Become the Best Version of Yourself with Alexiou Gibson

0:01Light that spark fire nation JLD here and welcome to entrepreneurs on fire brought to you by the HubSpot podcast network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like Finding Founders. Today, we'll be breaking down how to become the best version of yourself. To drop these value bombs, I brought Alexio Gibson into EO Fire Studios. Alexio is the CEO and founder of the Transformation Factory, TTF, a Florida-based business that produces a line of flavored sea moss. He appeared on Shark Tank and made an unforgettable impression. You'll have to YouTube it. Today, we're going to talk about the biggest lessons he learned from selling flavored sea moss, his biggest mistake, his biggest breakthrough moments, what he would recommend to people launching a similar company as his, and so much more.

0:54And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Alexio and our sponsors. The Product Boss, hosted by Jacqueline and Mina, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. The Product Boss helps you take your physical product sales and strategy to the next level to create your dream life. With episodes like, Can I Have a Successful Product Business as a Side Hustle? Listen to The Product Boss wherever you get your podcasts. Alexio, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1:30Money changes people. I don't agree with that. I truly believe that money enhances who you are already. If you're a giver, you're going to be a super giver. If you're someone that's egotistical, you're going to be at the highest level. So that's one thing that I've always disagreed with when it comes to just business and wealth and success. I love that, Fire Nation. And that's what we're talking about here today is becoming the best version of yourself. So I want to talk about the origin story of the Transformation Factory because I feel like that's going to be a good foundation for our conversation today so we can really understand how you became the best version of yourself so that we can pass along these lessons to Fire Nation.

2:18Oh, well, the foundation of the Transformation Factory is truly my own self-growth as an individual. I was in college in my early 20s, and I met a mentor, a dean, that saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. Leadership, creativity, everything positive. And one day tapped me on the shoulder and almost in a sense recruited to bring me under her wing. and shortly after I was in student government I was on the executive board I got an internship with NASA Apple Innovator of the Year Award Buick Scholarships etc but it took the belief and it took the grooming of someone that knew what to do with that energy to really funnel it and bring that out so that was the beginning of my own transformation where I went through a 300 pound weight loss journey.

3:14I went into biomedical engineering. And, you know, as someone that was typically weak at math, imagine having to take the highest level math in the college catalog and having to pass it with a B plus or better to even be considered for the program. Going from being weak at math to that was really just removing any blocks, any doubt, anything that was really mentally holding me back from being the greatest version of myself. And with the right environment, a very positive environment, friendly environment, and a belief system, I was able to blast through those barriers and become a student in some of the most difficult math courses and landing a major internship at NASA in the process.

4:03So that was definitely the first part of my transformation. the way that this company started was during the pandemic in 2020 when the world was on shutdown you know you couldn't even go to the grocery store you couldn't take an airplane you couldn't do anything and what I knew in that moment I'm a big person when it comes to you can only control what you can control so I know that we couldn't work we couldn't create businesses we couldn't do a lot of things during that time. But what I did know was that I could protect my family health wise. And sea moss is a supermarine algae that grows in the ocean.

4:42And being born and raised in the Caribbean, the Bahamas, you know, sea moss has been a part of our history for over 300 years. And it was always known as that superfood that can build your immune system, which, you know, immune system is strong, it fights off every disease, not just one in particular. So I knew that if I can build the immune system of my family, it would give us the greatest probability of either not getting COVID, or even if we did, we'd be able to survive it and not have it, you know, take us out. And so I started making CMOS. And I was taking care of my grandmother at the time, who was 79, vibrant and very healthy.

5:25However, she's still 79. So I know I wanted to build her immune system. Every morning without fail, she will always get a cup of coffee. So I figured, hey, I'm going to make her a latte and I'm going to put CMOS gel in the milk. She won't even know it's there. She's getting 90 % of the minerals her body needs, is building her immune system, and she still gets her advice every morning, coffee. And I started filming it and putting it on my Instagram, serving her in bed or while she's watching her Westerns or whatever. And people just thought it was the most adorable thing ever. And I had a few friends that were nurses while everyone's on lockdown.

6:07They're actually in hospitals working with COVID patients, having to go home to their newborns, their husbands, their wives, etc. And I had a few reach out to me and say, hey, how can I get some of that CMOS? I'm literally exposing myself every day just to keep my job and career. And I have to go home to my family and compromise them. And I feel awful. They won't let me out of it. Can I get some of that? I'll pay you whatever. And all I was thinking was, wow, we get to be at home all cozy and all scared. And you're literally on the front line on a battle on a battlefield. And I said, there's no way I can charge you.

6:48I said, what I'm going to do is I'm going to make it. I'm going to put it on my doorstep in a cooler. You come every time, hour or night that you get off and it's going to have your name on it. Just grab it and take it. And thank you so much for your service. that nurse tagged me, posted it, and a whole plethora of other nurses reached out to me asking the same thing. And then it bled to people that weren't in the health service asking for it. And I figured, you know, I'll keep it free for nurses, but I'll charge everyone else just so I don't bleed out financially. And that's literally how the transformation factory started.

7:29We didn't even have a logo or a name at the time. It was just a jar that said, thank you. And this was handmade with love. That was literally the packaging. Three months later, I got a call, a call from a company in Atlanta that said, you have amazing reviews. Your product is absolutely delicious. I can't believe it's so smooth. Can we please white label your product and resell it? and the minute that happened I went from giving away free CMOS to making a hundred thousand dollars a month within five to six weeks of starting this project I mean fire nation I just love how Alexio took an opportunity that he just saw that was going to help him and his family and then he said hey how can I be of service and that's how he started was being of service and because the project was good and because it was helping people and because it was solving a real problem, it had success.

8:26I'm going to be talking about more of that as we go on. But I want to talk about the biggest lesson that you learned from launching a company that sells flavored sea moss. Well, one of the biggest lessons I've learned, there's such a thing as growing too fast. And most people will say it's a great problem to have. Everyone wants that problem when they start a business, overwhelming success. But there's actually a such thing as having so much success that it can actually break you. And I think we got that lesson very recently, actually, with our Black Friday sale. We did$2.5 million in sales in one week of us having our Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a little less than a week.

9:12And it literally took us six months to catch up and actually fulfill all those orders. and you have people less impatient, you have people that will leave negative reviews, and you have people that also call their bank and say, hey, just cancel the whole transaction. And, you know, at that level and at that volume, it can really be a lesson that you have to really pay attention more to your impact, your numbers, your impressions, your traffic, and everything of the sort. I think most people hope to just get off the ground when they start, but we made our first million within seven months of launching.

9:55Before we even launched our website, before we even had a logo or a name of our company, just being on a marketplace, a very small marketplace website, we were able to achieve seven figures in seven months. and after our shark tank debut we we actually found out very recently that we were the most watched episode in the history of the entire show all 17 seasons uh you know i can't take all the credit i mean we had kevin hart one of the most famous uh people in the world right now was on our episode uh so you know he gathered a ton of ratings which uh combined with my story made us the most watched, the most reposted.

10:36I mean, there's videos on TikTok of our pitch with 30 million views, just from someone reposting it. And to be able to calculate what that would mean for my brand to do a 50 % off sale on Black Friday, we had no idea the kind of traction we had made in such a short time. Fire Nation, this is some powerful stuff. I mean, you can learn a lot from individuals like Alexi O who have gone through this process of identifying a real problem, a real need, a void in the marketplace, and then creating not just a solution, but the best solution, the number one solution to a real problem. We're going to talk more about this when we get back from thanking our sponsors.

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13:08Increase customer satisfaction and sales with personalized shopping experiences today. visit tidio.com slash fire and get an exclusive 20 % discount just for entrepreneurs on fire podcast listeners. That's T-I-D-I-O.com slash fire. Tidio.com slash fire. Alexio, we're back. And you did talk about one of the lessons you learned about growing too fast. And of course, like you mentioned, that's a problem everybody wants to have, but it is a real problem. I mean, That is a problem. That can be a challenge that comes with what you shared, which is negative reviews, unhappy individuals, bad word of mouth.

13:48But what is the single biggest mistake that you made with TTF? Honestly, I wouldn't say I've made any mistakes as far as TTF. There's challenges every day, especially when you have a booming business. And I think it's very important on how you assimilate to those issues, you know, so that they don't have problems that you do regret. You know, so one thing that my team and I, you know, we have a team of about 120 now, brilliant minds. And it's how we approach every situation. The house is never really on fire. You could definitely get to the problem. You can treat it. You can handle it in a very calm demeanor and with really thinking it through.

14:34And I think because of that approach, we've never been in a situation where it's like, holy crap, I really wish we didn't do that. Every opportunity we've had so far has given us an opportunity to learn and grow, but also get to the problem before it actually became a problem. But, you know, we just passed our two year anniversary. I like to say that we're still an embryo. We're in the birth canal. And, you know, we haven't been in business long enough. to maybe have experienced some tragedies or anything that could really be a major threat. But what I can say is that things have gotten very difficult and grew very fast.

15:17And we've had to jump to the challenge immediately, dropping everything to avoid it from becoming something that's disastrous. So one thing I really want to move into is your vision, because I think a lot lot of people need to understand the importance of a vision when it comes to their company, because otherwise, you don't have that North Star. You're not really aiming at a real goal. You can't get your team on board with something that's meaningful when it comes to your business, your company. What is your vision for your company and your company's growth? Great question. The name of our company is The Transformation Factory, And the subtitle is become the best version of yourself.

15:59So going through my own testament and my own journey, I went from being someone that was very closed in, didn't really believe in himself or see his potential. and it took being in a positive environment and around the right messages, the right tools to really become who I am today, which is a very successful young CEO with a successful business. And I asked myself, how many people are there in the world that has all these buried tools and treasures locked with inside of them that just needs to have the right message, the right tool, the right environment to also become the best version of themselves and what they can offer the world.

16:45So my big vision is, and the tagline, become the best version of yourself, is to create a platform, to create an environment for people all over the world where they have a support system, they have examples, they have a community, and all the tools that they need to build their belief system to build their character and to build everything that they need to really break through the barriers that's holding them back from greatness and truly becoming their final form. You know, an anime reference is really unlocking your entire potential and becoming someone that is not only great, but also influential to the people around them and potentially even the world.

17:27So the big vision is to create a brand that can do that. And my team is very locked in on that vision as well, because everyone within our team has dreams, goals, aspirations, and doubts and insecurities. and we create an environment even in our workplace where the culture is so beautiful and so rich that people come every day feeling completely inspired and needed and wanted and knowing that they bring so much to the table, building their belief and giving them a sense of purpose and also helping them spread their wings with that new level of confidence. So the title of this episode is Become the Best Version of Yourself.

18:11and I want to know how you became the best version of yourself and what you recommend for our listeners, for Fire Nation, who's looking to do the same. Well, the very first step for me was being in a positive environment. And to me what that means, it's not always physical, like physically where you are. The environment is what you listen to, what you read, the friends around you, the family, relatives around you. Everything needs to shift towards where you want to be. So you want to be an entrepreneur. There's podcasts on that. There are books on that. There are examples of people that may have been worse than you are that is succeeding today.

18:57So the biggest advice I always tell people that ask, like, how did you do it coming from such a dark place and being able to be so successful in such a short time? What was that? What was that factor? What did you do? And for me, it was literally putting myself in a brand new environment. The books I read changed from fiction to personal development. The music I listened to went from being very chaotic to very intentional. Podcasts I add to my repertoire. Physical health, working out and getting those serotonins and those endorphins and the things that literally give your body the chemicals to feel good and to think positive.

19:40All of these things were very much catalysts for getting me out of where I was and helping me to mature into where I'm going and who I am today. So for the listeners, you know, we all have things that we deal with, some worse than others. You know, the goal is to really ask yourself, what's holding me back? What makes me feel negative? What makes me feel insecure or makes me doubt myself? and start to remove those things, those people, those environments, those messages. You know, one thing for me, I mean, I have three televisions in my house, and the only time they turn on is if I'm playing music or I'm playing a podcast.

20:22I don't turn on the news. And a big part of it is because the minute I turn on the television and I hone into any world news, you see so much devastation. You see so much sadness. You see so many things. And if you're an empath like I am, your whole day is riding off of the vision and the sound bites you heard the first thing when you woke up. So for me now, I wake up at five in the morning, walk around my balcony, watch the sunrise, read 20 pages minimum of any personal development book. And I have a gym in my place as well where I just start getting active and moving and getting the sweat going and getting those serotonins in.

21:08And before 6 a.m., before 6.30 a.m., before the world is waking up, I'm already supercharged and ready and have been fed something positive and going through my day completely at the top of the world. And I would say all of those things contributed greatly into becoming the best version of myself. Fire Nation, powerful stuff. You make decisions every day on what you do, what actions you take, what content you consume. And that's going to make such an impact. And it may not be obvious overnight or over a week or over a month, but man, does it add up over days, weeks, months, and years to become the person that you want to be.

21:51So Alexio, give us one key takeaway from our conversation today. Let us know how we can connect with you, any call to action you have, and then we'll say goodbye. It was an honor being here. I would say the major takeaway from this is, one, change your environment, your belief system. Have a strong why, why you're doing what you want to do, why you're going after those goals, and focus on the why more than the tribulations and anything that can come in the way. Stay focused on what you want, manifest it, daydream about it, close your eyes, visualize it, write out your goals. There's a Harvard study where 97 % of a graduating class hit their goals for the simple facts that they wrote it down.

22:39So definitely write out your goals, make a vision board, visualize, daydream, manifest everything that you want. and make sure that everything around you from what you listen to, watch, and the people around you are all helping you get to that level and not restricting you from getting to where you are. And what's the best way for Fire Nation to connect with you and any call to action you have? You can reach out to me personally on Instagram at Alexio 2.0. That's A-L-E-X-I-O-U 2.0. And then we have our brand page as well at CMOS Transformation. I can be reached at any of those platforms. And it'll be great to connect with anyone that wants to ask me questions, want guidance, or maybe just want to start their health journey and want to know more about the product.

23:31I'm always available and here at your backing wheel. Fire Nation, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And you've been hanging out with AG and JLD today, so keep up the heat. For links to everything that we talked about, visit eofire.com. Type Alexio into the search bar, and the show notes page will pop right up. And Alexio, thank you for sharing your truth, knowledge, and value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you, and we'll catch you on the flip side. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Alexio for sponsoring today's episode. and Fire Nation, successful entrepreneurs are great at three things, productivity, discipline, and focus.

24:14That is why that I created the Mastery Journal so that you can master these three things, productivity, discipline, and focus in just a hundred days. And we're talking step-by-step. Visit themasteryjournal.com and I will catch you there or on the flip side. The Product Boss, hosted by Jacqueline and Mina, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. The Product Boss helps you take your physical product sales and strategy to the next level to create your dream life. With episodes like, Can I Have a Successful Product Business as a Side Hustle?

24:47Listen to The Product Boss wherever you get your podcasts.