Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill sit down with Mariano Quinones, founder of Hunger & Action Gym, a local boxing and general fitness gym in Springdale. After boxing helped Mariano graduate high school and eventually obtain a degree, he made it his mission to give back to the community by providing a healthy space for individuals to come together. Throughout the show, Rodrigo shares about his entrepreneurial journey starting Hunger & Action, how he found boxing to be a release when he hit rock bottom, and his hopes that Hunger & Action can do the same for youth today.
Show Notes:
(1:08) Introduction to Mariano
(2:00) Mariano’s Origin Story
(7:41) Helping Out the Next Generation
(9:42) The Risks of Starting a Business
(10:54) Why Members Choose Hunger & Action
(14:49) Marketing Hunger & Action
(18:53) What Hunger & Action Offers
(24:02) Hunger & Action’s Boxing Fights
(26:49) What’s Next
(29:20) Advice to Younger Self
(30:15) Closing Question
Links:
Quotes:
“The meaning behind it, to give a little background behind Hunger & Action, hunger was the desire for something, just wanting something bad enough. And then action is the necessary steps to achieve a goal.” – Mariano Quinones, (4:13)
“I learned a lot just wanting it, just really being hungry, wanting it bad enough that I did my due diligence and research. It was exhausting at times, but I read this quote somewhere and it said, ‘Start where you’re at now and better tools will come along the way.’” – Mariano Quinones, (6:14)
“The hardest part looking into it would be a little bit of fear of failure. I think the biggest obstacle is just getting over the fear and then knowing that I’d rather try than regret [not trying] at one point.” – Mariano Quinones, (9:43)
“I think we were received really well by the community…We don’t have all the bells and whistles. We don’t have all the equipment we really want to compete on that level. I really think it’s just being ourselves.” – Mariano Quinones, (11:15)
Hunger & Action Gym with Founder Mariano Quinones
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill sit down with Mariano Quinones, founder of Hunger & Action Gym, a local boxing and general fitness gym in Springdale. After boxing helped Mariano graduate high school and eventually obtain a degree, he made it his mission to give back to the community by providing a healthy space for individuals to come together. Throughout the show, Rodrigo shares about his entrepreneurial journey starting Hunger & Action, how he found boxing to be a release when he hit rock bottom, and his hopes that Hunger & Action can do the same for youth today.
Spreading Encouragement through Exercise
Hunger & Action Gym was founded with the intention of being a sanctuary where individuals who feel like they’ve reached their limit can accomplish their goals. Hunger & Action focuses on the youth in an effort to provide guidance during developmental times in their lives. The gym offers several programs specifically designed to help troubled youth gravitate to the sport of boxing where they can be exposed to a supportive environment.
“The meaning behind it, to give a little background behind Hunger & Action, hunger was the desire for something, just wanting something bad enough. And then action is the necessary steps to achieve a goal.” – Mariano Quinones, (4:13)
Hunger & Action has partnered with the Washington Juvenile Detention Center in which staff will bring kids to the gym in order for them to be involved in positive activities. The mission behind Hunger & Action is to share the message that anything can be overcome as long as we set our minds to it, and being physically active while doing so can have an incredible impact. As a result of Hunger & Action’s genuineness, it has been voted Best Gym of NWA three years in a row.
Remaining Authentic
Hunger & Action also offers classes for members of all ages from elementary school students to adults and senior citizens. Its daytime boxing and fitness classes are for members to receive an intense shorter exercise session, whereas its evening classes are more focused on the youth and offer a variety of fitness activities like punching bag work, jump roping, running, and footwork drills.
Additionally, Hunger & Action has a more generic class where kids and parents can receive their exercise for the day while also building good habits like hard work and discipline. Moreover, the gym offers a competitive space for amateur and pro boxers, helping to provide a platform for the sport of boxing to develop across the state. In the future, Hunger & Action hopes to continue to be authentic as its brand grows and to eventually have a building of its own.
“I think we were received really well by the community…We don’t have all the bells and whistles. We don’t have all the equipment we really want to compete on that level. I really think it’s just being ourselves.” – Mariano Quinones, (11:15)
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