There is something Dan Fradin wants you to know.

“I’ve kicked a little ass.  But I’ve gotten my ass kicked plenty.”

Haven’t we all, Dan!

Perhaps it was the influence of “The Karate Kid”.  Perhaps it was “No Holds Barred.” Or perhaps it was watching his first UFC fight in his Freshmen year at the University of Pittsburgh.  But something about the martial arts clicked with Dan Fradin.

“It was the infancy of the internet.  It was the birth of a new style of fighting.  It became my passion.”

The movement became known as mixed martial arts.  And heroes such as Brazilan UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie showed him the way.  Dan couldn’t get enough.  He trained incessantly and constantly worked out on the heavy bag.  He earned three black belts en route to fighting in dozens of amateur MMA bouts.   He even taught fighting and grappling techniques on the side.  Dan had found his calling.  But could he make a career out of it?

“I thought about it.  It was my life.  But I also knew I had to make money.”

Dan ultimately chose a path in advertising.  He worked for several years at the legendary internet startup, PointRoll, in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.  After leaving, he once again grappled with the idea of starting his own business in the world of mixed martial arts.  But Dan chose to stick with advertising, opting to work for the international innovation consultancy R/GA out of New York.

While there, Dan never stopped hitting the heavy bag.  He never stopped training.  And he never stopped dreaming of starting his own company.  He developed a business plan and created a PowerPoint to showcase his new idea.  But he just couldn’t bring himself to leave.

But in late 2014, fate pushed him in a new direction.  He was laid off from R/GA.  It was a sign.  It was time.  Dan Fradin was ready to pursue his passion and launch his own company.  The sky was the limit!

“Rolling in the Benjamins”

Dan had conceived the idea for his new company, Impact Wrap, years earlier.  Initially, he envisioned a hardware product with sensors measuring the impact of a punch on the heavy bag.  He finalized his business plan and launched a Kickstarter campaign with the lofty goal of raising $120,000.

“I was so naive.  I thought I would be rolling in the Benjamins right away.”

Dan spent $45,000 marketing his new product.  He was positive it was going to be a success.  But he didn’t just sit back and wait for it to happen.  He hustled.  He networked.  He sold.  During one stretch of the campaign, he spent 28 straight hours at his desk.  And by the end of the campaign…

Crickets!

Impact Wrap had raised a meager  $18,000.  The campaign was a massive failure.

But Dan had shown incredible hustle and grit during the process.  He attracted the attention and admiration of Inova IT, a design company out of Slovenia.  Eventually, the two companies would form a partnership that would launch both on a path to massive success.

But there would be more chutes than ladders in the years ahead.

Another Customer, Another Pivot

Dan quickly realized he needed to pivot from selling hardware to selling software.

“It is obvious now, but I was so passionate about my original idea, I couldn’t see it.   Investors were only interested in recurring revenue models.  I finally saw the light.”

With the help of Inova IT, Dan launched the beta product of Impact Wrap.  Now the product was more akin to the Fitbit, small sensors on the gloves tied to software that measured the impact of a workout.  Fitness boxing was becoming a huge trend and the gyms would be his perfect customers.

Once again, Dan hit the pavement.  After a series of endless rejections, Dan was finally able to land his first beta customer, a fitness club down in Miami, Florida.  His dream was now a reality.  But dreams can quickly slide into nightmares.

The product suffered from network issues.  And Dan’s new customer had little patience with him or the software.  Dan traveled down to Miami to put out fires nearly every week.

“It took an enormous toll on my family and my marriage.  Everyone felt the stress.

After six months, the customer finally pulled the plug.  Once again, Dan Fradin was left with nothing but a dream and a burning passion.

It was time to get back to work. 

Building on the Ashes

Dan Fradin would not be denied.  He went back to Inova IT and they rebuilt everything from scratch.  They reduced the complexity of the software.  They improved the design.  And in early 2017, they created Version 1 of Impact Wrap.

It was time to find another customer.  And this time, Dan hit the jackpot.  

Dave Pantano was the owner and head instructor at Premier Martial Arts.  He immediately recognized the significance of Impact Wrap.  And, more importantly, he had the patience to shepherd the product to success.  He understood failure was part of the process.

“I am so humbly appreciative of Dave’s support.  He always believed in me.  And he taught me all about paying it forward.”

With this initial success, Dan caught the eye of Tom Kroll, CEO of iMet Electronics.  Tom was a local legend in the Philadelphia area and a manufacturing genius.  Now Dan had both a trusted design team and a trusted manufacturing partner.  It was time to scale.

Jim Walsh, Owner of Title Boxing Club, gave Dan his next break.  He had two gyms with over 80 heavy bags between them.  Dan would get up every day at 3am and arrive at the gym by 4am to ensure success.  Dan was on his way to the top.  But the product failed once again.  Eventually, he lost 80 percent of his customers.

Dan was devastated.

“I was so close.  I finally saw the dream and it crashed.” 

Should he break down and cry? Should he fold up shop? Should he give up on his dream and go back to advertising?  No. It was time to go back to work.

Once again, Dan Fradin had to build on the ashes.  

Climbing the Mountain

In the Winter of 2018, Dan Fradin and his partners set their sights on mastering the product.  There were several hiccups along the way.  So many false starts and false hopes.  In all there 137 builds of the product.  And along the way, Dan Fradin never stopped preaching his message and selling to gyms across the country.

By 2019, the product was bug-free and rock solid.  Jim Walsh and Dave Pantano scaled their business and took Impact Wrap with them.  Dan’s business finally hit that all-elusive hockey stick growth.  And the success kept on building.

“After years of fits and starts, finally we had the wind at our back!”

They expanded across the country and across the world.

“The Prime Minister of Portugal worked out with our product in Lisbon. It was beautiful.” 

Impact Wrap now had over 40,000 customers across 70 gyms in 12 countries around the world.

“We had so much momentum.  And the foundation was solid because we had built on our failures.  I felt there was no stopping us.”

But little did Dan realize that his greatest challenge was still in front of him.

An Invisible Menace

In March of 2020, Impact Wrap was executing on plans for further penetration of gyms and workout facilities around the globe.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the coronavirus pandemic swept across the world like a wildfire. Among other establishments, gyms were shut down immediately.  All of Impact Wrap’s customers were now at home.

“I felt like Wile E. Coyote going over the cliff.”

On Friday, March 13th, Impact Wrap sent out 4,000 workout e-mails to its customers.  On Monday, March 16th, they sent out 5.  The shutdown was real.

Once again, Dan was devastated.

“I had nothing to do.  I felt like a rudderless ship.”

But this was not the first setback for Dan. And he had come too far to stop now.  His resilience had built up like a muscle.

“I could sit back and cry.  Or I could pivot to Plan B.”

It was time to get back to work.   

Fortunately, Inova IT had designed an app built for home use.  Dan dusted off the business plan and “Impact@Home” was born!

While the gym closures are taking its toll right now, the idea of expanding into the home market could help Dan’s business in the long run.

“Ultimately, I see it as a net positive.  And it will bring us closer to our customers.” 

And there you have it.  A dream, born out of hard work and relentless perseverance, keeps drifting out of reach.  And each time, Dan Fradin pivots and comes back for more.  That is the definition of the American Dream.  That is the definition of hustle. That is the definition of resilience.

What Does It Mean for Us?

Dan Fradin has no idea what the future holds.  But he knows he will not stop until he realizes his dream.  And so it should be with all of us.

We are all in an uncertain state right now.  But that doesn’t mean we should roll into a ball and give up.  That doesn’t mean we should sit back and cry about our situation.  It’s time to be resilient!

How many of us have the strength to continually pivot to “Plan B”?

How many of us appreciate the ones who help us on our journey?

How many of us keep moving forward in the face of constant failure?

How many of us refuse to let our environment define us?

How many of us view radical change as a net positive?

Dan Fradin’s journey is the same as our journey.  It will not always be easy.  Sometimes we will kick a little ass.  Sometimes we will get our ass kicked.  But either way, we have to move forward, stay resilient and roll with the punches.