By Brandin Cohen, Liquid I.V. Co-Founder
Super Bowl Champion Coach Bill Cowher and I meet to talk LIV
Let me be the first to tell you, I never thought I would be one to write a blog. I’ll admit, I really didn’t even know what a blog was until about 6 months ago HA!
“So people just write a personal journal and share it with the world and other people want to read it?” – My Inner Voice
Sounded pretty cool in theory, but I still didn’t really get it until I read the blog of my good friend, Jordan Younger (or more famously known as The Balanced Blonde). Getting insight into the life of an incredibly successful young leader was extremely intriguing to me and I wanted to read more. The word blogging actually made some sense to me now, finally.
For me, the idea to write something like this came about somewhat organically. It started as a result of the amazing family and friends I have supporting me in this crazy startup journey called Liquid I.V.. Ever since we launched Liquid I.V. back in the beginning of 2013, and especially since the company has continued to grow after we decided to work on it full time in 2014, all my friends and family have been incredibly supportive and curious as to the state of the company and everything that is going on with me both personally and professionally. A steady stream of texts, calls, emails, and the like, wanting to hear every detail. And while it is impossible to overstate how valuable and meaningful all this support is, it’s difficult for me to tell the same story twice with the same passion and emotion… imagine trying to do it over 20 times a week to all your family and friends.
For those of you who know me already, I tend to get very boisterous when telling a story, I typically start speaking extremely fast and become completely immersed in the narrative. I tend to be an all or nothing person, so you’re either going to get the most real, heart felt recap of a LIV success/failure, or I’m just not going to tell you at all… Sorry mom, sometimes I just don’t want to talk after a long day and I’d rather tell you a great story with great detail than a half assed one!
This leads to many people who are very close to me not hearing much of what is happening at Liquid I.V.. So I decided to write a weekly email update to my closest friends and family… and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. They feel more connected to what’s happening at Liquid I.V. and it gives me an opportunity to express my gratitude for all their support and keep them in the loop at the same time!
Mi familia
One day, my amazingly creative and talented younger sister (she is becoming a chef in NY… so cool!) said, “Everyone loves your weekly email update, why don’t you share it with all the people connected to Liquid I.V… your customers, social media followers, fans and so on? I bet they would like a behind the scenes look at the company too.”
Soooo here we are… I guess this is called a blog! Not sure if you guys are going to enjoy reading it, but what the hell, maybe you’ll get a kick out of it like my friends and family have. And if not, please let me know, I’ll go buy a soft, fluffy, pink diary and keep my thoughts to myself.
I hope to give you an insightful look at how insanely hectic, overwhelming, and sometimes, even fun, it has been starting a business only a couple years removed from school. Weekly topics including…
– The daily ups and downs of having your best friends as business partners.
– Raising money from scary old business guys.
– My enthusiasm of healthy, active living and a balanced lifestyle (obviously including my passion for healthy hydration!).
– The struggle I have with close friends who (naturally) find it difficult to comprehend the demand running LIV has on my free time, especially in comparison to the stability and structure of their 9-5 jobs.
– Our Shark Tank Opportunity.
– Trying to have some semblance of a social life.
– The rewarding sense of pride, emotion and accomplishment that I have experienced as we have reached milestones that most people believed to be impossible (distribution in Whole Foods for example, yeah buddy!).
– Day trips to Vegas for some pretty cool business partnerships on the horizon.
– And many more posts as things continue to happen here at Liquid I.V.
So please feel free to leave comments on the blog in the coming weeks… I would love to hear what you think and answer any questions you might have. Check back tomorrow to hear about my wild experience at the The 57th Annual Grammy Awards this past weekend with Liquid I.V.! I may or may not have a couple hilarious celebrity stories to tell you about from the after party.
My best friend/business partner (Hayden Fulstone) and I launching our new Liquid I.V. website