We were lucky to catch up with David Najera Jr recently and have shared our conversation below.
David, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers.
3amWater was in the early stages of the initial launch. The team and I were months into doing business and it was moving slow as expected. We were looking for an opportunity to get the bottle into as many hands as possible. Most sporting events are at arenas that have beverage contracts so getting into the door was half our battle. After countless dead ends and emails the search started to look impossible. Until one afternoon I was watching a bike race in California and seen all the riders didn’t have a name brand water. Maybe I was looking in the wrong direction? So I emailed the contact of race and was immediately answered back with excitement and relief. A similar race was coming to Colorado. However, this race was to be the only 4 stage, womens, championship race in America! They had yet to receive and sponsorship offers and we were able to lock in a great deal with the Colorado Classic in 2019 to provide our 3amwater to all riders, staff, and VIP as well as our own booth to vend and promote. In a matter of months we went from serving water at pool parties to serving water to over 5000k guests 4 different cities. The team understood this was far bigger than anything we were ready for however this was an opportunity we couldn’t pass on. This is what we were looking for all along and we absolutely showed up and showed out. Needless to say it prepared us and parlayed us into more events and great partnerships with more community events such as the Special Olympics 5k run, youth basketball and football camps with NBA and NFL athletes respectively. The pandemic has slowed our event momentum but this summer we are looking for a major comeback!
David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am David Najera Jr, a business major graduated from Colorado University. Being an entrepreneur was something I always had in my mind as a teen and going into college. The exact industry I wanted to be in I didn’t know but I knew I wanted to run a business. I liked calling plays as a kid in sports. The team captain inside the huddle. That is when I’m in my mode. So I wanted to continue that passion and it developed into a product my friends and I call 3amWater. The beverage industry is fairly big so we knew that was already going to be a challenge. Locally no one else at the small business level was distributing water. And we felt like this was our opportunity to take a product, market it, and place it in stores, venues and anywhere else we could. Water is essential so theres almost no place it can’t be. 3amWater “Hydration for the Go Getters” is a brand I want people to know is about giving back and helping the people first. We always look for ways to hydrate our community for free at camps and other youth events first, then we search for opportunities to vend second.
I’m most proud of the team who is beside me. There’s no way I get the brand this far without my 3 friends Diangelo Ulvi, Ed Rosero, and Lukas Lockett. Without a good team there’s no way you come together and get as many wins as we have and that’s what keeps me going and motivated. Knowing we still have so much more to accomplish and that we all are on the same mission.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Funding our business comes straight from our own pockets. The team has 4 partners in it so individual costs become manageable when you have everyone pitching in. The initial capital was something we all had saved up. We all just needed something responsible to do with our money at the right time. When the idea of the business came funding it was the exciting part to us because that meant bringing the ideas to life. When you are purchasing Vending machines with your logo, ice coolers for events, an entire booth for events, these are the things that make spending your money worth it because you see your dreams coming true. Now you just have to put in the work!
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
We keep a strong brand presence on Instagram(@3amwat3r) and Facebook(3amwater) as well as our own website 3amwater.com
Our customer’s have the ability to order by the case on the site as well as set up a monthly subscription to have deliveries to their door. We show all the new endeavors that are coming as well as all our previous ventures!
Contact Info:
- Website: 3amwater.com
- Instagram: @3amwat3r
- Facebook: 3amWater
- Twitter: @3amwater