The Journey from Foster Care to Franchisor with Antonio Nieves

0:02Who's ready to rock today, 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 Creator Science. Today, we'll be breaking down the journey from foster care to franchisor. To drop these value bombs, I brought Antonio Nieves into EO Fire Studios. Antonio is a founder of Funbox, the franchisor brand of the world's biggest bounce park. With a background in marketing, tourism, and technology, he strives to provide interactive experiences that promote physical activity and exploration.

0:41And today, Fire Nation, we will talk about the journey from foster care to franchisor. We'll talk about finding old-fashioned industries and changing and improving them. We'll talk about the struggles when it comes to franchising and giving back and so much more when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Artificial intelligence has made a splash in the headlines and for good reason. The digital landscape is changing quickly and AI is a huge part of that. If you're feeling behind the curve, don't worry. HubSpot has got your back. HubSpot's AI power tools, including their content assistant and chat spot are a perfect place to start learning the power of AI.

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1:59Want to live better, longer? We all do. And that's why LifeForce is making proactive and personalized healthcare easier than ever. Start your membership today and receive$200 off. Visit mylifeforce.com to get started now. That's my, L-I-F-E-F-O-R-C-E.com. Antonio, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. What's going on, Fire Nation? And one thing that I think is true about becoming successful that most people would disagree with is the amount of sacrifice that it takes to build something. The amount of hours and things that you lose with your family.

2:42Most people think that once you start a business, you gain all your time back instantly. And it's almost like the world opens up to you. The matter of fact is you end up working harder than most people, two, three times as many hours or just the amount of effort that you have to put into running a business is something that most people don't really realize. The journey from foster care to franchise or you did that, Antonio. It's an amazing story. It's an amazing journey. In fact, of course, we can't get super deep into this because of time restraints, but I want you to share at a snapshot level that story.

3:19I grew up in Las Vegas to a really big Hispanic family. And I'm sure this is a story that many viewers might or listeners might actually relate to. And my parents weren't around when I was younger. And long story short, I ended up realizing that I had more siblings than I thought I intentionally had when I turned 18 years old. And the journey that went into protecting my siblings and advocating for them, realizing what kind of atrocities actually live in the Department of Family Services, I felt a really big motivation and why to kickstart my life in my career at a really young age. All of a sudden, I thought just my life sucked.

4:00And then by the time I became an adult, I realized, wow, I have all of these siblings, too, that need somebody. They need a champion. And so for me, going from foster care to franchisor was a long journey. But it's something that is not common. And it's important to realize that when a former foster youth is aging out, the likelihood of them getting on drugs or having children or dropping out of school or just not having the support that a typical kid would probably have when they're getting ready to enter the university or the workforce, it was something that I saw for my siblings and I felt like I needed to take a parental role.

4:37So the journey for me, you know, as a kid was really tough, but I turned that into fuel to fight for my siblings throughout my early 20s. And so that really led the foundation to me becoming a business owner and getting to where I'm at today. Well, thank you for sharing that. I appreciate what you've done. And we're going to shift now into bouncy houses and specifically the history beyond it, at least right now. because unbeknownst to myself, and I think most of my listeners here, there's actually a pretty cool history of bouncy houses. So share that history. And I also want to connect those dots to why the heck with such a history, bouncy houses are still so popular even today.

5:25The history of bouncy houses really began in 1959. I can't believe that it started that long ago. and it intended to be a cover for a tennis court. There was a mechanical engineer during that time named John Scurlock who was trying to cover his tennis courts from the environment and he ended up building what he called a space pillow because his employees had more fun jumping on the cover than actually using it as a tennis court. So this happened to be an accidental invention as many great things in society but the fact is that it started in the late 50s. Throughout the 60s and 70s is really when these bouncy houses started becoming popular at fairs, carnivals, and other outdoor events.

6:07So the likelihood of your grandparents having the same kind of bouncy house, 15-foot by 15-foot jumper in a backyard event is a shared experience that you have with your uncles and your kids and your grandparents. And you don't even realize it because these things have been around for the last 50 years. It really wasn't until the 70s that these inflatable place structures really started becoming widely available for rent and for purchase, which is what you see today. It led to the rise of bouncy houses for private parties in your grandma's backyard. Everybody gets together. The kids are jumping around having a good time while the adults are having their own kind of fun.

6:44In the 90s, which is when I was born, that's when they really just became a staple for children's birthday parties. You had to have a bouncy house at a birthday party. Gotta have it. You had to have it or else it's not fun. The kids are not coming. Now I have to stop real quick and ask you, did you have that shared experience as well? Were bouncy houses a big part of your childhood growing up? Absolutely. And that was like my favorite thing at the county fair. You know, I grew up in a very small town in Southern Maine. And so we had all these little like town and county fairs. And that was always where I loved going.

7:15I loved going to the bouncy houses. And, you know, at a little later age in life, my parents got a one of those big trampolines that kind of became the rage for a while. But to be honest, it's just a sad, sad replica or a sad thing to substitute for a bouncy house. Yeah. And it's kind of unique because the trampoline parks were like the growing rage of the early 2000s. And, you know, it's not until now that bouncy houses, which is the experience that we're bringing out, the concept that we'll talk about later, is it's following the footsteps of the trampoline park market because a lot of the franchising business systems are pretty similar to the way that trampoline parks run.

8:01But the demographic that they serve is a much younger age. Trampoline parks are like, you know, like you said, once you grow out of bouncy houses, you go to trampoline parks. But there have been some bouncy bounce house franchisors that have came and gone throughout the years. And I don't think anyone has quite found a concept yet that's stuck. And so that's why we're really excited to bring what we're bringing to the table. But it was really the work that was done in the early 2000s on trampoline parks, and new types of bouncy houses like obstacle courses, interactive designs, inflatables inside of concert halls in the early 2000s, late 2010s, that really kind of paved the way for what we're doing today.

8:41Yeah, because it's kind of crazy to see like how like Ninja warrior and all those things have kind of exploded and made people like want to get like really inventive of what they're doing, you know, whether it be challenging themselves, the obstacle courses, trampolines, bouncy things, like having padding below them, all this different stuff. And that kind of leads me to what I want to talk about next, which I think is important for Fire Nation to understand as a concept is that there are a ton of these old fashioned industries. They've been around for decades. I mean, bouncy houses, 1959. but let's be honest and I'm not talking about bouncy houses now but most of these old-fashioned industries are simply put boring so I want to talk about how entrepreneurs can come in identify these old-fashioned industries and add some pizzazz and some jazz to them like you've done with bouncy houses what we did wasn't anything magical what we really looked at where we started identifying some inefficiencies in a market that we knew wasn't going anywhere Like we knew kids were going to want to jump and we knew that kids were also stuck on devices nowadays.

9:47Do you have kids, John? I don't. I have a son on the way, November 11th. That's exciting. Did we just break that to the listeners? I think this is the first time I've said it online. That's exciting, man. Well, thank you for letting me release that for you. So I have a three-year-old and there's one thing that my daughter wants more than an iPad, And that's to jump off of everything. And so what we have today is a lot of parents feel bad about the guilt of having kids on devices, having them in the house, having them learn from digital ways. We really want to give them the childhood that we had when we were kids.

10:26And so getting them outside is something that's not going anywhere. Another thing that an entrepreneur can look at when they're trying to improve an old-fashioned industry that just doesn't have enough appeal to it is just encouraging a layer of culture and brand into the process. A bouncy house is nothing new. Like I've just shared with you, it's something that's been going on for over 50 years. But we're trying to build a brand around the bouncy house that encourages kids to interact with the plastic in a way that they haven't seen before. And it's not that typical license deal that you see when you rent a Minions Bounce Park in your backyard and it just looks like the Minion is not a Minion.

11:08You know, the stuff that we do is based off of what Pixar has really done over the long run is we try to present the inflatable to the parents in a way they haven't seen it before. So they go inside and have a good time. But it's so fun for a three to seven year old, but that their reaction to it is so honest and so pure that they can't help but to just let it out. Now, one thing that I'm really excited about weaving into this conversation is children's health and well-being. I also want to talk about how franchising, it's not all roses, it's not all rainbows. There's still some struggles that are in there, although there's a ton of benefits and pros as well that I really want to get into.

11:46But we will have to wait till we get back from thanking our sponsors. Success Story, hosted by Scott D. Clary, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Success Story features Q &A sessions with successful business leaders, keynote presentations, and conversations on sales, marketing, business startups, and entrepreneurship. One of Scott's recent episodes was with none other than Jack Canfield, where they discuss adapting to life's twists and turns. Listen to Success Story wherever you get your podcasts. Ready to look, feel, and function at your best?

12:22Then I've got the perfect next step, a LifeForce membership. LifeForce gives you the tools and support you need to optimize your health and performance through a membership that combines biomarker testing, functional medicine doctors, certified health coaches, and advanced nutraceutical and hormone therapies. Here's how it works. Every three months, you'll draw blood to see where you're performing well and what needs work based on 40 plus biomarkers that drive your mental and physical health, all from the comfort of your home. Within a week, you'll receive your results and get a personalized plan written by a certified clinician, plus the opportunity to schedule a free telehealth appointment to talk through your results and next steps.

12:56Members also receive a certified health coach for one-on-one coaching and accountability. No wonder 85 % of LifeForce members report improved quality of life within their first three months of membership. Better energy, more focus, and deeper sleep are all within reach. Start your membership today and receive$200 off. Visit mylifeforce.com to get started. That's my, L-I-F-E-F-O-R-C-E.com. Antonio, we're back. And for parents out there, yourself and soon to be me, I mean, your child's health and their wellbeing, it's incredibly important. And believe me, Fire Nation, they get it. They've been on a health journey with me for the past 10 years as I continue to try to optimize my health and wellness.

13:40We know that sitting around on a couch, guzzling Coke, a cola, and looking at an iPad or an iPhone, it's not going to be good long-term in any way, shape, or form. And it's definitely not going to be good for a child who's developing. So we need to talk about some strategies for building a successful business model that prioritizes children's health and wellbeing. Talk about that. I can tell you that the sell strategy is letting the parent know that there's an opportunity to bring them out. But more on top of that, Being a parent has really helped me dive into the research and understand the needs that kids are lacking today.

14:20And having these parks that are serving 1 ,000, 1 ,500 kids a day, we now have roughly 15 parks that are operating. Having that many kids, serving them, observing them, watching their reactions, having conversations with them, I've been able to really have a sense of dialing in what has been healthy for kids, but also something that is appropriate for parents too, where they feel like they're not bringing the kids out to a experience that is not age appropriate. What we do is we have like Disney music blaring. We have kids bot blaring. Parents are having a good time. Everyone's eating snow cones.

15:00There's bubbles and rainbows and eyeballs and everybody's just bouncing off the walls and doing what you tell your kids not to do at home all day long, which is don't jump on the bed, don't jump on the wall, don't jump on the furniture. We bring them into a 25 ,000 square foot bouncy place and tell them to jump off of everything. After the 90 minutes, these kids don't realize the type of workout that they put in. The parents do. Trust me, they come up to me and they tell me, hey, buddy, that 400 foot long obstacle course, you kicked my butt when I churned that second corner. And there's 15, we have this unique space where there's ropes, almost like a laser if you're trying to steal something, and you have to crawl under the ropes.

15:35I can't name the number of conversations that I've had with parents that they're fuming at me because they have to go through that themselves. But I know that they're getting a great workout. They're hanging out with the kid. They're in the sun. They both had a great 90 minutes off of their devices, enjoying what it really is important in life, which is family and relationships. And so having this business has been able to really just look at my family, take what I think is important about health and being with my kid and develop it and build it into the experience. Now, one thing that we didn't mention before the break is that franchising has a lot of pros, and we've talked about this before on the show.

16:13I mean, you have proven business models, you have support, you have a lot of plug and play opportunities. You have a lot of benefits when you go into the franchising world, but there can also be challenges as well. So I want to talk about your perspective on some of these challenges that entrepreneurs can face when it comes to franchising? Yeah, the biggest challenge was the initial investment and the financial considerations. When building a national brand, obviously, you realize it's going to be a big undertaking. But just as a number, we're in it for$3 million. And to be able to start building a profitable franchise, you have to bleed for a while before you figure out what you're doing.

16:55getting the first 10 guys in, building an education program, building a sales program, building a manufacturing pipeline, and just making sure that all of those things are working cohesively. There's also a lot of legal complexities that come into the franchising process, especially because we're handling, at this point, 20 ,000 kids a weekend, which is like filling up Staples Center every weekend. There could be some liabilities, some safety concerns, some issues that we could have. And so growing this from just a single store into a franchise system has been growing my problems at scale as well.

17:30Also, balancing independent entrepreneurship and policies to follow the brand standards is something that's really tough and hard to do. I'm 29. And so I really want to encourage entrepreneurship for my franchisees. And I want them to feel like they're in control of the business. But we also have certain policies that we have to follow to keep children safe, to uphold our brand standards, to keep good to our stakeholders and other brands that we collaborate with. And that can sometimes be a really tough line to walk, to be able to discipline somebody, but also encourage them to grow a business at the same time.

18:03And then the final thing that has been kind of a big issue or challenge in franchising is the ongoing fees, training, and support. I have an office with tons of employees and some real estate and warehouses that supply a lot of these stores throughout the nation. And as we're going to the East Coast and to the Midwest, being able to grow a supply chain and to be able to make good on all my promises to my franchisees and to my customers is something that has been an ongoing issue. We are overcoming a lot of these challenges, but it's something that's front loaded that you have to tackle on before you're able to start seeing some good profits roll in.

18:38Fire Nation, a lot of things to think about. And again, we're going to give you both sides of the equation on this show because you need to make the informed decision. But I love when we can have fun doing something that's good for this world. And there's definitely a lot of box that are being checked here. Now let's talk Antonio about giving back. Something that you've done very well over the years, as you mentioned in your journey, is you look to be a role model to your brothers and your sisters during your journey as you go forward here. And you've given back to them, your time, your energy, etc.

19:14Let's talk about giving back as a broad term. How do you approach this as an entrepreneur? Giving back is something that for me is mandatory and is baked into being an entrepreneur. I really believe that having the personal hardship, whatever your personal hardship may be, minus foster care, but everyone has some kind of personal hardship or story that they can lean into. Having the empathy and understanding for that demographic of whoever's been hurt or a victim of any kind of issue or whatever it is that you're supporting, it seems to give you a great sense of gratitude and a sense of purpose.

19:52And coming in and opening these parks and bringing awareness to local foster care agencies has made me feel and have conversations that are beyond my imagination with young children that are looking up to me, that have questions, that are confused. And to be able to give back to a little kid and to know what it was like to be in that position not too long ago, have those same questions, not have a resource, I feel like it's mandatory for somebody who's in a position of mine with a platform of mine and a story of mine to start building a legacy and bringing awareness about these kind of issues and adversity.

20:32So that way we can make it more of a typical conversation. The foster care demographic that I support the most is actually not children. It's kids that are 16 to 19 years old. And I really feel like they're a left out demographic that really doesn't get talked about. Everybody likes to talk about helping the babies and getting a three-year-old or a six-year-old some help. But everyone forgets that there's 16-year-olds to 18-year-olds and 19 year olds that are joining our society, getting ready to go to university, don't have housing, and are just really on their own. And so bringing awareness to that group has been something that has made me feel a great sense of motivation for continuing to educate my franchisees on that group, but also having conversations and letting people know that foster kids are out there in the open.

21:21We're just super vulnerable to talk about it. So to bring a common awareness that, hey, hey, there are some foster kids out there that are a little bit older that need some help, it has just been a great sense of coming for me. I love this message, Fire Nation. I hope you're really understanding what you can do to impact the world as an entrepreneur beyond just the business side of things. And then Tony, I wanna wrap this up with a bow. Take a step back. What is the one thing from our whole conversation today that you really wanna make sure Fire Nation gets? Anything can be done. If you have the willpower and if you want to make your dreams come true, we now live in a society with technology and digital resources.

22:04So to be able to repeat my story, if you're a foster kid listening out there, to get to this position is not so hard anymore nowadays as it was 40 years ago. All you have to do is just wake up every day, continually educate yourself, lock yourselves in with mentors, a community around you. Be vulnerable about your position and let people know when you need help. And the journey you can find can happen pretty quickly. Fire Nation, you're the average. Of the five people you spend the most time with, you've been hanging out with A-N and J-L-D today. So keep up the heat. And Antonio, if Fire Nation wants to connect with you, if they want to learn more, give us a call to action.

22:42My email is probably the best way to get ahold of me. That's A at funbox.com. Super simple. I don't like to type in long emails when I'm logging into things. So a at phone box.com is my email. If you're a gram person and you want to follow behind the scenes on how I'm building the business, how we do the construction, what kind of things and education programs I'm building. My Instagram is at Antonio Nieves, A-N-T-O-N-I-O, Nieves, N-I-E-V-E-S dot underscore. Fire Nation, keep up that heat and links to everything that we about. Just go to eofire.com, type Antonio in the search bar. The show notes page will pop right up.

23:24And Antonio, thank you for sharing your truth, knowledge, value with Fire Nation. 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 Antonio for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation, what can 3 ,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs teach you? How about how to achieve financial freedom and fulfillment. My first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, is a revolutionary 17-step roadmap that will lead you to the lifestyle you've been dreaming about. This book took me 10 years of accumulating the genius of the world's top entrepreneurs, and you can get it all in one place when you visit UncommonSuccessBook.com.

24:09I'll catch you there or on the flip side. Success Story, hosted by Scott D. Clary, is brought to you by the HubSpot podcast network, the audio destination for business professionals. Success Story features Q &A sessions with successful business leaders, keynote presentations, and conversations on sales, marketing, business startups, and entrepreneurship. One of Scott's recent episodes was with none other than Jack Canfield, where they discuss adapting to life's twists and turns. Listen to Success Story wherever you get your podcasts. Want to live better, longer? We all do. And that's why Life Force is making proactive and personalized healthcare easier than ever.

24:46Start your membership today and receive$200 off. Visit mylifeforce.com to get started now. That's my, L-I-F-E-F-O-R-C-E.com.