15 minute read
HEALTH
MARTYN COOK
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Martyn Cook has been marketing and selling online since the age of 14 when he learnt to build websites to impress a girl (it didn’t work!). Since then he’s sold everything from dog collars to houses leveraging the internet. Martyn co-founded a software company, built multiple 7-Figure ecommerce brands, co-founded a high-level digital entrepreneur mastermind that hosts luxury meet-ups around the world, has spoken from stages around the world and still somehow found the time to self-publish two books.
Martyn’s latest project, Noobru, a cognition drink, is on a mission to fortify 1 Billion meals by 2025, helping to tackle the 2 billion person, worldwide malnutrition problem. Martyn absolutely loves connecting with entrepreneurs and he regularly does that via his Smarter Destiny Podcast and Community.
What’s your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?
I’ve long been a believer and practitioner in Life/Bio-Hacking with the goal of getting more output for the same amount of input. When I stumbled across Nootropics, over a decade ago, it was an exciting new world - the thought of being able to get more out of your brain, every day - wow! The possibilities felt endless.This path had me experimenting, like a human guinea pig, with all kinds of Nootropics - gradually learning the pros and cons of each - leading to formulating a perfect (at least for me) ’stack’ (this is the name given to a combination of diff erent ingredients taken together).. Most days I was taking a fi st full of diff erent nootropic pills, which isn’t a fun experience. It was time consuming to open all the pill bottles, and the dose of each nootropic was limited by whatever amount was in the pill.
I then began to learn that actually pills aren’t very efficient, studies have shown that as much as half of what you take in pill form isn’t actually absorbed - it just becomes expensive urine. Whereas in liquid form, we can absorb almost 100%! This was the beginning of the journey for me - I teamed up with a medical doctor and set out to make a better nootropic, the perfect, safe amount of effective ingredients that are consumed as a drink, taste delicious and work together to give you an advantage. I opted to serve them in eco-friendly, single-serve sachets so they were super convenient and easy to take with you on the go.
What makes Noobru different? First off, I commend any brands that have gone the drinkable route for their supplements - it’s a much more effective means of consuming nutrients. Our focus was on creating a safe and effective supplement drink that tastes amazing! We didn’t want it to taste like medicine, or have any nasty taste at all - we wanted it to be as delicious as the drinks we consume for please - and we’re immensely proud of what we’ve created - it’s delicious! In addition to that, we wanted Noobru to be eco-friendly, so all of our packaging is completely plastic free. We wanted Noobru to be convenient, so we sell it in single-serve sachets that are easy to throw in your pocket or bag and bring with you.
Lastly, but SO importantly - we, as a business, wanted to make a real difference in the world with our brand. So, Noobru has had a charitable component baked in from the very beginning. With every purchase, we fortify the meals of at least one child, for at least a year. We’re taking on the global malnourishment problem, which affects 2 Billion People. Our mission is to fortify 1 Billion Meals by 2025 - that is our core focus right now, but I’m excited to set our sights on challenges such as Climate Change, and plastic production — for the latter, we are already a zero-plastic company - our products are all packaged in eco-friendly materials. That’s on top of helping our customers, (currently spanning 50 countries) find success with whatever it is that is important to them - Work/Professional Life, Competition, Study and Exams or combating age-related mental decline.
Your mission is to fortify 1 billion meals by 2025. What is your strategy to reach such a beautiful goal?
With every purchase we fortify the meals of at least one child for at least a year - so certainly, spreading the word about Noobru and reaching more people is a massive part of the plan. We see a big percentage of our customers coming back and re-ordering from us. Normally they have ordered a small amount first - 1 month supply, and then return and order a 6 month supply. Since we’re donating with every order, those larger orders really help us on our journey to 1 billion fortified meals.
@drink_noobru
As a CEO, what’s your everyday health routine? What does your daily supplement routine look like?
Being a practising Bio/Life-Hacker, I’ve certainly incorporated many many ways to improve my health or performance over the years. Everything from floatation tanks, acupuncture, binaural beats, ketosis, blue-blocking and (of course) Nootropics. A massive area of focus for me is - 1) Sleep and 2) Morning routine - so essentially everything you do between around 8pm and 7am — which is the opposite side of the clock to where most people focus. Quality sleep is absolutely essential to everything. Mood, Performance, Healthy, Energy Levels, Motivation, Discipline and so much more are all linked to sleep. There’s a lot to incorporate in this area, but blocking blue light (think LEDs, Screens on your Devices etc) later in the day is a huge one.
If you’re interested, start looking into “circadian rhythms” and definitely listen to the podcast episode I recorded with bio-hacker Ryan Carter, episode 75 on the Smarter Destiny Podcast - we go deep into the biggest impact bio-hacking techniques. Supplement wise, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Magnesium are important supplements that I take. But Noobru Advantage is my go-to cover-all-bases supplement - I drink it every single day without fail.
What does Noobru mean? How did you choose the name?
Noobru is a play on words — “Noo” sounds very similar to “New” but is also a nod to “Nootropics” - using the first 3 letters there. Then “bru” is a nickname for “drink” - but it also has links to friendship and family, which we liked as it feels inclusive and welcoming.
What is your advice to others looking at creating a product and going into the business world?
For me, I need to be passionate about a problem that I’m building a solution for. I need to be able link a charity element to the niche (that our customers would care about) it needs to be challenging enough to stretch my mind and ability and the business needs to be location-independent -I don’t like being tied to one location! Also, to me it’s very important that whatever the product is - it needs to be innovative - I don’t sell “me too” stuff anymore and figure the harder it is for me to produce the product I’m selling, the harder it is for competitors to rip off.
Typically when researching and creating a new product and especially when looking for suppliers, I’m making cold-calls to potential partners that I’ve found on google as far down as page 10! I choose to call, rather than email, as it provides an opportunity to learn more about the manufacturing or supplier process in this space - it also enables me to get to know the potential partner and figure out if they’re a good fit - do they shy away from a challenge? Are they prepared to grow with us and innovate the way they do business too? Do they share our values? You just can’t get those answers from sending emails — and often you don’t even get a reply!
I actually go into depth into 9 different ways you can have a massive positive impact on your business using the phone in my new book 1% Secret - which you can get for free here: www.1percentsecret.com
In addition to the advice above, I have a ‘rules of engagement’ checklist for projects and brands I get involved with, some of the key questions on this list include:
Is a similar product already selling? Is it consumable (repeat customers)? Is it easy to ship? Is it eco friendly /sustainable? Is it a big enough space to sell 9-figures in without being more than 20% of the market
Why is entrepreneurship so important in today’s society?
I believe that entrepreneurs are masters at innovation and disruption and have the ability to solve real problems in a lean way that is very difficult for larger organisations to do with such agility. However I believe there’s more to it than that, and we really hit this next point on the Smarter Destiny Podcast - we talk about the responsibility that all entrepreneurs have - which is to 1) be successful (of course) but 2) to leverage that success to make the world better. We call it being “An Enlightened Entrepreneur” - and it means that your company, through its success should make a positive impact on the world as a whole.
What is one motto you live life by?
“I didn’t come this far to only come this far”. I love this motto as it speaks to the point that there are always ways to improve and opportunities to be better. I don’t tend to settle, I’m always questioning the ways things “have always been done” and looking for efficiencies, tweaks and areas to optimise. So why give up? Definitely appreciate how far you have come and be grateful, but that road ahead has so much excitement and challenge waiting for you - let’s keep going!
noobru.com
JF JF DAVIS DAVIS
HIS SECRETS OF LONGEVITY
JF Davis is a seasoned Hollywood actor who has appeared on hit TV shows such as The West Wing, Greys Anatomy, Private Practice, Code Black, The Pretender, The Mentalist, 13 Reasons Why, Station 19, Criminal Minds, S.W.A.T. and coming this fall, he will be starring in, Ratched, on the streaming platform Netflix. Beyond television, JF has appeared in countless films and has even worked as a popular handyman to his fellow celebrity friends including Meg Ryan, Dianne Keaton, Courtney Cox, David Spade and Ed McMahon.
Please tell us more about you? How did you initially get into acting, and how did you break into the industry?
I didn’t always know that I wanted to be an actor. In my early years I tried boxing and then what I thought was my career path, auto racing. At the age of 18 I built and drove my first stock car and was living my dream, I thought. I soon found out that it takes a lot of money and time to be competitive even on the local level and I scrapped that dream and went to work. I worked in a grocery store, as an electrician, in a paper mill and eventually decided that I did not like working for others. I wanted to be my own boss. I had some money saved up and it was the early 80’s, the gym craze was huge, aerobics, bodybuilding, Z cavaricci jeans.
I started a small fitness store selling supplements, ladies aerobic wear, mens workout gear and some fitness equipment. I wasn’t getting rich but I was my own boss. A friend had talked me into taking an acting class which led to me doing a couple of plays but still that idea seemed too far away even for a go getter like myself.
Then one day I was in my store, in the back watching TV and I saw a girl from my acting class on TV. That’s when I knew that I was meant to be an actor. I spent the next 6 months or so selling off my business and making my game plan to move to Los Angeles and be an actor. I flew to Arizona and spent a month there with my dad, bought a set of golf clubs and a car at the swap meet and drove to LA. Within two weeks of getting to LA I found a room to rent and a job. It wasn’t much but I was in Hollywood and I could start my real journey, I just jumped right in!
Back to the days, who were your mentors? Who gave you the
most valuable advice? Fortunately for me, my first job in LA wasn’t a great job, I worked in a video store, but I met some people that inspired me. One of the first actors that I met was Kristof St. John. Kristof was a successful actor and a really great guy. We became friends and he guided me a bit to get me started, with advice as well as introducing me to the only acting teacher that I ever studied with. His name was Virgil Frye, Virgil was an old character actor and had amazing insight. He taught me how to not act if that makes any sense. He told me a story about his good friend Dennis Hopper and how Dennis learned from James Dean. He said that Dennis had thought he was all that until he started working with Dean, he was in awe of Jimmy and one day asked him why he was so much better than everyone else. Jimmy said I don’t act, if I’m supposed to be cold I use ice to feel the cold, If I am supposed to be drinking a hot drink, I use a hot drink, acting is feeling, being and most importantly reacting. He also taught me to be a good actor you first have to be a good listener!
The list of successful films and series in which you have appeared is as long as the Mississippi River! What is your secret
to longevity? Persistence! Never give up and never put timelines on your success. The entertainment industry is about hard work and longevity, if you hang around long enough and work hard enough, you’re bound to hit it at some point! It’s all about being available when the right job comes along. I love what I do and it was never when I make it or if I make it, my plan was always to just act, find a way to pay my bills, support my family and continue to do what I love!
Can you introduce the new Netflix TV series RATCHED in
which you appear? “Ratched” is the story of Nurse Ratched that starts 30 years before “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. Everyone involved did such a great job putting together an amazing cast to resurrect and explain this complicated character played by the hugely talented Sarah Paulson and how Nurse Ratched became the monster we saw on the big screen close to 45 years ago. I am proud to be a part of what is bound to become an iconic show and I hope that I return for the next season!
Is an actor an entrepreneur? What is your vision about entrepreneurship?
Yes an actor is an entrepreneur. Acting is a business and it has to be approached that way. I was lucky in that I was older when I started, I had run my own business and knew that the business of acting was what was going to make or break me. I approached it as a business right from the start. You work hard to get better at what you do, you start small and work your way up, every audition is a chance to hone your craft. You learn to get good pictures and the best agents because like in any business, advertising, hard work and surrounding yourself with the right people leads to success. I look at life as an entrepreneurship. Life, and family, owning a home, putting children through the right schools, it’s all part of my business and what I need to figure into my work week. I am lucky because I have a hard working and very supportive wife who understands my life would not be the same without my acting. My career is now turning even more entrepreneur as I venture into trying to produce my own projects. The next chapter!
Are you also an investor?
I have invested everything into my family and my work. I have never had the extra income to venture into that world. I have used every penny to put my family into a nice home, which is not easy in Los Angeles, but home ownership is an investment. I have also invested in my children by putting them through amazing private schools and paying for their college education as well. I know that that investment will pay off as my two sons grow into their own careers.
How do you want your career as both an actor and entrepre-
neur to evolve over the coming years? I hope to continue to grow as an actor and eventually I would really like to be on a TV series as a reglar. If all goes well and I continue on my path as an entrepreneur my production company will become a success and I will also be producing and starring in my own films.
Instagram: @jfdavisactor
