amazing. The brand now looks way more professional and makes a statement to our competition: ”Watch us, we’re not playing. We’re in town to stay and will take this whole thing to the next level!”
BRANDINGMAG | DON’T PANIC!
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07.2017
Q4
Think 5 years ahead: what do you think is the biggest opportunity for ConBody – and how will you unlock it?
We’ve had such great momentum over just the past year that it’s hard to imagine what else might happen over the next five!
For me personally, this has always been and will always be about creating more opportunities for more inmates.
For me personally, this has always been and will always be about creating more opportunities for more inmates. So I see ConBody expanding into prisons around the country – maybe even the world – to certify incarcerated individuals as trainers and give them a shot at re-entering society, successfully.
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We’re already looking at Miami, L.A. and Chicago. Potentially going global, starting with Australia. The opportunities seem endless, and – just like in the very beginning – I am still trusting the journey and that it will lead to something truly remarkable!
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07.2017
Q5
What is your single most important advice for other founders who have a great idea and want to bring it to life?
When you try to build a new brand, you have to hustle. Every single day; wherever you are; whoever you talk to. I’ve pitched ConBody to people in the park, on the subway or on the bus – really, anywhere!
You might hear “no” a hundred times, [but] you never know when that “yes” is going to come around.
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And while you might hear “no” a hundred times, you never know when that “yes” is going to come around. And when it does, it sure is worth it.
BRANDINGMAG | DON’T PANIC!
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06.2017
Coss Marte
Dominik Prinz
In 2009, Coss Marte was sent to jail as the ringleader of a multi-million dollar cocaine operation. He was also grossly overweight and warned by his physician that his current lifestyle, if left unchecked, would likely kill him.
Dominik is a regular contributor to brandingmagazine.com. He is also a Partner at boutique management consultancy cg42 in NYC and leads the expansion of the firm’s customer experience and innovation practice. Dominik was previously Interbrand’s Head of Strategy and is a widely recognized thought leader on the integration of business, brand and purpose.
Faced with this grim prognosis, Coss started to get in shape using the tools he had -- his prison cell and his own body weight. Within six months he lost 70 pounds and replicated his successful formula of body weight exercises with 20 other inmates. Then he launched ConBody a prison style bootcamp that has gained over 10,000+ clients and hires formerly incarcerated individuals to teach fitness classes. Since the launch of his company he’s been featured in over 200 major media outlets such as NBC, CNN, The New York Times, TED Talks, and Men’s Fitness. He’s also won major pitch competitions such as Pitch for Good by TOM’s shoes and the YPO shark tank competition, which combined raised $200,000.
dprinz@cg42.com
www.conbody.com
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07.2017
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